GB2070433A

GB2070433A - Vibrator

Info

Publication number: GB2070433A
Application number: GB8007060A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: FRITHGLOW Ltd
Current assignee: FRITHGLOW Ltd
Priority date: 1980-03-01
Filing date: 1980-03-01
Publication date: 1981-09-09

Abstract

A vibrator unit for attachment to the underside of a stiff but resilient board (22), e.g. the spinal support board of an orthopaedic bed or the base or back of an orthopaedic chair, has a housing (10) containing a mass and auxiliary drive, attachment points (14, 16) for coiled springs (18) whose ends are secured to rings or eyelets (28) attached to the underside of the board (22) or, where the latter is of insufficient thickness, to two supporting struts (24, 26) on the underside of the board. A layer of sound- and vibration-absorbing material (20) is fitted between the housing (10) and the board (22). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Vibrator Field of invention This invention concerns vibrators and in particular furniture incorporating vibrators for palliative and/or therapeutic purposes.

Background to the invention It is known to mount a vibrator within the box springs of bends and spring constructed furniture from US Patent Specification 3035572. In this specification a vibrator of unitry construction is described which is attached to the bed springs through the intermediary of stretched resilient wires 24 and 25 or is attached directly to the springs through the intermediary of washers and nuts 20 and 21.

Vibrators have been attached to upholstered beds or chairs and examples are given in Figures 5 to 7 showing typical mounting positions.

Another vibrator is described in British Patent Specification 1320891 in which the housing itself is provided with resilient means for attaching it to the springs within a bed or an upholstered chair.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a vibrator adapted to be attached to a bed or chair of solid construction commonly referred tc as an orthopaedic bed or orthopaedic chair, and to provide a so-called orthopaedic bed or chair in which vibration can be induced by such a vibrator.

The invention According to one aspect of the present invention a so-called orthopaedic bed or chair includes a relatively stiff but resilient support panel on the underside of which is mounted at least one vibrator unit which includes a housing having mounted therewithin a mass and means for vibrating same, a layer of vibration absorbing material located between the vibrator housing and the panel and resilient means secured to the housing and extending between the housing and anchorage points on the panel or on struts which support the panel.

Typically the resilient means are coiled springs.

Typically the anchorage means comprise hooks or eyelets in the panel.

Typically the panel is a sheet of wood or a composite of wood or wood and plastics materials or a sheet of plastics material or a sheet of metal.

The layer of vibration absorbing material will, of course, exert a force on the panel due to the energy stored therein as the vibrator housing compresses the material every half cycle of vibration and depending on the flexibility of the panel, so the latter will be set into a vibrating mode. To this end the material is selected for its properties of transmitting vibration at relatively low frequencies but absorbing vibration at higher frequencies so that whilst the basic fundamental frequency of vibration is transmitted to the panel, any higher frequency content of the vibration is absorbed and lost.

Typically the vibration absorbing material is rubber or a rubber and plastics material or a foamed material or a multiple layer sandwich of fabric with or without rubber or plastics material impregnation.

According to another aspect of the present invention a spinal support panel for a so-called orthopaedic bed comprises an elongate panel of relatively stiff but resilient material, which panel is adapted to be fitted with a bed base and on the underside of which is mounted a housing having a mass therewithin and means for vibrating same, the housing being secured to the underside of the panel or to support struts associated therewith through the intermediary of a plurality of resilient means and communicating with the underside of the panel through a layer of vibration absorbing material.

According to another aspect of the present invention a vibrator for mounting in a so-called orthopaedic chair or on the underside of a spinal support panel in a so-called orthopaedic bed comprises a housing containing a mass and means for vibrating same, a layer of vibration absorbing material attached to the housing, the layer of vibration absorbing material serving as the surface which abuts the underside of the panel, and resilient means attached to the housing which resilient means is adapted to be secured to hooks on the underside of the panel or on support struts associated with the panel.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, the bed, panel or vibrator previously described may be provided with a control unit for adjusting the amplitude and/or frequency of the vibration and may further include timing means for controlling the time during which the vibrator is operational. Preferably any such timing means is adjustable so as to allow different periods of time to be selected.

It is a characteristic of the vibration absorbing material that sound which would otherwise be radiated by the panel is absorbed by the material.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which, Fig.1 is a side view of a vibrator mounted on the underside of a spinal support panel of an orthopaedic bed, Fig.2 is a plan view of the panel of Fig.1 in the direction of the arrow A and Fig.3 is a side view of another embodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of drawings Referring first of all to Figures 1 and 2, a vibrator housing 10 which contains a mass (not shown) and a solenoid for vibrating the mass (also not shown). The housing 10 includes a base plate 12, the housing 10 and the base plate both being circular and the base plate being of larger diameter than the housing. At four equidistant points around the base plate 1 2 are located pins 14 on each of which is located a pinion 1 6 around which one end of a helical spring 1 8 is fitted.

The base plate 12 is secured to one face of a block of resiliently deformable vibration absorbing material identified by reference numeral 20. The latter serves as a buffer between the housing 10 and the underside of a base board 22 which is typically the spinal support board of a so-called orthopaedic bend or may be a base or back of a so-called orthopaedic chair. Attached to the base board 22 are two blocks 24 and 26 which may be lateral supports for the board. The blocks are typically of timber and include eyelets 28 which are screwed into the blocks.

The unstretched lengths of the springs 1 8 is less than the distances between the pinions 1 6 and the eyelets 28 and consequently the four springs are all stretched and hold the housing 10 firmly in place when the springs are attached to the eyelets 28.

The layer of vibration absorbing material 20 may be rubber or plastics material or a foamed material of rubber or plastics or a combination of both or may be a multi-layered sandwich of fabric which may be impregnated with rubber or plastics material or both.

The surface of the material 20 which abuts the underside of the board 22 may be stuck thereto by means of an adhesive. To this end the underside of the layer 20 may be covered with a suitable impact adhesive and a peel-off backing strip provided to protect the adhesive layer until the unit is ready to be mounted.

Figure 2 of the drawings shows the unit positioned below the base board 22 and shows how the four eyelets 28 are located at equidistant points on the underside.

Figure 3 of the drawings illustrates an alternative embodiment in which the housing 10 is inverted relative to the mounting shown in Figure 1 so that the base plate and the attachment noint formed by the pin 14 and pinions 1 6 are located at a greater distance from the board 22.

The layer of vibration absorbing material 20 is now attached to the other end of the housing 10 as shown in Figure 3 and as previously described may alternatively or in addition be secured to the underside of the board 22 by means of an adhesive.

The construction of the housing and the layer 20 and the mounting points 1 6 and 14 is exactly the same as that as previously described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

In the same way the springs 18 serving to locate the device below the board and attaching the device to the four eyelets are similar to the springs 1 8 described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. It may however be necessary to provide springs having a slightly ionger unstretched length in order to accommodate the greater length over which the springs are to be extended in the Figure 3 embodiment as compared with the Figure 1 and 2 embodiment.

Claims

1. A vibrator in the form of a so-called orthopaedic bed or chair which includes a relatively stiff but resilient support panel on the underside of which is mounted at least one vibrator unit which includes a housing having mounted therewithin a mass and means for vibrating same, characterised by a layer of vibration aborbing material located between the vibrator housing and the panel and resilient means secured to the housing and extending between the housing and anchorage points on the panel or on struts which support the panel.

2. A vibrator as claimed in claim 1 in which the resilient means are coiled springs.

3. A vibrator as claimed in claim 1 or 2 in which the anchorage means comprise hooks or eyelets in the panel.

4. A vibrator as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the panel is a sheet of wood or a composite of wood and plastics materials or a sheet of plastics material or a sheet of metal.

5. A vibrator as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the layer of vibration absorbing material absorbs the higher frequency content of any vibration so as to reduce the noise of the vibrator.

6. A vibrator as claimed in any of the preceding claims in which the vibration absorbing material is rubber or a rubber and plastics material or a foamed material or a multiple layer sandwich of fabric with or without rubber or plastics material impregnation.

7. A vibrator in the form of a spinal support panel for a so-called orthopeadic bed which comprises an elongate panel of relatively stiff but resilient material, which panel is adapted to be fitted within a bed base and having on the underside thereof a housing having a mass therewithin the means for vibrating same, the housing being secured to the underside of the panel or to support struts associated therewith through the intermediary of a plurality of resilient means, direct communication between the housing and the underside of the panel being through the intermediary of a layer of vibration absorbing material.

8. A vibrator unit for mounting in a so-called orthopaedic chair or on the underside of a spinal support panel in a so-called orthopaedic bed comprising a housing containing a mass and means for vibrating same, a layer of vibration absorbing material attached to the housing, the layer of vibration absorbing material serving as the surface which abuts the underside of the panel, and resilient means attached to the housing which resilient means is adapted to be secured to hooks on the underside of the panel or on support struts associated with the panel.

9. A vibrator or vibrator unit as claimed in any of the preceding claims further comprising a control unit for adjusting the amplitude and/or frequency of the vibration.

10. A vibrator or vibrator unit as claimed in claim 9 further including timing means for controlling the time during which the vibrator is operational.

11. A vibrator or vibrator unit as claimed in claim 10 in which the timing means is adjustable so as to allow different periods of time to be selected.

1 2. A vibrator unit constructed and arranged substantially as herein described with reference to and as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 or Fig. 3 of the accompanying drawings.