JP7800979B2 - mat - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mat, and in particular to a mat that promotes breathing when lying on your back.

The inventors conducted extensive research focusing on pelvic movement to promote breathing when lying on their backs. As a result, they discovered that promoting a nodding movement (anterior rotation) (see arrow S1) in which the sacrum S, located between a pair of iliac bones LM in the pelvis PV, tilts forward at the sacroiliac joint JI, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, leads to the invention of the mat disclosed in Patent Document 1.

The mat disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes a pair of ilium support sections that support the areas corresponding to the pair of iliac bones of a person lying on their back, and a sacrum support section that supports the area corresponding to the sacrum of a person lying on their back, with the vertical height of the sacrum support sections set lower than the vertical height of the ilium support sections. This reduces body pressure on the sacrum, allowing for smoother nodding movements of the sacrum compared to a uniformly flat mat.

However, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, when the sacrum S makes a nodding movement (forward rotation) (see arrow S1), the pair of iliac bones LM (pair of hip bones HB) also make a rearward tilting, rising movement (posterior rotation) (see arrow LM1). Therefore, it has been found that simply reducing the body pressure on the sacrum S, as with the mat disclosed in Patent Document 1, only limits the nodding movement of the sacrum S and is not very effective, leaving room for improvement.

Patent No. 6971516

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and aims to provide a mat that promotes breathing when lying on one's back.

The mat of the present invention is a mat that supports at least the region corresponding to the pelvis of a person lying on their back, and includes a pair of ilium support portions that support the regions corresponding to the person's pair of iliac bones, and a sacrum support portion that supports the region corresponding to the person's sacrum, and the ilium support portions have a lower ilium support portion that supports the region corresponding to the portion of the person's ilium below the sacroiliac joint, and an upper ilium corresponding portion that corresponds to the portion of the person's ilium above the sacroiliac joint, and is configured so that body pressure from the sacrum support portions and the upper ilium corresponding portion is lower than body pressure from the lower ilium support portions.

1 is a perspective view of a mat according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the pelvic support portion of the mat of FIG. 1. 2 is a plan view showing the correspondence between the pelvis support portion of the mat of FIG. 1 and the pelvis. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the correspondence between the pelvis support portion of the mat of FIG. 1 and the pelvis. FIG. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the nodding movement of the sacrum in the pelvis. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the nodding movement of the sacrum in the pelvis.

The following describes a mat according to an embodiment of the present invention, with reference to the drawings.

(Summary of Mat 1)
The mattress 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 can be used by placing it on a futon or a mattress for a bed, or as a mattress for a futon or a bed. The mattress 1 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape from a resilient material such as urethane. A person 50 can lie on the mattress 1, just like a futon or a mattress for a bed. The mat 1 may be used covered with a cover (not shown). In this case, it is preferable that the cover be made of a fabric with excellent flexibility in order for the mat 1 to perform the functions described below.

In this specification and drawings, directions on the mat 1 are defined as follows: a depth direction X (head side X1, leg side X2) corresponding to the vertical direction in which the body of a person 50 lying on their back extends; a width direction Y (right side Y1, left side Y2) corresponding to the left-right direction of the body of a person 50 lying on their back; and a vertical up-down direction Z (upper side Z1, lower side Z2) corresponding to the front-to-back direction (belly side, back side) of the body of a person 50 lying on their back.

As shown in Figure 1, the mat 1 comprises a flat, rectangular base portion 2 and three portions that protrude upward Z1 from the upper surface 2a of the base portion 2: a back support portion 3, a pelvis support portion 4, and a leg support portion 5. The back support portion 3 supports the back of a person 50 lying on their back. The pelvis support portion 4 is located on the leg side X2 of the back support portion 3, and supports the area corresponding to the pelvis PV (see Figures 3 and 4) of the person 50 lying on their back. The leg support portion 5 is located on the leg side X2 of the pelvis support portion 4, and supports the thighs of the person 50 lying on their back.

A head placement area 6 is formed on the mat 1 on the head side X1 of the back support section 3, where the head of a person 50 lying on their back is placed. In the head placement area 6, the upper surface 2a of the base section 2 is exposed. A pillow P is placed in the head placement area 6 to support the head of a person 50 lying on their back. On the leg side X2 of the mat 1 on the leg support section 5, a knee, crus and foot placement area 7 is formed, where the portion of a person 50 lying on their back from the knees to the toes is placed. In the knee, crus and foot placement area 7, the upper surface 2a of the base section 2 is exposed.

(Explanation of pelvic PV)
The pelvis PV supported by the pelvic support unit 4 will now be described. As shown in Figures 3 to 4, 5A, and 5B, the pelvis PV is an overall circular skeleton with a tapered truncated cone shape. The pelvis PV is composed of four bones: the sacrum S, the coccyx CC, and a pair of ilium HB. The sacrum S is a triangular bone that tapers downward and forms the posterior wall of the pelvis PV. The coccyx CC is the lowest bone of the spine SC and is attached to the lower end of the sacrum S. The pair of ilium HB is a pair of flat bones that form the anterior and left and right walls of the pelvis PV. The ilium HB is composed of the ilium LM, the pubis PB, and the ischium SN. The ilium LM forms the upper part of the ilium HB. The pubis PB forms the anterior and inferior part of the ilium HB. The ischium SN forms the posterior and inferior part of the ilium HB. The pelvis PV has a pair of pubic bones PB joined together along the midline of the body at the front to form the pubic symphysis PBa. At the back of the pelvis PV, a pair of iliac bones LM join with the sacrum S located between them to form a pair of sacroiliac joints J1. The pair of sacroiliac joints J1 are formed when a pair of auricular surfaces LMa located at the posterior-inferior parts of the upper parts (iliac wings) of the pair of iliac bones LM join with a pair of auricular surfaces Sa located on the left and right sides of the sacrum S.

(Explanation of pelvic support portion 4)
In order to support the region corresponding to the pelvis PV of the person 50 lying on his/her back, the pelvis support portion 4 of this embodiment is configured as follows.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the pelvic support portion 4 includes a pair of ilium support portions 11 spaced apart from each other in the width direction Y, a sacrum support portion 12 positioned between the pair of ilium support portions 11, and a pair of ischium support portions 13 positioned on the leg side X2 of the pair of ilium support portions 11.

The pair of iliac support sections 11 are located below Z2 in the areas corresponding to the pair of iliac bones LM of the supine person 50, and individually support these areas from below Z2.

The sacral support portion 12 is positioned between the pair of iliac support portions 11, and is located below Z2 the area corresponding to the sacrum S of the supine person 50, supporting that area from below Z2.

The distance between the pair of iliac lumbar bones LM increases from the rear (back side) to the front (ventral side), and the width of the sacrum S also increases from the rear (back side) to the front (ventral side). The sacrum S fits between the upper and rear parts of the pair of iliac lumbar bones LM, so the upper and rear parts of the pair of iliac lumbar bones LM overlap the rear of the left and right ends of the sacrum S. The coccyx CC is attached to the lower end of the sacrum S. The sacrum support part 12 considers the upper and rear parts of the pair of iliac lumbar bones LM and the coccyx CC to be part of the sacrum S, and is located below Z2 the area corresponding to the sacrum S, supporting that area from below Z2.

The pair of ischial support parts 13 are positioned on the leg side X2 of the pair of iliac support parts 11, and are located below Z2 the area (buttocks) corresponding to the pair of ischial bones SN of the person 50 lying on their back, and support that area from below Z2.

The ilium support portion 11 has a lower ilium support portion 11a that supports the portion of the ilium LM corresponding to the portion below the sacroiliac joint JI (auricular surface LMa), and an upper ilium corresponding portion 11b that corresponds to the portion of the ilium LM above the sacroiliac joint J1 (auricular surface LMa). The vertical height of the sacrum support portion 12 and the vertical height of the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b are set lower than the height of the lower ilium support portion 11a. This allows the body pressure exerted by the sacrum support portion 12 on the portion corresponding to the sacrum S of a person 50 lying on their back, and the body pressure exerted by the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b on the portion of the ilium LM above the sacroiliac joint J1 of a person 50 lying on their back, to be lower than the body pressure exerted by the lower ilium support portion 11a on the portion of the ilium LM of a person 50 lying on their back, corresponding to the portion below the sacroiliac joint JI.

The lower ilium support portion 11a is located below Z2 the area of the pair of iliac bones LM of a supine person 50 that corresponds to the portion below the sacroiliac joint JI, and supports that area from below Z2.

The upper ilium corresponding portion 11b is located below Z2 the area corresponding to the portion of the pair of iliac bones LM of a supine person 50 that is above the sacroiliac joint JI, and supports that area from below Z2.

The ischial support portions 13 are set to have a vertical height that is lower than the vertical height of the lower ilium support portions 11 a. The sacral support portions 12 are configured so that the body pressure applied therefrom to the area corresponding to the sacrum S of the person 50 lying on their back is lower than the body pressure applied from the pair of ischial support portions 13 to the areas corresponding to the pair of ischial bones SN of the person 50 lying on their back.

The pelvic support part 4 is formed at the same vertical height as the back support part 3 and the leg support part 5, except for its five parts, namely, the upper ilium corresponding parts 11b of each of the pair of ilium support parts 11, the sacrum support part 12, and the pair of ischium support parts 13. As a result, each of the lower ilium support parts 11a of each of the pair of ilium support parts 11 in the pelvic support part 4 is formed at the same vertical height as the back support part 3 and the leg support part 5. The five parts of the pelvic support part 4, namely, each of the upper ilium corresponding parts 11b of each of the pair of ilium support parts 11, the sacrum support part 12, and the pair of ischium support parts 13, are formed by recesses of the same depth provided in the pelvic support part 4. As a result, each of the upper ilium corresponding parts 11b of each of the pair of ilium support parts 11, the sacrum support part 12, and the pair of ischium support parts 13 are formed at the same vertical height, but at a lower vertical height than each of the lower ilium support parts 11a of the pair of ilium support parts 11. As a result, the vertical height of the sacral support portion 12 and the vertical height of the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b are set to a vertical height lower than the vertical height of the lower ilium support portion 11a, so that the body pressure from the sacral support portion 12 and the body pressure from the upper ilium support corresponding portion 11b is lower than the body pressure from the lower ilium support portion 11a, and the vertical height of the ischial support portion 13 is set to a vertical height lower than the vertical height of the lower ilium support portion 11a, so that the body pressure from the ischial support portion 13 is lower than the body pressure from the lower ilium support portion 11a.

The upper surface 2a of the base portion 2 is exposed at the upper ilium corresponding portions 11b of each of the pair of iliac support portions 11, the sacrum support portion 12, and the pair of ischial support portions 13. The vertical height of each of the upper ilium corresponding portions 11b of the pair of iliac support portions 11, the vertical height of the sacrum support portion 12, and the vertical height of the pair of ischial support portions 13 are set to the same vertical height at which the upper surfaces 2a of the base portion 2 are exposed, but they may be set to a different vertical height, or the upper ilium corresponding portions 11b, the sacrum support portions 12, and the ischial support portions 13 may be set to different vertical heights.

The sacrum support portion 12 is composed of a hole 12a of the same shape as the sacrum support portion 12, which is provided in a portion of the base portion 2 corresponding to the sacrum support portion 12, and a sacrum support member 12b which is made of a resilient material such as urethane that has weaker elasticity (softer) than the material of the mat 1 other than the sacrum support portion 12 and which fits into the hole 12a. As a result, the sacrum support portion 12 is configured so that the body pressure applied from there to the portion corresponding to the sacrum S of the person 50 lying on their back is lower than the body pressure applied from the pair of ischium support portions 13 to the portions corresponding to the pair of ischial bones SN of the person 50 lying on their back.

The sacral support portion 12 may be configured so that its vertical height is lower than that of the pair of ischial support portions 13, thereby making the body pressure from the sacral support portion 12 lower than the body pressure from the pair of ischial support portions 13.

The pelvic support unit 4 has a triangular recessed portion located in the center of the pelvic support unit 4 that narrows toward the leg side X2, and the triangular portion of the base unit 2 located directly below this portion Z2 that narrows toward the leg side X2, i.e., the sacrum support 12b, which is located below Z2 the area corresponding to the sacrum S of a person 50 lying on their back, forming the sacrum support unit 12 and supporting the area corresponding to the sacrum S of a person 50 lying on their back from below Z2.

In the pelvic support section 4, a pair of rectangular protrusions located on the widthwise outer sides Y1, Y2 of the triangular recess that narrows on the leg side X2 in the sacrum support section 12, and a pair of rectangular sections of the base section 2 located directly below these sections Z2, are located below Z2 the areas of the pair of iliac bones LM of a person 50 lying on their back that correspond to the areas below the sacroiliac joints JI on the pair of iliac bones LM of a person 50 lying on their back, and serve as the lower ilium support sections 11a of the pair of iliac support sections 11, supporting the areas of the pair of iliac bones LM of a person 50 lying on their back from below Z2 that correspond to the areas below the sacroiliac joints JI on the pair of iliac bones LM.

In the pelvic support unit 4, a pair of rectangular recessed portions located cranially X1 from the rectangular protrusions of the lower ilium support portions 11a of each of the pair of ilium support units 11, and a pair of rectangular portions of the base unit 2 located directly below these portions Z2, are located below Z2 the portions of the pair of iliac bones LM of the person 50 lying on their back that correspond to the portions above the sacroiliac joints JI on the pair of iliac bones LM of the person 50 lying on their back, and form the upper ilium corresponding portions 11b of each of the pair of ilium support units 11, supporting the portions of the pair of iliac bones LM of the person 50 lying on their back from below Z2 that correspond to the portions above the sacroiliac joints JI on the pair of iliac bones LM of the person 50 lying on their back.

In the pelvic support section 4, the upper ilium corresponding sections 11b of the pair of iliac support sections 11 are connected together and integrated at a point X1 on the cranial side of the sacral support section 12.

In the pelvic support portion 4, a pair of rectangular concave portions located on the leg side X2 of the rectangular convex portions of each of the lower iliac support portions 11a of the pair of iliac support portions 11 and a pair of rectangular portions of the base portion 2 located directly below these portions Z2 are located below Z2 the area (buttocks) corresponding to the pair of ischial bones SN of the person 50 lying on their back, forming a pair of ischial support portions 13 and supporting the area corresponding to the pair of ischial bones SN of the person 50 lying on their back from below Z2.

In the pelvis support portion 4, the pair of ischial support portions 13 are connected together and integrated at a position closer to the legs X2 than the sacrum support portion 12.

In the pelvic support portion 4, the sacrum support portion 12 is formed with the end portion on the leg side X2 of the sacrum support portion 12 protruding into a pair of ischial support portions 13 which are connected in series and integrated with each other on the leg side X2 from the sacrum support portion 12.

In the pelvic support portion 4, the body pressure applied to the corresponding parts of the person 50 lying on their back from its seven parts, namely, the lower ilium support parts 11a of each of the pair of ilium support parts 11, the upper ilium corresponding parts 11b of each of the pair of ilium support parts 11, the sacrum support part 12, and the pair of ischial support parts 13, is set by the respective vertical heights, but may alternatively be set by the elasticity of the respective forming materials. For example, the five portions of the pelvic support portion 4, namely, the upper ilium corresponding portions 11b of the pair of ilium support portions 11, the sacrum support portion 12, and the pair of ischial support portions 13, are formed by recesses provided in the pelvic support portion 4, but the portions corresponding to these recesses may be formed with an elastic material such as urethane that is weaker (softer) in elasticity than the other materials forming the mat 1 to eliminate (fill in) these recesses, thereby configuring the body pressure from the sacrum support portion 12 and the upper ilium corresponding portions 11b to be lower than the body pressure from the lower ilium support portions 11a, and also configuring the body pressure from the ischial support portions 13 to be lower than the body pressure from the lower ilium support portions 11a. In this case, by using an elastic material such as urethane that is weaker (softer) in elasticity than the material forming the pair of ischial support portions 13 as the material for forming the sacrum support portion 12, the body pressure from the sacrum support portion 12 can be configured to be lower than the body pressure from the ischial support portions 13. This allows the hole 12a and the sacral support 12b to be omitted.

(Relationship between exhalation and nodding movement of the sacrum S)
The sacrum S is closely related to breathing, moving with breathing; stopping this movement of the sacrum S results in poor breathing. When a person 50 lying on their back exhales (exhales), the upper body curls forward, causing the sacrum S to tilt forward at the sacroiliac joint JI (a nodding movement (forward rotation) (see arrow S1)), as shown in Figures 5A and 5B , which causes the pair of iliac bones LM (a pair of hip bones HB) to tilt backward and rise up (backward rotation) (see arrow LM1). Furthermore, when a person 50 lying on their back inhales (inhales), the upper body leans backward, causing the sacrum S to tilt backward and rise up (backward rotation) at the sacroiliac joint JI (not shown), causing the pair of iliac bones LM (a pair of hip bones HB) to tilt forward and rise up (backward rotation). If the pair of iliac support portions 11 are uniformly flat, the rising movement of the pair of iliac bones LM is inhibited by the pair of uniformly flat iliac support portions 11, and as a result, the nodding movement of the sacrum S is limited.

(Features of this embodiment)
(1) The inventor has discovered that in order to promote breathing when lying on one's back, encouraging the sacrum S, located between a pair of iliac bones LM in the pelvis PV, to nod (forward rotation) (see arrow S1) in such a way that it tilts forward at the sacroiliac joint JI, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, leads to promoted breathing. He has invented a mat that includes a pair of iliac support parts that support the areas corresponding to the pair of iliac bones of a person lying on their back, and a sacral support part that supports the areas corresponding to the sacrum of a person lying on their back, and in which the vertical height of the sacral support parts is set to a lower vertical height than the vertical height of the iliac support parts. However, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, when the sacrum S makes a nodding movement (forward rotation) (see arrow S1), a pair of iliac bones LM (a pair of hip bones HB) tilts backward, causing a rising movement (backward rotation) (see arrow LM1). Therefore, it was found that conventional mats that only reduce the body pressure on the sacrum S only limit the nodding movement of the sacrum S and are not very effective, which led to the invention of the mat 1 with the above configuration.

In other words, the mat 1 of this embodiment is a mat that supports at least the region corresponding to the pelvis PV of a person 50 lying on their back, and includes a pair of ilium support portions 11 that support the regions corresponding to the pair of iliac bones LM of the person 50 lying on their back, and a sacrum support portion 12 that supports the region corresponding to the sacrum S of the person 50 lying on their back. The ilium support portions 11 include a lower ilium support portion 11a that supports the region corresponding to the portion of the ilium LM of the person 50 lying on their back below the sacroiliac joint J1, and an upper ilium corresponding portion 11b that corresponds to the portion of the ilium LM of the person 50 lying on their back above the sacroiliac joint J1, and are configured so that the body pressure from the sacrum support portions 12 and the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b is lower than the body pressure from the lower ilium support portion 11a.

With this configuration, the body pressure from the sacral support portion 12 and the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b is lower than the body pressure from the lower ilium support portion 11a, reducing the body pressure on the sacrum S and also reducing the body pressure on the portion of the ilium LM above the sacroiliac joint J1. As a result, when the sacrum S nods, the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b sinks more easily than the lower ilium support portion 11a, making it easier for the pair of iliac bones LM to rise up. This promotes the nodding movement of the sacrum S more than conventional mats, and as a result, it is possible to promote the breathing of a person 50 lying supine more than conventional mats.

(2) The mat 1 of this embodiment is provided with a pair of ischial support portions 13 that support the areas corresponding to the pair of ischial bones SN of a person 50 lying on their back, and is configured so that the body pressure from the sacral support portions 12 is lower than the body pressure from the ischial support portions 13.

This configuration reduces the body pressure on the sacrum S and promotes the nodding movement of the sacrum S.

As described above, the mattress 1 of this embodiment can promote breathing when lying on your back.

In the present invention, the pair of ilium support portions 11 need only support at least the portion of the pair of iliac bones LM of the supine person 50 below the sacroiliac joints JI; they do not necessarily need to support the portion above the sacroiliac joints JI. The body pressure from the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b may be set to zero or a value close to zero, lower than the body pressure from the lower ilium support portion 11a. In this case, the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b may be set to a vertical height that is spaced apart from or lightly contacts the pair of ilium portions above the sacroiliac joints JI of the supine person 50, or by forming the portion of the mat 1 corresponding to the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b from a more elastic material such as softer urethane, the body pressure from the upper ilium corresponding portion 11b can be set to zero or a value close to zero.

1 Mat 4 Pelvic support part 11 Ilium support part 11a Lower ilium support part 11b Upper ilium corresponding part 12 Sacrum support part 13 Ischium support part 50 Person lying on back PV Pelvis LM Ilium S Sacrum SN Ischium

Claims (2)

A mat that supports at least a region corresponding to the pelvis of a person lying on their back,
A pair of iliac support parts that support regions corresponding to the pair of iliac bones of the person;
a sacrum support portion that supports a portion corresponding to the human sacrum,
the iliac support portion includes a lower iliac support portion that supports a portion of the ilium of the person that corresponds to a portion below the sacroiliac joint, and an upper iliac corresponding portion that corresponds to a portion of the ilium of the person that is above the sacroiliac joint,
A mat characterized in that it is configured so that the body pressure from the sacral support portion and the body pressure from the upper ilium corresponding portion are lower than the body pressure from the lower ilium support portion. The mat described in claim 1 is characterized in that it has a pair of ischial support portions that support areas corresponding to a pair of ischial bones of the person, and is configured so that body pressure from the sacral support portions is lower than body pressure from the ischial support portions.