JP2001258971A - Massaging machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a planar pressing action when a direct pressing is performed by air cells while adopting the air cells as a driving source to drive a rocking body. SOLUTION: Rocking bodies 12 which are rockably supported with the base sections as rocking fulcrums 18 are driven by the expansion/shrinkage motion of air cells 21 and 22, and a massaging action is generated by the rocking motion of the rocking bodies 12 in this massaging machine. In such a massaging machine, the rocking bodies 12 have flexibility in a manner to be bendable along the body.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a massage machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a massage machine, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-197
No. 934 is known. In this massage machine, an arm having a massager at the tip is swingably supported in a horizontal or vertical direction with a base as a fulcrum, and the massage action of the massager is connected to the massager by repeated expansion and contraction of an air cell. It is configured so that it can be implemented (hereinafter, referred to as “prior art 1”). Further, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 59-100410 discloses a technique in which an affected part is directly compressed by inflation and contraction of an air cell without interposing an arm having a massager (hereinafter, referred to as “prior art 2”). .

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As in the prior art 2,
Even when the air cell directly compresses the affected part, a proper massage action can be obtained, but since the inflation operation of the air cell itself is a massage operation, the massage operation is limited to the manner of inflation of the air cell. That is, only the expansion and contraction operation of the air cell results in a linear movement due to the expansion and contraction, and it is difficult to realize the swing operation as in the prior art 1. Such a swinging operation is indispensable for effectively massaging a rounded portion such as a neck, an arm, and a leg. Preferably, an air cell is provided as a drive source for the arm.

On the other hand, when the affected part is directly compressed by the air cell, compared with the case where the acupressure is performed by the arm massager,
There is an advantage that surface compression can be obtained by a large area, and it can fit even subtle irregularities of the body. However, if an arm is provided to obtain a swinging operation as in the prior art 1, a point-like acupressure is likely to be caused by the massager, and the merit of surface compression of the air cell is reduced. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and realizes the above-described advantage in a case where the air cell is directly pressed while the air cell is employed as a drive source for driving an oscillator such as an arm. The purpose is to:

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following technical means. That is, the feature of the present invention is that in a massage machine that generates a massage action by the swinging operation of the swinging body by driving the swinging body that is swingably supported with the base as the swing fulcrum by the expansion and contraction operation of the air cell, The oscillator has flexibility so that it can bend along the body. According to this configuration, since the rocking body is driven by the air cell, massage involving a rocking operation is possible. In addition, since the oscillating body has flexibility to be able to bend along the body, the oscillating body itself is curved by the expansion of the air cell and presses the body along the body, so that the air cell directly compresses the body. You can get a lot of surface pressure.

It is preferable that the oscillating body is made of a flexible synthetic resin plate. In this case, it is preferable that the rocking fulcrum be a resin hinge at the base of the synthetic resin plate so that the rocking fulcrum can be easily formed. In addition, when attaching a massager made of a foamed synthetic resin having a cushioning property to a surface that comes into contact with the body,
It is preferable because it has improved fit to the body. Further, it is preferable that the oscillating members are provided to face each other so as to oscillate close to each other when the air cell is inflated. In this case, a part of the body between the pair of rockers, for example, the neck,
Massage can be performed by positioning the arms and legs and swinging in proximity.

[0007] In particular, it is preferable to use a leg (limb) massage machine in which the leg is placed between the pair of rocking bodies and the leg is massaged from both left and right sides. Further, the pair of rocking members are provided on a leg rest provided on the front side of the seat of the chair-type massage device, and the legs are placed between the pair of rocking members to massage the legs from both left and right sides. It is preferred that In this case, the pair of rockers for the left leg and the pair of rockers for the right leg are:
If side by side, you can massage both legs.

[0008] It is preferable that the oscillating body is deformable so that the degree of curvature in the longitudinal direction of the leg is different.
The legs, for example, have completely different thicknesses between the calf and the ankle, so if the swinging body is deformable so that the degree of curvature in the longitudinal direction of the leg is different, the leg will be greatly deformed and the calf will be deformed. By deforming the portion slightly, it is possible to press the leg along the shape change in the longitudinal direction. Further, in order to assist such deformation of the oscillating body, it is preferable that the air cell is inflatable so that the degree of expansion in the longitudinal direction of the leg is different.

In order to vary the degree of expansion in the longitudinal direction, for example, a plurality of the air cells may be provided in the longitudinal direction of the leg so that each air cell can be independently expanded. That is, the degree of inflation can be varied in the longitudinal direction by inflating one air cell and not inflating another air cell. In order to provide a plurality of air cells in the leg longitudinal direction, a plurality of air cells may be simply provided in parallel, but a first air cell having a width substantially equal to the width of the rocking body in the leg longitudinal direction, and a width larger than the first air cell. It is preferable to arrange the narrow second air cell in an overlapping manner.

In this case, the oscillating body can be entirely swung and curved in the longitudinal direction by the first air cell, and the portion to be largely bent by the superposed second air cell is additionally swung.・ It can be curved. Also, by inflating only the second air cell, a partial swing / bend can be realized. The number of the second air cells may be one or more. Preferably, the width of the second air cell is about half the width of the first air cell. Further, it is preferable that the second air cell is overlapped with the first air cell at a position from the ankle where a large swing / bend is required because of its thinness.

It is preferable that the second air cell is provided on the back side of the first air cell so as to swing the swinging body with the first air cell interposed therebetween. In this case, the expansion state of the first air cell can be changed by the expansion of the second air cell. For example, when the second air cell is inflated in a state where the first air cell is inflated, the first air cell is deformed so as to follow the leg, and the fit is improved. When the second air cell is arranged near the ankle, the first air cell is expanded in a state where the second air cell is inflated and the vicinity of the ankle is sandwiched and fixed from both left and right sides, and the entirety of the rocking body in the width direction of the oscillating body is substantially removed. It is preferable to press the leg with.

When pressing a thick part such as a calf from both the left and right sides, the leg may escape upward due to the pressing, but since the ankle is thin, the rocking body presses the ankle from above, and the leg Is difficult to escape. Utilizing this, the second air cell is inflated first to hold a relatively thin ankle, and when the first air cell is inflated, the leg is fixed by the second air cell. The leg can be pressed by the first air cell without using the first air cell. Note that the contraction of the second air cell may be started before the end of the expansion of the first air cell.

Further, a third air cell for pressing the back side of the leg is arranged between the pair of rocking bodies, and the first air cell is inflated by the second air cell being inflated and the first air cell is clamped and fixed from both right and left sides. When the third air cell is inflated in a state where the air cell is inflated and the leg is pinched and fixed almost entirely in the swinging member width direction by the expansion of the first air cell, the third air cell is secured after the leg is securely fixed. Can be pressed on the back side of the leg. In addition, the massage machine of the present invention has an arm (particularly, a forearm)
May be used as an arm massaging machine for massaging legs from both left and right sides between a pair of rocking bodies. in this case,
The point described as "leg" in the above and the following description is "arm"
Or, the point described as "forearm" and "ankle" is "wrist"
And the point described as "calf" can be read as "a part near the elbow of the forearm", and has the same effect as that of the leg. In the case of the forearm, it is preferable that the swinging body is formed to have a width capable of pressing the space between the wrist from under the elbow.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a chair-type massage device 1. The chair-type massage device 1 has a backrest 2 and a seat 3, and a leg rest 5 on the front side of the seat 3.
It is provided with. A back massage unit (not shown) is provided inside the backrest 2 so as to be able to move up and down in the height direction of the backrest, so that a range from the neck to the waist can be massaged. In addition, this backrest part 2,
Reclining is possible by a reclining mechanism (not shown).

An air cell (not shown) that expands and contracts due to the supply and exhaust of air is disposed in the seat 3, and the area from the hip to the thigh can be massaged by the expansion and contraction of the air cell. In addition, a pump for supplying compressed air to the air cell of the seat portion 3 and the air cell (described later) of the leg rest portion 5 is disposed below the seat portion 3. The leg rest 5 is
As shown in FIG. 2, a leg storage body 8 having a groove 7 for receiving a leg formed on a leg mounting base 6 is mainly arranged side by side at two intervals on the left and right.

In FIG. 2, the leg mounting base 6 is attached to the front part of the seat 3 so as to be rotatable around a turning shaft (not shown) in the left-right direction. In addition, the leg mounting base 6 is moved from a position orthogonal to the seating surface of the seat portion 3 as shown in FIG.
There is provided a leg mounting part 5 elevating mechanism (not shown) for moving up to a position substantially parallel to the seat surface of the seat part 3 by ascending about the rotation axis. The leg housing 8 includes a bottom surface 9 and the bottom surface 9.
And left and right side walls 10, 10 rising from both left and right sides of the groove.
Are formed. The groove 7 is formed such that its length in the longitudinal direction is such that the range from the calf of the user's leg to the ankle can be entered. Each of the leg housings is provided with an oscillating body 12, air cells 21 and 22 for driving the oscillating body 12, and the like, and the leg rest 5 is a leg massager.

The leg rest 5 shown in FIG. 2 is entirely covered with a cover having excellent elasticity, and is attached to the seat 3 as shown in FIG. . An oscillating body 12 as shown in FIG. 3 is attached to the leg housing 8. The oscillating body 12 is formed of a thin synthetic resin plate having flexibility. As the synthetic resin plate material, a sheet formed of foamed polypropylene is preferable because of its excellent flexibility and flexibility.

The oscillating body 12 is provided on the side wall 10 of the leg housing 8.
It is formed as a thin plate having approximately the same or slightly smaller area as the inner surface. The lower end, which is the base of the rocking body 12, is a fixing portion 14 fixed to the leg housing 8. The fixing portion 14 is sandwiched between the fixing member 15 and the bottom surface portion 9 of the leg housing 8, and is attached by fixing the fixing member 15 to the leg housing 8 with a pin 16 or a screw. The upper portion of the rocking body 12 above the fixed portion 14 is a pressing portion 17 for pressing the legs. Since the pressing portion 15 is not fixed to the leg housing 8, the swinging body 12 swings using the fixing portion 14 as a swing fulcrum and the fixed portion 14 or the vicinity of the fixed portion as a resin hinge 18 and using this as a swing fulcrum. It is possible. The resin hinge 18 also serves as an urging member for urging the pressing portion 17 toward the side wall 10 of the leg housing 8.

As a swing fulcrum, a rotation shaft may be provided on the leg housing 8, and the swing body may be pivotally attached to the rotation shaft. In this case, it is preferable to provide an urging member (spring or the like) for urging the rocking body 12 toward the side wall 10. A massager 19 made of a synthetic resin foam is attached to a surface of the pressing portion 15 facing the leg. As the foam synthetic resin, urethane foam (urethane foam) is preferable.
The massager 19 has excellent cushioning properties,
The fit along the unevenness of the legs is improved.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the rocking bodies 12 shown in FIG. 3 are provided opposite to the inner surfaces of both side walls 10, 10 of each leg housing 8, and form a pair. Side walls 1
0 and 10 are formed in a tapered shape so that the left and right distance between each other is narrow on the ankle side and wide on the calf side, and each oscillator 12 is provided substantially parallel to the side walls 10. . Between the oscillating body 12 and the side wall 10, there is provided a first air cell 21 which expands and contracts by supply and exhaust of air. The first air cell 21 is provided on the side wall 10 or the oscillator 1
The two legs have a width substantially equal to the width in the longitudinal direction.
Therefore, the first air cell 21 can be inflated in a range from the ankle of the leg to the calf.

Further, a second air cell 22 which expands and contracts due to air supply and exhaust of air is provided on the back surface of the first air cell 21, that is, between the first air cell 21 and the side wall 10. The second air cell 22 is narrower than the first air cell 21 and is formed to have a width approximately half that of the first air cell 21. The second air cell 22 is overlapped with the first air cell 21 in a range on one side (ankle side) in the leg longitudinal direction. Therefore, on the other side (calf side) of the groove 7 in the leg longitudinal direction, only the inflating action by the first air cell 21 is provided, whereas on one side of the groove 7 in the leg length direction, both the first air cell 21 and the second air cell 22 are provided. Is obtained, and the degree of expansion can be increased. Note that both the first air cell 21 and the second air cell 22 in FIGS. 2 and 4 are shown in a contracted state.

Incidentally, the arrangement structure of the first air cell 21 and the second air cell 22 disclosed herein can be adopted even when the oscillator 12 is not provided as in the present invention. That is, another invention disclosed in the present embodiment relates to the body (particularly, arms, legs,
A side wall 10 of a storage body 8 having a groove 7 in which a neck) is stored.
In a massage machine provided with an air cell for pressing the body on at least one of the inner surfaces of the massage machine 10, the arrangement of the first air cell 21 and the second air cell 22 as described above is adopted. When the forearm is stored in the groove, the second air cell is preferably arranged on the wrist side.
The groove is preferably formed in armrests provided on the left and right sides of the seat of the chair-type massage machine (the armrests serve as storage bodies).

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, a third air cell 23 is disposed on the bottom surface 9 (omitted in FIG. 2). Two (plural) third air cells 23 are arranged side by side in the longitudinal direction of the groove. One third air cell 23 is for pressing the back side near the ankle, and the other third air cell 23 is provided.
Is for pressing the back side near the calf. No oscillator is provided in these third air cells 23,23. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the leg housing 8 at a portion where the calf L1 is pressed. When the left and right first air cells 21 expand, the pair of oscillators 12 swing so as to approach each other, and furthermore, the oscillators 12 is curved along the shape of the leg, and is pressed so that the swinging body 12 wraps around the leg. In FIG. 5, the deformation in the vicinity of the fixed portion 14 of the oscillating body 12 does not occur along the shape of the leg.
When an appropriate force by 1 is applied, this portion also undergoes a curved deformation along the shape of the leg, so that the leg is more fitted and the feeling of wrapping is improved.

Further, when the third air cell 23 is inflated, the back side of the calf is also pressed, so that almost the entire circumference of the leg can be pressed. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the leg housing 8 at a portion where the ankle L2 is pressed. For the ankle L2, the first
In addition to the air cell 21, the second air cell 22 also expands, the degree of expansion is increased, and the rocking body 12 is rocked and bent more. Therefore, a sufficient pressing force is applied to the ankle L2 which is thinner than the calf L1. At this time, the swinging body 12 has a larger curvature near the ankle than near the calf.

FIGS. 7 to 10 show the first air cell 21 and the second air cell 21.
An example of how the air cell 22 expands and contracts is schematically shown. Note that the massager 19 is omitted in these figures. FIG. 7 shows the first and second air cells 21 and 22.
Indicate a state in which both are contracted. In this state, the leg can be inserted into the groove 7. FIG. 8 shows the first air cell 2
1 shows a state in which the second air cell 22 is inflated in a contracted state. In this case, since the second air cell 22 is inflated, the ankle side of the oscillating body 12 is swung so as to approach the leg.
Curving has occurred. Further, the calf side of the rocking body 12 also rocks and curves to some extent due to the expansion of the second air cell 22. As described above, since the rocking body 12 can be deformed so that the degree of curvature in the longitudinal direction of the leg is different,
Even when the second air cell 22 corresponding to the ankle is inflated, pressing can be performed in a wide range up to the calf. Further, as the distribution of the pressing force, a distribution is obtained in which the vicinity of the ankle is the strongest, and gradually decreases toward the calf. This is suitable for rubbing a wide area near the ankle.

FIG. 9 shows the first air cell 21 in an inflated state.
The state where the second air cell 22 is contracted is shown. In this case, the rocking body 12 extends from the ankle to the calf.
Can be rocked and curved. In FIG. 9, the rocking body 12 is linear in the longitudinal direction of the leg. However, when the leg is actually massaged, the leg is curved along the shape of the leg. FIG. 10 shows a case where both the first air cell 21 and the second air cell are in the inflated state. In this case, the ankle is pressed more strongly than in the case of FIGS. 8 and 9, and the fit of the narrow ankle portion to the leg having a high air cell expansion degree is improved.

The second air cell 22 can be provided between the first air cell 21 and the oscillating body 21. However,
The second air cell 22 is replaced with the first air cell 2 as in the present embodiment.
When the first air cell 21 is provided on the back surface of the first air cell 21 as shown in FIG. 10, the first air cell 21 itself can be deformed along the shape of the leg, and the fit to the leg is excellent. First air cell 2
As a procedure for controlling the expansion and contraction of the first, second and third air cells 22 and 23, for example, each of the second air cells 22 is first inflated, and each of the first air cells 21 is expanded while maintaining the inflated state. The third air cell 23 can be inflated while maintaining the inflated state (hereinafter, this is referred to as a “first control procedure”). Further, first, each second air cell 22 is inflated, and while maintaining the inflated state, the inflation of each first air cell 21 is started, and after the inflation of the first air cell 21 is completed or before the second air cell 22 is contracted, It can be said that the third air cell 23 is expanded while maintaining the expansion of the first air cell (hereinafter, this is referred to as a "second control procedure").

As in these control procedures, the first or second
When the third air cell 23 that presses the back side of the leg is inflated with the air cells 21 and 22 inflated, the first or second air cell 23 is inflated.
The air cell 22 clamps the left and right sides of the leg so that the leg is
The back side of the leg can be pressed while keeping it from escaping. Furthermore, in the first and second control procedures, since the second air cell 22 is first inflated, the leg can be reliably pinched. That is, when the leg is sandwiched between the left and right air cells, the ankle is thin (since the ankle is located below the groove), so that the leg can be clamped from above the groove 7 as shown in FIG. On the other hand, since the calf is thick, the action of pressing the leg from above is reduced, and the leg may escape above the groove 7.

Therefore, when the first air cell 21 is inflated before the second air cell 22, the first air cell 21
The leg may escape upward at the calf, and the leg may not be fixed for pressing by the third air cell 23 in some cases. Therefore, by inflating the second air cell 22 that presses the ankle first as in the first and second control procedures, the leg can be sandwiched from the left and right at the position of the ankle and securely fixed. In this state, if the first air cell 21 is further expanded, the leg can be fixed across the entire range of the calf from the ankle without escaping upward.

In the first control procedure, since the second air cell 22 is also inflated when the first air cell 21 is inflated, the ankle can be pressed hard. Further, in the second control procedure, the second air cell 22 is contracted when the first air cell 21 is inflated, so that a softer massage feeling can be obtained than in the first control procedure. Note that the above control can be realized by automatically controlling a switching valve for switching between supply and exhaust to the air cell with a signal generated from a control unit including a microcomputer or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, the massage machine of the present invention may be mounted on a chair-type massage device, or may be provided on an independent leg stand separate from the chair-type massage device.

[0032]

According to the present invention, since the oscillating body is driven by the air cell, massage accompanied by oscillating operation is possible.
In addition, since the oscillating body has flexibility to be able to bend along the body, the oscillating body itself is curved by the expansion of the air cell and presses the body along the body, so that the air cell directly compresses the body. You can get a lot of surface pressure.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair-type massage device.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view (without a cover) of a footrest.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an oscillator having flexibility.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of one leg housing constituting the leg mounting table.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state where a first air cell and a second air cell are contracted.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a first air cell is contracted and a second air cell is expanded.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the first air cell is expanded and the first air cell is contracted.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a state where a first air cell and a second air cell are contracted.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chair-type massage apparatus 3 Seat part 5 Leg rest part (leg massage machine) 12 Oscillator 18 Resin hinge (oscillation fulcrum) 19 Massager 21 First air cell 22 Second air cell 23 Third air cell

Claims (17)

[Claims] An oscillating body (12), which is swingably supported with a base portion as a fulcrum (18), is used as an air cell (21, 22).
In a massage machine driven by the expansion and contraction operation of the above to generate a massage action by the rocking operation of the rocking body (12), the rocking body (12) has flexibility so that it can bend along the body. Massage machine characterized by being. 2. The massage machine according to claim 1, wherein said oscillating body (12) is made of a flexible synthetic resin plate. 3. The massage machine according to claim 2, wherein the swing fulcrum (18) has a base of a synthetic resin plate as a resin hinge. 4. A massaging element (19) made of a foamed synthetic resin having a cushioning property on a surface that comes into contact with the body, is attached to the oscillating body (12). The massage machine according to any of the above. 5. The oscillator (12) includes an air cell (2).
2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said pair is opposed to each other so as to swing close to each other at the time of expansion of (1, 22).
The massage machine according to any one of to 4. 6. The massaging machine according to claim 5, wherein the massaging machine is a limb massaging machine capable of massaging the leg or the arm from both right and left sides by placing the leg or the arm between the pair of rocking bodies. 7. The pair of rockers (12, 12) are provided on a leg rest (5) provided in front of a seat (3) of a chair-type massage device (1), and the legs are rocked in pairs. Moving object (12, 1
6. The massage machine according to claim 5, wherein the massager is configured to massage the leg from both right and left sides with the space between 2). 8. A pair of rockers for the left leg and a pair of rockers for the right leg are arranged side by side. Massage machine. 9. The massage machine according to claim 6, wherein the rocking body (12) is deformable so that the degree of curvature in the longitudinal direction of the leg or the arm is different. 10. The massage machine according to claim 9, wherein the air cells (21, 22) are inflatable so as to have different degrees of expansion in the longitudinal direction of the legs or the arms. 11. A plurality of air cells (21, 22) are provided in the longitudinal direction of a leg or arm, and each air cell (21, 22) is provided.
The massage machine according to claim 9, wherein 2) is independently inflatable. 12. The air cell has a first air cell (21) having a width substantially equal to a width of a leg or an arm in a longitudinal direction of the oscillator, and a second air cell (22) narrower than the first air cell (21). The massage machine according to claim 11, wherein the massage machine is configured to overlap the massage machine. 13. The massage machine according to claim 12, wherein the width of the second air cell (22) is about half the width of the first air cell (21). 14. The massage machine according to claim 12, wherein the second air cell (22) is overlapped with the first air cell (21) at a position above an ankle or a wrist. 15. The second air cell (22) is provided on the back side of the first air cell (21) so as to swing the rocking body (12) across the first air cell (21). The massage machine according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein: 16. In a state in which the second air cell (22) is inflated and the vicinity of an ankle or a wrist is clamped and fixed from both right and left sides, the first air cell (21) is inflated to substantially rotate the oscillator (12) in the width direction. The massage machine according to claim 14, wherein the leg or the arm is pressed as a whole. 17. Between the pair of oscillators (12, 12),
A third air cell (23) for pressing the back side of the leg or the arm is disposed, and the first air cell (21) is held in a state where the second air cell (22) is inflated and the vicinity of the ankle or wrist is sandwiched and fixed from both left and right sides. The third air cell (23) is inflated by inflating the first air cell (21) with the leg or the arm clamped and fixed almost entirely in the width direction of the oscillator (12). Item 15. A massage machine according to Item 14.