WO2016059491A1

WO2016059491A1 - A machinery, and relative method, for realizing ventilation slots in a polyurethane mattress

Info

Publication number: WO2016059491A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/057149
Authority: WO
Inventors: Antonio Caso
Original assignee: Materassificio Montalese S.P.A.
Priority date: 2014-09-25
Filing date: 2015-09-17
Publication date: 2016-04-21
Also published as: EP3197827A1

Abstract

The present invention concerns a machinery for obtaining a mattress provided with ventilation slots, the machinery comprising a support plane (200) for the mattress and means (205, 206, 207) configured to penetrate the slots foreseen in the mattress and apply a tension in the direction of opening of said slots.

Description

TITLE

A MACHINERY , AND RELATIVE METHOD , FOR REALIZING

VENTILATION SLOTS IN A POLYURETHANE MATTRESS

Technical field

The present invention concerns the technical field relative to machineries suitable for the realization of mattresses and cushions .

In particular, the invention refers to an innovative machinery and relative method which allows to realize products with ventilation slots, preferably mattresses or cushions in polyurethane, for example polyurethane foam, in which the ventilation is optimal, improving significantly the comfort of the product obtained.

Background art

The mattresses realized in pourable materials in mould, such as polyurethane or latex, have long been known .

In general, the productive process foresees the pouring in a mould of a pre-determined quantity of fluid, for example of the polyurethane type, which, following reaction, expands in the mould, filling its volume and thus forming the body of the mattress itself.

The peculiarity of such materials is that they adapt themselves perfectly to the physiognomy of the body, following the contour thereof when the body rests on them and then, at the end of use, they return to their original shape. They have a high adaptability to the shape contours and are therefore useful to keep correct postures, for example in case of painful pathologies such as cervical spondylosis. Such types of material, above all, render the productive process much simpler with respect to the classical spring mattress since the pouring in mould of such a fluid is enough rather than assemblying a plurality of springs inside a filling layer made of wool and other materials.

In a case, therefore a complex production line is necessary, while in the case of polyurethanes a simple forming mould is¹ enough.

Materials such as polyurethane and latex have, however, the technical inconvenience of not allowing a perfect perspiration, therefore they accumulate heat, are not capable of disposing of that heat and result to be particularly suffocating.

To that aim, solutions have been thought of that foresee a holing manufacturing of the mattress, realizing passing openings.

In a first case, circular holes are realized, for example. Nevertheless, this procedure implies the removal of a significant quantity of material and therefore a waste of material that is significant.

In order to solve said technical problem, the solution described in DE1727445U is known.

Such a German utility model describes a manufacturing of the mattress in such a way as to realize a plurality of slots, for example realized through specific blades, and passing through the entire thickness of the mattress. The mattress is then tensed in the direction orthogonal to that of development of the slots, in such a way as to widen them and create ventilation slots. The configuration of the widened slots is then fixed and kept through the glueing of a continuous sheet on both the faces of the mattress, for example a sheet of the same type of the mattress but lacking slots. The two sheets have more or less the size of the layer interposed when tensed for the opening of the slots. The two continuous sheets glued to the respective faces of the holed layer create a tension that impedes the intermediate layer to contract and therefore to close the slots. In this regard, the thickness of the sheet, comprising the open slots, results to be comprised between two sheets of continuous material, lacking slots.

Such a solution is, however, not functional since in fact the aeration of the slots cannot result to be optimal because it is obstructed by the two overlying continuous sheets. Moreover, idoneous machineries are not described that are able to allow a precise opening of said slots and a different manufacturing of the mattress that allows to optimize the aeration itself.

Disclosure of invention

It is therefore the aim of the present invention to provide a new type of machinery, and relative method, suitable for the realization of slots, which solves said technical inconveniences.

In particular, it is the aim of the present invention to provide an innovative type of machinery that allows to obtain a precise opening of the slots and that facilitates a manufacturing such that the mattress produced results to be much more functional from the point of view of the aeration.

These and other aims are obtained with the present machinery, and relative method of manufacturing, in accordance with claim 1.

In particular, the machinery for obtaining a mattress provided with ventilation slots foresees a support plane (200) and means (205, 206, 207) configured to penetrate the slots foreseen in a layer of material forming the mattress .

In such a manner, in a quick and simple way, it is possible to apply a tension in the direction of opening of said slots.

The slots result to be open and can be easily fixed and kept in such an open configuration.

Advantageously, said means are mobile and a movement of said means in the direction of opening of the slots causes the opening thereof.

Advantageously, said means (205, 206, 207) foresee at least two blades (205) , opposed, and of which at least one of them translatable along the support plane.

Advantageously, said blades (205) are further mobile vertically between a lowered position, placed below the plane, and a lifted position, in which they emerge from the plane.

Advantageously, the plane foresees rectilinear sections (202) through which said blades can slide along the plane and/or translate vertically from the lowered position to the lifted position and vice-versa.

Advantageously, two vertically mobile blades and two vertically mobile and further translatable blades are foreseen .

It is also here described a method for obtaining a mattress provided with ventilation slots, the method comprising the operations of:

Application of an engraved layer (215) of material on a support plane (200) , in which means (205, 206, 207) are foreseen configured to penetrate the slots obtained in said layer (215) and apply a tension in the direction of opening of said slots; Operating of said means in such a way as to open the slots.

Advantageously, said operating phase foresees a movement of said means through which the opening of said slots takes place.

Advantageously, subsequently to the phase of opening of the slots, the phase of fixing is foreseen of a further layer (220) above the tensioned layer (215), in such a way as to keep the slots open.

Advantageously, a phase of application is subsequently foreseen of a second engraved layer (215' ) on said support plane (200) and the operating of said means in such a way as to open the slots and in which the phase of fixing of the preceding layer (215) is foreseen, fixed to the layer (220), with said second layer (215') in configuration of open slots.

Advantageously, said application takes place by fixing the layer (220) to the second layer (215').

Last, it is here described also a mattress comprising a plurality of ventilation slots and comprising two layers (215, 215' ) overlapped between them and comprising said open slots through a traction orthogonal to the direction of development of the slots, and an intermediate layer (220) interposed between said two layers and fixed to them in such a way as to keep a tension state that keeps said slots open.

Brief. description of drawings

Further features and advantages of the present invention will result to be clearer with the description that follows of some embodiments, made to illustrate but not to limit, with reference to the annexed drawings, wherein :

- Figure 1 shows schematically, in a lateral view, the machinery in accordance with the present invention;

- Figure 2 is a top view of the machinery that is the object of the present invention;

- Figure 3 is a top view in detail of the surface

4;

- Figures 4 and 5 represent two views relative to the pusher operable for the advancement of the mattresses and its kinematic mechanism of control;

- Figures from 6 to 8 represent schematically the support 5 through which the holing is realized;

- Figures from 9 to 12 show a seguence of translation of the support plane 4 of the mattress with an advancement of the pusher to make the mattress advance along the direction of holing;

- Figure 13 shows a mattress worked with said machinery;

- Figure 14 shows the schematization of photocells arranged to determine the measures of the mattress;

- Figure 15 shows, last, a control panel through which a user can insert some measures relative to the positioning of the slots that he wants to obtain;

- Figure 16 shows in a top view a machinery for tensioning the layer of material on which the slots have been realized in such a way as to open the same;

- Figure 17 is a lateral view of the same machinery of figure 16;

- Figures from 18 to 23 show seguences of functioning of such a machinery;

- Figure 24 is a lateral view of the final product obtained .

Description of some preferred embodiments

In accordance with the invention, figure 1 shows a lateral view of a machinery suitable for the realization of slots.

The machinery foresees a support plane (3, 4) destined to hold the mattress 100 manufactured (represented in figure 1 and in figure 2 with a thin dotted line). Such a support surface is held by specific support legs 8 in such a way as to result to be lifted from the ground. As clarified below in the present description, the mattress that is manufactured is made to slide on said support surface in such a way that it passes progressively under the slot station 5.

To that aim, the support surface (3, 4) is below a blade-holder support 5 which is raised of such a quantity as to allow the passage of the mattress 100 in the space comprised between the support 5 and the plane 4 (see, for example, the lateral view of figure 1) .

As clarified below in the description, the advancement of the mattress along its path below the slot station 5 takes place by "steps" in such a way that when the mattress results to be fixed the lowering of the blades that operate the perforation takes place.

The figure from top 2 schematizes clearly the conformation of the support surface (3, 4).

Such a surface is composed of a first support surface 3, placed downstream of the station 5, and a support surface 4 placed upstream of said station 5.

The support surface 4 is provided with a pusher 6, which is mobile, in such a way as to allow the advancement of the mattress.

In addition, as clarified below in the present description, the support surface 4 is in turn mobile with respect to the support surface 3, which results to be fixed.

Going further into the detail of the description of the invention, figure 2 shows how the surface (3, ^'4) is conformed to favour the advancement of the mattress in such a way that this "slides" on the surface, passing progressively below the blade-holder support 5. To that aim, both the surface 3 and the surface 4 foresee a plurality of rotatable rolls (10, 15) hinged to the bearing structure in such a way as to form a rotatable support plane. When the mattress is pushed to advance along its path by the pusher 6, it advances with a push force that generates the rotation of the underlying rolls, on which it rests, in the direction of advancement. In such a manner, the force of advancement necessary to make the mattress advanced (or the layer, which will then form the mattress as clarified below) results to be reduced.

From the detail of figure 3 the structure of the surface 4 is highlighted placed upstream of the support 5. It foresees two lateral corridors .12 and 13, delimited by lateral walls, in such a way that the rolls 10 can be arranged in a row one after the other along such corridors and hinged by their ends to said walls, thus resulting to be rotatable around their hinge fulcrum (longitudinal axis of the rolls) .

It is then foreseen a central corridor 14 which holds more than one row of rolls of a much smaller size with respect to the preceding ones 10, for example four rows or five rows of rolls. The arrangement is, however, completely similar.

The central corridor 14 is structured in such a way as to form sliding tracks 16 for the pusher.

The pusher 6 foresees, in fact, a push surface 6' (the one destined to go in contact with the mattress 100 to be pushed) formed, for example, by a simple rectangular flat surface (see figure 4) . To such a flat surface is connected a back arm 7, in the case for example of figure 3 and 4 are two back arms 7, which terminate with sliding blocks 16. As better described in detail in figure 4 and figure 5, the sliding blocks 16 are inserted in the sliding binary, interposed between a row of rolls and the row beside, and are connected to closed-ring belts whose rotation in a direction or in the contrary direction allows the advancement or the retrocession of the pusher. The belts rotate around pulleys controlled in rotation by such an engine that the rotation in a direction or in another direction of the wheels commands the belt to rotate in a direction or in the opposite direction. As a consequence, the translation of the pusher takes place in a direction or in the opposite direction.

Going on with the structural description of the invention, it is then foreseen the slot station 5 which foresees a row of blades 30 spaced between them at a distance preferably fixed but, eventually, also modifiable. Below the support 5 a plate 20 is foreseen, of a pre-determined thickness, which foresees slots passing through its thickness and corresponding with the position of the blades. In such a manner, the plate 20 serves as a guide for the blades during the operation of incision, thus avoiding flexions or deviations of the blades that can be the cause of unprecise slots or tears of the layer 100 manufactured.

The blades are positioned in succession . one beside the other at a certain distance one from the other.

The distance between a blade and the subsequent one defines the distance between a slot and the subsequent one . The plate 20 is then connected to the overlying structure 5 through small pistons provided with return springs 21. In such a manner during the phase of holing, as schematically indicated in the sequence from figure 6 to figure 8, the support 5 can get closer to the plate 20 when the plate 20 has reached and compressed the mattress.

In particular, the lateral pistons 22 cause the lowering of the support 5 with the blades and the plate 20 in an integral manner. When the plate reaches the mattress it starts to squeeze it, reducing its thickness and keeping it at the same time still in position. Once a predetermined compression value of the mattress is reached, the reaction of the support plane 4 beats the force of the spring 21 and pushes the plate 20 towards the support 5, reducing the distance thereof. In such a manner, while the support continues to descend, there is a progressive compression of the springs 21 that allow the blades to pass through the holes of the plate 20 (sequence in figure 7 and 8) and thus making the incision of the layer 100. Once the incision is terminated, the structure 5 goes back in position of figure 6 and the layer advances through the thickness of a pre-determined quantity. In addition, as clarified below, the plane where the pusher is found translates laterally. .

In accordance with the invention, as introduced above, the part 4 of machinery placed upstream of the station 5 is mobile with respect to the platform 3 in such a way that a translation of the mattress can be controlled in order to realize the incisions according to desired geometries .

In particular, as shown schematically in figure 9, the part 4 of plane provided with pusher is translatable with respect to the part 3 which is fixed. The double direction of arrow shows the translation that takes place according to a direction Y orthogonal to the longitudinal axis A-A of the planes (3, 4) .

In such a manner, a translation by "steps" is controlled in a direction or in the opposite direction (left-right and vice-versa) , as well as the consequent advancement of a pre-determined quantity of the mattress . through an advancement of the pusher in such a way as to feed the mattress below the station 5.

To that aim, figure 10 shows a translation of a quantity Y in the direction of the arrow (towards right) and a subsequent advancement of the mattress thanks to the push of the pusher (the sequence could be inverted in the sense that first the pusher advances and then translates the platform 4 translates or, alternatively, this could take place contextually) . At that point, the incision takes place through the lowering of the blades as described. Subsequently, there is a corresponding translation in the opposite direction (translation of an overall quantity of 2Y as per figure 11- quantity Y for taking the two platforms 3 and 4 between them in line and further quantity y for dephasing the mobile platform with respect to the fixed one) and the usual advancement of the mattress and subsequent incision. Figure 11 shows such a phase and highlights the incision . line that had been obtained in the preceding phase of figure 10. Figure 12 shows a further sequence in which the platform 4 again translates in the position of figure 10 and a further incision is made.

In such a manner, in a quick and comfortable way, a mattress with incisions arranged in a row is obtained and of which each row is spaced with respect to the other of a certain pitch (p ) (function of the advancement of the piston) , apart from being dephased of a certain distance (y) (function of the translation of the plane 4) , as represented qualitatively in figure 13.

As then schematized in figure 14, a panel control system is foreseen that allows to insert some parameters on the basis of which the control is able to calculate, on the basis of the measure of the mattress, the exact positioning of the incision rows.

In particular, sensors 20 are foreseen (for example, photo-cells) that detect the exact measure of the mattress.

In this manner, the mattress is made to pass through these photo-cells which detect its presence and find the measures of length and width.

For example, in a non-limiting way, figure 14 shows two photo-cells 20 placed at a pre-fixed distance D on the station 5. By translating the mattress in such a way that the photo-cells detect the. edges of the mattress, known the quantity of translation and the fixed distance of the two photo-cells, it is possible to find in a quick and simple way the width of the mattress.

In a similar way, other photo-cells can be arranged to detect the length.

A preliminary phase of initialization of the manufacturing is foreseen in which the machine, once the mattress is placed on it, detects the exact measures of length and width translating the mattress under the photocells through an advancement of the pusher and/or a translation of the plane 4.

The expert in the field will be able to appreciate that there exist various ways, through the use of photocells and specific software programming, for detecting in the initialization phase the measure of the mattress.

Having said that, as schematized in figure 15, a control panel 30 is foreseen, for example of the "Touch screen" type, through which the required parameters can be inserted to obtain a hole according to desired geometries.

In particular, considered the reciprocal distance between the blades as a constant and invariable measure, it is possible to insert the measure of pitch (p ) that wants to be obtained in the manufacturing.

At this point, following the initialization to detect the measure of the mattress manufactured (therefore known length and width of the mattress) the software knows the measures of the mattress and the pitch that wants to be obtained. The software, through a specific calculation, determines the advancement in steps of the mattress and the quality of translation (Y) of the plane 4 to obtain incisions according to the pitch (p) required.

Once the holes have been obtained, as described, a subsequent station is foreseen that allows to widen the incisions obtained and to complete the realization of the mattress.

The incisions obtained, as represented in all the figures, are transversal through the thickness of the layer, preferably through the entire thickness.

The machinery arranged to widen the incisions is composed of a support plane 200 formed by strips of material 201 at intervals of empty spaces 202.

With reference to figure 16, it is described such a support plane in a top view, while figure 17 shows a lateral view in order to highlight the further components foreseen in it.

The empty spaces, as clarified below, serve to allow the insertion and the translation motion of blades 205 arranged to put the mattress in traction in the adequate direction.

In particular, the blades 205 are mobile between a lifted position, in which they emerge from the plane 200, and a lowered position, in which they reach a position below the plane 200.

The. blades pass in the space comprised between two consecutive strips, space 202 that forms also a sliding corridor for said blades .

More in detail, as schematized in figure 17, along a corridor 202 two opposed blades can be foreseen and spaced between them of a pre-determined distance. The one represented on the left (always in figure 17) is connected to an engine (M) through, for example, a horizontal endless screw 206 and a vertical endless screw 207. The engine (M) can therefore be activated in such a way that the screw 206 rotates in the direction that causes the advancement from left to right of the relative blade 205, therefore making it come closer to the blade placed in front of it and reducing the reciprocal distance to the value of Dl indicated in figure 18. The engine (M) , the same or a specific further one arranged, can also be activated to make the endless screw 207 rotate in such a way as to make the. blade translate vertically between the lifted position of figure 17 or the lowered position of figure 18 and vice-versa.

The same is valid also for the blade 205 on the right, except for the fact that it can be realized in such a way as to result to be mobile only vertically, therefore remaining fixed in the horizontal direction of translation .

Nevertheless, nothing would impede to realize it mobile also in the horizontal direction.

What has been described until now can.be structured in such a way that there are independent engines for each blade 205 that activate the blades according to predetermined directions or, alternatively, have a single motorized system that activates all the blades contextually .

Having said that, the functioning is the following.

There can be, for example, as per figure 16, four blades 205 arranged in pairs of two, each pair placed in a corridor 202. In particular, in a first corridor, there are two blades one in front of the other and mobile vertically and horizontally (at least one of the two blades is mobile both horizontally and vertically) . In a corridor beside, at a certain distance, there are other two blades 205 with the same arrangement and mobility.

The two pairs are side by side at such a distance that the four blades are inserted in incisions that are positioned more or less at the four corners of the layer engraved in manufacturing.

As clarified below, this configuration allows a uniform traction of the layer.

If the width of the layer is considerable, and therefore the distance between the two pairs of blades is considerable, there can obviously be foreseen more pairs equally placed side by side in such a way as to apply a uniform traction on all the width.

Having said that, we start, in an initial phase, with positioning the blades 205 below the plane and at a distance (Dl ) that coincides with relative incisions when the layer is in rest condition (therefore it has not been placed in traction yet) . In this configuration the incisions are closed.

As per figure 19, the lifting of the^' blades 205 takes place afterwards, which penetrate in the corresponding incisions.

At this point, the engine (M) is activated in such a way as to make the left blade 205 translate, moving it apart from the right blade (the distance Dl is increased between the two blades 205) . The same is valid also for the pair of blades beside.

The result will be that of figure 21 in which the mattress results to be tensed with a tension orthogonal to the direction of development of the incisions, therefore causing the opening of the same.

This machinery has the advantage that, apart from resulting to be structurally simple, allows very precise tractions, thus guaranteeing a production in series in which the openings are dilated always in the same manner in all the layers.

Once the phase of figure 21 is realized, it is now necessary to fix the "tensed" conformation of the mattress .

To this aim, as per figure 22, a layer 220 is applied on the layer 215 kept in position of traction, for example of the same material of the layer 215. The layer 220 is, for example, glued in such a way that, once the two layers are joined, the superior layer 220 impedes the engraved layer to return in its rest conformation with the slots closed. Such a layer 220 is preferably in continuous material, or lacking holes.

At this point, the overall layer obtained is removed

(layer 215 joined with layer 220), for example by making come closer between them the opposed blades and therefore lifting from the support plane the two layers. The blades are lowered under the support plane and, at this point, a new engraved layer 215' rests on the support plane into which the blades are made to penetrate, lifting them and making them apart reciprocally of the same preceding distance. In this way, the layer 215' results to be stretched exactly of the same measure of the preceding layer 215.

As per figure 23, at this point, the layer 220 is then connected with the face of the layer 215' in such a way as to obtain a product as that of figure 24 made of a superior layer 215, an inferior layer 215' , both presenting incisions dilated with a traction orthogonal to the direction of development of the incision, and with an interposed intermediate layer 220 that does not present incisions.

The . mattress thus obtained, with respect, for example, with the mattress described in the German utility model, presents greater perspiration, keeping at the same time all the incisions open. The greater perspiration is in fact guaranteed by the absence of a layer 220 placed covering, both on top and at the bottom, an intermediate layer 215.

Claims

A machinery for obtaining a mattress provided with ventilation slots, the machinery comprising a support plane (200) and means (205, 206, 207) configured to penetrate the slots foreseen in a layer of material forming the mattress and apply a tension in the direction of opening of said slots.

A machinery, as per claim 1, wherein said means are mobile and said tension is applied through a movement of said means.

A machinery, as per claim 1 or 2, wherein said means (205, 206, 207) foresee at least two blades (205), opposed, and of which at least one of them translatable along the support plane.

A machinery, as per claim 3, wherein said blades (205) are further mobile vertically between a lowered position, placed below the plane, and a lifted position, in which they emerge from the plane.

A machinery, as per one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the plane foresees rectilinear sections (202) through which said blades can slide along the plane and/or translate vertically from the lowered position to the lifted position and vice- versa.

A machinery, as per one or more of the preceding claims, wherein two vertically mobile blades and two vertically mobile blades that are further translatable are foreseen.

A method for obtaining a mattress provided with ventilation slots, the method comprising the operations of:

Application of a layer (215) of material engraved on a support plane (200) wherein means (205, 206, 207) are foreseen configured to penetrate the slots obtained in said layer (215) and apply a tension in the direction of opening of said slots;

Operating of said means in such a way as to open the slots.

A method, as per claim 7, wherein said operating foresees a movement of said means.

A method, as per claim 7 or 8, wherein subsequently to the opening phase the fixing phase of a further layer (220) above the tensed layer (215) is foreseen, in such a way as to keep the slots open.

A method, as per claim 9, wherein an application phase of a engraved second layer (215' ) is subsequently foreseen on said support plane (200) and the operating of said means in such a way as to open the slots and wherein the fixing phase of the preceding layer (215) is foreseen, fixed to the layer (220) , with said second layer (215') in configuration of open slots.

A method, as per claim 10, wherein said application takes place by fixing the layer (220) to the second layer (215' ) .

A mattress comprising a plurality of ventilation slots and comprising two layers (215, 215' ) overlapped between them and comprising said open slots through a traction orthogonal to the direction of development of the slot, and an intermediate layer (220) interposed between said two layers and fixed to them in such a way as to keep a tension state that keeps said slots open .