JP7765694B2 - Cushions and seats - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cushion having an elastically deformable pad and a seat equipped with such a cushion.

Conventionally, a cushion has been known that includes a pad, a cover member covering the pad, and a sensor placed between the cover member and the pad (see Patent Document 1). In this technology, the sensor is placed on the surface of the pad facing the user.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-182167

However, if the sensor is placed on the user's side of the pad, the user sitting on the cushion may perceive the sensor as a foreign object and feel uncomfortable.

The present invention aims to prevent users from feeling uncomfortable when sitting on a cushion equipped with a sensor.

In order to solve the above problem, the cushion of the present invention comprises an elastically deformable pad and a sensor that acquires information to identify the user's physical condition, the sensor being fixed to the pad.
The pad has a support surface that supports the user and a back surface that is opposite to the support surface.
The distance from the sensor to the back surface is less than the distance from the sensor to the support surface.

This configuration allows the sensor to be positioned away from the support surface, reducing the discomfort felt by the user sitting on the cushion.

The sensor may also be fixed to the back surface.

This configuration allows the sensor to be positioned further away from the support surface.

The cushion may further include a harness connected to the sensor, the sensor being positioned laterally offset from the center of the pad, and the harness extending laterally outward from the sensor.

This configuration makes it less likely that pressure from the user will be applied to the harness, preventing the harness from breaking. Also, because the harness is not located in the left-right center of the pad, it is less likely that the user will perceive the harness as a foreign object.

The sensor may include a left sensor located to the left of the center of the pad in the left-right direction and a right sensor located to the right of the center of the pad in the left-right direction; the harness may include a left harness extending outward from the left sensor in the left-right direction and then extending in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction; and a right harness extending outward from the right sensor in the left-right direction and then extending in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction; one of the left and right harnesses may extend in the left-right direction toward the other harness and be bundled with the other harness at the left-right end of the pad.

With this configuration, the left and right harnesses can be pulled out together from the left and right ends of the cushion, preventing the harnesses from coming into contact with the user.

The cushion may further include adhesive tape for securing at least the harness, out of the sensor and the harness, to the pad.

This configuration allows the harness to be easily secured to the pad using adhesive tape.

The pad may also have a recess recessed from the back surface, and at least a portion of the harness may be inserted into the recess.

This configuration further reduces pressure from the user on the harness.

Furthermore, the sensor may have a detection surface for detecting the user's physical condition, and the detection surface may face the support surface.

With this configuration, the sensor can accurately detect the user's physical condition.

The cushion may also be detachable from the seat or back of a seat having a seat and a backrest.

The seat according to the present invention may also include the cushion and a seat frame that supports the back surface of the cushion. The seat frame may also include a pan frame that supports the back surface of the cushion.

This invention can prevent users from feeling uncomfortable when sitting on a cushion equipped with a sensor.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, by fixing the sensor to the back surface of the pad, the sensor can be positioned further away from the support surface.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, by extending the harness outward in the left-right direction from the sensor located at a position offset in the left-right direction from the center of the pad, pressure from the user is less likely to be applied to the harness, thereby preventing the harness from breaking. Furthermore, because the harness is not located in the left-right center of the pad, it is possible to prevent the user from perceiving the harness as a foreign object.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, one of the left and right harnesses is extended in the left-right direction toward the other harness and bundled with the other harness at the left-right end of the pad. This allows the left and right harnesses to be pulled out together from the left-right end of the cushion, thereby preventing the harnesses from coming into contact with the user.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, the harness can be easily secured to the pad by securing it to the pad with adhesive tape.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, by placing at least a portion of the harness in a recess recessed from the back surface of the pad, pressure from the user on the harness can be further reduced.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, by facing the detection surface of the sensor toward the support surface, the sensor can accurately detect the user's physical condition.

1 is a perspective view showing a seat cushion according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A is a cross-sectional view taken along line II of FIG. 1, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. 1A is a plan view of the pad of the back cushion seen from the rear side, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the pad of the seat cushion seen from the rear side. 4A is a diagram showing a pad of a seat cushion according to a first modified example; FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along III-III in FIG. 4A; and FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view showing a pad of a seat cushion according to a second modified example. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing a sensor according to a third modified example. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a seat cushion according to a fourth modified example.

One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that in this specification, front, back, left, right, top, and bottom refer to the front, back, left, right, top, and bottom as seen from a user sitting on the seat cushion when it is placed in the seat.

As shown in Figure 1, a seat cushion SC, an example of a cushion, is placed on the seating surface of a chair 1 for use. Chair 1 has a seat 11, a backrest 12, two front legs 13 (left and right), and two rear legs 14 (left and right). The seating surfaces of seat 11 and backrest 12 are both flat. Backrest 12 is spaced apart from seat 11 in the vertical direction. The rear legs 14 are made up of a rear leg 14 that extends downward from seat 11, and a pillar 15 that is located above rear leg 14 and extends vertically to connect seat 11 and backrest 12.

The seat cushion SC comprises a seat cushion SC1 placed on the seating surface of the seat 11, and a back cushion SC2 placed on the seating surface of the backrest 12. The seat cushion SC1 is detachable from the seat 11 of the chair 1. The back cushion SC2 is detachable from the backrest 12 of the chair 1.

The seat cushion SC1 has an elastically deformable pad 20, a cover member 30 that covers the pad 20, and six pressure sensors P1. The six pressure sensors P1 are sensors that acquire pressure, which is information used to identify the user's physical condition (the user's physical posture and movement). The six pressure sensors P1 include three left sensors PL1 and three right sensors PR1.

The three left sensors PL1 are located to the left of the center of the pad 20 in the left-right direction. The three left sensors PL1 are lined up at intervals in the front-to-rear direction. The three right sensors PR1 are located to the right of the center of the pad 20 in the left-to-right direction. The three right sensors PR1 are lined up at intervals in the front-to-rear direction.

The backrest cushion SC2 has an elastically deformable pad 40, a cover member 50 covering the pad 40, and four pressure sensors P2. The four pressure sensors P2 include two left sensors PL2 and two right sensors PR2.

The two left sensors PL2 are located to the left of the center of the pad 40 in the left-right direction. The two left sensors PL2 are lined up with a gap between them in the up-down direction. The two right sensors PR2 are located to the right of the center of the pad 40 in the left-right direction. The two right sensors PR2 are lined up with a gap between them in the up-down direction.

As shown in Figures 2(a) and 2(b), each pad 20, 40 has a support surface F11, F21 that supports the user, and a back surface F12, F22 located opposite the support surface F11, F21. The support surfaces F11, F21 form the user-facing surfaces of the pads 20, 40.

The distance from the pressure sensors P1, P2 to the back surfaces F12, F22 is shorter than the distance from the pressure sensors P1, P2 to the support surfaces F11, F12. In this embodiment, the pressure sensors P1, P2 are 0 meters away from the back surfaces F12, F22, and are fixed to the back surfaces F12, F22 with double-sided tape (not shown) or the like.

Each pressure sensor P1, P2 has a detection surface F13, F23 for detecting pressure from the user. The detection surfaces F13, F23 have elements that detect pressure and face the support surfaces F11, F21.

Figure 3 shows the seat cushion SC1 and back cushion SC2 as viewed from the rear surfaces F12 and F22. As shown in Figure 3(b), the seat cushion SC1 further includes a harness H1 connected to the pressure sensor P1 and adhesive tape T1 for securing the harness H1 to the pad 20.

The harness H1 has three left harnesses HL1 and three right harnesses HR1. Each left harness HL1 extends outward in the left-right direction from the corresponding left sensor PL1 and then extends rearward. Each right harness HR1 extends outward in the left-right direction from the corresponding right sensor PR1 and then extends rearward.

The three left harnesses HL1 are bundled together at the rear end of the pad 20 to form a single left cable CL1. The left cable CL1 extends toward the center of the pad 20 in the left-right direction.

The three right harnesses HR1 are bundled together at the rear end of the pad 20 to form a single right cable CR1. The right cable CR1 extends toward the center of the pad 20 in the left-right direction.

The left cable CL1 and the right cable CR1 are bundled together in the left-right center of the pad 20 to form a single cable C1. This cable C1 extends outward from the left-right center at the rear end of the seat cushion SC1 (see Figure 1).

The pad 20 has recesses 21 on each of its left and right sides. As shown in Figure 2(b), each recess 21 is recessed from the rear surface F12. Returning to Figure 3(b), each recess 21 is a stepped recess that opens outward in the left-right direction. Furthermore, each recess 21 is formed from approximately the center of the pad 20 in the front-to-rear direction to the rear end of the pad 20. Each recess 21 opens toward the rear.

The portion of each left harness HL1 extending in the front-to-rear direction is housed in a recess 21 on the left side. The portion of each right harness HR1 extending in the front-to-rear direction is housed in a recess 21 on the left side. The depth of each recess 21 from the back surface F12 is greater than the diameter of the harness H1. The depth of each recess 21 from the left and right side surfaces of the pad 20 is greater than the diameter of the harness H1.

The adhesive tape T1 is a rectangular tape that is long in the front-to-rear direction. Film, nonwoven fabric, or the like can be used as the base material for the adhesive tape T1. One adhesive tape T1 is provided on each side of the pad 20. The left adhesive tape T1 adheres the portions of the three left harnesses HL1 that extend left and right along the back surface F12 to the back surface F12. The right adhesive tape T1 adheres the portions of the three right harnesses HR1 that extend left and right along the back surface F12 to the back surface F12.

As shown in FIG. 3(a), the backrest cushion SC2 further includes a harness H2 connected to the pressure sensor P2 and an adhesive tape T2 for securing the harness H2 to the pad 40.

The harness H2 has two left harnesses HL2 and two right harnesses HR2. The right harnesses HR2 are longer than the left harnesses HL2. Each left harness HL2 extends outward in the left-right direction from the corresponding left sensor PL2 and then extends downward. Each right harness HR2 extends outward in the left-right direction from the corresponding right sensor PR2 and then extends downward.

The two left harnesses HL2 are bundled together at the lower end of the pad 40 to form a single left cable CL2. The left cable CL2 extends slightly toward the center of the pad 20 in the left-right direction.

The two right harnesses HR2 are bundled at the lower end of the pad 40 to form a single right cable CR2. The right cable CR2 extends laterally toward the left cable CL2.

The left cable CL2 and the right cable CR2 are bundled together at the left and right ends of the pad 40 to form a single main cable C2. This cable C2 extends outward from the left and right ends of the lower end of the backrest cushion SC2 (see Figure 1).

The adhesive tape T2 is a rectangular tape that is long in the vertical direction. Film, nonwoven fabric, or the like can be used as the base material for the adhesive tape T2. One adhesive tape T2 is provided on each side of the pad 40. The left adhesive tape T2 adheres the portions of the two left harnesses HL2 that extend in the horizontal and vertical directions along the back surface F22 to the back surface F22. The right adhesive tape T2 adheres the portions of the two right harnesses HR2 that extend in the horizontal and vertical directions along the back surface F22 to the back surface F22.

These cables C1 and C2 are connected to a control device (not shown). The control device includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, etc. The control device also includes a communication unit that enables short-range wireless communication such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The control device acquires measured values from the pressure sensors P1 and P2 and outputs them to a device (not shown) such as a smartphone. This allows the smartphone or other device to run an application program that uses the measured values from the pressure sensors P1 and P2. The control device is positioned under the seat 11 of the chair 1, for example, by being held by a band extending from the seat cushion SC1.

As described above, the following effects can be obtained in this embodiment.
By making the distance from the pressure sensors P1, P2 to the back surfaces F12, F22 smaller than the distance from the pressure sensors P1, P2 to the support surfaces F11, F21, the pressure sensors P1, P2 can be moved away from the support surfaces F11, F21, thereby preventing a user sitting on the seat cushion SC from feeling uncomfortable.

Because the pressure sensors P1 and P2 are fixed to the back surfaces F12 and F22, the pressure sensors P1 and P2 can be positioned farthest from the support surfaces F11 and F21. Furthermore, compared to a structure in which the pressure sensors are positioned on the support surfaces, for example, there is no need to form holes in the pads to pass the harness through, which reduces pad manufacturing costs and improves pad durability.

By extending the harnesses H1 and H2 outward in the left-right direction from the pressure sensors P1 and P2, pressure from the user is less likely to be applied to the harnesses H1 and H2, which helps prevent the harnesses H1 and H2 from breaking. Furthermore, because the harnesses H1 and H2 are not located in the left-right center of the pads 20 and 40, it helps prevent the user from perceiving the harnesses H1 and H2 as a foreign object.

The left harness HL2 and right harness HR2 of the backrest cushion SC2 are pulled out together as the cable C2 from the left and right ends of the lower end of the backrest cushion SC2, so the cable C2 can be routed along one of the pillars 15 of the chair 1. This prevents the cable C2 from coming into contact with the user even if part of the user's body enters the space between the seat 11 and backrest 12 of the chair 1.

The harnesses H1 and H2 are attached to the pads 20 and 40 using adhesive tape T1 and T2, making it easy to secure the harnesses H1 and H2 to the pads 20 and 40.

Since part of the harness H1 fits into the recess 21 of the pad 20, pressure from the user applied to the harness H1 can be further reduced.

Since the detection surfaces F13 and F23 of the pressure sensors P1 and P2 face the support surfaces F11 and F21, the pressure sensors P1 and P2 can accurately detect pressure from the user.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be used in various forms, as exemplified below. In the following description, components with substantially the same structure as those in the above-described embodiment will be assigned the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

As shown in Figures 4(a) and (b), in addition to the recess 21, the seat cushion SC1 may have a second recess 22 for accommodating other portions of the harness H1, and a third recess 23 for accommodating the pressure sensor P1. The third recess 23 is located on the back surface F12 at a position corresponding to each pressure sensor P1. The depth of the third recess 23 is greater than the vertical dimension of the pressure sensor P1. Note that in order to firmly support the back surface F14 opposite the detection surface F13 of the pressure sensor P1 on the planar seating surface of the chair 1, it is preferable to position the back surface F14 so that it is approximately flush with the back surface F12. Therefore, the depth of the third recess 23 may be slightly smaller than the vertical dimension of the pressure sensor P1.

The second recess 22 extends outward in the left-right direction from the third recess 23 and connects to the recess 21. The second recess 22 accommodates the portion of the harness H1 that extends from the pressure sensor P1 to the recess 21. The depth of the second recess 22 from the back surface F12 is greater than the diameter of the harness H1 and less than the depth of the recess 21 from the back surface F12.

In this configuration, the pressure sensor P1 fits into the third recess 23, further reducing the user's perception of the pressure sensor P1 as a foreign object. Furthermore, the portion of the harness H1 that overlaps with the back surface F12 when viewed from the top and bottom can be stored in each recess 21, 22, further reducing the pressure from the user being applied to the harness H1.

As shown in Figure 4(c), a plate 60 harder than the pad 20 may be provided on the back surface F14 of the pressure sensor P1. In this configuration, the plate 60 covers the entire back surface F14 of the pressure sensor P1 and is large enough to be stored within the third recess 23. The outer surface of the plate 60 opposite the pressure sensor P1 is approximately flush with the back surface F12. This allows the back surface F14 of the pressure sensor P1 to be firmly supported by the flat seating surface of the chair 1, thereby improving the responsiveness of the pressure sensor P1.

The plate 60 may be large enough to cover all pressure sensors P1 arranged on the back surface F12 of the pad 20, for example, large enough to cover the entire back surface F12. In this case, the cover member 30 does not need to cover the plate 60. In other words, the plate 60 may be in direct contact with the seat portion 11 of the chair 1. The modified examples shown in Figures 4(a) to (c) may also be applied to the back cushion SC2.

As shown in Figure 5, the left and right pressure sensors P1 may be integrated into a single sensor unit SU. Specifically, the sensor unit SU has left and right pressure sensors P1 and a flat flexible cable 70 that connects the left and right pressure sensors P1. Wiring 71 connected to each pressure sensor P1 is formed on the flat flexible cable 70 using printing technology. This reduces the time required to attach multiple pressure sensors P1 to the pad 20. Note that three or more pressure sensors may be connected by a flat flexible cable with wiring.

As shown in Figure 6, the present invention may be applied to a seat cushion 80 that constitutes a vehicle seat SH. Specifically, the seat SH includes a seat cushion 80 having a pressure sensor P1 fixed to the back surface 81F of a pad 81, and a seat frame 90 that supports the back surface of the seat cushion 80. For convenience, the cover material of the seat cushion 80 is not shown in Figure 6.

The seat frame 90 includes left and right side frames (not shown), a front pipe 91 connecting the front ends of the left and right side frames, a rear pipe 92 connecting the rear ends of the left and right side frames, and a pan frame 93 supported by the front pipe 91 and the rear pipe 92. The pan frame 93 supports the underside of the seat cushion 80. In addition to the same effects as the previous embodiment, this configuration achieves the advantage of being able to position the pressure sensor P1 more accurately relative to the seating surface of the seat cushion 80 by fixing the pressure sensor P1 to the pad 81, compared to, for example, a structure in which the pressure sensor is fixed to the seat frame.

The cushion is not limited to the seat cushion described above, but may also be, for example, a cushion-like cushion used on tatami mats or floors.

In the above embodiment, pressure sensors P1 and P2 were used as examples of sensors, but the present invention is not limited to this. The sensors may be, for example, temperature sensors, humidity sensors, radio wave sensors, sound sensors, etc. The information used to identify the user's physical condition is not limited to pressure values, and any information may be used. For example, if a radio wave sensor is used as the sensor, information regarding the user's heart rate, which is a physical condition of the user, may be obtained by the radio wave sensor.

In the above embodiment, multiple sensors are provided on one cushion, but the present invention is not limited to this, and one sensor may be provided on one cushion.

In the above embodiment, the harness is fixed to the pad using adhesive tape, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the sensor and harness may be fixed together to the pad using a single wide piece of adhesive tape.

The elements described in the above embodiments and variations may be implemented in any combination.

20, 40 Pad 40 Pad F11, F21 Support surface F12, F22 Back surface P1, P2 Pressure sensor SC Seat cushion

Claims (9)

an elastically deformable pad;
a sensor for acquiring information for identifying a physical condition of the user, the sensor being fixed to the pad;
a harness connected to the sensor,
The pad is
a support surface for supporting a user;
a back surface located opposite the support surface;
a recess recessed from the rear surface,
a distance from the sensor to the back surface is smaller than a distance from the sensor to the support surface;
At least a portion of the harness is inserted into the recess,
the sensor is located at a position offset in the left-right direction from the center of the pad in the left-right direction,
The harness extends outward in the left-right direction from the sensor,
The cushion is characterized in that the recess has a first portion that accommodates a portion of the harness that extends in the left-right direction . the recess has a second portion that houses the sensor;
2. The cushion of claim 1 , wherein the second portion is connected to the first portion. an elastically deformable pad;
a sensor for acquiring information for identifying a physical condition of the user, the sensor being fixed to the pad;
a harness connected to the sensor,
The pad is
a support surface for supporting a user;
a back surface located opposite the support surface;
a recess recessed from the rear surface,
a distance from the sensor to the back surface is smaller than a distance from the sensor to the support surface;
At least a portion of the harness is inserted into the recess,
The pad has outer recesses recessed from the back surface on the left and right sides thereof,
The outer recess is a stepped recess that opens outward in the left-right direction, perpendicular to the left-right direction, and opens in one direction along the back surface of the cushion. The sensor
a left sensor located to the left of the center of the pad in the left-right direction;
a right sensor located to the right of the center of the pad in the left-right direction,
The harness is
a left harness extending outward in the left-right direction from the left sensor and then extending in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction;
a right harness extending outward in the left-right direction from the right sensor and then extending in a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction,
The cushion according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that one of the left harness and the right harness extends in the left-right direction toward the other harness and is bundled with the other harness at the left-right end of the pad. 5. The cushion according to claim 1, further comprising an adhesive tape for fixing at least the harness out of the sensor and the harness to the pad. A plurality of the harnesses are provided,
The cushion according to claim 1 , further comprising an adhesive tape that collectively attaches portions of the harnesses that extend in the left-right direction to the back surface. The pad is disposed on the back of the chair;
The harness has a portion extending in a vertical direction,
The cushion according to claim 1, further comprising adhesive tape for affixing the portions of the harness extending in the left-right direction and the up-down direction together to the rear surface. A cushion according to any one of claims 1 to 7 ;
a seat frame supporting the back surface of the cushion ,
The seat frame is
A seat comprising a pan frame supporting the underside of the cushion . The seat frame is
The left and right side frames,
a front pipe connecting front ends of the left and right side frames;
a rear pipe connecting rear ends of the left and right side frames,
9. The seat according to claim 8, wherein the pan frame is supported by the front pipe and the rear pipe.