JPH10276848A - Protective device and actuator suited thereto - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable a space to be secured for avoiding a death by pressure so that users are not crushed by furniture or the like which overturn over their heads. SOLUTION: A hydrogen storage alloy 14 is heated by supplying, in response to a signal from an earthquake sensor, power to a heater 15a in an actuator unit 2 used as the support of a bed, and a sliding member 17 is projected vertically by pressure produced by the release of hydrogen gas which the hydrogen storage alloy 14 stores, thereby avoiding dangers caused by the overturning of furniture. Also, the sliding member 14 is reset by operation of a Peltier element so that it is usable also as a jack.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a protection device for preventing a furniture or the like from being crushed by overturning when an earthquake occurs while sleeping, and an actuator suitable for the protection device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In order to avoid the danger caused by furniture or the like falling over when an earthquake occurs, furniture can be mounted on the furniture to prevent it from falling over, or the occurrence of an earthquake can be quickly detected to escape from a dangerous space. As described above, a method of mounting an earthquake detector inside a house has been adopted.

[0003]

However, in the event of a late escape, there is a danger that heavy furniture may fall over, and especially during bedtime, the user is unprotected against earthquakes. There is a problem that furniture falls overhead and suffers a fatal blow.

[0004] The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a protection device capable of securing a breathable space for supporting furniture that has fallen overhead and avoiding pressure death. And an actuator suitable for this.

[0005]

That is, according to the present invention, as a protective device for achieving the above object, a housing vertically disposed in an area where a fallen object is to be received, and a housing accommodated in the housing, An actuator that operates based on a signal from the vibration sensing means, and which is attached to a tip of the actuator,
A sliding member protruding forward in the longitudinal direction of the housing. A housing vertically disposed in a region to receive a fallen object; an actuator housed in the housing and operated based on a signal from the vibration sensing means; A sliding member protruding forward in the direction, and illumination means detachably attached to an end of the housing. Further, as an actuator, a heating unit, a hydrogen storage alloy heated by the heating unit, and a power storage unit are housed in one half of a cylindrical body also serving as a case, and the hydrogen gas pressure released from the hydrogen storage alloy is stored in the other half. And a sliding member connected to the pressure-displacement converting means and projecting out of the case.

[0006]

[Action] The actuator is driven by the detection of an earthquake,
The sliding member fitted to the cross bar of the bed is projected vertically, and a space is secured above the head so as to avoid pressure death due to furniture falling.

[0007]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIGS. 1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In the drawings, reference numeral 1 denotes a protection device main body, and a crossbar 3 at least near the head of a bed can be removed as a frame of the bed main body. And is supported by an actuator unit 2 which is provided upright.

The actuator unit 2 incorporates a piston 16 to which a sliding member 17 slidably protruding from one end of the cylinder 10 is fixed in a cylinder 10 serving also as a case. It is housed leaving room to incorporate.

At the end of the sliding member 17, a cross bar 3 of the bed is provided.
The push-up portion 17a formed with the groove 17b that fits into the cylinder 10 is fixed so as to protrude outside the cylinder 10 when not in operation.

The driving means 11 is formed with an airtight separation wall provided at the rear end of the cylinder 10 so as to secure a certain space. The driving means 11 stores and discharges hydrogen gas in a hydrogen gas expansion region 12. Hydrogen storage alloy 14 and hydrogen storage alloy 1
4 and a filter 13 for separating the expansion region 12 so as to allow ventilation.
Element 1 for heating and cooling hydrogen storage alloy 14
5 and a heater 15a for rapidly heating the hydrogen storage alloy 14
It is composed of

At the rear end of the actuator unit 2, an electric power supply means is provided integrally or detachably with the cylinder 10, and as shown in FIG. And a power supply unit 4b for supplying power to the heater 15a via the switch means 4a, preferably a rechargeable storage battery.

In the embodiment constructed as described above, first, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), a plurality of actuator units 2 are mounted on the floor frame of the bed as columns, and the bed is inserted into the groove 17b of the push-up portion 17a. The crossbar 3 which becomes the frame of the above is fitted and mounted.

In this state, if a large shaking is caused by an earthquake or the like, a signal from the earthquake detector 5 causes the switch means 4 to receive a signal.
is turned on, power is supplied from the power supply unit 4b to the heater 15a and the Peltier element 15, and the hydrogen storage alloy 14 is rapidly heated.

As a result, hydrogen gas is released from the hydrogen storage alloy 14 and the pressure in the expansion region 12 rises rapidly, and the piston 16 pushes out the sliding member 17 vertically, and as shown in FIG.
As shown in (b), the rung 3 is positioned above the head. Therefore, even if the furniture F has fallen, it is received by the crossbar 3 to secure a space for avoiding pressure death. Since the working fluid is a gas called hydrogen, the shock can be absorbed by contraction of the gas.

Then, at the stage when the great shaking has subsided,
When the device main body 1 is removed from the bed, the connection between the heater 15a and the power supply unit 4b is cut off by the externally operable changeover switch S, and the connection polarity between the Peltier device 15 and the power supply unit 4b is switched, the hydrogen absorption of the Peltier device 15 The alloy 14 side serves as a heat absorbing portion, and cools the hydrogen storage alloy 14. As a result, the hydrogen gas in the expansion region 12 is absorbed by the hydrogen storage alloy 14 again, and the sliding member 17 is accommodated in the cylinder 10.

When it is impossible to open or move the closed iron door or the fallen furniture manually, the actuator unit 2 is inserted between the moving object and the floor or wall between the structures. And the heater 15a by the switch means 4a.
And the Peltier element 15.

FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the protection device according to the present invention, in which a lighting unit 20 is detachably attached to a rear end of a driving unit 4 incorporated in an actuator unit 2. is there. Reference numeral 21 in the figure is an outer case.
In this case 21, a lamp 22 that slides in conjunction with a switch mechanism 24 is housed, and the open end is a glass 23.
It is sealed with.

In the embodiment configured as described above, when the large shaking of the earthquake at night has subsided, the apparatus main body 1 is removed from the bed and the switch mechanism 24 is operated. Lamp 22
Lights up at the same time as it protrudes, illuminating the room.

[0019] With this, in addition to the above-described function of the actuator unit 2, it can also be used as a lighting means. Therefore, even if a power failure occurs due to an earthquake at night, the trouble of searching for a flashlight can be saved, and Light can be obtained at the bedside, free from the fear of darkness, and a quick transition to the next action can be facilitated.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the apparatus is used as a bed support has been described. However, even when the apparatus is used on a tatami floor or a floor, the apparatus is erected on the floor and placed near the head. It is clear that the same effect can be obtained by setting.

It is apparent that a similar effect can be obtained by using a bellows type actuator for converting hydrogen pressure into force, in addition to the piston type actuator.

[0022]

As described above, according to the present invention, a housing vertically disposed in a region where a fallen object is to be received, and a housing accommodated in the housing and operated based on a signal from the vibration sensing means. Since the actuator and the sliding member attached to the tip of the actuator and protruding forward in the longitudinal direction of the housing are provided, when the earthquake occurs, the shaking is sensed and the actuator is driven to drive the sliding member near the head. By protruding vertically, it is possible to avoid the danger caused by the furniture falling over, and to secure a breathable space to avoid pressure death.

Also, since the sliding member is protruded by heating and the sliding member is retracted by cooling using an electro-thermal conversion element in the actuator, the sliding member is removed from the bed and used as an emergency jack. can do.

Furthermore, since the protection device main body is provided with the lighting means, even in the event of an earthquake occurring at night and a power failure occurs, a light can be obtained, and a quick action for blaming can be performed. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing a state in which a protective device according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted as a vertical frame of a bed.

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the device main body, and FIG.
FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating the operation of the actuator.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the same device.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the device is attached to a bed, wherein FIG.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are side sectional views showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A is a view at all times, and FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus main body 2 Actuator unit 4 Drive part 5 Earthquake detector 10 Cylinder 11 Drive means 12 Expansion area 14 Hydrogen storage alloy 15 Peltier element 15a Heater 17 Sliding member 20 Lighting unit

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A housing vertically disposed in a region where a fallen object is to be received, an actuator housed in the housing and operated based on a signal from a vibration sensing means, and an actuator attached to a tip of the actuator. And a sliding member protruding forward in the longitudinal direction of the housing. 2. A housing vertically disposed in a region where a fallen object is to be received, an actuator housed in the housing and operated based on a signal from vibration sensing means, and an actuator attached to a tip of the actuator. A protection member comprising: a sliding member protruding forward in a longitudinal direction of the housing; and illumination means detachably attached to an end of the housing. 3. A heating means, a hydrogen storage alloy heated by the heating means, and a half of a cylindrical body also serving as a case.
A pressure-displacement conversion means for receiving the power storage means and converting the hydrogen gas pressure released from the hydrogen storage alloy into a displacement, and being connected to the pressure-displacement conversion means and projecting out of the case The actuator which accommodates the sliding member which performs. 4. The actuator according to claim 3, wherein said heating means is an electro-thermal conversion element, and is configured to be capable of selectively heating and cooling said hydrogen storage alloy. 5. The actuator according to claim 3, wherein said pressure-displacement converting means is a piston or a bellows.