VENTILATED MATTRESS AND BED COMPRISING VENTILATED MATTRESS

Abstract

A ventilated mattress for a bed minimizes the leakage of external air, having flowed in from the outside, through a portion other than ventilation holes, and thus has improved ventilation performance.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a mattress having improved ventilation performance and a bed including the mattress.

BACKGROUND ART

A bed provides comfort and convenience during sleep, and typically consists of a bed frame and a mattress.

In a typical mattress, the temperature is maintained according to the temperature of a bedroom when a user sleeps. Since the temperature of the bedroom is high in summer, the temperature of the mattress is also increased, whereas in winter, the temperature of the mattress is reversely lowered.

That is, in summer, the temperature of the mattress rises so that the user feels the heat, and in winter, the user feels the cold. In order to solve this problem, a cool mat providing a cold feeling to the user in summer, and a heated mat and an electric heat mat providing warmth to the user in winter have been installed on top of the mattress.

When using a cool mat or a heated mat installed on top of a mattress, the user's body comes into contact with the cool mat or heated mat, not the mattress. Therefore, there is a disadvantage in that the comfort and convenience provided by the mattress itself are reduced.

Meanwhile, Japanese Patent Registration No. 5960669 discloses an air-conditioning bed in which a blower is installed on a bed frame on which the mattress is placed without installing a configuration such as a cool mat or a heated mat on the top of a mattress and which is equipped with a temperature control device for selectively heating or cooling the air transported by the blower. According to the document above, it is possible to provide a user with a cold feeling or warmth regardless of the temperature of the bedroom while providing the comfort and convenience of the mattress itself. However, before the air transported by the blower passes through the mattress and is delivered to the user, the air leaks through the side of the mattress, so that there is a disadvantage in that the amount of air actually delivered to the user is not large.

In order to solve the above disadvantages, Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1913785 discloses a configuration in which a bottom part made of a non-air permeable material is disposed on the lower of a mattress so that the air transported from a blower is discharged only through a ventilation portion. However, this also has a problem in that a sufficient amount of air is not delivered to be perceived by the user.

Accordingly, the need for a ventilated mattress and a bed in which a sufficient amount of air can be discharged from the surface of the mattress to be felt by the user while maintaining the comfort and convenience provided by the mattress, is growing.

PRIOR-ART DOCUMENTS

• Japanese Patent Registration No. 5960669 (Aug. 2, 2016)
• Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1913785 (Oct. 25, 2018)

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Technical Problem

According to the present invention, the present invention provides a ventilated mattress and a bed including the ventilated mattress, in which, as the upper part and the side part of the mattress excluding ventilation holes are covered by a second fabric layer made of a non-air permeable material, external air having flowed in from by a blowing device does not leak but is discharged only through the ventilation holes and thus ventilation performance can be improved.

In addition, the present invention also provides a ventilated mattress and a bed including the ventilated mattress, in which, as the diameter of a first ventilation hole of the ventilation holes is smaller than the diameter of a second ventilation hole, external air passing through the first ventilation hole is dispersed in multiple directions when external air is discharged to the outside through a second ventilation hole so that a blowing area can be increased.

In addition, the present invention also provides a ventilated mattress and a bed including the ventilated mattress, in which, as a spring is installed between a lower frame and a first fabric layer and an interior space is formed, air balance can be achieved in the inner space so that, even when external air is discharged through an arbitrary ventilation hole, the external air with the same pressure can be delivered to a user.

In addition, the present invention also provides a ventilated mattress and a bed including the ventilated mattress, in which cool air and warm air can be selectively transported to one or more of the left and right parts of a bed mattress through flow path conversion in the blowing device.

Technical Solution

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mattress having an inlet hole 180 formed in a lower part thereof and a plurality of ventilation holes 150 formed in an upper part thereof, the mattress including: a lower frame 110 having the inlet hole 180 therein; a first fabric layer 120 being spaced apart from an upper surface of the lower frame 110 by a preset distance and having an inner space S formed between the lower frame 110 and the first fabric layer 120; a second fabric layer 130 disposed to surround upper and outer surfaces of the first fabric layer 120, an outer surface of the inner space S and an outer surface of the lower frame; and a foam layer 140 disposed on the second fabric layer 130, wherein the plurality of ventilation holes 150 are formed while vertically penetrating the foam layer 140, the second fabric layer 130, and the first fabric layer 120, and external air flowed in through the inlet hole 180 is discharged through the inner space S and the plurality of ventilation holes 150.

The ventilation holes 150 may include: a first ventilation hole 151 penetrating the first fabric layer 120 and the second fabric layer 130; and a second ventilation hole 152 vertically aligned with the first ventilation hole 151 and penetrating the foam layer 140, and a diameter of the first ventilation hole 151 may be less than a diameter of the second ventilation hole 152.

A center point on a cross section of the first ventilation hole 151 and a center point on a cross section of the second ventilation hole 152 may be vertically aligned.

The second fabric layer 130 may be formed of a non-air permeable material.

The second fabric layer 130 may include: a lower layer 131 formed of polyester (PE); an intermediate layer 132 stacked on the lower layer 131 and made of polyurethane (PU); and an upper layer 133 stacked on the intermediate layer 132 and made of a mixed material of PE and PU.

The mattress may further include a plurality of springs 160 installed in the inner space S and supporting the first fabric layer 120.

The mattress may further include a third fabric layer 170 having a mesh structure installed on the foam layer 140.

The mattress may further include a topper 200 detachably installed on the third fabric layer 170, wherein the topper 200 may include: a first topper fabric layer 210 having a mesh structure contacting the third fabric layer 170; a topper foam layer 220 stacked on the first topper fabric layer 210 and made of an air permeable material; and a second topper fabric layer 230 stacked on the topper foam layer 220, and external air passing through the plurality of ventilation holes 150 is discharged to the outside through the second topper fabric layer 230.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bed including: the mattress 100 according to the above-described embodiments; and a blowing device 300 installed in the inlet hole 180 at a lower part of an outside of the mattress 100, inhaling external air and discharging the inhaled external air into an inner space S of the mattress 100, wherein the blowing device 300 may include: a body 310 having an inlet 311 through which the external air is inhaled, and an outlet 312 through which the external air inhaled into the inlet 311 is discharged; a blower 320 installed in the body 310 and generating a flow of external air from the inlet 311 to the outlet 312; and a hollow duct 340 extending from the outlet 312 and combined with the inlet hole 180, wherein the duct 340 may include: a connection portion 341 communicating with the outlet 312; and a first discharge passage 342 and a second discharge passage 343 branching from the connection portion 341, and the blowing device 300 may further include a flow path conversion portion 350 installed in the duct 340 and being movable to allow the connection portion 341 to communicate only with one of the first discharge passage 342 and the second discharge passage 343 or all of the first discharge passage 342 and the second discharge passage 343, and external air inhaled by the blowing device 300 may be discharged through the plurality of ventilation holes 150 of the mattress 100.

The blowing device 300 may further include a heater 360 installed in the duct 340 and heating external air toward the mattress 100, wherein the flow path conversion portion 350 may be installed in the duct 340 and is closer to the outlet 312 than the heater 360.

The connection portion 341 may include a first connection portion 341a that narrows as it moves away from the outlet and a second connection portion 341b that widens as it moves away from the first connection portion 341a, and the flow path conversion portion 350 may include: a flow path conversion member 351 extending from a center of the heater 360 toward the outlet 312; and a driving member 353 moving the flow path conversion member 351 to allow the connection portion 341 to communicate only with one of the first discharge passage 342 and the second discharge passage 343 or all of the first discharge passage 342 and the second discharge passage 343, and a length of the flow path conversion member 351 may be greater than a length from a center of the heater 360 to a connection point of the first connection portion 341a and the second connection portion 341b.

A first position recognition portion 353 may be installed in the flow path conversion member 351, and a second position recognition portion 344 that is activated to generate an electrical signal when a distance between the first position recognition portion 353 and the second position recognition portion 344 is less than a preset distance, may be disposed on both outer surfaces, the top or bottom surface of the first connection portion 341a.

The heater 360 may include: a first heater 361 provided between the connection portion 341 and the first discharge passage 342; and a second heater 362 provided between the connection portion 341 and the second discharge passage 343 and being operable independently of the first heater 361.

The blowing device 300 may further include: an input portion 370 into which blowing temperature and an operation command to selectively blow air to one or more of left and right sides of the mattress are input; and a controller 380 controlling operations of the driving member 352 and the heater 360 according to the command input into the input portion 370, wherein the controller 380 may control the driving member 352 to generate an electrical signal in the second position recognition portion 344 among a plurality of second position recognition portions 344 determined according to the operation command.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a blowing method using the bed according to the above-described embodiment.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program stored in a computer-readable recording medium to execute the blowing method.

Effects of the Invention

A ventilated mattress and a bed including the ventilated mattress according to the present invention have the effects, in which, as the upper part and the side part of the mattress excluding ventilation holes are covered by a second fabric layer made of a non-air permeable material, external air having flowed in from by a blowing device does not leak but is discharged only through the ventilation holes and thus ventilation performance can be improved.

In addition, as the diameter of a first ventilation hole of the ventilation holes is smaller than the diameter of a second ventilation hole, external air passing through the first ventilation hole is dispersed in multiple directions when external air is discharged to the outside through a second ventilation hole so that a blowing area can be increased.

In addition, as a spring is installed between a lower frame and a first fabric layer and an interior space is formed, air balance can be achieved in the inner space so that, even when external air is discharged through an arbitrary ventilation hole, the external air with the same pressure can be delivered to a user.

In addition, cool air and warm air can be selectively transported to one or more of the left and right parts of a bed mattress through flow path conversion in the blowing device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view for describing a bed equipped with a mattress, a topper, and a blowing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along a line A-A′ of FIG. 1 so as to describe an internal structure of the bed shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of FIG. 2 for describing the configuration of first through third fabric layers and a foam layer.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are views of the bed of FIG. 1 from the side.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are views for specifically describing the blowing device installed in the bed of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 8 to 10 are views for specifically describing the blowing device, FIG. 8 is a view for describing that external air inhaled by a blower is discharged through all of a first discharge path and a second discharge path, FIG. 9 is a view for describing that external air inhaled by the blower is discharged only through the first discharge path, and FIG. 10 is a view for describing that external air inhaled by the blower is discharged only through the second discharge path.

FIGS. 11 and 12 are views for describing verification experiments for verifying blowing excellence of a bed according to the present invention and the result thereof.

MODE OF THE INVENTION

In some cases, well-known structures and devices may be omitted or shown in the form of a block diagram focusing on key functions of each structure and device in order to avoid obscuring the concept of the present invention.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to “comprising or including” a certain component, it does not exclude other components unless otherwise stated, meaning that other components may be further included. In addition, terms such as “ . . . unit”, “ . . . group”, and “module” described in the present specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software. In addition, “a or an”, “one”, “the” and similar related terms in the context of describing the present invention (in particular, in the context of the following claims) may be used in a sense including both the singular and the plural unless indicated or clearly contradicted by the context.

In describing the embodiments of the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a well-known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the terms to be described later are terms defined in consideration of functions in an embodiment of the present invention, which may vary according to intentions or customs of users and operators. Therefore, the definition should be made based on the content throughout the present specification.

Hereinafter, the term “external air” refers to a fluid that is inhaled into a blowing device and is discharged through a ventilation holes by an operation of a blower of the blowing device, and may be air outside a bed in an example.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to FIG. 1, a bed 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a mattress 100, a topper 200, and a blowing device 300.

First, the mattress 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be first described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

The mattress 100 is configured to be installed at a frame of the bed 400, includes a layer of cushioning material, and provides comfort and convenience to a user.

The mattress 100 according to the present invention is installed and spaced apart from the ground by a predetermined distance by a leg portion 101 installed in the lower part. The blowing device 300 is installed in space between the mattress 100 and the ground, and a detailed description of the blowing device 300 is provided below.

Referring to FIG. 2, the mattress 100 according to the present invention has an inlet hole 180 formed at the bottom and a plurality of ventilation holes 150 formed at the top. The blowing device 300 to be described later is installed in the inlet hole 180, and the blowing device 300 inhales external air and discharges the inhaled external air to the outside through the plurality of ventilation holes 150. A user sits on top of the mattress 100 (i.e., the user is lying on top of the mattress), and external air passing through the ventilation holes 150 contacts the user to deliver a cold feeling or warmth.

Referring back to FIG. 2, the mattress 100 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

The mattress 100 includes a lower frame 110, a first fabric layer 120, a second fabric layer 130, a foam layer 140, ventilation holes 150, a spring 160, a third fabric layer 170, and an inlet hole 180.

The lower frame 110 serves to support components stacked on top of the mattress 100 at the lower part of the mattress 100.

The lower frame 110 includes a first lower frame 111 and a second lower frame 112.

A plurality of first lower frames 111 are provided, and are arranged in parallel while being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. In one example, the plurality of first lower frames 111 may be made of wood.

A plurality of second lower frames 112 are also provided, and are arranged in parallel while being spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. The parallel arrangement direction of the second lower frames 112 is different from the parallel arrangement direction of the first lower frames 111, and in one example, the second lower frames 112 may be arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the parallel arrangement direction of the first lower frames 111. In one example, the second lower frames 112 may be made of polypropylene (PP).

The first fabric layer 120 is spaced apart from the upper surface of the lower frame 110 by a predetermined distance. As the first fabric layer 120 is spaced apart from the lower frame 110 by a predetermined distance, a predetermined inner space S is formed between the first fabric layer 120 and the lower frame 110.

The second fabric layer 130 is disposed on the first fabric layer 120, and the foam layer 140 is disposed on the second fabric layer 130. The ventilation holes 150 are a configuration formed while vertically penetrating the foam layer 140, the second fabric layer 130, and the first fabric layer 120.

Referring to FIG. 2, the second fabric layer 130 includes a lower layer 131, an intermediate layer 132, and an upper layer 133.

The lower layer 131 is a configuration for increasing the thickness of the second fabric layer 130 and preventing breakage, and may be made of polyester (PE) in one example. The second fabric layer 130 is in contact with the upper surface of the first fabric layer 120, and a portion in contact with the upper surface of the first fabric layer 120 is the lower layer 131 of the second fabric layer 130.

The intermediate layer 132 is disposed on the lower layer 131 and is configured to adhere to the lower layer 131 and the upper layer 133 to each other. In one example, the intermediate layer 132 may be made of polyurethane (PU).

The upper layer 133 is disposed on the intermediate layer 132 and is made of a non-air permeable material. In one example, the upper layer 133 may be made of a mixed material including polyester and polyurethane.

As shown in FIG. 2, the second fabric layer 130 is disposed to surround the upper and outer surfaces of the first fabric layer 120, the outer surface of the inner space S and the outer surface of the lower frame 110. To this end, the second fabric layer 130 may extend to surround a portion of the lower surface of the lower frame 110, and is fixed to the lower frame 110 by a separate fixing member (not shown).

As described above, the second fabric layer 130 includes an upper layer 133 made of a non-air permeable material. Thus, external air introduced through the inlet hole 180 needs to pass through the inner space S and the ventilated holes 150 to be discharged to the outside. External air is not leaked to the side and bottom of the mattress 100 by the second fabric layer 130, and may be discharged to the outside only through the ventilation holes 150, so that external air passing through the ventilation holes 150 has a faster speed and is delivered to the user.

The foam layer 140 is disposed on the second fabric layer 130, and as described above, the ventilation holes 150 are formed through the top and bottom. The foam layer 140 may be made of any material having certain strength and restoring force so as to provide comfort and convenience to the user.

The ventilation holes 150 are formed while vertically penetrating the foam layer 140, the second fabric layer 130, and the first fabric layer 120.

Referring to FIG. 3, the ventilation holes 150 include a first ventilation hole 151 formed while vertically penetrating the second fabric layer 130 and the first fabric layer 120, and a second ventilation hole 152 formed while vertically penetrating the foam layer 140.

According to the present invention, the center point on the cross section of the first ventilation hole 151 and the center point on the cross section of the second ventilation hole 152 are vertically aligned, so that external air passing through the first ventilation hole 151 immediately passes through the second ventilation hole 152 and is discharged to the outside.

In addition, the diameter of the first ventilation hole 151 may be smaller than that of the second ventilation hole 152. Due to the above configuration, when external air passing through the first ventilation hole 151 is discharged to the outside through the second ventilation hole 152, external air is discharged while being dispersed in multiple directions as shown in FIG. 3. From the user's point of view, an advantage that external air inhaled by the blowing device 300 may contact a wider body area is achieved.

The spring 160 is installed in the inner space S. The lower portion of the spring 160 is connected to the lower frame 110, and the upper portion of the spring 160 is disposed to be connected to the first fabric layer 120, thereby supporting the first fabric layer 120.

A plurality of springs 160 are provided, and in an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of springs 160 may be Bonnell springs in which all of them are connected. Referring to FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the springs 160 in another embodiment of the present invention may be independent springs each having an independent form.

The springs 160 have a predetermined elastic force, and thus, the springs 160 support the first fabric layer 120 and at the same time absorb shock.

As the springs 160 are installed in the inner space S, external air inhaled by the blowing device 300 flows into the inner space S to achieve pressure equilibrium. External air having the same pressure is disposed over the entire area of the inner space S, and thus, external air having the same pressure may be applied to the user even when external air is discharged through any ventilation hole 150.

A third fabric layer 170 is disposed on the foam layer 140. The third fabric layer 170 has a plurality of mesh structures. The mesh structure is a so-called net-like structure, in which a structure with a plurality of holes is repeatedly formed.

As the third fabric layer 170 is formed of a plurality of mesh structures, external air passing through the ventilation holes 150 is discharged to the outside through holes inside the mesh structure of the third fabric layer 170.

The third fabric layer 170 actually contacts the user's body, and the user receives a cold feeling or warmth from external air passing through the third fabric layer 170.

The outer surface of the second fabric layer 130 is covered by the fourth fabric layer 191, and in one example, the fourth fabric layer 191 may be made of silk.

In addition, the bottom surface of the mattress 100 according to the present invention is covered by the fifth fabric layer 192, the outer surface of the mattress 100 is covered by the sixth fabric layer 193, and the fifth fabric layer 192 and the sixth fabric layer 193 may be made of any material.

That is, when the mattress 100 according to the present invention is viewed from the outside, the upper portion of the mattress 100 is covered by the third fabric layer 170, the lower portion of the mattress 100 is covered by the fifth fabric layer 192, and the side portion of the mattress 100 is covered by the sixth fabric layer 193.

The bed 400 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a topper 200 disposed on the mattress 100.

The topper 200 may be detachably provided on the mattress 100 and includes a first topper fabric layer 210, a topper foam layer 220, and a second topper fabric layer 230.

In order to be attached to the mattress 100, a separate first coupling member (not shown) may be formed in the lower portion of the topper 200, and a second coupling member (not shown) to be coupled to the first coupling member may be formed on the upper portion of the mattress 100 corresponding thereto. The first coupling member and the second coupling member may be, for example, a sealing tape. However, embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and any configuration capable of coupling the mattress 100 and the topper 200 to each other may be applied.

The first topper fabric layer 210 is configured to contact the upper portion of the mattress 100 and may include a plurality of mesh structures similar to the third fabric layer 170.

The topper foam layer 220 is disposed on the first topper fabric layer 210 and may be made of an air permeable foam material in one example.

The second topper fabric layer 230 is disposed on the topper foam layer 220 and is a portion that directly contacts the user's body, and in one example, may have a plurality of mesh structures or may be manufactured of an air permeable material.

As the topper 200 has air permeability, external air inhaled by the blowing device 300 and discharged through the ventilation holes 150 passes through the third fabric layer 170 and the topper 200 to be delivered to the user.

The blowing device 300 serves to inhale external air and discharges the inhaled external air into the inner space S of the mattress 100, and a heater 360 is installed inside the inner space of the blowing device 300 and may selectively heat external air discharged into the inner space S according to an input command.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the blowing device 300 is installed under the mattress 100 while being spaced apart from the ground by a predetermined distance.

A duct 340 of the blowing device 300 is installed through the mattress 100, one end of the blowing device 300 is fixed, and the other end of the blowing device 300 is supported by a leg portion 301 from the ground.

The duct 340 is installed through the lower frame 110 of the mattress 100, so that external air discharged from the duct 340 may be directly introduced into the inner space S of the mattress 100. As a method for fixing the duct 340 to the mattress 100, any fixing method may be applied, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the blowing device 300 according to the present invention includes a body 310, a blowing device 320, a flow path forming housing 330, a duct 340, a flow path conversion portion 350, a heater 360, an input portion 370, and a controller 380.

The body 310 is a part forming the exterior of the main body of the blowing device 300, and has a lower part and a part of the side part opened. The open lower part of the body 310 corresponds to an inlet 311, and the open side part corresponds to an outlet 312.

A filter f is detachably installed in the inlet 311. Foreign substances such as dust included in external air inhaled into the inlet 311 by the operation of a blower 320 may be filtered by the filter f, and the user may be provided with fresh external air from which the foreign substances are filtered.

The blower 320 and the flow path forming housing 330 are installed inside the body 310.

The blower 320 is configured to generate a flow of external air from the inlet 311 of the body 310 toward the outlet 312. To this end, the blower 320 includes a fan, and the flow of external air is generated according to rotation of a fan.

The flow path forming housing 330 is formed outside the blower 320 to form a flow path through which external air introduced into the inlet 311 is discharged through the outlet 312. One side of the flow path forming housing 330 is formed to surround the outside of the blower 320 while spaced apart from the outer surface of the blower 320 by a predetermined distance, and the other side of the flow path forming housing 330 is connected to the outlet 312. Therefore, external air introduced from the inlet 311 by the operation of the blower 320 passes through the flow path formed by the flow path forming housing 330 and is directed toward the outlet 312.

One side of the duct 340 is connected to the outlet 312 of the body 310, and the other side of the duct 340 passes through the mattress 100 and is connected to the inner space S. Therefore, external air passes through the inlet 311, the flow path, the outlet 312, and the duct 340 and is supplied to the inner space S of the mattress 100.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the duct 340 includes a connection portion 341 connected to the outlet 312, a first discharge passage 342 and a second discharge passage 343 branching from the connection portion 341, respectively. Although FIG. 6 illustrates that the duct 340 has two discharge passages, the duct 340 may also have one or three or more discharge passages.

Inside the duct 340, a heater 360 for heating external air passing through the duct 340 is installed, and a flow path conversion portion 350 is disposed at the front end of the heater 360 (closer to the outlet than the heater).

By the movement of the flow path conversion portion 350, the connection portion 341 communicates with only one of the first discharge passage 342 and the second discharge passage 343, or all of the first discharge passage 342 and the second discharge passages 343.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 10, the flow path conversion portion 350 includes a flow path conversion member 351 and a driving member 352.

The connection portion 341 includes a first connection portion 341a that narrows as it moves away from the outlet 312, and a second connection portion 341b that is connected to the first connection portion 341a and widens as it moves away from the first connection portion 341a.

The flow path conversion member 351 is formed to extend from the central portion of the heater 360 (in one example, an extension portion may extend from the central portion of the heater, and the flow path conversion member may extend from the extension portion). The length of the flow path conversion member 351 is greater than the length from the central portion of the heater 360 to a connection point between the first connection portion 341a and the second connection portion 341b. The flow path conversion member 351 is rotated by the driving member 352, and when the flow path conversion member 351 is rotated at a predetermined angle or more, the flow path conversion member 351 comes into contact with the left inner surface or the right inner surface of the first connection portion 341a. When the flow path conversion member 351 comes into contact with the left inner surface or the right inner surface of the first connection portion 341a, the connection portion 341 communicates with only the discharge passage (when the flow path conversion member 351 comes into contact with the left inner surface, the second discharge passage, when the flow path conversion member 351 comes into contact with the right inner surface, the first discharge passage) corresponding to a position where the connection portion 341 comes into contact. As the flow path conversion member 351 is configured to have the above-described length, external air discharged from the outlet 312 may be discharged only through the discharge passage communicating with the connecting portion 341 without leaking to other discharge passages.

The driving member 352 is connected to the flow path conversion member 351 and is configured to provide a driving force for rotation of the flow path conversion member 351. In one example, the driving member 352 may be a motor, and the flow path conversion member 351 may rotate using a portion connected to the driving member 352 as a rotation axis.

The heater 360 is installed at the rear end of the flow path conversion portion 350 and is configured to heat external air passing through the heater 360. The heater 360 includes a first heater 361 provided on the side of the first discharge passage 342 and a second heater 362 provided on the side of the second discharge passage 343 and operable independently of the first heater 361.

As the first heater 361 and the second heater 362 are operable independently, various modes can be implemented.

In a state in which the first discharge passage 342 and the second discharge passage 343 are all in communication with each other through the connection portion 341, the heating operation of any one heater is stopped so that only external air passing through any one discharge passage is heated, and heated external air may also be provided to only one of the left or right side of the mattress 100 by activating the heating operation of the other heater. In addition, in a state in which the connection portion 341 communicates with only one discharge passage, unheated external air or heated external air may be discharged to the outside of the mattress 100 through turning on/off the heating operation of the heater located in the corresponding discharge passage.

The input portion 370 is configured to input blowing temperature of external air discharged from the blowing device 300 and an operation command to selectively blow air to one or more of the left and right sides of the mattress 100. The input portion 370 may be provided in the form of, for example, a touch panel, or may be provided with a plurality of input buttons.

The controller 380 is installed in the body 310 and configured to control the operation of the blowing device 300 (an operation of the blower, an operation of the heater, an operation of the driving member, etc.) according to the operation command input through the input portion 370.

The operation of the driving member 352 using the controller 380 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 to 10.

A first position recognition portion 353 is disposed in the flow path conversion member 351, and a second position recognition portion 344 that is activated to generate an electrical signal when a distance between the first position recognition portion 353 and the second position recognition portion 344 is less than a preset distance, is disposed on both outer surfaces, the top or bottom surface of the first connection portion 341a.

A situation in which a command to blow air only through the first discharge passage 342 is input to the input portion 370, is assumed. The controller 380 controls the blower 320 to operate, and controls the driving member 352 so that the flow path conversion member 351 comes into contact with the left inner surface of the first connection portion 341a. At this time, the controller 380 rotates the flow path conversion member 351 until an electrical signal is generated from the second position recognition portion 344 disposed on the left inner surface of the first connection portion 341a. The fact that the electrical signal is generated by the second position recognition portion 344 disposed on the left inner surface of the first connection portion 341a means a state in which the distance between the first position recognition portion 353 and the second position recognition portion 344 of the flow path conversion member 351 is less than a predetermined distance (more specifically, a state in which the first position recognition portion and the second position recognition portion are in contact with each other). Therefore, it is possible to rotate the flow path conversion member 351 to a position corresponding thereto according to a command input to the input portion 370.

Validation Experiment

An experiment was conducted to verify the superiority of the blowing performance of the bed according to the present invention.

An experiment was conducted to measure the speed of external air delivered to an actual user by using a meter for measuring wind speed (a) at the top of the topper 200 in a state in which the mattress 100 according to the present invention is combined with the topper 200, and (b) at the top of the mattress 100 in a state in which the mattress 100 is separated from the topper 200 while changing the rotation speed of the blower for supplying external air to the mattress i) in the mattress 100 according to the present invention equipped with the blowing device 300 and ii) in a mattress according to the related art.

As shown in FIG. 11, the wind speed was measured at 20 positions (4×5) of the top of the mattress 100 or the top of the topper 200, respectively, and the results shown in FIG. 12 were obtained.

As a result of the experiment, in the mattress according to the related art, effective data was not measured by a measuring instrument disposed on the mattress because air from the blowing device leaked through the side of the mattress before being delivered to the upper surface of the mattress or due to air resistance.

That is, in a mattress structure according to the related art, even if external air is provided from the bottom of the mattress through the blowing device, external air is not discharged to the extent that the user at the top of the mattress recognizes it.

On the other hand, in the bed according to the present invention, even if the blower 320 rotates at a speed of 280 RPM, the average speed of 1.57 m/s was obtained at 20 positions and external air was discharged, and it was possible to obtain the result that outside air was discharged with an average speed of 0.06 m/s even if the topper 200 is combined with the top of the mattress 100.

Meanwhile, the American Society for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (ASHRAE) defines still air as wind having a speed of 0.15 m/s or less.

According to the present invention, even if the blower 320 is rotated at a low speed, it was confirmed that external air is discharged with a speed exceeding 0.15 m/s at the top of the mattress 100, and it was confirmed that external air is discharged with a speed exceeding 0.15 m/s when the blower 320 is rotated at a high speed (e.g., 590 RPM) even if the topper 200 is combined with the top of the mattress 100.

As a result of the experiment, it was confirmed that in the mattress structure according to the related art, the air transported from the blower leaks to the outside before it is delivered to the top of the mattress, or the air transported to the user lying on the top of the actual mattress is not delivered due to air resistance.

In addition, in the mattress 100 structure according to the present invention, it was confirmed that the air transported from the blower is delivered with a speed fast enough to be recognized by the user lying on the top of the mattress 100, and furthermore, it was confirmed that the air was delivered with a speed high enough to be recognized by a user lying on top of the topper 200 even if the topper 200 is combined with the top of the mattress 100.

A blowing method according to an embodiment of the present invention described above may be implemented in the form of program instructions that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be specially designed and configured for the present invention, or may be known and available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, or hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to carry out the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.

EXPLANATION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

• • 100: mattress
  • 101: leg portion
  • 110: lower frame
  • 111: first lower frame
  • 112: second lower frame
  • 120: first fabric layer
  • 130: second fabric layer
  • 131: lower layer
  • 132: intermediate layer
  • 133: upper layer
  • 140: foam layer
  • 150: ventilation holes
  • 151: first ventilation hole
  • 152: second ventilation hole
  • 160: spring
  • 170: third fabric layer
  • 180: inlet hole
  • 191: fourth fabric layer
  • 192: third fabric layer
  • 193: sixth fabric layer
  • 200: topper
  • 210: first topper fabric layer
  • 220: topper foam layer
  • 230: second topper fabric layer
  • 300: blowing device
  • 301: leg portion
  • 310: body
  • 311: inlet
  • 312: outlet
  • 320: blower
  • 330: flow path forming housing
  • 340: duct
  • 341: connection portion
  • 341a: first connection portion
  • 341b: second connection portion
  • 342: first discharge passage
  • 343: second discharge passage
  • 344: second position recognition portion
  • 350: flow path conversion portion
  • 351: flow path conversion member
  • 352: driving member
  • 353: first position recognition portion
  • 360: heater
  • 361: first heater
  • 362: second heater
  • 370: input portion
  • 380: controller
  • 400: bed

Claims

1-16. (canceled)

17. A mattress having an inlet hole formed in a lower part thereof and a plurality of ventilation holes formed in an upper part thereof, the mattress comprising:

a lower frame having the inlet hole therein;

a first fabric layer being spaced apart from an upper surface of the lower frame by a preset distance and having an inner space formed between the lower frame and the first fabric layer;

a second fabric layer disposed to surround upper and outer surfaces of the first fabric layer, an outer surface of the inner space and an outer surface of the lower frame; and

a foam layer disposed on the second fabric layer,

wherein the plurality of ventilation holes is formed while vertically penetrating the foam layer, the second fabric layer, and the first fabric layer, and

external air flowed in through the inlet hole is discharged through the inner space and the plurality of ventilation holes.

18. The mattress of claim 17, wherein the ventilation holes comprise:

a first ventilation hole penetrating the first fabric layer and the second fabric layer; and

a second ventilation hole vertically aligned with the first ventilation hole and penetrating the foam layer, and

a diameter of the first ventilation hole is less than a diameter of the second ventilation hole.

19. The mattress of claim 18, wherein a center point on a cross section of the first ventilation hole and a center point on a cross section of the second ventilation hole are vertically aligned.

20. The mattress of claim 17, wherein the second fabric layer is formed of a non-air permeable material.

21. The mattress of claim 20, wherein the second fabric layer comprises:

a lower layer formed of polyester;

an intermediate layer stacked on the lower layer and made of polyurethane; and

an upper layer stacked on the intermediate layer and made of a mixed material of polyester and polyurethane.

22. The mattress of claim 17, further comprising a plurality of springs installed in the inner space and supporting the first fabric layer.

23. The mattress of claim 17, further comprising a third fabric layer having a mesh structure installed on the foam layer.

24. The mattress of claim 23, further comprising a topper detachably installed on the third fabric layer,

wherein the topper comprises: a first topper fabric layer having a mesh structure contacting the third fabric layer; a topper foam layer stacked on the first topper fabric layer and made of an air permeable material; and a second topper fabric layer stacked on the topper foam layer, and

wherein external air passing through the plurality of ventilation holes is discharged to an outside through the second topper fabric layer.

25. A bed comprising:

the mattress of claim 17; and

a blowing device installed in the inlet hole at a lower part of an outside of the mattress, the blowing device being configured to inhale external air and discharge the inhaled external air into the inner space of the mattress,

wherein the blowing device comprises: a body having an inlet through which the external air is inhaled, and an outlet through which the external air inhaled into the inlet is discharged; a blower installed in the body and generating a flow of external air from the inlet to the outlet; and a hollow duct extending from the outlet and combined with the inlet hole,

wherein the duct comprises: a connection portion communicating with the outlet; and a first discharge passage and a second discharge passage branching from the connection portion,

wherein the blowing device further comprises a flow path conversion portion installed in the duct and being movable to allow the connection portion to communicate only with one of the first discharge passage and the second discharge passage or all of the first discharge passage and the second discharge passage, and

wherein the external air inhaled by the blowing device is discharged through the plurality of ventilation holes of the mattress.

26. The bed of claim 25, wherein the blowing device further comprises a heater installed in the duct and configured to heat external air toward the mattress, wherein the flow path conversion portion is installed in the duct and is closer to the outlet than the heater.

27. The bed of claim 26, wherein the connection portion comprises a first connection portion that narrows as the connection portion moves away from the outlet and a second connection portion that widens as the second connection portion moves away from the first connection portion, and

the flow path conversion portion comprises: a flow path conversion member extending from a center of the heater toward the outlet; and a driving member that moves the flow path conversion member to allow the connection portion to communicate only with one of the first discharge passage and the second discharge passage or all of the first discharge passage and the second discharge passage, and

wherein a length of the flow path conversion member is greater than a length from a center of the heater to a connection point of the first connection portion and the second connection portion.

28. The bed of claim 27, wherein a first position recognition portion is installed in the flow path conversion member, and a second position recognition portion that is activated to generate an electrical signal when a distance between the first position recognition portion and the second position recognition portion is less than a preset distance, is disposed on both outer surfaces, the top or bottom surface of the first connection portion.

29. The bed of claim 28, wherein the heater comprises:

a first heater provided between the connection portion and the first discharge passage; and

a second heater provided between the connection portion and the second discharge passage and being operable independently of the first heater.

30. The bed of claim 29, wherein the blowing device further comprises:

an input portion into which blowing temperature and an operation command to selectively blow air to one or more of left and right sides of the mattress are input; and

a controller configured to control operations of the driving member and the heater according to the command input into the input portion,

wherein the controller controls the driving member to generate an electrical signal in the second position recognition portion among a plurality of second position recognition portions determined according to the operation command.

31. A blowing method using the bed of claim 27.

32. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a program that, when executed by a computer, causes the computer to execute the blowing method of claim 31.