Cushioning structure

Abstract

To provide a cushioning structure capable of ensuring sufficient shock absorption performance and suppressing an overall size.SOLUTION: A cushioning structure 1 for receiving aerially tossed articles comprises a plurality of cushioning bag bodies 11 filled with gases or the like to expand. These cushioning bag bodies 11 are connected together to envelope and store the articles. In the plan center of the cushioning bag body 11 constituting each surface of the cushioning structure 1, an expansion suppression part 14 for suppressing expansion of the cushioning bag body 11 in a thickness direction is provided.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cushioning structure that reduces the impact that occurs when an object dropped from the air lands. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a storage container structure comprising an object to be stored, a shock absorber disposed below the object, and a storage container disposed to cover the object and the shock absorber, the storage container comprising a polyhedral enclosure disposed to cover the outside of the object, the enclosure being composed of a plurality of polygonal elastic bodies constituting each of its outer surfaces, and the specific gravity of the shock absorber being set to be greater than the specific gravity of the storage container. Here, the elastic body comprises an airtight bag and gas injected into the bag. This storage container structure has the advantage that its center of gravity is positioned downward, making it stable when dropped with the shock absorber facing downward. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6987377 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned storage container structure, if the bag constituting the elastic body has sufficient shock absorption capacity, it is possible to protect the stored items regardless of the presence or absence of a shock absorber. On the other hand, if the bag is expanded as much as possible to improve the shock absorption capacity, the size of the entire storage container structure increases, which can cause problems such as difficulty in handling in places with limited space, such as an airplane.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its main object is to provide a cushioning structure that can solve the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the cushioning structure of the present invention is a cushioning structure that stores an object dropped from the air and reduces the impact caused when the object lands, and includes one or more cushioning bags that expand when filled with a filling material and store the object so as to surround it, and the cushioning bags are provided with an expansion suppression section that suppresses expansion of the cushioning bags in the thickness direction.

[0007] In the above aspect, a plurality of the buffer bags may be provided, and the buffer bags may be interconnected to form a polyhedron shape that contains the dropped object, with the buffer bags serving as each face, and the expansion suppression portion may be provided on each of the faces.

[0008] In the above aspect, the expansion suppressing portion may be provided at a central portion of each of the surfaces in a plan view.

[0009] In the above aspect, the expansion suppressing portion may be configured by a connecting portion that connects the inner surface and the outer surface of the shock absorbing bag body.

[0010] In the above aspect, the connecting portion may be configured to release the connection between the inner surface and the outer surface due to an impact generated when the foot lands.

[0011] In the above aspect, the connecting portion may be configured as a distance adjusting portion that adjusts the distance between the inner surface and the outer surface of the shock absorbing bag body in accordance with the internal pressure of the shock absorbing bag body.

[0012] In the above aspect, the expansion suppressing portion may be configured as a rigid portion connected to an inner surface of the shock absorbing bag and having rigidity sufficient to resist expansion of the shock absorbing bag in a thickness direction.

[0013] Another aspect of the present invention is a cushioning structure that contains an object dropped from the air and reduces the impact caused when the object lands, and includes one or more cushioning bags that expand when filled with a filling material and contain the object so as to surround it, and the cushioning bags are composed of a number of small pouches that expand when filled with a filling material, thereby suppressing expansion in the thickness direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the entire cushioning structure while ensuring sufficient shock absorbing performance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of a cushioning structure according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. [Figure 3] XX line cross-sectional view of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a front view illustrating the state in which dropped objects are stored. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the expansion suppression portion. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another example of the configuration of the expansion suppression portion. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a front view showing another example of the configuration of the shock absorbing bag body. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of a buffer bag provided in the buffer structure according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another example of the configuration of the shock absorbing bag body. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a plan view showing another example of the configuration of the shock absorbing bag body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are merely examples of methods and devices for embodying the technical concept of the present invention, and the technical concept of the present invention is not limited to the following. Various modifications can be made to the technical concept of the present invention within the technical scope described in the claims.

[0017] (Embodiment 1) The cushioning structure of the first embodiment is a structure for reducing the impact that occurs when an object dropped from the air lands. For example, when relief supplies are dropped from an aircraft in flight in a disaster area, the cushioning structure of the present embodiment is used to reduce the impact when the dropped relief supplies fall and land.

[0018] Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the buffer structure of this embodiment. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the configuration of the buffer bags that make up the buffer structure, and Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 1, the buffer structure 1 has a hexahedral shape with buffer bags 11 as each face. As will be described later, dropped objects are contained in the space surrounded by these buffer bags 11, i.e., the internal space of the buffer structure 1.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 2, the cushioning bag body 11 has a square shape in a plan view, and includes a bag body 12 and a peripheral edge portion 13 that surrounds the outer periphery of the bag body 12. As shown in Fig. 3, the bag body 12 and the peripheral edge portion 13 are formed from two identical square sheets 12a and 12b made of a rubber material. The peripheral edge portions 13a and 13a of these sheets 12a and 12b are bonded to each other with an adhesive to form the peripheral edge portion 13.

[0020] The material of the sheets 12a and 12b is not limited to the rubber material described above, and may be other elastic materials. Examples of such materials include synthetic resins such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE). The material of the sheets 12a and 12b may also be reinforced with fibers or the like.

[0021] One of the sheet bodies 12a, 12b is located on the inner space side of the buffer structure 1 when the buffer structure 1 is formed by connecting multiple buffer bags 11, and the other is located on the opposite side, i.e., on the outer side of the buffer structure 1. Hereinafter, the side located on the inner space side of the buffer structure 1 may be referred to as the inner surface of the buffer bag 11, and the side located on the outer side of the buffer structure 1 may be referred to as the outer surface.

[0022] 2 and 3, a connecting portion 14 that connects the sheet bodies 12a, 12b by fastening the sheet bodies 12a, 12b (outer surface and inner surface) together is provided in the center of the bag body 12 in a plan view. Here, various means such as sewing or adhesive can be used to fasten the sheet bodies 12a, 12b together.

[0023] When the connecting portion 14 is provided on the bag body 12 as described above, expansion of the bag body 12 in the thickness direction (the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3) is suppressed compared to when the connecting portion 14 is not provided. In other words, the connecting portion 14 functions as an expansion suppressing portion that suppresses expansion of the bag body in the thickness direction.

[0024] Through holes 16 are provided at appropriate locations on the peripheral edge 13 of the buffer bag 11. When connecting adjacent buffer bags 11, 11, the positions of the through holes 16 provided on the respective peripheral edge 13 are aligned, and then string members 15 such as ropes are passed through the through holes 16 to bind the buffer bags. By binding adjacent buffer bags 11, 11 in this manner, the hexahedral buffer structure 1 shown in FIG. 1 is obtained.

[0025] The buffer bags 11, 11 may be connected by a connecting means other than the string member 15. For example, the buffer bags 11, 11 may be connected by a connecting means such as a zipper or a button.

[0026] 2 and 3, a pressure adjusting section and a relief valve, which will be described later, are provided on the outer surface of the cushioning bag body 11. This pressure adjusting section is constituted by an air filling valve or the like, and is used when filling the internal space of the bag body 12 of the cushioning bag body 11 with air, and is also used to adjust the pressure of the internal space filled with air. In addition, as will be described later, the relief valve is used to discharge air from the bag body 12 to the outside when the dropped cushioning structure 1 lands.

[0027] Even if the above-mentioned relief valve is not provided, it is possible to discharge the air inside the bag body 12 to the outside by, for example, breaking the bag body 12 when the cushioning structure 1 lands on the ground. Therefore, the above-mentioned relief valve does not have to be provided.

[0028] As described above, the internal space of the buffer structure 1 stores items to be dropped, such as relief supplies for disaster areas. Fig. 4 is a front view illustrating the state in which the dropped items are stored. Only the buffer bag 11 that forms the bottom surface is shown in Fig. 4, and the buffer bag 11 that forms the surfaces other than the bottom surface is omitted. The arrow in Fig. 4 indicates the direction in which the buffer structure 1 that stores the dropped items 2 will fall.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the dropped object 2 is placed on the inner surface of the buffer bag 11 that has been filled with air and expanded. Although not shown, the dropped object 2 is also surrounded by other buffer bags 11. In this way, the dropped object 2 is contained in the internal space of the buffer structure 1, surrounded by the buffer bags 11 that make up each side.

[0030] Reference numerals 22 and 23 in Fig. 4 respectively denote the pressure adjusting unit and the relief valve described above. Air is filled into the bag body 12 of the shock absorbing bag 11 via this pressure adjusting unit 22, thereby obtaining an expanded shock absorbing bag 11 as shown in Fig. 4.

[0031] As described above, before the bag bodies 12 of the buffer bags 11 are filled with air, the buffer bags 11 are connected to one another. During this connection, the object 2 is placed on the buffer bags 11 that form the bottom surface of the buffer structure 1, and the object 2 is accommodated in the internal space of the buffer structure 1 obtained after connection. Air is then filled into the bag bodies 12 of each buffer bag 11 via the pressure adjustment units 22, causing each bag body 12 to expand. In this way, the buffer structure 1 is dropped from an aircraft in flight with the object 2 accommodated and the bag bodies 12 of each buffer bag 11 inflated.

[0032] When the buffer structure 1 containing the dropped object 2 is dropped, it lands by contacting the bottom surface (outer surface) of the buffer bag 11 on which the dropped object 2 is placed, as shown in FIG. 4. At this time, the buffer bag 11 reduces the impact on the dropped object 2. Furthermore, if the posture of the buffer structure 1 changes while it is falling, it may land on the bottom surface of another buffer bag 11. Even in this case, the buffer bag 11 reduces the impact on the dropped object 2. Furthermore, even if the buffer structure 1 falls in any direction after landing, the buffer bag 11 constituting one of its surfaces reduces the impact on the dropped object 2.

[0033] When the cushioning structure 1 lands as described above, the air inside the bag body 12 of the cushioning bag 11 is compressed, causing the pressure inside the bag body 12 to rise. When this pressure reaches a predetermined value, the relief valve 23 operates to discharge the air inside the bag body 12 to the outside. As a result, it is possible to avoid an increase in the repulsive force of each cushioning bag 11 when the cushioning structure 1 lands, thereby protecting the dropped object 2 contained inside the cushioning structure 1.

[0034] A shock absorbing material made of an elastic material or the like may be disposed between the buffer bag 11 and the object 2 to be dropped. This will further reduce the impact on the object 2 to be dropped. Also, one or more parachutes may be connected to the buffer structure 1 so that the parachutes open while the buffer structure 1 is falling. In this case as well, the impact on the object 2 to be dropped will be further reduced.

[0035] As described above, in the case of the cushioning structure 1 of this embodiment, the shock absorbing capacity of the cushioning bag 11 can effectively reduce the impact on the dropped object 2. Here, to ensure sufficient shock absorbing capacity of the cushioning bag 11, it is desirable to inflate the cushioning bag 11 as much as possible. However, in that case, the size of the cushioning bag 11 in the thickness direction increases, which in turn increases the size of the entire cushioning structure 1. In places with limited space, such as aircraft such as helicopters, an increase in the size of the cushioning structure 1 makes it difficult to handle, impairing workability. However, in the case of the cushioning structure 1 of this embodiment, the connecting portions 14 provided on each cushioning bag 11 suppress the expansion of each cushioning bag 11 in the thickness direction, thereby suppressing the increase in size of the cushioning structure 1. This avoids impairing workability.

[0036] The above-mentioned connecting portion 14 is provided in the central portion of the cushioning bag body 11 in a plan view, and therefore expansion in the thickness direction at this central portion is suppressed. In the case of a polygonal bag body such as the cushioning bag body 11, the portion whose length in the thickness direction is greatest is the central portion, which is the farthest from the peripheral edge portion. In this embodiment, expansion in the thickness direction at this central portion is suppressed, and therefore, an increase in the size of the cushioning structure 1 can be effectively suppressed.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, since all six of the buffer bags 11 constituting each side of the buffer structure 1 are provided with connecting portions 14, the increase in size of the buffer structure 1 is minimized to the greatest extent possible.

[0038] [Modification of Expansion Suppression Section] In the above, as an example of an expansion suppressing portion, the connecting portion 14 that securely connects the inner surface and the outer surface of the shock absorbing bag body 11 has been taken up. Other examples of the expansion suppressing portion will be described below.

[0039] 5 and 6 are cross-sectional views similar to FIG. 3, showing other examples of the configuration of the expansion suppressing portion. In the example shown in FIG. 5, a pair of male and female snap buttons 31 is provided in the center of the cushioning bag body 11 in a plan view. One of the male and female snap buttons is attached to the sheet body 12a, and the other is attached to the sheet body 12b. The male and female snap buttons are fitted together to connect the inner and outer surfaces of the cushioning bag body 11. As a result, as with the connecting portion 14, expansion in the thickness direction at the center of the cushioning bag body 11 is suppressed.

[0040] When the inner and outer surfaces of the cushioning bag 11 are connected by the snap buttons 31 as described above, the pressure inside the bag body 12 of the cushioning bag 11 increases when the air-dropped cushioning structure 1 lands. As a result, the male and female snap buttons disengage, and the connection between the inner and outer surfaces of the cushioning bag 11 is released. As a result, the volume of the bag body 12 of the cushioning bag 11 increases, providing an even greater impact-absorbing effect.

[0041] Although snap buttons 31 are used here as an example, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of snap buttons 31, buttons other than snap buttons or hook-and-loop fasteners may be used, for example. Even when these are used, the inner and outer surfaces of the buffer bag body 11 are connected, and the connected state can be released by the impact generated when the buffer structure 1 dropped in the air lands.

[0042] 6, a spring member 41 is provided in the center of the buffer pouch 11 in a plan view, biasing the bag body 12 of the buffer pouch 11 in the thickness direction. One end of the spring member 41 is attached to the sheet member 12a, and the other end is attached to the sheet member 12b. Therefore, the inner and outer surfaces of the buffer pouch 11 are connected by the spring member 41. As a result, similar to the case of the connecting portion 14, expansion of the buffer pouch 11 in the thickness direction at the center is suppressed.

[0043] The spring member 41 expands and contracts in response to the pressure inside the bag body 12 of the buffer bag 11. Therefore, by adjusting the pressure inside the bag body 12 using the pressure adjusting unit 22 provided in the buffer bag 11, it is possible to adjust the length of the spring member 41, i.e., the distance between the inner and outer surfaces of the buffer bag 11. This makes it possible to adjust the size of the buffer structure 1 as needed.

[0044] Although the examples of the expansion suppression portion described above connect the inner and outer surfaces of the cushioning bag 11, other configurations can also be adopted. Fig. 7 is a front view showing the configuration of a cushioning bag 11 including one such example. As shown in Fig. 7, the cushioning bag 11 is provided with a pressure adjusting portion 22 and a relief valve 23 on its outer surface, and a plate-like member 51 on its inner surface. This plate-like member 51 has a square shape of approximately the same size as the bag main body 12 in a plan view, and is attached to the inner surface of the cushioning bag 11 with an adhesive or the like.

[0045] When air is filled into the bag body 12 of the shock absorbing bag 11, the plate-like member 51 has enough rigidity to resist expansion in the thickness direction of the bag body 12. Therefore, the expansion in the thickness direction of the bag body 12 is limited to a certain extent, and similar to the case of the connecting portion 14, expansion in the thickness direction at the center of the shock absorbing bag 11 is suppressed.

[0046] When the rigid plate-like member 51 described above is used, the shape of the internal space of the buffer structure 1 is stabilized because the internal space is defined by the plate-like member 51. This provides advantages such as making it easier to accommodate objects 2 of various shapes and allowing a larger number of objects 2 to be accommodated.

[0047] (Embodiment 2) In the above-described first embodiment, the inner and outer surfaces of the shock absorbing bag 11 are connected to each other, thereby suppressing expansion in the thickness direction. In contrast, in the second embodiment, the shock absorbing bag 11 is made up of a plurality of small pouches, thereby similarly suppressing expansion.

[0048] 8 and 9 are a plan view and a side view, respectively, showing the configuration of cushioning pouch 11 included in the cushioning structure of embodiment 2. As shown in these Figs. 8 and 9, cushioning pouch 11 is made up of nine pouches 61 arranged in three rows and three columns in plan view. Each pouch 61 has the same shape and is about one-third the size of main bag body 12 in embodiment 1. Note that other configurations of cushioning pouch 11 are the same as those in embodiment 1, so the same reference numerals are used and description thereof will be omitted.

[0049] The pouches 61 are connected to each other by connecting their peripheral edges together using known means such as adhesive, stitching, or fasteners such as buttons and zippers.

[0050] In Figure 9, bag body 12 in embodiment 1 is shown by a two-dot chain line overlapping buffer bag body 11 in embodiment 2. As shown in Figure 9, pouch body 61 is smaller in size than bag body 12 in embodiment 1, and therefore its length in the thickness direction when maximally inflated is also smaller. In this way, by using pouch body 61 instead of bag body 12 in embodiment 1, expansion of buffer bag body 11 in the thickness direction is suppressed.

[0051] As explained in the first embodiment, when the buffer pouch 11 has a polygonal shape, it is desirable to suppress expansion in the thickness direction at the central portion in a plan view. Fig. 10 is a plan view showing another example of the configuration of the buffer pouch 11 realized in consideration of this point.

[0052] In the example shown in Fig. 10, instead of pouch 61 located in the center of the three rows and three columns of pouches 61 shown in Fig. 9, smaller pouches 62 are arranged in two rows and two columns and connected to each other. The size of these pouches 62 is about half that of pouch 61. Therefore, when pouch 62 is maximally inflated, its length in the thickness direction is smaller than that of pouch 61. This suppresses expansion in the thickness direction at the center of cushioning pouch 11 in a plan view.

[0053] In the above-described examples, pouches 61 and 62 are connected to each other, but they do not have to be connected. Fig. 11 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of cushioning pouch 11 when the pouches are not connected in this way. As shown in Fig. 11, cushioning pouch 11 has a bag main body 71 similar to bag main body 12 in Embodiment 1, and pouches 72 and 73 of approximately the same size as pouches 61 and 62 described above are inserted and arranged in the internal space of bag main body 71.

[0054] When cushioning structure 1 is in use, pouches 72 and 73 are filled with air, but bag body 71 is not filled with air. Therefore, the length in the thickness direction of cushioning pouch 11 is approximately the same as the length in the thickness direction of pouches 72 and 73. Therefore, in this example as well, as in the above-mentioned examples, expansion of cushioning pouch 11 in the thickness direction is suppressed.

[0055] Although pouches 61 and 62, and 72 and 73 are square in plan view, this is not limitative and various shapes such as other polygonal or circular shapes may be used.

[0056] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, six buffer bags 11 each having a square shape when viewed from the front are interconnected, thereby giving the buffer structure 1 a hexahedral shape overall, but this is not limiting. For example, the buffer structure 1 may be a triangular pyramid shape obtained by interconnecting four buffer bags 11 each having a triangular shape when viewed from the front, or the buffer structure 1 may have another polyhedral shape. Furthermore, the buffer structure 1 may be spherical rather than polyhedral.

[0057] The shape of the buffer bag 11 can be various, such as a square or triangular shape when viewed from the front, a rectangular shape, a circular shape, or an irregular shape. The shape of the buffer bag 11 determines the shape of the buffer structure 1.

[0058] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, expansion suppressing portions such as connecting portions 14 are formed on all surfaces of the buffer structure 1, i.e., on all buffer bags 11, but it is sufficient if an expansion suppressing portion is formed on at least one buffer bag 11. For example, an expansion suppressing portion may not be formed on the buffer bag 11 corresponding to the bottom surface of the buffer structure 1, i.e., the buffer bag 11 on which the dropped object 2 is placed, and expansion suppressing portions may be formed only on the buffer bags 11 corresponding to the other surfaces. In this case, the length in the thickness direction can be maximized for the buffer bag 11 corresponding to the bottom surface, thereby improving the ability to absorb impacts on dropped objects.

[0059] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the expansion suppressing portion such as the connecting portion 14 is provided in the center of the buffer bag 11 in a plan view, but this is not limited thereto, and the expansion suppressing portion may be provided in another portion of the buffer bag 11. Note that in the first embodiment, the inner and outer surfaces of the buffer bag 11 are connected in a point-like manner by the connecting portion 14, etc., but this is not limited thereto, and the connection may be, for example, in a linear manner.

[0060] In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the buffer bag 11 is filled with air, but the filler filled in the buffer bag 11 is not limited to this. The buffer bag 11 may be filled with a gas other than air, or may be filled with various fluids such as liquids, powders, etc.

[0061] Furthermore, in each of the above-described embodiments, the buffer structure 1 is formed by connecting a plurality of buffer bags 11, but the buffer structure 1 may also be formed from a single buffer bag 11. For example, a single buffer bag 11 may be folded and its peripheral edges appropriately connected together while leaving an opening, thereby forming a drawstring-like buffer structure 1. In this case, the object 2 to be dropped is inserted into the internal space of the buffer structure 1 through the opening, and the opening is closed with a string-like member or the like, and then the object is dropped into the air. [Explanation of symbols]

[0062] 1 Buffer structure 11 Buffer bag 12 bags 12a, 12b Sheet body 13(13a,13a) Periphery 14 Connection part 15 String member 16 through holes 22 Pressure adjustment section 23 Relief valve 31 Snap Button 41 Spring member 51 Plate-shaped member 61,62,72,73 Bag body 71 Bag body 2 Dropped items

Claims

1. A buffer structure for accommodating an object dropped from the air and reducing the impact generated when the object lands, One or more buffer bags are provided which are inflated by being filled with a filler and which surround and contain the dropped object, The buffer bag is provided with an expansion suppressing portion that suppresses expansion of the buffer bag in a thickness direction. Buffer structure.

2. A plurality of the buffer bags are provided, By connecting the plurality of buffer bags to each other, a polyhedron shape is formed with the buffer bags as each face to accommodate the dropped object, The expansion suppression portion is provided on each of the surfaces. The cushioning structure of claim 1 .

3. The expansion suppression portion is provided at the center of each of the surfaces in a plan view. The cushioning structure according to claim 2 .

4. The expansion suppression portion is configured by a connecting portion that connects the inner surface and the outer surface of the buffer bag body. The cushioning structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The connecting portion is configured to release the connection state between the inner surface and the outer surface by an impact generated when the foot lands. The cushioning structure according to claim 4 .

6. the connecting portion is configured by a distance adjustment portion that adjusts the distance between the inner surface and the outer surface of the shock absorbing bag body in accordance with the internal pressure of the shock absorbing bag body. The cushioning structure according to claim 4 .

7. the expansion suppression portion is connected to an inner surface of the buffer bag and is configured as a rigid portion having rigidity that resists expansion of the buffer bag in a thickness direction. The cushioning structure according to claim 1 or 2.

8. A buffer structure for accommodating an object dropped from the air and reducing the impact generated when the object lands, One or more buffer bags are provided which are inflated by being filled with a filler and which surround and contain the dropped object, The buffer bag is configured by a plurality of small pouches that expand when filled with a filler, thereby suppressing expansion in the thickness direction. Buffer structure.

Images