Inflatable cell, a method of manufacturing such a cell, and a support device including such a cell

Abstract

An inflatable cell that is inflatable with a fluid, such as air, comprises a flexible casing that is closed at its ends, the casing defining, between its walls, at least one inflatable chamber; and at least one fluid insertion means for inserting fluid into the chamber and at least one fluid removal means for removing fluid from said chamber, these insertion and removal means being bonded in substantially airtight manner to at least one end of the casing; and at least one link means for linking the cell to another identical cell, which link means are integral with or secured to the casing. A method of manufacturing such a cell and a support device of the mattress type that is manufactured on the basis of assembling together such cells are also disclosed.

1 . An inflatable cell that is inflatable with a fluid such as air and that comprises:
 a flexible casing that is closed at its ends in the longitudinal direction, said casing defining, between its walls, at least one inflatable chamber that is substantially cylindrical in shape after inflation; and   at least one fluid insertion means for inserting fluid into said chamber and at least one fluid removal means for removing fluid from said chamber, these insertion and removal means being bonded in substantially airtight manner to at least one of said ends of the casing; and   at least one link means for linking the cell to another identical cell, which means are integral with or secured to the casing;   wherein:   1) the tubular casing is constituted by a segment of tube or sheath made of an extruded thermoplastic material, which segment is closed at its ends by respective welds along respective lines that are curved lines and that extend substantially transversely relative to the axial longitudinal direction of the sheath at said closed ends; and   2) the opposite faces of the tubular casing are bonded together by a longitudinal weld extending between said closed ends of the casing over a fraction of its length only, thereby separating said inflatable chamber into two inflatable compartments, namely an upper compartment and a lower compartment in the form of sausage-shaped tubes that are superposed and that communicate with each other at their ends.   
   
   
       2 . An inflatable cell according to  claim 1 , wherein the opposite faces of said tubular casing are welded to each other transversely in end zones beyond said closed ends of said casing. 
   
   
       3 . An inflatable cell according to  claim 2 , wherein said fluid insertion means and said fluid removal means are constituted by tubular end-pieces welded at the weld of at least one of said closed ends of the casing, said end-pieces communicating with said inflatable chamber, said tubular end-pieces being interposed between the opposite faces of said tubular wall that are welded together transversely at a said closed end. 
   
   
       4 . An inflatable cell according to  claim 1 , wherein said link means are formed integrally with the tubular casing of the cell, in one of said welded end zones of the cell, in the form of a tongue extending beyond said closed end of the casing. 
   
   
       5 . An inflatable cell according to  claim 1 , wherein said link means are provided with or co-operate with reversible fastener means suitable for co-operating with identical link means or with identical reversible fastener means and/or with complementary reversible fastener means of another identical inflatable cell so as to make it possible to establish a reversible link between the cell and said other identical cell, and to establish reversible links between the cell and two other cells. 
   
   
       6 . An inflatable cell according to  claim 4 , wherein said link means are provided with or co-operate with reversible fastener means suitable for co-operating with identical link means or with identical reversible fastener means and/or with complementary reversible fastener means of another identical inflatable cell so as to make it possible to establish a reversible link between the cell and said other identical cell, and to establish reversible links between the cell and two other cells, and wherein said link means are constituted by a said tongue provided with perforations and co-operating with rivets, said rivets being suitable for co-operating in reversible fastening with perforations of another cell, the two cells being disposed parallel to each other, with their said link means at their ends on the same side. 
   
   
       7 . An inflatable cell according to  claim 1 , wherein two diametrically opposite faces of the tubular wall of the tubular casing are welded together longitudinally between said closed ends of the casing, substantially half-way up said casing, thereby separating said inflatable chamber into two inflatable compartments, namely an upper compartment and a lower compartment in the form of sausage-shaped tubes that are superposed and that are of substantially the same height. 
   
   
       8 . An inflatable cell according to  claim 1 , having at least two link means, each provided with reversible fastener means suitable for co-operating with identical reversible fastener means of another identical inflatable cell so as to make it possible to establish a reversible link between the cell and at least one said other identical cell, and to establish reversible links between the cell and at least two other identical cells. 
   
   
       9 . An inflatable cell according to  claim 1 , wherein, facing each of said upper and lower compartments, it has:
 said fluid insertion means or said fluid removal means formed by a tubular end-piece bonded to the same end of the casing; and   said link means formed at the end opposite from said fluid insertion means and from said fluid removal means.   
   
   
       10 . A method of manufacturing an inflatable cell according to  claim 1 , comprising the steps of:
 a) selecting said segment of a tube or of a sheath made of a thermoplastic material and of determined length; and   b) transversely welding together, by heat-sealing, the opposite faces of said segment of tube or of sheath so as to form said closed ends of the casing, and longitudinally welding together the opposite faces of the tubular wall of the casing of the cell substantially in a longitudinal zone or along a longitudinal straight line of said casing over a fraction only of the length of said cell so as to subdivide the inflatable chamber into two inflatable compartments that are superposed and that communicate at their ends; then   c) cutting out the segment of tube or of sheath in the welded zones, beyond the boundaries of the transverse welds forming the closed ends of said casing defining said chamber, so as to obtain a said inflatable cell.   
   
   
       11 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein, in step b), said ends of said segment of tube or of sheath are transversely welded in a manner such as to form, in a single operation, the tubular casing that is closed at its two ends with said fluid insertion and removal means of the cell being assembled in substantially airtight manner to one of said ends of the segment of tube or of sheath simultaneously with the welding, by interposing tubular end-pieces suitable for forming respectively at least one said fluid insertion means and at least one fluid removal means between the opposite faces of the tubular wall of said portion of tube at at least one said end before welding the ends of the casing over said tubular end-pieces. 
   
   
       12 . A method according to  claim 10 , wherein:
 in step b), the opposite faces of said tubular casing that are transversely welded together are welded together in end zones beyond the curved transverse weld lines forming said closed ends of said chamber; and   in step c), the segment of tube or of sheath is cut out in the welded end zones in a manner such as to form said link means of the cell.   
   
   
       13 . A method according to  claim 12 , wherein said link means are formed by cutting out a said tongue, and said perforations are formed in said welded end zone. 
   
   
       14 . A support device for supporting an element to be supported, in particular a mattress or a cushion for supporting a patient's body, said support device being made up of a plurality of individualized inflatable cells according to  claim 1 , which cells are assembled together by means of said link means, are disposed side-by-side, one after the other, in the longitudinal direction of the mattress, and extend in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the mattresses, the individualized inflatable cells being secured to one another by means of the respective link means being secured together, and communicating pneumatically with one another via pneumatic connection means comprising pipes or tubular fittings suitable for conveying and for transferring, as applicable, the inflation fluid between said fluid insertion means of some cells and said fluid removal means of other cells, to which means the pipes or tubular fittings are connected. 
   
   
       15 . A device according to  claim 14 , wherein, over at least one zone of the mattress, said consecutive cells are disposed in opposite directions with their air insertion and air removal means being disposed on opposite sides in the transverse direction of the mattress, so that said zone of the mattress comprises two first and second series of cells, each of said first and second series of cells being made up of cells having their fluid insertion and removal means on the same side in the transverse direction of the mattress and communicating pneumatically with one another continuously, said removal means of one cell being connected to a said insertion means of the next cell of the same series, namely the first or the second series, the first and second series of cells being connected in parallel and fed by the same inflation device, both of said series of cells comprising the same number of cells, with the cells being disposed in alternation from one series to the other in the longitudinal direction of the mattress in said zone, a cell from said first or second series being preceded and/or followed by a cell from said second or first series respectively. 
   
   
       16 . A support device according to  claim 15 , wherein, in said zone of the mattress, said consecutive cells have their link means disposed at an end opposite from the end at which said fluid insertion and removal means are disposed, so that each cell of each of said first and second series of cells made up of cells having their link means on the same side in the transverse direction of the mattress is linked by said link means to the following cell in the same series, and also to the adjacent cell of the other series. 
   
   
       17 . A support device according to  claim 14 , also provided with a device of the manual valve type for deflating at least some of said inflatable cells in an emergency, said device of the manual valve type comprising:
 a fastener first piece provided with a plurality of rigid first end-pieces perforated with through cylindrical orifices, said rigid first end-pieces co-operating with said removal means of said cells, said perforated rigid first end-pieces being inserted into said tubular end-pieces forming said removal means, or said perforated rigid first end-pieces being inserted into the ends of pneumatic transfer pipes communicating at their other ends with said removal means of a plurality of said cells, so as to enable at least one zone of cells of said mattress to be deflated; and   a removable second piece including second end-pieces suitable for being fitted in said first orifices of said perforated rigid first end-pieces so as to form removable stoppers closing off said first orifices, and a handle suitable for being pulled manually so as to extract said second end-pieces from said orifices in said first end-pieces, and so as to make it possible for said cells to be deflated rapidly for such emergency purposes.   
   
   
       18 . A device according to  claim 17 , wherein said second end-pieces of said removable piece are provided with second through cylindrical orifices closed off in substantially airtight manner by caps, said caps being suitable for co-operating with pressure measurement means, thereby making it possible for the pressures in said cells to be measured rapidly. 
   
   
       19 . A device according to  claim 18 , wherein each of said caps includes a portion made of elastomer that is suitable for being perforated and passed through in substantially airtight manner by a hollow needle, said hollow needle co-operating with pressure measurement means, thereby making it possible for the pressures in said cells to be measured rapidly. 
   
   
       20 . A device according to  claim 14 , provided with controlled air distribution means comprising at least one semi-rigid duct, forming an air distribution network, provided with a substantially rectilinear duct provided with perforations or with branches forming a plurality of nozzles perforated at their ends and extending in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of said rectilinear duct, said perforations or said nozzles being suitable for distributing streams of air under the patient, when said controlled air distribution means are disposed under said cells and is connected to a fluid feed device, said controlled air distribution device comprising at least one said duct on either side of the mattress and connected to the same feed device.