JPH09238782A - Cushion device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily obtain a desired cushion property by juxtaposing a flat pouch-shaped bag consisting of an elastic material with plural electrodes in its plane direction, thereby applying voltage between the electrodes at the time of use, developing electro-viscous effect in the electro-viscous fluid in the bag and changing the viscosity or the modulus of elasticity. SOLUTION: The electro-viscous fluid 2 housed in the flat pouchshaped bag 1 is pendently provided with the plural planar electrodes 3 from above and is juxtaposed with these planar electrodes 3 apart specified intervals in the plane direction of the pouch-shaped bag 1. The flat pouch-shaped bag 1 is juxtaposed with the planar electrodes 4 erected from below apart the specified intervals in its plane direction. The respective planar electrodes 4 erected from below are inserted between the respective planar electrodes 3 hung down from above. As a result, the prescribed voltages are applied between the respective electrodes 3 and 4 at the time of use, by which the electro-viscous effect is developed in the electro-viscous fluid 2 in the bag 2 and the viscosity or the modulus of elasticity is changed. The cushion effect is thus easily obtd.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cushion device which is used for sofas, mattresses, beds, automobile seats, etc. and which can provide comfortable sitting or sleeping comfort.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-124039.
As described in the publication, a cushion device in which an electrode is provided in a flat bag-shaped bag made of an elastic material and an electrorheological fluid is stored is known.

[0003]

However, in the cushion device disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-124039, only one pair of electrodes provided in the flat bag-shaped bag are vertically opposed to each other. Therefore, there is a drawback that a desired cushioning property cannot be obtained even if a voltage is applied between the electrodes.

The present invention has been made by paying attention to the problems in the conventional cushion device as described above. The purpose of the present invention is to solve the problems in the conventional cushion device and to obtain a desired cushioning property. It is to provide a cushion device.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the cushion device of the present invention according to claim 1 is provided with an electrode in a flat bag-like bag made of an elastic material, and an electrorheological fluid is provided. In the accommodated cushion device, a plurality of pairs of electrodes are arranged in parallel in the plane direction of a flat bag-shaped bag.

In the present invention, as the electrorheological fluid,
A suspension in which specific dielectric solid fine particles are dispersed in an electrically insulating liquid, an electrically insulating liquid containing specific liquid crystal molecules, or a gelled product obtained by crosslinking them and having a sufficiently strong electric field The viscosity or elastic modulus changes rapidly in proportion to approximately the square of the applied voltage as much as possible under the conditions below, and such a phenomenon is called an electrorheological effect.

In the present invention, the electrorheological fluid used is 100 s when an electric field strength of 1 kV / mm is applied.
Any electrorheological fluid can be used as long as the shear stress at a shear rate of -1 is about 100 Pa or more and the response is 200 ms or less.

In the present invention, the electrode used is preferably a flexible and electrically conductive film such as a metal thin film plate or a film formed by sputtering metal. or,
When such a flexible and electrically conductive film is used, two electrodes may be adhesively connected with a flexible sheet having excellent insulating properties and used as electrodes of different signs. .

In the present invention, each electrode may be connected in parallel to a power source and controlled at the same voltage. However, a variable resistor or the like may be connected in series to each electrode, or a separate power source may be provided to provide different voltages. The cushioning effect may be changed for each electrode by applying.

Further, in the present invention, the material of the flat bag-shaped bag is the material of the bag that has been conventionally used for sofas, mattresses, beds, seats of automobiles, etc., and can store an electrorheological fluid. As long as it is one, it is not particularly limited, for example,
A soft vinyl chloride resin, polyethylene, natural or synthetic rubber, cloth or the like may be used alone or reinforced with a reinforcing material such as fiber.

[Operation] In the cushion device of the present invention, since a plurality of pairs of electrodes are arranged side by side in the plane direction of a flat bag-shaped bag, by applying a predetermined voltage between the electrodes during use, By causing the electrorheological fluid to exhibit the electrorheological effect and changing the viscosity or the elastic modulus, it is possible to easily obtain the desired cushioning property even with respect to the stress of about the weight of a human.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is an explanatory plan view showing an example of the cushion device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front explanatory view of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIG. In these figures, 1 is a flat bag-shaped bag, 2 is an electrorheological fluid contained in the bag 1, 3 ... are plate electrodes suspended from above,
The plate-shaped electrodes 3, 3 ... Are arranged side by side at regular intervals in the plane direction of the flat bag-shaped bag 1. 4 and 4 are plate-like electrodes that are erected from below, and the plate-like electrodes 4 and 4 are arranged side by side at regular intervals in the plane direction of the flat bag-shaped bag 1 and above. Each plate-shaped electrode 3, 3
The plate-shaped electrodes 4, 4 ... Standing from below are inserted between the.

Rib-shaped stoppers 31 and 41 are provided in the vicinity of the tips of these electrodes 3 and 4 so as to project therefrom.
41 prevents the electrodes 3 and 4 from contacting each other.

The electrodes 3 and 4 are connected in parallel by an electric wire 5 in the form of a circuit. A power source 6 is provided in the circuit formed by the electric wire 5, and a voltage is applied to the electrodes 3 and 4 by the power source 6. ing.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another example of the cushion device of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIG. In the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the electrode 3 suspended from the upper side is formed of a cylinder having a relatively large diameter, and as shown in FIG. 6, a rib-shaped stopper 31 is provided on the inner surface of the tip of the cylindrical electrode 3. The electrode 4 which is projected and is erected from below is made of a cylinder having a relatively small diameter,
A rib-shaped stopper 41 is projectingly provided on the outer surface of the tip of the cylindrical electrode 4, and the electrode 4 which is erected from below is inserted into the lower end opening of the electrode 3 which is hung from above.

Other points of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 are the same as those of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. The same reference numerals as those given to the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. It should be noted that the cylindrical electrode 4 may have a cylindrical shape without a hollow inside.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing still another example of the cushion device of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a front view of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIG. In the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the flat bag-shaped bag 1 is divided into a plurality of small compartments 11, and electrodes 3 and 4 are provided in each small compartment 11.
And the electrorheological fluid 2 and is otherwise the same as the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, so that the same parts as the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. The same reference numerals as those of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS.

In the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a plurality of small compartments 11 are provided in the flat bag-shaped bag 1.
Since the electro-rheological fluid 2 is stored in each of the small compartments 11, the amount of the electro-rheological fluid 2 to be used can be saved.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing still another example of the cushion device of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a front view of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIG. In the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, as shown in FIG. 11, the electrode 3 hanging from the upper side has a piston shape, and the electrode 4 standing from the lower side has a cylinder shape, and the piston electrode 3 has a cylinder shape. 7 and 8 is the same as the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 except that it is housed in the cylindrical electrode 4 and the electrorheological fluid 2 is housed in the cylindrical electrode 4. 7 and 8, the same parts as those of the cushion device of the present invention are denoted by the same reference numerals as those of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS.

In the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 9 and 18, a plurality of small compartments 1 are provided in a flat bag-shaped bag 1.
Since the electro-rheological fluid 2 is stored in each small compartment 11 by dividing into 1, the amount of the electro-rheological fluid 2 used can be saved, and the resistance of movement of the piston-shaped electrode 3 in the cylindrical electrode 4 can be reduced. Since it is large, it can withstand a relatively large load. Things.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments, and the design is within the scope of the present invention. The present invention includes modifications and the like.

For example, as in the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, stoppers 31 and 4 are provided on both surfaces of the electrodes 3 and 4, respectively.
It is also possible to provide not only 1 but also stoppers at the tips of the electrodes 3 and 4 so that the tips of the electrodes 3 and 4 do not come into direct contact with the inner wall surface of the bag 1.

[0023]

In the cushion device of the present invention, a plurality of pairs of electrodes are arranged in parallel in the plane direction of a flat bag-shaped bag, so that a predetermined voltage is applied between the electrodes during use so that the inside of the bag can be protected. The electro-rheological fluid is caused to exhibit an electro-rheological effect, the viscosity or elastic modulus is changed, and a desired cushioning property can be easily obtained even with respect to a stress of about the weight of a human.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory plan view showing an example of a cushion device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front explanatory view of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an electrode used in the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another example of the cushion device of the present invention.

5 is a front explanatory view of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway perspective view of an electrode used in the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory plan view showing still another example of the cushion device of the present invention.

8 is a front explanatory view of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory plan view showing still another example of the cushion device of the present invention.

10 is a front explanatory view of the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIG.

FIG. 11 is a partially cutaway perspective view of electrodes used in the cushion device of the present invention shown in FIGS.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Bag 11 Small Ward Room 2 Electrorheological Fluid 3, 4 Electrodes 31, 41 Stopper 5 Electric Wire 6 Power Supply

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In a cushion device in which an electrode is provided in a flat bag-shaped bag made of an elastic material and an electrorheological fluid is stored, a plurality of pairs of electrodes are arranged in a plane direction of the flat bag-shaped bag. A cushion device characterized by being installed in parallel.