KR102401478B1 - Air mat for preventing bedsore - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a bedsore prevention air mat to increase energy efficiency and reduce noise. According to the present invention, the bedsore prevention air mat comprises: a mat body in which a plurality of air cells are arranged and provided; a valve block which includes a valve body provided with an air inlet port, an air outlet port, and a cell connection port, an air chamber provided inside the valve body, a spool having an air hole moving up and down inside the air chamber, and a plurality of solenoid valves including a magnet core elevating the spool so that the air hole selectively communicates with the air inlet port or the air outlet port, wherein the plurality of solenoid valves are integrated to supply and discharge air to each of the air cells of the mat body; an air pump which supplies air to the air cells through the valve block; a sensing unit which includes a pressure sensor sensing pressure applied to each of the air cells by a user's load; and a controller which controls the operation of the valve block and the air pump to perform air supply and discharge of each of the air cells according to information detected by the pressure sensor, so that the user's body part coming in contact with the air cells and the degree of support by the air cells are varied, thereby preventing the occurrence of bedsores.

Description

Air mat for preventing bedsores

The present invention relates to a pressure sore prevention air mat, and more particularly, to prevent pressure sores from occurring by repeatedly changing the position of pressure applied to the body of a user using the mat by alternately floating a plurality of air cells. It relates to anti-air mats.

In recent years, as the elderly population increases, the number of people living in bed due to old age or diseases such as dementia is continuously increasing. position to lie on the bed.

When lying on the bed in the same posture as described above, excessive pressure is applied to the body part where the patient's weight continuously comes into contact with the mattress of the bed, and blood circulation and metabolism are not made smoothly, so the blood vessel occlusion state continues. As a result, pressure sores are formed in which the skin tissue is necrotic.

As a result, when a pressure sore occurs, the underlying tissue, the dermis, is damaged and causes a serious problem in which the subcutaneous fat layer or even the muscle and bone tissue are damaged. Air mat-related technologies are being developed to prevent pressure sores by controlling the air supply, as in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0871719, in order to relieve pressure by changing the posture.

In addition, technologies that provide multi-functions such as snoring relief in addition to the prevention of bedsores have been developed in the air mat for preventing bedsores as described above. improvement is needed.

Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0871719 (Registered on November 26, 2008) Korean Patent No. 10-2041451 (registered on October 31, 2019)

The object of the present invention is to solve the above problems, and it is possible to prevent the occurrence of pressure sores by repeatedly changing the position of the pressure applied to the body of the user who uses the mat by flotation of a plurality of air cells, and energy An object of the present invention is to provide an air mat for preventing bedsores that can increase efficiency.

The problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the above-described problems, and may be variously expanded without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, the pressure ulcer prevention air mat includes a mat body in which a plurality of air cells are arranged, an air inlet port, an air exhaust port and a cell connection port, and a valve body, inside the valve body An air chamber provided in the air chamber, a spool having an air hole raised and lowered inside the air chamber, and a magnet core for selectively communicating the air hole with the air inlet port or the air exhaust port by elevating the spool A plurality of solenoid valves are provided, and a plurality of solenoid valves are integrated to supply and discharge air to each air cell of the mat body. The valve block and the air pump so that air is supplied to each air cell or the air of each air cell is discharged according to a sensing unit including a pressure sensing unit for sensing the pressure applied to each air cell by the pressure sensing unit and information sensed by the pressure sensing unit It is characterized in that it comprises a controller configured to prevent the occurrence of pressure sores by controlling the operation of the user's body to vary the extent to which the user's body is in contact with the air cell is in contact with the air cell.

At this time, the valve block includes an inlet line through which the air supplied from the air pump is introduced by being connected to the air pump, and one end is connected to the end of the inlet line and the other end is connected to the air inlet port of each solenoid valve. An air inlet including a branch line and a plurality of exhaust lines having one end connected to the air exhaust port of each solenoid valve, one end connected to the other end of the plurality of exhaust lines and the other end connected to the inlet line to each solenoid valve It is characterized in that it comprises an air exhaust unit including a return line provided so that the air exhausted from the air exhaust port of the gathering and re-supply to the inlet line.

Alternatively, the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the present invention further comprises an air injection pipe provided to inject air into the space between the air cells of the mat body, and the valve block is connected to the air pump and supplied from the air pump. An air inlet including an inlet line through which the air is introduced, one end connected to the end of the inlet line and the other end connected to the air inlet port of each solenoid valve, an air inlet including a plurality of branch lines, and one end of the air outlet port of each solenoid valve A plurality of exhaust lines connected to and one end connected to the other end of the plurality of exhaust lines and the other end connected to the air injection pipe so that the air exhausted from the air exhaust port of each solenoid valve is collected and supplied to the air injection pipe It is characterized in that it includes an air exhaust unit including a transfer line provided to do so.

At this time, the air exhaust unit, one end communicates with the transfer line, the other end is provided with a return line communicating with the inlet line, the transfer line and the return line connecting portion, the air transferred through the transfer line Further comprising an on/off valve for controlling supply to the return line, the air discharged through the exhaust line is selectively supplied to the air injection pipe through the transfer line, or air is supplied to the inlet line through the return line. It is characterized in that it is configured to be resupplied.

In addition, the air exhaust unit further includes a flow sensor for detecting the amount of air exhausted through the exhaust line at one end of the transfer line connected to the plurality of exhaust lines, for supplying air to the air cell. When the air exhausted from the flow sensor is sensed when the air pump needs to be driven, the on-off valve is controlled so that the air exhausted through the transfer line is supplied to the return line.

According to the present invention, the bedsore prevention air mat, including the mat body, a valve block, an air pump, a sensing unit and a controller, can efficiently control the supply of air to a plurality of air cells and the exhaust of air inside the air cells by the valve block. The return line is provided in the air exhaust part for exhausting the air inside the air cell from the valve block, so it is possible to reduce the energy consumed for supplying air to the air cell, thereby improving energy efficiency and reducing noise. there is

In addition, in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the present invention, the transfer line where the air exhaust part of the valve block is connected to the air injection pipe and the return line for re-supplying air to the air inlet are selectively connected to remove the air exhausted from the air cell as needed. There are advantages that can be selectively provided according to the requirements.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a view exemplarily showing a state in which the pressure ulcer prevention air mat is placed on the bed according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view showing in more detail the configuration of the valve block in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the solenoid valve supplies air to the air cell side in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the solenoid valve discharges the air inside the air cell to the outside in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a side view exemplarily showing an air cell alternate expansion operation state of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a plan view of a pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an enlarged view showing the air cell portion of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view showing in more detail the configuration of the valve block in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

With respect to the embodiments of the present invention published in the text, specific structural or functional descriptions are only exemplified for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various forms and the text It should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in .

Since the present invention can have various changes and can have various forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific disclosed form, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms may be used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, a first component may be referred to as a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as a first component.

When an element is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another element, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, but other elements may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle. Other expressions describing the relationship between elements, such as "between" and "immediately between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to", etc., should be interpreted similarly.

The terms used in the present application are only used to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that the described feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or a combination thereof exists, but one or more other features or numbers , it should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the existence or addition of steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. In general, terms such as those defined in the dictionary should be interpreted as meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art, and are not interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present application.

In addition, for convenience of description, left, right, top, bottom, front, rear, and similar names, and words referring to each direction are based on the drawings for convenience of description, and may vary depending on the viewing direction or arrangement of components can

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exemplary view illustrating a state in which the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention is placed on a bed. 3 is a view showing in more detail the configuration of the valve block 200 in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention. is a cross-sectional view of the operation of the solenoid valve 220 in a state of supplying air to the air cell 110 side, and FIG. 5 is a solenoid valve 220 in the pressure sore air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is an operational cross-sectional view of the state of discharging the internal air to the outside, and FIG. 6 is a side view exemplarily illustrating the operation state of the air cell 110 alternate expansion of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 6 , the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention is largely a mat body 100 , a valve block 200 , an air pump 300 , a sensing unit 400 and a controller. It includes 500, and is configured to provide a function of preventing pressure sores by varying the part in contact with the user's body positioned on the mat body 100, and each configuration will be described in more detail as follows.

First, the mat body 100 constitutes the basic body of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat of the present invention, and the air cells 110 with a relatively flat upper surface having independent air pockets are arranged and provided, and a plurality of air cells 110 are It may be provided at regular intervals by aligning columns and rows in the longitudinal and transverse directions, and each air cell 110 is formed in an integrated rectangular shape with a bottom surface connected to it.

Next, the valve block 200 is integrated by integrating the solenoid valve 220 that supplies and discharges air to each air cell 110 of the mat body 100, and a plurality of solenoid valves 220, air inlet It includes a unit 210 and an air exhaust unit 230 .

More specifically, each solenoid valve includes a valve body 221 provided with an air inlet port 222 , an air exhaust port 223 and a cell connection port 224 , and the air provided inside the valve body 221 . The chamber 225, the spool 226 having an air hole 227 that is lifted from the inside of the air chamber 225, and the air hole 227 by lifting the spool 226 are connected to the air inlet port 222 or the air exhaust. Including a magnet core 228 to selectively communicate with the port 223, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the magnet core 228 is controlled by electromagnetic force so that the spool 226 elevates and lowers the spool. The air hole 227 formed in the 226 selectively communicates with any one of the air inlet port 222 and the air exhaust port 223 to supply air to the air cell 110 or air inside the air cell 110 . make it possible to release

In addition, the air inlet 210 is connected to the air pump 300 and the inlet line 211 into which the air supplied from the air pump 300 is introduced, and one end is connected to the end of the inlet line 211 and the other end is connected to the air inlet line 211 . includes a plurality of branch lines 212 connected to the air inlet port 222 of each solenoid valve 220 .

In addition, the air exhaust unit 230 has one end connected to a plurality of exhaust lines 231 connected to the air exhaust port 223 of each solenoid valve 220 , and one end connected to the other end of the plurality of exhaust lines 231 . and the other end is connected to the inlet line 211 and includes a return line 232 provided so that the air exhausted from the air exhaust port 223 of each solenoid valve 220 is collected and re-supplied to the inlet line 211 .

Next, the air pump 300 is connected to the valve block 200 to supply air to the valve block 200 so that air can be supplied to each air cell 110 through the valve block 200 .

Next, the sensing unit 400 includes a pressure sensing unit 410 for sensing pressure applied to each of the air cells 110 by a user load, and the pressure sensing unit 410 includes a plurality of air cells 110, respectively. It may include a pressure sensor 411 provided at the bottom of the body to sense the pressure applied to each air cell 110 by the user's body weight.

In addition, the sensing unit 400 may further include a sleep state sensing unit provided in the mat body 100 to detect snoring and sleep apnea of the user in the configuration as described above, and the sleep state sensing unit, the mat body (100) Including an acoustic sensor provided on the periphery, in this case, the acoustic sensor may be configured to be provided with a plurality of spaced apart from each other along the periphery of the mat body 100.

Next, the controller 500, the pressure ulcer prevention air mat of the present invention, basically, according to the information sensed by the pressure sensing unit 410, air is supplied to each air cell 110 or air inside each air cell 110 is configured to control the operation of the valve block 200 and the air pump 300 to discharge.

More specifically, the controller 500, based on the information sensed by the pressure sensing unit 410, so that the distribution of the degree of expansion of the air cells 110 at a location corresponding to the user's location is changed from time to time according to a preset period, It includes a pressure ulcer prevention module 510 to prevent the occurrence of pressure ulcers by changing the portion of the user's body in contact with the air cell 110 .

Looking at the operation process of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat of the present invention configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 6 , first, the supply flow path of the valve block 200 is opened through the controller 500 to provide air supply. In the state in which the solenoid valve 220 is operated as much as possible, the air pump 300 is operated so that air is supplied to each air cell 110 of the mat body 100 through the valve block 200, so that the air cell of the mat body 100 (110) The whole is in a state with a constant air pressure (see (a)), and then when the user lies on the mat body 100, the pressure sensing unit 410 detects the pressure change in each air cell 110, By determining the load region in which the pressure caused by the user's load is sensed, the air cells 110 corresponding to the load region are expanded or relaxed according to a preset cycle, so that the expansion degree distribution is frequently variable (see (b) and (c)) ), the extent to which the user's body is in contact with the air cell 110 and the body is in contact with the supported degree is changed, thereby preventing the occurrence of pressure sores.

7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a plan view of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is an enlarged view of the air cell 110 part of the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 10 shows the configuration of the valve block 200 in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the second embodiment of the present invention in more detail. the drawing shown.

7 to 10 , the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the second embodiment of the present invention further includes an air injection pipe 600 in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the first embodiment of the present invention. , and accordingly, the configuration of the valve block 200 is partially different when described in more detail as follows.

First, the air injection pipe 600 is to provide a blowing function by injecting air into the user's body located on the mat body 100, and air in the space between the air cells 110 of the mat body 100. provided for spraying.

In addition, at this time, the valve block 200, the air inlet 210 is connected to the air pump 300, the inlet line 211 through which the air supplied from the air pump 300 flows, and one end of the inlet line (211) is connected to the end and the other end includes a plurality of branch lines 212 connected to the air inlet port 222 of each solenoid valve 220, and also, the air exhaust unit 230, one end of each solenoid A plurality of exhaust lines 231 connected to the air exhaust port 223 of the valve 220, one end is connected to the other end of the plurality of exhaust lines 231, and the other end is connected to the air injection pipe 600 to each solenoid It is configured to include a transfer line 233 through which the air exhausted from the air exhaust port 223 of the valve 220 is collected and transferred.

At this time, the air exhaust unit 230, similarly to the first embodiment, one end communicates with the transfer line 233 and the other end of the return line 232 communicates with the inlet line 211, and the transfer It is provided at the connection part of the line 233 and the return line 232 (on the transfer line 233 or on the return line 232 ), and the air transferred through the transfer line 233 is transferred to the return line ( 232) further comprising an on/off valve 234 for controlling whether or not to supply the air to the air injection pipe 600 through the transfer line 233, selectively supplying the air discharged through the exhaust line 231 Alternatively, it may be configured to re-supply air to the inlet line 211 through the return line 232 .

In addition, the air exhaust unit 230 is a flow sensor ( 235), when the air exhausted from the flow sensor 235 is sensed at a time when the air pump 300 is required to supply air to the air cell 110, the transfer line 233 is connected to the It may be configured to control the opening/closing valve 234 so that air exhausted through the return line 232 is supplied to the side.

When configured as described above, in the pressure ulcer prevention air mat according to the present invention, the transfer line 233 of the air exhaust unit 230 of the valve block 200 is connected to the air injection pipe 600, and the air cell 110 By allowing the air exhausted from the to be supplied to the air injection pipe 600, the air for providing the blowing function can be supplied without separate energy consumption, and at the same time, a separate air pump 300, etc., to provide the blowing function It is possible to provide a blowing function without driving a driving means, thereby reducing noise, and also maximizing energy efficiency by minimizing energy consumption for supplying air to the air cell 110 through the return line 232. , in a situation where air supply to the air cell 110 is not required, it is possible to provide a blowing function through an air injection pipe to provide multi-functionality, but to further significantly improve economic efficiency.

The above-described embodiments are merely exemplary, and those of ordinary skill in the art can variously modified other embodiments therefrom.

Accordingly, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should include not only the above embodiments but also other embodiments variously modified by the technical spirit of the invention described in the claims below.

100: mat body
110: air cell
200: valve block
210: air inlet
211: inlet line
212: branch line
220: solenoid valve
221: valve body
222: air inlet port
223: air exhaust port
224: cell connection port
225: air chamber
226 : spool
227: air hole
228: magnet core
230: air exhaust
231: exhaust line
232: return line
233: transfer line
234: on/off valve
235: flow sensor
300: air pump
400: sensing unit
410: pressure sensing unit
411: pressure sensor
500 : controller
510: bedsore prevention module
600: air injection pipe

Claims (5)

a mat body in which a plurality of air cells are arranged;
A valve body having an air inlet port, an air exhaust port and a cell connection port, an air chamber provided inside the valve body, a spool having an air hole lifted up and down in the air chamber, and the air by elevating the spool A plurality of solenoid valves including a magnet core for allowing the hole to selectively communicate with the air inlet port or the air exhaust port are provided, and a plurality of solenoid valves are integrated to supply and discharge air to each air cell of the mat body. integrated valve block;
an air pump for supplying air to the air cell through the valve block;
a sensing unit including a pressure sensing unit for sensing pressure applied to each air cell by a user load; and
By controlling the operation of the valve block and the air pump so that air is supplied to each air cell or the air of each air cell is discharged according to the information sensed by the pressure sensing unit, the user's body comes into contact with the air cell and the area in contact with the air cell and a controller configured to prevent the occurrence of bedsores by varying the degree to which they are supported.
The valve block is
Air inlet including an inlet line connected to the air pump and receiving air supplied from the air pump, and a plurality of branch lines having one end connected to the end of the inlet line and the other end connected to the air inlet port of each solenoid valve wealth; and
One end is connected to a plurality of exhaust lines connected to the air exhaust port of each solenoid valve, one end is connected to the other end of the plurality of exhaust lines and the other end is connected to the inlet line so that the air exhausted from the air exhaust port of each solenoid valve is An air exhaust unit including a return line provided to gather and re-supply to the inlet line;
delete delete a mat body in which a plurality of air cells are arranged;
A valve body having an air inlet port, an air exhaust port and a cell connection port, an air chamber provided inside the valve body, a spool having an air hole lifted up and down in the air chamber, and the air by elevating the spool A plurality of solenoid valves including a magnet core for allowing the hole to selectively communicate with the air inlet port or the air exhaust port are provided, and a plurality of solenoid valves are integrated to supply and discharge air to each air cell of the mat body. integrated valve block;
an air pump for supplying air to the air cell through the valve block;
a sensing unit including a pressure sensing unit for sensing pressure applied to each air cell by a user load;
By controlling the operation of the valve block and the air pump so that air is supplied to each air cell or the air of each air cell is discharged according to the information sensed by the pressure sensing unit, the user's body comes into contact with the air cell and the area in contact with the air cell a controller configured to prevent the occurrence of bedsores by varying the degree to which they are supported; and
Including; and an air injection pipe provided to inject air into the space between the air cells of the mat body.
The valve block is
Air inlet including an inlet line connected to the air pump and receiving air supplied from the air pump, and a plurality of branch lines having one end connected to the end of the inlet line and the other end connected to the air inlet port of each solenoid valve wealth; and
One end is connected to a plurality of exhaust lines connected to the air exhaust port of each solenoid valve, one end is connected to the other end of the plurality of exhaust lines, and the other end is connected to the air injection pipe, so that the air exhausted from the air exhaust port of each solenoid valve Containing; includes a;
The air exhaust unit
One end communicates with the transfer line, the other end and a return line communicating with the inlet line,
It is provided in the connection part of the transfer line and the return line, including an on-off valve for controlling whether the air transferred through the transfer line is supplied to the return line,
Air mat discharged through the exhaust line is selectively supplied to the air injection pipe through the transfer line or is configured to re-supply air to the inlet line through the return line, the pressure ulcer prevention air mat.
5. The method of claim 4,
The air exhaust unit
A flow sensor for detecting the amount of air exhausted through the exhaust line at one end of the transfer line connected to the plurality of exhaust lines; further including,
When the air exhausted from the flow sensor is sensed when the air pump needs to be driven to supply air to the air cell, the on/off valve is controlled so that the air exhausted through the transfer line is supplied to the return line. A pressure sore prevention air mat, characterized in that it becomes.

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