JP2000279270A - Stretching device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a stretching device capable of preventing excessive stretching in order to provide effective stretching while preventing a user's body from escaping by allowing the user to press his or her body while gripping a handle. SOLUTION: The grip 14 of a handle 4 projecting upward from a backrest portion 3 and gripped by a user during inflation of a back airbag 12 is provided with a grip switch 15 for stopping inflation of the back airbag 12. When the user feels that pressure exerted by inflation of the back airbag 12 is too strong during stretching, the grip switch 15 provided on the handle 4 is operated to immediately contract the back airbag 12 to prevent excessive stretching.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stretching apparatus which is applied to, for example, a chair or a mat and can stretch by pressing a body by a protruding operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Stretching is said to be effective in recovering fatigue and reducing muscle pain after exercise when the same posture is imposed for a long period of time, for example, when performing computer input work. Has developed a stretching device that can perform stretching easily. This technology is called a stretch air massager and is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 10-149.
No. 060.

[0003] A stretch air massage machine (hereinafter referred to as a stretch device) according to the present application will be described only with respect to a configuration related to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 of the above-mentioned application, the stretching device includes a seat, a backrest provided at a rear end of the seat, armrests provided on both sides of the seat, and a lower portion from the seat. And a supporting portion provided with a caster at the lower end thereof. The backrest portion is provided with a stretch airbag that is long in the vertical direction and a pair of support airbags provided on both lower sides of the airbag.
Further, a pair of handles extending laterally in parallel with the backrest are provided on both upper sides of the backrest.
On the other hand, an operation switch for supplying / exhausting air to / from each airbag is provided in the armrest portion, and the operation switch can be used to perform operations such as driving and stopping the air supply / exhaust device.

[0004] After sitting on a chair, the user operates an operation switch to inflate the support airbag to support the waist, and then inflate the stretch airbag to perform stretching. At this time,
As shown in FIG. 5 of the above application, a user holds a pair of handles. For this reason, even if the stretch air bag is inflated and presses the user's back from behind, the forward movement is regulated by the hand holding the handle, so that the upper body does not escape from the backrest, This allows the stretching to be performed effectively.

[0005]

The above stretching device is provided with a handle for preventing the body from escaping during stretching, so that the stretching can be effectively performed by inflating and contracting the airbag. However, it has been found that there are problems to be improved as described below.

This problem is caused by the fact that each handle extends in parallel with the backrest, which is a body support surface, and the user is forced to push forward by the airbag during the inflation operation of the airbag. When the user feels strong, it is difficult to perform a switch operation for preventing the pressing force from being applied more than that, and in some cases, the stretch is excessive.

Specifically, when the user grips the handle extending parallel to the backrest, the hand is also located behind the handle, that is, the hand is positioned while the airbag presses the back forward. Will also be located behind the handle, so if you feel that the pressing force is strong and stop releasing the airbag, your hand will be caught behind the handle even if you release your grip on the handle. It may be. For this reason, in combination with the fact that the upper body including the arm is not moved freely so that the stretching can be performed effectively, the operation switch cannot be operated immediately, and in some cases the user may not be able to operate the operation switch. The problem is that you will be forced to stretch too much.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a stretching device that enables effective stretching and prevents excessive stretching.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body having a body support surface, and at least a part of the body support surface protruding relatively toward the body to form a human body. Pressing means for pressing, driving means for driving the pressing means, a handle provided on the main body and having a grip portion, and controlling the driving means provided on the grip portion to control the driving means during the projecting operation of the pressing means. And a stop switch for stopping the above protrusion.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, effective stretching can be performed by driving the pressing means in a state where the user's body is hard to separate from the body supporting surface by gripping the grip portion. In addition, since the stop switch is provided on the grip portion of the handle, when the user feels that the pressing force of the pressing means is strong during stretching while gripping the grip portion, the stop switch is immediately operated by pressing the stop switch. This has the effect that the further projection can be stopped immediately.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body having a body supporting surface, pressing means for projecting toward the body relative to at least a part of the body supporting surface and pressing a human body, and driving for driving the pressing means. Means and a handle provided on the main body and having a grip portion extending in a direction intersecting the body supporting surface.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the handle having the grip portion for effectively stretching the body by making it difficult for the user to separate from the body support surface when the user grips the body handle and the human body support surface. Since the hand is provided so as to extend in the intersecting direction, the hand holding the grip portion is not located behind the handle with respect to the pressing direction of the pressing means. For this reason, the hand which has released the grip portion during stretching can easily move without being caught on the handle.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the handle is provided so as to protrude from the body supporting surface along the body supporting surface.

According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the function of the first or second aspect, the handle is provided so as to protrude from the body supporting surface along the body supporting surface. When the user grips the handle, the back muscles are in an extended posture, and in this state, the user can press the back of the user with the pressing means, so that more effective stretching can be performed.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the pressing means is an air bag which can be expanded and contracted by air supply and exhaust.

According to the fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the effects of the first to third aspects, the pressing means is an air bag which expands and contracts by supplying and discharging air.
This has the effect that the pressing by the pressing means can be made so-called soft.

[0017]

FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
A description will be given based on FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the stretching device according to the present embodiment is of a chair type, and a stretching device main body 1 includes a seat 2 and a seat 2.
, A handle 4 provided to project upward from the backrest 3, a pair of armrests 5, 5 provided on the left and right sides of the seat 2, and a seat 2.
6 which is provided below and which rotatably supports the seat 2 and the like.
And a stretch bar 7 projecting downward from the front end of the seat 2.
It is composed of The seat 2 and the backrest 3 are covered by covers 8 and 9 on respective frames (not shown).

The seat 2 is provided with an air bag 10 located in front of the seat 2 and between the frame of the seat 2 and the cover 9. The airbag 10 is used to stretch the legs of the user by being inflated and supplied by a pump described later.

The backrest 3 has a pair of waist airbags 11 and 11 located at the lower part thereof, and a back air as a pressing means which is provided at a central portion and is provided so as to extend vertically in the longitudinal direction. A bag 12 is provided. These air bags 11, 11, 12 are arranged between the frame of the backrest and the cover 8. Waist airbag 11,
Numeral 11 is for supporting the user's waist by expanding. Also, the back airbag 12
Is for stretching the back by pressing the back of the user from behind. The backrest 3 having the back airbag 12 constitutes a body support surface for supporting the body. When the back airbag 12 inflates, a part of the body support surface protrudes toward the body and the body rests. Is pressed.

The handle 4 is a pipe 1 projecting upward from the backrest 3 and formed in a U-shape along the backrest 3.
The pipe 13 has a grip portion 14 which constitutes one side thereof and has a large-diameter elastic body. The grip portion 14 is parallel to the backrest portion 3 and extends to the side where the head when the user sits on the seat portion 2 is provided, and a grip portion switch 15 is provided. The grip switch 15 is an ON / OFF switch of a back stretch mode for supplying and exhausting air to the back airbag 12 at a predetermined interval time, and is operated when the back airbag 12 is in an inflated state, that is, during the inflation operation. The back airbag 12 contracts. In other words, the grip switch 15 also functions as a stop switch for stopping further projection during the inflation operation of the back airbag 12 as the pressing means.

One of the armrests 5 has four switches 1
An operation panel 16 including 6a to 16d is provided. The switch 16a is an on / off switch of a leg stretch mode for supplying and exhausting the airbag 10 of the seat 2 at a predetermined interval to stretch the thighs and legs of the user. The switch 16b is an on / off switch in a whole-body stretch mode in which the airbag 10 and the back airbag 12 provided in the seat 2 are alternately supplied and exhausted at predetermined intervals. The switch 16c is connected to the waist airbag 11, 1
A switch for starting and stopping the supply of air to No. 1.
The switch 16d is a switch for exhausting the waist airbags 11, 11. Note that, even when operating in any of the back stretch mode and the whole body stretch mode, when the grip switch 15b provided on the handle 4 is operated, the back airbag 12 immediately comes to the exhaust state. I have.

The leg 6 for rotatably supporting the seat 2 and the like
A column 17 having one end rotatably provided on the seat 2, five supporting legs 18 fixed to the other end of the column 17 and extending radially, and casters 19 provided at the lower end of the tip of each supporting leg 18. It is composed of

The stretch bar 7 has a support portion 20 protruding downward from the front end of the seat portion 2 and bars 21 protruding on both sides at the lower end of the support portion 20. The bar 21 is for holding the foot of the user sitting on the seat 2 with the instep positioned below the bar 21, and the air bag 10 provided on the seat 2.
This is for obtaining a sufficient stretching effect by preventing the user's leg from escaping when is inflated.

Although not shown, an air supply / exhaust device 22 as a driving means is attached to the lower rear portion of the seat 2. As shown in FIG. 2 showing a control block, the air supply / exhaust device 22 includes a pump 23 and an electromagnetic valve 2 connected to the pump 23 via hoses 24, 25, and 26.
7, 28, 29, the pump 23 and each solenoid valve 2
And control means 30 for controlling 7 to 29.

The back airbag 12 is connected to a solenoid valve 27 via a hose 31, and the pair of waist airbags 11, 11 are connected to a solenoid valve 28 via a branch hose 32. The airbag 10 provided on the seat 2 is connected to the solenoid valve 29 via a hose 33. Therefore, the air bags 10 to 12 are connected to the pump 23 via the hoses 31 to 33, the solenoid valves 27 to 29, and the hoses 24 to 26. In addition, each solenoid valve 2
7 to 29 are so-called three-way valves, each air bag 1
A state in which the pumps 23 are communicated with the pumps 0 to 12, a state in which the air bags 10 to 12 are communicated with the outside air, and a state in which the amount of air in each of the air bags 10 to 12 is maintained can be selected. .

Next, the operation of the above configuration will be described. To use the stretching device main body 1, the user sits on the seat portion 2 and leans the back on the backrest portion 2. In this state, the switch 16c is operated to inflate the waist airbags 11, 11 by a predetermined amount, that is, an amount that can support the body to such an extent that it cannot be moved freely.

When the leg is stretched in this state, the switch 16a is operated with the instep of the foot positioned below the bar 21. Then, the control means 30 controls each valve 2
7 to 29 and the pump 23 are controlled to inflate and contract the airbag 10 provided in the seat at predetermined time intervals. Since the user has hooked his / her instep on the bar 21 and the back is supported by the waist airbags 11, the free movement is restricted even when the airbag 10 is inflated, that is, the body is Because it does not run away, the legs are stretched sufficiently for effective stretching. If the user feels that the pressing force is too strong, the switch 23a is operated again to stop the operation of the pump 23 and the air bag 10 is evacuated, so that the air bag 10 is contracted and stretched. Is canceled.

When stretching the back, the grip switch 15 is operated while the grip 14 of the handle 4 is gripped with both hands. At this time, the control means 30
To 29 and the pump 23 to inflate and contract the back airbag 12 at predetermined time intervals. Since the user holds the grip portion 14 of the handle 4 and the back is supported by the waist airbags 11, 11, free movement is restricted even when the back airbag 12 is inflated. Since the body does not escape, the back is stretched sufficiently and effective stretching is performed. And
If the user feels that the pressing force is too strong, operating the grip switch 15 again stops the operation of the pump 23 and the air bag 12 is exhausted.
The airbag 12 contracts and the stretched state is released.

Further, when stretching both the leg and the back, the switch 16b is operated with the instep of the foot positioned below the bar 21 in the same manner as when the leg is stretched, and then the handle is held with both hands. Hold the grip 15 of 14.
Then, in the same operation as the above-described operation, the airbag 10 provided in the seat portion is first inflated and inflated a predetermined number of times to stretch the legs, and then the back airbag 12 is inflated and inflated a predetermined number of times and the back Stretching can be performed.
At this time, since the leg is stretched first, even if the grip 16 of the handle 4 is gripped after the switch 16b is operated, the grip 14 can be gripped before the back airbag 12 starts to inflate. Effective stretching can be performed. In addition, the air bag for waist 1 after use
The switch 16d may be operated to bring the exhaust valves 1 and 11 to the exhaust state.

According to the above embodiment, since the body can be prevented from escaping by the bar 21 and the waist airbags 11, 11, the legs can be stretched effectively. Similarly, since the body can be prevented from escaping by the handle 4 and the waist airbags 11, 11, the back can be stretched effectively.

Further, the grip portion 14 of the handle 4 is provided with the grip switch 15 which is an on / off switch for the back stretch mode, so that the following effects can be obtained. That is, when the back is stretched by gripping the grip portion 14 of the handle 4, that is, the hand operating each switch to operate the pump 23 and the like is prevented from escaping the body, that is, the grip portion 14 is gripped. In this case, the operability is good because driving, stopping, and the like can be performed while holding the grip portion 14 with both hands. Specifically, when stretching the back, it is possible to perform an operation for inflating the back airbag 12 in a state of being ready by grasping the grip portion 14 with both hands and to prevent excessive stretching. When the back is stretched by gripping the grip portion 14, the user may feel that the pressing force of the back air bag 12 is too strong, and the back air may be prevented during the stretching. There is a case where it is desired to stop the inflation of the bag 12. At this time, if a switch for stopping the inflation of the back airbag 12 is provided on the armrest portion 5 like other switches, for example, the body including the arms is not necessarily free when the back is stretched. Therefore, it is possible to release the hand gripping the grip portion 14, but it is difficult for the released hand to be caught on the grip portion 14 and as a result, the switch of the armrest portion can be operated. May cause excessive stretching. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the switch for stopping the inflation of the back airbag 12 can be operated without removing the hand from the grip portion 14, excessive stretching can be reliably prevented. is there.

Since the handle 4 is provided so as to protrude upward from the backrest 3 along the backrest 3, when the user grips the handle to prevent the body from escaping, the back muscles extend. In this state, the back airbag 12 is inflated and the back is pressed, so that the back can be stretched and effective stretching can be performed. Furthermore, since the structure for pressing the body is the airbag 10 provided on the seat portion 2 and the airbag 12 for the back, that is, the airbag that expands and contracts by air supply and exhaust, the body is made to have a so-called soft feeling. The user does not feel pain.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In the first embodiment, the ON / OFF switch for the back stretch mode is provided on the grip 14 of the handle 4. In this embodiment, the armrest 5 is provided.
Are arranged on the operation panel 16 together with other switches. Note that an on / off switch for the back stretch mode may be provided on the handlebar, as in the first embodiment. Further, a pair of handles 41, 41 are provided at both ends of the backrest portion 3 so as to protrude upward, and these handles 41, 41 are L-shaped pipes 42, 42.
And grip portions 43, 43 formed on the pipes 42, 42 and having an elastic body larger in diameter than the pipes 42, 42. The pipes 42, 42 are connected to the backrest 3
Upper protruding portions 44, 44 extending upwardly along the front protruding portions 4 which are bent at right angles from the upper ends of the upper protruding portions 44, 44 and extend forward and form the grip portions 43, 43
5, 45. Therefore, the grips 43, 43 are configured to protrude forward perpendicular to the backrest 3. Note that the front protruding portions 45 are not necessarily the backrest portions 3.
It does not have to be perpendicular to the backrest 3 as long as it extends in a direction intersecting the backrest 3. Since the handles 41, 41 are configured in this manner, the user can use the grips 43, 43.
The palm is positioned so as to be orthogonal to the backrest 3 when the user grips.

The operation of the second embodiment based on the above configuration will be described. Since the operation is basically the same as that of the first embodiment, only the back stretch mode will be described here.

When stretching the back, the armrest 5
By operating the back stretch mode switch 16e of the operation panel 16 provided on the, the grip portions 43, 43 of the handles 41, 41 are gripped with both hands. At this time, the control means 30 controls the valves 27 to 29 and the pump 23 to inflate and contract the back airbag 12 at predetermined time intervals. The user
Since the grip portions 43, 43 of the handles 41, 41 are gripped and the back is supported by the waist airbags 11, 11, free movement is restricted even when the back airbag 12 is inflated, that is, Since the body does not escape, the back is stretched sufficiently and effective stretching is performed. When the user feels that the pressing force by the back airbag 12 is too strong, the user can easily avoid the pressing force due to the inflation of the back airbag 12 by releasing the hand holding the grip 43. . That is, the grip portions 43, 43 of the handles 41, 41 extend forward, and there is no obstacle in front of the hand gripping the grip portion 43, so that the back airbag 12
The hand can be easily removed from the handles 41, 41 even if a forward pressing force is applied due to the expansion of.

According to the above-described embodiment, the stretching of the legs and the stretching of the back can be performed effectively as in the first embodiment. Further, as described above, even when the back airbag 12 is in the inflation operation, the hand can be easily removed from the grips 43, 43 in other words, the handles 43, 43. When it is felt that the pressing force due to the expansion of 12 is too strong, it can be immediately avoided from this pressing force, so that excessive stretching can be prevented.

In each of the above embodiments, the chair type stretching apparatus has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a so-called mat type type in which the user stretches his / her back while lying up. Further, the pressing means for pressing the body is not limited to the means for performing the operation by inflating the airbag, but may be a means for protruding the pressing member from the body support surface mechanically by a motor or the like. Further, in each of the above embodiments, the configuration is such that the back airbag 12 contracts when the back stretch mode is stopped while the back airbag 12 is inflated,
In other words, the pressing means is configured not only to stop further protrusion but also to release the pressing on the body, but when the stop switch is operated during the protruding operation of the pressing means, the pressing means stops in that state. It may be configured as follows. However, if the pressing on the body is released as in the above embodiments, the body can be easily moved, and thus there is an advantage that the excessive stretching can be more reliably prevented.

For example, a configuration in which the pressing means protrudes relatively toward the body by moving a part of the backrest 3 away from the body, or the backrest 3
A configuration in which the pressing means protrudes toward the body by deforming the entire body into a curved shape is also possible. Furthermore, a configuration in which a pressing means such as a so-called fir ball is always located in the backrest portion 3 and protrudes toward the body only when pressed,
Also in this case, the pressing means forms a part of the body supporting surface.

[0040]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, effective stretching is performed by driving the pressing means in a state where the user's body is hard to separate from the body supporting surface by gripping the grip portion of the handle. be able to. Also, since the stop switch is provided on the grip portion, when the user feels that the pressing force of the pressing means is strong during stretching while gripping the grip portion, the user immediately operates the stop switch to protrude the pressing means. During operation, further protrusion can be stopped immediately to prevent excessive stretching.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the handle having the grip portion for effectively stretching the body by making it difficult for the user to separate from the body supporting surface when the user grips the body intersects the body supporting surface. As a result, the hand gripping the grip portion of the handle is not located behind the handle in the pressing direction of the pressing means. For this reason, the hand that has released the grip portion during stretching does not get caught on the handle, and when the user feels that the pressing force of the pressing means is strong, the user can immediately remove the hand from the handle. Stretching can be prevented.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first or second aspect of the present invention, since the handle is provided so as to protrude from the body supporting surface along the body supporting surface, the handle is used. The person takes a posture in which the back muscles are stretched while holding the handle, and in this state, the pressing means can press the back of the user, so that more effective stretching can be performed.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the first to third aspects, since the pressing means is an air bag which expands and contracts by supplying and discharging air, the pressing by the pressing means is prevented. It can be so-called soft.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a stretching device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a control block diagram of the stretching device according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a stretching device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Main body 3 Backrest part (body supporting surface) 4 Handle 12 Back airbag (pressing means) 14 Grip part 15 Grip part switch (stop switch) 22 Air supply / exhaust device (drive means) 41 Handle

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A body having a body support surface, pressing means for pressing at least a part of the body support surface by projecting relatively toward the body, driving means for driving the pressing means, and the body A stretch provided with a handle provided on the handle, and a stop switch provided on the handle for controlling the driving means to stop further protrusion during the protruding operation of the pressing means. apparatus. 2. A main body having a body supporting surface, pressing means for pressing at least a part of the body supporting surface by projecting relatively toward the body, driving means for driving the pressing means, and the main body. And a handle having a grip portion extending in a direction intersecting with the body support surface. 3. The stretching device according to claim 1, wherein the handle is provided so as to protrude from the body supporting surface along the body supporting surface. 4. An air bag according to claim 1, wherein said pressing means is an air bag which can be expanded and contracted by air supply and exhaust.
4. The stretching device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.