Pillow, pillow thickness adjuster, and pillow design method

Abstract

This invention provides a pillow, a pillow thickness adjuster, and a pillow design method that allow users with varying degrees of straight neck (body shape) to achieve a suitable cervical lordosis angle in a supine position. [Solution] The pillow P is a pillow in which a first cushion body 1 that supports the user's head and a second cushion body 2 that supports the neck and / or back are connected, and the second cushion body 2 is composed of a bag portion 21 and a thickness adjuster 22 held by the bag portion 21, and the thickness of the second cushion body 2 can be adjusted by the number of the thickness adjusters 22 held by the bag portion 21 and / or the volume of the thickness adjusters.

Description

Technical Field

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[0001] The present invention relates to a pillow, a thickness adjuster for the pillow, and a design method for the pillow.

Background Art

[0002] The cervical vertebra is originally gently curved forward, but in recent years, due to the spread of smartphones and the like, a "straight neck" in which the forward curvature of the cervical vertebra has disappeared and become straight has become frequently seen. When a straight neck occurs, it is known that neck stiffness, soreness, and even pain occur due to a decrease in shock absorption and an overload on the muscles around the cervical vertebra that support the head. Also, when the cervical vertebra is curved backward, it is known that an overload on the cervical intervertebral joints occurs at the site with a large backward curvature, resulting in intervertebral joint disorder (subluxation).

[0003] Therefore, for example, in Patent Document 1, it has been proposed to protect the cervical vertebra by making the thickness of the cervical vertebra contact portion where the cervical vertebra of the user contacts thicker than the thickness of the head contact portion where the back of the head of the user contacts.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

[0007] A pillow according to one aspect of the present invention that achieves the above objective is a pillow in which a first cushion body that supports the user's head and a second cushion body that supports the neck and / or back are connected, wherein the second cushion body is composed of a holding part and a thickness adjuster held by the holding part, and the thickness of the second cushion body is adjustable by the number of the thickness adjusters held by the holding part and / or the volume of the thickness adjusters.

[0008] In the pillow with the above configuration, the holding portion may be a bag portion having an opening, and the thickness adjuster may be inserted into and removed from the bag portion through the opening.

[0009] In addition, in the pillow with the above configuration, the opening of the bag portion of the second cushion body may be formed on the side that connects to the first cushion body.

[0010] In addition, in the pillow with the above configuration, a portion of the periphery of the opening may be joined to the first cushion body.

[0011] In the pillow with the above configuration, it is preferable that the second cushion body has a shape in which its thickness increases toward the first cushion body side.

[0012] A thickness adjustment device according to one aspect of the present invention is a thickness adjustment device used for the pillow, characterized in that it has a shape in which the thickness increases toward the first cushion body side.

[0013] In the thickness adjustment device of the above configuration, it is preferable to have a configuration that has a recess extending in the direction of the spine when in use.

[0014] A method for designing a pillow according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a first cushion body that supports the back of the head of a user in a supine position, and a second cushion body that supports at least the first to third thoracic vertebrae and whose thickness increases toward the head side in the direction of the spine, characterized in that, when the pillow is in use, the thickness (L) mm of the portion of the second cushion body that supports the first thoracic vertebra and the thickness (H) mm of the portion of the first cushion body that supports the greater occipital protuberance are determined from the distance (d) mm between the vertical line of the back of the user's head and the vertical line of the back of the user in a standing position so as to satisfy the following formula (1). {Thickness (H) + Distance (d) - 30} ≤ Thickness (L) ≤ {Thickness (H) + Distance (d) - 26} ...(1)

[0015] In the pillow design method described above, the thickness (H) mm may be the thickness when a hemispherical body with an outer diameter of 100 mm and a mass of 2100 g is placed on the portion of the first cushion body that supports the greater occipital protuberance.

[0016] In the pillow design method described above, the thickness (L) mm may be the thickness when a hemispherical body with a mass of 1600 g and an outer diameter of 100 mm is placed on the portion of the second cushion body that supports the first thoracic vertebra. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the pillow and pillow design method of the present invention, a suitable cervical lordosis angle can be obtained in a supine position for each user with different degrees of straight neck (body shape). [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] This is a plan view showing one embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a side view of the pillow. [Figure 3] Figure 1 is a front view of the pillow. [Figure 4] This is a partial perspective view of the second cushion body in its open state. [Figure 5]It is a perspective view showing an example of a thickness adjuster that can be used in a pillow according to the present invention. [Figure 6] It is a state diagram in which the thickness adjuster is loaded into the bag portion. [Figure 7] It is a diagram for explaining the distance (d) mm between the vertical line of the back of the head and the vertical line of the back surface of a standing user. [Figure 8] It is a diagram for explaining the anterior bending angle θ of the cervical vertebra of a supine user.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of a pillow and a pillow design method according to the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. In addition, in each of the following embodiments, the same or corresponding configurations may be denoted by the same reference numerals and the description may be omitted as appropriate. In this specification, the "thickness direction", "left - right direction", and "front - rear direction (vertebral direction)" mean the thickness direction, left - right direction, and front - rear direction shown in the drawings. In this specification, the front direction is the direction on the side of the first cushion body 1, and the rear direction is the direction on the side of the second cushion body 2.

[0020] FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an embodiment of a pillow according to the present invention, FIG. 2 shows a side view, and FIG. 3 shows a front view. The pillow P shown in these figures has a fan - shaped first cushion body 1 having a predetermined thickness and a substantially square - pyramid - shaped second cushion body 2.

[0021] (First Cushion Body) The first cushion body 1 serves to support the user's head. In a plan view, the first cushion body 1 is divided into three cushion sections (left cushion section 12, central cushion section 11, and right cushion section 13) at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The first cushion body 1 may also be divided into three cushion sections by a partition wall (not shown) provided inside. The first cushion body 1 may be divided into two or four or more sections. Recesses 14a and 14b are formed on the surface at the boundaries of the three cushion sections. In addition, a recess 14c is formed parallel to the left-right direction at a distance of 2 / 3 of the way from the front end of the central cushion section 11 in the front-rear direction. The recess 14c may be formed by a partition wall (not shown).

[0022] Of the three cushion sections, the central cushion section 11 is basically intended to support the head of the user when they are lying on their back, while the left cushion section 12 and the right cushion section 13 are intended to support the head of the user when they are lying on their side.

[0023] The first cushion body 1 is a hollow body having the outer shape of the first cushion body 1, filled with a material such as feathers, resin fibers such as polyester, wool, or cotton. However, if the shape of the first cushion body 1 can be maintained by material such as urethane foam alone, the hollow body is not necessary.

[0024] (Second cushioning body) The second cushion body 2 serves to support the neck and back. The second cushion body 2 consists of a bag portion 21 as a holding portion and a thickness adjuster 22 (shown in Figure 5). The bag portion 21 is preferably made of an elastic fabric or the like. The bag portion 21 takes on a roughly square pyramidal shape when the thickness adjuster 22 is inserted. The square bottom surface of the bag portion 21 is an opening 211 (shown in Figure 4), and the thickness adjuster 22 enters and exits through the opening 211.

[0025] As shown in Figure 4, the lower edge of the rectangular opening 211 of the bag portion 21 is joined to the lower part of the rear end of the central cushion portion 11 of the first cushion body 1. This allows the second cushion body 2 to change between a sealed state in which the opening 211 of the second cushion body 2 is sealed by the rear end surface of the central cushion portion 11 of the first cushion body 1, and an open state in which the opening 211 rotates around the joint with the first cushion body 1 as the central axis and moves away from the central cushion portion 11 of the first cushion body 1. The sealed state is the usable state of the pillow P, and the open state is the state in which the thickness adjustment tool 22 can be inserted into and removed from the bag portion 21. Although the description is given in a configuration in which the lower edge of the opening 211 is joined to the lower part of the rear end of the central cushion portion 11 of the first cushion body 1, it is sufficient if a part of the bag portion 21 of the second cushion body 2 is joined to the first cushion body 1. However, it is sufficient if the opening 211 can be opened and the thickness adjustment tool 22 can be inserted into and removed from the opening 211. The opening 211 may be sealed with fastening devices such as hook-and-loop fasteners or buttons.

[0026] The second cushion body 2 is shaped to become thicker toward the first cushion body 1. This shape effectively supports the user's neck and back. The second cushion body 2 may be a square pyramidal shape, a cone shape, a triangular pyramidal shape, or any other polygonal pyramidal shape. It may also be a frustoconical shape or a frustoconical shape. Preferably, the second cushion body 2 is shaped to become thinner toward the rear. With this shape, the second cushion body 2 supports the cervical spine but does not support the scapula. This is because contact between the scapula and the cushion body can reduce the user's comfort. The thickness of the second cushion body 2 may increase continuously toward the first cushion body 1, or it may increase gradually. The shape of the second cushion body 2 is basically determined by the shape of the bag portion 21.

[0027] (Thickness adjuster) The thickness adjuster 22 plays a role in adjusting the thickness of the second cushion body 2. Specifically, the thickness of the second cushion body 2 is adjusted by changing the number of thickness adjusters 22 inserted into the bag portion 21 of the second cushion body 2 or by changing the volume of the thickness adjusters 22. To adjust the thickness of the second cushion body 2, for example, multiple thickness adjusters 22 of the same thickness and thickness adjusters 22 of different thicknesses can be prepared, and the desired thickness of the second cushion body 2 can be selected and used from among them. Further details will be described later.

[0028] The shape of the thickness adjuster 22 is not particularly limited as long as it can be inserted into the bag portion 21 and hold the bag portion 21 in the desired shape, but it is generally preferable that it be similar in shape to the bag portion 21. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the thickness adjuster 22 be substantially pyramidal in shape, similar to the shape of the bag portion 21.

[0029] The thickness adjuster 22 may be a hollow body having the outer shape of the thickness adjuster 22, filled with a material such as feathers, resin fibers such as polyester, wool, or cotton. However, if the thickness adjuster 22 can maintain its shape using only a material such as urethane foam, the hollow body is not necessary.

[0030] Figure 5 shows a perspective view of an example of a thickness adjustment device 22. The thickness adjustment device 22 shown in Figure 5 is a hollow body in the shape of a roughly square pyramid, filled with polyester fibers. A recess 221 is formed in the thickness adjustment device 22, extending a predetermined length in the front-to-back direction from the center in the left-to-right direction at the rear end of the device. The recess 221 is formed at a position corresponding to the spinous process of the thoracic or cervical vertebrae of a user in a supine position when in use, and plays a role in reducing the contact pressure between the spinous process and the thickness adjustment device 22. The recess 221 can be formed, for example, by suturing the upper and lower surfaces of the hollow body.

[0031] (Adjusting the thickness of the second cushion) The thickness of the second cushion body 2 can be adjusted as follows. First, the opening 211 of the bag portion 21 of the second cushion body 2 is set to an open state, spaced apart from the rear end surface of the central cushion portion 11 of the first cushion body 1 (see Figure 4). The thickness adjustment tool 22 is inserted into and removed from the bag portion 21 through the open opening 211. As described above, the thickness of the second cushion body 2 is adjusted by changing the number of thickness adjustment tools 22 inserted into the bag portion 21 or by changing the volume of the thickness adjustment tools 22. An example is shown in Figure 6. As shown in Figures 6(a) and (b), the thickness of the second cushion body 2 is adjusted by inserting thickness adjustment tools 22a and 22b of different volumes into the bag portion 21. Also, as shown in Figure 6(c), the thickness of the second cushion body 2 can be adjusted by changing the number of thickness adjustment tools 22c inserted into the bag portion 21. After the thickness of the second cushion body 2 is adjusted, the second cushion body 2 is sealed with its opening 211 closed by the rear end surface of the central cushion portion 11 of the first cushion body 1, and the pillow P becomes usable.

[0032] (How to design a pillow) The design method for the pillow P according to the present invention, using the pillow P with the above configuration, will be described below. The preferred thickness of the pillow P, including the second cushion body 2, varies depending on the degree of cervical lordosis of the user. In the design method for the pillow P according to the present invention, the distance (d) mm between the user's occipital vertical line VL1 and the dorsal vertical line VL2, as shown in Figure 7, is used as an indicator of the degree of cervical lordosis of the user. The pillow P is designed so that the thickness (L) mm of the part of the second cushion body 2 that supports the first thoracic vertebra and the thickness (H) mm of the part of the first cushion body 1 that supports the greater occipital protuberance satisfy equation (1). As a result, the cervical lordosis angle θ of the user in a supine position is adjusted to a range of 5° to 15°. In this embodiment, the thickness (L) mm of the part of the second cushion body 2 that supports the first thoracic vertebra is the thickness of the front end of the second cushion body 2.

[0033] In one embodiment of this pillow design method, the user's distance (d), the thickness of the first cushion 1 (H) mm, and the thickness of the second cushion 2 (L) mm are measured, and the thickness of the second cushion 2 (L) mm is adjusted so as to satisfy equation (1). The thickness of the second cushion 2 (L) can be adjusted by inserting and removing the thickness adjustment tool 22 into the bag portion 21, as described above.

[0034] For example, if the measured distance of the user (d) is 30 mm, the thickness (H) of the first cushion body 1 is 32 mm, and the thickness (L) of the second cushion body 2 is 16 mm, then the thickness adjustment device 22 of the second cushion body 2 can be replaced with one with a larger volume, or the number of thickness adjustment devices 22 used can be increased, so that the thickness L of the second cushion body 2 satisfies equation (1) (32 mm to 36 mm).

[0035] Alternatively, a simpler approach is to pre-determine the thickness (H) of the first cushion body 1 as the thickness when a hemispherical body with an outer diameter of 100 mm and a mass of 2100 g (the same as the average head mass) is placed on the part of the first cushion body 1 that supports the greater occipital protuberance, and the thickness (L) of the second cushion body 2 as the thickness when a hemispherical body with an outer diameter of 100 mm and a mass of 1600 g is placed on the part of the second cushion body 2 that supports the first thoracic vertebra (the anterior end of the second cushion body 2). Then, only the user's distance (d) is measured, and the thickness (L) of the second cushion body 2 is adjusted to satisfy equation (1).

[0036] Alternatively, one of the thicknesses (H) of the first cushion 1 and (L) of the second cushion 2 may be assumed to be the thickness when the aforementioned hemisphere is placed in the relevant area, and the other may be determined by actual measurement, and the thickness (L) of the second cushion 2 may be adjusted to satisfy equation (1).

[0037] (Other variations) Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. For example, in the embodiments described above, the shape of the first cushion body 1 in plan view was fan-shaped, but there are no particular limitations as long as it can support the user's head, and it may be square or circular in plan view.

[0038] Furthermore, the holding portion of the second cushion body 2 can be any portion that can hold the thickness adjuster 22 in addition to the bag portion 21.

[0039] The position of the opening 211 provided in the bag portion 21 of the second cushion body 2 is not limited to the bottom surface of the bag portion 21, but may be, for example, on the circumferential surface of the bag portion 21. However, it is desirable to provide a mechanism to close the opening 211 so that the thickness adjuster 22 does not fall out of the opening 211 when the pillow P is in use. Examples of a mechanism to close the opening 211 include hook-and-loop fasteners, zippers, snaps, and strings.

[0040] Furthermore, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the components in the embodiments described above can be replaced with well-known components as appropriate, and the modifications described above can be combined as appropriate. [Industrial applicability]

[0041] According to the pillow and pillow design method of the present invention, a suitable cervical lordosis angle can be obtained in a supine position for each user with different degrees of straight neck (body shape). [Explanation of Symbols]

[0042] P pillow 1. First cushion body 2. Second cushion body 21 Bag part (holding part) 22 Thickness Adjuster 211 Opening 221 Recess

Claims

1. A pillow comprising a first cushion body that supports the user's head and a second cushion body that supports the neck and / or back, The second cushion body is composed of a holding portion and a thickness adjuster held by the holding portion. A pillow characterized in that the thickness of the second cushion body can be adjusted by the number of thickness adjusters held by the holding portion and / or the volume of the thickness adjusters.

2. The pillow according to claim 1, wherein the holding portion is a bag portion having an opening, and the thickness adjuster can be inserted into and removed from the bag portion through the opening.

3. The pillow according to claim 2, wherein the opening of the bag portion of the second cushion body is formed on the side connected to the first cushion body.

4. The pillow according to claim 3, wherein a portion of the periphery of the opening is joined to the first cushion body.

5. The pillow according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the second cushion body has a shape in which its thickness increases toward the first cushion body side.

6. A thickness adjuster for use with a pillow according to any one of claims 1 to 4, A thickness adjustment tool characterized by having a shape in which the thickness increases toward the first cushion body side.

7. The thickness adjustment device according to claim 6, having a recess that extends in the direction of the spine when in use.

8. A method for designing a pillow comprising a first cushion body that supports the back of the head of a user in a supine position, and a second cushion body that supports at least from the first to the third thoracic vertebrae and whose thickness increases toward the head side in the direction of the spine, A method for designing a pillow, characterized in that, when the pillow is in use, the thickness (L) mm of the portion of the second cushion body that supports the first thoracic vertebra and the thickness (H) mm of the portion of the first cushion body that supports the greater occipital protuberance are determined from the distance (d) mm between the vertical line of the back of the user's head and the vertical line of their back when the user is standing, so as to satisfy the following formula (1). {Thickness (H) + Distance (d) - 30} ≤ Thickness (L) ≤ {Thickness (H) + Distance (d) - 26} ・・・（１）

9. The method for designing a pillow according to claim 8, wherein the thickness (H) mm is the thickness when a hemispherical body with an outer diameter of 100 mm and a mass of 2100 g is placed on the portion of the first cushion body that supports the greater occipital protuberance.

10. The method for designing a pillow according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the thickness (L) mm is the thickness when a hemispherical body with a mass of 1600 g and an outer diameter of 100 mm is placed on the portion of the second cushion body that supports the first thoracic vertebra.

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