EP2189144A1

EP2189144A1 - Relaxation apparatus

Info

Publication number: EP2189144A1
Application number: EP09014300A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Fumihiro Nishio; Munekiyo Ikebe; Junji Nakamura; Takayoshi Tanizawa; Taichi Hamatsuka
Original assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Co Ltd
Current assignee: Panasonic Corp
Priority date: 2008-11-25
Filing date: 2009-11-16
Publication date: 2010-05-26
Also published as: JP2010124853A

Abstract

A relaxation apparatus (10) includes a body-supporting unit (13) for supporting a user's body, a rocking unit (12) for rocking in at least one direction a rocking member including the body-supporting unit and a controller (24) for controlling the rocking unit to rock the rocking member. The rocking member is provided with a main power switch (42) to be turned on and off by the user's manipulation. The main power switch may be provided to the body-supporting unit of the rocking member.

Description

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a relaxation apparatus for providing a user with a relaxing effect.

Background of the Invention

There has been proposed a conventional relaxation apparatus, as described in, e.g., Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication No. 2000-300374 , that has a rocking unit for rocking back and forth a body-supporting unit supporting a user's body and a controller for controlling the rocking unit to change the amplitude of the rocking motion of the body-supporting unit. The relaxation apparatus provides a user with a relaxing effect by suitably changing the amplitude of the rocking motion of the body-supporting unit.
In the above-mentioned relaxation apparatus, however, the installation position of a main power switch has to be taken into proper account in order to promote the enhancement of the stability of the apparatus by turning off a main power switch to instantly stop the rocking motion of the apparatus. That is, because the user is subject to rocking during the use of the relaxation apparatus from its nature, it may take some time for the user to manipulate the main power switch depending on the installation position of the main power switch and it needs to examine the installation position of the main power switch and promote the enhancement of its manipulation.

Summary of the Invention

In view of the above, the present invention provides a relaxation apparatus that can enhance its manipulation when a rocking motion is put to rest.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a relaxation apparatus including a body-supporting unit for supporting a user's body, a rocking unit for rocking in at least one direction a rocking member including the body-supporting unit and a controller for controlling the rocking unit to rock the rocking member, characterized in that: the rocking member is provided with a main power switch to be turned on and off by the user's manipulation.
The main power switch may be provided to the body-supporting unit of the rocking member.
Preferably, the main power switch is connected to the controller and configured to be turned off upon receiving an electric signal from the controller, and the controller outputs the electric signal to the main power switch to turn it off after the rocking operation of the rocking unit.
The body-supporting unit may include a detection sensor for detecting whether the body-supporting unit supports the user's body, and the controller may control the rocking unit such that a rocking motion of the body-supporting unit stops or does not start in case the detection sensor detects that the body-supporting unit does not support the user's body.
The main power switch may be provided at a side surface of a seat portion of the body-supporting unit.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a relaxation apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a body-supporting member in Fig. 1.
Figs. 3A to 3C depict positions of a user and a main power switch in accordance with the embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 illustrates cross-sections of the main power switch.
Fig. 5 shows a block diagram of a configuration of the relaxation apparatus.

Detailed Description of the Embodiments

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a relaxation apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. As depicted in Fig. 1, the relaxation apparatus 10 includes a base 11 having a bottom portion 11a placed on the floor (not shown), a rocking machinism 12 as a rocking unit provided to the base 11 and a body-supporting member 13 as a body-supporting unit and a rocking member driven by the rocking mechanism 12.
The rocking mechanism 12 has a motor 20, a reduction gear 21, a crank mechanism 22 and link members 23. The motor 20 is provided on the bottom portion 11a of the base 11 and the operation thereof is controlled by a controller 24 provided on the bottom portion 11a. The reduction gear 21 is also provided on the bottom portion 11a of the base 11. The reduction gear 21 is operationally coupled with the motor 20 and serves to reduce the power of the motor 20. Further, the motor 20 has a position sensor (not shown) such as an encoder that detects the number of revolutions and revolutionary position.
The crank mechanism 22 has two connecting rods 22a and 22b, and converts the rotating motion of the reduction gear 21 into a large circular motion. The base end of the connecting rod 22a is connected to and rotates with the axis of the reduction gear 21, while its leading end is rotatably connected to the base end of the other connecting rod 22b. The leading end of the connecting rod 22b is connected to the lower portion of a rectangular frame 25 to which the body-supporting member 13 is fixed.
The aforementioned base 11 also has a support frame 11b protruded upward from the bottom part 11a. The base ends of the linkages 23 are rotatably connected to the upper portion of the support frame 11b at an interval, while their leading ends 22b are rotatably connected to the lower portion of the rectangular frame 25. The two linkages 23 rotate around their base ends and, therefore, the body-supporting member 13, fixed to the base part 25, can be rocked back and forth by the power delivered from the crank mechanism 22, like a rocking chair.
The body-supporting member 13 of a chair shape includes a seat portion 30 which is fixed to an upper portion of the rectangular frame 25 so that they can move together, a back portion 31 attached to the rear side of the seat portion 30, and an ottoman 32 fixed at the front side of the seat portion 30, which are integrally formed. As viewed from above, the back portion 31 has a width gradually increased from a head support portion 31a on the rear side thereof (on the side of the head of a user M in Figs. 3A to 3C), which supports the head of the user M, to a waist support portion 31b that supports the waist portion including the arms of the user M, so that the width Y at the waist support 31b is larger than the width X at the head support 31a. On the other hand, the width of the body-supporting member 13 is gradually decreased from the front side of the waist support portion 31b, i.e., the rear side of the seat portion 30 to the front edge of the ottoman 32, forming a curved shape as a whole.
On the upper side of the seat portion 30 of the body-supporting member 13, a distortion sensor 40 is installed as a seating sensor. This distortion sensor 40 is connected to the controller 24 as shown in Fig. 5 to output to the controller 24 a signal indicating whether the user M is seated.
As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, a manipulator 41, connected electrically to the controller 24, is installed on a side of the body-supporting member 13 (the back portion 31) so that the user M can manipulate it. The manipulator 41 has, as shown in Fig. 5, a course selector 41a where a plurality of rocking patterns are set, a speed regulator 41b for regulating the speed of a rocking motion of the seat portion 30, an amplitude regulator 41c for regulating the amplitude of a rocking motion, a reclining-angle regulator 41d for regulating a reclining driver 13a that adjusts the reclining angle of the body-supporting member 13 and an indicator 41e for indicating various states of motion. As the user M selects each switch on the manipulator 41, an appropriate signal is output to the controller 24 so that the controller 24 controls the respective parts such as the rocking mechanism 12, the reclining driver 13a.
In addition, on a side surface 30a of the seat portion 30 is installed a main power switch 42 for turning the power supply on and off. This main power switch 42, connected electrically to the controller 24 as shown in Fig. 5, has a housing 50 in the shape of a box with a bottom, a reset mechanism 51 accommodated in the housing 50 and a knob 53 that covers the opening of the housing 50 and is pivotable in a specified range around a rotation axis 52 as shown in Figs. 4A to 4C. The reset mechanism 51 includes a permanent magnet 51a and an iron core 51b that are integrated with each other and provided slidably. Further, a coil 51c is wound around the iron core 51b and the permanent magnet 51a. For example, if an electric current as an electric signal flows in the coil 51c of the reset mechanism 51, there arises an attracting or repulsive force between the permanent magnet 51a and the coil 51c.
Power is supplied to the respective parts of the rocking mechanism 12 when the knob 43 of the main switch 42 is rotated to an on position as shown in Fig. 4A. Further, the power supply to the respective parts of the rocking mechanism 12 is interrupted when the knob 43 is rotated to an off position as shown in Fig. 4B. Besides, when the knob 43 is in the on position as in Fig. 4A, current flowing in the coil 51c of the reset mechanism 51 gives rise to a repulsive force between the permanent magnet 51a and the coil 51c so that the permanent magnet 51a and the iron core 51b slide towards the knob 53 as shown in Fig. 4C. Then, the tip 51d of the iron core 51b comes in contact with a projection 53a of the knob 53 and pushes the knob 53 up to rotate it to the off position, which in turn cuts off power supply to the respective parts of the rocking mechanism 12.
The relaxation apparatus 10 configured as above controls the motor 20 by the controller 24 and carries out a relaxation rocking by rocking the body-supporting member 13 back and forth, which effectively provides a user M with a relaxing effect. Here, because the main power switch 42 is installed on the side surface 30a of the seat portion 30 of the body-supporting member 13, the relative position between the body-supporting member 13 and the main power switch 42 remains unchanged irrespective of whether the body-supporting member 13 is in its initial position as shown in Fig. 3A, the body-supporting member 13 starts to be rocked as shown in Fig. 3B, or the amplitude of the rocking motion of the body-supporting member 13 reaches its maximum as shown in Fig. 3C. Because the relative position between the user M and the main power switch 42 rarely changes accordingly, the user M can easily turn on and off the main power switch 42 of the rocking mechanism 12. In addition, with the main power switch 42 being installed on the side surface 30a of the seat portion 30, it is possible to suppress an unexpected contact of the body of a user M with the main power switch 42 so that it is possible to restrain a rocking motion from an unintentional stop.
Furthermore, if it is detected by the distortion sensor 40 that the user M is not seated on the body-supporting member 13 at the inception of a rocking motion, the controller 24 controls the rocking mechanism 12 not to start to drive even when the main power switch 42 (the knob 53) is in on state or the user attempts to start the rocking using the manipulator 41. That is, a misuse like starting the rocking motion in the absence of the user M seating on the body-supporting member 13 is prevented. Further, considering the case that the user M stands or fall from the body-supporting member 13, the controller 24 stops the operation of the rocking mechanism 12 if it is detected by the distortion sensor 40 that the user M is not seated on the body-supporting member 13 during the rocking motion.
When the above relaxation rocking is finished, the controller 24 supplies electricity to the coil 51c of the main power switch 42, giving rise to a repulsive force between the permanent magnet 51a and the coil 51c, so that the permanent magnet 51a and the iron core 51b slide to the knob 53. By the repulsive force, the tip 51d of the iron core 51b comes in contact with the projection 53a of the knob 53 and pushes the knob 53 up to rotate it to the off position. As a result, the power supply to the respective parts of the rocking mechanism 12 is interrupted and, hence, power consumption such as standby power can be saved.
Next, the characteristic effects of the present embodiments will be described.

(1) The body-supporting member 13, as a rocking member and a body-supporting unit, includes the main power switch 42 at the side surface 30a of the seat portion 30 which can turn on and off the power supply by the manipulation of a user. By installing the main power switch 42 at a place that rocks, it becomes possible to make the relative position between the user M and the main power switch 42 remain unchanged at all times. Hence, the user M can manipulate the main power switch 42 even when the body-supporting member 13 is in rocking motion so that, with the enhanced manipulability of the main power switch 42, it becomes relatively easy to stop the rocking motion. Besides, the enhanced manipulability of the main power switch 42 allows the main power switch 42 (the knob 53) to be turned on and off actively, contributing to a reduction of power consumption.
(2) The main power switch 42 is connected to the controller 24 and tured off at the reception of an electric signal (current) from the controller 24. The controller 24 outputs an electric signal (current) to the main power switch 42 after a relaxation rocking and the main power switch 42 is turned off. According to this, electricity is cut off automatically after the relaxation rocking and, hence, power consumption such as standby power can be saved.
(3) The body-supporting member 13 (the seat portion 30) includes the distortion sensor 40 as a detection sensor that detects whether the body-supporting member 13 supports the body of a user or not. If it is detected by the distortion sensor 40 that the body-supporting member 13 does not support the body of a user M, the controller 24 controls the rocking mechanism 12 so that the rocking motion of the body-supporting member 13 is stopped or does not start. Hence, even when the user falls from the body-supporting member 13, it becomes possible to automatically stop the rocking of the body-supporting member 13. Besides, it is possible to prevent a misuse like starting the rocking motion in the absence of the user M seating on the body-supporting member 13.
(4) Because the main power switch 42 is installed on the side surface 30a of the seat portion 30 constituting the body-supporting member 13, an unexpected contact of the body of a user M with the main power switch 42 can be suppressed while the user M is seated on the body-supporting member 13. Hence, it is possible to restrain a rocking motion from an unintentional stop.

The embodiments of the present invention may be modified as described below.
Although, in the embodiment described above, the distortion sensor 40 is employed for the detection sensor, the present invention is not limited to the above and a photo sensor or a mechanical sensor may be employed.
Although, in the embodiment described above, the distortion sensor 40 is installed on the upper side of the seat portion 30 as the detection sensor, it may be installed at the back portion 31 or at the ottoman 32. Further, the detection sensor (the distortion sensor 40) may be omitted.
Although, in the aforementioned embodiment, the main power switch 42 has the reset mechanism 51, it may be omitted.
Although, in the aforementioned embodiment, the main power switch 42 is installed on the side surface 30a of the seat portion 30 constituting the body-supporting member 13, the present invention is not limited to the above. For example, the main power switch 42 may be installed at the back portion 31 or the ottoman 32. Or else, the main power switch 42 may be installed on a place other than the body-supporting member 13 that rocks like the body-supporting member 13.
Even though it is not mentioned explicitly in the embodiment described above, it is desirable to install the main power switch 42 in a region which the user's hand reaches during a rocking motion.
Even though in the embodiment described above the body-supporting member 13 is rocked back and forth, the present invention is not limited to the above and, for example, it may be rocked from side to side.
Even though it is not mentioned explicitly in the embodiment described above, air bags may be installed in the various portions of the body-supporting member 13 in order to provide a user with a relaxation effect such as massaging by carrying out suitable expansion and contraction thereof.
Even though it is not mentioned explicitly in the embodiment described above, the controller 24 may control the motor 20 to carry out a refresh rocking that awakes a user in a relaxation (sleeping) state by having the amplitude or frequency of a rocking motion higher after the relaxation motion than during the relaxation motion. In addition, in this case the main power switch 42 in the embodiment described above may be turned off after the refresh rocking.
In the embodiment described above, even though it is not mentioned explicitly, there may be provided a mechanism for generating music or vibration corresponding to the relaxation rocking or refresh rocking.
In the below, technical ideas that can be grasped from the above embodiments and the modified examples are described.
While the invention has been shown and described with respect to the embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

Claims

A relaxation apparatus comprising a body-supporting unit for supporting a user's body, a rocking unit for rocking in at least one direction a rocking member including the body-supporting unit and a controller for controlling the rocking unit to rock the rocking member, characterized in that:
the rocking member is provided with a main power switch to be turned on and off by the user's manipulation.
The relaxation apparatus of claim 1, wherein the main power switch is provided to the body-supporting unit of the rocking member.
The relaxation apparatus of claim 1 or 2, wherein the main power switch is connected to the controller and configured to be turned off upon receiving an electric signal from the controller, and
the controller outputs the electric signal to the main power switch to turn it off after the rocking operation of the rocking unit.
The relaxation apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the body-supporting unit includes a detection sensor for detecting whether the body-supporting unit supports the user's body, and
the controller controls the rocking unit such that a rocking motion of the body-supporting unit stops or does not start in case the detection sensor detects that the body-supporting unit does not support the user's body.
The relaxation apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the main power switch is provided at a side surface of a seat portion of the body-supporting unit.