JP2002238967A - Massaging unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively perform massaging for the back and the hip as well while being a hand-held type massaging unit. SOLUTION: For this massaging unit, a pair of hand-held type treatment applying units 160R and 160L on the right and the left are arranged in parallel. In this case, for the hand-held type treatment applying units 160R and 160L, treatment applying elements 150a and 150b, which form a pair in the vertical direction, approach/separate in a manner to pinch and rub the body. In such a massaging unit, driving mechanisms 110 and 90, which make the hand-held type treatment applying units 160R and 160L on the right and the left approach/ separate from each other, are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a massage unit.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a massage unit in which hand-type treatment units in which a pair of treatment bodies are vertically moved to move toward and away from each other in such a manner that the treatment bodies move toward and away from each other so as to rub the body. Have been. Such a hand-type massage unit can give a massage by a method of grasping a shoulder with a human hand. The shoulder muscle tissue
Because the muscle tissue extends from the shoulder to the upper arm,
To eliminate stiff shoulders, it is effective to rub the muscles at right angles to the muscle tissue of the shoulder, and a method of rubbing the shoulders with human hands is just effective for stiff shoulders.

[0003]

However, the above-mentioned hand-type massage unit is specialized in a function of massaging a mold with human hands, and is effective for massage of other parts such as a back and a waist. Is not taken into account. In other words, when massaging the back and waist of the user, the muscles of the back and waist extend vertically. There is a need.

[0004] However, in the approaching / separating movement of the pair of treatment bodies in the up-down direction of the hand-type treatment section, the movement is in the direction in which the muscles of the back and hips extend, not in the direction perpendicular to the muscle tissue. So, even if you do a massage,
In Oriental medicine, it makes no sense. In addition, as a massage, not only a massage to pinch the body with the treatment body, but also an operation to hit the body is required, but the hand-type massage unit described above cannot hit the body.

[0005] Accordingly, the hand-type massage unit is excellent in massaging the shoulder, but cannot be adopted at all from the viewpoint of effective massaging massage and tapping massage for muscles extending vertically of the back and waist. Was. However, conventionally, in a chair-type massage machine or the like, since there is a normal massage unit that can perform effective massage massage and tapping massage on the back and waist, the hand-type massage unit is attached to the back of the chair-type massage machine. It is also conceivable that both the conventional massage unit and the conventional massage unit are provided, and the shoulder is massaged by the hand shoulder massage unit, and the back to the waist is massaged by the normal massage unit.

However, if two massage units are provided, the structure becomes complicated and large, and it is very difficult to adopt such a configuration in practice. The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to effectively massage a back, a waist, and the like even with a hand-type massage unit. Another object of the present invention is to simplify the configuration of the massage unit or to enhance the function of the massage unit.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems The first technical means employed by the present invention is a hand-type treatment section in which the treatment bodies move close to and away from each other so as to sandwich and rub the body with a pair of treatment bodies in the vertical direction. In a massage unit arranged side by side in pairs, the left and right hand-type treatment units
That is, a driving mechanism for performing the separating operation is provided.
With such a configuration, the hand-type treatment unit can not only perform massage from the upper and lower sides by the upper and lower treatment bodies, but also perform massage from the left and right by the left and right hand-type treatment units themselves moving toward and away from each other. it can.

Therefore, effective massage perpendicular to the muscle tissue can be applied to both the portion having the muscle tissue extending laterally like the shoulder and the muscle tissue extending vertically like the back and the waist. . The upper and lower treatment bodies are, for example,
The upper treatment body may be located ahead of the lower treatment body. In addition, the upper and lower sandwiched by the hand-type treatment unit,
If it is configured to be able to execute the horizontal movement at the same time,
A novel massage with more complex movements can be performed.

The second technical means adopted by the present invention is to form a pair of left and right hand-type treatment sections in which the treatment bodies move close to and away from each other so as to sandwich and rub the body with the treatment bodies forming a pair in the vertical direction. In the side-by-side massage unit,
A drive mechanism for repeatedly moving the left and right hand-type treatment units forward and backward in the front-rear direction is provided. With such a configuration, the hand-type treatment unit can not only perform massage from above and below with the upper and lower treatment bodies, but can also strike the user, resulting in more effective massage.

[0010] Here, when the hand-type treatment section is moved left and right or moved back and forth, the hand-type treatment section and the rotating power for pinching and kneading the hand-type treatment section are generated. It is preferable that the rotating actuator is connected to the rotating actuator so that power can be transmitted by a flexible transmission shaft. If the transmission shaft is bendable, even if the position of the hand-type treatment unit moves right and left or / and back and forth, the transmission shaft allows the movement and can transmit power without any problem.

As the massage unit, both a first drive mechanism for moving the left and right hand-type treatment sections toward and away from each other and a second drive mechanism for repeatedly moving the left and right hand-type treatment sections forward and backward in the front-rear direction. If it is provided, it will be highly functional. If such high functionality is achieved, the mechanism becomes complicated, so in order to simplify the mechanism, the first rotary actuator that generates rotational power for operating the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism are operated. Separately provided with a second rotary actuator for generating rotational power for
Either one of a first transmission shaft for transmitting rotational power between the first drive mechanism and the first rotary actuator, and a second transmission shaft for transmitting rotary power between the second drive mechanism and the second rotary actuator Is formed hollow inside, and the other transmission shaft is provided coaxially inside the one,
It is preferable that the power input portion and the output portion of the other transmission shaft are located outside the one transmission shaft.

The mechanism can be simplified by making one of the transmission shafts hollow and providing the other inside thereof. Preferably, a pressure sensor for detecting a contact pressure between the treatment body and the body is provided, and the approach / separation amount of the treatment body is adjusted and controlled according to a detection value of the pressure sensor. Furthermore, in a massage unit in which hand-type treatment units in which the treatment units move close to and away from each other so as to sandwich and rub the body by a pair of treatment units in the vertical direction, the left and right hand-type treatment units are arranged in the front-rear direction. It is preferable to provide a strength adjusting mechanism for adjusting the massage strength by moving the massage.

It is preferable that a self-propelled drive source for self-propelling the massage unit is provided inside the massage unit.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The massage unit 5 shown in FIGS. 1 to 15 is attached to the backrest of a chair-type massage machine, and is suitable for massaging the neck, shoulders, back, and waist of the user. The massage unit 5 includes a treatment body 150 for giving a massage to the user.
It has. As shown in FIG. 1, as a treatment body, an upper treatment body 150a and a lower treatment body 150b are provided in pairs in the up-down direction.

The upper and lower treatment bodies 150a and 150b can move toward and away from each other, and constitute a hand-type treatment section 160. A pair of upper and lower treatment bodies 150a and 150b constituting one hand-type treatment section 160 are arranged side by side on the left and right, and are referred to as a left hand-type treatment section 160L (hereinafter, also referred to as “left treatment body pair 160L”). Right hand treatment section 1
60R (hereinafter also referred to as "the right treatment body pair 160R")
Thus, the massage unit 5 has a total of four treatment bodies.

The massage unit 5 has a shoulder massage function (a movement in which the upper and lower treatment bodies move toward and away from each other so that a person rubs the patient's shoulders with both hands up and down). Massage function (Left and right treatment body pair 160L, 16
0R moves close to and away from each other in the horizontal direction).
It has various functions such as a hitting function (a movement in which the treatment body moves forward and backward and hits the user by moving forward and backward), and an elevating function for moving the massage unit 5 up and down in the backrest portion. Various mechanisms such as a gear mechanism for realizing these functions are housed in the massage unit 5 body. Note that various mechanisms of the massage unit are made of synthetic resin for weight reduction.

Hereinafter, each function of the massage unit 5 will be described in order. (Shoulder fir function: vertical kneading function) The electric motor 50 which is a rotary actuator as a shoulder fir drive actuator
(Also serving as a strength adjusting actuator described later) is provided in the massage unit 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the shoulder firs drive actuator 50 is arranged at the lower left of the massage unit. The rotation output shaft 50a of the shoulder pad drive actuator 50 is arranged in the left-right lateral direction. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the actuator 50 rotates the drive-side pulley 52, which is rotatable around a vertical axis. The rotation of the pulley 52 is transmitted to a strength adjustment drive pulley 54 and a shoulder massage drive pulley 55 by a shoulder massage / strength adjustment belt 53. The power transmitted to the strength adjusting drive pulley 54 is used for adjusting the strength, and the power transmitted to the shoulder firs driving pulley 55 is used for the shoulder firs.

The power transmitted to the shoulder firs driving pulley 55 is transmitted to the hand-type treatment section 160 when the shoulder firs electromagnetic clutch 58 is excited. That is, the power of the shoulder pad drive actuator can be selectively transmitted to the hand-type treatment section 160. When the shoulder pad electromagnetic clutch 58 is excited, the rotational force rotates the right base shaft 55a, and the right base shaft 55a
Is transmitted from the shoulder firs drive pulley 60R provided at the lower end of the right base shaft 55a to the shoulder massaging drive pulley 60L provided at the lower end of the left base shaft 55b via the belt 60B, and the left base shaft 55b is rotated.

The rotation of the right base shaft 55a is for holding the right hand type treatment section 160R up and down to perform a kneading operation, and the rotation of the left base shaft 55b is for the left hand type treatment section 160L.
Is to be pinched up and down to perform a kneading operation. That is, the rotational power of the shoulder pad drive actuator is distributed to the left and right hand-type treatment units 160L and 160R. At the upper ends of the left and right base shafts 55a and 55b, bendable transmission shafts (flexible shafts) 59L and 5L, respectively.
9R is connected. Left and right transmission shafts 59L, 59R
Are extended upward, are bent forward in the middle, and are connected to the left and right hand-type treatment units 160L and 160R. The left and right hand-type treatment units 160L and 160R are driven by rotation of the transmission shafts 59L and 59R. here,
If the transmission shafts 59L and 59R are rigid, the hand-type treatment units 160L and 160R cannot be moved for the lateral kneading function and the tapping function. Even if the positions of the portions 160L and 160R change, it can be handled by bending.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the basic operation of the hand-type treatment section 160 is as shown in FIG.
FIG. 7 shows a state in which 0a and 150b approach each other and sandwich the body.
As described above, the state in which the upper and lower treatment bodies 150a and 150b are separated from each other and the sandwiched state is released is repeated. With this operation, it is possible to knead the shoulder as if by a human hand. The upper treatment body 150a constituting the hand-type treatment section 160 is supported by the upper link section 95, and the lower treatment body 150b is similarly connected to the lower link section 96 and the lower link section 96.
It is supported by. The upper and lower treatment elements 150a and 150b are provided at the tips of the links 95 and 96 so as to be rotatable around horizontal axes 95a and 96a. The upper and lower treatment elements 150
The a and 150b are in the shape of a roller, and the massage units 5 abut on the user while rotating the treatment bodies 150a and 150b by rotating the treatment units 150a and 150b, so that a massage can be performed.

A differential gear mechanism 91 for operating the hand-type treatment section 160 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 is attached to the upper and lower links 95 and 96. As shown in FIGS. 8 to 10, the differential gear mechanism 91 includes a sun gear (sun gear shaft) 92, a planetary gear 93 that meshes with the sun gear 92 and can roll around the sun gear 92, and a sun gear 92. An internal gear 94 provided around the planet gear 93 so as to mesh with the orbit of the planet gear 93.
And The sun gear 92 is connected to the transmission shaft 5.
The rotation of the internal gear 94 is provided as an output for operating the upper link 95, and the revolution of the planetary gear 93 is provided as an output for operating the lower link 96. Further, such a differential gear mechanism 91 is attached to a support arm 90, and the upper and lower links 95 and 96 swing about the sun gear shaft 92 with respect to the support arm 90. . That is, the hand-type treatment section 160 is provided on the support arm 90.

The transmission shafts 59L and 59R are shown in FIGS.
The worm gear 97b is rotated by the rotation of the worm 97a. The worm 97a is rotatably supported by a bearing 98.
The worm gear 97b is housed inside the casing 99. The sun gear 92 is attached to the worm gear 97b, and when the worm gear 97b rotates, the sun gear 92 rotates. That is, the sun gear 92 is externally driven by the worm speed reducer, and the upper and lower links 95, 96 (the treatment bodies 150a, 150
It has a self-locking structure against the reverse load from b). The hand-type treatment section 160 includes upper and lower treatment bodies 150a, 15
By providing a self-locking structure against a reverse load from 0b, it is possible to prevent careless movement of the treatment bodies 150a and 150b at the time of massage such as lateral massage or tapping other than shoulder massage. When the massage unit 5 is raised and lowered in the backrest of the chair-type massage machine, the upper and lower treatment bodies 150a, 150b are formed by a self-locking structure.
Can be swung together with the support arm 90 while the position is fixed, so that it swings along the back shape of the user. By providing an angle detection sensor such as a potentiometer that detects the change of this oscillating motion, the shape of the back of the user can be detected, and thus the position of the user's shoulder can be detected and accurate acupoint massage can be performed. Becomes

The planetary gear 93 is a sun gear (sun gear shaft).
A plurality (four in the illustrated example) of the planet gears 93 are provided on the lower link 96 such that the revolution of the planet gears 93 causes the lower link 96 to swing. The internal gear 94 meshing with the planetary gear 93 is provided such that its rotation (rotation) causes the upper link 95 to swing. Therefore, the upper link 95 and the lower link 96 oscillate around the same axis as the sun gear shaft 92, and move up and down in the vertical direction.

Hand type treatment section 1 by differential gear mechanism 91
The operation of 60 will be described with reference to FIG. First, assuming that the rotation direction of the sun gear 92 is counterclockwise in FIG. 8 (see reference numeral a), the respective planetary gears 64 rotate in the clockwise direction (see reference numeral b) in response thereto, and revolve counterclockwise. (See symbol c). Therefore, the lower link 96 that holds the planetary gear 64 swings counterclockwise (see the symbol d).
In other words, the lower treatment body 150b is
Swing in the direction to close 0. In addition, at this time, the internal gear 94 rotates clockwise with the rotation of each planetary gear 93 (see reference sign e). Therefore, the upper link 95 to which the internal gear 94 is attached swings clockwise (refer to the symbol f), and the upper treatment body 150a swings in a direction to close the hand-type treatment section 160.

In this way, both treatment bodies 150a, 150a,
150b starts the closing operation at the same time. Here, for example, when the lower treatment body 150b hits the back of the user first, the lower treatment body 150b (the lower link 96) stops and holds that state. Then, the upper treatment body 150a, which has not yet contacted the user, moves at twice the speed due to the differential principle of the planetary gear mechanism 91. Then, from the state where both the upper and lower treatment bodies 150a are in contact with the user, the user is grasped by the relative proximity of the upper and lower treatment bodies 150a.

If the rotation direction of the sun gear 92 is reversed by switching the rotation direction of the actuator (motor) 50 forward or reverse or by providing an arbitrary rotation direction switching mechanism, the hand-type treatment section 160 can be operated in the opening direction. As shown in FIG. 11, a pressure sensor 170 for detecting a contact pressure when the treatment objects 150a and 150b contact the treatment subject is provided on the treatment object, and the pressure sensor 170 detects a predetermined detection value. Then, the control unit 180 switches the actuator 50 to the reverse rotation.

Therefore, the upper and lower treatment bodies 150a, 150
When the pressure becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure due to the close proximity of the shoulder and the shoulder 50b, the actuator 50 reverses, and the state of gripping the shoulder is released or loosened. The upper and lower treatment bodies 1
When 50a and 150b separate from each other and become lower than a predetermined pressure,
The actuator 50 switches to normal rotation again. In this way, the mutually approaching / separating operation by the upper and lower treatment bodies 150a and 150b is repeated, thereby obtaining a massage operation. In addition, in the pinching by the differential mechanism 91, a pinching and rubbing operation automatically adapted to the body shape of the user is performed, so that the massage feeling is improved. Further, by setting the set value of the pressure value for switching the opening and closing of the hand-type treatment section 160 to be variable and adjusting the set value of the pressure value using an external operation device or the like, the intensity of kneading can be changed.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, by providing a spring 105 connecting the upper link 95 and the lower link 96, backlash caused by the planetary gear operating mechanism 91 can be eliminated. In addition, by installing a direct-acting potentiometer instead of or together with the spring 105, control of the opening / closing degree of the hand-type treatment section 160 (particularly,
It can be used for feedback in proportional control). (Side kneading function (slipping movement function) and hitting function) The massage unit 5 is provided with an electric motor 30 as a rotary actuator as a side kneading (slipping movement) driving actuator. As shown in FIG. 2, the lateral kneading drive actuator 30 is disposed at the upper right of the massage unit 5.

A small pulley 31 is attached to the output shaft of the lateral kneading (scrubbing) drive actuator 30. The rotation of the small pulley 31 is controlled by a large pulley 33 attached to a first transmission shaft (rubbing input shaft) 32 via a belt 34.
To rotate. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the first transmission shaft (reducer) 32 is rotated by the rotation of the large pulley 33, a worm portion 32 a formed on the first transmission shaft 32 is formed.
Meshes with the worm gear 110a of the kneading shaft 110 whose axis is oriented in the lateral direction, and the kneading shaft 110 rotates at reduced speed. By the rotation of the kneading shaft 110, a lateral kneading operation (penetration operation) in which the left and right hand-type treatment units 160 move toward and away from each other is generated.

The support arms 90 are attached to both ends 110a of the kneading shaft 110 in the axial direction. Both ends 110a in the axial direction of the kneading shaft 110 are bent obliquely with respect to the rotation axis. Further, both ends in the axial direction of the massaging shaft 110 are eccentric with respect to the rotation axis. That is, both ends in the axial direction of the massaging shaft 110 are eccentric and decentered with respect to the rotation axis. In addition, only the declination may be used for the lateral kneading. And the eccentric / eccentric part 1
10a is provided with a bearing 36 such as a bearing, and left and right support arms 90, 90 are respectively connected via the bearing 36.

The above-described mounting structure of the kneading shaft 110 and the support arm 90 constitutes a first drive mechanism (lateral kneading mechanism) for moving the left and right hand-type treatment sections 160 toward and away from each other. An electric motor 10 that is a rotary actuator is provided in the massage unit 5 as a beating drive actuator. As shown in FIG. 2, the hit drive actuator 10 is disposed on the upper left of the massage unit. A small pulley 11 is attached to an output shaft of the hit drive actuator 10. The rotation of the small pulley 11 rotates the large pulley 16 attached to the second transmission shaft (striking input shaft) 13 via the belt 14.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, when the second transmission shaft (striking input shaft) 13 is rotated by the rotation of the large pulley 16, the worm 12 provided on the second transmission shaft 13 and the shaft center in the lateral direction. Is engaged with the worm gear 100a of the striking shaft 100 on which the striking shaft 100 is turned, and the striking shaft 100 rotates. The first transmission shaft 32 is a cylindrical body having a hollow inside, and the second transmission shaft 13 is provided coaxially inside the first transmission shaft 32. Therefore, the configuration is compact. The upper end of the second transmission shaft 13 as an input portion and the lower end of the output portion extend vertically so as to be located outside the first transmission shaft 32. The worm 12 is provided.

By the rotation of the hitting shaft 100, a tapping operation is performed in which the left and right hand-type treatment units 160 are repeatedly moved forward and backward in the front-rear direction. That is, the amplitude amplifying links 66 are attached to both ends 100 a of the hitting shaft 100 in the axial direction. Both ends 110a in the axial direction of the hitting shaft 100
Are eccentric with respect to the rotation axis of the hitting shaft 100. The eccentric portion 100a has a bearing 67 such as a bearing.
Are provided, and the left and right amplitude amplification links 66 are coupled to each other via the bearings 67. Amplitude link 6
The connecting pin 6 is driven by the eccentric rotation of the hitting shaft 100.
The amplitude operation is performed with the 4a as a fulcrum, and the amplitude operation output is transmitted to the support arm 90 via a connecting member (universal joint) 68 that connects the amplitude amplification link 66 and the support arm 90. Here, the eccentric rotation operation of the hitting shaft 100 may be transmitted to the support arm 90 via the connecting tool 68 without providing the amplitude amplifying link 66, but in this case, the amplitude width depends on the eccentric amount of the hitting shaft 100. Only the corresponding amount is obtained. By providing the amplitude amplification link 66 having a predetermined size as in the present embodiment, the amplitude can be adjusted according to the distance between the hitting shaft 100 and the pin 64a serving as a fulcrum. That is, the amplitude can be increased by increasing the distance between the hitting shaft 100 and the pin 64a serving as a fulcrum.

The mounting structure from the hitting shaft 100 to the support arm 90 constitutes a second driving mechanism (hitting mechanism) for repeatedly moving the left and right hand-type treatment sections 160 forward and backward. With the above-described configuration, when the massaging drive actuator 30 is rotationally driven, the massaging shaft 110 rotates, and the eccentric / eccentric portions 110a at both ends in the axial direction are decentered, so that a circular cone-shaped trajectory is drawn. Move around
The eccentricity also causes an amplitude in the front-back direction. Accordingly, the distal end of the support arm 90 attached to the eccentric / eccentric portion 110a via the bearing 36 moves in an elliptical shape when viewed from the front (this circumferential movement is referred to as “sliding”). This movement is referred to as “saw movement”), and the movement in the front-rear direction is accompanied by the amplitude in the front-rear direction. in this way,
In the present embodiment, the movement of the distal end of the support arm 90 is a three-dimensional movement including movement in the left-right direction (see FIG. 15).

Since the hand-type treatment section 160 is provided at the tip of the support arm 90 that performs a three-dimensional operation including movement in the left-right direction, the hand-type treatment section 160 also draws an elliptical shape in a front view. Also move forward and backward. Then, the movement of the hand-type treatment section 160 includes movement in the left-right direction. In addition, both ends 110 of the massaging shaft
The declination direction of a is symmetrical so that the left and right hand-type treatment units 160 move toward and away from each other by the left and right movement. For this reason, by the operation of the horizontal kneading mechanisms 110 and 90, the left and right hand-type treatment units 160 can knead the back and the like so as to sandwich the back from the lateral direction.

On the other hand, when the beating drive actuator 10 is driven to rotate, the beating shaft 110 is rotated, and the vibration of the amplitude amplifying link 66 is transmitted through the universal joint 98 to the supporting arm 90.
To the support arm 9 with the kneading shaft 110a as a fulcrum.
0 comes to swing back and forth. Since the hand-type treatment section 160 is provided at the distal end of the support arm 90, the hand-type treatment section 160 repeatedly moves forward and backward in the front-rear direction. This movement corresponds to a tapping operation in the massage operation.

The first driving mechanism, which is a lateral kneading mechanism, and the second driving mechanism, which is a hitting mechanism, can be operated independently and independently. It can be generated at the same time, and a composite massage combining kneading and tapping can be performed. In addition, shoulder rubbing, lateral rubbing and tapping can be operated independently and independently, and can also be operated at the same time. Therefore, a more complex massage can be performed, and a three-dimensional and complicated three-dimensional operation closer to a human shoulder massage can be realized. In addition, by using the horizontal kneading mechanism, it is possible to adjust the width of the left and right hand-type treatment units 160 to adjust the width of the left and right hand treatment units 160, and to knead the shoulders and neck in accordance with individual differences in the body shape of the user. That is, the horizontal kneading mechanism can be used as a left-right width adjusting mechanism of the hand-type treatment section 160.

(Strength Adjustment Function) As described above, the shoulder massaging drive actuator 50 also serves as a strength adjustment actuator for adjusting the degree of contact of the treatment bodies 150a and 150b with the user and adjusting the massage strength. are doing. From the strength adjustment actuator 50 to the strength adjustment drive pulley 5
4 is transmitted to the strength adjusting mechanism 20 when the strength adjusting electromagnetic clutch 56 is excited. That is, the power of the strength adjusting actuator 50 can be selectively transmitted to the strength adjusting mechanism 20.

When the strength adjusting electromagnetic clutch 56 is excited, a strength adjusting drive screw 57 extending vertically is rotated.
The strength adjusting drive screw 57 is rotatably provided around the vertical axis. When the strength adjusting drive screw 57 rotates, the strength adjusting moving nut 61 screwed with the screw 57 moves up and down. I do. The moving direction of the moving nut 61 is the screw 57
Can be switched depending on the direction of rotation of. The moving nut 61 is vertically guided by guide portions 61a, 61a penetrating the nut 61 in the vertical direction.

One end of a strength adjusting link 62 is swingably connected to the left and right sides of the moving nut 61 by connecting pins 64b. The other end of the strength adjusting link 62 is
The pin 4c is connected to the strength adjusting rotary link 63 by 4c. The strength adjusting rotary link 63 is provided with a hitting shaft 100a.
Are provided rotatably about the axis. A pin 64c viewed from the position of the hitting axis 100a of the strength adjusting rotary link 63.
One end of the short link 65 is connected to the opposite side by a pin 64d. The other end of the short link 65 is connected to the amplitude amplification link 66 by a pin 64a.

In FIG. 14, when the moving nut 61 is raised, the strength adjusting rotary link 63 is moved to the hitting shaft 100a.
Rotate clockwise around. Then short link 65
The amplitude amplifying link 66 connected in an X-shape with the strength adjusting rotary link 63 via the clockwise rotation also rotates clockwise. Then, the universal joint 68 is lifted upward, the support arm rotates around the kneading shaft 110a, and the hand-type treatment section 160 is pushed forward. Conversely, when the moving nut is lowered, the hand-type treatment section 160 is pulled backward. When the hand-type treatment section 160 (treatment body 150) is pushed forward,
The massage becomes a strong stimulus, and the hand-type treatment section 160
When (the treatment body 150) is pulled backward, the massage becomes a weak stimulus. Therefore, in shoulder kneading, side kneading, and tapping, the protrusion amount of the hand-type treatment section 160 is adjusted by the strength adjusting mechanism 20
By adjusting the intensity of those massages. In particular, by adjusting the strength during the execution of shoulder fir, side massage, and beating, it is possible to give the stimulus of tension and relaxation referred to in Oriental medicine.

It should be noted that the shoulder massaging drive actuator and the strength adjusting actuator may be provided separately. (Elevating function: self-propelled function) An electric motor 7 which is a rotary actuator as an actuator for elevating and lowering the massage unit 5 in the backrest of a massage machine such as a chair.
0 is provided in the massage unit 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the lifting actuator 30 is disposed at the lower right of the massage unit 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, a speed reducer 71 is attached to an output shaft 70a of the lifting / lowering actuator 70, and a rotational force is transmitted to a speed reduction gear of the speed reducer 71. As shown in FIG. 12, a small pulley 73 for raising and lowering is attached to the shaft end of the reduction gear, and the rotation is transmitted to a large pulley 75 for raising and lowering by a belt 74 for raising and lowering. Large pulley 7
5 is provided at the lower end of the elevating worm shaft 76, and the rotation of the large pulley 75 causes the shaft 76 to rotate. Axis 7
When the shaft 6 rotates, the elevating worm gear 77 provided on the shaft 76 is driven, and the worm wheel 78 meshing with the worm gear 78 rotates while decelerating to increase the torque.

The worm gear 78 rotates an elevating shaft 79 whose axis is oriented in the lateral direction. Wheels 120 and pinion gears 121 are provided at both left and right ends of the elevating shaft 79, respectively.
Is driven by a lifting actuator 70. These driven wheels 120 and pinion gear 121 are
Although provided below the massage unit 5, the non-driven wheels 122 and the pinion gear 123 are also provided above the massage unit 5 (see FIG. 1).

The wheels 120 and 122 run along guide rails 125 provided in the backrest of the chair-type massage machine, and the pinion gears 121 and 123 run while meshing with the rack 126. In the conventional massage unit, since the lifting drive source for raising and lowering (self-propelled) with respect to the massage machine main body is provided outside the massage unit, the assembling work of the massage machine main body of the massage unit is complicated. However, in the present embodiment, the massage unit 5 includes the lifting actuator 70 as a self-propelled drive source, so that the self-propelled lifting and lowering is possible, and the assembly to the massage machine body is easy.

The worm gear 77 and the worm wheel 78 prevent reverse rotation from the load side. That is, the worm gear 7 is designed to prevent the massage unit 5 from falling due to the reverse load acting on the wheel 120 and the pinion gear 121 on the load side by the weight of the massage unit 5.
7 and the worm wheel 78 are self-locked. As described above, the massage unit 5 of the present embodiment
Is integrally provided with its drive actuators for the functions of shoulder fir, side massage (rubbing massage), tapping, strength adjustment, and lifting / lowering, thereby realizing a high-performance massage unit.

In particular, since the shoulder massaging and the side massaging and hitting functions are all provided integrally, there is no need to provide both a unit for massaging the shoulders and a unit for massaging and hitting, thereby simplifying the structure. Becomes Note that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

[0048]

According to the present invention, even with a hand-type massage unit, massage other than up-down massage can be performed, or the intensity of massage can be adjusted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a massage unit as viewed from the front.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the massage unit viewed from the back.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the massage unit as viewed from obliquely below the back surface.

FIG. 4 is a rear view of the massage unit.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the massage unit.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of the hand-type treatment section being sandwiched (in a sandwiched state).

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of pinching of the hand-type treatment section (pinching release state).

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the principle of a planetary gear differential mechanism of the hand-type treatment section.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the hand-type treatment section.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a planetary gear differential mechanism of the hand-type treatment section.

FIG. 11 is a control block diagram.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the massage unit.

13A is an exploded view of a first transmission shaft (rubbing input shaft) and a second transmission shaft (striking input shaft), and FIG. 13B is an assembly diagram thereof.

FIG. 14 is a principle diagram of lateral kneading, tapping, and strength adjustment.

FIG. 15 is a principle diagram of lateral kneading.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 5 massage unit 10 tapping drive actuator (second rotary actuator) 13 tapping input shaft (second transmission shaft) 20 strength adjustment mechanism 30 kneading drive actuator (first rotary actuator) 32 kneading input shaft (first transmission shaft) 50 shoulder Kneading actuator (rotary actuator) 59L Flexible shaft (flexible transmission shaft) 59R Flexible shaft (flexible transmission shaft) 66 Amplitude amplification link 68 Universal joint 70 Elevating actuator (self-propelled drive source) 90 Support arm 100 Hitting shaft (Second drive mechanism) 110 Massaging shaft (First drive mechanism) 150a Upper treatment body 150b Lower treatment body 160 Hand-type treatment section 170 Pressure sensor

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Masanari Miura 1-17-17 Higashinakajima, Higashiyodogawa-ku, Osaka City, Osaka F-term (reference) 4C100 AD16 AD23 AF02 AF03 BA02 BB03 BC07 CA01 DA05 DA06

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A treatment body (150a, 150a,
In a massage unit in which hand-type treatment units (160L, 160R) in which the treatment bodies (150a, 150b) move close to and away from each other so as to rub the body by 150b), a left-right hand-type A massage unit comprising a drive mechanism (110, 90) for moving the treatment sections (160L, 160R) toward and away from each other. 2. A treatment body (150a, 150a,
In a massage unit in which hand-type treatment units (160L, 160R) in which the treatment bodies (150a, 150b) move toward and away from each other so as to rub the body by 150b), a left and right hand-type A drive mechanism (100, 6) for repeatedly moving the treatment section (160L, 160R) forward and backward.
6, 68) is provided. 3. The hand type treatment section (160L, 160L).
R) and a rotary actuator (50) that generates rotational power for performing a pinching and kneading operation between the hand-type treatment units (160L, 160R).
59. The massage unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the massage unit is connected so as to be capable of transmitting power. 4. A left and right hand-type treatment section (160L, 16L)
0R) to move toward and away from each other.
10, 90) and the left and right hand-type treatment units (160L, 1)
The massage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a second drive mechanism (100, 66, 68) for repeatedly moving the second drive mechanism (60R) forward and backward. 5. A first rotary actuator (30) for generating rotational power for operating the first drive mechanism (110, 90), and a rotation for operating the second drive mechanism (100, 66, 68). A second rotary actuator (10) for generating power is separately provided, and a first drive mechanism (110) and a first rotary actuator (3) are provided.
0), a first transmission shaft (32) for transmitting rotational power, a second drive mechanism (100), and a second rotary actuator (1).
0) and one of the second transmission shafts (32) for transmitting the rotational power between the two transmission shafts (32) has a hollow interior, and the other transmission shaft (13) has the other transmission shaft (13). The other transmission shaft (1) is coaxially provided inside.
The power input section and the output section of 3) are connected to the one transmission shaft (3).
2) The massage unit according to claim 4, wherein the massage unit is located outside. 6. A pressure sensor (170) for detecting a contact pressure between the treatment body and the body is provided.
70) The treatment body (150a, 150b) according to the detected value
The massage unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the proximity / separation amount is adjusted and controlled. 7. A pair of treatment bodies (150a, 150a,
In a massage unit in which hand-type treatment units (160L, 160R) in which the treatment units (150a, 150b) move toward and away from each other so as to rub the body by 150b), the left and right hand-type treatment units (160L) , 160R) in the fore-and-aft direction to adjust the massage intensity. 8. The massage unit according to claim 1, further comprising a self-propelled drive source (70) for self-propelling the massage unit, inside the massage unit.