FR2529783A1 - MASSAGE BED - Google Patents

Abstract

UNDER A COVERING MAT 6, A FIRST MASSAGE BODY 10 IS PROVIDED INCLUDING TWO INCLINED AND OFF-CENTERED RINGS THAT CAN BE TURNED ON SITE OR MOVED BACK AND BACK ACCORDING TO THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF THE BED. IT IS FURTHER PROVIDED, ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE TO THE HEAD OF THE BED, A SECOND MASSAGE ORGAN 30 WHICH, FOR LONGITUDINAL DISPLACEMENT, IS COUPLED TO THE FIRST ORGAN 10 BY STEMS 33. USE TO ACCELERATE MASSAGES AND TO PREVENT THE BODY DO NOT SINK DURING NECK MASSAGE.

Description

The present invention relates to a massage bed and more particularly

  a bed comprising movable massaging means which exert a massage action on the rear face of the body of a person lying on the back.

  It has already been proposed in the patent application

  tanned 2 077 106 massage beds comprising mobile massager means In these known beds, a single massager device moves along the human body during the entire massage operation, so as to massage

  parts of the body that are in contact with this

  Thus, according to this state of the art, the massage is exerted on only one part of the length of the body at a time, so that it takes a long time to massage all-body or an important part According to this state of the art, it is also observed during the massage that the lower part of the body tends to sink into the bed when the neck and the shoulders are massaged, and conversely that the upper part of the body body tends to sink when one massages the waist and lower body This forces the person

  to adopt an uncomfortable position on the bed and in parti-

  the massage device has some difficulties

  to actually come in contact with the neck and the sponges

  the ones that are raised above the lower part of the body that sinks into the bed; as a result, these upper parts of the body are not massaged

  as efficiently as they should.

  The object of the invention is to remedy these inconveniences.

  by offering a massage bed ensuring effective massage on substantially the entire body in a relatively short time, while supporting the

  body on the bed in a relaxed and comfor-

table.

  The invention thus provides a massage bed comprising a bed for supporting the body and a first massage member comprising a first rolling train contacting the body and actuated by a motor to perform a movement back and forth in the direction longitudinal

bed.

  According to the invention, the massage bed is

  characterized in that it further comprises a second member -

  massage comprising a second rolling gear of contact

  with the body and placed at a certain distance

  the second massage member being connected to the first massage member so as to move with it in the longitudinal direction, and in that the first massage member is placed on the side of the head of the bed, while that the second body massage

  is placed on the side where the bed supports the feet of the patient.

  Thus, the disadvantages set out above with regard to

  the state of the art are eliminated by the

  vention which utilizes a set of first and second longitudinally spaced apart massage members and cooperating in the longitudinal direction of a bed supporting the human body The first massage member disposed on the bed head side and the second massage member disposed on the side where the bed supports the feet respectively comprise first and second rolling trains in contact with the body for simultaneously exerting massage actions in two longitudinally spaced regions of the rear face of the body while supporting the body in these two areas spaced one

the other.

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the first body-contacting gear is mounted eccentrically and inclined on a rotary shaft, so that it can exert when the shaft rotates beyond its axis, a kneading action. on the body in contact with this first train, while it can exert on the body a force of massage by friction while moving in va and

  comes in the longitudinal direction of the bed.

  It is thus another object of the invention to provide a massage bed for selecting massage actions by kneading and friction to apply to any desired body parts and to apply a friction massage simultaneously with the upper and lower halves of the body respectively by the first and the second body-moving rolling trains driven back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the body, so as to improve the effect of

massage on the whole body-.

  Other features and advantages of the invention

  will be apparent from the following description.

  In the accompanying drawings, given by way of non-limiting example, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a massage bed according to the present invention; Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of the massage bed; Figure 3 is a bottom view partially in section, of the first massage member used in the bed; Figure 4 is a sectional view along the line X-X of Figure I; Figures 5 and 6 are somewhat schematic representations illustrating the function of the first rolling train contact with the body in different real positions of use; Figure 7 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of a braking device whose bed is equipped; Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating ranges of positions, corresponding to races of different lengths in which the first and second rolling trains of contact with the body can come and go; Figure 9 is a diagram illustrating ranges of positions, corresponding to races of different lengths in which the first rolling train contact with the body can come and go; and Figures 10 (a) and 10 (b) are schematic views showing a tilting headrest attached to the massage bed, respectively in its folded position.

  on the massage bed and in its withdrawn position.

  Referring to Figures 1 and 2 in particular, a massage bed according to the present invention comprises a bed 1 to support the body, consisting of a rectangular wooden frame 2 whose two long sides are covered with a padding material 3 , from a

  wooden case 4 and feet 5 at both ends

  tudinal, and a flexible covering mat 6 covering substantially the entire upper surface between said lateral sides A pair of rails 7 is mounted on the inner sides of the bed A first and a second massage members 10 and 30 are supported in bridge between the rails 7 which are spaced from each other Each rail 7 carries a rack 8 extending longitudinally and meshing with the first massage member 10 for its drive The first massage member 10, which is designed to to be moved back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the bed 1 by means of an incorporated electric motor M, comprises a main shaft 11,

  which extends horizontally and transversely

  1 a body-first rolling gear (hereinafter referred to as a first gear) having a pair of axially-spaced outer rings 23, a motor housing 12 disposed at one end of the main shaft 11 to enclose the motor M, and a gear box 13 at the other end of the shaft 11 The second member of

  massage 30 comprises a rear axle 31 arranged parallel-

  to the main shaft 11 and a second gear train in contact with the body (hereinafter referred to as the second

  undercarriage) consisting of a series of axially axially

aligned.

  A pair of connecting plates 33 connects the first and second massage members 10 and 30 to make them move back and forth together in the longitudinal direction

  The ends of the main shaft 11 are

  respectively provided with free end sleeves in

  rotation 14 on each of which is mounted a roller-guide

  15 is rotated in the rail 7 to advance the first massage member 10 back and forth in the longitudinal direction of the bed It is also provided at both ends of the rear axle 31 the same guide rollers 34 which rotate at the same time. the interior of the rails 7 to move the second massage member 30 together with the first massage member 10 Thus, the first and second massage members 10 and 30 are supported in a bridge between the rails 7, by the two sets of guide rollers 15 and 34 respectively As shown in FIG. 4, the main shaft 11 is made in the form

  of a hollow shaft, through which extends an axis of

  at the two protruding ends of which the end sleeves 14 are fixed so as to be freely rotatable on the main shaft 11 A pinion 17 is fixedly mounted on each of the end sleeves 14 The pinion 17 meshes with the corresponding rack 8 of the rail 7 so as to advance the first and second massage members 10 and 30 along the rails 7 when rotatably driven. The motor M in the motor housing 12 is a reversible electric motor which is engaged with the main shaft 11 and the drive shaft 16 via a gear train in series with a planetary type mechanism The gear train includes a pair of parallel augers 40 and 41 each having a

  toothing in intermediate position between its ends.

  As best shown in FIG. 4, the worm gear 40 meshes with a worm gear 42 fixedly mounted on the end sleeve 14 to be driven by the drive shaft 16, while the worm gear 41 meshes with a screw wheel 44 fixedly mounted on a shaft 46 arranged parallel to the main shaft 11 in the

  gearbox 13 and which carries an elliptical toothed wheel

  45 meshing with another elliptical gear wheel 43 fixedly mounted on the main shaft 11 so as to

  drive the worm 41 and the main shaft into drive.

cipal 11.

  The worms 40 and 41 are interconnected by the mechanism of the planetary gear type As shown in FIG. 3, the planetary gear is made in the form of a ball bearing constituted by an inner ring 47, an outer ring 48, of balls 49 interposed between these rings, and a cage 50, these members having in order the function of the sun gear, the internal gear, the satellites and the planet carrier of a train

  conventional planet gear The inner ring 47 is fixedly mounted

  at one end of a bush 51 which, in turn, is rotatably mounted at a first end of the worm shaft 40 The bushing 51 carries at its other end a pulley 52 which is connected to the M engine by means

  of a belt 53 so as to rotate the inner ring -

  47 around the worm 40 receiving the force

  rotation of the motor M The driving link

  between the worm 40 and the mechanism of the above-mentioned planetary gear type is established via the cage 50 fixed at one of its ends to the worm 40 and carrying a number of balls arranged circumferentially to its other end The screw without

  end 41 is driven in a rotation that is communicated to him

  the outer ring 48, which carries a pulley 54 connected by means of a belt 56, to a pulley 55 fixed to a first end of end washers 41 Thus, if the inner ring 47 is rotated by means of the motor M while applying a braking force to the worm 40, the balls 49 will rotate about their own axes in positions defined by the cage 50 without the balls 49 and the cage 50 are rotated around the inner ring 47 of whereby the rotating balls 49 transmit the rotational force of the motor M to the outer ring 48 which, in turn, rotates the worm 41 through the pulley 54, the belt 56 and the pulley 55 It follows that the main shaft is rotated as well as the first train

  rolling 20 about the axis of the main shaft 11.

  On the other hand, if a braking force is exerted on the worm 41 to lock the outer ring 48, this allows the balls 49 and the cage 50 which receive a rotational force of the motor M to turn around. the inner ring 47, which rotates the worm

  which, in turn, causes rotation through

  of the screw wheel 42 and the end sleeve 14, the drive shaft 16 and the sprockets 17 at both ends thereof, which advances the first massage member 10, forwards and backwards, according to

  longitudinal direction of bed 1 A spring of precompres-

  57 rests in a spring seat 58 rotatably mounted on the sleeve 51 by means of a ball bearing 59 to axially bias the outer ring 48 relative to the inner ring 47 so as to maintain the balls 49 in their corresponding seat made in the outer and inner rings 47 and 48 In the above embodiment, a planetary mechanism has been described comprising the ball bearing with its inner ring 47 and its outer ring 48 and its cage 50 respectively playing the grooves of the planetarium. the ring gear internally and the planet carrier; it will be noted however that another type of bearing, a conventional planetary gear, or appropriate clutch means can

be used for the same purpose.

  The presence of the above-mentioned planetary mechanism has the result that the output of the motor M is transmitted to the worm 41 to rotate the first undercarriage when the worm 40 is braked and conversely the output of the motor M is transmitted to the worm. endless 40 for reciprocating the first and second massage members 10 and 30 when the worm 41 is braked, this braking effect being obtained by the use of a pair of braking devices 60 adjacent to the second ends of the screws Endless 40 and 41 These braking devices 60 have the same construction and include as shown in Figure 7 solenoid SL 1 and SL 2 respectively Each braking device further comprises a yoke 61 attached to the gearbox 13, a core 62 attached to breech 61 and making

  facing the end of the worm 40 or 41 respectively

  a coil 63 surrounding the core 62 and springs 64 axially biasing the core 62 and the yoke 61 in opposite directions to the worm 40 or 41 so that each core 62, when activated by sending electrical current, is biased against the return force of the spring 64 and abuts on an end plate 65 fixed to the worm 40 or 41, so that the rotational movement of the worm

  on which the core 62 stops is stopped.

  Referring back to FIG. 4, the first undercarriage 20 comprises a train carrying sleeve 21 fixed on the main shaft 11 in an intermediate position between these two ends, and comprising a pair of eccentric internal rings 22 formed integrally. , so as to be

  inclined in opposite directions relative to each other

  to the axis of the main shaft 11, the outer rings 23 being each rotatably mounted on the periphery of one of the inner rings 22 via a series of balls 24 circumferentially spaced and retained by a cage 25 Since the axially spaced outer rings 23 are eccentric and inclined symmetrically relative to the axis of the main shaft 11, the rotation of the main shaft 11 varies the distance, measured perpendicularly to the axis of the main shaft 11 between the latter and the point of contact of each outer ring 23 with the cover mat 6 and also varies the distance measured parallel to the shaft 11 between said

  contact points laterally spaced A permanent magnet

  27 is attached to one of the ends of the train carrying sleeve 21. The permanent magnet 27 is opposite a pair of spaced flexible blade switches L 51 and L 52 provided on the side wall of the gear box. 13 in opposite positions radially relative to the axis of the main shaft 11, that is to say, one above and one below the shaft 11 The functional connection between the magnet 27 and the switches L 51 and L 52 are such that the switch L 51 is actuated when the first undercarriage 20 makes towards the cover mat 6 the small projection shown in phantom in FIG. 4, while the switch L 52 is actuated when the first undercarriage 20 makes towards the roofing mat 6 the strong projection shown in solid lines to the same figurative will be described

  further the effect of these provisions.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the second undercarriage consists of four axially aligned rollers 32, the first and the last of which are shaped so as to have a concave contour each

  roller is mounted in free rotation on the rear axle 31.

  On the other hand, the first massage member 10 comprises, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, a pair of spaced side rollers 18 one of which is mounted on the motor housing 12 and the other on the gearbox 13 each side rollers 18 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 19 parallel to the main shaft 11, so that the highest point of its periphery is slightly higher than that of the first undercarriage 20, when the latter is projecting at least towards the cover mat 6. With reference to FIGS. 1, 10 (a), 10 (b), the massage bed of the present invention comprises in addition to a headrest or tilting pillow 70 attached to a thong

  The free end of the strap 71 is

  elastically abutting the longitudinal end of the frame 2, so as to allow the headrest 70 to be placed on the cover mat 6, at the longitudinal end thereof.

  and remove it by tilting it.

  tilting head 70 allows to raise the patient's head

  higher than the rest of the body, which increases circulation

  blood when massaging parts of the body * lower than the neck and shoulders, and placing

  the head more Basque the rest of the body, so as to allow

  put on the first running gear 20 to engage closely

  in the neck to improve the massage action at this location The presence of the tilting headrest 70 even when in the retracted position, indicates

  the user in which direction he must lie on the bed.

  In use, the user extends on the carpet cover 6 of the bed by placing his head on the headrest 70, if it is desired to massage parts of the body other than the neck and shoulders, or on the part of the carpet 6 from which the headrest 70 has been removed when the neck and the shoulders are to be massaged Then the motor output

  M is transmitted so as to rotate the drive axis

  16 without rotating the main shaft 11, thanks to the planetary mechanism, so that the first member

  massage 10 will come and go in the long direction

  rail of the rail 7 or the bed while the sprockets 17 provided at each end of the drive shaft 16 rotate to mesh with the rack 8 During this movement back and forth of the first massage member, the two outer rings 23 of the first running gear rotate freely relative to the inner rings 22

  correspondents whose rotation is stopped in order to

  go back and forth along the green column

  of the body to be massaged, which transmits a pressure through the cover mat 6, on either side of the spine, massaging these areas by friction by means of the first undercarriage 20 The second undercarriage 32, accompanied by the first running gear 20 and cooperating with the latter, reciprocates with it to ensure, similarly, a friction massage on the lower half of the body in equally spaced areas of the first undercarriage, such as the The back and forth movement of the first and second massage members is controlled to occur selectively within three limited ranges of positions corresponding to different stroke lengths by means of a circuit. control device comprising, for example, a micro-computer with a chip cooperating with appropriate detector means which detect the position of the first and second massage members in the longitudinal direction of the bed En

  other words the aforementioned control circuit is pro-

  grammar to provide three different modes of

  with respect to the strokes of the first and second massage members 10 and 30 connected to each other so as to selectively drive them, within a first section S1, a second section 52, and an

  third section 53, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9.

  The first section Si is intended for massage of the whole body; it is therefore a long section in which the first rolling train 20 comes and goes repeatedly by automatically returning back to the ends of its stroke to perform the friction massage on the area extending between the neck and the included thighs, while that the second running gear 32 follows the first to provide the same massage in the area from the waist to the ankles included The second section 52 also aims to massage the whole body, but it is shorter; indeed, the first undercarriage 20 also has a reciprocating motion to frictionally massage an area between the neck and the included thighs and at the same time the second undercarriage 32 follows the first to frictionally massage the area between the waist. and legs included The third section 53 aims to massage the lower half and is the shortest section; in this case, the first undercarriage 20 has a back and forth motion to frictionally massage the area between the waist and the included thighs, while the second undercarriage 32- follows the first to frictionally massage the area between the legs and the included dowels One chooses among the three sections Si, 52, 53 by operating switching means (not shown) provided at an appropriate location on the bed. As shown in the above figures, the second section 52 and the third section 53 have a common section 54 of shorter length intended to compensate for the different positions o can be on the bed the size of the users of different sizes, so as to be sure that the friction massage is always applied

  at the waist, whether you choose section 52 or

  53, this part of the body being the one with the most

often need massage.

  If now, the output of the motor M is transmitted so as to rotate the main shaft 11 without rotating the drive shaft 16, the first undercarriage will rotate about the axis of the main shaft 11

  without changing position relative to the length of the bed.

  During this rotary movement of the first undercarriage 20 which, as already described, has rings mounted on the shaft 11 so as to be eccentric and inclined in opposite directions relative to each other relative to the axis of the main shaft 11, the outer rings 23 of the first undercarriage 20 cooperate to alternately produce the conditions in which the outer rings 23 protrude strongly towards the cover mat 6, while the distance between

  the culminating points of their peripheries is relative-

  as shown in Figure 5, and the conditions

  in which the outer rings 23 project faintly upwards, while the distance between

  the culminating points of their peripheries is relative-

  as shown in Figure 6, which exerts a kneading massage to the part of

  body lying between the two outer rings 23.

  It will also be understood from these two figures that by varying the angular position of the first undercarriage 20, the intensity of the massage force is adjusted.

  applied to the back of the body during the friction massage.

  The purpose of the switches L 51 and L 52 is to sense the angular position of the first undercarriage 20 with a view to

  to manage to adjust the friction massage force.

  Of course, the kneading massage can be performed in any position of the first undercarriage 20 in each of the three sections Si, 52 and 53 to the corresponding part of the body, that is to say the zone extending between the neck and thighs included In particular, when the neck is massaged by kneading by means of the first

  undercarriage 20, the second running gear 32 assists in supporting

  the body at the waist which improves the kneading massage on the neck It will be noted at this stage that the motor M selectively driving the first and second massage members 10 and 30 to come and go during the friction massage and which drives the first running gear

  in rotation for kneading massage is incor-

  pored to the first massage member 10 for the purpose of

  proud of the construction and wiring of the bed.

  The lateral rollers 18 provided on the first massage member 10 are intended to make more effective the adjustment of the pressing force applied to the body during the friction massage as well as to improve the massage by kneading, as will be explained here. After friction massage, by means of the first undercarriage making a small upward projection as shown in FIG. 6 to apply a relatively low friction force to the body, the body is not supported only by the first running gear 20,

  but also by the side rollers 18 which go and come

  with the body in the longitudinal direction of the bed, so that the body is massaged over a wider area than if there was only the first undercarriage 20, and feels a softer touch massage because its weight is distributed to the undercarriage 20 and the side rollers 18 During the kneading massage performed by the first undercarriage 20, the side rollers 18 support the body to relieve the area where the first undercarriage 20 performs the kneading massage, when during of its rotation, the first undercarriage is in its least protruding position shown in Figure 6, and deviate from the body to concentrate the force of the massage exerted by the first undercarriage 20 to said area when the first running gear 20 leaves the aforementioned position, which produces alternating actions of relaxation and tension to the areas to be massaged. In this way, the lateral rollers 18 cooperate with the first undercarriage 20 to improve the kneading massage compared to the case where the body would be worn only by the first roller and therefore without the assistance of the side rollers during the kneading massage, which would have the effect that the area to be massaged would be stretched so that constant, constant telletension

  being an obstacle to this kind of massage treatment.

  Of course, the description and in particular

  the drawings are given for illustration purposes only.

  It will be understood that many variations and modifications of the embodiment described above will be obvious to those skilled in the art and can be implemented without

  out of the scope of this application.

Claims (4)

  1 massage bed comprising a bed (1) for supporting the body and a first massage member (10) comprising a first rolling gear of contact with the body (20) and actuated by a motor (M) to perform   movement back and forth in the long-term direction   dinale of the bed (1), characterized in that it comprises a second massage member (30) comprising a second train   rolling contact with the body (32) and placed at a certain   a longitudinal distance of the first massage member (10), said second massage member (30) being connected to the first massage member (10) so as to move with it in a longitudinal direction, and in that the first massage member (10) is placed on the side of the head of the bed (1), while the second massage member (30) is placed on the side where the bed supports the feet of the patient. 2 massage bed according to claim 1, characterized in that the first massage member (10) comprises a drive shaft (16) drivable by the motor output (M) in the longitudinal direction of the bed (1). > to make the first rolling train make contact with the body a movement of   back and forth, and a main shaft (11) extending transversely   to the bed (1) and carries the first rolling gear of contact with the body (20) which is eccentric and inclined with respect to the axis of the main shaft (11) to be rotated about this axis by the output of the motor ( M) so as to give a rolling movement to the first rolling gear of contact with the body (20), and in that means (47 to 50, 60) are provided for selectively establishing the drive connection between the motor ( M) on the one hand, and the drive shaft (16) and the shaft principal (11) on the other hand.   3 massage bed according to one of the   cations 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises race adjustment means for selecting a zone of   between working areas (Si, 52, 53) predefined   completed having different lengths for the race in which the first gear train of contact with   the body (20) can come and go, said work zones   vail having a common journey with each other.   4 massage bed according to any one of   Claims I to 3, characterized in that the motor (M)   is incorporated in the first massage member (10) so as to to come and go with him.   Massage bed according to any one of   Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it comprises   a headrest pivotally mounted at the end   longitudinal front of the bed to allow support   head to be placed on the top of the bed in front of the first   massage member (10), and to be removed from the top of the bed.