JP2019181056A - Human body support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a human body holding device capable of reducing the weight and improving the degree of freedom in shape. SOLUTION: A sheet 7, a dielectric elastomer layer 11A, a dielectric elastomer actuator section 1 including a pair of electrode layers 12A and a pair of electrode layers 12B sandwiching the dielectric elastomer layers 11A, 11B, and a dielectric elastomer actuator section 1 are formed. A control unit 6 that applies a driving voltage to be vibrated to the pair of electrode layers 12A and 12B, and a valve unit 41 that allows the passage of fluid only when the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 moves to one side in vibration. , 42 and a suction pipe 51 connected to the valve 42, and the suction pipe 51 is connected to the seat 7. [Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a human body support device having a function of flowing a fluid such as air.

  Human body support tools represented by vehicle seats and beds are required to support the human body safely and comfortably. As a measure for supporting the human body more comfortably, there is given a function of ventilating the human body support tool. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of a conventional human body support device. The human body support device disclosed in this document includes a sheet, a blower, and a duct as a human body support. The blower is built in the seat and blows a predetermined amount of air. The duct is connected to the blower and is connected to an appropriate position of the seat skin and cushion. When the air is blown from the blower, the air passes through the skin and cushion of the seat through the duct. Thereby, it can suppress that moisture accumulates in the contact part of a sheet | seat and a human body, and can support a human body more comfortably.

JP 2017-177853 A

  However, as the blower of the same document, for example, a fan constituted by a motor and a fan rotated by the motor is generally employed. Since such a blower includes many metal parts, it is difficult to reduce the size and weight. For this reason, there existed problems, such as the weight of the sheet | seat incorporating an air blower becoming heavy or a restriction | limiting in a sheet | seat shape.

  The present invention has been conceived under the circumstances described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a human body support device capable of reducing the weight and improving the degree of freedom of shape.

  A human body support device provided by the present invention includes a human body support, a dielectric elastomer layer including a dielectric elastomer layer and a pair of electrode layers sandwiching the dielectric elastomer layer, and a drive voltage for vibrating the dielectric elastomer actuator portion. A control unit that applies to the pair of electrode layers, a valve unit that allows passage of fluid only when the dielectric elastomer actuator unit moves to one side in vibration, and a tube unit that is connected to the valve unit, The tube portion is connected to the human body support tool.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the control unit causes the dielectric elastomer actuator unit to exhibit a fluid exchange function, and the dielectric elastomer actuator unit has a larger maximum acceleration than the fluid exchange function. And an excitation drive voltage that exerts a vibration generating function that generates vibration.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the suction / discharge drive voltage has a sinusoidal waveform, and the excitation drive voltage has a rectangular waveform.

  In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the dielectric elastomer actuator unit includes two dielectric elastomer layers and two pairs of the electrode layers sandwiching the two dielectric elastomer layers. The suction / discharge driving voltage is applied to one of the pair of electrode layers, and the excitation driving voltage is applied to the other pair of electrode layers.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the weight of the human body support device and improve the degree of freedom of the shape.

  Other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description given below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

It is the whole human body support device concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention, and the whole perspective view and principal part sectional view. It is a perspective view which shows the dielectric elastomer actuator part of the human body support apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the operation example of the human body support apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the operation example of the human body support apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the human body support apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a whole perspective view and principal part sectional drawing which show the human body support apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is principal part sectional drawing which shows the human body support apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

  The human body support device of the present invention supports a human body, and representative examples thereof include a seat that supports a human body in a sitting posture and a bed that supports a human body in a lying posture, but are not limited thereto. In the following description, a case where a seat provided on a vehicle is adopted as a human body support will be described as an example.

  The fluid handled in the present invention refers to a flowable object such as a gas or a liquid. In the following description, a case where air, which is a representative example of gas, is selected as the fluid will be described as an example.

[First Embodiment]
1 to 4 show a human body support device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The human body support apparatus A1 of the present embodiment includes the dielectric elastomer actuator section 1, the valve sections 41 and 42, the suction pipe section 51, the discharge pipe section 52, the control section 6 and the seat 7.

  FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view and a main part sectional view showing a human body support apparatus A1. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1 of the human body support apparatus A1 as viewed from below. 3 and 4 are main part cross-sectional views showing an operation example of the human body support apparatus A1.

  The seat 7 is an example of a human body support, and supports a human body in a sitting posture. Examples of the seat 7 include a vehicle seat provided in a vehicle and a housing seat placed in a house. The example shown in FIG. 1 is a case where a vehicle seat is adopted as the seat 7.

  The dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 includes dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B, a pair of electrode layers 12A, a pair of electrode layers 12B, and a support 3.

  The dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B are required to be elastically deformable and have high insulation strength. Although the material of such dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B is not particularly limited, preferred examples include silicone elastomers and acrylic elastomers. In the present embodiment, the dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B have an annular shape in plan view when no external force or the like before being formed as a component of the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1 is applied, as shown in FIG. In addition, the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1 extends in a truncated cone shape arranged side by side in the axial direction.

  The pair of electrode layers 12A sandwich the dielectric elastomer layer 11A, and the pair of electrode layers 12B sandwich the dielectric elastomer layer 11B. The electrode layers 12A and 12B are made of a material having conductivity and capable of elastic deformation that can follow the elastic deformation of the dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B. Examples of such a material include a material in which a filler that imparts conductivity is mixed into an elastically deformable main material. A preferable example of the filler is, for example, a carbon nanotube.

  The support 3 supports the dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B in a state where a desired elastic force is generated. In the present embodiment, the dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B are each extended in a truncated cone shape. I support it. In the illustrated example, the support 3 includes a housing 31 and an intermediate plate portion 32. The housing 31 houses dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B, a pair of electrode layers 12A, a pair of electrode layers 12B, an intermediate plate portion 32, and valve portions 41 and 42. Further, the outer end edges of the dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B are fixed to the casing 31. In the intermediate plate portion 32, the inner end edges of the dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B are fixed. As shown in FIG. 1, openings are formed in the casing 31 and the intermediate plate part 32, respectively.

  The valve portions 41 and 42 allow passage of air as a fluid only when the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1 moves to one side in vibration. The specific structure of the valve parts 41 and 42 is not specifically limited, For example, a check valve is used. As a check valve system, various systems such as a so-called swing type and a ball type are appropriately selected. In the illustrated example, a swing type check valve is described.

  The valve portion 41 is provided so as to close the opening of the intermediate plate portion 32. The valve portion 41 allows passage of fluid (air) only when the intermediate plate portion 32 moves upward in FIG. 1 in the vibration of the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1. The valve part 42 is provided so as to close the upper opening of the housing 31 in the figure. The valve portion 42 allows passage of fluid (air) only when the intermediate plate portion 32 moves downward in FIG. 1 in the vibration of the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1. In addition, unlike the example shown in figure, the valve parts 41 and 42 may be controlled to open and close by a command by an external signal.

  The suction pipe part 51 and the discharge pipe part 52 are examples of the pipe part of the present invention. The suction pipe part 51 is a tubular member connected to the suction side of the dielectric elastomer actuator part 1. The discharge pipe part 52 is a tubular member connected to the discharge side of the dielectric elastomer actuator part 1. In the present embodiment, the suction pipe portion 51 is connected to the seat 7. When the suction pipe portion 51 is connected to the seat 7, the air is sucked (inhaled) by the suction pipe portion 51, so that air is sucked from a desired part such as the skin or cushion of the seat 7, A configuration in which fluid exchange (ventilation in the case of the present embodiment) is performed in at least a part of the sheet 7.

  The control unit 6 applies a driving voltage for vibrating the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 to the pair of electrode layers 12A and the pair of electrode layers 12B. The specific configuration of the control unit 6 is not particularly limited, and includes a predetermined power unit, a command unit including a CPU, and the like. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, in the present embodiment, the control unit 6 applies the suction / discharge driving voltage Va to the pair of electrode layers 12A and applies the suction / discharge driving voltage Vb to the pair of electrode layers 12B. The time axis waveforms of the intake / exhaust drive voltage Va and the intake / exhaust drive voltage Vb are not particularly limited. For example, a sinusoidal waveform is employed in the illustrated example. Further, the suction / discharge drive voltage Va and the suction / discharge drive voltage Vb are in a relationship in which the phases are reversed. The frequencies of the suction / exhaust drive voltage Va and the suction / exhaust drive voltage Vb are not particularly limited, but are preferably about 10 to 20 Hz, for example, from the viewpoint of suppressing the human body from feeling the operation of the fluid exchange function.

  Next, an operation example of the human body support apparatus A1 will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIG. 3, the potential difference between the pair of electrode layers 12A is increased by the suction / discharge driving voltage Va, and the potential difference between the pair of electrode layers 12B is decreased by the suction / discharge driving voltage Vb. In this case, a Coulomb force attracting each other acts on the pair of electrode layers 12A. For this reason, the thickness of the dielectric elastomer layer 11A is reduced, and the area of the dielectric elastomer layer 11A is increased accordingly. As a result, the dielectric elastomer layer 11A extends in the axial direction, and the dielectric elastomer layer 11B contracts in the axial direction. Thereby, the intermediate | middle board part 32 falls. At this time, the valve portion 41 is in a closed state, and the valve portion 42 is in an open state. Accordingly, a part of the air below the intermediate plate portion 32 in the housing 31 is discharged from the discharge pipe portion 52. Further, air is sucked into the housing 31 through the suction pipe portion 51. This can be said to be an intake / exhaust process.

  On the other hand, in FIG. 4, the potential difference between the pair of electrode layers 12A is reduced by the suction / discharge driving voltage Va, and the potential difference between the pair of electrode layers 12B is increased by the suction / discharge driving voltage Vb. In this case, the dielectric elastomer layer 11B extends in the axial direction, and the dielectric elastomer layer 11A contracts in the axial direction. Thereby, the intermediate | middle board part 32 raises. At this time, the valve portion 41 is in an open state, and the valve portion 42 is in a closed state. Accordingly, no significant air movement occurs in the casing 31 and the intermediate plate portion 32 rises. This can be said to be a return process.

  Since the intake / exhaust drive voltage Va and the intake / exhaust drive voltage Vb are sinusoidal waveforms whose phases are inverted, the intake / exhaust step and the return step described above are alternately repeated every half cycle. As a result, the dielectric elastomer actuator section 1 performs a fluid exchange function of performing suction (intake) from the suction pipe section 51 and discharge (exhaust) from the discharge pipe section 52. In the present embodiment, air is sucked from a desired portion such as the skin or cushion of the seat 7 by inhalation (intake) from the suction pipe portion 51. Thereby, ventilation (ventilation) which is exchange of fluid is performed in the skin and cushion of the seat 7.

  Next, the operation of the human body support apparatus A1 will be described.

  According to the present embodiment, the exchange (ventilation) of the fluid in the sheet 7 is executed by the vibration of the dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B of the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1. The dielectric elastomer dielectric layers 11A and 11B are mainly formed of a soft elastic body. For this reason, the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1 does not require a structure made of metal or the like in order to generate vibration. Thereby, weight reduction of the dielectric elastomer actuator part 1 can be achieved. In addition, the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1 is advantageous for downsizing compared to a motor or the like, and the shape of the sheet 7 can be set more freely. Therefore, according to the human body support apparatus A1, it is possible to reduce the weight and improve the degree of freedom of the shape. Furthermore, in the vibration by the dielectric elastomer actuator part 1, for example, reciprocation and rotation of mechanical parts are not required. Thereby, reduction of operation noise can be aimed at.

  By making the intake / exhaust drive voltage Va and the intake / exhaust drive voltage Vb into sinusoidal waveforms, the fluid exchange function of the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 is more efficiently exhibited and the human body is prevented from feeling the vibration of the fluid exchange function. can do. In particular, it is preferable to set the frequencies of the suction / discharge drive voltage Va and the suction / discharge drive voltage Vb to about 10 to 20 Hz in order to further suppress the human body from feeling.

  5 to 7 show other embodiments of the present invention. In these drawings, the same or similar elements as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 5 shows a human body support apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The human body support apparatus A2 of the present embodiment includes a suction pipe part 51A, a discharge pipe part 51B, a suction pipe part 52A and a discharge pipe part 52B, and a valve part 43, a valve part 44, a valve part 45, and a valve part 46. ing.

  The casing 31 of the present embodiment is provided with openings at two locations on the top and bottom. The suction pipe portion 51 </ b> A is connected to one opening above the housing 31. The discharge pipe portion 51 </ b> B is connected to the other opening above the housing 31. The suction pipe portion 52 </ b> A is connected to one opening below the housing 31. The discharge pipe part 52 </ b> B is connected to the other opening below the housing 31. In the present embodiment, the intermediate plate portion 32 is not provided with an opening. For this reason, the inside of the housing 31 is partitioned in a sealed state by the dielectric elastomer layers 11 </ b> A and 11 </ b> B and the intermediate plate portion 32.

  The valve portion 43 is connected to the suction pipe portion 51A and allows the movement of air only downward in the drawing. The valve portion 44 is connected to the discharge pipe portion 51B, and allows the movement of air only upward in the drawing. The valve portion 45 is connected to the suction pipe portion 52A, and allows air to move upward only in the drawing. The valve part 46 is connected to the discharge pipe part 52B, and allows the movement of air only downward in the figure.

  In the present embodiment, when the dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B of the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 vibrate in the vertical direction in the drawing due to the application of the suction / exhaust drive voltage Va and the suction / exhaust drive voltage Vb from the control unit 6, the intermediate plate part 32 is moved. When moving upward, the air is exhausted to the suction pipe part 52A through the valve part 44, and is sucked from the exhaust pipe part 51B through the valve part 45. On the other hand, when the intermediate plate part 32 moves downward, the air is sucked from the suction pipe part 51A through the valve part 43 and exhausted to the discharge pipe part 52B through the valve part 46.

  Also according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the weight and improve the degree of freedom of the shape. Moreover, according to this embodiment, in the vibration of the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1 (dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B), intake and exhaust are repeatedly performed every half cycle. For this reason, there is no restoration process in the human body support apparatus A1, and the intake / exhaust process can be repeated every half cycle. This is suitable for increasing the efficiency of fluid exchange.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 6 shows a human body support device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the human body support device A3 of this embodiment, suction / discharge drive voltages V1a and V1b and vibration drive voltages V2a and V2b are applied from the control unit 6 to the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 having the same configuration as the human body support device A1. The In the present embodiment, a plurality of dielectric elastomer actuator portions 1 are provided on the sheet 7. For example, a plurality of dielectric elastomer actuator portions 1 are built in the seating surface. A plurality of dielectric elastomer actuator portions 1 are built in the backrest.

  The suction / discharge drive voltages V1a and V1b are sinusoidal waveforms having a frequency of about 10 to 20 Hz, for example, similar to the above-described suction / discharge drive voltages Va and Vb. In the excitation drive voltages V2a and V2b, the maximum acceleration of vibration of the dielectric elastomer actuator portion 1 (dielectric elastomer layers 11A and 11B) generated by application is greater than the maximum acceleration of vibration caused by application of the suction / discharge drive voltages V1a and V1b. It is. Examples of such excitation drive voltages V2a and V2b include rectangular wave-like waveforms whose frequency is equal to or higher than the frequency of the suction / discharge drive voltages V1a and V1b. The excitation drive voltage V2a and the excitation drive voltage V2b have a relationship in which the phases are reversed.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 6 applies the suction / discharge driving voltage V1a to the pair of electrode layers 12A and applies the suction / discharge driving voltage V1b to the pair of electrode layers 12B when the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 exhibits the fluid exchange function. Apply. Thereby, the fluid exchange function similar to human body support apparatus A1 is exhibited, and ventilation in the seat 7 is executed.

  On the other hand, the control unit 6 applies the excitation drive voltage V2a to the pair of electrode layers 12A and applies the excitation drive voltage V2b to the pair of electrode layers 12B when causing the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 to exhibit the vibration generating function. . In addition, the vibration generating function in the present invention refers to a function of generating vibrations that can be felt by the human body on the surface of the sheet 7 that is a human body support that incorporates the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1. That is, when the vibration generating function of the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 is exerted by the application of the excitation drive voltages V2a and V2b, the vibration of the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 is transmitted, and the vibration that the human body can feel at a predetermined portion of the seat 7 Will occur.

  Also according to this embodiment, it is possible to reduce the weight and improve the degree of freedom of the shape. Further, according to the present embodiment, the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 can exhibit a vibration generating function for vibrating a predetermined portion of the seat 7 in addition to a fluid exchanging function capable of realizing the ventilation of the seat 7. By using the vibration generation function, for example, the human body support device A3 can transmit a warning or the like issued by the vehicle control system or the like to the human body as a predetermined vibration through the control unit 6. Alternatively, by setting the waveform and strength of the excitation drive voltages V2a and V2b, a so-called massage function that relaxes the tension of the human body can be achieved. In addition, by incorporating a plurality of dielectric elastomer actuator portions 1 at appropriate positions on the sheet 7, it is possible to exhibit a vibration generating function at various positions on the sheet 7. This is suitable for massaging a desired part of the human body.

  By making the excitation drive voltages V2a and V2b have a rectangular wave-like waveform, the vibration generated at a predetermined portion of the seat 7 can be made more easily felt by the human body.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 7 shows a human body support apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The human body support apparatus A4 of this embodiment includes a pair of dielectric elastomer layers 11A, a pair of dielectric elastomer layers 11B, two pairs of electrode layers 12A, and two pairs of electrode layers 12B.

  Each dielectric elastomer layer 11B is disposed inside each dielectric elastomer layer 11A when viewed in the axial direction. Further, in the present embodiment, the support 3 has two connecting annular portions 33. Each connecting annular portion 33 has a thin annular shape, and the inner edge of the dielectric elastomer layer 11A and the outer edge of the dielectric elastomer layer 11B are fixed. The structure of the intermediate | middle board part 32 and the valve parts 41 and 42 is substantially the same as that of human body support apparatus A1 mentioned above.

  In the present embodiment, the control unit 6 applies the suction / exhaust drive voltages V1a and V1b to the two pairs of electrode layers 12A, and applies the excitation drive voltages V2a and V2b to the two pairs of electrode layers 12B. For example, when it is desired to cause the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 to exhibit the fluid exchange function, the control unit 6 applies the suction / discharge driving voltages V1a and V1b to the two pairs of electrode layers 12A. Thereby, the pair of dielectric elastomer layers 11A vibrate in a mode suitable for intake and exhaust, and the fluid exchange function is exhibited. On the other hand, when the dielectric elastomer actuator unit 1 is desired to exhibit a vibration generating function, the control unit 6 applies the excitation drive voltages V2a and V2b to the two pairs of electrode layers 12B. Accordingly, the pair of dielectric elastomer layers 11B vibrate at a maximum acceleration larger than that in the fluid exchange function, and the vibration generating function is exhibited.

  Also by such embodiment, weight reduction and the improvement of the freedom degree of a shape can be aimed at. In addition, according to the present embodiment, the dielectric elastomer layer 11A has a fluid exchange function, and the dielectric elastomer layer 11B has a vibration generating function. For this reason, the dielectric elastomer layer 11A and the dielectric elastomer layer 11B can be made of materials, thicknesses, and the like suitable for the functions to be performed by each. In addition, the fluid exchange function and the vibration generating function can be exhibited on the time axis.

  The human body support device according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. The specific configuration of each part of the human body support device according to the present invention can be varied in design in various ways.

A1 to A4: Human body support device 1: Dielectric elastomer actuator part 3: Support body 6: Control part 7: Sheet 11A, 11B: Dielectric elastomer layer 12A, 12B: Electrode layer 31: Housing 32: Intermediate plate part 33: Connection ring Portions 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46: Valve portions 51, 51A, 52A: Intake pipe portions 51B, 52, 52B: Exhaust pipe portions Va, Vb, V1a, V1b: Intake / exhaust drive voltages V2a, V2b: Excitation Driving voltage

Claims (4)

A human body support,
A dielectric elastomer actuator portion including a dielectric elastomer layer and a pair of electrode layers sandwiching the dielectric elastomer layer;
A control unit for applying a driving voltage for vibrating the dielectric elastomer actuator unit to the pair of electrode layers;
A valve portion that allows passage of fluid only when the dielectric elastomer actuator portion moves to one side in vibration; and
A pipe part connected to the valve part,
The human body support device, wherein the tube portion is connected to the human body support tool. The controller is
An intake / exhaust drive voltage for causing the dielectric elastomer actuator section to exert a fluid exchange function;
An excitation drive voltage that causes the dielectric elastomer actuator section to exhibit a vibration generating function that generates vibration having a maximum acceleration larger than the fluid exchange function;
The human body support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein The intake / exhaust drive voltage is a sine wave-like waveform,
The human body support device according to claim 2, wherein the excitation drive voltage has a rectangular wave-like waveform. The dielectric elastomer actuator portion has two dielectric elastomer layers and two pairs of the electrode layers sandwiching the two dielectric elastomer layers separately,
The suction / exhaust driving voltage is applied to one of the pair of electrode layers,
The human body support device according to claim 2, wherein the excitation drive voltage is applied to the other pair of electrode layers.

Images