JPH10296893A - Cushioning material - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide cushioning material having moderately hard surface, excellent feeling for use, where relaxation effect can be obtained by generation of minus ions. SOLUTION: On the surface of cushioning base material composed of resin foam such as soft polyurethane foam or the like, binder layer containing tourmaline ore, or an impregnated layer, which is impregnated with a binder containing tourmaline ore, is formed. Synthetic resin such as acrylic resin, etc., or synthetic rubber such as styrene-butadiene rubber, etc., can be used for binder. Practically, emulsion containing these synthetic resin or synthetic rubber is used for forming a binder layer or an impregnated layer through coating, impregnating, or the like. Elastomer such as polyurethane elastomer, etc., can also be used for binder. By profile processing of cushioning base material, cushioning material with more excellent feeling for use, and also having shiatzu effect, etc., can be obtained.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a buffer base material having a binder layer containing tourmaline ore formed on the surface thereof or a buffer base material having a surface layer impregnated with a binder containing tourmaline ore formed thereon. A cushioning material comprising: When the cushion material of the present invention is pressed by the weight of a person, negative ions are efficiently generated from the surface thereof, and have an effective action on both the mind and body, such as stability of mind and promotion of blood circulation. This cushioning material can be used in beddings such as automobile seats, wheelchair seats or pillows, mattresses and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art It is said that relaxation due to forest bathing, such as mental stability, is due to many negative ions in the forest. Further, such an environment can be experienced while staying in a room by an air purifier that generates negative ions. However, air purifiers are generally quite expensive, and the running costs are considerable because they are operated by electricity.

[0003] On the other hand, in these days, there is a high interest in health,
For example, bedding and the like have been developed in which a cushioning base material such as a flexible polyurethane foam (hereinafter, referred to as a flexible foam) is profiled to improve air permeability and dispersion of body pressure. Further, there is also provided one in which a convex part subjected to profile processing is impregnated with a urethane prepolymer and cured to achieve a finger pressure effect. A bedding or the like obtained by processing the soft foam or the like has a considerable effect as a product considering health, but cannot obtain the effect of relaxation by negative ions.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and has an impregnation in which a binder layer containing tourmaline ore is formed on the surface or a binder containing tourmaline ore is impregnated on the surface layer. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cushion material comprising a buffer base material having a layer formed thereon. In particular, the present invention provides a cushioning material comprising a buffer base material in which the buffer base material is profiled and a binder layer is formed only on the surface of the convex portion, or an impregnated layer is formed only on the surface layer of the convex portion. The purpose is to do. The cushion material of the present invention can be used in a wide range of applications such as various seats for automobiles and various beddings such as pillows and mattresses.

[0005]

[Means for solving the problem] heating called tourmaline,
Naturally occurring ores that generate negative ions by pressurization or the like are known. This tourmaline, which is also called tourmaline, is an ore that has a unique, though weak, property of having a permanent electrode. In order to obtain a cushion material in which negative ions are generated from the surface by using this tourmaline ore, there is a method in which tourmaline ore is blended with, for example, a polyol component and foamed integrally. However, in this case, there is a problem that many tourmaline ores are trapped inside the soft foam, and the generated negative ions are not sufficiently diffused to the outside. In addition, physical properties such as tensile strength and elongation of the cushion material may be reduced due to the inclusion of an inorganic substance inside.

In the present invention, tourmaline ore is contained in a binder layer formed on the surface of a buffer base such as a flexible foam, or an impregnation layer formed on the surface of the buffer base is impregnated with the binder. . As described above, by distributing tourmaline ore in the vicinity of the surface of the buffer base material, negative ions generated by a relatively small amount of tourmaline ore are sufficiently diffused to the outside. However, when the tourmaline ore is unevenly distributed in the vicinity of the surface of the buffer base material as described above, the surface of the cushion material tends to be hard, and there is a view that this may reduce the feeling of use of the sheet, the mattress and the like.

[0007] However, it is not sufficient that the cushion material is soft, but rather a moderate hardness is required. Also in the present invention, the degree to which the surface of the cushion material becomes slightly hard does not matter at all for various sheets, various beddings and the like. In particular, when a binder layer containing tourmaline ore is formed only on the surface of the convex portion of the profile-processed foam, or when only a surface layer is impregnated with a binder containing tourmaline ore, air permeability, dispersion of body pressure, and the like are more improved. It is possible to obtain an improved acupressure effect.

[0008] The cushioning material of the first invention comprises a buffer base material, (1) a binder layer containing tourmaline ore formed on the surface of the buffer base material, and (2) a tourmaline layer on the surface layer of the buffer base material. It is characterized by comprising at least one of an impregnated layer formed by impregnating a binder containing ore.

[0009] The cushioning material of the second invention is characterized in that the profiled buffer base material and (1) a binder layer containing tourmaline ore formed on the surface of the profiled projection of the buffer base material. And (2) characterized in that the buffer layer comprises at least one of an impregnated layer formed by impregnating a surface layer of the profiled convex portion with a binder containing tourmaline ore.

Various resin foams can be used as the "buffer substrate". A flexible foam is particularly preferred as the resin foam. The physical properties and the like of the flexible foam are not particularly limited, and those generally used as various sheets and various beddings can be used. The cushioning substrate made of this flexible foam can be obtained by appropriately cutting out the required dimensions from the soft slab stock foam, and the cut out form may be ground and polished to have a specific shape and dimensions. it can. Furthermore,
As a flexible mold foam, a foam molded in a predetermined shape in advance may be used.

The above-mentioned "profile-processed" cushioning base material has a large number of projections of an appropriate size provided on a required surface, and is usually provided for a sheet, a mattress or the like. I have. This projection generally has a shape,
The dimensions are uniform and are often evenly distributed over the required surface. Furthermore, in the third invention, the “surface only” and “surface layer only” of the above-mentioned convex portion means only the convex portion other than the base portion, particularly a portion up to 80% from the top of the height of the convex portion, more preferably It means that it is the surface and the surface layer of the portion up to 60% from the top.

As the "tourmaline ore", those produced naturally can be used. This tourmaline ore is composed of polyhedral polar crystals, and its crystal structure is maintained even when pulverized. Therefore, the particle size of the powder is not particularly limited as long as the powder can be uniformly dispersed in the binder. The preferred particle size depends on the type and viscosity of the binder, but is preferably 0.5 to 100 μm, particularly about 5 to 40 μm. If the particle size of tourmaline ore is in this range,
It is preferable that the negative ions are uniformly generated even if the surface of the obtained cushion material on which the binder layer or the like is formed is pressed evenly, even if the surface is uniformly dispersed in the binder.

The above “binder layer” containing tourmaline ore
And the above-mentioned "impregnated layer" containing tourmaline ore may be formed only on a specific portion of the buffering substrate, for example, only on a portion where the human body is in good contact, or may be formed on the entire surface of the buffering substrate. . If the binder layer and the impregnated layer are formed on the entire surface of the buffer base material, especially in a mattress or pillow using a profiled buffer base material, even if the human body or the head moves, it is always An excellent acupressure effect can be obtained. Further, negative ions are generated no matter where the human body or the head presses the cushion material, which is preferable.

As the binder, a binder which can contain a required amount of tourmaline ore and which can be bonded to a buffer base material such as a flexible foam to such an extent that the binder does not easily peel off can be used. Examples of the binder include synthetic resins such as acrylic resin, polyurethane, and polyamide, and synthetic rubbers such as styrene-butadiene rubber and butadiene rubber. In practice, an emulsion containing about 10 to 60% by weight of these synthetic resins and synthetic rubbers is generally used. Further, various elastomers such as a polyurethane elastomer can be used as the binder.

The amount ratio of the binder to the tourmaline ore can be 30 to 90% by weight of the tourmaline ore when the total amount of the binder and the tourmaline ore is 100% by weight. As in the fourth invention, the amount ratio of the tourmaline ore is preferably 40 to 80% by weight, particularly preferably 50 to 75% by weight. If this amount ratio is less than 30% by weight, negative ions are not sufficiently generated. On the other hand, if it exceeds 90% by weight, this layer becomes very hard in the binder layer, and the feel becomes poor as a sheet, bedding or the like. Further, the binder layer is easily peeled off from the surface of the buffer base material. Furthermore, in the case of the impregnated layer, the vicinity of the surface of the buffer substrate becomes harder than that of the binder layer, which is not preferable for practical use as a sheet, bedding or the like. If the amount ratio of tourmaline ore is in the range of 40 to 80% by weight,
The vicinity of the surface of the buffer base material does not become too hard, and negative ions are sufficiently generated.

It is preferable that the ratio of the tourmaline ore be particularly low in the case of a buffer base material having a comparatively flat surface without profile processing.
In addition, even if the buffering base material is subjected to profile processing, when a binder layer or the like is formed including the base portion, it is preferable to lower the quantitative ratio of tourmaline ore. By doing in this way, even a buffer base material having a flat surface and a binder layer or the like including a base layer including the base portion can be made soft enough to be practically used. it can. On the other hand, in the case where profile processing is performed and a binder layer or the like is formed only on the convex portions, the amount ratio can be set relatively high within the range specified above.

The above emulsion is in a liquid state and can be easily applied to or impregnated on the surface of the buffer substrate. The raw material of the polyurethane elastomer is also in a liquid state, and it is easy to apply and impregnate the same. A polyurethane elastomer is formed by reacting and curing an isocyanate component with a polyol or a polyamine.
The isocyanate component is preferably an isocyanate-terminated prepolymer. As the prepolymer, either a polyether-based or polyester-based prepolymer can be used, but a prepolymer having a low viscosity is preferable. Further, even a prepolymer having a high viscosity can be used in the same manner if it is heated to lower the viscosity.

The application of the emulsion and the elastomer raw material to the surface of the buffer substrate can be carried out by a method such as brushing or spraying. Further, the impregnation can be performed by a method such as directly immersing the buffer substrate in the emulsion. In addition, it is considered that a part of the emulsion or the like is impregnated into the surface layer of the buffer base material by brush coating, spraying, or the like. Spraying can be performed by a spray method.Especially, polyurethane urea elastomer raw materials using isocyanate components and polyamines react and cure within a short time of about several minutes at the latest after mixing and spraying. Good cushioning material can be obtained.

The thickness of the binder layer is not particularly limited, but is preferably from 10 to 500 μm, particularly preferably about 100 to 300 μm. If the thickness of the binder layer is less than 10 μm, even if tourmaline ore is contained at a ratio close to the upper limit, generation of negative ions may not be sufficient. Also, if the thickness is 5
If it exceeds 00 μm, the surface or surface layer of the cushioning material becomes too hard, and the feeling of use of a seat, bedding and the like is impaired.

On the other hand, in the case of the impregnated layer, the emulsion and the elastomer raw material enter into a hole opened on the surface of a flexible foam or the like or a hole communicating with the inside, and are formed after a medium such as water evaporates. For this reason, the thickness of the cushion material does not usually become so thick that it becomes too hard in the vicinity of the surface, and is at most about 50 μm. Further, when the surface is a relatively flat buffer base material, and even if the profile processing, even if the binder layer or the like is formed up to the base, by reducing the thickness of the binder layer or the like, The hardness of the surface can be suppressed, and a cushion material that can be used practically can be obtained.

[0021]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The cushioning material of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to examples. Experimental Example Tourmaline ore powder having a particle size of 10 to 40 μm was blended with an acrylic emulsion (trade name “AE-934” manufactured by Nippon Synthetic Rubber Co., Ltd.). The compounding amounts of the powders were 50, 67 and 75% by weight (the ratios are assuming that the total amount of the acrylic resin and tourmaline ore in the acrylic emulsion is 100% by weight). Thereafter, the acrylic emulsion containing the tourmaline ore was mixed with 150 × 1
The surface of a 20 × 25 mm flexible foam was sprayed by a spray method.

Next, the flexible foam was dried by a dryer set at 70 ° C. for 2 hours to remove water, and a binder layer made of an acrylic resin containing tourmaline ore was formed on the surface of the flexible foam. For comparison, a binder layer was similarly formed on the surface of the flexible foam using an acrylic emulsion containing no tourmaline ore. The binder layer was adjusted so that the basis weight was 150 g / m ² . In the production of the flexible foam, the above-mentioned tourmaline ore powder was mixed with the polyol component, and a flexible foam having a weight ratio of 40% by weight in the flexible foam was evaluated for comparison. Using these specimens, a negative ion measuring device (model “KST” manufactured by Kobe Denpa Co., Ltd.)
−900 ”) was quantified. Table 1 shows the results.

[0023]

[Table 1]

According to the results in Table 1, in Experimental Examples 1 to 3,
It can be seen that the number of negative ions increases almost in proportion to the amount of tourmaline ore. Further, the binder layer was firmly bonded to the flexible foam, and did not peel off at all. On the other hand, in Experimental Example 4 in which tourmaline ore was not blended, the binder layer was firmly bonded to the flexible foam, but negative ions were below the detection limit (N / D). Further, in Experimental Example 5 using a soft foam formed by blending tourmaline ore with the polyol component, despite the fact that a large amount of tourmaline ore was contained, the number of negative ions was 50 / cc. It was very small compared to 1-3. In addition, this flexible foam had poor physical properties such as tensile strength and elongation.

EXAMPLES Using a flexible foam, a pillow with a profiled head contact surface, an automobile seat with a profiled seat surface, and a mattress with a profiled surface lying on the body were prepared. On the other hand, 67% by weight of tourmaline ore powder was mixed with the same acrylic emulsion as in the experimental example. Using this emulsion, a binder layer was formed on the profile-processed surface of each product in the same manner as in the experimental example. However, this binder layer was formed at a portion of about 60% from the top of the convex portion of the profile.

In the pillow described above, the effect of acupressure on the head was obtained by the appropriately hardened convex portion, and a comfortable sleeping comfort was obtained. Also, in the above-mentioned automobile seat, the convex portions became moderately hard and the sitting comfort was very good, and the above-mentioned mattress also provided comfortable sleeping comfort. In addition, when the negative ions generated from each product were measured in the same manner as in the experimental example, it was found that the products were all about 550 / cc, and that the products were able to provide relaxation effects such as mental stability and promotion of blood circulation. .

A pillow, a sheet and a mattress were similarly prepared using the above-mentioned flexible foam without performing profile processing. Then, a binder layer was formed in the same manner.
The negative ions generated for each of the products were measured and found to be about 550 / cc, which was equivalent to the profile processing. However, the feeling of use was inferior to that obtained by profile processing because the surface became considerably hard and there were no convex portions.

COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE A soft pillow obtained by previously blending 40% by weight of tourmaline ore powder with the holiol component was used to produce a pillow whose head contact surface was processed in the same manner as in the example. In this pillow, the effect of acupressure on the head was obtained by the appropriately hardened convex portion, and a comfortable sleeping feeling was obtained. However, the number of anions generated in the same manner was very small at about 50 / cc, and no effect of relaxation such as mental stability and promotion of blood circulation was obtained.

The reason why the number of negative ions generated is small is that the tourmaline ore is confined in the foam and the generated negative ions are absorbed by static electricity generated by deformation inside the foam. It is thought that it is. In addition, when blending tourmaline ore with the polyol component,
In general, when the content is 20% by weight or more, the physical properties such as the strength of the obtained flexible foam are reduced, so that it is not practical.

[0030]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when negative ions are continuously generated from the surface of the pillow, and when used as a pillow, a car seat, a mattress, etc., relaxation of both mind and body, such as stability of mind, promotion of blood circulation, etc. A cushion material that can obtain the effect can be obtained. Also, as in the second invention,
If the cushioning base material made of a flexible foam or the like is profiled, a relaxation effect and an acupressure effect are also exerted, and a sheet, a pillow, a mattress, and the like having a better feeling in use can be obtained.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A buffer base material, (1) a binder layer containing tourmaline ore formed on the surface of the buffer base material, and (2)
A cushioning material comprising at least one of an impregnated layer formed by impregnating a surface layer of the buffer base material with a binder containing tourmaline ore. 2. A profiled cushioning substrate,
(1) a binder layer containing tourmaline ore formed on the surface of the profiled convex portion of the buffer substrate and (2)
A cushioning material comprising at least one of an impregnated layer formed by impregnating a surface layer of a profiled convex portion of the buffer base material with a binder containing tourmaline ore. 3. The cushion material according to claim 2, wherein the binder layer is formed only on the surface of the projection, and the impregnated layer is formed only on the surface layer of the projection. 4. The tourmaline ore contained in the binder layer is 40% by weight when the binder layer is 100% by weight.
4 to 80% by weight, and the tourmaline ore contained in the impregnated layer is 40 to 80% by weight when the total amount of the binder and the tourmaline ore is 100% by weight. Or the cushioning material according to claim 1.