Patent Grant
10035440
The present invention relates to a cushion pad, particularly, to a cushion pad that reduces a wobbling feeling.
A cushion pad used for, for example, a seat and a chair such as furniture equipped with transportation means such as a vehicle, a ship, and an aircraft might provide wobbling feeling in the lateral direction to a seated person. For example, in a cushion pad mounted on a vehicle, a vibration input in a low frequency band (for example, approximately 1 Hz) when the vehicle travels around a gentle curve or changes the lane might deform the cushion pad so as to provide wobbling feeling such as side slipping and rolling around the roll axis. The wobbling feeling is a factor affecting the controllability and the stability. To reduce this wobbling feeling, there is a technology that sets tan δ with respect to the vibration in the low frequency band to a predetermined range (in Patent Literature 1).
However, there is a request to further reduce the wobbling feeling relative to the above-described conventional technology.
The present invention has been made to respond to the above-described request, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a cushion pad that reduces the wobbling feeling.
To achieve this object, with the cushion pad according to claim 1, a cushion pad includes a support portion having: a seating surface on which a seated person is seated; and a bottom surface on an opposite side to the seating surface. The support portion includes a core portion positioned in an intermediate portion between a portion to be the seating surface side and a portion to be the bottom surface side. A first test piece is sampled from the core portion. The first test piece has 100 mm in length, 100 mm in width, and 50 mm in thickness. A measured deflection of the first test piece under a load of 100 N during compression in compliance with E method specified in JIS K6400-2 (the 2012 edition) is equal to or less than 30 mm. Furthermore, regarding the first test piece, a measured static spring constant under a load of 300 N at a pulling rate of 20 mm/minute is equal to or less than 25 N/mm.
Here, in the case of a vibration input in a low frequency band in the lateral direction, the compressive stress in the vertical direction due to the weight of a seated person and the tensile stress due to the vibration input in the lateral direction act on the support portion. The support portion allows reducing the tensile stress compared with the case of a larger static spring constant because the static spring constant in the tensile direction of the first test piece sampled from the core portion is equal to or less than 25 N/mm. As a result, the direction (gradient) of the resultant force as a combination of the compressive stress and the tensile stress can be closer to the vertical direction. This allows reducing the angle inclined with respect to the vertical direction in the buttocks (ischial bone) of the seated person due to the vibration input, thus providing an effect that allows reducing the wobbling feeling.
With the cushion pad according to claim 2, the support portion has a first portion whose hardness is set to a value smaller than a value of a hardness of a second portion. The first portion is positioned on the seating surface side of a thickness center as a center in a thickness direction sandwiched between the seating surface and the bottom surface. The second portion is a portion positioned on a vertical line passing through the first portion. The second portion is positioned on the bottom surface side of the thickness center. The first portion and the second portion are positioned in a center in a right-left direction viewed from the seated person seated on the seating surface. A first side portion has a hardness set to a value smaller than a value of a hardness of a second side portion. The first side portion is a portion positioned on a horizontal line passing through the first portion. The first side portion is positioned on an outer side of the first portion in the right-left direction. The second side portion is a portion on a vertical line passing through the first side portion. The second side portion is positioned on a horizontal line passing through the second portion. The hardness is a force during compression to 25% measured in compliance with E method specified in JIS K6400-2 (the 2012 edition) using a quadratic-prism-shaped test piece sampled by equally dividing the support portion.
The hardnesses of the first portion and the first side portion, which are positioned on the seating surface side, are set to the values smaller than the values of the hardnesses of the second portion and the second side portion, which are positioned on the bottom surface side. This allows providing soft feeling during seating to the seated person. Furthermore, the first portion and the first side portion are positioned on the seating surface side of the thickness center. This allows ensuring close contact property with the seated person. Furthermore, the second portion and the second side portion are positioned on the bottom surface side of the thickness center. In addition to the effect of claim 1, this provides an effect that allows improving the holding property and reducing the wobbling feeling.
With the cushion pad according to claim 3, a ratio of the hardness of the first side portion to the hardness of the first portion is set to a value smaller than a value of a ratio of the hardness of the second side portion to the hardness of the second portion. The first portion and the first side portion allow reducing the seat pressure of the seated person. In addition to the effect of claim 2, this provides an effect that allows improving the soft feeling so as to ensure good seating comfort.
With the cushion pad according to claim 4, the first side portion and the second side portion are positioned in the portions compressed by the seat pressure of the buttocks of the seated person. Normally, the ischial tuberosity portion of the seated person seated on the seating surface provides the largest seat pressure. However, the first side portion and the second side portion are positioned on the outer side in the right-left direction of the right and left ischial tuberosity portions of the seated person seated on the seating surface. This allows reducing the seat pressure in the portion providing the highest seat pressure in the buttocks of the seated person. Furthermore, the first side portion and the second side portion allow restraining the right and left ischial tuberosity portions from the outer side in the right-left direction. In addition to the effect of claim 2, this provides an effect that allows improving the holding property of the buttocks so as to ensure good seating comfort while reducing the wobbling feeling.
With the cushion pad according to claim 5, a hardness of a portion positioned in a center in the right-left direction of a bottom surface portion including the bottom surface is equal to or more than a hardness 1.1 times as large as a hardness of a portion positioned in a center in the right-left direction of a seating portion including the seating surface. Accordingly, in addition to the effect of claim 1, this provides an effect that allows the bottom surface portion to support the buttocks and allows reducing sinking of the buttocks.
With the cushion pad according to claim 6, a hardness of each portion positioned on a vertical line passing through the first portion and the second portion gradually increases from the seating surface side toward the bottom surface side. As a result, in addition to the effect of claim 2, this provides an effect that allows obtaining soft feeling during seating on the seating surface side of the support portion and reducing sinking of the buttock on the bottom surface side of the support portion.
With the cushion pad according to claim 7, a hardness of each portion positioned on a vertical line passing through the first side portion and the second side portion gradually increases from the seating surface side toward the bottom surface side. As a result, in addition to the effect of claim 2, this provides an effect that allows obtaining soft feeling during seating on the seating surface side of the support portion and improving the holding property on the bottom surface side of the support portion.
With the cushion pad according to claim 8, a hardness of each portion positioned on a horizontal line passing through the second portion gradually increases from the second portion toward an outer side in the right-left direction. As a result, in addition to the effect of claim 2, this provides an effect that allows ensuring holding property of the buttocks of the seated person on the bottom surface side of the support portion so as to reduce the wobbling feeling.
With the cushion pad according to claim 9, the support portion is integrally molded by a single foamed synthetic resin material. Hence, this allows eliminating the processes for burying an insert material having a large hardness and for laminating a plurality of layers having different hardnesses in the manufacturing process of the cushion pad. Accordingly, in addition to the effect of claim 1, this provides an effect that allows saving the manufacturing cost.
Hereinafter, a description will be given of preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As illustrated in
The support portion 2 is partitioned by a lateral groove 8, which extends in the right-left direction, into: a rear support portion 3, which supports the buttocks; and a front support portion 4, which supports the back side of the thigh. The rear support portion 3 supports the buttocks including the right and left ischial tuberosity portions T1 and T2 of the seated person H in a seated state. In the rear support portion 3 and the front support portion 4, the respective lateral grooves 7 and 9 are depressed parallel to the lateral groove 8. In the boundary portion between the support portion 2 and the side support portion 5, a pair of longitudinal grooves 6, which extends in the front-rear direction (the arrow F-B direction) is formed. The pair of longitudinal grooves 6 couples to the respective both ends of the lateral grooves 7, 8, and 9. The longitudinal groove 6 and the lateral grooves 7, 8, and 9 are portions for pulling and securing a surface skin (not shown) such as fabric, artificial leather, or leather to the cushion pad 1.
The cushion pad 1 has a feature in the hardness distributions in the above-below direction (the arrow U-D the direction) and the right-left direction (the arrow L-R the direction) of the support portion 2 (the rear support portion 3). In this embodiment, a small test piece sampled from the rear support portion 3 (molded object) is used to measure the hardness so as to obtain the hardness distribution. Referring to
As illustrated in
In this embodiment, the rear support portion 3 in the above-below direction (the arrow U-D direction) is equally sectionalized into four layers (20 mm for each thickness). Those layers in the right-left direction (the arrow L-R direction) are equally sectionalized into 15 pieces (20 mm for each width). In the respective layers, the lengths in the front-rear direction (the perpendicular direction on the paper in
For the sampled test piece, the force during compression to 25% is measured in compliance with E method specified in JIS K6400-2 (the 2012 edition). JIS K6400-2 is Japanese Industrial Standards made by based on ISO 2439 (Fourth Edition: issued in 2008), ISO 3386-1 (Second Edition: issued in 1986), and ISO 3386-2 (Second Edition: issued in 1997). According to this testing method, the test piece placed on a support plate (not shown) larger than the test piece while facing the above-below direction (the arrow U-D direction) is pre-compressed by a pressure plate (not shown) having a pressure surface larger than the top surface of the test piece, and then is pressurized to have 75±2.5% of the thickness at a rate of 100±20 mm per minute. The force when the test piece is pressurized to have 25±1% of the thickness is assumed to be a force S25 (unit: N) under compression of the test piece to 25%. In this description, the force (hereinafter referred to as “S25”) during compression to 25% is defined as “hardness.”
It is to be noted that, the test piece sampled from the bottom surface portion 24 is placed on a support plate (not shown) side while facing the bottom surface 12 side after a reinforced fabric (not shown) molded integrally with the bottom surface 12 is removed. Then, the hardness is measured. This is for reducing the influence of the reinforced fabric. Furthermore, the test pieces (to which “cross” is attached in
Furthermore, for convenience, the portion that is: the portion positioned in the center in the right-left direction (the arrow L-R direction) of the rear support portion 3; and the portion (the test piece) positioned on the seating surface 11 side of the thickness center 13, is referred to as a first portion 25. The portion that is: the portion positioned on the vertical line (the straight line in the arrow U-D direction) passing through the first portion 25; and the portion (the test piece) positioned on the bottom surface 12 side of the thickness center 13, is referred to as a second portion 26. The portion that is: the portion positioned on the horizontal line (the straight line in the arrow L-R direction) passing through the first portion 25 (within the upper center portion 22); and the portion (the test piece) positioned on the outer side of the first portion 25 in the right-left direction, is referred to as a first side portion 27. The portion that is: the portion on the vertical line passing through the first side portion 27; and the portion (the test piece) positioned on the bottom surface 12 side of the thickness center 13, is referred to as a second side portion 28. The portion (the test piece) positioned in the center of the seating portion 21 in the right-left direction is referred to as a seating center portion 21a. The portion (the test piece) positioned in the center of the bottom surface portion 24 in the right-left direction is referred to as a bottom center portion 24a.
Referring to
As illustrated in
The following describes the cushion pad 1 on which the seated person H is seated by referring to
As illustrated in
In particular, the rear support portion 3 has the mortar-shaped hardness distribution where the upper center portion 22, the lower center portion 23, and the bottom surface portion 24 have the larger hardnesses on the outer side in the right-left direction relative to the center in the right-left direction. This allows improving the holding property of the buttocks.
Note that, as illustrated in
The following the hardness distribution of the cushion pad 1 (the rear support portion 3) by referring to
Note that, in
As illustrated in
Furthermore, the hardness of the first portion 25 positioned on the seating surface 11 side of the thickness center 13 (see
The ratio of the hardness of the first side portion 27 to the hardness of the first portion 25 is set to a value smaller than the value of the ratio of the hardness of the second side portion 28 to the hardness of the second portion 26. As a result, the first portion 25 and the first side portion 27 allow reducing the seat pressure, thus improving the soft feeling and enhancing the seating comfort.
The first side portion 27 and the second side portion 28 (see
Here, the hardness of the bottom center portion 24a positioned in the center of the bottom surface portion 24 in the right-left direction is set to be equal to or more than a hardness 1.1 times as large as the hardness of the seating center portion 21a positioned in the center of the seating portion 21 in the right-left direction. This allows the bottom surface portion 24 to firmly support the buttocks so as to reduce sinking of the buttocks. It is to be noted that, the hardness of the bottom center portion 24a is set to be equal to or less than a hardness twice as large as, preferably, equal to or less than a hardness 1.5 times as large as the hardness of the seating center portion 21a. This is because the excessively hard bottom center portion 24a provides poor seating comfort.
As illustrated in
Furthermore, the hardnesses in the respective portions positioned on the vertical line passing through the first side portion 27 and the second side portion 28 (on the straight line parallel to the Y-axis) gradually increase in the order corresponding to the seating portion 21, the upper center portion 22, the lower center portion 23, and the bottom surface portion 24. This consequently allows obtaining the soft feeling during seating on the seating surface 11 side and improving the holding property of the buttocks on the bottom surface 12 side.
The hardnesses (the hardnesses of the respective test pieces in the lower center portion 23) in the respective portions positioned on the horizontal line passing through the second portion 26 gradually increase from the second portion 26 toward the outer side in the right-left direction. This consequently allows ensuring holding property of the buttocks of the seated person H on the bottom surface 12 side (the lower center portion 23) of the rear support portion 3 so as to reduce the wobbling feeling.
It is to be noted that, the rear support portion 3 is integrally molded by the single foamed synthetic resin material. This allows eliminating the processes for burying an insert material having a large hardness and for laminating a plurality of layers having different hardnesses in the manufacturing process of the cushion pad. This allows saving the manufacturing cost of the cushion pad 1.
The following describes the relationship between the load (compressing and pulling) and deflection of the support portion 2 (the rear support portion 3) by referring to
For the sampled first test piece, the deflection during compression with respect to a load of 100 N is measured in compliance with E method specified in JIS K6400-2 (the 2012 edition). According to this testing method, the first test piece placed on a support plate (not shown) larger than the first test piece while facing the above-below direction (the arrow U-D direction) is pre-compressed by a pressure plate (not shown) having a pressure surface larger than the top surface (a surface of 100 mm×100 mm) of the first test piece, then is pressurized to have 75±2.5% of the thickness at a rate of 100±20 mm per minute, and is depressurized. The deflection of the first test piece with respect to a load of 100 N during pressurization (compression) is measured. The cushion pad 1 is molded such that the deflection of the first test piece at this time becomes equal to or less than 30 mm.
The following describes a tensile test using the first test piece. Firstly, two parallel marked lines are marked on the top surface (the surface of 100 mm×100 mm) of the first test piece at regular intervals from the center and perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction such that the first test piece does not deform. Subsequently, both the ends (the portion including a surface of 100 mm×50 mm) in the longitudinal direction of the first test piece are symmetrically mounted on the gripper of a tensile tester, so as to apply a uniform tensile force to the cross section in the center of the first test piece. Without application of a pre-tension, the gripper is moved at a speed of 20 mm/minute to carry out a tensile test, so as to obtain the static spring constant under a load of 300 N. In this embodiment, a distance L1 (mm) between the marked lines under a load of 290 N and a distance L2 (mm) between the marked lines under a load of 310 N are measured, so as to obtain the static spring constant under a load of 300 N based on the following “Formula 1.”
Static Spring Constant [N/mm]=(310−290)/(L2−L1) Formula 1
The cushion pad 1 is molded such that the static spring constant at this time becomes equal to or less than 25 N/mm. It is to be noted that, this method for obtaining the static spring constant is one example, and the static spring constant can obviously be obtained by another method. The other method for obtaining the static spring constant can employ, for example, a method that measures the load-deflection curve (the relationship between the load and the distance between the marked lines) during the tensile test so as to obtain the tangent value (or the gradient of the load-deflection curve) of the tangent line of the load-deflection curve under a load of 300 N as the static spring constant.
Thus, the cushion pad 1 is molded regarding the first test piece such that: the deflection with respect to a load of 100 N during compression is equal to or less than 30 mm; and the static spring constant with respect to the tensile load under a load of 300 N is equal to or less than 25 N/mm. It is to be noted that, the deflection with respect to a load of 100 N during compression is preferred to be equal to or more than 25 mm and equal to or less than 30 mm. This is because the soft feeling becomes poor so as to cause poor seating comfort when the deflection with respect to a load of 100 N during compression is smaller than 25 mm, and the holding property becomes poor when the deflection exceeds 30 mm.
Furthermore, the static spring constant with respect to the tensile load under a load of 300 N is preferred to be equal to or less than 25 N/mm and equal to or more than 15 N/mm. This is because the wobbling feeling is increased when the static spring constant with respect to the tensile load under a load of 300 N is larger than 25 N/mm, and the holding property becomes poor when the static spring constant is smaller than 15 N/mm.
A description will be given of the wobbling feeling on the thus set cushion pad 1 by referring to
When the seated person H is seated on the respective cushion pads 1 and C, the weight of the seated person H causes respective compressive stresses F1 and F4 in the vertical direction (the arrow U-D direction) and respective tensile stresses F2 and F5 in the lateral direction (the arrow L-R direction) to act on the cushion pads 1 and C. The static spring constant with respect to the tensile load in the rear support portion 3 (the first test piece) of the cushion pad 1 is set to have a value smaller than that of the static spring constant with respect to the tensile load in the rear support portion (the first test piece) of the cushion pad C. Accordingly, the magnitude of the tensile stress F2 acting on the cushion pad 1 is smaller than the magnitude of the tensile stress F5 acting on the cushion pad C. The vertical compressive stresses F1 and F4 acting on the cushion pads 1 and C have approximately the identical magnitudes. Accordingly, the gradient of a resultant force F3 as a combination of the compressive stress F1 and the tensile stress F2 with respect to the vertical direction can be smaller than the gradient of a resultant force F6 as a combination of the compressive stress F4 and the tensile stress F5 with respect to the vertical direction.
Here, a vibration input in a low frequency band (for example, approximately 1 Hz) in the lateral direction (the arrow L-R direction) when the vehicle travels around a gentle curve or changes the lane changes the directions and the magnitudes of the tensile stresses F2 and F5. Accordingly, this changes the directions and the magnitudes of the resultant forces F3 and F6. However, the cushion pad 1 allows the direction (gradient) of the resultant force F3 to be closer to the vertical direction compared with the direction of the resultant force F6 in the cushion pad C. As a result, compared with the cushion pad C, the cushion pad 1 allows reducing the angle inclined with respect to the vertical direction in the buttocks (ischial bone) of the seated person H due to the vibration input. This consequently allows reducing the wobbling feeling.
The following describes a method for manufacturing the cushion pad 1. The cushion pad 1 is manufactured by injecting a compound liquid (foamable raw liquid) containing a polyol component, a polyisocyanate component, a foaming agent, and a catalyst to a molding die (the lower die) and foam molding inside the molding die (the lower die and the upper die). It is to be noted that, the cushion pad 1 can be molded integrally with the bottom surface 12 by preliminarily attaching a reinforced fabric such as coarse wool cloth and nonwoven fabric on the molding die (the upper die). Furthermore, after the cushion pad 1 is molded, a reinforced fabric can be bonded to the bottom surface 12.
The polyol component can employ polyetherpolyol, polyester polyol, polycarbonate polyol, polyolefin polyol, and lactone-based polyol. One kind or the mixture of two or more kinds of these components can be used. Among these, polyetherpolyol is preferred because the raw material cost is low and the water resistance is excellent.
As necessary, polymer polyol can be used in combination. Polymer polyol employs, for example, material obtained by graft-copolymerizing a polymer component such as polyacrylonitrile and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer to polyetherpolyol containing polyalkylene oxide.
The weight average molecular weight of the polyol component is preferred to be 6000 to 10000. In the case where the weight average molecular weight is less than 6000, the flexibility of the obtained foam is lost such that degradation in physical property or a decrease in elastic performance is likely to occur. In the case where the weight average molecular weight exceeds 10000, the hardness of the foam is likely to decrease.
The polyisocyanate component can employ publicly-known various polyfunctional aliphatic, alicyclic, and aromatic isocyanates. For example, tolylene diisocyanate (TDI), methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, triphenyl diisocyanate, xylene diisocyanate, polymethylene polyphenylene polyisocyanate, hexamethylene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate, ortho-toluidine diisocyanate, naphthylene diisocyanate, xylylene diisocyanate, lysine diisocyanate, and similar component can be employed. Among these, one kind may be used alone or two or more kinds may be used in combination.
MDI-based isocyanates typified by methylene diphenyl diisocyanate include, for example, methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (pure MDI), polyphenylene polymethylene polyisocyanate (polymeric MDI), polymeric body of these, urethane-modified body of these, urea-modified body, allophanate-modified body, biuret modified body, carbodiimide-modified body, uretonimine-modified body, uretdione-modified body, isocyanurate-modified body, and the mixture of two or more kinds of these.
Furthermore, terminal isocyanate prepolymer can also be used. Terminal isocyanate prepolymer is obtained by preliminarily causing a reaction of: polyol such as polyetherpolyol and polyester polyol; and polyisocyanate (such as TDI-based isocyanate and MDI-based isocyanate). Use of terminal isocyanate prepolymer allows controlling the viscosity of the compound liquid (foamable raw liquid), the primary structure of polymer, the compatibility, and it is preferable.
In this embodiment, the polyisocyanate component preferably employs MDI-based isocyanate, which allows molding an elastic foam having a small rebound resilience compared with the elastic foam by TDI-based isocyanate. In the case where the mixture of MDI-based isocyanate and TDI-based isocyanate is used, the mass ratio is set to MDI-based material:TDI-based material=100:0 to 75:25, preferably, 100:0 to 80:20. As the mass ratio of the TDI-based material in the polyisocyanate component becomes larger than 20/100, the wobbling feeling in the obtained product tends to decrease. When the mass ratio of the TDI-based material becomes larger than 25/100, this trend becomes remarkable. It is to be noted that, the isocyanate index (the percentage of the equivalence ratio of the isocyanate group to the active hydrogen group) of the polyisocyanate component is set to, for example, 85 to 130.
The foaming agent mainly employs water. As necessary, molding can also be performed by concomitantly using a small amount of a low boiling point organic compound such as cyclopentane, normal pentane, isopentane, and HFC-245fa or using a gas loading device so as to mix and dissolve air, nitrogen gas, liquefied carbon dioxide, or similar material in the raw liquid. The preferred addition amount of the foaming agent depends on the set density of the obtained product, but is normally 0.5 to 15 mass % with respect to the polyol component.
The catalyst can employ various urethane catalysts that are publicly-known in this field. For example, reactive amine such as triethylamine, tripropylamine, tributylamine, N-methylmorphiline, N-ethylmorpholine, dimethylbenzylamine, N,N,N′,N′-tetramethylhexamethylenediamine, N,N,N′,N′,N″-pentamethyldiethylenetriamine, and bis-(2-dimethylaminoethyl) ether, or organic acid salt of these; metal carboxylate such as potassium acetate and potassium octoate, or an organic metal compound such as stannous octoate, dibutyl tin dilaurate, and zinc naphthenate can be employed. Furthermore, an amine catalyst having an active hydrogen group such as N,N-dimethylethanolamine and N,N-diethylethanolamine is also preferred. The preferred addition amount of the catalyst is 0.01 to 10 mass % with respect to the polyol component.
As necessary, a polyvalent active hydrogen compound having a low molecular weight is used as a crosslinking agent. The crosslinking agent facilitates the adjustment of the spring property of the cushion pad. The crosslinking agent employs, for example: polyhydric alcohols such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, trimethylolpropane, and glycerin; a compound obtained by polymerizing ethylene oxide or propylene oxide using these polyhydric alcohols as an initiator; and alkanolamines such as monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, triethanolamine, and N-methyldiethanolamine. These compounds can be used alone or as the mixture of two or more kinds.
Furthermore, a foam stabilizer is used as necessary. The foam stabilizer can employ an organic silicon-based surfactant that is publicly-known in this field. The preferred addition amount of the foam stabilizer is 0.1 to 10 mass % with respect to the polyol component. Further, as necessary, a flame retardant, a plasticizer, a cell opener, an oxidation inhibitor, an ultraviolet absorber, a colorant, various fillers, an internal mold release agent, or other process aids are used.
The following describes the present invention for more details using Examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these Examples. The compositions of the compound liquid (foamable raw liquid) for molding the cushion pad in Examples and Comparative examples are shown in Table 1. The numerical value shown in Table 1 denotes the unit mass (mass ratio). Furthermore, the isocyanate amount in Table 1 is the mass ratio of isocyanate to polyol (to 100 of polyol). Isocyanates 1 to 3 are the component ratios to the entire isocyanate.
Furthermore, the respective components described on Table 1 are as follows.
Furthermore, for the cushion pads in Example 3 and Comparative example 1, the rear support portion was equally sectionalized to sample 60 second test pieces (in a quadrangular shape having the size of 20 mm in length, 20 mm in width, and 20 mm in thickness) (see FIG. 2). The force S25 during compression to 25% was measured in compliance with E method specified in JIS K6400-2 (the 2012 edition).
Furthermore, for the cushion pads in Example 1, Example 3, Example 4, Comparative example 1, and Comparative example 2, the first test piece (100 mm in length, 100 mm in width, and 50 mm in thickness) including the thickness center was sampled from the core portion of the rear support portion. Using the sampled first test piece, the deflection (mm) during compression under a load of 100 N was measured by the testing method in compliance with E method specified in JIS K6400-2 (the 2012 edition).
Furthermore, both the ends (the portion including a surface of 100 mm×50 mm) in the longitudinal direction of the first test piece were symmetrically mounted on the gripper of the tensile tester, so as to apply a uniform tensile force to the cross section in the center of the first test piece on which the marked lines are marked at regular intervals from the center. Subsequently, without application of a pre-tension, the gripper was moved at a speed of 20 mm/minute to carry out a tensile test. The distance L1 (mm) between the marked lines under a load of 290 N and the distance L2 (mm) between the marked lines under a load of 310 N were measured, so as to obtain the static spring constant (N/mm) under a load of 300 N based on a calculating formula of (310−290)/(L2−L1).
As shown in Table 1, the evaluations of the wobbling feeling were Excellent for Examples 1 to 3, Good for Example 4, and Poor for Comparative examples 1 to 4. For all of Example 1, Example 3, Example 4, Comparative example 1, and Comparative example 2, the deflection was equal to or less than 30 mm. The dynamic spring constant was equal to or less than 25 N/mm for Example 1, Example 3, and Example 4, and exceeded 25 N/mm for Comparative example 1 and Comparative example 2. This test found that Example 1, Example 3, and Example 4 where the deflection was equal to or less than 30 mm and the dynamic spring constant was equal to or less than 25 N/mm had evaluations of Good or a better rank for the wobbling feeling. Accordingly, it was found that it was possible to reduce the wobbling feeling by setting the deflection to 30 mm or less and setting the dynamic spring constant to 25 N/mm or less in the first test piece.
The following describes the hardness of the cushion pad.
Similarly to
As illustrated in
In contrast, it is inferred that, as illustrated in
Referring to
As illustrated in
For the seating portion 31, the upper center portion 32, the lower center portion 33, and the bottom surface portion 34, the materials are selected such that the force S25 during compression to 25% increases in this order. In this embodiment, the seating portion 31, the upper center portion 32, the lower center portion 33, and the bottom surface portion 34 are all formed in a tabular shape using flexible polyurethane foam (molded urethane). The hardness distributions of the seating portion 31, the upper center portion 32, the lower center portion 33, and the bottom surface portion 34 are set similarly to the hardness distributions in the cushion pad 1 (the rear support portion 3) according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the description of these is omitted. The cushion pad 30 in the second embodiment allows achieving the operation and effect similar to those of the cushion pad 1 in the first embodiment.
As described above, the present invention has been described based on the above-mentioned embodiments. It will be appreciated that the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments described above, but various modifications are possible without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. For example, the shapes described in the above-mentioned embodiments are examples. Other shapes are obviously possible.
While in the above-described respective embodiments the cushion pads 1 and 30 to be mounted on a vehicle (automobile) have been described, this should not necessarily be construed in a limiting sense. The cushion pads 1 and 30 may obviously be applied to a cushion material equipped with another transportation means such as a vehicle (such as a railway vehicle), a ship, and an aircraft other than the automobile or applied to a cushion material of furniture or similar product.
While in the above-described first embodiment, for convenience, a description has been given of the case where the integrally molded cushion pad 1 (the rear support portion 3) made of foamed synthetic resin (made of flexible polyurethane foam) is sectionalized into four layers in the above-below direction, the respective layers are sectionalized into 15 pieces in the right-left direction, and 60 test pieces are sampled to measure the hardness, the number (the number of layers or the number of sections in the right-left direction) and the size of the test pieces are not limited to these. The size of the test piece can be set to a size that allows measurement of the hardness as necessary. Furthermore, taking into consideration the size of the test piece to allow measurement of the hardness, the number of the test pieces can be set to the number that allows sampling of the test piece having this size as necessary. It is to be noted that, taking into consideration the size the cushion pad 1 (the rear support portion 3), it is appropriate to sectionalize the rear support portion 3 into four layers or five layers. Furthermore, the size of the test piece is preferred to have 20 to 25 mm in length for each side of the quadrangular prism.
Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, for convenience, a description has been given of the case where the first portion 25 and the first side portion 27 are disposed in the upper center portion 22 while the second portion 26 and the second side portion 28 are disposed in the lower center portion 23. However, the positions of the first portion 25, the first side portion 27, the second portion 26, and the second side portion 28 are not limited to these. These positions can be set corresponding to the number of layers to sectionalize the cushion pad 1 (the rear support portion 3) in the above-below direction as necessary.
While in the above-described respective embodiments a description has been given of the case where the side support portions 5 and 35 are disposed in the cushion pads 1 and 30, this should not necessarily be construed in a limiting sense. The side support portions 5 and 35 can be omitted. This is because the cushion pads 1 and 30 (the support portion 2) are excellent in holding property (restraint property) in the right-left direction, that is, of the side portions of the buttocks and the thigh.
While in the above-described respective embodiments a description has been given of the case where the rear support portion 3 have a predetermined hardness distribution, the front support portion 4 can also be set to have a hardness distribution similar to that of the rear support portion 3. This allows reducing not only the wobbling feeling of the buttocks but also the wobbling feeling of the thigh.
While in the above-described respective embodiments a description has been given of the cushion pads 1 and 30 where the longitudinal groove 6 and the lateral grooves 7, 8, and 9, which are depressed on the surface, are used to pull and secure the surface skin (not shown), this should not necessarily be construed in a limiting sense. It is obviously possible to employ a cushion pad where an adhesive is applied over the surface so as to bond (attach) the surface skin.
While in the above-described second embodiment a description has been given of the case where the seating portion 31, the upper center portion 32, the lower center portion 33, and the bottom surface portion 34 are all formed with the flexible polyurethane foam (molded urethane) molded by the molding die in a predetermined shape, this should not necessarily be construed in a limiting sense. It is obviously possible to employ other materials. The other materials include, for example, slab urethane formed by cutting off the molded flexible polyurethane foam, chip urethane formed by crushing the listing and similar material generated in the manufacturing process of the flexible polyurethane foam, a three dimensional net-like body constituted of a plurality of three-dimensionally intertwined fibers made of synthetic resin, a fiber body such as solid cotton, a synthetic resin-made elastic body such as urethane rubber and thermoplastic elastomer. Laminating these materials allows obtaining a predetermined hardness distribution. The hardnesses, the densities, and the shapes of the seating portion 31, the upper center portion 32, the lower center portion 33, and the bottom surface portion 34 are set as necessary by, for example, selecting materials, designing the cavity shape of the molding die, cutting, and machining.
Furthermore, in the above-described second embodiment, a description is given of the case where the respective layers of the seating portion 31, the upper center portion 32, the lower center portion 33, and the bottom surface portion 34 are formed in a tabular shape. This should not necessarily be construed in a limiting sense. These layers can obviously be formed in a curved plate shape. This is because the seating portion 31, the upper center portion 32, the lower center portion 33, and the bottom surface portion 34 can be molded into a predetermined shape by mold forming, cutting, or similar method. It is obviously possible to form these layers in a curved plate shape so as to dispose the portion having a large hardness on the lateral side of the buttocks of the seated person.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-159210 | Aug 2014 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4379856 | Samaritter et al. | Apr 1983 | A |
| 4522447 | Snyder et al. | Jun 1985 | A |
| 4837881 | Kondo | Jun 1989 | A |
| 5544942 | Vu Khac et al. | Aug 1996 | A |
| 7614704 | Whelan et al. | Nov 2009 | B2 |
| 7661764 | Ali et al. | Feb 2010 | B2 |
| 7891260 | Hansen | Feb 2011 | B2 |
| 20060273650 | Embach | Dec 2006 | A1 |
| 20090108494 | Ito et al. | Apr 2009 | A1 |
| 20110043009 | Inayoshi | Feb 2011 | A1 |
| 20120231203 | Galbreath et al. | Sep 2012 | A1 |
| 20140001814 | Fujita | Jan 2014 | A1 |
| 20140210250 | DiFelice | Jul 2014 | A1 |
| 20160023584 | Nakada | Jan 2016 | A1 |
| 20160052435 | Nakada | Feb 2016 | A1 |
| 20160143442 | Nakada | May 2016 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 103442620 | Dec 2013 | CN |
| 2689691 | Jan 2014 | EP |
| 2942423 | Aug 2010 | FR |
| 2942423 | Aug 2010 | FR |
| 2006-149466 | Jun 2006 | JP |
| 2012-45104 | Mar 2012 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Office Action dated Jul. 5, 2017, issued in counterpart Chinese Application No. 201510472146.0, with English translation. (15 pages). |
| Notification of Reasons for Refusal dated Jan. 30, 2018, issued in counterpart Japanese Application No. 2014-150753, with English translation. (11 pages). |
| Office Action dated Apr. 1, 2017, issued in Chinese Application No. 201510412294.3, with English translation. (17 pages). |
| European Search Report dated Dec. 11, 2015 issued in European Patent Application No. 15177962.6, (8 pages). |
| Non-Final Office Action dated May 8, 2017, issued in U.S. Appl. No. 14/805,681 (21 pages). |
| Final Office Action dated Nov. 29, 2017, issued in U.S. Appl. No. 14/805,681 (13 pages). |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20160039322 A1 | Feb 2016 | US |
