CN211750917U

CN211750917U - Massage device comprising replaceable massage balls

Info

Publication number: CN211750917U
Application number: CN201922032492.3U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 孔悳铉; 金到炫
Original assignee: Bodyfriend Co Ltd
Current assignee: Bodyfriend Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-11-27
Filing date: 2019-11-21
Publication date: 2020-10-27
Anticipated expiration: 2029-11-21
Also published as: KR20200062482A; CN113164318B; CN113164318A; WO2020111645A1; KR102156979B1

Abstract

The utility model discloses a massage device capable of automatically replacing or manually replacing massage balls. The utility model relates to a possesses massage device who installs the massage subassembly of massage ball of embodiment, it includes: a replacement command determination section that receives a massage ball replacement command and determines whether the received replacement command is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command; a replacement position determination unit that determines a position of a massage ball for replacing the massage ball, based on the massage ball replacement command; and a drive control unit that controls the drive of the massage unit based on the determined position of the massage ball.

Description

Massage device comprising replaceable massage balls

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a massage device including replaceable massage balls, and more particularly, to a massage device in which massage balls can be automatically replaced or manually replaced according to a massage ball replacement command.

Background

Massage (massage) is a medical adjuvant therapy for adjusting the body changes of a person to be massaged by applying various types of mechanical stimulation, such as kneading, pressing, stretching, beating, or physical activity, to the body part of the person to be massaged, contributing to blood circulation, and relieving fatigue of the person to be massaged.

For reasons of economy and time, there is an increasing demand for massage apparatuses or massage devices that provide an artificial massage function. That is, as the demand for relaxing tense muscles and eliminating fatigue or stress by massage increases, various massage apparatuses have been introduced which are good in terms of time and cost efficiency. In the case where there is no masseur, a device, apparatus, or apparatus having a predetermined shape and massaging by a mechanical apparatus is called a massage apparatus.

Further, users are increasingly demanding massage apparatuses that can relieve fatigue or stress and improve health by massaging.

Therefore, research into a massage apparatus capable of enhancing the health of a user is continuously being conducted.

Korean granted patent No. 10-0941919 provides a massage apparatus for providing a massage capable of enhancing the health of a user.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The present invention has been made in view of the above background art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a massage device in which a massage ball of the massage device can be automatically replaced or manually replaced according to the intention of a user.

In order to solve the problem, the utility model provides a massage device, it possesses the massage subassembly of installing the massage ball, massage device includes: a replacement command determination section that receives a massage ball replacement command and determines whether the received replacement command is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command; a replacement position determination unit that determines a position of a massage ball for replacing the massage ball, based on the massage ball replacement command; and a drive control unit that controls the drive of the massage unit based on the determined position of the massage ball.

According to an embodiment of the utility model, can provide one kind and can change or the manual massage device of changing the massage ball according to user's intention automatic.

The effects that can be obtained by the present invention are not limited to the above-described effects, and other effects not mentioned above can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

Drawings

Embodiments will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In the following examples, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. However, the embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate describing one or more embodiments.

Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a massage apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagram illustrating a main frame according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the massage assembly of an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front.

Fig. 4 is a view showing a massage assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the upper side of the front.

Figure 5 is a rear view of the massage assembly of an embodiment of the present invention, viewed from the back

Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the massage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the back side.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the massage unit according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side.

Fig. 8 is a view for explaining the rotation of the massage ball assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a view for explaining the movement of the massage ball assembly in the Z-axis according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining an opening formed in at least a part of the massage device for replacing the massage ball according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11 shows an example of a top cover for covering an opening according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a partial structure of a massage ball and a mounting bracket designed to allow manual replacement of the massage ball according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a perspective view for showing a case (d) of fixing the massage ball to the mounting bracket and a case (e) of detaching the massage ball from the mounting bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a block diagram showing the structure of a massage apparatus in which a massage ball can be automatically replaced or manually replaced according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an interface through which a user can intuitively input a massage ball replacement command via the control device.

Fig. 16 is a flowchart for explaining a method of automatically replacing or manually replacing the massage ball according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 17 is a flowchart for explaining a method of automatically replacing or manually replacing the massage ball according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The above objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following description of the related embodiments. The following specific structural and functional descriptions are merely for the purpose of illustrating the conceptual embodiments of the present invention, which may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments illustrated in the specification or the present application.

Since various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present inventive concept and various embodiments can be made, specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and will be described in detail in this specification or application. It should be understood, however, that the embodiments of the present inventive concept include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention and are not limited to the specific disclosed embodiments.

Although the terms first and/or second, etc. may be used to describe various components, the components are not limited to the terms. The terms are only used to distinguish one component element from another component element, and for example, a first component element may be named as a second component element, and similarly, a second component element may also be named as a first component element without departing from the scope of the inventive concept.

When a certain component is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another component, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other component, or another component may be present therebetween. On the contrary, when a certain component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another component, it is to be understood that no other component is present therebetween. Similarly, expressions describing the relationship between constituent elements, that is, expressions such as "between" and "between" or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to" should also be interpreted as described above.

The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, singular expressions may include plural expressions. It will be understood that terms such as "comprising," "including," and "having," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in the present invention, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their contextual meaning in the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The actuator in this specification means a structure capable of providing a driving force. For example, the actuator may include, but is not limited to, a motor, a linear motor, an electric motor, a DC motor, an AC motor, a linear actuator, an electric actuator, and the like.

In this specification, a binaural beat may refer to a specific form of audio information for controlling brain waves.

In this specification, according to an embodiment, a massage apparatus may refer to a massage apparatus having a body massage portion and a leg massage portion. In addition, according to another embodiment, the body massage part 100 and the leg massage part 300 may be separate independent devices (e.g., a body massage device and a leg massage device), and the massage devices may refer to a body massage device or a leg massage device.

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

The utility model discloses a massage device 1000 of embodiment includes: a body massage part 100 formed with an area for accommodating at least a part of a body of a user and massaging the body of the user; and a leg massage part 300 for massaging the legs of the user.

The body massage part 100 may provide a massage to at least a portion of the user's body. The body massage part 100 may include: a massage assembly 1700 that provides a massage function to at least a portion of a user's body; an audio output component 1600 for providing audio output in a prescribed form to a user; a main frame 1100 constituting a skeleton of the body massage unit 100; and a user input unit 1800 for receiving an input of a predetermined format from a user.

The structure of the body massage part 100 described above is only an exemplary embodiment, and the body massage part 100 may have various structures other than the above-described structure.

The shape and structure of the massage device 1000 shown in fig. 1 are merely exemplary, and various forms of massage devices 1000 may be included in the scope of the present invention without departing from the scope of the claims of the present invention.

A space having a predetermined shape for accommodating the user may be formed in the body massage part 100. The body massage part 100 may have a space having a shape corresponding to the shape of the body of the user. For example, as shown in fig. 1, the body massage part 100 may be implemented in a seat shape capable of accommodating the entire body or a part of the body of the user.

The portion of the body massage part 100 that contacts the ground may include some material for increasing friction or some means for increasing friction (e.g., a non-slip pad, etc.), and may include wheels for improving mobility of the massage apparatus 1000.

At least a part of the body massage part 100 is slidably moved. For example, at least a portion of the body massaging portion 100 may be slidably moved toward the front side when the body massaging portion 100 starts massaging. In addition, the body massaging part 100 may be inclined to the rear side. As a result, the body massage part 100 provides a massage in a state inclined to the rear side.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the massage device 1000 may include at least one air bag (not shown). The air bag may be provided in a shoulder portion, a pelvis portion, an arm massage portion, a leg massage portion, etc. of the user, but is not limited thereto, and may be provided at a plurality of portions of the massage apparatus 1000.

The massage device 1000 may include an air supply portion that supplies air to the air cells so that the air cells can be inflated. The air supply part may be located inside the body massage part 100 or may be located in the leg massage part 300. In addition, the air supply may be located outside the body massage device 1000.

The leg massage part 300 can provide a leg massage to the user. For example, the leg massage part 300 may include a lower leg massage part that massages the lower leg of the user and/or a foot massage part that massages the foot of the user.

The leg massage part 300 may be adjusted in length according to the physical characteristics of the user. For example, when the user who is tall uses the massage apparatus 1000, the leg massage part 300 needs to be lengthened because the lower leg of the user is long. In addition, if a short user uses the massage apparatus 1000, the leg massage part 300 needs to be shortened because the user has a short lower leg. Accordingly, the leg massage part 300 can provide a leg massage matching with the height of the user.

The massage assembly 1700 may be provided inside the body massage part 100 to provide a prescribed form of mechanical stimulation to a user accommodated in the body massage part 100. As shown in fig. 1, the massage assembly 1700 is movable along a main frame 1100 provided inside the body massage part 100.

For example, a Rack (Rack gear) may be provided on the main frame 1100 of the body massage part 100, and the massage assembly 1700 can move along the Rack gear to provide mechanical stimulation to various parts of the user's body. The massage assembly 1700 may include a ball massage unit or a roller massage unit, but is not limited thereto.

The main frame 1100 is constructed as a skeleton of the internal structure of the body massage part 100, and may be made of a metal material, a plastic material, or the like. For example, the main frame 1100 may be made of iron, alloy, steel, etc., but is not limited thereto, and may be made of various hard materials.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the massage device 1000 may include an audio output assembly 1600. The audio output assembly 1600 may be disposed in a plurality of locations. For example, the audio output assembly 1600 may include a plurality of output units, e.g., an upper audio output unit, disposed at an upper end of the seat portion that is in contact with the user; a front audio output unit attached to the front ends of the left and right arm massage parts of the seat part; and/or a rear audio output unit attached to the rear end of the arm massage unit, but not limited thereto. In this case, the audio output assembly 1600 may provide stereo sound of, for example, 5.1 channels, but is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the user can control the massage device 1000 using the massage device control apparatus 2000. The massage device control apparatus 2000 may be connected to the massage device 1000 through wired communication and/or wireless communication.

The massage device control apparatus 2000 may include a Remote controller (Remote controller), a cellular phone (cellular phone), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and the like, but is not limited thereto. Various electronic devices connected to the massage apparatus 1000 by wired or wireless communication may also be included.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the main frame 1100 may include an upper frame 1150 provided with a massage assembly 1700 and a base 1110 for supporting the upper frame 1150.

At least a portion of upper frame 1150 may include a rack 1151. The rack 1151 is a member for guiding the body massaging assembly 1700 to move up and down, and may include a plurality of valleys and a plurality of ridges.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the rack 1151 may be oppositely disposed at both side portions of the upper frame 1150, and the body massage assembly 1700 may be moved along the rack 1151.

For example, the body massaging assembly 1700 can include a gear that engages the rack 1151 and is rotated by an actuator disposed on the body massaging assembly 1700 such that the body massaging assembly 1700 can move up or down.

The rack 1151 may be made of a metal material or a plastic material. For example, the rack 1151 may be made of iron, steel, alloy, reinforced plastic, melamine resin, phenol resin, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

The upper frame 1150 may have various shapes. For example, the upper frame 1150 may be divided into an S frame, an L frame, an S & L frame, a dual S & L frame according to shape, but is not limited thereto.

The S frame refers to a frame in which at least a portion of the upper frame 1150 has an "S" bent shape. The L frame refers to a frame in which at least a portion of the upper frame 1150 is bent in the shape of an "L"; the S & L frame means a frame including both a shape of "S" shaped curve and a shape of "L" shaped curve; a double S & L frame refers to a frame including a shape of "L" shaped bend and two shapes of "S" shaped bend.

The base 1110 refers to a portion of the main frame 1100 that supports the upper frame 1150 and abuts the ground. The base 1110 may include a base upper frame 1111 and a base lower frame 1112.

Base upper frame 1111 may support upper frame 1150, and base lower frame 1112 may abut the ground. Further, the base upper frame 1111 may abut against the base lower frame 1112.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, base upper frame 1111 is capable of moving along base lower frame 1112. For example, the base upper frame 1111 can slide forward or backward along the base lower frame 1112. In this case, the upper frame 1150 is connected to the base upper frame 1111 and is movable in accordance with the movement of the base upper frame 1111.

For example, when the base upper frame 1111 moves forward, the upper frame 1150 can also move forward together, and when the base upper frame 1111 moves backward, the upper frame 1150 can also move backward together, so that the sliding movement of the body massage part 100 can be realized.

Specifically, to realize the movement of the base upper frame 1111, a moving wheel may be provided at a lower portion of the base upper frame 1111. Further, a guide member capable of guiding the moving wheel may be provided on the upper portion of the base lower frame 1112. The moving wheel provided at the base upper frame 1111 moves along the guide member provided at the base lower frame 1112, thereby enabling the base upper frame 1111 to move forward or backward.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the massage device 1000 may not provide the sliding function, in which case the base 1110 may not be separated into the upper and lower frames.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the massage assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the front, fig. 4 is a view showing the massage assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the top of the front, fig. 5 and fig. 6 are perspective views showing the massage assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the back, fig. 7 is a perspective view showing the massage assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention viewed from the side, fig. 8 is a view for explaining the rotation of the massage ball assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 9 is a view for explaining the movement of the massage ball assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention in the Z axis.

Referring to fig. 3 to 7, a massage assembly 1700 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a massage ball assembly, a 3-axis moving assembly, and a flapping assembly.

Referring to fig. 3, the massage ball assembly may be provided with a plurality of

massage balls

701, 702, 703 and a mounting bracket 710. The mounting bracket 710 includes a plurality of arms extending in different directions, and massage balls 701 to 703 are fastened to the distal ends of the arms in a replaceable structure.

The plurality of

massage balls

701, 702, 703 may be provided to be the same in physical properties or size, or may be provided to be different. For example, the physical properties of the massage ball may be set by at least one of jade, stone, plastic, aluminum, synthetic rubber, and the like, and the size of the massage ball may mean at least one of the diameter of the end surface, the volume of the massage ball, and the area in contact with the body of the user at the time of massage.

The plurality of arms extending in different directions from the mounting bracket 710 may be provided to have the same length. As another example, the arms may also be provided with different lengths. The mounting bracket 710 is rotatable by the actuator 732, and the mounting bracket 710 is rotatable to further change the direction of the massage by the protruding massage ball. The mounting bracket 710 may be fastened to a gear case 730, and as an example, the gear case 730 may be provided as a helical gear (work gear) including a shaft and a saw tooth. The mounting bracket 710 may be fixed by helical teeth to be free from rotation in the middle or at ordinary times for massage. Specifically, only when the control portion 1200 drives the actuator 730 to rotate the mounting bracket 710, the shaft of the helical teeth rotates, and the mounting bracket 710 can rotate as the saw teeth engaged with the shaft rotate. On the contrary, the shaft cannot rotate by means of the saw-tooth, since only the screw thread enables the structure of the helical teeth of the wheel to function.

The massage ball assembly can provide a massage to the user through at least one massage ball determined according to the replacement command among the plurality of

massage balls

701, 702, 703.

The 3-axis moving assembly may include: an X-axis moving component which enables the massage ball component to move on the X axis; a Y-axis moving component which enables the massage ball component to move on the Y axis; and a Z-axis moving component which enables the massage ball component to move on the Z axis. For one embodiment, the X-axis moving assembly includes a shaft 812 and an actuator 818, the Y-axis moving assembly includes

pinions

824 and 826, a rack 1100 and an actuator 828, and the Z-axis moving assembly includes a shaft 832, a pinion 834, a rack 836 and an actuator 838.

The 3-axis moving unit moves the massage ball unit in at least one of the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis, thereby ensuring a degree of freedom in transferring the massage ball unit and providing a massage to a wider area of the user's body.

The massage ball unit may be provided in plural numbers at intervals on the left and right sides with respect to the X-axis, and the present invention is not limited to this example, and one massage ball unit may be provided on each of the left and right sides.

Referring to fig. 6, in each of the massage ball assemblies on the left and right sides, one end of the link 910 may be coupled to the center of the rear surface of the mounting bracket 710 on which the

massage balls

701, 702, 703 are mounted, and as described above, may be coupled by the structure of the spiral teeth. Referring to fig. 8, the mounting bracket 710 may rotate 360 degrees with respect to the center, and may rotate in a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction.

Referring again to fig. 6, a linkage 910 may be provided to link the massage ball assembly with each drive of the X-axis moving assembly 810, the Y-axis moving assembly 820, the Z-axis moving assembly 830, and the tapping assembly.

For this, the other end of the link 910 extends in at least two directions, wherein the other end extending in one direction can be connected and fixed with one end of the supporting frame 740.

The supporting frame 740 may be provided in a shape similar to the unequal sign '<', and the upper end of the supporting frame 740 may be fixed to the link 910 and may be connected to the Z-axis moving member 830 by

shafts

837 and 839 respectively passing through the middle and lower ends. Therefore, the massage ball assembly can be interlocked with the driving of the Z-axis moving assembly 830. The Z-axis moving assembly 830 may include a shaft 832, a pinion 834, and a rack 836. When the shaft 832 is rotated by the actuator 838, a pinion 834 inserted in the shaft 832 may be rotated, and a rack 836 engaged with the pinion 834 may be moved accordingly.

Referring to fig. 3 and 9, when the shaft 832 is rotated in a clockwise direction by the actuator 838, the pinion 834 is rotated in a clockwise direction, and the rack 836 engaged with the pinion 834 is moved to the rear side, with which the massage ball assembly may be protruded forward in the Z-axis. Fig. 9 (a) is a view showing the massage ball assembly protruding forward in the Z-axis when the rack 836 is moved to the rear side.

Here, when the lengths of the arms extending in different directions from the mounting bracket 710 are different, various portions can be massaged according to the protruding length of the Z-axis moving unit 830 in the Z-axis direction and the length of the arm extending on the mounting bracket 710. For example, the protruding length of the Z-axis moving assembly 830 in the Z-axis is set to be the largest, and the thigh portion can be massaged by the massage assembly 1700 using the longest arm among the arms of the mounting bracket 710.

Conversely, when the shaft 832 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction by the actuator 838, the pinion 834 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction, and the rack 836 engaged with the pinion 834 moves toward the front side, with which the massage ball assembly can be retreated toward the rear side in the Z-axis. Part (b) of fig. 9 shows that the massage ball assembly retreats backward in the Z-axis when the rack 836 moves forward.

Here, in the case where the massage ball is replaced by rotating the mounting bracket 710 after the massage ball assembly is moved to the rear side in the Z-axis, since the massage ball assembly is spaced apart from the back of the user to the rear side, it is possible to prevent interference with the body of the user when the massage ball is replaced, and there is an effect that the torque required for rotating the actuator can be reduced.

Referring again to fig. 6, the other end of the link 910 extending in the other direction may be fixed to one end of the sub-link 920. At the other end of the sub link 920, a hole 922 is formed, and a shaft 930 passing through the hole 922 is connected to the tapping assembly. The shaft 930 is inserted into the region 922 a predetermined distance away from the center of the end face of the hole 922. A sub-center (not shown) surrounding the shaft 930 is provided inside the hole 922, and the sub-center is rotatable inside the hole 922 by rotation of the shaft 930.

Specifically, the middle end of the shaft 930 is inserted through the connection bracket 814, the left shaft 930 may be inserted through the left hole 922 based on an eccentric shaft that is offset from the center by a predetermined distance, and the right shaft 930 may be inserted through the right hole 922 based on an eccentric shaft that is offset from the center by a predetermined distance.

When the shaft 930 is repeatedly rotated 360 degrees inside the hole 922, the sub-link 920 and the link 910 are repeatedly moved to protrude and retract with the eccentric shaft inserted in the sub-center of the shaft 930 as a reference. As the link 910 repeatedly protrudes and retreats, the massage ball repeatedly protrudes and retreats in a massage direction, so that the massage ball can provide a flapping motion to the back of the user.

On the other hand, the positions of the eccentric shaft of the shaft rotating as the shaft 930 in the left hole 922 and the eccentric shaft of the shaft rotating as the shaft 930 in the right hole 922 may be different from each other with respect to the Z axis. In this state, when the shaft 930 is rotated, the left massage ball and the right massage ball alternately protrude with respect to the back of the user as they repeatedly protrude and retreat at different positions with respect to the Z axis.

Referring to fig. 3, the support 740 may be provided with an X-axis moving unit 810. Specifically, the left support bracket 740 may include a left threaded hole through the middle portion, and the right support bracket 740 may include a right threaded hole through the middle portion.

The X-axis movement assembly 810 may include a shaft 812 configured as a left-right symmetrical lead screw structure to be inserted into the left and right threaded holes. In other words, the shaft 812 may include a left bolt fastened in the left threaded hole and a right bolt fastened in the right threaded hole. Here, the directions of the bolts of the left and right side bolts may be opposite and symmetrical. With this arrangement, when the shaft 812 rotates in one direction, the left and right massage ball assemblies can move in opposite directions on the X-axis.

As an example, when the shaft 812 rotates in a clockwise direction, the left and right massage ball assemblies may move in a medial direction to each other on the X-axis, and conversely, when the shaft 812 rotates in a counterclockwise direction, the left and right massage ball assemblies may move in a lateral direction to each other on the X-axis. The rotational direction of the shaft 812 and the moving direction of the massage ball assembly are only examples, and may be set in reverse.

When the Y-axis moving unit 810 moves along the main frame 1100, the massage unit 1700 can move in the upper or lower direction on the Y-axis. Specifically, the massage assembly 1700 can be moved as the Y-axis moving assembly 810 moves along the main frame 1100 provided as a rack with the

pinions

824, 826 inserted in the shaft 822.

Fig. 10 is a view for explaining an opening portion formed at least partially in a massage device for replacing a massage ball according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 11 is a view showing an example of a top cover covering the opening portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 10 (a), a massage apparatus 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an opening 600 for exposing a massage ball at least in a part of a cover of the massage apparatus adjacent to a path along which a massage ball assembly moves. The opening 600 may be formed in a size that allows at least one massage ball to be exposed, may be formed by omitting a part of the cover of the massage apparatus 1000, or may be formed in an openable manner by using a member such as a zipper or a hook and loop fastener in the part of the cover of the massage apparatus 1000.

In the case where the opening 600 is provided by omitting a part of the cover of the massage apparatus 1000, as shown in fig. 11, the opening 600 may be covered by a top cover 610 which is hinge-mounted on the head of the massage apparatus 1000 at ordinary times or when a massage mode is provided, in addition to replacement of the massage balls. The opening 600 is exposed by lifting the hinged top cover 610, and the opening 600 is covered by lowering the top cover 610. The present invention shows an example in which the top cover 610 is hinge-mounted to the massage device 1000, but the manner of coupling the top cover 610 is not limited thereto.

The present invention shows an example in which one opening 600 is formed on each of the left and right sides corresponding to the massage ball units respectively provided on the left and right sides, but the number, shape and forming method of the openings 600 are not limited thereto. Fig. 10 shows an example in which the opening 600 is formed at a portion corresponding to the head of the massage apparatus 1000, but the opening is not limited to this, and may be provided at least at the uppermost end or the lowermost end of the path along which the massage unit 1700 moves. In addition, the opening 600 may be provided at an upper end or a lower end that does not belong to the moving range of the massage unit 1700 in a general massage state. This makes it easy for the user to approach the opening 600 for replacing the massage ball and replace the massage ball.

Fig. 10 (b) is a view showing that the massage balls are exposed through the left and right openings 600 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 10 (b) shows that the

massage balls

701 and 702 protrude through the opening 600, but the massage balls 701 to 703 may not protrude through the opening 600 but may be exposed.

As shown in fig. 10 (b), when the massage balls are replaced in a state where the massage balls 701 to 703 protrude through the opening 600, there is an advantage that inconvenience due to loss of the massage balls can be reduced as compared with a case where the massage balls are replaced in a state where the massage balls 701 to 703 do not protrude but are merely exposed. For example, when the user manually replaces the massage balls 701 to 703 through the opening 600, if the massage balls 701 to 703 are replaced in a state where the massage balls 701 to 703 do not protrude but are exposed, the user fails to grasp the massage balls 701 to 703 stably due to a mistake or the like, and if the massage balls 701 to 703 fall on the inner bottom plate of the massage device 1000, there is an inconvenience that the entire cover of the massage device 1000 needs to be opened. On the other hand, when the massage balls 701 to 703 are replaced in a state where the massage balls 701 to 703 are exposed through the opening 600, even if the massage balls 701 to 703 fall due to the lack of grasping the massage balls 701 to 703, the massage balls are dropped outside the cover of the massage apparatus 1000, and therefore, there is an advantage that the massage balls can be easily found even if the massage balls are lost.

Fig. 10 (c) is a side cross-sectional view showing a state where the massage balls 701 to 703 are exposed through the left opening 600 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 10 (c), the 3-axis moving means may be driven by at least one of the following means in order to expose the massage balls 701 to 703 through the opening 600: a drive for moving the massage ball assembly upward or downward by the Y-axis moving assembly to a height corresponding to the Y-axis coordinate of the opening 600; a drive for moving the massage ball assembly to a position corresponding to the X-axis coordinate of the opening 600 by the X-axis moving assembly; and a drive for moving the massage ball assembly to the front side on the Z axis by the Z axis moving assembly. In this way, the massage apparatus 1000 may use at least one of a position sensor and a counter for tracking the current position of the massage ball assembly in order to move to the position where the massage balls 701 to 703 are replaced.

Fig. 12 is a perspective view showing a partial structure of a massage ball and a mounting bracket designed to allow manual replacement of the massage ball according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 13 is a perspective view showing a case where the massage ball is fixed to the mounting bracket and a case where the massage ball is detached from the mounting bracket according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 12, the distal end 711 of the arm extending in different directions from the mounting bracket 710 may include a fixing shaft 712, a pin 713, a spring 716, a fixing ball 714, and a bushing 715.

The fixing shaft 712 may protrude from the arm at a distal end in a vertical direction. The fixing shaft 712 includes a first groove formed inside along a length direction of the protrusion, and at least a portion of the outer periphery may include a first hole penetrating the first groove.

The pin 713 may be a mortar-shaped pin having a pressing member on one side. Hereinafter, a portion where the side of the pin 713 is relatively bulged may be referred to as a convex member, and a portion where the side of the pin 713 is locally recessed so as to be relatively thin may be referred to as a concave member.

The spring 716 is inserted into the arm fixing shaft 712, and the fixing ball 714 is allowed to protrude outward of the ball opening of the fixing shaft 712 by a normal elastic force. The spring 716 may be disposed around a portion of the perimeter of the pin 713 adjacent to one end of the pressing member.

The bush 715 is provided in a cylindrical shape inserted inside a hole penetrating the massage ball 701, and may include a second groove formed inside along a length direction. The fixing shaft 712 may be inserted in the second groove. A second bore 725 may be included through a second slot on at least a portion of the side perimeter of the bushing 715.

Here, the diameter of the second hole 725 is formed smaller than the diameter of the fixing ball 714, so that the fixing ball 714 can be formed to overlap the hole 725. In other words, the fixing ball 714 is engaged with the hole 725, and can be configured to roll due to the shape of the ball.

Fig. 13 (d) shows a part of the cross section of the massage ball assembly when the massage ball 701 is fixed to the arm fixing shaft 712, and (e) shows an example of the case where the massage ball 701 is detached from the arm fixing shaft 712.

Part (d) of fig. 13 shows a state where the massage ball 701 is fixed to the distal end 711 of the arm.

Referring to fig. 12 and 13 (d), the outer circumference of the bush 715 is clamped in contact with the inner wall of the through hole of the massage ball 701, and at the same time, the inner wall of the fastening groove of the bush 715 may be clamped to the fixing shaft 712. At this time, the fixing ball 714 is caught in the hole 725, one surface of the fixing ball 714 abuts against the boss member of the mortar-shaped pin 713, and the other surface of the fixing ball 714 may be caught in the hole 725 and not be separated.

Conversely, as shown in part (e) of fig. 13, when the exposed pressing member of the pressing pin 713 presses it, the recessed member portion of the pin 713 may move to the position of the fixing ball 714. Thereby, the fixing ball 714 can be dropped from the recessed portion of the pin 713. When the fixing ball 714 falls into the recessed portion of the pin 713, the fixing ball 714 may be in a state of not being caught by the hole 725. In other words, the state in which the fixing ball 714 is clamped in the hole 725 can be released. Thereby, the bush 715 can be easily detached from the fixing shaft 712. After the bush 715 is removed and the massage ball 701 is removed, other massage balls may be re-clamped in the structure as shown in part (d) of fig. 13.

According to the utility model discloses an embodiment, through setting up at least partly opening at massage device, can manually change the massage ball, from this, can maximize to the size of massage ball and the variety of rerum natura, has the diversified effect of combination that can realize the massage ball.

Referring to fig. 14, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the massage apparatus 1000 may include at least one of a control portion 1200, a sensor portion 1300, a network connection portion 1400, a storage portion 1500, an audio output assembly 1600, and a user input portion 1800.

The control unit 1200 can control the operation of the massage device 1000. The control unit 1200 may be implemented by one processor or may be implemented by a plurality of processors. When the control section 1200 is implemented by a plurality of processors, at least some of the plurality of processors may be disposed at intervals physically apart. The control unit 1200 is not limited to this, and can be implemented in various ways.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the control unit 1200 can control the operation of the massage device 1000. For example, the massage device 1000 may include a plurality of actuators, and the massage device 1000 may be capable of controlling the operation of the massage device 1000 by controlling the operation of the plurality of actuators. For example, the massage device 1000 may include at least one of a massage assembly movement actuator, a back angle actuator, a leg angle actuator, a foot massage actuator, a leg length adjustment actuator, and a slide actuator. The control unit 1200 can control the operation of the massage device 1000 by controlling these brakes.

The massage assembly moving actuator is an actuator that can move the massage assembly 1700 up and down, and the massage assembly 1700 can be moved along the rack by the action of the massage assembly moving actuator.

The back angle actuator is an actuator that adjusts the angle of a portion of the back of the user that contacts the massage apparatus 1000, and the back angle of the massage apparatus 1000 can be adjusted by the operation of the back angle actuator.

The leg angle actuator is an actuator for adjusting the angle of the leg massage unit 300 of the massage device 1000, and the angle between the leg massage unit 300 and the body massage unit 100 can be adjusted by the operation of the leg angle actuator.

The foot massage actuator is an actuator for operating a foot massage unit provided in the leg massage unit 300. The massage apparatus 1000 can provide a foot massage to the user by using the foot massage actuator.

The massage assembly 1700 may include at least one actuator, and the control portion 1200 may be capable of providing various massage actions by actuating the at least one actuator. For example, the control portion 1200 can provide a tapping massage, a kneading massage, and the like by operating at least one actuator provided in the massage unit 1700, but is not limited thereto, and various massage operations can be provided.

The leg length adjusting actuator is an actuator for adjusting the length of the leg massage part 300. For example, the control section 1200 can adjust the length of the leg massage section 300 to match the user by using the leg length adjustment actuator, and as a result, the user can enjoy a massage matching the body type.

The sliding actuator can cause the massage apparatus 1000 to perform a sliding motion. For example, the horizontal base upper frame 1114a can be moved forward or backward by the operation of the slide actuator, and as a result, the upper frame connected to the horizontal base upper frame 1114a can also be moved forward or backward.

The sensor part 1300 may acquire various information by using at least one sensor. For example, the sensor includes a pressure sensor, an infrared sensor, an LED sensor, a touch screen sensor, and the like, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the sensor part 1300 may include a human body information acquisition sensor. The human body information acquisition sensor may acquire fingerprint information, face information, voice information, iris information, weight information, electrocardiogram (electrocardiograph) information, body composition information, etc., but is not limited thereto and may include various kinds of human body information.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, the massage device 1000 can detect the contact area and/or the contact position with the user by the sensor. In addition, the massage apparatus 1000 can acquire the shoulder position information of the user by the sensor portion 1300. In addition, the massage apparatus 1000 provides personalized massage based on the acquired information. For example, when the massage apparatus 1000 provides a shoulder massage, the massage apparatus 1000 recognizes the shoulder position of the user based on the information acquired through the sensor part 1300, and provides the shoulder massage to the user according to the recognition result.

The user input unit 1800 is capable of receiving commands from the user regarding the operation control of the massage apparatus 1000, and the user input unit 1800 may be implemented in various ways. For example, the user input part 1800 may be provided in the body massage part 100 and also in the leg massage part 300, but is not limited thereto.

The massage apparatus 1000 can obtain various commands from the user through the user input unit 1800. For example, the massage device 1000 can receive a predetermined command such as selection of a massage component, selection of a massage type, selection of massage intensity, selection of a massage time, selection of a massage portion, selection of a position and an action of the body massage unit 100, selection of On/Off (On-Off) of a power supply of the massage device 1000, selection of whether a heating function is activated, selection of a sound source play, and the like, but is not limited thereto.

The massage device 1000 may provide an interface that enables selection of a massage mode. For example, a medical massage list of various modes regarding physical improvement can be listed by the massage device control apparatus 2000.

The therapeutic massage mode may include at least one of a concentration mode, a meditation mode, a recovery mode, a stretching mode, a sleep mode, a vitality mode, a golf mode, an arm shaping mode, an examinee mode, a weightlessness mode, and a growth mode.

In particular, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the user input 1800 can receive a massage ball replacement command. As an example, a massage ball replacement command can be received from the user by a button provided in the main body of the massage apparatus 1000, an application downloaded to the control device 2000, or the like.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the user input unit 1800 may include a plurality of keys in the form of hot keys (hot keys) and/or option keys for performing direction selection, cancellation, and input according to a preset user-defined setting function or default setting function.

The user input unit 1800 may be implemented in the form of a keypad, a dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure/static electricity), a jog wheel, a jog switch, or the like, but is not limited thereto. Further, the user input unit 1800 can acquire a command by the user's utterance based on a voice recognition technique.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the user input part 1800 may include a display for displaying an operation state of the massage apparatus 1000, a current state of the user, or the like. In this case, the display may include at least one of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a flexible display (flexible display), and a three-dimensional display (3D display), but is not limited thereto.

The audio output component 1600 can provide audio output in a prescribed form to a user. For example, the audio output module 1600 can provide brain stimulation to the user by outputting to the user a sound source and/or a binaural beat that is most suitable for the massage pattern provided by the massage apparatus 1000. The audio output module 1600 can output an acoustic signal received through a network (not shown) or stored in an internal/external storage medium (not shown). For example, the audio output module 1600 may be connected to a network (e.g., a bluetooth connection, etc.) through the user terminal device 2000, and output a sound source varied by being controlled by the user terminal device 2000. The audio output unit 1600 can output an acoustic signal of a predetermined format generated in association with the operation of the massage apparatus 1000.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the massage device 1000 may include a network connection portion 1400. The network connection unit 1400 may communicate with the internal components of the massage apparatus 1000, the external massage apparatus, and/or the user terminal 2000 via a network of a predetermined form. The network connection 1400 may include wired or wireless connection components for network connection. As the Wireless connection technology, for example, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) (Wi-Fi), a Wireless broadband Access (Wireless broadband, Wireless), a worldwide Interoperability for microwave Access (Wimax), a High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), or the like is available. As the wired connection technology, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (XDSL), Fiber To The Home (FTTH), Power Line Communication (PLC), or the like is available. In addition, the network connection may include a short-range communication module capable of transmitting and receiving data with some devices or terminals in a short range. For example, short range communication (short range communication), Bluetooth (Bluetooth), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared communication (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee (ZigBee), and the like are available, but not limited thereto.

The storage unit 1500 can store various information related to the massage apparatus 1000. For example, the storage part 1500 may include massage control information and may further include personal authentication information, but is not limited thereto.

The storage part 1500 of the embodiment of the present invention can store the attribute information of a plurality of massage balls of the present device in the mounting bracket 710, and also can store the information of the present position of the massage ball assembly. Here, the current position information of the massage ball unit may be a value measured by a position sensor or the like, or may be a coordinate value expressed in longitude and latitude. Alternatively, the current position of the massage ball assembly may be represented as a position value calculated by a counter provided at each of the X, Y and Z axes, and the method by which the position of the massage ball assembly may be represented may not be limited thereto.

In addition, the storage part 1500 may include replacement information of the massage balls included in the massage pattern. When the attributes of the massage balls used in accordance with the massage modes are different, a time-series replacement plan for the massage balls can be set and stored in accordance with the massage modes.

The storage unit 1500 may be implemented by a non-volatile (non-volatile) storage medium capable of continuously storing predetermined data. For example, the storage part 1500 may include not only a magnetic disk, an optical (optical) disk, and a magneto-optical (magneto-optical) storage device, but also a storage device based on a flash memory and/or a battery backup memory, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the storage part 1500 may include a memory. The memory may be a main memory device directly accessed by the processor, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM) such as a Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), a Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), or the like, and is a volatile memory device in which information stored when the power is turned off is instantaneously erased, but is not limited thereto. These memories can be operated by the control unit 1200.

The control unit 1200 of the massage device 1000 with replaceable massage balls according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a replacement command determining unit 1210, a replacement position determining unit 1220, and a driving control unit 1230.

The replacement command determining part 1210 can receive a massage ball replacement command and determine whether the received replacement command is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command.

As an example, when receiving a massage ball replacement command, the replacement command determining part 1210 can determine whether the replacement command is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command according to whether the user is seated on the massage apparatus 1000. Specifically, when it is detected that the user is seated on the massage apparatus 1000, it can be determined that the massage ball replacement command is an automatic replacement command, and on the other hand, when it is detected that the user is not seated on the massage apparatus 1000, it can be determined that the massage ball replacement command is a manual replacement command.

Here, the massage apparatus 1000 may determine whether the user is seated by a sensor or the like provided at least a part of a seat portion or the like of the massage apparatus 1000, but is not limited thereto, and other methods may be employed as long as it is possible to determine whether the user is seated.

As another example, the replacement command determining part 1210 can determine whether to be an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command according to a massage ball replacement command input by a user. For example, the massage apparatus 1000 may provide the user with an interface capable of selecting whether to perform an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command, and the user may select a massage ball to be replaced (automatic replacement command) among the massage balls mounted on the current mounting bracket 710 or detach the massage ball mounted on the current mounting bracket 710 in response to the provided interface input, and input a command whether to manually replace the massage ball in order to mount a new massage ball.

In addition, according to another embodiment, the massage apparatus 1000 may receive a voice exchange command from the user, and the massage apparatus 1000 discriminates whether the voice command represents an automatic exchange command or a manual exchange command, thereby being able to determine whether the received voice command is an automatic exchange command or a manual exchange command.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an interface through which the user can intuitively input a massage ball replacement command through the control device. As shown in fig. 15, the interface displayed on the control apparatus 2000 may include a screen 1500 for selecting whether to implement massage ball replacement, a screen 1501 for selecting manual replacement or automatic replacement, a screen 1502 for selecting a composite massage ball or a single massage ball at the time of automatic replacement selection, a screen 1503 for selecting the size of a massage ball at the time of single massage ball selection, and the like. Here, the selection of the composite massage ball may mean a selection of automatically changing the massage ball according to at least one of the body part of the user and the massage form. In addition, the selection of a single massage ball may mean a selection of only one massage ball selected by the user. These examples are merely examples, and the embodiments are not limited thereto.

Also, in the interface where the massage ball replacement command is input, the control device 2000 may display information of the massage balls 701 to 703 mounted on the current mounting bracket 710. For example, information on attributes including images of the massage balls 701 to 703 attached to the current attachment bracket 710, sizes and physical properties of the respective massage balls, and the like may be displayed on the display of the control device 2000, and the user may directly select the rotation direction of the attachment bracket 710, the position of the massage ball to be replaced, and the attribute of the massage ball through the display.

The replacement position specifying unit 1220 can specify the position of the massage ball for replacing the massage ball, based on the massage ball replacement command specified by the replacement command specifying unit 1210.

The drive control section 1230 can control the drive of the massage unit 1700 in accordance with the position of the massage ball determined by the replacement position determining section 1220.

Specifically, in the case where the replacement position determination unit 1220 determines that the input massage ball replacement command is not a manual replacement command, the massage ball may determine a position exposed through the opening 600 as the replacement position.

When the massage ball replacement position is determined as the opening 600, the drive control portion 1230 performs at least one of the following drives, so that the massage ball can be exposed through the opening 600: a drive for moving the massage ball assembly to the upper side or the lower side by the massage ball Y-axis moving assembly 820 to a height corresponding to the Y-axis coordinate of the opening 600; a drive for moving the massage ball assembly to a position corresponding to the X-axis coordinate of the opening 600 by the X-axis moving assembly 810; and the driving of the massage ball assembly to the front side in the Z-axis by the Z-axis moving assembly 830 uses at least one of a position sensor and a counter for tracking the current position of the massage ball assembly. The driving of the massage ball assembly by at least one of the X-axis moving assembly 810, the Y-axis moving assembly 820 and the Z-axis moving assembly 830 is described in detail above with reference to fig. 3 to 9.

In contrast, in the case where the massage ball replacement command input is determined as the automatic replacement command, the replacement position determination section 1220 may determine the replacement position of the massage ball assembly as the rear side on the Z axis through the Z axis moving assembly 830.

When the massage ball replacement position is determined to be the rear side in the Z-axis, the driving control portion 1230 drives the Z-axis moving unit 830 to move the massage ball unit to the rear side in the Z-axis, that is, to the inner side of the massage unit 1700 as shown in fig. 9 (b), and then rotates the mounting bracket 710, thereby changing the massage balls protruding in the massage direction.

In this way, when the user sits on the massage apparatus 1000, the massage unit 1700 is moved to the rear side in the Z axis and then the massage balls are replaced, thereby preventing interference caused by the body of the user or the cover of the massage apparatus 1000, and reducing the torque required for rotating the actuator.

The driving of the massage ball assembly to the rear side by the Z-axis moving assembly 830 is described in detail with reference to fig. 3 and 9.

Fig. 16 is a flowchart for explaining a method of automatically or manually replacing the massage ball according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 16, in the method for automatically or manually replacing a massage ball according to an embodiment of the present invention, first, the massage apparatus 1000 can receive a massage ball replacement command (S110), and determine whether the received replacement command is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command (S120).

As an embodiment, it can be determined whether the massage ball replacement command input by the user is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command.

As another example, as shown in fig. 17, it can be determined whether the replacement command is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command depending on whether the user is seated on the massage apparatus 1000. When it is detected that the user is seated on the massage apparatus 1000, the massage ball replacement command can be determined as the automatic replacement command, and when it is detected that the user is not seated on the massage apparatus 1000, the massage ball replacement command can be determined as the manual replacement command.

As for the method of determining the massage ball replacement command, the replacement command determining part 1210 has been described in detail above.

Next, when the massage ball replacement command is determined to be the manual replacement command, the massage apparatus 1000 determines that the massage ball is exposed through the opening (S130).

Next, the massage apparatus 1000 can complete the manual massage ball replacement mode when a manual massage ball replacement completion signal is input after the massage ball is exposed through the opening (S140). The method for transferring the massage ball assembly according to the manual exchange command is described in detail with reference to fig. 3 to 9, and the structure for manually exchanging the massage ball assembly is described in detail with reference to fig. 12 and 13.

On the contrary, when the massage ball replacement command of the massage apparatus 1000 is determined as the automatic replacement command, the massage ball is moved to the rear side in the Z-axis direction and then the mounting bracket is rotated, thereby making it possible to change the direction of the massage protruding massage ball (S150). The method of transferring the massage ball assembly according to the automatic exchange command is described in detail above with reference to fig. 3 to 9.

On the other hand, the massage ball replacement may be performed not only in accordance with the command input by the user, but also by default in the massage apparatus 1000 for the purpose of replacing the massage balls for the respective body parts of the user, replacing the massage balls having different attributes in accordance with the form of the massage pattern, or for the purpose of projecting a plurality of massage balls alternately or sequentially.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be implemented in combination with other program modules and/or by a combination of hardware and software. For example, the invention may be implemented by a computer-readable medium.

The computer-accessible medium may be any computer-readable medium including volatile and non-volatile media, transitory (transient) and non-transitory (non-transient) media, and removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise computer-readable storage media and computer-readable transmission media.

Computer-readable storage media include volatile and non-volatile, transitory and non-transitory, removable and non-removable media for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data and which may be embodied in methods or techniques. Computer-readable storage media may include, but is not limited to, RAM, Read-only memory (ROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, Compact Disc Read-only memory (CD-ROM), Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) or other optical Disc storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium which can be accessed by a computer and which can be used to store the desired information.

Computer-readable transmission media typically include all information delivery media that can carry computer-readable commands, data structures, program elements, or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism. The term modulated data signal means a signal that has been used to encode information in the signal by setting or changing one or more of its characteristics. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable transmission media include wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared, and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above are included within the scope of computer readable transmission media.

Those of skill would understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, components, processors, units, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware (also referred to herein as "software" for convenience), various forms of program or design code, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, components, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The various embodiments illustrated herein may be implemented in methods, apparatus or standard programming and/or in an article of manufacture (article) based on engineering techniques. The term "article of manufacture" may encompass a computer program, carrier, or media (media) accessible from any computer-readable device. For example, computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., CD, DVD, etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EEPROM, cards, sticks, key drives, etc.). The term "computer-readable medium" includes, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media that can store, and/or communicate commands and/or data.

It should be understood that the particular order or hierarchy of steps in the processes shown is an illustrative example. It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes within the scope of the present invention may be rearranged based on design priorities. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

The description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. The present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features shown herein.

Claims

1. A massage device having a massage unit to which a massage ball is attached, comprising:

a replacement command determination section that receives the massage ball replacement command and determines whether the received replacement command is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command,

a replacement position determination section that determines a position for replacing the massage ball based on the massage ball replacement command, an

A drive control unit for controlling and driving the massage unit based on the determined position of the massage ball;

the massage assembly includes:

a massage ball assembly in which the massage balls are fastened to respective ends of a plurality of arms extending in different directions from a mounting bracket, the massage balls protruding in a massage direction are replaced by rotating the mounting bracket, and

and the 3-axis moving assembly comprises an X-axis moving assembly for moving the massage ball assembly on an X axis, a Y-axis moving assembly for moving the massage ball assembly on a Y axis and a Z-axis moving assembly for moving the massage ball assembly on a Z axis.

2. The massage apparatus of claim 1,

the cover of the massage device adjacent to the moving path of the massage ball component comprises an opening part for exposing the massage ball.

3. The massage apparatus of claim 2,

when the massage ball replacement command is received, the replacement command determination section determines whether the replacement command is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command, or

The replacement command determination section determines whether the massage ball replacement command input by the user is an automatic replacement command or a manual replacement command.

4. The massage apparatus of claim 3,

when the input massage ball replacement command is a manual replacement command, the replacement position specifying unit specifies a position exposed through the opening as a replacement position.

5. The massage apparatus of claim 4,

the drive control unit performs at least one of the following drive methods to expose the massage ball through the opening, and exposes the massage ball through the opening, the drive methods including:

a first driving mode for moving the massage ball assembly to the upper side or the lower side through the Y-axis moving assembly to a height corresponding to the Y-axis coordinate of the opening,

a second driving manner of moving the massage ball assembly to a position corresponding to the X-axis coordinate of the opening part by the X-axis moving assembly, an

And a third driving mode, wherein the massage ball component moves to the front side on the Z axis through the Z axis moving component.

6. The massage apparatus of claim 1,

the replacement position determination unit determines the position of the massage ball assembly as a rear side on the Z-axis by the Z-axis moving assembly in a case where the input massage ball replacement command is an automatic replacement command.

7. The massage apparatus of claim 6,

when the position of the massage ball assembly is determined to be the rear side in the Z-axis by the replacement position determining unit, the drive control unit moves the massage ball assembly to the rear side in the Z-axis by the Z-axis moving assembly, and then rotates the mounting bracket, thereby replacing the massage ball protruding in the massage direction.

8. The massage apparatus of claim 1,

the massage assembly includes a tapping assembly which performs a tapping motion by causing a massage ball protruding in a massage direction to perform an orbital motion,

the flapping assembly comprises:

a connecting rod having one end coupled to the central rotation axis of the mounting bracket, an

A shaft penetrating a hole formed at the other end of the connecting rod and rotating with reference to an eccentric shaft eccentric with respect to a center of the hole;

when the shaft rotates with the eccentric shaft as a reference, the arm is interlocked, so that the massage ball fastened to the arm performs an orbital motion.

9. The massage apparatus of claim 1,

the massage ball assembly is provided with at least one on the left side and the right side respectively,

a left threaded hole is formed in a part of the left support frame supporting the left massage ball assembly, a right threaded hole is formed in a part of the right support frame supporting the right massage ball assembly,

the X-axis moving assembly comprises a shaft which is fastened with the left threaded hole and the right threaded hole respectively and forms a left thread and a right thread with different thread directions,

when the shaft is rotated by the actuator, the left and right massage ball assemblies move in opposite directions on the X-axis.

10. A massage apparatus, comprising:

a massage component and a control part;

the massage assembly includes:

a 3-axis moving assembly including an X-axis moving assembly moving the massage ball assembly on an X-axis, a Y-axis moving assembly moving the massage ball assembly on a Y-axis, and a Z-axis moving assembly moving the massage ball assembly on a Z-axis;

the control part is used for controlling the massage component, when receiving a massage ball replacing command, the Z-axis moving component moves the massage ball component to the rear side on the Z axis, and then the mounting bracket is rotated, so that the massage ball protruding to the massage direction is replaced.