KR102654136B1 - Air mattress to prevent bedsores - Google Patents

Abstract

“Bedsore-prevention air mattress” is launched. The “bedsore prevention air mattress” according to the present invention is surrounded by an upper fabric 115, a lower fabric 111, and a side fabric 113 connecting the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111. , a mattress body 110 that is provided with a plurality of air fibers 117 vertically connected between the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111 and is filled with air; It is fixedly coupled to the inside of the side fabric 113 and includes an acoustic vibration unit 120 that applies vibration toward the open interior of the mattress body 110.
Here, the acoustic vibration unit 120 includes a housing 121 fixedly coupled to the inner wall of the side fabric 113; a speaker 125 coupled to the inside of the housing 121 and applying sound; a vibration element 123 disposed inside the housing 121 to be spaced apart from the speaker 125 and applying vibration; It is preferable to include a controller 127 that is provided between the speaker 125 and the vibration element 123 and controls the sound source output from the speaker 125 and the vibration frequency applied to the vibration element 123. .

Description

Air mattress to prevent bedsores}

The present invention relates to an anti-bedsore air mattress, and more specifically, to an anti-bedsore air mattress that can effectively prevent the development of bedsores by applying vibration directly to air fibers to convert the static pressure applied to the mattress in contact with the user's skin into fluctuating pressure. It's about mattresses.

Pressure ulcers occur when a user lies down on a bed with a spring mattress for a long period of time. Bedsores are caused by friction or moisture between the user's skin and the sheet. In particular, moisture causes the user's skin to swell, and when the skin is in a swollen state, it is easy for various bacteria to colonize, so it has been known that removing moisture is effective in preventing bedsores, but conventional mattresses do not remove moisture efficiently. It was impossible.

In addition, patients who are brain dead or paralyzed due to various accidents or diseases have difficulty moving and have to stay in bed for long periods of time. When the skin in contact with the bed is pressed for a long period of time, the blood vessels in the skin are also compressed, which reduces blood circulation. This does not work smoothly, and this causes bedsores where the skin festers.

This, along with the unnaturalness of the body, is a double whammy for the patient. These bedsores occur not only in the patients mentioned above, but also in people who sit and work for long periods of time, and are known to occur especially frequently in the summer.

In order to prevent bedsores caused by blood circulation disorders and lack of ventilation on the contact surface, if the subject is a patient, the contact surface of the body with the hospital bed should be changed as much as possible, and in the case of the general public, the load should be distributed by changing the way they sit regularly. However, patients with mobility issues can only be moved by their caregivers, so it is not easy to modify the contact surface. Even for the general public, regular modification of the contact surface is cumbersome and has limitations.

To solve this problem, the applicant has applied for Patent No. 10-2121610, “Preventing bedsore mattress combining acoustic vibration module and air fiber.”

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional example schematically showing the cross-section of the disclosed bedsore prevention mattress 10. As shown, the pressure ulcer prevention mattress 10 is formed of a lower fabric 11, an upper fabric 13, and a side fabric 12, and the interior is filled with air. In addition, the inside of the pressure ulcer prevention mattress 10 is provided with a plurality of air fibers 15 connecting the lower fabric 11 and the upper fabric 13.

In the conventional pressure ulcer prevention mattress 10, an acoustic installation groove or a sound wave vibration installation groove is formed to be recessed in the upper fabric 13, and an acoustic vibration module 20 is accommodated.

In the conventional bedsore prevention mattress (10), when vibration is generated in the acoustic vibration module (20) accommodated in the acoustic installation groove of the upper fabric (13), the vibration is transmitted to the internal air fibers (15), and the contact pressure is distributed to prevent bedsores. performs its function.

However, in the conventional pressure ulcer prevention mattress (10), the acoustic vibration module (20) is accommodated in the acoustic installation groove recessed in the upper fabric (13), so the vibration generated by the acoustic vibration module (20) passes through the upper fabric (13). Since the vibration was transmitted to another area, the effect of shaking the air fiber 15 and transmitting it was limited.

In addition, there was a possibility that the upper fabric 13 could ignite when overheated because there was no passage for the frictional heat generated from the vibrator of the acoustic vibration module 20 to be discharged out of the acoustic installation groove.

In addition, a plurality of acoustic vibration modules 20 are buried and inserted into each region of the upper fabric 13, so that when the user lies down, the acoustic vibration module 20 is divided according to the distance from each body part in contact with the user's skin. The disadvantage was that there was a large variation in vibration.

In addition, since the plurality of acoustic vibration modules 20, amplifiers, and controllers are located in different areas and connected by wires, etc., when any part malfunctions and repair or replacement is required, it is difficult to attach and detach, and repairs require a long time. .

Document 1. Korea Intellectual Property Office, Patent No. 10-2121610, “Preventing bedsores mattress combining acoustic vibration module and air fiber.”

The purpose of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problem, and to provide an air mattress that prevents bedsores in which vibration can be transmitted directly to the air fibers and uniform vibration can be applied to the entire area of the mattress.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an air mattress for preventing bedsores that is easy to repair and replace by being easily detachable from the mattress body when repair or replacement is necessary.

The above objects and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from preferred embodiments of the present invention.

The object of the present invention can be achieved by an anti-bedsore air mattress. The bedsore-prevention air mattress of the present invention is surrounded by an upper fabric 115, a lower fabric 111, and a side fabric 113 connecting the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111, and has an inside. A mattress body 110 provided with a plurality of air fibers 117 vertically connected between the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111 and filled with air; It is fixedly coupled to the inside of the side fabric 113 and includes an acoustic vibration unit 120 that applies vibration toward the open interior of the mattress body 110.

Here, the acoustic vibration unit 120 includes a housing 121 fixedly coupled to the inner wall of the side fabric 113; A speaker 125 coupled to the inside of the housing 121 and applying sound; a vibration element 123 disposed inside the housing 121 to be spaced apart from the speaker 125 and applying vibration; It is preferable to include a controller 127 that is provided between the speaker 125 and the vibration element 123 and controls the sound source output from the speaker 125 and the vibration frequency applied to the vibration element 123. .

The pressure ulcer prevention air mattress according to the present invention is equipped with an acoustic vibrating unit in which the vibration element, speaker, and controller are integrated into one housing, and is coupled to the inside of the side fabric to be accommodated inside the mattress main body. Accordingly, the vibration applied from the vibration element and speaker is transmitted to the air fibers through the open interior of the mattress body.

Accordingly, vibration is evenly transmitted to the air fibers of the entire mattress body and is evenly transmitted to all areas of the user's body. Therefore, compared to the conventional method of indirectly transmitting vibration through fabric, the vibration transmission effect can be improved and the pressure ulcer prevention effect can also be improved.

In addition, since the vibration element, speaker, and controller are integrated into the housing, they have the advantage of being easy to replace and repair compared to the conventional method where they were located separately.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional example schematically showing the cross-sectional configuration of a conventional pressure ulcer prevention mattress;
Figure 2 is an illustration showing the process of using the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress of the present invention;
Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the internal configuration of the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress of the present invention;
Figure 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the acoustic vibration unit of the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress of the present invention;
Figure 5 is a cross-sectional example showing the cross-sectional configuration of the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress of the present invention;
Figure 6 is an example comparing the effectiveness of the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress of the present invention and the conventional pressure ulcer prevention mattress;
Figure 7 is a cross-sectional illustration showing a modified example of the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings, assuming that the same reference numerals in the drawings refer to the same components.

When it is said that one component "includes" another component in the detailed description of the invention or in the patent claims, this is not to be construed as being limited to consisting of only that component, unless specifically stated to the contrary, and other components are not included. It should be understood that it can include more.

Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a user (A) lying down on the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress 100 of the present invention, and Figure 3 shows the process of transmitting vibration through the interior of the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress 100. This is just one example.

As shown, the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress 100 of the present invention includes a mattress body 110 on which the user lies, and an acoustic vibration unit that is coupled to the inner side of the mattress body 110 and applies vibration to the mattress body 110. 120).

The air mattress 100 is filled with air inside, and a plurality of air fibers 117 are combined in the vertical direction to form a pillar. As shown in Figure 3, the acoustic vibration unit 120 is coupled to the inside of the side of the mattress body 110 and directly applies vibration toward the open interior of the mattress body 110. Vibration is transmitted throughout the entire area to the air fibers 117 inside the mattress body 110, and the vibration of the air fibers 117 is transmitted to the user as shown in FIG. 2.

Since the vibration is directly transmitted to the air fibers 117 by the acoustic vibration unit 120, the pressure ulcer prevention function of the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress 100 of the present invention is significantly improved compared to the conventional pressure ulcer prevention mattress 10 of FIG. 1. There is a possible effect.

The mattress body 110 supports the user to lie down and supports the vibration applied by the acoustic vibration unit 120 to be transmitted to the user.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the acoustic vibration unit 120, and FIG. 5 (a) is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional configuration along line A-A of FIG. 2.

As shown in (a) of Figure 5, the mattress body 110 is formed by combining the lower fabric 111, the upper fabric 115, and the side fabric 113. The side fabric 113 connects the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111. The acoustic vibrating unit 120 is fixedly coupled to one inner wall of the side fabric 113.

The upper fabric 115 is in direct contact with the user's skin, so it must be safe and soft to the skin, and preferably be able to transmit vibration and sound well. Additionally, fabrics that can provide breathability and moisture management functions are desirable.

The side fabric 113 is preferably a fabric that absorbs sound to prevent howling or reflection. This can be effective in minimizing sound reflection and improving the transmission of sound and vibration.

It is desirable that the lower fabric 111 prevents vibration and sound from being transmitted to the ground. Accordingly, fabrics with high vibration and noise absorption capabilities are selected. In addition, the lower fabric 111 is preferably selected to have sufficient durability to support the weight of the mattress body 110 and reduce friction with the ground.

The upper fabric 115, side fabric 113, and lower fabric 111 are preferably made of fabric certified as antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and non-phthalate.

Here, the upper fabric 115 and the side fabric 113 are provided with air injection parts (not shown) for injecting and sealing air. And, the side fabric 113 is provided with a socket exposure hole 113a as shown in FIG. 2. The socket exposure hole 113a exposes the connection socket 129 of the acoustic vibration unit 120 accommodated therein to the outside. An external power supply line 130 is coupled to the connection socket 129 to supply power to the acoustic vibration unit 120.

The air fiber 117 is vertically coupled between the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111 and serves as a fiber pillar to ensure that the mattress body 110 maintains a stable shape without wobbling. The air fiber 117 is fixed by bonding the upper and lower ends between the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111. The air fiber 117 is vibrated by sound waves or vibration waves applied from the acoustic vibration unit 120 and transmits vibration to the upper fabric 115, so that the static pressure applied to the user's skin is converted into fluctuating pressure and applied. .

The acoustic vibration unit 120 is coupled to the inside of the side fabric 113 of the mattress body 110 and applies sound waves and vibration waves into the mattress body 110. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the acoustic vibration unit 120 includes a housing 121, a vibration element 123 provided inside the housing 121 to apply vibration, and a speaker 125 to apply sound. ), a controller 127 that controls the vibration element 123 and the speaker 125 to apply vibration and sound, and a connection socket 129 provided on the outside of the housing 121.

The housing 121 is provided in the form of a box and is fixedly coupled to the side fabric 113 of the mattress body 110. The housing 121 may be fixedly coupled to the side fabric 113 using an adhesive or the like, or may be physically detachably coupled to the side fabric 113 using a jig or fixing member. The housing 121 may be made of a material such as wood or plastic.

The acoustic vibration unit 120 of the present invention has the advantage of being easy to replace and repair, and easy to control, as the vibration element 123, the speaker 125, and the controller 127 are integrated into the housing 121. That is, the conventional acoustic vibration module (20 in FIG. 1) is separately coupled to each area on the upper surface of the mattress, and the controller and amplifier are installed separately inside the mattress and coupled to each other by wires, and the coupling area is sealed. Exchanges and repairs were inconvenient.

On the other hand, in the acoustic vibration unit 120 of the present invention, the vibration element 123, speaker 125, and controller 127 are integrated into the housing 121, and the vibration element 123, speaker 125, and controller 127 are integrated into the housing 121 through a connection socket 129 exposed to the outside. Since one power supply line (130) is combined, the aesthetics are neat and the power supply structure is simple. If repair or replacement is necessary, only the housing (121) needs to be separated from the mattress body (110), making repair and replacement easy. .

The vibration element 123 is provided on one side of the housing 121 and applies vibration to the internal space. The vibration wave applied from the vibration element 123 may be adjusted to the frequency applied from the controller 127. The vibration frequency applied from the controller 127 is preferably adjusted to a low frequency of 20 to 40 Hz and set to a range that is not significantly perceptible when the user is lying down.

The speaker 125 is provided in the housing 121 in a direction opposite to the vibration element 123 and applies sound to the internal space. The sound source applied from the speaker 125 may be a sound source pre-stored in the controller 127 or a sound source selected by the user through his or her mobile terminal.

The controller 127 is connected to the user's portable terminal through wireless communication and can play sound sources applied from the user's portable terminal through the speaker 125. The controller 127 is connected to the user's mobile terminal through wireless communication such as Bluetooth. The user or guardian can connect to the controller 127 through a portable terminal, set the vibration frequency, and select a sound source to be played through the speaker 125.

The vibration waves and acoustic waves applied from the vibration element 123 and the speaker 125 are applied directly to the open internal space of the mattress body 110, as shown in FIG. It is transmitted to two air fibers (117). The air fiber 117 vibrates by receiving vibration waves and acoustic waves and acts to cause the upper fabric 115 to vibrate slightly. The upper fabric 115 vibrates at a low frequency, and the pressure applied to the upper fabric 115 by the user's load is continuously distributed and optimal body pressure distribution is achieved.

That is, in the mattress body 110 to which the air fibers 117 are applied, hundreds of thousands of air fibers 117 vibrate violently due to acoustic waves and vibration waves, and the upper and lower surfaces always remain flat, according to Pascal's law of action and reaction. As a result, the body parts in contact with the upper fabric receive equal partial pressure. This can prevent the development of bedsores that occur when continuous pressure is applied while lying down for a long time.

Here, as shown in (a) of FIG. 5, the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress 100 according to the present invention has an acoustic vibration unit 120 installed on one side of the side fabric 113 of the mattress main body 110. As a result, the sound and vibration generated from the speaker 125 and the vibration element 123 are propagated from one side of the mattress body 110 to the other side.

Figure 6 (a) is an example diagram schematically showing the load handling structure of a conventional spring mattress. As shown, the conventional spring mattress generates a hammock phenomenon when temporary dispersion of simple fit is applied.

The hammock phenomenon is a phenomenon in which when a user lies down, the curvature is different depending on the body part, so the load applied to each body part is different, causing the corresponding part to fall down. If this phenomenon continues, the user's body part may be deformed into a downward-turned shape, causing adverse effects on the body.

On the other hand, Figure 6 (b) is an exemplary diagram schematically showing the load handling structure when a user lies down on the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress 100 of the present invention. In this case, hundreds of thousands of air fibers 117 located inside act as pillars and apply continuous vibration to distribute the user's body pressure. This is because a fixed pressure is not maintained on the user's specific body and variable pressure is applied continuously, thereby dispersing body pressure and preventing the occurrence of the hammock phenomenon.

Here, in the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress 100 of the present invention, only one acoustic vibration unit 120 is installed on one side of the mattress body 110. In this case, as shown in (a) of Figure 5, vibration is applied to the mattress body 110 in only one direction.

However, this is only an example, and as shown in (b) of Figure 5, acoustic vibration units 120 and 120a may be provided on both sides of the mattress body 110. In this case, since the pair of acoustic vibration units 120 and 120a face each other and apply sound and vibration waves, the vibration applied to the air fiber 117 can become larger and more diverse.

Sound and vibration applied to the air fiber 117 can be generated in various forms, such as being canceled out by wave interference or causing resonance. Since the user continuously moves, vibration may be generated in more diverse forms depending on the user's movement and the fiber structure of the lower fabric 111, upper fabric 115, and side fabric 113.

Assuming that the user (A) is lying in the center position of the mattress body 110, and whether the pair of sound vibration units (120, 120a) apply sound and vibration to the air fiber 117 from both sides, the user (A) ) can be explained by the wave equation that explains the interference of vibration and sound.

The phenomenon of wave interference can be expressed as the sum of two waves. Each wave generally has the following form:

y₁(x, t) = A₁sin(k₁x - ω₁t + ₁)

y₂(x, t) = A₂sin(k₂x - ω₂t + ₂)

here,

y₁ and y₂: Indicate the amplitude of each wave.

x : position

t : time

A₁ and A₂: maximum amplitude of each wave

k₁ and k₂: Wave number (reciprocal of spatial period)

ω₁ and ω₂: Angular frequency (reciprocal of time period) of each wave

₁ and ₂: Phase of each wave

When two waves meet and cause interference, the result can be expressed by the following formula.

y(x, t) = y₁(x, t) + y₂(x, t)

If the above formula is modified to express energy as a mathematical formula applied to the user, the sound and vibration energy is unilaterally proportional to the square of the amplitude of the wave. Accordingly, a simple mathematical expression representing the energy applied to the user may be as follows.

E(x, t) = α[y₁(x, t) + y₂(x, t)]²

Here, E(x, t) represents the energy at location x and time t, and α is a constant. This may vary depending on the unit and type of wave.

Meanwhile, considering the wave transmission model considering the air fibers 117, it can be simple to assume that each air fiber 117 inside the mattress body 110 acts as an individual wave transmission path. We can add the fiber index (i) to the wave equation previously.

y₁i(x, t) = A₁sin(k₁x - ω₁t + ₁i)

y₂i(x, t) = A₂sin(k₂x - ω₂t + ₂i)

This means that each air fiber 117 has an independent phase offset. ₁i and It means having ₂i. In this way, waves with the same frequency and amplitude can be propagated to the entire area through each air fiber 117 of the mattress body 110. Then, these waves reach the user and contribute to the total energy.

The total energy delivered to the user can be calculated as the sum of the energy of all fibers, and can be expressed as follows.

E_total(x, t) = α ∑_i [y₁i(x, t) + y₂i(x, t)]²

In the above equation, ∑_i means the sum of all fibers.

Here, the above-mentioned mathematical calculation is a simplified model, and the actual situation may be much more complex. Actual energy transfer is affected by various factors such as the structure of the mattress body 110, the characteristics of the air fibers 117, the characteristics of vibration and sound, and the user's position and movement. Accordingly, the above-mentioned mathematical calculations are for rough understanding.

Meanwhile, in the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress 100 of the present invention, the acoustic vibration unit 120 is provided so that the vibration applied from the speaker 125 and the vibration element 123 is perpendicular to the coupling direction of the air fibers 117. That is, as shown in (a) of Figure 5, the air fiber 117 is arranged vertically between the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111, but the acoustic vibrating unit 120 is located on the side fabric 113. They are combined to apply vibration in the horizontal direction.

In this case, since the direction of vibration transmission and the direction of the air fiber 117 are orthogonal, the transmission speed or magnitude of vibration may not be transmitted 100%.

Accordingly, in some cases, as shown in FIG. 7, acoustic vibration units 120 and 120a are provided on the upper part of the lower fabric 111 so that vibration can be applied in the vertical direction in the same direction as the air fiber 117. When the direction of the air fiber 117 and the vibration application direction of the acoustic vibration units 120 and 120a are the same, the vibration transmission effect can be further improved.

As seen above, the bedsore-prevention air mattress according to the present invention is equipped with an acoustic vibrating unit in which the vibration element, speaker, and controller are integrated into one housing, and is coupled to the inside of the side fabric to be accommodated inside the mattress body. . Accordingly, the vibration applied from the vibration element and speaker is transmitted to the air fibers through the open interior of the mattress body.

Accordingly, vibration is evenly transmitted to the air fibers of the entire mattress body and is evenly transmitted to all areas of the user's body. Therefore, compared to the conventional method of indirectly transmitting vibration through fabric, the vibration transmission effect can be improved and the pressure ulcer prevention effect can also be improved.

In addition, since the vibration element, speaker, and controller are integrated into the housing, they have the advantage of being easy to replace and repair compared to the conventional method where they were located separately.

The embodiments of the pressure ulcer prevention air mattress of the present invention described above are merely illustrative, and those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments are possible therefrom. You will find out. Therefore, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to the forms mentioned in the detailed description above. Therefore, the true scope of technical protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the attached patent claims. In addition, the present invention should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents and substitutes within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

100: Anti-bedsore air mattress 110: Mattress body
111: lower fabric 113: side fabric
113a: Socket exposure hole 115: Upper fabric
117: Air fiber 120: Acoustic vibration unit
121: Housing 123: Vibration element
125: Speaker 127: Controller
129: connection socket 130: power supply line
A: User

Claims (4)

It is surrounded by an upper fabric 115, a lower fabric 111, and a side fabric 113 connecting the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric 111, and the upper fabric 115 and the lower fabric are inside. A mattress body 110 provided with a plurality of air fibers 117 vertically connected between the fabrics 111 and filled with air;
It is fixedly coupled to the inside of the side fabric 113 and includes an acoustic vibration unit 120 that applies vibration toward the open interior of the mattress body 110,
The acoustic vibration unit 120,
A housing 121 fixedly coupled to the inner wall of the side fabric 113;
A speaker 125 coupled to the inside of the housing 121 and applying sound;
a vibration element 123 disposed inside the housing 121 to be spaced apart from the speaker 125 and applying vibration;
A controller 127 is provided between the speaker 125 and the vibration element 123 and controls the sound source output from the speaker 125 and the vibration frequency applied to the vibration element 123.
The acoustic vibration unit 120 is characterized in that the speaker 125 and the vibration element 123 are coupled to the side fabric 113 to apply vibration in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the air fiber 117. Air mattress that prevents bedsores. delete According to paragraph 1,
The acoustic vibration unit 120 is characterized in that it is coupled to the lower fabric 111 so that the speaker 125 and the vibration element 123 apply vibration in the same direction as the direction of the air fiber 117. Anti-bedsore air mattress. According to paragraph 3,
An air mattress for preventing bedsores, characterized in that a plurality of the acoustic vibration units 120 are provided in different directions.

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