JPH11244093A - Simple portable waist support - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a simple portable waist support capable of warming a human waist region, thereby warming the body to make the blood circulation in the waist region better, giving a comfortable feeling while using, being readily portable and requiring only a low running cost. SOLUTION: This simple portable waist support comprises a heater 1 composed by sandwiching an electrode 13 with a predetermined pattern and a positive temperature characteristic resist heat generating body which has self- temperature-controlability, is formed by being piled up on the electrode, and contains particles to irradiate far infrared rays by a temperature rise in between facing film plates 12, an exterior member to cover the waist support main body, the heater 1, and a waist support main body, and is portable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lumbar support which is used in a car seat, various chairs, various sofas, etc. at a position where a human body is placed or at a position close to the position where the human body is seated.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A lumbar support used in a seat, a variety of chairs, a variety of sofas, and the like of a human body, which is placed at or near a position where the lumbar region of the human body is placed and used for the lumbar region of a seated human body, is generally called a lumbar support. It is practically used for automobile seats and the like. Such a conventional lumbar support, the support body is formed of a synthetic resin or the like, while having a little cushioning property, while the waist of the human body leans against the back has a shape retention that is difficult to deform greatly, usually,
The waist is shaped to fit well and maintain the waist in the correct posture as much as possible.

[0003]

However, such a conventional lumbar support has a function of supporting the lumbar region, but does not have a function of improving blood circulation in the lumbar region of a person suffering from low back pain. Therefore, the present invention can warm the lumbar region of the human body, thereby warming and improving blood circulation in the lumbar region, and has a good feeling of use, is easy to carry, can be used easily, and has a low running cost. It is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive simple portable lumbar support.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a positive temperature characteristic having at least a pair of electrodes of a predetermined pattern between opposed film substrates and having self-temperature controllability formed over the electrodes. A heater having a resistance heating element interposed therebetween, a waist support main body, and at least the heater covered with the heater placed on the front side of the waist support main body while covering the heater with the waist support main body. A simple portable lumbar support, comprising: an exterior member that maintains an arrangement state, and is portable.

[0005] In the lumbar support of the present invention, the resistance heating element is generally a PTC (Positive Temp).
This is known as an "attribute coef? cient" resistance heating element and can be formed, for example, in the form of a? lm in a plane. Although the temperature of the resistance heating element rises due to energization, the electric resistance gradually increases as the temperature rises, rises only to a certain temperature, and maintains that temperature, and has self-temperature controllability. Therefore, unlike a conventional heater using a nichrome wire, a temperature control means such as a thermostat is not required, and a simple temperature can be maintained without such a temperature control means. Further, since the heater can be formed in the shape of a film, the heater and the entire lumbar support can be made compact. In addition, since it has self-temperature controllability, power consumption can be reduced.

As such a resistance heating element, generally, a flexible one may be employed, and is not limited thereto.
For example, a paste made of a PTC resin composition is applied in a planar manner on the film substrate surface by printing or the like, and a film made of a PTC resin composition is laminated on the film substrate surface by bonding or the like, and is simple. It can be formed at low cost.

Examples of the PTC resin composition include those obtained by mixing and dispersing particles imparting PTC characteristics to a polyolefin resin such as polyethylene or polypropylene or a thermosetting resin such as a silicone resin. Such particles include metal powder (silver, copper, nickel, etc.), metal oxide powder (tin oxide, etc.), carbon black (Ketjen black, acetylene black, thermal black, etc.), carbon fiber, graphite powder or spherical graphite particles. And the like, or a mixture thereof.
In the present specification, the term “particle” is a concept including particles in various forms such as a sphere, a scale, and a fiber.

It is desirable that the resistance heating element emits far-infrared rays by raising the temperature so that the waist can be sufficiently warmed. From this viewpoint, conductive carbon black is used as particles which give good PTC characteristics and emit far-infrared rays. And conductive carbon-based particles such as graphite powder, spherical graphite particles, or a mixture thereof, or particles containing these as a main component, and more preferably 0.3 to 50 μm in particle diameter.

The resistance heating element having the PTC characteristic in the lumbar support according to the present invention is not limited thereto, but one of the preferable ones is a temperature of approximately 40.degree.
C., more preferably those whose temperature is stable in the range of about 45.degree. C. to 60.degree. As the electrode, an electrode having flexibility may be usually used. Such an electrode is not limited thereto, for example, a conductive paste is applied on the film substrate surface by printing or the like, a conductive film of an electrode pattern is laminated by bonding or the like, or a metal is formed on the film substrate surface. It can be easily and inexpensively formed into a predetermined pattern by plating.

The conductive paste that can be used as an electrode includes metal powder (silver, copper, nickel, etc.), metal oxide powder (tin oxide, etc.), carbon black (Ketjen black, acetylene black, thermal black, etc.). Conductive particles such as carbon fiber, graphite powder, etc. (here, particles include spheres, scaly materials, fibrous materials, etc.) or a mixture thereof, with resin such as polyurethane, acrylic resin, silicone resin, polyethylene, etc. Can be exemplified. Examples of the conductive film include those obtained by forming the paste into a film, a metal foil, a conductive resin film, and an ITO film. The surface electrical resistivity of the electrode material is preferably less than 10 ² Ω.

Various electrode patterns can be employed. For example, a comb-shaped electrode can be used.
In the case of employing the comb-shaped pattern electrodes as described above, the pair of electrodes are typically arranged such that the comb teeth of one electrode are arranged side by side in parallel with the comb teeth of the other electrode at intervals. Examples can be given. By energizing the resistance heating element with such a comb-shaped counter electrode, the energization to each part of the resistance heating element can be made uniform, and the temperature of each part of the resistance heating element can be easily increased uniformly. The resistance heating element may be divided into a plurality of pairs for each pair of electrodes in order to make the power supply to each section of the resistance heating element uniform and to easily increase the temperature of each section of the resistance heating element.

When an electrode is previously formed on the surface of the film substrate, the resistance heating element is formed on the electrode by applying the PTC resin composition paste, laminating the film made of the PTC resin composition by bonding, or the like. From the film substrate. Further, another film substrate is stacked thereon, and the two film substrates are joined with an adhesive or the like, so that at least a pair of electrodes having a predetermined pattern between the opposed film substrates and a self-formed electrode formed on the electrode are formed. A heater in which a positive temperature characteristic resistance heating element having temperature controllability is sandwiched can be obtained simply and inexpensively.

The above-mentioned film substrate sandwiching the resistance heating element and the like is made of a sheet made of a heat resistant material capable of withstanding the maximum temperature that the resistance heating element can reach (for example, a synthetic resin sheet having such heat resistance). ). Usually, a flexible film substrate may be employed. Further, the waist support main body can be formed of various materials such as synthetic resin having heat resistance enough to withstand the maximum temperature that the resistance heating element can reach. It is desirable to have a shape that has a slight cushioning property so that it can fit the waist of the human body, but has a shape-retaining property that is hardly deformed to the extent that the waist can lean. It is also desirable that the waist can be maintained in the correct posture as much as possible. As a waist support main body that can satisfy such conditions, a waist support main body made of a urethane foam resin can be exemplified.

The exterior member can also be formed of various materials such as synthetic resin having heat resistance enough to withstand the maximum temperature that the resistance heating element can reach. However, it is assumed that the intended heat conduction from the resistance heating element to the human waist is not hindered. The exterior member is
Woven fabric, knitted fabric, non-woven fabric, synthetic resin sheet, leather sheet,
These can be formed from various materials such as those obtained by laminating a heat-resistant cushioning material layer thereon.

The exterior member may be any member as long as it covers at least the heater and maintains the arrangement of the heater on the waist support main body in a state where the heater is arranged on the front side of the waist support main body. For example, it may be one that covers both the heater and the waist support main body and covers them. Those having as good a feeling of use as possible and those having good appearance are still more preferable.

The lumbar support according to the present invention generates heat from the resistance heating element of the built-in heater by energizing the resistance heating element of the heater through the electrode and the lead wire electrically connected thereto. Therefore, it is possible to warm the waist by placing it on or near the position where the waist of the human body is to be placed on the seat, various chairs, various sofas, etc. of the car and sitting on the waist of the seated human body, and further suffering from low back pain With regard to, the warming of the lumbar region can improve the lumbar blood circulation as much as possible.

When the resistance heating element contains particles emitting far-infrared rays, far infrared rays are radiated from the particles as the temperature of the resistance heating element rises, and this penetrates deeply into the waist of the human body to warm the lower back more effectively. be able to. In the simple portable lumbar support of the present invention, since the heating means of the heater employed is a positive temperature characteristic resistance heating element having self-temperature controllability, the temperature rises by energization, but the electric resistance gradually increases as the temperature rises. The temperature rises only to a certain temperature and can be maintained at that temperature.Therefore, there is no need for a temperature control means such as a thermostat as in a conventional heater using a nichrome wire, and there is no such temperature control means. Can maintain a constant temperature. Since the heater can be formed in a film shape, the heater and thus the entire lumbar support can be made compact. In addition, since it has self-temperature controllability, it consumes less power and is economical. In addition, the heater structure is compact and simple as a whole, and has a small unevenness. When the heater is covered with the exterior member, the unevenness is further reduced, and the heater can be manufactured at low cost.
As a result, the entire lumbar support can be made compact and inexpensive, has a good usability, is easy to carry and can be used easily, and the running cost is low.

The lumbar support according to the present invention is provided with a plug for inserting an electric outlet at an end of a lead wire electrically connected to an electrode of the heater, and the plug can be connected to a cigarette lighter outlet of an automobile. By doing so, it can be used as a waist support for an automobile seat. As a means for heating a car, a means for heating the entire inside of the car with warm air or the like is generally used, but this method requires a large amount of energy, is inefficient, and means for shielding open air from an open car or the like. It is not more suitable for vehicles having no or poor heat insulation efficiency. Further, according to such a heating means, the entire room becomes warm, which may cause drowsiness of the driver and cause danger. In addition, it has been proposed to incorporate a sheet heating element in the seat in advance, but it is necessary to modify the structure of the seat itself, so that it is expensive and it is difficult to apply it to an existing automobile. Further, since the seat and the heating element are integrated, maintenance is difficult. In this regard, the use of the lumbar support for an automobile seat according to the present invention substantially eliminates such a problem. Another advantage is that the warmable lumbar support can be used while saving space in the vehicle.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a simple portable lumbar support according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view thereof.
3 and 4 show the heater in the lumbar support. This lumbar support A can be used as a lumbar support for an automobile seat S, and the heater 1
And a waist support main body 2 and an exterior member 3 covering these
And

The heater 1 is, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4,
A pair of comb-shaped pattern electrodes 13 and 14 and a positive temperature characteristic resistance heating element 15 having self-temperature controllability formed so as to be superposed on the electrodes 13 and 14 are sandwiched between opposed film substrates 11 and 12. is there. Both film substrates 11 and 12
Although not limited thereto, it is substantially transparent here and is formed from polyethylene terephthalate, and one of the film substrates has a thickness of 188 μm and has flexibility,
The other film substrate 12 has a thickness of 125 μm and has flexibility.

The electrodes 13 and 14 are formed on the inner surface of the film substrate 11 having a thickness of 188 μm. More specifically, the electrodes 13 and 14 are formed in a comb shape by printing on the inner surface of the film substrate 11 using a conductive paste composed of 75 parts by weight of silver flakes and 25 parts by weight of polyurethane resin. The comb tooth of one electrode 13 is the other electrode 1
The four comb teeth are formed so as to be spaced from each other. More specifically, the comb teeth of one electrode 13 are arranged so as to be adjacent to and parallel to the comb teeth of the other electrode 14 at intervals. The thickness of each of the electrodes 13 and 14 is about 25 μm.

The resistance heating element 15 is connected to these electrodes 13 and 14.
Is formed in a manner divided into two rows 151 and 152 on the top. Each of the resistance heating elements 151 and 152 is made of a paste of a positive temperature characteristic (PTC) resin composition comprising 40 parts by weight of a thermosetting silicone resin and 60 parts by weight of graphite particles,
By overlapping and printing on 14, they are formed in the same size, in the shape of a rectangle, and in the shape of a sheet and a film. Each of the resistance heating elements 151 and 152 has a thickness of about 40 μm.

The other film substrate 12 is superimposed on the film substrate 11 from above the resistance heating elements 15 (151, 152), and the two film substrates 11, 12 are joined by an adhesive 19. . Heater 1 having such a configuration
Are connected to the resistance heating element 15 (151, 151) through the electrodes 13 and 14.
When the current is supplied to the unit 152 at 12 volts, the surface temperature rises to 55 ° C. after about 5 minutes, and the temperature can be maintained in a range of approximately 50 ° C. ± 10 ° C. even after the current is supplied.

The lumbar support main body 2 has a slight cushioning property so that it can fit the lumbar region of the human body, but has a shape-retaining property that is hardly deformed when the lumbar region leans, and fits the lumbar region. The waist can be maintained in the correct posture as much as possible. Here, it is integrally molded from a urethane foam resin and has heat resistance enough to withstand the maximum temperature that the heater 1 can reach.

The heater 1 is disposed so as to overlap the front surface of the waist support main body 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the exterior member 3 is provided on the skin cloth 31 so as to be disposed between the skin cloth 31 and the heater 1 and between the skin cloth 31 and the heater 1 so as to entirely cover the heater 1 and the waist support main body 2. It is made of urethane foam 32 attached by adhesion, adhesion, or the like, which is thin enough to transmit the heat of the heater 1 to the human waist. The urethane foam 32 may be simply arranged between the skin cloth 31 and the heater 1. Note that the configuration of the exterior member 3 and the material constituting the exterior member 3 are not limited thereto. However, at least the portion near the heater 1 is the heater 1
Have the heat resistance to withstand the maximum heat generation temperature of

A lead wire 16 is connected to the electrodes 13 and 14 of the heater 1 and extends through the exterior member 3 to the outside thereof, and has a plug 17 at the tip. Here, the plug 17 can be connected to an electric outlet for a cigarette lighter provided in an automobile. The lumbar support A described above is disposed along the lower part of the backrest portion of the driver's seat of a normal passenger car, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, and the plug 17 at the end of the lead wire is connected to the electric outlet for cigarette lighter. Electric current is applied to each of the resistance heating elements 151 and 152 at 12 volts through the lead wire 16 and the heater electrodes 13 and 14 to which the lead wires 16 are connected, and the resistance heating elements generate stable heat within a range of approximately 50 ° C. ± 10 ° C. Thus, the front portion of the lumbar support is mainly warmed, and the lumbar region of the driver sitting in the driver's seat can be warmed.

The resistance heating elements 151 and 152 of the heater 1 are also provided.
Contains graphite particles, which emit far-infrared rays when the temperature rises, so that the waist of the driver can be sufficiently warmed and blood circulation can be improved. In the waist support A, since the heating means of the heater 1 employed is the positive temperature characteristic resistance heating element 15 (151, 152) having self-temperature controllability, the temperature rises by energization. The electric resistance increases and rises only to a certain temperature (approximately 50 ° C. ± 10 ° C.), and the temperature can be maintained. Therefore, a temperature control means such as a thermostat such as a conventional heater using a nichrome wire cannot be used. It is not necessary and a constant temperature can be maintained without such a temperature control.

Since the heater 1 is formed flat, the entire waist support A can be formed compact. Further, since the heater 1 has self-temperature controllability, power consumption is reduced and the heater 1 is economical. Further, the heater structure is entirely compact and simple. Further, since the heater 1 is formed flat, the feeling of unevenness is small, and since the heater 1 is covered with the exterior member 3, the feeling of unevenness is further reduced. These provide a good feeling in use. Also, it can be manufactured at low cost.

As a result, the lumbar support A can be made compact and inexpensive as a whole, has a good usability, is easy to carry and can be used easily, and has a low running cost. The waist support A can be used not only for automobile seats but also in various other ways. In this case, if necessary, the plug 17 may be connected to a power supply via an appropriate transformer, or the plug 17 may be changed to another type.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, the waist of the human body can be warmed, whereby the warmth can be maintained and the blood circulation of the waist can be improved accordingly.
It is possible to provide a simple portable lumbar support which has a good usability, is easy to carry, can be used easily, and has a low running cost.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an example of a lumbar support according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the lumbar support shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a heater in the lumbar support shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is another view of the heater in the lumbar support shown in FIG. 1;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List A waist support 1 heater 11, 12 film substrate 13, 14 electrode 15 (151, 152) resistance heating element 16 lead wire 17 plug 2 waist support main body 3 exterior member 31 skin cloth 32 cushion material

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A heater comprising at least a pair of electrodes of a predetermined pattern and a positive temperature characteristic resistance heating element having a self-temperature controllability formed overlying said electrodes between opposed film substrates, and a waist support. A main body portion, and an exterior member that covers at least the heater and maintains the arrangement state of the heater on the lumbar support main body in a state where the heater is arranged on the front side of the lumbar support main body portion, and is portable. Simple portable lumbar support characterized by the presence. 2. The lumbar support according to claim 1, wherein the resistance heating element contains particles that emit far-infrared rays when the temperature rises. 3. The lumbar support according to claim 1, wherein the resistance heating element is provided in a plurality of parts for each pair of electrodes. 4. A lead wire is electrically connected to an electrode of the heater, and a plug for inserting an electrical outlet is connected to an end of the lead wire, and the plug is connected to an outlet for a cigarette lighter of an automobile. 4. A lumbar support according to claim 1, 2 or 3 for a motor vehicle seat which is a possible plug.