JP2001276148A - Mat - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a mat comfortable to sleep which can prevent a bedsore and is conformable to the body shape of a person lying on bed. SOLUTION: This mat 10 is provided with box-shaped sealed air chambers 12 closely laid over the upper surface of a base 11 relative to horizontally two directions, an air supplying part 13 for supplying air to each air chamber, a pressure sensor 14 for detecting the air pressure in each air camber, an air discharge part 15 for discharging the air from each camber, a dry air feed part 16 for feeding dry air to the upper part of the air chamber, and a drive control part 17 for controlling the air supplying part and the air discharge part to control the air pressure in each air chamber. When a person lies on the air chambers, the drive control part reduces the air pressure of an air chamber having a high pressure through the air discharge part and supplies dry air from a clearance adjacent to this air chamber to the upper part of the air chamber.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mat used for a bed for general use, medical care or nursing care.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, mats used for such beds and the like have bedsores for persons who have been sleeping for a long period of time, such as severely ill patients and so-called bedridden elderly people.
Causes skin disorders such as inflammation of the skin from the bed sore area,
This has caused new infections. In addition, pressure is applied to each part of the body depending on the sleeping posture, which causes great pain for a patient with a disorder such as a tumor.

[0003]

For this reason, various mats have been developed. However, it is difficult to improve the sleeping comfort according to the body shape of the person who sleeps, and the occurrence of bedsores is substantially inevitable. Was.

[0004] In view of the above points, an object of the present invention is to provide a mat that suppresses the occurrence of bedsore and has a good sleeping comfort according to the body shape of a sleeper.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an air chamber laid in two horizontal directions and sealed in each chamber, and air is supplied to each air chamber. A supply air supply unit, a pressure sensor that detects an air pressure in each air chamber, and a drive control unit that controls the air supply unit based on a detection signal from each of the pressure sensors to control the air pressure in each air chamber. Wherein the drive control unit reduces the pressure in the high-pressure air chamber when a person lies on the air chamber.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described configuration, a dry air sending unit that sends dry air from the gap between the air chambers to above the air chamber is provided, and is provided adjacent to the air chamber. The dry air is sent out from the gap to above the air chamber.

[0006] The mat according to the present invention preferably further includes an air discharge section for discharging air from each air chamber, and when a person lies on the air chamber, the drive control section activates the air discharge section. This reduces the pressure in the high pressure air chamber.

[0007] In the mat according to the present invention, an air supply pipe from the air supply section to each air chamber is preferably connected by a bus. In the mat according to the present invention, preferably, an air supply pipe from the air supply unit to each air chamber is constituted by a pipe that sequentially connects the air chambers. Further, the air chambers spread in the two horizontal directions preferably define a closed box of a rectangular parallelepiped or a cylindrical body.

According to the above construction, the area where the person sleeps on the surface of the mat is constituted by a plurality of air chambers, and the pressure of each air chamber can be appropriately adjusted by controlling the driving of the air supply unit and the air discharge unit. it can. Thereby, before a person sleeps on the air chamber, each air chamber is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, and when a person sleeps on the air chamber, the pressure of the high-pressure air chamber is reduced by the air discharge unit. At the same time, the air pressure of each chamber can be controlled or adjusted by the drive signal from the drive control unit regularly or irregularly. Therefore, the skin is stimulated to activate the skin, moisturize the skin over time, and then supply the moistened skin with dry air above the air chamber through a gap adjacent to the air chamber. By doing so, it is possible to prevent bedsores by appropriately drying the skin except for moisture. Therefore, by changing the air pressure of the air chamber to which pressure is applied according to the body shape of the person who sleeps on the air chamber, the pressure of the area where the sleeper is strongly pressurized is reduced, and then the air pressure of each chamber changes. By applying a stimulus to the body to improve blood circulation, the occurrence of so-called bed sores can be suppressed. Further, a part of a person who is strongly pressured by a sleeper tends to become humid due to sweat or the like generated from the surface of the body when sleeping for a long time, but is adjacent to an air chamber having a reduced atmospheric pressure. By sending out dry air from the gap, the humidity such as sweat is reduced, so that it becomes comfortable.

[0009] Further, if an air discharge section for discharging air from each air chamber is provided, when a person lies on the air chamber, the drive control section activates the air discharge section to reduce the pressure. When reducing the air pressure in the high air chamber, the air pressure in the air chamber can be positively reduced by using the air discharge unit. Therefore, it is possible to more quickly adjust the air pressure in each air chamber.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of a mat according to the present invention. First, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a mat 10 includes a flat base 11 and a plurality of mats (3 × 7 in the illustrated case) spread over two horizontal directions on the upper surface of the base 11. A sealed air chamber 12 formed of a box having an appropriate shape such as a rectangular parallelepiped or a cylindrical system, an air supply unit 13 for supplying air into each air chamber 12, and a pressure sensor 14 for detecting the air pressure in each air chamber 12 An air discharge section 15 for discharging air from each air chamber 12; a dry air sending section 16 for sending dry air from the gap between the air chambers 12 to above the air chamber 12; Based on the detection signal, the air supply unit 13
, And a power supply unit 18 for supplying power to these components.

In this embodiment, the air chamber 12 is composed of a total of 21 independent boxes, and each of the air chambers 12 is
Although one mat is formed as a whole by setting them in a juxtaposed state on one, an appropriate area may be formed in one mat so that each air chamber 12 may be connected and defined. Is clear.

The air chamber 12 is formed in a box shape such as a cube or a cylinder, and is made of, for example, rubber, silicone rubber, polyethylene, polyurethane or the like, and hermetically seals the inside. The air chamber 12 may be placed directly on the base 11, or may be placed via a spring or the like. In addition, a flexible sheet such as a sponge plate is attached to the upper surface of the air chamber 12 for each surface, so that a feeling of unevenness due to the block of the air chamber is further reduced. Further, as shown in FIG.
By covering the entire air chamber with a coarse mesh cotton sheet 12b having good air permeability, it is possible to cleanly use the air chamber for a long time without hindering the ejection of dry air.

As shown in FIG. 2, the air supply section 13 is routed to each of the air chambers 12 by a bus connection system through an air compressor 13a as an air supply source and an electromagnetic valve 13b from the air compressor 13a. Air piping 13c
And an air supply hole 13d opening from the air pipe 13c into each air chamber 12. And
The air compressor 13a and the solenoid valve 13b are controlled by a drive control unit 17 described later.

The pressure sensors 14 are installed in the respective air chambers 12 as shown in FIG.

The air discharge section 15 has an air discharge hole 15a opened in each air chamber 12, and an electromagnetic valve 15b connected to a dry air pipe 16c of a dry air sending section 16 described later.
Each electromagnetic valve 15 b is controlled by the drive control unit 17.

As shown in FIG. 2, the dry air delivery section 16 is provided with a dry air compressor 1 which is a dry air supply source.
6a and the solenoid valve 16b from the dry air compressor 16a.
, And a dry air pipe 16c which is routed to the gap between the air chambers 12 by a bus connection method, and a dry air delivery opening from the dry air pipe 16c into the gap between the air chambers 12 And a hole 16d. Then, the dry air compressor 16a and the solenoid valve 16b are controlled by a drive control unit 17 described later.

The drive control unit 17 includes a pressure monitor / electromagnetic valve control switch 17a.
By the operation of a, the air pressure of each air chamber 12 is detected based on the detection signal of the pressure sensor 14 of each air chamber 12, and the electromagnetic valve 13b of the air supply unit 13 and the dry air delivery unit 1 are detected.
6 and the solenoid valve 15b of the air discharge unit 15
Control.

The mat 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured as described above. Normally, the drive control unit 17 opens the solenoid valve 13b of the air supply unit 13 and connects the pipe 13c from the air compressor 13a. Air is supplied to each of the air chambers 12 through the respective air chambers, and each of the air chambers 12 is set to a predetermined pressure. And
The drive control unit 17 monitors the air pressure in each air chamber 12 based on the detection signal from the pressure sensor 14 and
When the air pressure reaches a predetermined air pressure, the solenoid valve 13b of the air supply unit 13 is closed automatically or manually to stop the air compressor 13a. Thereby, the air pressure in each air chamber 12 is adjusted to a predetermined air pressure, and the gap between each air chamber 12 is in close contact with each other due to the air pressure in each air chamber 12.

From this state, when a person sleeps on the air chambers 12, the air pressure changes as the weight of the person is added to each air chamber 12. Then, the drive control unit 17 monitors the air pressure in each air chamber 12 based on the detection signal from the pressure sensor 14, and opens the electromagnetic valve 15 b of the air discharge unit 15 for the high pressure air chamber 12. , The air chamber 1
Forcibly reduce the pressure of 2 As a result, the air chamber 12 contracts as shown in FIG. 3 so as to reduce the pressure on the sleeping person and open the gap between the adjacent air chambers 12. Therefore, according to the body shape of the person sleeping on the air chamber, the pressure in the pressured air chamber is reduced, thereby reducing the pressure in the part of the sleeping person where the pressure is strong, and stimulating the body by changing the air pressure. By giving good blood circulation, so-called bed sores can be suppressed. In addition, by controlling the air pressure of the air chamber regularly or irregularly and adjusting it, a massage effect can be obtained and the skin can be activated.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the drive control section 17 opens the solenoid valve 16b of the dry air delivery section 16 to
Dry air is ejected upward from the air chamber 12 through a gap adjacent to the air chamber 12 having a reduced atmospheric pressure. With this, dry air is sent to the surface of the sleeping person's body,
Reduces humidity due to sweat etc. and makes it comfortable.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the mat according to the present invention. In FIG. 4, the mat 20 corresponds to FIG.
3 is substantially the same as that of the mat shown in FIG. 3, and is different in the following points. That is, in the mat 20, the pipe 13c of the air supply unit 13 is not a bus connection, but a pipe 13f for sequentially connecting the connectors 13e provided in each air chamber 12, and the pipe 13c of the dry air delivery unit 16 is connected. 16c is not a bus connection.
A pipe 16f for sequentially connecting the connectors 16e provided in the gap between them. Mat 2 having such a configuration
0, it operates in the same manner as the mat 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 and the air from the air compressor 13a of the air supply unit 13 is supplied to the pipe 13f and the connector 13e.
Are supplied to the respective air chambers 12 sequentially. Similarly, the air from the dry air compressor 16a of the dry air sending section 16 is also sent into the gap between the air chambers 12 via the pipe 16f and the connector 16e.

In the above-described embodiment, each air chamber 12
Regarding the above, the air supply hole 13d of the air supply unit 13, the air discharge hole 15a of the air discharge unit 15, and the pressure sensor 14 are not limited to the illustrated positions, but are provided at any positions within each air chamber 12. obtain.

[0023]

As described above, according to the present invention, the portion on the surface of the mat where a person sleeps is constituted by a plurality of air chambers, and the pressure of each air chamber is controlled by the air supply section and the air discharge section. It can be appropriately adjusted by drive control. Thereby, before a person sleeps on the air chamber, each air chamber is adjusted to a predetermined air pressure, and when a person sleeps on the air chamber, the air chamber having a high pressure reduces the air pressure by the air discharge unit. Dry air can be supplied above the air chamber through a gap adjacent to the air chamber. Therefore, depending on the body shape of the person sleeping on the air chamber, the pressure in the pressured air chamber is reduced to reduce the pressure in the strongly pressured part of the sleeping person, thereby stimulating the body by changing the air pressure. By giving good blood circulation, the occurrence of so-called bed sores can be suppressed. In addition, by controlling the air pressure of the air chamber by controlling it regularly or irregularly, a massage effect can be obtained and the skin can be activated. Further, a part of a person who is strongly pressured by a sleeper tends to become humid due to sweat or the like generated from the surface of the body when sleeping for a long time, but is adjacent to an air chamber having a reduced atmospheric pressure. By sending out dry air from the gap, the humidity such as sweat is reduced, so that it becomes comfortable.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a mat which suppresses the occurrence of bedsore and has a good sleeping comfort according to the body shape of a sleeping person.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a first embodiment of a mat according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a detailed configuration of the mat of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view showing a state of a pressure drop in an air chamber in the mat of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a mat according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 10 mat 11 base 12 air chamber 13 air supply section 13a air compressor 13b solenoid valve 13c air pipe 13d air supply hole 13e connector 13f air pipe 14 pressure sensor 15 air discharge section 15a air discharge hole 15b solenoid valve 16 dry air delivery Unit 16a Dry air compressor 16b Solenoid valve 16c Dry air piping 16d Dry air delivery hole 16e Connector 16f Dry air piping 17 Drive control unit 17a Pressure monitor / electromagnetic valve control switch 18 Power supply

Claims (6)

[Claims] An air chamber laid out in two horizontal directions and sealed for each chamber, an air supply unit for supplying air to each air chamber, a pressure sensor for detecting an air pressure in each air chamber, and each of the pressures A drive control unit that controls the air supply unit based on a detection signal from a sensor to control the air pressure of each air chamber. A mat characterized in that the pressure in an air chamber with high pressure is reduced. 2. An air chamber spread in two horizontal directions and sealed for each chamber, an air supply unit for supplying air to each air chamber, a pressure sensor for detecting air pressure in each air chamber, and each of the pressures A drive control unit that controls the air supply unit based on a detection signal from a sensor to control the air pressure of each air chamber; and a dry air unit that sends dry air from a gap between the air chambers to above the air chamber. And a drive unit, wherein when the person lies on the air chamber, the drive control unit reduces the pressure of the high-pressure air chamber, and removes dry air from the gap adjacent to the air chamber. A mat characterized in that the mat is delivered above a room. 3. An air discharge section for discharging air from each air chamber, wherein the drive control section activates the air discharge section when a person lies on the air chamber to increase the pressure of the air. The mat according to claim 1, wherein the air pressure in the air chamber is reduced. 4. The mat according to claim 1, wherein an air supply pipe from the air supply section to each air chamber is connected to a bus. 5. The mat according to claim 1, wherein an air supply pipe from the air supply unit to each of the air chambers is constituted by a pipe that sequentially connects the air chambers. 6. The mat according to claim 1, wherein the air chambers spread in two horizontal directions define a closed box of a cube or a cylinder.