JP7633650B2 - Shaping pillow - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an orthopedic pillow. More specifically, it relates to a versatile orthopedic pillow whose height can be adjusted to suit the physique and shape of various users, and to suit the user's physical condition on that day.

It is known that the posture when sleeping affects daily physical condition and long-term health. The pillow used when sleeping is closely related to the posture when sleeping. To ensure an appropriate posture when sleeping, it is desirable to be able to adjust the height of the pillow to suit the user's physique, shape, or physical condition.

Conventional pillows use a pouch filled with stuffing (e.g., plastic, feathers, cotton, etc.). Such pillows can be adapted to the user's build and shape by adjusting the type and amount of stuffing. However, it is not easy to change the height of the pillow by adjusting the type and amount of stuffing.

There are also pillows that are custom-made to fit the user's physique and shape to better accommodate their size and shape. However, custom-made pillows are set to a height and hardness that is tailored to a specific user, so they are not versatile enough to accommodate a variety of users' physiques and shapes.

Patent Document 1 discloses an orthopedic pillow in which the core is formed in a rectangular ring shape, one of the opposing long sides is higher than the other, and is formed to be hard. According to the orthopedic pillow disclosed in Patent Document 1, the height of the pillow can be changed to suit the physique and shape of the user by selectively using one of the long sides of the ring-shaped core.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 6-245853

However, with the shaping pillow disclosed in Patent Document 1, although the height of the pillow can be selected, there are only two options, so it cannot be said to be sufficiently versatile.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a versatile orthopedic pillow whose height can be adjusted to suit the physique and shape of various users, and to suit the user's physical condition on any given day.

The orthopedic pillow of the present invention can be used with either the first surface or the second surface opposite to the first surface facing upward, and can also be used with either the first edge portion or the second edge portion facing the user's cervical vertebrae.
A core body is disposed inside the
The core body is
The surface arranged toward the first surface side of the orthopedic pillow is a first core surface, and the surface arranged toward the second surface side of the orthopedic pillow is a second core surface,
The edge portion arranged along the first edge portion of the orthopedic pillow is a first core edge portion, and the edge portion arranged along the second edge portion of the orthopedic pillow is a second core edge portion,
A first columnar portion formed in the first core edge portion so as to protrude toward both the first core surface side and the second core surface side;
A second columnar portion formed in the second core edge portion so as to protrude toward both the first core surface side and the second core surface side;
a connecting portion disposed between the first columnar portion and the second columnar portion, the connecting portion being thinner than both the first columnar portion and the second columnar portion;
having
a height of the first columnar section in a direction from the first core surface toward the second core surface is set to be higher than a height of the second columnar section,
moreover,
The core body is
a first core body constituent portion integrally forming the first core surface side of the first columnar portion and the first core surface side of the second columnar portion;
a second core body constituent portion integrally forming the second core surface side of the first columnar portion and the second core surface side of the second columnar portion;
Including,
The hardness of the first core constituent portion is set to be harder than that of the second core constituent portion, and the first core constituent portion and the second core constituent portion are joined together.

The orthopedic pillow of the present invention can be made versatile, with the height of the pillow being adjustable to suit the physique and shape of various users, and to suit the user's physical condition on that day.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an orthopedic pillow according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a user places his/her head on the shaping pillow. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the core body. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a first core body constituent part and a second core body constituent part which constitute the core body. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a load is applied with the first core surface of the core body facing up. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a load is applied with the second core surface of the core body facing up.

The shaping pillow according to one embodiment of the present invention is
An orthopedic pillow that can be used with either the first surface or the second surface opposite to the first surface facing upward, and can be used with either the first edge portion or the second edge portion facing the cervical vertebrae of a user,
A core body is disposed inside the
The core body is
The surface arranged toward the first surface side of the orthopedic pillow is a first core surface, and the surface arranged toward the second surface side of the orthopedic pillow is a second core surface,
The edge portion arranged along the first edge portion of the orthopedic pillow is a first core edge portion, and the edge portion arranged along the second edge portion of the orthopedic pillow is a second core edge portion,
A first columnar portion formed in the first core edge portion so as to protrude toward both the first core surface side and the second core surface side;
A second columnar portion formed in the second core edge portion so as to protrude toward both the first core surface side and the second core surface side;
a connecting portion disposed between the first columnar portion and the second columnar portion, the connecting portion being thinner than both the first columnar portion and the second columnar portion;
having
a height of the first columnar section in a direction from the first core surface toward the second core surface is set to be higher than a height of the second columnar section,
moreover,
The core body is
a first core body constituent portion integrally forming the first core surface side of the first columnar portion and the first core surface side of the second columnar portion;
a second core body constituent portion integrally forming the second core surface side of the first columnar portion and the second core surface side of the second columnar portion;
Including,
The hardness of the first core constituent portion is set to be harder than that of the second core constituent portion, and the first core constituent portion and the second core constituent portion are joined together (first configuration).

According to the above configuration, the core placed inside the orthopedic pillow is composed of a first core component and a second core component having different hardness on the first core surface side and the second core surface side, and a first columnar portion and a second columnar portion of different heights are provided on both sides of the core.
As a result, the first columnar portion and the second columnar portion are formed so as to have different hardness on the first surface side and the second surface side of the orthopedic pillow, respectively.
For this reason, when the orthopedic pillow is used with the first surface facing up, and the core body sinks due to a predetermined load applied by the user, the height when the first columnar portion is used under the cervical vertebrae (first sinking height) is higher than the height when the second columnar portion is used under the cervical vertebrae (second sinking height).
In addition, since the core body is formed to be softer on the second side of the shaping pillow than on the first side, the amount by which the core body sinks due to a specified load applied by the user differs when the shaping pillow is used with the first side facing up and when it is used with the second side facing up.
For this reason, when the orthopedic pillow is used with the second side facing up, the height when the first columnar portion is used under the cervical vertebrae (third sinking height) is higher than the height when the second columnar portion is used under the cervical vertebrae (fourth sinking height).
In addition, the first sinking height, which is the height of the first columnar portion when in use, and the third sinking height are different, and the second sinking height, which is the height of the second columnar portion when in use, and the fourth sinking height are also different.
In this way, by distinguishing between using the first and second surface sides of the shaping pillow, and between using the first and second edge sides of the shaping pillow, it can be used at different sinking heights, making it a versatile shaping pillow whose height can be adjusted to suit the physiques and shapes of various users, and to suit the user's physical condition on that day.

In the first configuration,
The core body is
A height when a predetermined load is applied to the first columnar portion with the first core surface facing up is defined as a first sinking height,
A height when a predetermined load is applied to the second columnar portion with the first core surface facing up is defined as a second sinking height,
A height when a predetermined load is applied to the first columnar portion with the second core surface facing up is defined as a third sinking height,
The height when a predetermined load is applied to the second columnar portion with the second core surface facing up is defined as a fourth sinking height,
The hardness of the first core constituent portion and the hardness of the second core constituent portion are
The heights may be set so as to satisfy the relation: first sinking height>third sinking height>second sinking height>fourth sinking height (second configuration).

According to the above configuration, the hardness of the first core constituent portion and the hardness of the second core constituent portion are
The heights are set so as to satisfy the following relationship: first subsidence height>third subsidence height>second subsidence height>fourth subsidence height.
Therefore, by selectively using the first and second surface sides of the shaping pillow and the first and second edge sides of the shaping pillow, the sinking height can be set in detail, making it easier to adjust the height of the shaping pillow to suit the physiques and shapes of various users and to suit the user's physical condition on that day.

The core body is
In a cross-sectional view, the first core constituent portion and the second core constituent portion may be formed symmetrically with respect to the joint surface (third configuration).

According to the above configuration, in a cross-sectional view of the core body, the first core constituent portion and the second core constituent portion are formed symmetrically with respect to the joint surface.
This means that when a user alternates between using the first and second sides of the shaping pillow, and between using the first and second edge sides of the shaping pillow, the difference in sinking height causes a change in the height of the shaping pillow, but it is possible to prevent a significant change in the feel of use.
Therefore, the user can adjust the height of the shaping pillow to suit their build and shape, and to suit their physical condition on that day, without feeling any discomfort when using the shaping pillow.

The core body is
The length of the first columnar section in a direction from the first columnar section to the second columnar section may be set to be longer than the length of the second columnar section (fourth configuration).

According to the above configuration, the length of the first columnar section in the direction from the first columnar section to the second columnar section is set to be longer than the length of the second columnar section.
Therefore, by changing not only the height of the part that contacts the cervical vertebrae but also the length that supports the user's cervical vertebrae, the height of the shaping pillow can be adapted to suit various user's physiques and shapes, and to the user's physical condition on that day.

[Embodiment 1]
Hereinafter, the orthopedic pillow 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The same or corresponding parts in the drawings are given the same reference numerals and their description will not be repeated. In order to make the description easier to understand, the drawings referred to below show the configuration in a simplified or schematic manner, and some components are omitted. In addition, the dimensional ratios of the components shown in each drawing do not necessarily indicate the actual dimensional ratios.

[Overall configuration]
Fig. 1 is a plan view of an orthopedic pillow 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In the following figures, for the sake of convenience, an arrow U indicates an upward direction, an arrow D indicates a downward direction, an arrow F indicates a forward direction, an arrow B indicates a backward direction, an arrow L indicates a leftward direction, and an arrow R indicates a rightward direction.

As shown in FIG. 1, the orthopedic pillow 100 has a generally rectangular shape in a plan view. A core body 10 is disposed inside the orthopedic pillow 100. If one side of the orthopedic pillow 100 is designated as a first side 121 and the side opposite the first side 121 is designated as a second side 122 (see FIG. 2), the orthopedic pillow 100 can be used with either the first side 121 or the second side 122 facing upward. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the user PS is using the orthopedic pillow with the first side 121 facing upward.

In FIG. 1, one of the opposing long sides of the orthopedic pillow 100 is designated as the first edge 131 and the other as the second edge 132 (see FIG. 2). The orthopedic pillow 100 can be used with either the first edge 131 or the second edge 132 facing the cervical vertebrae CS of the user PS. FIG. 3 shows the user PS using the pillow with the second edge 132 facing the cervical vertebrae CS. In other words, in FIG. 3, the user PS uses the pillow with the second edge 132 positioned close to the neck and shoulders of the user PS.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2, the orthopedic pillow 100 comprises a core body 10, a pillow body 150, and a cover 160.

The core body 10 is a member that supports the cervical vertebrae CS of the user PS when the user PS is using the orthopedic pillow 100. The core body 10 is positioned in the vertical center position of the orthopedic pillow 100 so as to be approximately parallel to the front-rear direction. The core body 10 has a first columnar portion 61, a second columnar portion 62, and a connecting portion 65. The core body 10 is made of an elastic material. In this embodiment, the core body 10 is made of urethane foam.

Here, of the surfaces of the core body 10, the surface that is arranged toward the first surface 121 of the orthopedic pillow 100 is referred to as the first core surface 21, and the surface that is arranged toward the second surface 122 of the orthopedic pillow 100 is referred to as the second core surface 22. In addition, of the peripheral edges of the core body 10, the edge that is arranged along the first edge 131 of the orthopedic pillow 100 is referred to as the first core edge 31, and the edge that is arranged along the second edge 132 of the orthopedic pillow 100 is referred to as the second core edge 32. The configuration of the core body 10 will be described in detail later.

The pillow body 150 is the component that forms the main body of the orthopedic pillow 100. The pillow body 150 holds the core body 10 in the center. The pillow body 150 is made of a material that has elasticity. There are no limitations on the material of the pillow body 150, but it is made of a material that is more flexible than the core body 10, for example, cotton or highly flexible polyfoam.

The cover 160 is a member that surrounds the outside of the pillow body 150 and maintains the shape of the orthopedic pillow 100. The cover 160 is made of a material such as fabric.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the state in which the user PS places the head PSH on the orthopedic pillow 100. In Figure 3, the orthopedic pillow 100 is used with the first surface 121 facing upward and the second edge portion 132 facing the cervical spine CS of the user PS. As shown in Figure 3, when the user PS uses the pillow with the first surface 121 facing upward and the cervical spine CS placed on the second edge portion 132, the load F by the user PS is applied to the second columnar portion 62 of the core body 10 through the pillow body 150. The second columnar portion 62 supports the cervical spine CS of the user PS while deforming to sink due to the load F. The amount of sinking of the core body 10 is directly related to the height of the orthopedic pillow 100. In this embodiment, the orthopedic pillow 100 is characterized by being able to change the height in four stages by providing a difference in the amount of sinking when the load F is applied to each part of the core body 10.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the core body 10. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first core body constituent part 51 and the second core body constituent part 52 that constitute the core body 10. As shown in Figure 4, the first columnar part 61 of the core body 10 is a part formed in the first core edge part 31 so as to protrude on both the first core surface 21 side and the second core surface 22 side. The second columnar part 62 is a part formed in the second core edge part 32 so as to protrude on both the first core surface 21 side and the second core surface 22 side. The connecting part 65 is a part disposed between the first columnar part 61 and the second columnar part 62. The thickness H3 of the connecting part 65 is formed to be thinner than both the thickness (height) H1 of the first columnar part 61 and the thickness (height) H2 of the second columnar part 62.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the core 10 is composed of a first core component 51 and a second core component 52. In this embodiment, the first core component 51 and the second core component 52 are formed so that their cross-sectional shapes are vertically symmetrical to each other, but the hardness (N) of the urethane foam used as the material is different. The hardness (N) of the urethane foam used as the material of the first core component 51 is set to be harder than the hardness (N) of the urethane foam used as the material of the second core component 52.

The first core body component 51 integrally forms the first core surface 21 side of the first columnar section 61 and the first core surface 21 side of the second columnar section 62. The second core body component 52 integrally forms the second core surface 22 side of the first columnar section 61 and the second core surface 22 side of the second columnar section 62. The first core body component 51 and the second core body component 52 are arranged and joined so as to be line-symmetrical with respect to the joining surface 67, thereby forming the first columnar section 61, the second columnar section 62, and the connecting section 65 of the core body 10. The joining of the first core body component 51 and the second core body component 52 can be performed by fusion or adhesive.

As shown in FIG. 4, the height (thickness) of the first core component 51 constituting the first columnar portion 61 is H11, and the height (thickness) of the second core component 52 constituting the first columnar portion 61 is H12, with H11 and H12 being set to be equal. In addition, the height (thickness) of the first core component 51 constituting the second columnar portion 62 is H21, and the height (thickness) of the second core component 52 constituting the second columnar portion 62 is H22, with H21 and H22 being set to be equal.

The first columnar section 61 and the second columnar section 62 formed by joining the first core body component 51 and the second core body component 52 are set so that the height (thickness) H1 of the first columnar section 61 is greater than the height (thickness) H2 of the second columnar section 62. In addition, in the front-rear direction of FIG. 4, the length L1 of the first columnar section 61 is set to be greater than the length of the second columnar section 62.

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the state where a load is applied with the first core surface 21 of the core body 10 facing up. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the state where a load is applied with the second core surface 22 of the core body 10 facing up. For convenience, Figures 6 and 7 show the state where a load F is applied simultaneously to the first columnar portion 61 and the second columnar portion 62 of the core body 10 to explain the height when the first columnar portion 61 and the second columnar portion 62 of the core body 10 sink due to the load F of the user PS.

6 and 7, the heights of the first and second columnar portions 61 and 62 are different when the first core surface 21 of the core body 10 is facing up and a load F is applied to the first and second columnar portions 61 and 62, respectively. This is because the height H1 of the first columnar portion 61 and the height H2 of the second columnar portion 62 are different when no load F is applied, and because the hardness (N) of the first core body component 51 constituting the first core surface 21 side of the first columnar portion 61 and the first core surface 21 side of the second columnar portion 62 is different from that of the second core body component 52 constituting the second core surface 22 side of the first columnar portion 61 and the second core surface 22 side of the second columnar portion 62 is different.

As shown in FIG.
The height when the first core surface 21 of the core body 10 is placed up and a load F is applied to the first columnar portion 61 is defined as a first sinking height HP1.
The height when a load F is applied to the second columnar portion 62 with the first core surface 21 facing up is defined as a second sinking height HP2,
As shown in FIG.
The height when a load F is applied to the first columnar section 61 with the second core surface 22 facing up is defined as a third sinking height HP3,
The height when a load F is applied to the second columnar section 62 with the second core surface 22 facing up is defined as a fourth sinking height HP4.

As shown in Fig. 4, in this embodiment, the height H1 of the first columnar section 61 and the height H2 of the second columnar section 62 are different when no load F is applied. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 6, when the first core surface 21 of the core body 10 is facing up, the first sinking height HP1 when a load F is applied to the first columnar section 61 and the second sinking height HP2 when a load F is applied to the second columnar section 62 are different. Specifically,
First sinking height HP1>Second sinking height HP2
This is the relationship.

Similarly, as shown in Fig. 7, with the second core surface 22 of the core body 10 facing up, a third sinking height HP3 when a load F is applied to the first columnar section 61 and a fourth sinking height HP4 when a load F is applied to the second columnar section 62 are also different.
Third sinking height HP3>Fourth sinking height HP4
This is the relationship.

In this embodiment, the hardness (N) of the first core constituent part 51 is set to be harder than the hardness (N) of the second core constituent part 52, and even when the same load F is applied to the same first columnar part 61, the sinking height differs between the state where the first core surface 21 is facing up and the state where the second core surface 22 is facing up. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7,
First sinking height HP1>Third sinking height HP3
This is the relationship.

Similarly, even when the same load F is applied to the same second columnar section 62, the sinking height differs between the state in which the first core surface 21 faces up and the state in which the second core surface 22 faces up.
Second sinking height HP2>Fourth sinking height HP4
This is the relationship.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the hardness (N) of the first core component 51 and the hardness (N) of the second core component 52, and the difference in hardness (N) between the first core component 51 and the second core component 52 are set so that the sinking height when the same load F is applied satisfies the following relationship:
First subsidence height HP1>third subsidence height HP3>second subsidence height HP2>fourth subsidence height HP4
In other words, the hardness (N) of the first core component 51 and the hardness (N) of the second core component 52, and the difference in hardness (N) between the first core component 51 and the second core component 52 are set so that the third sinking height HP3 is midway between the first sinking height HP1 and the second sinking height HP2.

By providing a difference in the sinking height when a load F is applied to the core body 10 as described above, the first core surface 21 side and the second core surface 22 side of the core body 10 can be used separately, that is, the first surface 121 side and the second surface 122 side of the orthopedic pillow 100 can be used separately, and the first columnar portion 61 side and the second columnar portion 62 side of the core body 10 can be used separately, that is, the first edge portion 131 side and the second edge portion 132 side of the orthopedic pillow 100 can be used at different sinking heights. Therefore, the height of the orthopedic pillow 100 can be adapted to the physique and shape of various users PS, and to the physical condition of the user PS on that day.

In this embodiment, when the same load F is applied to the core body 10,
First subsidence height HP1>third subsidence height HP3>second subsidence height HP2>fourth subsidence height HP4
Therefore, the sinking height can be set finely by using the first surface 121 side and the second surface 122 side of the shaping pillow 100 and the first edge portion 131 side and the second edge portion 132 side of the shaping pillow 100. This makes it possible to make the height of the shaping pillow 100 more appropriately correspond to the physique and shape of various users PS, and to easily correspond to the physical condition of the user PS on that day.

[Modification]
Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the above-mentioned embodiment is merely an example for carrying out the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and the above-mentioned embodiment can be appropriately modified and carried out without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the shape of the core body 10 is not limited to the shape of this embodiment. In addition, in this embodiment, the first core body component 51 and the second core body component 52 are vertically symmetrical in shape, but they do not have to be linearly symmetrical.

The present invention is applicable to orthopedic pillows with a core placed inside.

100 Orthopedic pillow 10 Core body 21 First core surface 22 Second core surface 31 First core edge portion 32 Second core edge portion 51 First core body component 52 Second core body component 61 First columnar portion 62 Second columnar portion 65 Connecting portion 121 First surface 122 Second surface 131 First edge portion 132 Second edge portion PS User CS Cervical vertebrae

Claims (4)

An orthopedic pillow that can be used with either the first surface or the second surface opposite to the first surface facing upward, and can be used with either the first edge portion or the second edge portion facing the cervical vertebrae of a user,
A core body is disposed inside the
The core body is
The surface arranged toward the first surface side of the orthopedic pillow is a first core surface, and the surface arranged toward the second surface side of the orthopedic pillow is a second core surface,
The edge portion arranged along the first edge portion of the orthopedic pillow is a first core edge portion, and the edge portion arranged along the second edge portion of the orthopedic pillow is a second core edge portion,
A first columnar portion formed in the first core edge portion so as to protrude toward both the first core surface side and the second core surface side;
A second columnar portion formed in the second core edge portion so as to protrude toward both the first core surface side and the second core surface side;
a connecting portion disposed between the first columnar portion and the second columnar portion, the connecting portion being thinner than both the first columnar portion and the second columnar portion;
having
a height of the first columnar section in a direction from the first core surface toward the second core surface is set to be higher than a height of the second columnar section,
moreover,
The core body is
a first core body constituent portion integrally forming the first core surface side of the first columnar portion and the first core surface side of the second columnar portion;
a second core body constituent portion integrally forming the second core surface side of the first columnar portion and the second core surface side of the second columnar portion;
Including,
The hardness of the first core constituent portion is set to be harder than that of the second core constituent portion, and the first core constituent portion and the second core constituent portion are joined together,
When the user uses the orthopedic pillow by placing the cervical vertebrae on the first edge portion with the first edge portion on the cervical vertebrae side of the user, the first columnar portion of the core body supports the cervical vertebrae of the user while deforming so as to sink due to the weight of the user,
When the user uses the orthopedic pillow by placing the cervical vertebrae on the second edge portion with the second edge portion of the orthopedic pillow facing the cervical vertebrae of the user, the second columnar portion of the core body supports the cervical vertebrae of the user while deforming to sink due to the weight of the user.
Shaped pillow.
The core body is
A height when a predetermined load is applied to the first columnar portion with the first core surface facing up is defined as a first sinking height,
A height when a predetermined load is applied to the second columnar portion with the first core surface facing up is defined as a second sinking height,
A height when a predetermined load is applied to the first columnar portion with the second core surface facing up is defined as a third sinking height,
The height when a predetermined load is applied to the second columnar portion with the second core surface facing up is defined as a fourth sinking height,
The hardness of the first core constituent portion and the hardness of the second core constituent portion are
The first sinking height>the third sinking height>the second sinking height>the fourth sinking height.
The shaping pillow according to claim 1.
The core body is
In a cross-sectional view, the first core component and the second core component are formed symmetrically with respect to a joining surface at which the first core component and the second core component are joined .
The shaping pillow according to claim 1 or 2.
The core body is
A length of the first columnar portion in a direction from the first columnar portion to the second columnar portion is set to be longer than a length of the second columnar portion.
The shaping pillow according to any one of claims 1 to 3.