JP2006006582A - Aquatic exercise apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide aquatic exercise apparatus that can be used even by a person who is not fit for exercise on land due to lower back pain, knee pain, obesity or the like, and induces a person to spontaneously do exercise to improve the muscular strength and balancing ability. <P>SOLUTION: The aquatic exercise apparatus comprises a structure 9 installed on the bottom of a water vessel 7 and capable of being vertically and/or horizontally moved so as to cause a person positioned and support on the upper portion to keep the person's posture. Thus, when the structure 9 installed on the bottom of the water tank 7 is vertically and/or horizontally moved, the person positioned and supported on the upper portion of the structure 9 in water is caused to unconsciously do exercise so as to keep the person's own posture. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention can be used by a person with limited exercise on the ground due to low back pain, knee pain, obesity, etc., to develop a sense of balance as a motor function while voluntarily expanding and contracting muscles such as the waist. It relates to an underwater exercise tool that can be used.

  Conventionally, it has been known that an increase in muscular strength by exercise is effective in maintaining health and improving behavioral physical strength even in people with joint pain such as low back pain and knee pain, or in people with marked obesity. However, when exercise is performed on land, there is a concern that the load on the joint is large, which may increase pain and impair the circulatory system. For this reason, it is recommended to increase muscle strength by reducing the load on the joint using the buoyancy of water using a pool, as represented by underwater walking, and dieting. However, there are very few people who have a pool at home, and in reality, when they go to a facility with a pool, they often overuse their joints to increase joint pain.

  As an underwater exercise tool, for example, in a health training aquarium disclosed as a utility model registration No. 30671141, a special aquarium for performing cycle exercise, stepping exercise, and automatic walking exercise in water has been proposed. In addition, the rehabilitation exercise device disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 06-012762 utilizes the viscosity of water, and exercises with exercise by attaching fins for both feet, and further practical use. In the underwater exercise equipment disclosed as the new model registration No. 03032020, an underwater exercise equipment using buoyancy resistance has been proposed.

  However, all of the methods described above are those in which a person exercises underwater on his / her own will and has significant obesity mainly caused by lack of exercise or joint pain mainly caused by aging. In general, many people consciously avoid exercising in general. Therefore, although the pain is reduced to some extent by exercising in the water, there is concern that the exercise will not last long because it feels mentally painful to continue exercising, or it seems troublesome to bother to go to the pool. Is done.

  By the way, for example, in the exercise assisting device filed by the present applicant and shown as Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-219191, a seat on which a person sits, a driving device that swings the seat, and a driving device A control unit for controlling the swing pattern of the seat by the control unit, an operation unit capable of instructing to change at least a part of the swing pattern, and a seat swing required from the swing pattern instructed by the operation unit. An exercise assisting device is provided that includes a calculation unit that obtains exercise time according to rocking intensity so that the product of dynamic intensity and exercise time for operating the drive device has a specified value specified separately. .

According to the above, it induces a person to use it on land and exercises spontaneously, reduces the load on the heart and joints for the person, and exercises only by being positioned on the seat without being conscious of himself / herself Can increase muscular strength and balance ability. However, in this case, increasing the exercise intensity by the acceleration of the swing of the seat is not suitable for a person who is afraid of a fast swing, and for those who have joint pain, the pain An increase is also assumed. In addition, instead of speeding up the seat, there is a concern that when the amount of displacement is increased, a person may lose balance and fall off the seat.
JP 2002-219191 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned background art, and its problem is that it is possible to use a person who is unsuitable for exercise on land due to low back pain, knee pain, obesity, etc. It is to provide an underwater exercise device that can improve balance ability.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the underwater exercise device according to the present invention is installed on the bottom surface of the aquarium, and can be displaced vertically and / or horizontally so that a person positioned and supported at the top maintains its own posture. It is characterized by comprising a structured body.

  The structure includes a seat that supports a person who sits straddling and a drive device that displaces the seat, and at least one of the displacement patterns according to a command from a control unit that controls the displacement pattern of the seat by the drive device. It is preferable that the operation can be performed to change the part.

  Moreover, it is preferable to control the displacement pattern of the seat according to a change in the water flow in the water tank.

  In the underwater exercise device of the present invention, when the structure installed on the bottom surface of the aquarium is displaced in the vertical and / or horizontal direction, the person who is located and supported above the structure in the water maintains its own posture. Can be used by people who are unsuitable for on-the-ground exercise due to low back pain, knee pain, obesity, etc., and underwater can induce muscle exercise and increase muscle strength and balance ability. Exercise equipment is obtained.

  The structure includes a seat that supports a person seated over and a driving device that displaces the seat, and at least a part of the displacement pattern by a command from a control unit that controls the displacement pattern of the seat by the driving device. As a result of enabling the operation to change, there is an advantage that it is possible to exercise with a momentum suitable for improving balance feeling and strengthening muscle groups near the waist.

  In addition, as a result of the control unit being able to control the displacement pattern of the seat according to the change in the water flow in the water tank, the effect of being able to further strengthen the muscles due to the change in the water flow is a further burden for the person exercising. Play.

  FIGS. 1-5 has shown the underwater exercise tool which is one Embodiment corresponding to Claim 1 thru | or Claim 3 of this application. The underwater sports equipment 1 of this embodiment is installed on the bottom surface of the aquarium 7, and is structured from a structure 9 that can be displaced vertically and / or horizontally so that a person positioned and supported at the top can maintain its own posture. Become.

  And the said structure 9 is equipped with the drive device 3 which displaces the seat 2 and the seat 2 which support the person seated straddling, and the command from the control part 4 which controls the displacement pattern of the seat 2 by the drive device 3 The displacement pattern of the seat 2 can be controlled according to the change of the water flow in the water tank 7 in this case. .

  Specifically, the underwater sports equipment 1 is such that when the person sits on the table surface as the seat 2 so as to passively exercise in a bath or a small pool corresponding to the water tank 7, the table surface It has a drive mechanism that mechanically changes the length of the legs of the table as the drive device 3 so as to be displaced vertically and horizontally.

  In this case, the seat 2 is provided with the table legs at four positions in four corners, and a waterproof cylinder as a driving device 3 that makes the table legs changeable in length is freely attached to the back surface of the seat 2. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the driving device 3 moves the operation of the waterproof cylinder and the operation unit 5 disposed on the upper part of the water tank 7 so that a person positioned and supported by the upper part of the seat 2 can operate. Drive control is performed via an arithmetic unit 6 formed around a microcomputer, to which a control unit 4 to be controlled is connected.

  In this case, the water tank 7 is provided with a discharge hole 8 called a jet bath device that discharges bubbles and water, and a change in the water flow is generated inside the water tank 7. Moreover, the said control part 4 has a mode which controls the displacement pattern which is displaced to the up-down and / or horizontal direction of the seat 2 according to the change of this water flow.

  Next, a state where a person exercises unconsciously with the underwater exercise tool 1 having the above-described configuration will be described. The aquarium 7 is filled with hot water in this case. FIG. 1 shows a state where the table leg is parallel to the seat surface of the seat 2 and the bottom of the aquarium 7, and FIG. From the viewpoint of the person who is doing this, the rear table leg is shorter than the front table leg. When the seat surface of the seat 2 is in the state shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, the person on the upper side of the seat 2 maintains its own posture and puts effort into the lower limbs and abdominal muscles so as not to fall back. Try to keep. As a result, a person exercises passively. That is, for the person, shortening the front table leg strengthens the lower limbs and abdominal muscles, and shortening the right and left front and back of the table leg respectively strengthens the abdominal side and hip abduction muscle strength, and so on. . In this way, by changing the length of the table leg, the muscular strength of a specific part can be strengthened.

  Moreover, the control part 4 can control the displacement pattern of the seat 2 according to the change of the water flow in the water tank 7, and bubbles and water are discharged from the discharge holes 8 of the water tank 7 as shown in FIG. 2. The water stream is ejected vigorously, and this water stream is installed to hit the abdomen. Therefore, due to this change in water flow, the balance of the person at the top of the seat 2 tends to collapse in the direction of flowing water, and as a result, the person maintains balance without applying reflexes to the abdominal muscles and thighs. It ’s gone. At this time, force is applied to the muscles of each part of the abdominal muscles and thighs, and the person moves passively. In this way, a change in the water flow becomes an additional load for the person who exercises, and the muscles can be further strengthened. In addition, by providing a plurality of, for example, about three discharge holes 8 and changing the direction of the body against the water flow, it is possible to apply a reflexive force to each of a plurality of different parts. It is also preferable to construct so as to reinforce the muscles in the region.

  Further, in this embodiment, the structure 9 has the structure described above, and as shown in FIG. 4, a structure whose shape is deformed under load, such as urethane foam resin, under the seat 2. 31 is also preferable. In this case, in the water tank 7 containing hot water, a person sits on the seat 21 placed on the upper portion of the structure 31 that is deformed with respect to the load such as urethane foam, and the seat 21 has a hollow structure, Water can be injected inside. Thereby, when water is injected into the seat 21, the buoyancy is reduced, and the seating surface of the seat 21 can be stabilized. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the person from losing balance and deviating from the seat 21, and to strengthen the muscular strength in a relatively stable state.

  Further, in the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, without using a seat as in each of the above-described configurations, a person is positioned and supported on the upper portion of the structure 32 whose shape is deformed in response to a load directly in water. It is also preferable that According to this structure 32, the structure 32 is deformed even by a slight change in the center of gravity of the person, but the person can easily balance in the absence of a seat. Therefore, a person exercises passively by putting power on each muscle of each part while consciously putting power on the front and rear, left and right, and thighs to achieve balance.

  In addition, as another example of the structure whose shape is deformed in response to the load in water, as shown in FIG. 6A, a peach ball whose strength against pressure is increased as shown in FIG. It is also preferable to use the structure 33 as described above. In this case, by filling the structure 33 with water, the buoyancy becomes substantially the same as the hot water in the water tank 7 and can be easily installed on the bottom surface of the water tank 7. Moreover, since this structure 33 is spherical, the installation state becomes unstable, and passive movement is further promoted. Further, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the structure 33 is a structure 34 filled with gel-like water, the movement when the balance is lost can be made slower. That is, since the water in the structure 34 is gelled, the human passively exercises with a relatively gentle movement, which is effective for people who are not good at strong intensity exercises or the elderly. It becomes. Further, as shown in FIG. 5C, it is also preferable to form a structure 35 such as a peach ball in a state where a little air is left inside the structure. In this way, buoyancy can be obtained in the structure, so that the pitch ball can be easily deformed with respect to a slight change in the center of gravity, thereby making the installation state more unstable and passive movement. Can be further promoted. Of course, as shown in FIG. 4D, it is also preferable to arrange a plurality of structures such as peach balls with increased strength as described above, which makes the balance easier to stabilize. Further, by adjusting the amount of water to be filled inside, if the amount of water is changed individually, it is possible to exert a strong force to balance only a specific part. For example, if the amount of hot water in the structure on the abdomen side is kept small, the thigh will tilt forward, so that the balance will be achieved with the cadaver in the rear, and while the person is riding on the structure, The force will enter, and you will exercise passively.

  In addition, the structure may be configured by providing a valve body that discharges water to a structure such as a peach ball with increased strength against pressure, and may be provided with a pump device that introduces water into the structure. preferable. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7A, a bidirectional waterproof pump 36a is attached to a water conduit 36b disposed on one side surface of a structure 36 such as a pitch ball, and the inside of the structure 36 Change the amount of hot water. As a result, when hot water is put into the structure 36, the structure 36 becomes spherical (state A), and it is very difficult to achieve a balance while a person is on the structure. You have to make a fine balance with your efforts. At that time, force is applied to the muscles of the respective parts, and the person moves passively. In addition, when the hot water inside the structure 36 is discharged, the state of B in the figure is reached. At this time, the balance slowly collapses greatly, and in response to this, the person strongly applies force to the front and rear, the right and left, and the thigh. The balance must be balanced. That is, by repeating the hot water in and out of the bidirectional waterproof pump 36a, the above two states are repeated, thereby obtaining both effects.

  Of course, as shown in FIG. 5B, it is also preferable to arrange a plurality of structures such as peach balls with increased strength. In this case, the amount of hot water in each structure can be taken in and out by a pump. Furthermore, if the amount of water to be filled is adjusted to change the amount of water individually, it is possible to exert a strong force to balance only a specific part. For example, if the amount of hot water in the front structure is reduced, the lower limbs and abdominal muscles are strengthened, and so on, while a person is riding on the structure, force is applied corresponding to various modes. Furthermore, a simple and extremely hard structure can be realized as compared with the structure using the waterproof cylinder described above.

  Furthermore, it is also preferable to replace the water tank 7 with the above-mentioned bathtub and use it as a pool 71. In this case, the exercise effect particularly extends to the lower limbs and thighs, and by adjusting the amount of the body coming out of the pool 71, It is possible to change the difficulty of rebalancing by changing the size of the structure to be increased or decreased or deformed.

  As described above, a person who has low back pain or knee pain, an obese person, or a low-muscle person who does not have an abdominal muscle can obtain an effect of increasing strength by taking time to take a bath at home. Also, since it is a bathtub, it can be washed away even if sweat occurs, and even people who don't like to sweat can exercise. Moreover, since it can be naturally expected that the heart rate increases, a diet effect can also be obtained.

  Therefore, according to the underwater sports equipment 1 described above, when the structure 9 installed on the bottom surface of the aquarium 7 is displaced vertically and / or horizontally, a person who is positioned and supported on the structure 9 in water is supported. Because you will exercise unconsciously to maintain your posture, people who are unsuitable for exercise on land due to low back pain, knee pain, obesity, etc. can also be used and induce voluntary exercise to induce muscle strength and balance Underwater exercise equipment that can enhance the ability is obtained.

  And the structure 9 is provided with the seat 2 which supports the person seated straddling and the drive device 3 which displaces the same seat 2, and the instruction | command from the control part 4 which controls the displacement pattern of the seat 2 by the same drive device 3 installation As a result of enabling the operation to change at least a part of the displacement pattern, there is an advantage that it is possible to exercise with a momentum suitable for improving the sense of balance and strengthening the muscle group near the waist. is there.

  Further, as a result of the control unit 4 being able to control the displacement pattern of the seat 2 in accordance with the change of the water flow in the water tank 7, the change of the water flow becomes a load for the person who exercises, and the muscles can be further strengthened. There is an effect.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it is obvious that the embodiments can be appropriately changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

Explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the underwater exercise tool which is one Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows schematic structure of the underwater exercise tool. Explanatory drawing which shows the effect | action of the same underwater exercise tool. The schematic block diagram which shows another Example of the same underwater exercise tool. The schematic block diagram which shows another Example of the same underwater exercise tool. The schematic block diagram which shows another Example of the same underwater exercise tool. Explanatory drawing which shows the Example of the different form of the underwater exercise tool. Explanatory drawing which shows the different usage type of the same underwater exercise tool.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Underwater exercise equipment 2 Seat 3 Drive apparatus 4 Control part 5 Operation part 7 Water tank 9 Structure

Claims (3)

  An underwater exercise tool comprising a structure that is installed on the bottom surface of a water tank and that can be displaced vertically and / or horizontally so that a person positioned and supported at the top can maintain its own posture.   The structure includes a seat for supporting a person sitting across and a driving device for displacing the seat, and at least a part of the displacement pattern is received by a command from a control unit that controls a displacement pattern of the seat by the driving device. The underwater exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the underwater exercise device can be operated to be changed.   The underwater exercise device according to claim 2, wherein the displacement pattern of the seat is controlled in accordance with a change in water flow in the water tank.

Images