WO2019116597A1

WO2019116597A1 - Blower unit for chairs and chair having air blowing function

Info

Publication number: WO2019116597A1
Application number: PCT/JP2018/008711
Authority: WO
Inventors: 真都甲; 大塚　雅生
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2017-12-12
Filing date: 2018-03-07
Publication date: 2019-06-20
Also published as: TW201927218A; TWI651069B

Abstract

This chair (10) having an air blowing function is provided with a blower unit (20) for chairs. The blower unit (20) for chairs is provided with: a fan (22) disposed on the chair back or the reverse side of a seat; a first duct (24) which is disposed so that at least a part thereof passes through the chair back and extends vertically upward, and which has a first outlet (241) at a leading end thereof; and a heater (23) disposed in an air flow path constituted from the first duct (24) and the fan (22). The first duct (24) has a telescoping section (242) in at least a portion of the part extending vertically upward and has, at an upper part of the first duct (24), a rotation section (243) for changing the orientation of the first outlet (241).

Description

Chair blower unit and chair with blower function

The present invention relates to a blower unit for a chair and a chair with a blower function.

In recent years, it has been found that there is a close relationship between office environment temperature and the productivity of people who work there, and a trial calculation on a monetary basis for the relationship has also been reported (Non-Patent Document 1).

While cooling the body with air conditioning, for example, is an effective method to improve productivity in order to make the environmental temperature appropriate, excessive cold stimulation to a wide area of skin causes blood vessels to contract and become autonomous. It acts on nerves and gives workers physical and mental stress. As a result, the worker feels chronic fatigue and can not keep exerting the ability for a long time, so that the productivity also decreases.

In other words, in order to maintain high productivity for people working in the office, it is important to create a comfortable temperature environment in a manner that does not cause workers to feel tired. What is necessary for this realization is a local temperature stimulus that can warm or cool the whole body by locally heating and cooling. In particular, a “cervical portion” is preferable as the locally heated / cooled portion (non-patent document 2). Local temperature stimulation in the cervix is believed to provide a generalized thermal sensation and be less likely to cause vasoconstriction in the cervix. That is, it is the neck that allows the operator to get a sense of thermal sensation without feeling stress. Furthermore, when it is necessary to obtain an immediate sense of thermal sensation, such as when the stress in the thermal condition is very strong, it is effective to combine the thermal stimulation of the hand and foot as the end of the blood flow.

As a commercially available office personal temperature control device, for example, a neck cooler or neck warmer worn on the neck for cooling or warming the neck is marketed, but the stress of wearing it makes the body It will be a burden. Therefore, it is preferable that it is a chair integral type non-contact temperature control apparatus. For example, Patent Documents 1 to 5 disclose a chair-integrated temperature control device.

JP, 2016-52377, A Patent No. 5590529 gazette JP 10-118149 A Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-519564 JP 2002-372258 A

The chair-integrated temperature control device disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 5 has the following features and problems.

Patent Document 1 discloses a theater air conditioning chair. This air-conditioning chair connects the chairs and makes the duct common, has a duct in the armrest that partly protrudes to the rear than the back plate, has a duct in the leg and blows the air obliquely backward backward, etc. Have. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is not possible to blow the neck portion of the seated person to the pinpoint.

Patent Document 2 has a fan, a suction / blowing port, an air passage, and an operating means in an elbow pad, and the wind direction can be changed, and the direction can be changed even when the elbow is hit. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 2, there is a problem that air blowing is not performed to a neck portion preferable as a local thermal / cooling point, and the air temperature control of a seated person can not be performed by air blowing only at the elbow pad. .

Patent document 3 arranges a Peltier element as a heat exchanger in a chair type massage machine, blows the heat on the high temperature side to the foot, blows the heat on the low temperature side to the head, and performs massage in a state of head cold foot heat. It has become. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 3, the points of air flow are not narrowed down, and there are too many heating and cooling points, which causes a problem such as stress. In addition, air blowing to the neck, which is preferable as a local thermal / cooling point, is not performed.

In Patent Document 4, a fan and an air passage are provided in a headrest of a seat (chair) in a vehicle, and a wind is emitted from the headrest toward the head of a seated person. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 4, since the fan is installed near the head, there is a problem that the noise is a stress on the seated person.

In Patent Document 5, a fan is provided in a water tank of the toilet (the back side of the seated person), and the fan is blown toward the neck of the seated person. However, in the configuration of Patent Document 5, since the blowout port is fixed, the position can not be changed according to the seated person, and there is a problem that the point such as the neck can not be blown to blow.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a chair blower unit and a chair with a blower function capable of efficiently cooling and warming a person for reducing fatigue of a seated person and improving productivity. Intended to be provided.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a blower unit for a chair according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a fan disposed on the back of a chair or on the back of a seating surface, and at least a part passing vertically through the chair back vertically upward A first duct disposed so as to extend and having a first outlet at a tip thereof, and a heater disposed in an air path formed of the first duct and the fan, The first duct has an expansion and contraction portion at least in part between the fan and the first outlet, and a turn for changing the direction of the first outlet in the vicinity of the upper portion of the first duct. It is characterized by having a moving part.

According to the above configuration, the first duct can freely adjust the height and the angle of the first outlet by the expansion and contraction part and the rotation part in accordance with the figure of the seated occupant seated. The air from the room (warm or cold) can be directed to the seated person's neck. As a result, it is possible to locally send warm air / cold air to the neck where a generalized thermal sensation can be easily obtained, and to give the user an appropriate warm / cold sensation without giving stress.

In addition, the above-mentioned chair air-blowing unit is disposed so as to extend downward from the seat surface of the chair, and a second outlet is provided at the tip of the chair, and the second duct is capable of blowing air to the feet of the seated person Can be configured.

According to the above configuration, in the case where the stress in the hot and cold state is very strong by providing the second duct for cooling / warming the foot at the end together with the first duct for blowing air to the neck, etc. In addition, it is possible to immediately give a seated person a thermal sensation by cooling / warming the end portion which is the end of the blood flow.

In addition, the above-mentioned chair air-blowing unit is arranged to extend upward beyond the seating surface of the chair, and a third outlet is provided at the tip of the chair, and a third duct capable of blowing air to the hand of a seated person Can be configured.

According to the above-described configuration, the case where the stress in the thermal condition is very strong, etc. by providing the third duct for cooling / warming the hand at the end together with the first duct for blowing air toward the neck In addition, it is possible to immediately give a seated person a thermal sensation by cooling / warming the end portion which is the end of the blood flow.

Moreover, the said ventilation unit for chairs can be set as the structure unitized so that attachment or detachment is possible with respect to a chair.

According to the above configuration, the user can select a chair that is in the shape and health of his or her own, attach the air-blowing unit for the chair to the chair, and use it as a chair with an air-blowing function.

In order to solve the above-mentioned subject, a chair with a ventilation function which is the 2nd mode of the present invention is characterized in that a chair ventilation unit described above is united to a chair.

According to the above configuration, the chair blower unit can provide an appropriate warm / cold feeling without giving a stress to the user, and at the same time, the chair blower unit can be configured with the minimum number of parts. It is possible to realize a chair with a ventilation function that is easy to clean and has a good appearance.

The air blowing unit for a chair and the chair with air blowing function of the present invention can direct warm air / cold air to the neck portion of a seated person according to the type of the seated person sitting. As a result, it is possible to locally send warm air / cold air to the neck where a generalized thermal sensation can be easily obtained, and to give the user an appropriate temperature / cool sensation without giving stress. Play.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view of a chair with a blowing function according to a first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a schematic configuration view of a chair with a blowing function according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a schematic configuration diagram of a chair with a blowing function according to a third embodiment. FIG. 14 is a schematic configuration diagram of a chair with a blowing function according to a fourth embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First Embodiment
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration view of a chair with a blowing function (hereinafter, simply referred to as a chair) 10 according to the first embodiment. A blower unit (chair blower unit) 20 is attached to the chair 10 shown in FIG. The blower unit 20 is configured to include at least a unit body 21, a fan 22, a heater 23, and a first duct 24.

The blower unit 20 may be integrated with the chair 10, or may be detachably united with a normal chair. In the case of being integrated, by configuring the blower unit 20 with the minimum number of parts, it is possible to realize the chair 10 having a good cleaning property and appearance.

On the other hand, when the blower unit 20 is removably made into a unit, the user selects a chair that is in his or her physical condition or health condition, and then the blower unit 20 is attached to the chair to make a chair with a blower function. It can be used as 10. In this case, the chair 10 can give a seated person an appropriate thermal sensation without giving stress. Thereby, the seated person can maintain high productivity even in long-time office work.

The unit body 21 stores, for example, the fan 22, the heater 23, and the control unit (not shown) inside the housing, and is mounted under the seat of the chair 10 as shown in FIG. 1, for example. It can be configured. Usually, in the office chair, one leg 11 is provided under the seat surface, and the caster 12 is attached under the leg 11. When the blower unit 20 is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the chair, the unit main body 21 is preferably attached to the leg portion 11. When the blower unit 20 is integrated with the chair 10, a seat surface may be provided on the upper surface of the blower unit 20, and the leg 11 may be provided below the blower unit 20.

Moreover, the attachment location of the unit main body 21 is not limited to under the seating surface of the chair 10, For example, it may be attached to the back back surface of the chair 10.

The fan 22 is preferably mounted at a location away from the vicinity of the head of the seat occupant so as not to stress the seat occupant due to noise. Therefore, the fan 22 is attached to the back or back of the chair 10. Thereby, the seated person can obtain an appropriate thermal sensation without feeling stress due to noise. Thereby, the seated person can maintain high productivity even in long-time office work. Although the fan 22 is disposed inside the unit body 21 in FIG. 1, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the fan 22 may be disposed in the first duct 24. .

The first duct 24 is disposed so that at least a portion from the blower unit 20 extends vertically upward through the back of the chair. A first outlet 241 is provided at the tip of the first duct 24, and a wind generated when the fan 22 is operated can be discharged from the first outlet 241 through the first duct 24. Further, the first duct 24 has an expansion and contraction portion 242 at least in part between the fan 22 and the first outlet 241, and the direction of the first outlet 241 in the vicinity of the upper portion of the first duct 24. , And has a pivoting portion 243 for changing the angle. That is, by adjusting the length of the expandable portion 242 in the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1 and adjusting the angle of the pivoting portion 243 in the direction of arrow B in FIG. it can. Thereby, the wind which comes out of the 1st blow-off mouth 241 can be adjusted with a pinpoint towards a seated person's neck. In addition, by adding a sensor that senses the neck of the seated person to the above configuration, the sensor senses the neck and the height of the extension part 242 and the angle of the rotation part 243 are automatically adjusted. it can.

Further, in the blower unit 20, the heater 23 is disposed in the air path formed by the first duct 24 and the fan 22, and the warm air is not supplied by energizing the heater 23 (cold air (room temperature wind) ) Can be blown. Although the heater 23 is disposed inside the unit main body 21 in FIG. 1, the location of the heater 23 is not particularly limited as long as it is in the air passage, for example, in the first duct 24. The heater 23 may be disposed.

When the heater 23 disposed in the air path formed by the first duct 24 and the fan 22 is disposed at a position close to the fan 22, there is an advantage that the wiring can be shortened. On the other hand, when the heater 23 is disposed in the vicinity of the first outlet 241, the occupant can blow hot air at a high temperature.

In the chair 10 configured as described above, the height and the angle of the first outlet 241 can be freely adjusted by the extension part 242 and the rotation part 243 in accordance with the figure of the seated person sitting, and from the first outlet 241 Air (hot or cold) can be directed to the neck of the seat occupant. As a result, it is possible to locally send warm air / cold air to the neck where a generalized thermal sensation can be easily obtained, and to give the user an appropriate warm / cold sensation without giving stress. As a result, a seated person can maintain high productivity even in long-time office work.

The first duct 24 can have a structure in which noise is taken into consideration by having the rotation portion 243. That is, by bending only the upper portion of the first duct 24 toward the seated person by the pivoting portion 243, most of the first duct 24 is located away from the seated person, so the noise felt by the seated person (first duct 24 Sound of air flowing through the Furthermore, if the sound absorbing material is disposed in the first duct 24, noise can be further reduced. As a result, the seated person can obtain appropriate thermal sensation without feeling stress due to noise, and can maintain high productivity even in long-time office work.

Moreover, if a heat insulating material is provided in the first duct 24, air can be blown to the seated person without lowering the temperature of the warm air.

Further, by providing the ion generator in the first duct 24, air containing ions can be blown to the seat occupant. Thereby, the seated person can obtain the effect (for example, deodorizing) of the ions. Thereby, the seated person can work on the work without worrying about the smell, and can obtain high productivity.

Further, by providing a filter at the air suction port (not shown) of the blower unit 20, clean air can be blown to the seated person. Thereby, the seated person can work on the work without worrying about, for example, odor, and can obtain high productivity.

In addition, regarding air flow control in the air blowing unit 20, not only the hot air / cold air and the air flow intensity can be manually switched in the operation unit, but also the air flow mode set in the internal storage device of the control unit can be selected. is there. For example, if there is a ventilation mode set (or settable) to switch between warm air / cold air / no wind at an arbitrary time interval, stimulate the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves of the seated person gently and alternately. Can. Thereby, the seated person can maintain high productivity even in long-time office work.

In addition, if a distance sensor, a pressure sensor, etc. are attached to the back of the chair 10 or the air blowing unit 20, it is possible to realize air flow control that senses that a seated person is leaning against the back and sends air. A sensor for acquiring biological information such as a pulse wave sensor, a blood pressure sensor, a temperature sensor or the like is attached to the chair 10 or the blower unit 20, and if the blower control is performed based on the information obtained by them, the health condition of the seated person. It is possible to control the air flow according to the mental state, and also to manage the health of the seated person, monitor the mental state, control and optimization. In the sense of air flow control, the biological sensor does not have to be attached to the chair 10 or the air blowing unit 20. For example, the same effect can be obtained even if air flow control is performed based on biological information obtained by a wearable terminal. . In addition to being able to switch air flow control at the operation unit, if the user can operate wirelessly using application software from an external terminal such as a personal computer, tablet terminal, smart phone terminal, smart speaker etc. Since the blower switching operation can be performed without changing the posture or the eyes while performing the work with a personal computer, the work can be performed with high productivity.

In the case where the cold air is blown from the first blowout port 241, it is preferable that, for example, the blow control be performed as follows in order for the seated person to obtain high productivity. When a seated person wants to temporarily obtain a cool feeling immediately after being seated in a summer when the air temperature is high, it is preferable that blowing control of 0.5 to 6 m / s be performed in the vicinity of the first outlet 241. After the start of work in summer, if the sitting person performs work with relatively high temperature around the sitting person (for example, the air conditioner set temperature is 28 ° C. or more), 0.3 to 0. 0 in the vicinity of the first outlet 241. It is preferable that air flow control of 5 m / s is performed. After the start of work in the summer, if the sitting person performs work with relatively low temperature around the sitting person (for example, the air conditioner set temperature is 28 ° C. or less), 0.1 to 0. 0 in the vicinity of the first outlet 241. It is preferable that air flow control of 3 m / s is performed. Then, when the cold air is blown in the winter, it is preferable that a blast control of 0.05 to 0.1 m / s is performed in the vicinity of the first outlet 241.

In the case where the warm air is blown from the first blowout port 241, it is preferable that, for example, the blow control be performed as follows in order for the seated person to obtain high productivity. When a seated person wants to gain a warm feeling temporarily immediately after sitting in the winter when the air temperature is low, air flow control of 0.5 to 6 m / s at 35 ° C. to 60 ° C. is performed in the vicinity of the first outlet 241. Is preferred. After the start of work in winter, it is preferable that blowing control of 0.03 to 0.5 m / s be performed at 35 ° C. to 60 ° C. in the vicinity of the first outlet 241. More preferably, the occupant can obtain a warm feeling with almost no wind if the air flow control of 0.001 to 0.03 m / s at 35 ° C. to 60 ° C. is performed in the vicinity of the first outlet 241. Work can be performed with higher productivity. When hot air is blown in summer, it is preferable that blowing control of 0.03 to 1 m / s at 35 ° C. to 50 ° C. is performed in the vicinity of the first outlet 241.

With regard to the power supply of the blower unit 20, a power cord electrically connected to the chair 10 may be inserted into a power outlet, or the chair 10 may be provided with a rechargeable battery and power may be supplied therefrom.

The power cord connected to the outlet may be magnet-connectable so as to be removable from the blower unit 20. In that case, even when the chair 10 moves and a load is applied to the power supply cord, the magnet can be detached and the power supply cord can be detached from the main body, so that the power supply cord and its connection can operate without failure. Further, when a rechargeable battery is provided, the battery may be charged with the battery connected to the blower unit 20 in addition to the method of removing and charging the removable battery. When charging is performed with the battery connected to the blower unit 20, power may be supplied from a power cord connected to the blower unit 20, or charging may be performed by wireless power supply. When charging is performed by wireless power supply, the battery is charged when the power supply side terminal installed on the floor or the power supply side terminal installed on the desk and the charge side terminal installed on the blower unit 20 are close to each other. By wireless charging, the chair 10 can be easily moved freely. In addition, since charging is performed by the proximity of the desk and the chair 10, it is possible for the user of the chair 10 to make the chair 10 approach the desk after work is completed, so that the workplace is organized Can also help.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration view of a chair 10 according to the second embodiment. The chair 10 according to the second embodiment is characterized by including the second duct 31, and the other configuration is the same as the chair 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, only the configuration related to the second duct 31 will be described here.

The second duct 31 is disposed to extend downward (that is, below the seat surface of the chair) from the blower unit 20, and a second outlet 311 is provided at the tip of the second duct 31. Thus, the second duct 31 can blow hot air or cold air toward the feet of the seated person. In addition, the 2nd duct 31 may have the outlet of the bite which faced both feet, and may have the outlet of the 2 mouth which turned to one foot each.

The chair 10 according to the second embodiment also includes a second duct 31 that cools / warms the foot which is the end, in addition to the first duct 24 that blows air toward the neck. Therefore, it is possible to immediately give a seated person a thermal sensation by cooling / warming the end portion which is the terminal end of the blood flow when the stress in the warm and cold state is very strong. This allows the seat occupant to work on office work with high productivity immediately.

If the second duct 31 is also provided with an ion generator, a heater, a heat insulating material, a sound absorbing material, an expansion / contraction portion, a pivoting portion, and a foot sensor, the same effect as the first duct 24 can be obtained. In addition, regarding the ion generator and the heater, it is also possible to share the first duct 24 and the second duct 31.

In this configuration, the wind generated by one fan 22 may be branched into two ducts of the first duct 24 and the second duct 31. In that case, there is a merit that only one fan 22 is sufficient. Further, two fans 22 may be provided separately for the first duct and the second duct, in which case there is an advantage that each fan 22 can be miniaturized.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration view of a chair 10 according to the third embodiment. The chair 10 according to the third embodiment is characterized by including the third duct 41, and the other configuration is the same as the chair 10 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, only the configuration related to the third duct 41 will be described here.

The third duct 41 is arranged to extend upward from the blower unit 20 (that is, above the seating surface of the chair), and a third outlet 411 is provided at the tip thereof. Specifically, the third duct 41 can blow hot air or cold air toward the hand of the seated person.

The chair 10 according to the third embodiment also includes a third duct 41 that cools / warms the hand that is the end, in addition to the first duct 24 that blows air toward the neck. Therefore, it is possible to immediately give a seated person a thermal sensation by cooling / warming the end portion which is the terminal end of the blood flow when the stress in the warm and cold state is very strong. This allows the seat occupant to work on office work with high productivity immediately.

If the third duct 41 is also provided with an ion generator, a heater, a heat insulating material, a sound absorbing material, an expansion and contraction part, a pivoting part, and a foot detection sensor, the same effect as the first duct 24 can be obtained. In addition, regarding the ion generator and the heater, it is also possible to achieve commonality between the first duct 24 and the third duct 41.

Fourth Embodiment
FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration view of a chair 10 according to the fourth embodiment. The chair 10 according to the fourth embodiment is characterized by including all of the first duct 24, the second duct 31 and the third duct 41. The configuration of each of the first duct 24, the second duct 31 and the third duct 41 is as described in the first to third embodiments.

The chair 10 according to the fourth embodiment includes the second duct 31 and the third duct 41 for cooling / warming the hand and the foot, which are the end, in addition to the first duct 24 for blowing air toward the neck. There is. Therefore, it is possible to immediately give a seated person a thermal sensation by cooling / warming the end portion which is the terminal end of the blood flow when the stress in the warm and cold state is very strong. This allows the seat occupant to work on office work with high productivity immediately.

Then, the result of having performed the comparative experiment regarding the chair 10 is demonstrated. The chairs used as experimental samples are Examples 1 to 4 and Comparative Examples 1 to 10 shown in Table 1 below.

The first embodiment is a structure corresponding to the first embodiment, and is a chair that performs local air blowing only to the neck of a seated person. The second embodiment is a structure corresponding to the second embodiment, and is a chair for blowing air locally to the neck and foot of a seated person. The third embodiment is a structure corresponding to the third embodiment, and is a chair for blowing air locally to the neck and hands of a seated person. The fourth embodiment is a structure corresponding to the fourth embodiment, and is a chair for locally blowing air to a neck, a foot and a hand of a seated person.

The comparative example 1 is a chair which blows extensively from the seat surface of a chair. Comparative Example 2 is a chair that blows extensively from the back of the chair. Comparative Example 3 is a chair that blows extensively from the seat and back of the chair. Comparative Example 4 is a chair that blows locally toward the head of the subject. Comparative Example 5 is a chair that blows locally toward the back of the subject. Comparative Example 6 is a chair that locally blows air toward the neck of a subject, and is a chair in which a blowing fan is disposed near the head. Comparative Example 7 is a chair that blows extensively in the direction along the subject's back. Comparative Example 8 is a chair that locally blows the hand of the subject. The comparative example 9 is a chair which blows air locally to a test subject's foot. And the comparative example 10 is a chair which blows extensively to the whole body of a test subject.

(Experiment 1: Experiment with warm air)
The subjects were a total of 32 subjects, 16 healthy males and 16 females aged 20 to 65 years old. In the experiment, the subjects were made to stand by every room in the daytime, the environmental conditions of all the subjects were made the same, and the air blowing conditions (Table 1) were added for 30 minutes of working time. The rotational speed, the arrangement and the number of the blower fans were adjusted and installed so that the blowing speed (wind speed) was the same for the subject. And similarly, it compared with the evaluation in the case of no ventilation. In the present experiment, the heater disposed in the air flow path was energized to control the air to generate and send warm air.

The krapelin test was used for the work load. The content of the test is a calculation workload that performs a simple one-digit addition row change every minute, for a total of 30 minutes. In addition, the Creperine test in this experiment is implemented using a personal computer (hereinafter, referred to as "PC"). The subject decides to input an answer by performing key operation of the personal computer to the problem displayed on the screen of the personal computer. The contents of the answers during work and the time taken for answer input are accumulated sequentially as data on the personal computer, and the data are analyzed after the experiment to analyze the number of trials, correct answer rate, average response time (the question is displayed and then the answer is input) Each of the time) was obtained as a result of the test.

Table 2 shows the evaluation items of this experiment. As evaluation items, subjective evaluation at the time of work (evaluation items 1 to 8), autonomic nervous system evaluation (evaluation item 9), and work efficiency (evaluation items 10 to 12) were provided.

The subjective evaluation at work used VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) used to evaluate the intensity of feeling and emotion. In this evaluation method, a mark is drawn on a straight line where one end shows the worst feeling and the other end shows the best feeling, and the point adapted to the sense and emotion strength concerning the question item felt by the subject at that time. By measuring the length from the position of the mark to one end, the subjective sense is quantified and the score is evaluated.

The question items are “comfort (evaluation item 1)”, “will (evaluation item 2)”, “fatigue (evaluation item 3)”, “sleepiness (evaluation item 4)”, “feeling of fulfillment (evaluation item 5) "Feeling relaxed (Evaluation Item 6)", "Irritation feeling (Evaluation Item 7)", and "Warming feeling (Evaluation Item 8)" were eight items.

For the evaluation of the autonomic nervous system (evaluation item 9), an acceleration pulse wave measurement system "Altet C (registered trademark)" manufactured by Umedica Corporation was used. This is to measure the acceleration pulse wave during and before and after work by the acceleration pulse wave measurement system, and perform frequency analysis of data of the time change. By this, LF (low frequency), HF (high frequency), and LF / HF which are indices of autonomic nervous function were calculated, and the state of autonomic nervous system was evaluated.

The work efficiency was evaluated by the number of trials for the above 30-minute work load (evaluation item 10), correct answer rate (evaluation item 11), and average reaction time (evaluation item 12).

Table 3 has shown the result by experiment of each Example and each comparative example. As an evaluation of the results, the results of all the subjects were analyzed statistically, and a test of significant difference between each blowing condition and no blowing was performed. A t-test was used as a test method, and when the significance level was 5%, the case where there was a significant difference in improvement was indicated by “o”. It was evaluated that there was a tendency of improvement for the significance probability less than 10% and indicated by “Δ”. The case where there was no significant difference and tendency of improvement was shown by "x".

According to the results of the experiment, the air blowing conditions of Examples 1 to 4 have useful results in subjective evaluation during evaluation (evaluation items 1 to 8) and evaluation of the autonomic nervous system (evaluation item 9) in comparison with no air blowing. It is obtained. That is, in the first to fourth embodiments, it is possible to improve the comfort and relaxation of the user at the time of work.

Further, regarding the work efficiency (evaluation items 10 to 12), the number of trials (evaluation item 10) was in an improving or improving trend in the examples 1 to 4. The correct answer rate (evaluation item 11) showed an improvement or an improvement tendency in Examples 1 to 4. The average reaction time (evaluation item 12) was improved or improved in Examples 1 to 4.

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1 in which the air is blown from the seat surface of the chair, a tendency is observed for the feeling of warmth as compared with "no air flow", but the drowsiness is also increased, and the other evaluation items are There were no significant differences or trends in improvement.

In Comparative Example 2 in which the air was blown from the back of the chair, there was a tendency for an improvement in the feeling of warmth as compared with "no air flow", but drowsiness was also increased, and significant differences and improvements were also observed for other evaluation items. There was no trend.

In Comparative Example 3 in which air was blown from the seat surface and the back of the chair, a significant difference was observed in the feeling of warmth as compared with "no air flow", but drowsiness also increased similarly. In addition, although there was a tendency for improvement in the sense of relaxation, frustration, and autonomic nervous system, no improvement in work efficiency was observed.

In Comparative Example 4 in which the air was blown toward the head of the subject, the feeling of warmth was improved compared to "no air flow", but the drowsiness was also increased, and the other evaluation items were significant. There was no difference or trend of improvement.

In Comparative Example 5 in which the air was blown toward the back of the subject, the feeling of warmth was improved as compared to "no air flow", but the drowsiness was also increased, and significant differences were found in other evaluation items. There was no improvement trend.

In Comparative Example 6 in which air was blown toward the subject's neck and a blowing fan was placed near the head, a tendency to improve the feeling of warmth was observed as compared to "no air blowing", but drowsiness also increases. In addition, no significant differences and improvement trends were observed for other evaluation items.

In Comparative Example 7 in which air is blown in the direction along the back of the subject, Comparative Example 8 in which air is blown to the hand of the subject, and Comparative Example 9 in which air is blown to the foot of the subject, all are significant compared to “no air”. There was no difference or trend of improvement.

In Comparative Example 10 in which air was blown to the entire body of the subject, a significant difference was observed in the feeling of warmth as compared with "no air flow", but drowsiness also increased. In addition, although there was a tendency for improvement in the sense of relaxation, frustration, and autonomic nervous system, no improvement in work efficiency was observed.

(Experiment 2: Experiment with cold wind)
The experiment 2 was the same as the experiment 1 except that cold air (room temperature air) was generated and air was blown by controlling the heaters disposed in the air flow path in a non-energized state. Table 4 shows the evaluation items of this experiment. The evaluation items of Experiment 2 are the same as the evaluation items of Experiment 1 shown in Table 2 except that the evaluation item 8 is “cool”.

Table 5 has shown the result by experiment of each Example and each comparative example. As an evaluation of the results, the results of all the subjects were analyzed statistically, and a test of significant difference between each blowing condition and no blowing was performed. A t-test was used as a test method, and when the significance level was 5%, the case where there was a significant difference in improvement was indicated by “o”. It evaluated that there was a tendency of improvement about less than 10% of significance probability, and showed by "(triangle | delta)." The case where there was no significant difference and tendency of improvement was shown by "x".

On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1 in which air is blown from the seat surface of the chair, a tendency for improvement in coolness is seen as compared with "no air flow", but drowsiness is also increased, and the other evaluation items are There were no significant differences or trends in improvement.

In Comparative Example 2 in which the air was blown from the back of the chair, a tendency for improvement in coolness was observed as compared to "no air flow", but drowsiness was also increased, and significant differences and improvement trends were observed for other evaluation items. Was not seen.

In Comparative Example 3 in which the air was blown from the seat surface and the back of the chair, a significant difference was observed in coolness compared to "no air flow", and an improvement trend was observed in frustration, but no improvement in working efficiency was observed. The

In Comparative Example 4 in which air was blown toward the head of the subject, an improvement tendency was observed for coolness as compared to “no air flow”, but no significant difference or improvement tendency was observed for the other evaluation items.

In Comparative Example 5 in which air was blown toward the back of the subject, the tendency for improvement in coolness was observed as compared to “no air flow”, but no significant difference or improvement was observed for the other evaluation items.

In Comparative Example 6 in which air was blown toward the neck of the subject and a blowing fan was placed near the head, a tendency for improvement in coolness was observed as compared to "no air blowing", but other evaluation items were significant. There was no difference or trend of improvement.

In Comparative Example 10 in which air was blown to the entire body of the test subject, a significant difference was observed in coolness compared to "no air flow", and an improvement tendency was observed in frustration, but no improvement in working efficiency was observed.

The embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and do not constitute a basis for limiting interpretation. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is not interpreted only by the above-mentioned embodiment, and is defined based on the statement of a claim. Moreover, all changes within the meaning and range equivalent to the claims are included.

This international application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-238021 filed on Dec. 12, 2017, and the entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-238021 are referred to. It is incorporated into this international application.

10 chair 11 with ventilation function leg 12 caster 20 blower unit (blower unit for chair)
21 unit main body 22 fan 23 heater 24 first duct 241 first outlet 242 expanding and contracting portion 243 pivoting portion 31 second duct 311 second outlet 41 third duct 411 third outlet

Claims

A fan located on the back of the chair or behind the seating surface,
A first duct at least a part of which is disposed to extend vertically upward through the back of the chair, and a first outlet is provided at the tip of the first duct;
A heater disposed in an air passage formed of the first duct and the fan;
The first duct has an expansion / contraction portion at least in part between the fan and the first outlet, and changes the direction of the first outlet near the upper portion of the first duct. A chair blower unit characterized by having a pivoting portion.
It is a ventilation unit for chairs of Claim 1, Comprising:
Furthermore, it is arranged to extend downward beyond the seat surface of the chair, and is provided with a second duct provided at its tip end and capable of blowing air to the feet of the seat occupant. Chair blower unit.
It is a ventilation unit for chairs of Claim 1 or 2, Comprising:
Furthermore, it is arranged to extend upward beyond the seat surface of the chair, and is provided with a third duct provided at its tip and capable of blowing air to the hand of the seat occupant. Chair blower unit.
It is a ventilation unit for chairs in any one of Claims 1-3, Comprising:
A chair blower unit characterized in that the chair unit is detachably unitized.
A chair with a blower function, wherein the chair blower unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4 is integrated with a chair.