Biometric information detection mat and its manufacturing method

Abstract

To provide a mat for biological information detection in which a plurality of air pads are disposed in an outer bag without causing a positional deviation, which can be manufactured easily, and to provide a manufacturing method of the mat.SOLUTION: There is provided a mat 1 for biological information detection in which air pads 10 and 20 are disposed in an outer bag 2 made of thermoplastic synthetic resin. One end sides of air pressure guide tubes 30 and 40 are inserted into the air pads 10 and 20. Cushion materials 14 and 24 are disposed inside the air pads 10 and 20. A portion between small pad parts 11 of the air pad 10 and the outer bag 2 are fused to each other. A pair of sheets 3 and 4 of the outer bag 2 are fused with linear fusion parts 51-53 to form an air pad storage part 50, and the air pad 20 is stored in the air pad storage part 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a mat that is placed under the human body to detect biological information such as changes in the human body's lying position (turning over, etc.), human heart rate, breathing, etc., and more particularly to a biological information detection mat with built-in air pads. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing the biological information detection mat. [Background technology]

[0002] One biological information detection system for detecting biological information includes an air pad (air bag) filled with air, an air tube with one end inserted into the air bag, and a cushioning material (sponge) placed inside the air bag. Air is sealed inside the air bag, and the other end of the air tube is connected to a pressure detection sensor device. Multiple air bags are placed between the bed (bedding) and the human body, and changes in the human body's lying position can be detected from changes in air pressure inside the air bags. Heartbeat and breathing can also be detected based on air pressure detection signals (Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] FIG. 1 of Patent Document 2 shows a configuration in which a plurality of narrow, elongated air pads are arranged at intervals in the height direction to detect biosignals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5887676 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 4423481 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In order to improve the decorativeness and durability of the air pad, a plurality of air pads are arranged in an exterior bag (bag-shaped cover) in a mutually positional relationship in which they are arranged at specified positions.

[0006] In this case, it is necessary to configure the air pads so that they do not shift position inside the outer bag. To achieve this, the air pads are fixed to the inner surface of the outer bag with adhesive or the like, but this is time-consuming to manufacture.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide an easily manufactured biological information detection mat in which a plurality of air pads are arranged in an outer bag without misalignment, and a manufacturing method thereof. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] [1] A biometric information detection mat in which an air pad is placed inside an outer bag made of thermoplastic synthetic resin, the air pad being a combination of a cushioning material placed inside a chamber surrounded by a thermoplastic synthetic resin sheet, and a plurality of small pad sections into which one end of an air pressure guiding tube is inserted, the biometric information detection mat having a pair of thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets and a linear fusion section that fuses the sheets together so as to surround the small pad sections, and the plurality of small pad sections arranged at intervals in one direction.

[0009] [2] A mat for detecting biological information according to [1], in which the outer bag and the air pad are fused together in a portion between the small airtight pad portions of the air pad, which does not affect the airtightness of the pad.

[0010] [3] A mat for detecting biological information according to [1] or [2], in which the portion where the outer layer bag and the air pad are fused together is arranged in a straight line parallel to the small pad portion, and this fused portion forms a flexible hinge portion that can be folded around the axis in the straight line direction.

[0011] [4] A biological information detection mat in which an air pad is placed inside an outer bag made of thermoplastic synthetic resin, the air pad having a cushioning material placed inside a chamber surrounded by thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets, and one end of an air pressure guiding tube inserted into the chamber, the outer bag being made of a pair of thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets with their peripheral edges fused together, the pair of sheets of the outer bag being fused together at points other than the peripheral edges to form an air pad storage section, the air pad storage section being elongated in one direction, and the fused sections forming the air pad storage section having first and second fused sections extending in the longitudinal direction of the air pad storage section, and a third fused section extending so as to connect one end of the first and second fused sections together in the longitudinal direction.

[0012] [5] A method for manufacturing a mat for detecting biological information according to any one of [1] to [4], comprising using a semi-finished outer bag in which parts of the peripheral edges of the sheets constituting the outer bag are fused together, placing the air pad inside the semi-finished outer bag, and then welding or heat sealing the remaining parts of the peripheral edges of the semi-finished outer bag together. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] In the biological information detection mat according to one aspect of the present invention, the air pad is fused to the exterior bag, and therefore does not shift position within the exterior bag.

[0014] In the biological information detection mat according to another aspect of the present invention, the air pad is accommodated in the accommodation portion provided in the exterior bag, so that the air pad does not shift position within the exterior bag.

[0015] In one embodiment of the manufacturing method of the mat for detecting biological information of the present invention, the mat can be easily manufactured by inserting an air pad into a semi-finished outer bag, then welding or heat sealing the air pad and the sheet of the outer bag, and welding or heat sealing the peripheral edges of the sheets together.

[0016] In another aspect of the method for manufacturing a mat for detecting biological information of the present invention, the mat can be easily manufactured by inserting an air pad into a storage section of a semi-finished outer bag having the storage section, and then welding or heat sealing the peripheral edge of the sheet of the semi-finished outer bag. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a biological information detection mat according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first air pad in the biological information detection mat. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a second air pad in the biological information detecting mat. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 5. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the biological information detection mat according to the embodiment during its manufacture. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. 8. [Figure 10] 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 8. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, the mat 1 for detecting biological information in this embodiment includes an outer bag 2, a first air pad 10 and a second air pad 20 arranged in the outer bag 2, a tube 30 connected to the first air pad 10, and a tube 40 connected to the second air pad 20.

[0020] The outer bag 2 is a flat bag-like structure in which an upper sheet 3 and a lower sheet 4 (Figs. 1, 8, and 9) made of a thermoplastic synthetic resin are joined by welding or heat sealing. At least the peripheral edges of the upper sheet 3 and the lower sheet 4 are welded or heat sealed together.

[0021] The outer bag 2 has a substantially rectangular shape, with an extension 2a extending from one corner, and the tubes 30 and 40 are passed through this extension 2a.

[0022] 2 to 4, the first air pad 10 has a plurality of small pad portions 11 (six in this embodiment) formed by joining thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets 12 and 13 with sealing portions H (FIGS. 3 and 4). A flat sheet-like cushioning material 14 made of urethane sponge or the like is disposed within the chamber of each small pad portion 11.

[0023] A branch tube 32 at one end of the tube 30 is inserted into this small pad portion 11. The base end of the tube 30 is one main tube 31, and the distal end of the main tube 31 is connected to a pressure measurement sensor (not shown). The distal end of the main tube 31 branches into six branch tubes 32, and the distal end of each branch tube 32 is inserted into the small pad portion 11. The branch tubes 32 are inserted into the small pad portion 11 through the mating surfaces of the sheets 12, 13.

[0024] The linear seal portion H for forming the small pad portion 11 goes around the periphery of the small pad portion 11. The outer peripheral surface of the branch tube 32 is also welded or heat sealed to the sheets 12 and 13, and the branch tube 32 and the sheets 12 and 13 are fused together airtightly.

[0025] The first air pad 10 is disposed between the sheets 3 and 4 of the outer bag 2. Then, at the intermediate position between the small pad portions 11, 11 indicated by H' in Figs. 8 and 9, the sheet 3 of the outer bag 2, the sheets 12 and 13 of the first air pad 10, and the sheet 4 of the outer bag 2 are fused together by welding or heat sealing while overlapping each other. In this embodiment, the sheets 3 and 4 are also fused together by welding or heat sealing at positions along both side edges of the first air pad 10 in the X direction (positions indicated by H" in Figs. 8 and 9). In this way, the first air pad 10 is fixed to the outer bag 2 by the seal portion H', and therefore does not shift position within the outer bag 2.

[0026] 1 and 5, the second air pad 20 has a long, narrow rectangular shape. The second air pad 20 is made of rectangular thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets 22 and 23 whose peripheral edges are fused together at a seal portion h to form a rectangular chamber 21, and a flat, sheet-like cushioning material 24 is placed in this chamber 21. One end of the tube 40 is inserted into this chamber 21.

[0027] The base end of the tube 40 is connected to a pressure measurement sensor (not shown). The tip end of the tube 40 is inserted into the chamber 21 through the mating surfaces of the sheets 22 and 23. The outer periphery of the tube 40 is also welded or heat sealed to the sheets 22 and 23, and the tube 40 and the sheets 22 and 23 are fused together airtightly.

[0028] 8, the outer bag 2 has a storage section 50 for storing the second air pad 20. The storage section 50 is configured in a U-shape by a pair of substantially parallel linear fused portions 51, 52 that extend across the sheets 3, 4 of the outer bag in the width direction of the biological information detection mat 1 (the X direction in FIG. 1), and a linear fused portion 53 that connects one ends of the fused portions 51, 52 together.

[0029] The second air pad 20 is inserted into the storage section 50 through an open section 54 (a section where the sheets 3, 4 are not fused) on the opposite side of the fused section 53. The distance between the fused sections 51, 52 is slightly larger than the width of the second air pad 20. The length of the fused sections 51, 52 is slightly smaller than the overall length of the second air pad 20, and most of the second air pad 20 is disposed in the storage section 50. Therefore, the second air pad 20 stored in the storage section 50 will not shift position within the outer bag 2.

[0030] As shown in the figure, each small pad portion 11 of the first air pad 10 has a rectangular shape extending in the Y direction of FIG. 1 (a direction perpendicular to the X direction). Six small pad portions 11 are arranged in the X direction, i.e., the width direction of the biological information detecting mat 1. The width (width in the X direction) of one small pad portion 11 is preferably 30 to 150 mm, and more preferably about 40 to 100 mm. The length of the small pad portion 11 in the Y direction is preferably 160 to 1000 mm, and more preferably about 200 to 800 mm. The arrangement pitch of the small pad portions 11 in the X direction is preferably 50 to 200 mm, and more preferably about 70 to 150 mm. However, the present invention is not limited to these.

[0031] As described above, the second air pad 20 extends in the X direction.

[0032] This biological information detection mat 1 is placed between the bedding and the body so that the Y direction is the longitudinal direction of the bedding, such as a bed, etc. At this time, the first air pad 10 is placed below the chest of the human body, and the second air pad 20 is placed below the waist area.

[0033] The detected pressure data of the second air pad 20 is suitable for use in detecting whether or not a human body is present on bedding.

[0034] Turning over in bed and other movements can be detected based on the pressure data of each small pad portion 11 of the first air pad 10. Furthermore, the pressure data of the small pad portions 11 can be used to obtain biological information such as heart rate and breathing.

[0035] To manufacture this biological information detection mat 1, air pads 10, 20 equipped with tubes 30 or 40 are manufactured in advance. Also, a semi-finished outer bag 2' (Fig. 8) is manufactured in advance, in which sheets 2, 3 are joined at required welded or heat-sealed portions. The welded or heat-sealed portions of this semi-finished outer bag 2' include a peripheral welded portion that welds together the peripheral edges of sheets 2, 3, and welded portions 51 to 53 for storage portion 50.

[0036] The peripheral edges of the sheets 3 and 4 are not joined together in the portion where the first air pad 10 is inserted into the semifinished outer bag 2' (for example, side a at the leading end in the Y direction) and in the portion where the second air pad 20 is inserted into the semifinished outer bag (side b facing the open portion 54 of the storage section 50). In other words, no peripheral fused portion is formed in these portions a and b.

[0037] The first air pad 10 is inserted into the semi-finished outer bag 2', and the tube 30 is passed through the extending portion 2a. Then, the sheets 3 and 4 of the outer bag 2 and the sheets 12 and 13 of the first air pad 10 are fused (sealed portion H') between the small pad portions 11 and 11 by welding or heat sealing. The sheets 3 and 4 are fused or heat sealed in the portions along both sides of the first air pad 10 and along the side portion a.

[0038] The second air pad 20 is inserted into the semi-finished outer bag 2' from the portion b, and the tube 40 is passed through the extending portion 2a, after which the sheets 3 and 4 are fused or heat sealed together along the portion b.

[0039] In this way, the air pads 10, 20 are inserted into the semi-finished outer bag 2' and the required welding or heat sealing is performed to manufacture the mat 1 for detecting biological information, making it easy to manufacture the mat 1 for detecting biological information.

[0040] The above-described embodiment is an example of the present invention, and the present invention may be embodied in other forms.

[0041] For example, air pads other than the first and second air pads may be arranged. Also, the number of small pad portions of the first air pad may be other than six. However, the number of small pad portions 11 is preferably 2 to 20, and more preferably 3 to 10. Also, the arrangement direction of the small pad portions may be the Y direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1 Biometric information detection mat 2 outer bag 2' Exterior bag semi-finished product 3,4 Outer bag sheet 10 First Air Pad 11 Small pad section 12,13 First air pad seat 14 Cushioning material 20 Second Air Pad 22,23 Second air pad seat 30,40 tubes 50 Storage section 51~53 Fusion part 54 Open area

Claims

1. A biological information detection mat in which an air pad is placed inside an outer bag made of thermoplastic synthetic resin, the air pad being formed by arranging a cushioning material in a chamber surrounded by a thermoplastic synthetic resin sheet, and a plurality of small pad portions, each having one end of an air pressure introducing tube inserted into the chamber, being integrated into the air pad, the biological information detection mat having a pair of thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets and a linear fusion portion that fuses the sheets together so as to surround the small pad portions, and the plurality of small pad portions being arranged at intervals in one direction, The mat for detecting biological information has the outer bag and the air pad fused together at the portions between the airtight small pad portions of the air pad and which do not affect the airtightness of the pad.

2. The mat for detecting biological information according to claim 1, wherein the portion where the outer bag and the air pad are fused together is arranged in a straight line parallel to the small pad portion, and this fused portion forms a flexible hinge portion that can be folded around the straight line as an axis.

3. A biological information detection mat in which an air pad is placed inside an outer bag made of thermoplastic synthetic resin, the air pad being formed by arranging a cushioning material in a chamber surrounded by a thermoplastic synthetic resin sheet, and a plurality of small pad portions, each having one end of an air pressure introducing tube inserted into the chamber, being integrated into the air pad, the biological information detection mat having a pair of thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets and a linear fusion portion that fuses the sheets together so as to surround the small pad portions, and the plurality of small pad portions being arranged at intervals in one direction, The portion where the outer bag and the air pad are fused together is arranged in a straight line parallel to the small pad portion, and this fused portion forms a flexible hinge portion that can be folded around the straight line as an axis in the mat for detecting biological information.

4. A biological information detection mat having an air pad disposed within an outer bag made of thermoplastic synthetic resin, wherein the air pad has a cushioning material disposed within a chamber surrounded by thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets, and one end of an air pressure introducing tube inserted into the chamber, the outer bag being composed of a pair of thermoplastic synthetic resin sheets with their peripheral edges fused together, and the pair of sheets of the outer bag being fused together at a location other than the peripheral edges to form an air pad accommodating section, the air pad accommodating section having a shape that is long in one direction, and the fused sections that form the air pad accommodating section having first and second fused sections extending in the longitudinal direction of the air pad accommodating section, and a third fused section extending so as to connect one longitudinal end of the first and second fused sections together.

5. A method for manufacturing a mat for detecting biological information according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising using a semi-finished outer bag in which parts of the peripheral edges of the sheets constituting the outer bag are fused together, placing the air pad inside the semi-finished outer bag, and then welding or heat sealing the remaining parts of the peripheral edges of the semi-finished outer bag together.

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