JPH0585183B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

[Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to an air cell used in a mat for preventing bedsores.
In particular, a plurality of air cells are removably provided adjacent to a flat base sheet in its transverse direction,
Each air cell forms a long and narrow air chamber, and these air chamber groups are divided into at least two series, and each system is connected to a bed sore prevention mat that is connected to an air supply device that supplies air over time. Regarding air cells used in

[0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As a conventionally known pine of this type, pine manufactured by Turley Co., Ltd. in the UK is well known under the trade name "Ripple pine".

【0003】

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned known pine, the shape of the air cell is a truncated cone that is thick at both ends and narrow at the center. The area of contact between the pine and the user becomes wider, and body pressure can be dispersed or the place of contact with the pinerest can be changed, but no effect on turning over can be expected. Therefore, this invention improves the shape of this air cell,
To provide on the market an air cell used in a bed sore prevention mat capable of automatically turning a patient over and exhibiting a sufficient bed sore prevention effect.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, the air cells used in the bed sore prevention mat of the present invention include a flat base sheet with a plurality of air cells adjacent to each other in the transverse direction. The air cells are detachably installed at both ends, and each air cell forms a long and narrow air chamber. These air chamber groups are divided into at least two series, and an air supply system that supplies air over time to each system. In the air cells used in the bed sore prevention mat connected to the device, the air cells have a truncated conical shape in plan view, and each air cell is provided with a connection port that can be freely connected to an air supply tube at its end. The air cell is characterized in that the width of the air chamber at one end is wide and the width becomes narrower toward the other end. It is preferable that the width of the narrow end of each of the air cells is wider than the narrowest part. The width of the thick end of each air chamber is 1.5 to 4 times the width of the narrowest part to maximize the rolling effect. The air cell has a rubber or soft PVC layer as an inner layer,
Preferably, it is made of a composite material having a fabric layer as an outer layer. The air cell may be formed by covering a rubber tube with a cloth bag.

[0005]

[Operation] The operation of the invention according to claim 1 constructed as described above will be explained below along with the method of use. A predetermined number of air cells according to the present invention are removably attached to a flat base sheet in its transverse direction by sequentially changing their orientation and adjacent to each other by means of attachment/detachment means such as male and female hooks, and the base sheet is attached for each series. The connection ports in the air chambers of the air cell group are connected directly or via appropriate connectors to air supply tubes that are piped toward different side edges of the base sheet and closer to the side edges of the base sheet. Next, the two air supply tubes arranged along both sides are connected to a common air supply source. When it is desired to turn over a user, such as a bedridden elderly patient, by using the mat in which the air cells of the present invention are assembled in this way, for example, air cells of each system may be connected to a common air supply source through one air supply tube. When air is alternately supplied to the base sheet, the air cells in one system expand first, while the air cells in the other system remain flat, and the air chambers of each air cell in the system to which air is supplied are each in the same position on the base sheet. Each end of the mat is wide, so it is thick, and the other end of the mat has narrow air chambers, so it swells thinly, and the mat as a whole swells thickly on one side and thinly on the other side. Next, air in one system to which air was previously supplied is exhausted from the air chamber of the air cell group in the other system, and air is supplied to the air chamber of the air cell group in the other system in the same manner as before, so that the two series of air cell groups in the mat are , it swells to a shape with a thickness opposite to the left and right from the previous time. By repeating such operations and alternately inflating and deflating the two series of air cells, the posture of the patient or user on the mat is changed and the patient or user is turned over. Furthermore, when air is supplied to both air systems, all the air chambers of the air cell groups in all the mats are inflated, and the mat as a whole is thick on both sides and slightly inflated in the center from the bedside to the feet. If any air cell is damaged and air leaks during use, stop supplying pressurized air to the air cell group, remove only the damaged air cell from the base sheet, replace it with a new one, and try again. use. In the invention described in claim 2, since the width of the narrow end of each air cell is wider than the narrowest part, air is supplied only to the air chamber group of one system. Even when this happens, the thin end of each air chamber also expands slightly. The air cell according to claim 4 is characterized in that it is made of a composite material having a rubber or soft PVC layer as an inner layer and a cloth layer as an outer layer. In the invention described in claim 5, since the air cell is formed by covering a rubber tube with a cloth bag, a submersible pump is used to supply and discharge liquid such as water or hot water to the air cell instead of the air. Inflates and deflates the air cell.

[0006]

Embodiments Next, typical embodiments of the invention set forth in the claims will be described. First embodiment (representative embodiment of the invention described in claims 1, 3, and 4) In FIG. 1, A indicates the entire mat for preventing bedsores, and the plane size of this mat A is This mat A has a flat base sheet 10 and a plurality of air cells 12 removably installed adjacent to the base sheet 10 in the transverse direction. It consists of. The air cell 12 forms an elongated air chamber 13. The air cell 12 has a truncated conical shape in plan view, and each air cell is provided with a connection port that can be freely connected to an air supply tube at its end, and the air cell 12 has a wide air chamber at one end. The width is formed to become narrower toward the other end (see FIG. 2). The air cell 12 has an inner layer made of rubber or soft PVC.
The layers are molded from a composite material with an outer fabric layer. The plurality of air cells 12 are divided into two series 12a, 12b, with every other air cell having the same series, and each series 12a, 12b has a different side edge 10a, 10b of the base sheet 10. The air supply tubes 14 are connected to air supply tubes 14 piped along the side edges 10a and 10b of the base sheet 10 via T-type connectors 15, and the two tubes 14 are connected to a two-position solenoid valve 20. It is connected to an air pump 23, which is a type of air supply source, via an air supply/exhaust control device C consisting of a control section that issues commands for alternate operation (see FIG. 1). The air cells 12 of each series 12a, 12b are such that the width of the air chamber 13 on one side edge 10a or 10b of the base sheet 10, which is different for each system 12a, 12b, is thicker, and the width becomes wider as it approaches the other side edge 10b or 10a. It is formed thin. Preferably, the thicker end 1 of each air cell 12
The width of 2c is 1.5 to 4 times the width of the narrowest part 12d.
It is double.

[0007] Embodiment 2 (Representative embodiment of the invention described in claim 2) The same reference numerals as in Embodiment 1 indicate the same constituent parts and provide the same effects. The difference is that
The width of each narrow end 12d of each air cell 12 is wider than the narrowest part 12e (see FIGS. 3 and 4). In addition, the structure of the air cell 12 may include a rubber tube 24 covered with a cloth bag 25 (see FIG. 5). The functions and effects of each of these embodiments are the same as those of the invention described in the corresponding claims, so the description thereof will be omitted here.

[0008]

Effects of the Invention In the air cell used in the bedsore prevention mat of the invention set forth in claim 1, which is configured and operates as described above, a separate air supply hose is connected to each system, and each By supplying air at different times for each system, the air cells of each system will make one side edge of the base sheet thicker than the other side edge, making the entire pine surface slope laterally, or making the center part Since it can be made into a slightly recessed V-groove shape, through an appropriate air supply and exhaust control device,
If each system of this mat is connected to an air supply source, such as an air pump or a pressure cylinder, and used as a patient mat by supplying air over time as described above, it will be possible to adapt to the ever-changing slope of the mat surface. depending on,
The patient's weight shifts, and the patient can actually turn over in bed, or an effect similar to that of turning over in bed can be obtained. Therefore, it can be used as a mat for post-operative patients, bedridden elderly people, and severely disabled people. In the invention set forth in claim 2, even if any air cell is damaged and air leaks during use, the supply of pressurized air to the group of air cells is stopped, and only this damaged air cell is removed from the base sheet. It can be removed and replaced with a new one for reuse. In the case where the width of the narrow end of each air cell is wider than the narrowest part, even when air is supplied to only one group of air cells, each air cell The thin end of the air chamber also expands slightly, so even if air is supplied to only one group of air chambers,
Since a kind of stopper is formed by the thickly swollen portion at the narrow end of each air chamber, there is no risk that the patient will roll over too much and fall off the mat, making it safe. In the invention set forth in claim 3, the width of the wide end of each air cell is equal to the width of the narrowest part.
In the case of 1.5 to 4 times the mat surface, even if air is supplied to only one system and the mat surface is inclined, the angle of inclination will not be steep, the sleeping comfort will not deteriorate, and it is safe. In the invention described in claim 4, when the air cell is formed of a composite material having a rubber or soft PVC layer as an inner layer and a cloth layer as an outer layer, the air cell can sufficiently withstand air pressure. Air cells can be molded. In the invention set forth in claim 5, when the air cell is formed by covering a rubber tube with a cloth bag, the pressure resistance of the air cell can be increased, and a liquid such as water or hot water can be used instead of the air. Even if a submersible pump is used to supply and discharge the air cell, there is less fear that the air cell will be damaged when it expands or contracts.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a bedsore prevention mat incorporating an air cell of Example 1. FIG.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the air cell in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the air cell of Example 2.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the air cell of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of another air cell.

[Explanation of symbols]

12... Air cell 13...Air chamber.

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claim 1: A plurality of air cells are removably provided at both ends of a flat base sheet adjacent to each other in the transverse direction, each air cell forming an elongated air chamber, and a group of these air chambers. In the air cell used in a bedsore prevention mat, which is divided into at least two series and connected to an air supply device that supplies air over time for each system, the air cell has a truncated conical shape in plane, At its end, each air cell is provided with a connection port that can be freely connected to an air supply tube, and the air cell is formed so that the width of the air chamber at one end is wide and the width becomes narrower at the other end. An air cell used in bedsore prevention mats featuring: 2. The air cell used in the bed sore prevention mat according to claim 1, wherein the width of the narrow end of each of the air cells is wider than the narrowest part. . 3. The mat for preventing bedsores according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the width of the thick end of each air cell is 1.5 to 4 times the width of the narrowest part. Air cell. 4. The bed sore prevention mat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air cell is made of a composite material having a rubber or soft PVC layer as an inner layer and a cloth layer as an outer layer. Air cell used. 5. The air cell used in a bedsore prevention mat according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the air cell is formed by covering a rubber tube with a cloth bag.