JP7828771B2 - Ventilation mat and seat - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates, for example, to a seat installed in an automobile and a ventilation mat used therein, and more particularly to a configuration suitable for blowing air through the seat.

For example, when sitting for extended periods in a car seat, especially under conditions of high ambient temperature and humidity, the seat surface and the area in contact with the body can become damp and sticky. This dampness and stickiness impair the comfort of the occupant, and various countermeasures have been considered for this problem.

As one such consideration, the patent applicant has made proposals such as those in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Patent Documents 1 and 2 show schematic cross-sectional diagrams of a seat incorporating a ventilation mat as a ventilation device. The ventilation mat consists of a ventilation mat body and a ventilation guide. The ventilation mat body consists of a base material with a breathable three-dimensional structure and a side barrier made of a non-breathable material covering the base material. The ventilation guide consists of a base material with a breathable three-dimensional structure and a tube made of a non-breathable material covering the base material. Air sent from a ventilation source such as a fan passes through the ventilation guide and the base material of the ventilation mat body, and is blown out from a breathable cover that covers one side of the base material of the ventilation mat body, providing airflow to the seated person. This airflow eliminates the "stuffiness" and "stickiness" experienced by the seated person. Related technologies can also be found in Patent Documents 3 to 8, for example.

International Public Disclosure WO2018/221422: Krabe Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-32924: Kurabe Japanese Patent Publication No. 2007-84039: Bridgestone Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-71368: Bridgestone Japanese Patent Publication No. 4107033: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Patent No. 4125721: W. E. T. Patent No. 4999455: Kurabe Patent No. 5430085: Kurabe

Generally, the air source connected to the ventilation mat is located beneath the seat, and this air source is connected to the ventilation mat itself, which is located on the seat surface, by a ventilation guide. Here, if the ventilation guide is long, the airflow from the air source will be reduced accordingly. Therefore, to ensure as much airflow as possible, it is desirable that the ventilation mat itself and the air source be connected by the shortest possible distance. Furthermore, seats come in a variety of forms depending on the vehicle's purpose, characteristics, and design. For example, there are seats with large raised sides on both sides of the seat surface, seats with an ottoman (a raised and extended front section of the seat allowing for leg extension), and seats with multiple suspension points for securing the seat cover to the cushioning material. It is desirable that the ventilation mat has the design flexibility to be applicable to these various types of seats.

This invention was made to solve the problems of the prior art, and its objective is to provide a ventilation mat and a seat incorporating it that suppress the attenuation of airflow from the air source and have a degree of design flexibility that can be applied to various seat configurations.

To achieve the above objective, the ventilation mat according to the present invention comprises a ventilation mat body and a ventilation guide connected to the ventilation mat body, wherein the ventilation mat body comprises a first base material having a breathable three-dimensional structure, a first barrier material covering the periphery of the first base material and substantially not breathable, and a ventilation portion where the first barrier material is absent, wherein the ventilation guide comprises a second base material having a breathable three-dimensional structure and a second barrier material covering the periphery of the second base material and substantially not breathable, wherein a notch is formed in the first base material and a part of the second base material is fitted into the notch, and the first base material and the second base material are in communication so as to allow air circulation, the ventilation portion is formed on one main surface of the ventilation mat body, and on the other main surface of the ventilation mat body, the portion of the ventilation guide that is not fitted into the notch extends in a direction that overlaps with the ventilation mat body in at least a part.
Furthermore, when the width is defined as the direction perpendicular to the ventilation direction of the ventilation guide and parallel to the main surface of the first base material, it is conceivable that the width of the second base material at the boundary between the portion of the ventilation guide that fits into the notch and the portion that does not fit into the notch is between 1/3 and 1/2 of the width of the first base material.
Furthermore, the ventilation portion may consist of a breathable cover and an opening formed in the breathable cover.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that multiple openings are formed, and that these openings become larger as they move further away from the end of the ventilation guide on the ventilation mat body side.
Furthermore, the first barrier material may consist of a single non-permeable film.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that the ventilation guide has a portion that is sandwiched between the first barrier material in the portion that is fitted into the notch.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that the first barrier material, the second barrier material, the first base material, and the second base material are fixed together by sewing.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that the first barrier material, the second barrier material, the first base material, the second base material, and the breathable cover are fixed together by sewing.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that one or both of the first barrier material and the second barrier material are laminates of a non-permeable film and a fabric.
Furthermore, it is possible that the aforementioned fabric is a nonwoven fabric.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that the second substrate has higher breathability than the first substrate.
The seat according to the present invention comprises a seat cushion material, a surface cover, and the ventilation mat, wherein the seat cushion material is covered by the surface cover, through holes are formed in the seat cushion material, the ventilation guide is arranged in the through holes, and the ventilation mat body is arranged between the seat cushion material and the surface cover.

According to the present invention, the ventilation guide can be connected to any point on the main surface of the ventilation mat body. Therefore, the ventilation mat body and the air source can be connected via the shortest possible distance, minimizing airflow attenuation. Furthermore, since the position of the ventilation guide connection can be adjusted for various seat configurations, it can be easily applied.

This is a schematic diagram of the ventilation mat of the present invention. This figure illustrates the base material shape of the ventilation mat of the present invention. This is a perspective view illustrating the assembly process of the ventilation mat of the present invention. This is a schematic diagram of an automobile seat equipped with the ventilation mat of the present invention. This is a schematic cross-sectional view of an automobile seat equipped with the ventilation mat of the present invention.

The embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The ventilation mat described below is provided on at least one of the seat surface and backrest of an automobile seat. Furthermore, the ventilation mat according to the present invention is installed so as to be sandwiched between the cushioning material of the automobile seat and the surface cover that covers the cushioning material. The ventilation mat is also equipped with a fan as an air source, which draws air from the ventilation mat or blows air into the ventilation mat.

In the following explanation, when a ventilation mat is installed on a car seat, the side facing the upholstery cover (i.e., the seat surface) will be referred to as the front surface, and the side facing the cushioning material of the car seat will be referred to as the back surface.

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 1(a) shows a top view of the ventilation mat 1, and Figure 1(b) shows a bottom view of the ventilation mat 1. The top view (Figure 1(a)) shows the configuration of the front side of the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment, and the bottom view (Figure 1(b)) shows the configuration of the back side of the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment.

As shown in Figure 1, the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment has a ventilation mat body 10 and a ventilation guide 20. Such a ventilation mat 1 is formed by having a fan mounting hole 24 at one end of the ventilation guide 20 and connecting the other end to the ventilation mat body 10.

The ventilation mat body 10 may comprise, for example, a first base material 12, a first barrier material 11, and a breathable cover 13. The breathable cover may also have an opening 15. In this embodiment, the first base material 12 functions as a spacer and is a sheet with a breathable three-dimensional structure. The first base material 12 is, for example, a 3D mesh sheet made by three-dimensionally knitting fibers. When cutting this 3D mesh sheet into a predetermined shape, it is preferable to process it by laser cutting. This prevents the generation of fiber scraps due to fraying of the edges.

The first barrier material 11 has lower breathability than the breathable cover 13 and is substantially non-breathable, and it surrounds the first base material 12. The barrier material 11 surrounds the outer periphery of the first base material 12 by means of, for example, being bonded to the first base material 12 with an adhesive or tack, or by being sewn or welded to the first base material 12. Sewing is particularly preferable because the adhesive strength does not decrease due to thermal or aging effects.

The breathable cover 13 is made of fabric, is entirely breathable, and covers the surface of the first substrate 12. The area covered by the breathable cover 13 on the first substrate 12 is the region of the first substrate 12 not covered by the barrier material 11.

The breathable cover 13 is preferably made of a fibrous material such as a nonwoven fabric, and has high breathability. On the other hand, the first barrier material 11 is selected from a material with lower breathability than the breathable cover 13. In this embodiment, a polyurethane film reinforced with polyester fibers was used as the first barrier material 11.

In this embodiment, the breathable cover 13 has openings 15a, 15b, and 15c. The openings 15a, 15b, and 15c are formed in order from furthest from the end of the ventilation guide 20 on the ventilation mat body 11 side, and the sizes of the openings are, in descending order of size, 15a, 15b, and 15c. The breathable cover 13 and the openings 15a, 15b, and 15c constitute the ventilation section.

The ventilation guide 20 is composed of a second barrier material 21 made of a non-permeable material and a second base material 22 having a permeable three-dimensional structure, forming an air passage inside. The second base material 22 can be made of the same material as the first base material 12, for example, a 3D mesh sheet made of three-dimensionally woven fibers. The second barrier material 21 can be made of the same material as the first barrier material 11. In this embodiment, the second barrier material 21 is made of a laminated nonwoven fabric consisting of polyethylene film and flame-retardant polyester fibers. The second barrier material 21 is positioned so that the polyethylene film faces the second base material 22.

An opening is provided at one end of the ventilation guide 20 so that the second base material 22 is exposed. A mold made of plastic material is fitted into this opening, forming a fan mounting hole 24. The other end of the ventilation guide 20 is inserted into a connection hole 17 provided in the first barrier material 11. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, a notch 16 is formed in the first base material 12, and the ventilation guide 20 (second base material 22) is fitted into this notch 16.

Here, the assembly method of the ventilation mat 1 will be explained in more detail. Figure 3 shows a diagram illustrating the assembly method of the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment. For convenience, in Figure 3, the airflow direction in the ventilation guide 20 (from the upper right to the lower left in Figure 3) may be referred to as the length direction, the direction perpendicular to the airflow direction in the ventilation guide 20 and parallel to the main surface of the ventilation mat body 10 (from the upper left to the lower right in Figure 3) may be referred to as the width direction, and the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the ventilation mat body 10 (the vertical direction in Figure 3) may be referred to as the thickness direction. Also, in Figure 3, the upper side is the back surface of the ventilation mat 1, and the lower side is the front surface of the ventilation mat 1.

First, a first barrier material 11 with the shape shown in Figure 3(a) is prepared, and the breathable cover 13 and the first base material 12 are stacked on top of this first barrier material 11 in order. Next, as shown in Figure 3(b), one end of the ventilation guide 20 is inserted into the connection hole 17 formed in the first barrier material 11. Note that the second barrier material 21 is removed from the part of the ventilation guide 20 that is inserted into the connection hole 17, leaving the second base material 22 exposed. This exposed part of the second base material 22 is slightly smaller than the length of the notch 16 in the first base material 12. In this state, as shown in Figure 3(c), the first barrier material 11 is bent along the outer circumference in the width direction of the first base material 12, and at the same time, one end of the ventilation guide 20 is fitted into the notch 16 of the first base material 12. Next, as shown in Figure 3(d), the first barrier material 11 is bent along the outer circumference in the length direction of the first base material 12. In addition, as shown in Figure 3(e), the first barrier material 11 is bent along the outer circumference in the width direction of the first base material 12. At this time, since the width of the tip of the first barrier material 11 is approximately the same as the width of the ventilation guide 20, the tip of the first barrier material 11 is inserted into the connection hole 17 so that it fits between the ventilation guide 20 and the first base material 12. Then, as shown in Figure 3(f), the outer circumference of the first base material 12 is secured by sewing with the sewing thread 30, and the portion slightly towards the tip of the connection hole 17 (i.e., the portion closer to one end of the ventilation guide 20 that fits into the notch 16) is also secured by sewing with the sewing thread 30. In this way, the ventilation mat 1 is assembled.

In this embodiment, the ventilation guide 20 extends in a direction that overlaps with the ventilation mat body 10 in at least a portion of its surface. With this type of connection structure between the ventilation guide 20 and the ventilation mat body 10, the ventilation guide 20 can be connected to any point on the main surface of the ventilation mat body 10. Therefore, the ventilation mat body 10 and the air source (fan 40) can be connected via the shortest possible distance, minimizing airflow attenuation. Furthermore, since the connection position of the ventilation guide 20 can be adjusted as needed, it can be easily applied to various types of seats. Note that the ventilation mat 1 of this invention can also be used with the ventilation guide 20 bent; however, "overlapping in at least a portion of its surface" as used in this invention refers to the state before bending, i.e., when the ventilation guide 20 is arranged in a flat, unbent state, not after bending.

Furthermore, the first barrier material 11, the second barrier material 21, the first base material 12, the second base material 22, and the breathable cover 13 are mechanically fixed by sewing. For example, if fixing were done by adhesive or heat fusion, there is a risk that the adhesive or heat fusion parts may deteriorate and peel off under high-temperature environments or over long periods of time, but this does not happen with sewing. It is not necessary for all of the first barrier material 11, the second barrier material 21, the first base material 12, the second base material 22, and the breathable cover 13 to be fixed by a single stitch (sewing thread 30); it is sufficient for each to be fixed individually by multiple stitches. Of course, it is also conceivable to use a combination of adhesive and heat fusion to fix them, rather than relying solely on sewing.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3(e), in this embodiment, the tip of the first barrier material 11 is inserted into the connection hole 17 so as to be between the ventilation guide 20 and the first base material 12. Then, as shown in Figure 3(f), the ventilation guide 20 (second barrier material 21 and second base material 22) is fixed by the stitching thread 30, sandwiched between the tip of the first barrier material 11 and other parts of the first barrier material 11. Therefore, air leakage from the vicinity of the connection hole 17 can be further minimized.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, at the boundary between the portion of the ventilation guide 20 that fits into the notch 16 and the portion that does not fit, the width of the second base material 22 is half the width of the first base material 12. This allows the airflow from the ventilation guide 20 to spread across the entire first base material 12, passing alongside the ventilation guide 20, ensuring sufficient airflow even at the ends of the first base material 12.

Next, the configuration of the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment in an automobile seat will be described. Therefore, Figures 4 and 5 show schematic diagrams of an automobile seat equipped with the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment. The automobile seat 60 shown in Figures 4 and 5 has a backrest 61 and a seat surface 62, and the ventilation mat according to this embodiment is installed on the seat surface 62. Since the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment is actually installed under the surface cover 65, it is installed in the automobile seat 60 hidden by the surface cover 65. Therefore, in the schematic diagram shown in Figure 4, the area of the automobile seat 60 where the ventilation mat 1 is installed is shown with a shaded pattern. The ventilation guide 20 is routed so that the fan mounting hole 24 wraps around to the back side of the automobile seat 60. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the ventilation guide 20 is positioned in a through-hole formed in the cushioning material 64, and the fan 40, which serves as the air source, and the ventilation mat body 10 are connected. The fan 40 is attached to the seat frame 67 by a blower mounting bracket 46, and is also attached to the fan mounting hole 24 of the ventilation guide 20.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the ventilation guide 20 is bent perpendicular to the main surface of the ventilation mat body 10 in order to connect to the air source. The bent portion is inserted through a through-hole formed in the cushioning material 64, and the remaining portion is connected to and fixed to the fan 40, which serves as the air source. In the ventilation mat 1 according to the present invention, the area around the bent portion of the ventilation guide 20 is surrounded by the first base material 12 and the second base material 22. This surrounds and supports the through-hole formed in the cushioning material 64, thus reducing discomfort to the occupant.

Furthermore, when the ventilation guide 20 is bent, if a material with strong resilience is used as the second base material 22, there is a concern that the area near the bent portion may lift up due to that resilience. In this embodiment, however, the area near the connection hole 17 is also fixed with the sewing thread 30, so the sewing thread 30 acts as a fulcrum, making the ventilation guide 20 easier to bend. This prevents the area near the bent portion from lifting up when the ventilation guide 20 is bent.

Furthermore, since the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment is formed by combining simple-shaped parts, the material utilization efficiency of the components of the ventilation mat 1 is high (for example, the ratio of usable material to waste material in a single material is high). In other words, by increasing the material utilization efficiency, the manufacturing cost of the ventilation mat 1 according to this embodiment can be reduced.

When incorporating the ventilation mat 1 according to the present invention into an automobile seat 60, for example, the ventilation mat body 10, etc., can be fixed to the cushioning material 64 with adhesive tape or the like. However, this is not the only possible configuration. For example, when molding the cushioning material 64, the ventilation mat body 10, etc., can be placed in the mold beforehand, the cushioning material can be poured in, and then the cushioning material can be foamed and hardened. In this case, the ventilation mat body 1, etc., and the cushioning material 64 can be securely fixed, preventing misalignment. Such a method is common in the field of car seat heaters, and for example, Patent Document 5 can be consulted.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the ventilation mat according to the present invention can be placed on the backrest 61 side instead of the seat 62 side, or it can be placed on both the seat 62 side and the backrest 61 side.

In this embodiment, there is only one ventilation mat body, but for example, a first ventilation mat body and a second ventilation mat body may be connected by a connecting mat. This connecting mat can have the same structure as the ventilation mat body. Of course, there may be one connecting mat or two or more. Also, there may be two or more ventilation mat bodies.

As the first barrier material 11 and the second barrier material, for example, nonwoven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, film, and rubberized fabric can be used. Here, the materials for nonwoven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric, and woven fabric can be aramid fibers, glass fibers, cellulose fibers, nylon fibers, vinylon fibers, acrylic fibers, polyester fibers, polyethylene fibers, polypropylene, polyolefin fibers, rayon fibers, etc. As the material for film can be polyethylene, polyvinyl, polypropylene, PET, polyvinyl chloride, polyurethane, various thermoplastic elastomers, etc. Films reinforced with various fibers may also be used. Rubberized fabric is fabric that has been processed to give airtightness to the fibers. Among these, it is preferable that the materials for the first barrier material 11 and the second barrier material 12 are laminates of a non-permeable film and a fabric body. The fabric body here can be woven fabric, spunbond nonwoven fabric, woven fabric, and rubberized fabric, and flame-retardant nonwoven fabric is particularly preferred. Since one or both of the first barrier material 11 and the second barrier material 12 are laminated with a non-permeable film and a fabric, the tensile strength and abrasion resistance are improved, preventing wear, breakage, and cracking caused by friction. Furthermore, the presence of the fabric prevents the generation of abnormal noises when rubbing against other materials. Among fabrics, nonwoven fabric best achieves these effects. While it is preferable to laminate the non-permeable film and fabric in the barrier material that receives stronger frictional force, it is also possible to laminate both the first barrier material 11 and the second barrier material 12.

Furthermore, when using a laminated structure of a non-breathable film and a fabric for the first barrier material 11 and the second barrier material 21, it is preferable that the side facing the base material (first base material 12, second base material 22) is the non-breathable film. This makes the outer surface fabric, increasing resistance to friction when the ventilation mat body and ventilation guide rub against other components, and also preventing the generation of abnormal noise. Alternatively, the side facing the base material (first base material 12, second base material 22) could also be fabric. In this case, it would increase resistance to friction when rubbing against the base material (first base material 12, second base material 22), and also prevent the generation of abnormal noise. For the first barrier material 11 and the second barrier material 21, it is most preferable if the non-breathable film is sandwiched and laminated between two fabric layers, as this allows for better resistance to friction with internal and external components.

Furthermore, as described above, a fan 40 is attached to the ventilation guide 20. To prevent air leakage from this attachment point, a cushioning connecting member (not shown), such as rubber or foamed resin, is typically used. The ventilation guide 20 and fan 40 are attached with the connecting member compressed. However, if the second barrier material 21 is made of a laminated non-breathable film and fabric, with the outer layer being fabric, this connecting member can be omitted. That is, the fabric has sufficient cushioning properties and can block air leakage when compressed. Therefore, even without the connecting member, air leakage from the fan 40 attachment point to the ventilation guide 20 can be prevented.

As the first base material 12 and the second base material 22, for example, three-dimensional knitted fabrics made by knitting fibers in a three-dimensional manner, such as double raschel or 3D mesh sheets, structures made by intricately intertwining fibers in three dimensions, foam materials (sponges) with open cells, and arrangements of rubber tubes can be used. Examples of three-dimensional knitted fabrics include Fusion (registered trademark) from Asahi Kasei Corporation, Swingnet (registered trademark) from Suminoe Textile Co., Ltd., 3mesh (registered trademark) from Müller Textiles, and Cubic Eye (registered trademark) from Unitika Corporation. Examples of structures made by intertwining fibers in three dimensions include Breathair (registered trademark) from Toyobo Co., Ltd. Materials used to constitute foam materials with open cells and rubber tubes include, for example, urethane, EPDM, chloroprene, isoprene, silicone, and various thermoplastic elastomers. These first base material 12 and second base material 22 may also have directions such as directions that allow for easy airflow and directions that do not allow for easy airflow. For example, in a three-dimensional knitted fabric, there are directions in which the fiber density per cross-section is intermittently high (the number of fibers increases), and directions in which the fiber density is continuously low (the number of fibers decreases). In this case, areas with lower fiber density (fewer fibers) allow for better airflow. When using a first base material 12 or second base material 22 with such directional properties, it is preferable that the airflow direction, which is the direction in which airflow actually occurs, is the same as the direction in which airflow is most efficient in the first base material 12 or second base material 22, for example, the direction in which areas with continuously low fiber density (fewer fibers) are present.

Furthermore, since the first base material 12 is positioned under the seated person as a component of the ventilation mat body 10, it is preferable that it has sufficient durability to withstand the pressure of seating. On the other hand, the second base material 22 is a component of the ventilation guide 20, and since it is not subjected to as much pressure, it is preferable that it prioritizes breathability to prevent attenuation of airflow. For this reason, it is preferable that the second base material 22 has higher breathability than the first base material 12.

The shape of the notch 16 in the first base material 12 is arbitrary; it may be a rectangle as in this embodiment, or a circle, polygon, or a combination thereof. Preferably, the shape of the notch 16 is adapted to the shape of one end of the second base material 22 to which it is fitted. To ensure proper alignment when fitting the second base material 22, the shapes of the notch 16 and one end of the second base material 22 may be adapted to each other, such as by making them stepped shapes. Furthermore, the position of the notch 16 in the first base material 12 is also arbitrary. It can be appropriately set according to the mounting position of the fan 40, the shape of the seat, or the position of the through-hole formed in the seat cushioning material. In this embodiment, the notch 16 is formed in contact with the outer circumference of the first base material 12, but for example, it is also possible to punch out a section near the center of the first base material 12 and use that section as the notch 16.

In this embodiment, at the boundary (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as the boundary) between the portion of the ventilation guide 20 that fits into the notch 16 and the portion that does not fit, the width of the second base material 22 is half the width of the first base material 12. If the width of the second base material 22 at this boundary is too large compared to the width of the first base material 12, the air blown from the ventilation guide 20 will not be able to spread to the entire first base material 12. The air blown from the ventilation guide 20 passes through the first base material 12 located between the ventilation guide 20 and the first barrier material 11 from the notch 16 and spreads to the entire first base material 12. If the width of the second base material 22 is too large, the portion through which this air passes will become narrower. Therefore, it is preferable that the width of the second base material 22 at the boundary is 2/3 or less of the width of the first base material 12, and particularly preferable that it is 1/2 or less. On the other hand, if the width of the second base material 22 at this boundary is too small compared to the width of the first base material 12, the pressure loss will increase, and the air blown from the air source will not be sufficient. Therefore, it is preferable that the width of the second base material 22 at the boundary is 1/4 or more of the width of the first base material 12, and particularly preferable that it is 1/3 or more.

In this embodiment, the ventilation section is exemplified as consisting of a breathable cover 13 and openings 15a, 15b, and 15c formed in the breathable cover 13, but it is not limited to this. For example, it is conceivable that the entire section is covered by the breathable cover 13 without any openings, or conversely, that the entire section surrounded by the first barrier material 12 is an opening without using the breathable cover 13. Furthermore, the position, shape, and number of openings are arbitrary and can be designed appropriately according to the required characteristics. In this embodiment, openings 15a, 15b, and 15c are formed in order from furthest from the end of the ventilation guide 20 on the ventilation mat body 11 side, and the sizes of the openings are, in descending order of size, openings 15a, 15b, and 15c. When forming multiple openings in this way, it is preferable to design the position and size of the openings so that they become larger as they move further away from the end of the ventilation guide 20 on the ventilation mat body 10 side. This allows for uniformity of the airflow from each opening.

Furthermore, the back surface of the ventilation mat body 10 may not have a ventilation cover 13, and the area surrounded by the first barrier material 11 may be an open surface, where the first base material 12 may be exposed.

Furthermore, although this embodiment describes airflow from an air source, the present invention can be applied to both configurations: one in which air is blown out from an air source, and another in which air is drawn in by an air source.

As detailed above, the ventilation mat of the present invention suppresses the attenuation of airflow from the air source and offers design flexibility to be applied to various seating configurations. Its applications extend beyond automobile seats to include, for example, seats in motorcycles and railway vehicles, child seats, seats in heavy construction machinery, seats in ships and aircraft, seats in amusement park Ferris wheels, grandstands in various sports venues, seats in theaters and cinemas, benches installed in stations, theme parks, and outdoor parks, sofas and chairs used in homes and offices, barber chairs, and medical chairs used in various medical facilities. Furthermore, it can be applied to a wide range of items beyond seats, such as beds and strollers.

1 Ventilation mat 10 Ventilation mat body 11 First barrier material 12 First base material 13 Breathable cover 15a, 15b, 15c Opening 16 Notch 17 Connection hole 20 Ventilation guide 21 Second barrier material 22 Second base material 24 Fan mounting hole 30 Sewing thread 40 Fan 60 Automotive seat 61 Backrest 62 Seat surface 64 Cushioning material 65 Upholstery cover

Claims (11)

The ventilation mat itself,
The ventilation mat body has a ventilation guide connected to it,
The ventilation mat body is,
A first base material having a breathable three-dimensional structure,
A first barrier material that covers the periphery of the first substrate and is substantially non-permeable,
It has a ventilation section in which the first barrier material is not present,
The aforementioned ventilation guide is
A second base material having a breathable three-dimensional structure,
The second substrate comprises a second barrier material that covers the periphery of the second substrate and is substantially non-permeable,
A notch is formed in the first substrate, and a part of the second substrate is fitted into the notch, and the first substrate and the second substrate are in communication so that air can circulate between them.
A ventilation mat in which the ventilation portion is formed on one main surface of the ventilation mat body, and on the other main surface of the ventilation mat body, the ventilation guide extends in a direction that overlaps parallel to the ventilation mat body in at least a part of it. The ventilation mat according to claim 1, wherein, when the width is defined in a direction perpendicular to the ventilation direction of the ventilation guide and parallel to the main surface of the first base material, the width of the second base material at the boundary between the portion of the ventilation guide that fits into the notch and the portion that does not fit into the notch is 1/4 or more and 2/3 or less of the width of the first base material. The ventilation mat according to claim 1, wherein the ventilation portion comprises a breathable cover having breathability and an opening formed in the breathable cover. The ventilation mat according to claim 3, wherein a plurality of the aforementioned openings are formed, and the area of the openings increases as the position of the openings becomes further away from the end of the ventilation mat body having the notch of the first base material . The ventilation mat according to claim 1, wherein the first barrier material consists of a single non-breathable film. The ventilation mat according to claim 1, wherein the first barrier material, the second barrier material, the first base material, and the second base material are fixed together by sewing. The ventilation mat according to claim 3, wherein the first barrier material, the second barrier material, the first base material, the second base material, and the breathable cover are fixed together by sewing. The ventilation mat according to claim 1, wherein one or both of the first barrier material and the second barrier material are laminated with a non-breathable film and a fabric. The ventilation mat according to claim 9, wherein the fabric is a nonwoven fabric. The ventilation mat according to claim 1, wherein the second base material has higher breathability than the first base material. The seat cushion material comprises a surface cover and a ventilation mat according to any one of claims 1 to 11.
The seat cushion material is covered by the surface cover,
The aforementioned seat cushion material has through holes formed in it.
The ventilation guide is positioned in the through hole.
A seat in which the ventilation mat body is positioned between the seat cushion material and the surface cover.