Device for supporting and / or stabilising at least one living being

Abstract

Device (1) for supporting and / or stabilizing at least one living being, in particular a person or an animal, comprising a base element (2) which has an evacuable and / or inflatable interior (2a), and at least one support section (3) arranged on or in the base element (2) for supporting the living being, wherein the support section (3) has at least one compression hardness different from that of the base element (2), wherein the at least one support section (3) has at least two textile surface structures (3a), wherein the at least two textile surface structures (3a) are connected to each other at a distance from each other by means of a plurality of threads (3b), characterized in that the base element (2) and the at least one support section (3) are inseparably connected to each other.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a device for supporting and / or stabilizing at least one living being, in particular a person or an animal, comprising a base element which has an evacuable and / or inflatable interior, and at least one support section arranged on or in the base element for supporting the living being, wherein the support section has at least one compression hardness which is different from that of the base element.

[0002] The support section primarily serves to relieve pressure on at least one living being or to prevent pressure sores.

[0003] Such devices are already known in the art. For example, vacuum splint material, such as vacuum mattresses, is widely used in emergency services. A living being is placed on the device, causing it to deform. By evacuating the interior, this deformed shape of the device can be fixed.

[0004] To make this support and stabilization as comfortable as possible for the patient, these devices are usually provided with foam padding, at least in some areas. The splint material itself and the padding have different compression hardnesses.

[0005] Inflatable cushions with additional foam padding are also known. Again, the inflatable cushion and the additional foam padding have different compression hardnesses.

[0006] The foam padding provides additional pressure relief.

[0007] US 2013 / 0025053 A1 also discloses a mattress topper or the like, comprising an upper layer and a lower layer, each connected to a middle layer. This middle layer can consist of a plurality of threads, forming a spacer fabric. Air can then be blown through the middle layer to remove moisture that has penetrated the topper.

[0008] The compression strength indicates how much pressure is necessary to compress a foam or a spacer fabric or woven fabric to a certain amount (for example 40%) of its original thickness / height.

[0009] A spacer fabric consists of two textile fabrics that are connected to each other by means of spacer threads.

[0010] A particular disadvantage of the current technology is the use of foam. Foam's properties deteriorate over its lifetime; for example, it could harden. Furthermore, the foam's compressive strength changes under the influence of heat.

[0011] The purpose of additional padding, namely pressure relief, can therefore no longer be fulfilled or no longer sufficiently fulfilled after a certain period of time when foam is used.

[0012] The object of the invention is to provide a device for supporting and / or stabilizing at least one living being which is improved compared to the prior art and which at least partially avoids the disadvantages described.

[0013] This problem is solved by the features of independent claim 1.

[0014] It is accordingly provided that the at least one support section has at least two textile fabrics, wherein the at least two textile fabrics are connected to one another at a distance from one another by means of a plurality of threads.

[0015] The textile fabrics bonded together in this way exhibit good damping properties and are therefore well-suited for pressure relief. Furthermore, the properties of such a construction do not change over their service life.

[0016] In addition, a two-stage damping is also realized because the base body and the at least one support section have different compression hardnesses and thus also different damping.

[0017] It is also intended that the base element and the at least one support section be permanently connected to each other. This allows for the use of cost-effective and simple connection techniques.

[0018] Further advantageous embodiments of the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

[0019] Particularly preferably, it can be provided that the at least one support section is designed as a spacer fabric or spacer woven fabric.

[0020] It can also be provided that the threads form a woven layer, preferably a pile layer, between the at least two textile fabrics.

[0021] This is a simple way to connect the two textile fabrics using the threads.

[0022] The appropriate density of threads ensures that the combination of textile fabrics and threads has the desired properties.

[0023] In particular, the number of threads influences the compression strength of the knitted fabric. The number of threads must therefore be selected so that the knitted fabric has a compression strength appropriate for the application. If the number of threads is too small, the layers may "tilt." This means that the threads are unable to absorb the resulting load and maintain a distance between the textile fabrics.

[0024] In one embodiment, it can be provided that the at least two textile fabrics and / or the threads are made of a plastic, preferably of polyester.

[0025] By using plastic, the required properties can be achieved. Furthermore, durability and resistance to environmental influences can be improved.

[0026] Preferably, it can be provided that the base element and the at least one support section are formed integrally with one another.

[0027] This ensures that the support section is always in the right place or places, thus ensuring pressure relief in the necessary places.

[0028] According to a further embodiment, the at least one support section can be designed to be fluidically insulated. This can prevent unwanted penetration of contaminants and the like.

[0029] The interior can also be inflatable and filled with air. This represents a simple way to implement the device.

[0030] Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the interior can be evacuated and a granulate and / or an insert body is / are arranged in the interior.

[0031] The granulate and / or the insert body can provide additional stability to the device in the evacuated state.

[0032] If the interior is also capable of being evacuated, the interior can be divided into an inflatable and an evacuatable section, for example. However, it is also conceivable for the same sections of the interior to be inflatable and evacuatable.

[0033] It can be provided that the insert body is designed in the manner of a spacer fabric or a spacer woven fabric.

[0034] The term "in the manner of a spacer fabric or a spacer woven fabric" is to be understood as meaning that the insert body is constructed according to the principle of a spacer fabric or a spacer woven fabric, but does not actually function as a spacer fabric. This means that two textile fabrics would not necessarily always be kept at a distance, as would be the case with actual spacer fabrics or spacer woven fabrics. The key feature of this embodiment is that the threads determine the maximum distance between the two textile fabrics.

[0035] Furthermore, it can be provided that the at least one support section has / has a compression hardness between 30 kPa and 60 kPa.

[0036] By combining the compression hardnesses accordingly, the best possible pressure relief and thus the greatest possible well-being of a living being can be achieved.

[0037] It can be provided that the at least one support section has a thickness between 2 mm and 40 mm.

[0038] The thickness of the support section, in turn, influences the pressure relief and thus represents a further control variable by means of which pressure relief can be optimally adjusted.

[0039] It is conceivable that the support section has a constant or a variable thickness.

[0040] Preferably, it can be provided that at least four textile fabrics are provided and wherein the at least four textile fabrics are each connected to one another in pairs by means of a plurality of threads.

[0041] It is also conceivable that at least three textile fabrics are provided and a first textile fabric is connected to a second textile fabric by means of a plurality of threads, and the second textile fabric is also connected to a third textile fabric by means of a plurality of threads.

[0042] Preferably, it can also be provided that the at least one support section comprises at least two layers of spacer fabric or spacer woven fabric.

[0043] In particular, if at least two of the at least two layers have different compression hardnesses, the at least two layers can fulfill different functions. For example, one layer can be designed primarily for damping, while a second layer can be designed for even pressure distribution across the entire support section.

[0044] For example, at least one of the at least two layers can have a compression hardness between 35 kPa and 60 kPa, preferably between 45 kPa and 55 kPa, particularly preferably 49 kPa, and / or at least one other of the at least two layers (L1, L2) can have a compression hardness between 30 kPa and 55 kPa, preferably between 40 kPa and 50 kPa, particularly preferably 43 kPa.

[0045] According to a further embodiment, it can be provided that the at least one support section comprises at least three layers of spacer fabric or spacer fabric.

[0046] In particular, if at least two of the at least three layers have a first compression hardness and at least one other of the at least three layers has a second compression hardness, the above-described division of functions can be adapted even more precisely to a corresponding application.

[0047] It can be provided that at least three layers are arranged in such a way that a layer with a first compression hardness is followed by a layer with a second compression hardness and a layer with a second compression hardness is followed by a layer with a first compression hardness.

[0048] By using several layers with different compression hardnesses, a support section can be better adapted to occurring loads, i.e. the weight of the at least one living being or the weight of a body part of the at least one living being to be supported.

[0049] Further details and advantages of the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to the figures and the drawings, in which: Fig. 1a is a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of a device, wherein the interior is inflatable, Fig. 1b is a schematic sectional view of a further embodiment of a device, wherein the interior is inflatable, Fig. 2a is a schematic sectional view of various embodiments of a device, wherein the interior is evaluable, Fig. 3a is a schematic plan view of an embodiment of a device with a person, and Fig. 3b is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of a device.

[0050] The <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr">Figure 1a shows a schematic sectional view of an embodiment of a device 1, wherein the interior 2a is inflatable and the <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 1b another embodiment in a similar view.

[0051] A base element 2 is visible, which has an inflatable interior 2a and an inlet / outlet opening 2b. The arrow at the inlet / outlet opening indicates that air is introduced into the interior 2a and the interior 2a or the base element 2 is inflated.

[0052] The base element 2 can, for example, be made of plastic and be designed similarly to an air mattress. It is also conceivable that the interior space 2a is divided into several chambers.

[0053] In <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 1a A support section 3 is arranged on the base element 2. The support section 3 comprises two textile surface structures 3a and threads 3b, which connect the textile surface structures 3a to one another at a distance from one another.

[0054] Essentially, the support section 3 is designed as a spacer fabric or woven fabric.

[0055] The embodiment according to <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 1bdiffers in that the support section 3 is now arranged in the base element 2. This results in a flush surface of the base element 2 and the support section 3.

[0056] The <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figures 2a to 2i show schematic sectional views of various embodiments of a device 1, wherein the interior 2a can be evaluated.

[0057] A base element 2 is again visible, which here has an evacuable interior space 2a and an inlet / outlet opening 2b. The arrow at the inlet / outlet opening indicates that air is being extracted from the interior space 2a, thus evacuating the interior space 2a or the base element 2.

[0058] The devices shown in these figures could, for example, be a vacuum mattress.

[0059] In the embodiment according to <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 2a a support section 3 is arranged in some areas on the base element 2, in the embodiment according to <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 2bthe support section 3 extends essentially over the entire length of the base element 2.

[0060] In the embodiment according to <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figur 2c four textile surface formations 3a, 6a are provided, wherein the textile surface formations 3a are connected to one another via threads 3b and the textile surface formations 6a are connected to one another via threads 6b.

[0061] The textile fabrics 3a and the threads 3b essentially represent a first layer L1 of spacer fabric or woven fabric and the textile fabrics 6a and the threads 6b represent a second layer L2 of spacer fabric or woven fabric.

[0062] The <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 2d shows an embodiment with four layers L1, L2, L3, L4 spacer fabric or woven fabric and the <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 2e an embodiment with six layers L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6 of spacer fabric or woven fabric.

[0063] In the embodiments with several layers of spacer fabric, the layers can be of the same thickness / height or of different thickness / height.

[0064] The compression hardness of the individual layers can also be the same or different.

[0065] Both in terms of thickness / height and puncture hardness of the layers, several layers can be different or the same.

[0066] The arrangement of the layers can also vary. For example, layers with different properties can be alternated or layers with the same properties can be arranged in blocks.

[0067] The <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 2f shows an embodiment in which the support area is again arranged in the base element 1.

[0068] In the <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figur 2g An insert body 5 is arranged in the interior space 2a of the base element 1, which provides the device 1 with additional structure and stability in an evacuated state.

[0069] In the <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 2f Granules 4 are arranged in the interior 2a, which essentially serve the same purpose as the insert body 5 in the <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figur 2g fulfilled.

[0070] In the embodiment according to <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 2i Both insert body 5 and granulate 4 are provided. In addition to the additional stability, the insert body 5 also allows the granulate 4 to be kept evenly distributed in the interior space 2a.

[0071] In principle, the embodiments are according to the <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figures 1a, 1b and <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> 2a to 2i can be combined with one another as desired, for example an inflatable base element 2 with a multi-layer support section 3, an evacuable base element 2 with granulate 4 in the interior 2a and a support section 3 arranged in the interior 2a, etc. etc.

[0072] The <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 3a shows a schematic plan view of a device 1 and the <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 3ba schematic plan view of a device with a person.

[0073] The <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 3a shows a schematic plan view of an embodiment of a device 1 with a person. In this embodiment, the base element 2 is designed as an evacuatable mattress. The special shape of the base element 2 enables the optimal fixation of a person.

[0074] In this embodiment of the invention, the part of the support section 3 in the shoulder area serves to prevent pressure peaks on the person in said area.

[0075] The part of the support section 3 under the person's upper body / buttocks ensures even pressure distribution.

[0076] To do this, the base element 2 is placed around the person's sides, providing lateral support. The two upper parts of the support section 3 then rest on the person's shoulders and secure them.

[0077] The different areas of the support section 3 can be designed differently or identically. This means, for example, that they can have different or identical compression hardnesses, a different or identical number of layers, etc.

[0078] The <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> Figure 3b shows a schematic, perspective view of an embodiment of a device 1. The base element 2 is designed as a substantially cylindrical, inflatable cushion.

[0079] The base element 2 can be inflated via an inlet / outlet opening 2b.

[0080] The support section 3 is arranged on the base element 2. This can be continuous, i.e., along the entire circumference of the base element 3, or it can cover only a specific area of ​​the base element 3. List of reference symbols:

[0081] 1Device 2Basic element 2a Interior 2b Inlet / outlet opening 3Support section 3a Textile fabric 3b Threads 4Granulate 5Insert body 6a Textile fabric 6b Threads L1First layer L2Second layer L3Third layer L4Fourth layer L5Fifth layer L6Sixth layer

Claims

1. Device (1) for supporting and / or stabilizing at least one living being, in particular a person or an animal, comprising a base element (2), which has an evacuable and / or inflatable interior (2a), and at least one support section (3) arranged on or in the base element (2) for supporting the living being, wherein the support section (3) has at least one compressive strength different from the base element (2), wherein the at least one support section (3) has at least two textile fabrics (3a), wherein the at least two textile fabrics (3a) are joined to one another spaced apart from one another by means of a plurality of threads (3b), characterized in that the base element (2) and the at least one support section (3) are joined to one another non-detachably.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one support section (3) is formed as a knitted spacer fabric or woven spacer fabric.

3. Device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the threads (3b) form a woven layer, preferably a pile layer, between the at least two textile fabrics (3a).

4. Device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least two textile fabrics (3a) and / or the threads (3b) are made from a plastic, preferably from polyester.

5. Device according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the base element (2) and the at least one support section (3) are formed integral with one another.

6. Device according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the at least one support section (3) is formed fluidically isolated.

7. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the interior (2a) is inflatable and only filled with air.

8. Device according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the interior (2a) is evacuable and a granular material (4) and / or an insertion body (5) are / is arranged in the interior (2a), preferably wherein the insertion body (5) is formed in the style of a knitted spacer fabric or a woven spacer fabric.

9. Device according to one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the at least one support section (3) have / has a compressive strength of between 30 kPa and 60 kPa, and / or wherein the at least one support section (3) has a thickness of between 2 mm and 40 mm.

10. Device according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein at least four textile fabrics (3a, 6a) are provided and wherein the at least four textile fabrics (3a, 6a) are in each case joined to one another in pairs by means of a plurality of threads (3b, 6a).

11. Device according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the at least one support section (3) comprises at least two plies (L1, L2) of knitted spacer fabric or woven spacer fabric.

12. Device according to claim 11, wherein at least two of the at least two plies (L1, L2) have different compressive strengths from one another, preferably wherein at least one of the at least two plies (L1, L2) has a compressive strength of between 35 kPa and 60 kPa, preferably between 45 kPa and 55 kPa, particularly preferably 49 kPa, and / or wherein at least one other of the at least two plies (L1, L2) has a compressive strength of between 30 kPa and 55 kPa, preferably between 40 kPa and 50 kPa, particularly preferably 43 kPa.

13. Device according to one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the at least one support section (3) comprises at least three plies (L1, L2, L3) of knitted spacer fabric or woven spacer fabric.

14. Device according to claim 13, wherein at least two of the at least three plies (L1, L2, L3) have a first compressive strength and at least one other of the at least three plies (L1, L2, L3) has a second compressive strength.

15. Device according to claim 14, wherein the at least three plies (L1, L2, L3) are arranged such that a ply (L1, L2, L3) with a second compressive strength follows a ply (L1, L2, L3) with a first compressive strength and a ply (L1, L2, L3) with a first compressive strength follows a ply (L1, L2, L3) with a second compressive strength.

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