DE20119697U1 - Mattress body for a water bed and water bed with it - Google Patents

Description

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MATTRESS BODY FOR A WATERBED AND WATERBED HEREBY

The invention relates to a mattress body for a waterbed, according to the preamble of claim 1, as well as a waterbed, the lying surface of which is formed by one or more such mattress bodies.

Mattress bodies for waterbeds are available in various designs, depending on the type of waterbed. There are single, dual or multiple longitudinal chamber mattress bodies. With a single mattress body, the mattress body forms the entire lying surface of the waterbed as a single unit. With a dual mattress body, two symmetrical or equally sized mattress bodies lying next to each other form the entire lying surface, and with mattress bodies of the longitudinal chamber system, individual, comparatively narrow mattress bodies (longitudinal chambers) running in the longitudinal direction of the later lying surface are placed next to each other to form the later lying surface.

In all three systems, the user needs or wants to be able to adjust the degree of firmness and thus the level of comfort. In conventional waterbeds or mattress bodies for waterbeds, this is done by adjusting the degree of filling of the mattress body or bodies to adjust the flexibility and thus the level of comfort.

Mattress bodies for waterbeds have a

flexible, but dimensionally stable outer wall. This means that they can only be filled with water up to a certain maximum filling level, since if the filling level exceeds this level, they

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The maximum filling level and thus the maximum achievable hardness of a mattress body for waterbeds is therefore limited.
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The invention, on the other hand, has set itself the task of designing a mattress body for a waterbed in such a way that its hardness behavior can be changed, in particular it can be made harder.

To solve this problem, the present invention proposes to provide at least one displacement body arranged in the water-filled mattress body, which can be filled with a fluid and thus changeable in its volume.

Because the outer casing or outer cover of the mattress body is flexible but essentially cannot be expanded outwards, an increase in pressure can be exerted on the water in the mattress body by a displacement body arranged inside the mattress body, which can be expanded as desired or required, which makes the mattress body harder in terms of lying comfort. Conversely, a reduction in the size of the displacement body can achieve a decrease in pressure within the mattress body, whereby the mattress body as a whole provides a softer or more yielding lying comfort. Assuming that the mattress body is filled with water up to its maximum possible capacity, the internal pressure can thus be increased beyond the pressure volume that is structurally possible using the displacement body that can be expanded by a fluid, so that the hardness of the mattress body can be increased beyond the structurally possible level.

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Advantageous developments of the invention are the subject of the subclaims.

The displacement body is preferably formed on an inner wall, in particular the bottom wall, of the mattress body. The displacement body can thus be formed, for example, by a cross-section that runs approximately like a positive sine curve or a semicircle, with the two edge lines of the displacement body and its two end walls being connected, for example welded, to the inner wall of the displacement body, and here in particular the bottom wall. The displacement body can just as well be formed in one piece with the inner wall, in particular the bottom wall, during the manufacture of the mattress body.

The displacement body can also be a separate component in the form of a hose or the like, which is connected, for example glued or welded, to an inner wall and here again in particular to the bottom wall of the mattress body.

Furthermore, the displacement body can also be a body or component that is surrounded on all sides by the water filling of the mattress body, so to speak "floating" in the water filling. However, a connection to the bottom wall of the mattress body can be maintained, e.g. with a bridge or the like.

0 The material of the mattress body and the displacement body is preferably identical, as this is the easiest to control in terms of manufacturing effort.

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The fluid filling for the displacement body is preferably a gas, in particular readily available ambient air.

According to a preferred embodiment, the gas is introduced, i.e. pumped, from the outside through the wall of the mattress body into the displacement body. The gas can be introduced via a hose connection with a reversible check valve. A reversible check valve, i.e. a check valve whose operation can be reversed by targeted manipulation from the outside, allows the filling level of the displacement body to be reversed or reduced.

The hose connection is preferably connected to a pressure source, in particular an electrically operated compressor.

0 Subclaims 10, 11 and 12 relate to the different embodiments of the mattress body, namely as a single mattress, dual mattress or longitudinal chamber.

Further details, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawing.

It shows:
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Fig. 1 is a schematically highly simplified view of a mattress body according to an embodiment and a modification thereof; and

Fig. 2 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 of a further embodiment.

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In Figures 1 and 2, like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts or elements.
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Figure 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a mattress body 2 which, in the exemplary embodiment shown, may be designed as a longitudinal chamber, a corresponding plurality of which lie close together to form the later lying surface of the water bed. The mattress body 2 has an outer wall 4 which surrounds an inner volume 6 which is filled with water in a known manner. According to the invention, the inner volume 6 contains a displacement body 8 which is illustrated in two embodiments in Fig. 1. Shown in solid lines is a displacement body 8 which is designed as a separate component in the manner of a tube extending in the longitudinal direction of the mattress body 2, but which is connected to a bottom wall 10 of the outer wall 4 at least in a point-like or linear manner. The design indicated by dashed lines in Fig. 1 illustrates a displacement body 8' which is connected to the bottom wall 10 along two connecting lines 12 and 12', thus practically forming a half-hose. In each case, a hose connection 14 is connected to the displacement body 8 or 8', which is connected to the interior of the displacement body 8 or 8' by an air- and watertight connection point 16.

The outer wall 4 of the mattress body 2 is - as is usual with waterbeds - flexible, but practically inextensible. By expanding the inner volume of the displacement body 8 or 8 ¹ , in which a gas, preferably ambient air, is introduced via the hose connection 14,

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is used to expand the displacement body 8 or 8', the fluid pressure inside the internal volume 6 of the mattress body 2 increases, so that the degree of hardness of the lying surface of the waterbed formed by the mattress body or bodies is increased. In this case, the degree of hardness of the mattress body and thus of the lying surface can be increased beyond the degree of hardness that would be possible with the maximum technically possible filling quantity of the mattress body 2.

In the hose connection 14 there is preferably a check valve, the effect of which can, however, be canceled by appropriate handling from the outside in order to reduce the pressure in the internal volume of the displacement body 8 or 8'.

In the case of a so-called single mattress, which takes up the entire lying surface of the waterbed, it may be appropriate to provide several displacement bodies 8 or 8', each of which is then provided with its own hose connection 14, but is supplied with ambient air by a single compressor. In the case of a so-called dual mattress, in which two mattresses of the same size lie next to each other and make up the entire lying surface of the waterbed, it may be advantageous to provide each of these two dual mattresses with its own hose connection 14 and its own compressor; this makes it possible to adjust the degree of hardness of the two adjacent mattress halves individually and independently of each other. If the lying surface of the waterbed is made up of a plurality of so-called longitudinal chambers, each of which has its own displacement body 8 or 8', each displacement body requires its own hose connection 14.

5 Analogous to the dual mattress system, the hose connections of each half of the bed surface should be

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a common compressor in order to be able to individually adjust the hardness of the individual halves of the lying surface by synchronously adjusting the individual longitudinal chambers of each half of the lying surface to be harder or softer.

Fig. 2 shows a further embodiment of the invention, in which the displacement body 8 is surrounded on all sides by the water in the inner volume 6 of the mattress body 2. By appropriately designing the outer surface of the displacement body 8, it may be possible to use this displacement body 8 simultaneously as a damping element, which dampens or prevents undesirable swaying or rocking movements in the mattress body 2. In the case of Fig. 2, the hose connection 14 is also led through the connection point 16 and through part of the inner volume 6 to the displacement body 8. The statements made above with reference to Fig. 1 apply equally to Fig. 2, so that a repetition appears unnecessary.

Another embodiment not shown in the drawing, which will be discussed here, is to provide a displacement body like an air mattress under and outside the actual mattress body, which can be inflated or deflated as required. By using a suitably tight hold-down device above the mattress body, for example a fleece blanket or the like held in place with zippers, the pressure can also be increased and the degree of hardness can be increased by pumping up the displacement body under the actual mattress body.

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Claims (13)

1. Mattress body for a water bed, characterized by at least one displacement body ( 8 ; 8 ') arranged in the water-filled mattress body ( 2 ), which can be filled with a fluid and thus changeable in its volume. 2. Mattress body according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacement body ( 8 ; 8 ') is formed on an inner wall, in particular the bottom wall ( 10 ), of the mattress body ( 2 ). 3. Mattress body according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacement body ( 8 ; 8 ') is connected to an inner wall, in particular the bottom wall ( 10 ), of the mattress body ( 2 ). 4. Mattress body according to claim 1, characterized in that the displacement body ( 8 ) is surrounded on all sides by the water filling. 5. Mattress body according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the material of the mattress body ( 2 ) and the displacement body ( 8 ; 8 ') is identical. 6. Mattress body according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the fluid filling for the displacement body ( 8 ; 8 ') is a gas, in particular ambient air. 7. Mattress body according to claim 6, characterized in that the gas can be introduced from the outside through the wall ( 4 ) of the mattress body ( 2 ) into the displacement body ( 8 ; 8 '). 8. Mattress body according to claim 7, characterized in that the gas can be introduced via a hose connection ( 14 ) with a removable check valve. 9. Mattress body according to claim 8, characterized in that the hose connection ( 14 ) is connected to a pressure source, in particular an electrically operated compressor. 10. Mattress body according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it is designed as a single mattress adapted to the bed size. 11. Mattress body according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it is designed as a dual mattress adapted to half the bed size. 12. Mattress body according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that it is designed as a longitudinal chamber, a corresponding plurality of which cover the bed size. 13. Waterbed, the lying surface of which is formed by one or more of the mattress bodies ( 2 ) according to one or more of claims 1 to 12.