JP2006174981A - Footbath device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a footbath device uniformly retaining the temperature inside an inner vessel and providing a uniform hot bath effect. <P>SOLUTION: This footbath device is provided with the inner vessel 3 having an insertion opening 2 in its upper face, a detachable liquid tank 5, a vaporizer 7 vaporizing the liquid 6 in the liquid tank 5 by being heated by a heater 8 and jetting it out from an outlet A11 to the inside of the inner vessel 3, a pump 9 sending the liquid 6 to the vaporizer 7, and a footrest stand 13 covering the bottom part 3a of the inner vessel 3 and having projecting/recessed parts 14 and multiple holes 15 on its surface. The outlet A11 of the vaporizer 7 faces a space part 16 formed of the bottom part 3a inside the inner vessel 3 and the footrest stand 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a leg warmer that can improve blood circulation, recover fatigue, and maintain and promote health by heating the legs.

  Conventionally, this type of leg bath has a leg heated in water for an appropriate period of time, so that the warming action through the skin of the leg is transmitted to the whole body by the blood flow, improving blood circulation, fatigue recovery and It is possible to maintain and improve health, but since a large amount of hot water is used, preparation of hot water, movement of the main body, and work when throwing away the hot water become a burden, so a small amount of liquid is used. Therefore, a technique that enables a warm bath effect has been proposed.

  Such a conventional leg warmer has a structure as shown in FIG. That is, a liquid particle supplier 73 comprising a liquid tank 71 and a particleizing means for foaming or granulating the liquid 72 in the liquid tank 71 and a heating means for heating the liquid 72 is provided with an insertion port 74 on the upper surface side. A leg warm bath is configured by being provided integrally with the inner container 75.

  Further, a horizontal rod-shaped platform 76 is provided in the inner container 75 near the lower portion.

  Further, the supply path 77 that communicates the liquid tank 71 with the inside of the inner container 75 is located at the substantially same height as the mounting table 76 near the lower portion of the inner container 75.

  Further, as a heating means for heating the liquid 72, a heater 78 attached to one side surface of the liquid tank 71 is provided, and this heater 78 has both functions of a particleizing means and a heating means.

  When the legs are heated in this leg warming bath, the legs are inserted into the inner container 75 through the insertion port 74 and placed on the platform 76. In this state, the power is turned on to heat the heater 78, and the supply path 77 is heated. The liquid particles are caused to flow into the inner container 75 via the base and attached to the legs 79 to warm the legs 79 and obtain a warm bath effect (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2003-310699 A

  However, in the above prior art, the liquid 72 is heated by the heater 78 attached to one side surface in the liquid tank 71. However, since the contact area with the liquid 72 is small, the liquid 72 is evaporated to form particles. It took time to make it happen.

  In addition, since the particleized liquid 72 is naturally allowed to flow into the inner container 75, it is difficult to uniformly warm the legs 79 inserted into the inner container 75. Therefore, a plurality of liquid particle supply units 73 may be provided. It was necessary and the structure was complicated.

  Further, when a plurality of liquid particle supply units 73 are provided, the liquid 72 must be supplied to each liquid particle supply unit 73, which is a burden on the user.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. In claim 1, an inner container having an insertion port on the upper surface, a removable liquid tank, and a liquid in the liquid tank are heated by a heater. A vaporizer that is vaporized and ejected into the inner container from the ejection port A, a pump that sends the liquid to the vaporizer, and a leg platform that covers the bottom of the inner container and is provided with a number of holes. The jet outlet A of the vaporizer faces the space formed by the bottom of the inner container and the leg platform.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there are provided a jet outlet B that sprays the liquid in the liquid tank into particles in the inner container, and a pressurizing pump that pressurizes and sends the liquid to the jet outlet B.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the vaporizer includes: a vaporization chamber capable of temporarily storing the pumped liquid; a heater for heating the vaporization chamber; and a vaporizer temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the vaporization chamber. In addition to the configuration, the heater is heated by the output from the vaporizer temperature detector, and a controller for controlling the output of the pump is provided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a temperature detector for detecting the temperature of the space formed in the bottom of the inner container, and the controller controls the output of the pump and the heating of the heater by the output of the temperature detector. It is.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a lid for closing the upper surface opening of the inner container is provided, and the lid can be folded and opened by the fulcrum part A and the fulcrum part B.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a water collecting container for collecting the liquid ejected into the inner container or the condensed and liquefied liquid is provided below the inner container, and the water collecting container is detachable.

  Since the leg bath of the present invention is configured as described above, it is possible to heat the liquid with the minimum necessary heater heating by sending only the necessary amount of liquid to the vaporizer by the pump, and the generated steam Thus, a warm bath effect can be obtained, so that the structure is simplified and the size can be reduced.

  Further, since the liquid in the liquid tank is sent to the vaporizer by the pump and vaporized, the time from when the power is turned on until the steam is generated and the warm bath effect is obtained can be shortened.

  Further, the vapor generated in the vaporizer is jetted from the jet outlet A into the space formed between the bottom of the inner container and the leg platform, and is made uniform and then flows into the container from the hole of the leg platform. As a result, a uniform warm bath effect can be obtained.

  Moreover, the liquid in the liquid tank is sprayed into the inner container by a pressurized pump without going through a vaporizer and jetted to obtain a cold stimulus, so that a thermal stimulus and a cold stimulus can be obtained alternately and a repetitive bath As a result, the user only has to supply water to one liquid tank, the burden on the user can be reduced, and the structure can be simplified.

  Further, by controlling the output of the pump and the heating of the heater by the control unit based on the output of the vaporizer temperature detector, a stable amount of steam can be continuously generated from the vaporizer.

  Further, by controlling the output of the pump and the heating of the heater by the control unit based on the output of the temperature detector that detects the temperature of the space part, the temperature of the steam ejected into the inner container can be maintained at an appropriate temperature.

  In addition, a lid that closes the top opening of the inner container is provided, and this lid can be folded and opened by the fulcrum part A and the fulcrum part B, so that the legs can be easily inserted into the inner container if the lid is folded and opened. If the lid B is closed after the legs are inserted, the outflow of steam in the inner container can be prevented.

  Furthermore, by providing a detachable water collection container, it is possible to easily collect and dispose of liquid condensed in the inner container, and to facilitate care after use.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a leg warming bath showing an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view for explaining a state in which liquid is atomized and ejected from an ejection port B, and FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the fully open state of the lid, FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the water collecting container, and FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the water collecting container attached / detached. .

  In the figure, 1 is the body of the leg bath. 2 is an insertion slot for inserting a user's leg. Reference numeral 3 denotes an inner container, which has an insertion port 2 on the upper surface and is open at the upper surface, and is molded from an electrically insulating material such as polypropylene resin having a heat resistant temperature of about 120 ° C., and is suitable for storing both legs of the user. It has an internal volume. 3 a is the bottom of the inner container 3.

  4 is a user's leg, and the leg 4 is inserted from the insertion port 2 and the leg 4 is heated to obtain a warm bath effect.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes a liquid tank, and reference numeral 6 denotes a liquid to be placed in the liquid tank 5, which is water in this embodiment. The liquid tank 5 is detachable with respect to the main body 1, and a cap 5 a for containing the liquid 6 is provided on the upper part. When the liquid tank 5 is replenished with water, the main body 1 can be used. It is easy to replenish water from a tap or the like.

  A vaporizer 7 heats and vaporizes the liquid 6 in the liquid tank 5.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a heater for heating the vaporizer 7.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes a pump for sending the liquid 6 in the liquid tank 5 to the vaporizer 7.

  A vaporization chamber 10 is provided inside the vaporizer 7. The liquid 6 sent by the pump 9 is temporarily stored in the vaporization chamber 10 and heated by the heater 8 so that heat is efficiently transmitted to the liquid 6. Then, steam is generated from a jet outlet A described later.

  Reference numeral 11 denotes an ejection port A, which is provided in the vaporizer 7 and ejects the vapor vaporized by the vaporizer 7 into the inner container 3.

  A vaporizer temperature detector 12 is composed of a thermistor and detects the temperature of the vaporizer 7.

  Reference numeral 13 denotes a leg mount, which is provided with a convex recess 14 that covers the bottom 3 a in the inner container 3 and a large number of holes 15 provided on the entire surface of the leg mount 13. The user places his / her legs on the leg platform 13.

  Reference numeral 16 denotes a space, which is a space formed in the lower part of the inner container 3 formed by the bottom 3a of the inner container 3 and the footrest 13, and the spout A11 of the vaporizer 7 faces this space 16; The steam ejected from the ejection port A11 is ejected so as to fill the space 16.

  Reference numeral 17 denotes a temperature detector, which is provided in the space portion 16 and detects the temperature of the steam ejected from the ejection port A11 to the space portion 16, and the liquid 6 is detected by the output from the temperature detector 17. The output of the pump 9 for sending the gas to the vaporizer 7 and the heating of the heater 8 for heating the vaporizer 7 are controlled by the control unit 18 which will be described later, and the temperature in the space 16 is made constant.

  Reference numeral 18 denotes a control unit that outputs an output of a pump 9 that sends the liquid 6 to the vaporizer 7 by an output of the temperature detector 17 provided in the vaporizer temperature detector 12 or the space 16 and heating of the heater 8 that heats the vaporizer 7. To control the temperature of the vaporizer 7 and the space 16.

  Reference numeral 19 denotes a pressurizing pump, which is provided at the upper part of the inner container 3 and ejects the liquid 6 in the liquid tank 5 from the upper part of the inner container 3 into the inner container 3 without passing through the vaporizer 7. is there.

  Reference numeral 20 denotes an ejection port B which is provided in the pressurization pump 19 and ejects the liquid 6 pressurized by the pressurization pump 19 from the ejection port B20, and particles the liquid 6 into the inner container 3 and ejects it. It is.

  21 is a lid that closes the top opening of the inner container 3. The lid 21 is folded by a fulcrum part A22 to open and close the insertion port 2 and the fulcrum part B24 to fold the inner container 3. It is comprised by the lid | cover B25 which can open and close the whole upper surface. And when inserting a user's leg 4 in the inner container 3, as shown in FIG. 4, folding the lid | cover A23 and the lid | cover B25 and opening the whole upper surface of the inner container 3 makes insertion of the leg 4 easy. At the same time, when the leg 4 is inserted into the inner container 3 and the lid B25 is closed with the lid A23 folded, the insertion opening 2 is sized so that the gap between the insertion portions of the legs 4 is minimized. Thus, the steam in the inner container 3 is difficult to flow out.

  A water collection container 26 is detachably attached to the main body 1, and the liquid 6 ejected into the inner container 3 and the liquid 6 condensed and liquefied in the inner container 3 are placed on the bottom 3 a of the inner container 3. The water collected through the hole 3b provided and the water collecting container 26 pulled out from the main body 1 and collected in the interior can be easily discarded.

  Next, the operation according to the above configuration will be described.

  Water is put into the liquid tank 5 and set in the leg warmer body 1. At this time, the water in the liquid tank 5 is connected by a pipe so that the pump 9 and the pressure pump 19 can suck out from the bottom in the liquid tank 5, but the details are omitted.

  Next, a power supply is connected and a power switch (not shown) is turned on. As a result, the heater 8 of the vaporizer 7 starts energization, the heating of the heater 8 is controlled by the control unit 18 based on the output from the vaporizer temperature detector 12, and vaporization is performed so as to be constant in the range of 120 ° C to 140 ° C. The vessel 7 is heated.

  When the temperature of the vaporizer 7 becomes equal to or higher than a certain temperature, the control unit 18 starts energization of the pump 9 and sends the liquid 6 in the liquid tank 5 to the vaporizer 7 by a necessary amount. 10 is temporarily stored, heated by the heater 8 to become steam, and is ejected from the ejection port A11 to the space 16. That is, since the amount of the liquid 6 to be sent to the vaporizer 7 can be accurately controlled, the heating power of the heater 8 can be minimized, and the vaporizing chamber 10 has a large contact area with the liquid. The speed at which the gas is heated and vaporized is high, and the time from when the power is turned on to when steam is generated can be shortened.

  The steam ejected into the space portion 16 fills the space portion 16 and heats the heater 8 so that the temperature of the space portion 16 becomes constant by the output from the temperature detector 17 provided in the space portion 16. Energization of the pump 9 is controlled by the control unit 18. And the vapor | steam which was filled in the space part 16 and was equalized | homogenized is ejected uniformly from the many holes 15 provided in the leg stand 13 to the upper part of the inner container 3. FIG.

  Then, the user places a chair on the side of the leg warmer body 1, sits on the chair, and folds the lid 21 by the fulcrum part A22 and the fulcrum part B24 to open the inner container 3 so that the upper surface of the inner container 3 opens widely. The leg 4 can be easily inserted, and after the leg 4 is inserted, the upper surface of the inner container 3 is closed by closing the lid B25 with the fulcrum part B24, and the outflow of steam that tends to rise is prevented.

  Then, when the leg 4 is placed on the leg platform 13 in the inner container 3, the leg 4 is warmed by the uniform vapor ejected from the numerous holes 15 opened in the leg platform 13, and the state is changed. By maintaining for a while, each part of the leg 4 is uniformly warmed, and a uniform bathing effect is obtained.

  Further, after stopping the pump 9 and stopping the vapor ejected from the ejection port A11, the pressurizing pump 19 is operated, and the liquid 6 in the liquid tank 5 is atomized into the inner container 3 from the ejection port B20 and ejected. Thus, the leg 4 can be cooled by the unheated low-temperature liquid 6 particles and a cold stimulus can be applied, and this can be applied to the temperature stimulus by the jet of steam from the jet outlet A11 in a cycle of 3 to 5 minutes, and the jet outlet B20. By alternately repeating the cold stimulation by the ejection of the low temperature particles from the blood vessel, the effect of promoting blood circulation known as a repetitive bath can be obtained.

  Further, after using the leg bath, the liquid 6 ejected into the inner container 3 and the liquid 6 condensed in the inner container 3 accumulate in the water collecting container 26 provided on the bottom 3 a of the inner container 3. Therefore, the water collecting container 26 is pulled out, and the water accumulated inside is discarded, so that it can be easily discarded.

  In this way, by sending only the necessary amount of liquid 6 with the pump 9 to the vaporizer, the liquid 6 can be heated by the minimum required heating of the heater 8, and a warm bath effect can be obtained by the generated steam. The structure can be simplified and the size can be reduced.

  In addition, since the liquid 6 in the liquid tank 5 is sent to the vaporizer 7 by the pump 9 and vaporized, the time from when the power is turned on until the steam is generated and the warm bath effect is obtained can be shortened. it can.

  Further, the vapor generated in the vaporizer 7 is sprayed from the outlet A11 to the space 16 formed between the bottom 3a of the inner container 3 and the leg platform 13, and is uniformized. In this way, a uniform warm bath effect can be obtained.

  Further, the liquid 6 in the liquid tank 5 is sprayed by being atomized into the inner container 3 by the pressurizing pump 19 without passing through the vaporizer 7 to obtain a cold stimulus, so that the warm stimulus and the cold stimulus are alternately provided. Thus, the effect of the repeated bath is obtained, and the user only has to supply water to one liquid tank 5, thereby reducing the burden on the user and simplifying the structure.

  Further, by controlling the output of the pump 9 and the heating of the heater 8 by the controller 18 based on the output of the vaporizer temperature detector 12, a stable amount of steam can be continuously generated from the vaporizer 7.

  Further, by controlling the output of the pump 9 and the heating of the heater 8 by the control unit 18 based on the output of the temperature detector 17 that detects the temperature of the space 16, the temperature of the steam ejected into the inner container 3 is set to an appropriate temperature. Can be kept in.

  Also, a lid 21 for closing the upper surface opening of the inner container 3 is provided, and this lid 21 can be folded and opened by a fulcrum part A22 and a fulcrum part B24, so that the leg 4 can be easily opened by folding the lid 21 open. If the lid B25 can be closed after the leg 4 is inserted and the leg B4 is inserted, the outflow of the vapor in the inner container 3 can be prevented.

  Furthermore, by providing the detachable water collecting container 26, the liquid 6 and the like condensed in the inner container 3 can be easily collected and discarded, and care after use can be facilitated.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the leg warm bath which shows one Example of this invention. It is the longitudinal cross-sectional view explaining the state which atomized the liquid from the jet nozzle B similarly, and was made to eject. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which similarly shows the open state of the lid | cover A. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which similarly shows the fully open state of a lid | cover. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which similarly shows a water collection container. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which similarly shows the water collecting container attachment / detachment state. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

2 Insertion Port 3 Inner Container 3a Bottom 5 Liquid Tank 6 Liquid 7 Vaporizer 8 Heater 9 Pump 10 Vaporization Chamber 11 Spout A
12 Vaporizer Temperature Detector 13 Leg Stand 15 Hole 16 Space 18 Controller 19 Pressure Pump 20 Jet B
21 Lid 22 Support point A
24 fulcrum part B
26 Water collection container

Claims (6)

An inner container (3) having an insertion port (2) on the upper surface, a removable liquid tank (5), and a liquid (6) in the liquid tank (5) are heated and vaporized by a heater (8). A vaporizer (7) ejected from the outlet A (11) into the inner container (3), a pump (9) for sending the liquid (6) to the vaporizer (7), and the inner container (3) And a footrest (13) provided with a number of holes (15) and covering the bottom (3a) of the carburetor (7), the spout A (11) of the vaporizer (7) is the bottom (3a) in the inner container (3). ) And a leg rest (13), a leg warmer characterized by facing a space (16) formed. An outlet B (20) for atomizing the liquid (6) in the liquid tank (5) into the inner container (3) and ejecting the liquid (6) to the outlet B (20) under pressure. The leg bath according to claim 1, further comprising a pressure pump (19). The vaporizer (7) includes a vaporization chamber (10) that can temporarily store the liquid (6) sent by the pump (9), a heater (8) that heats the vaporization chamber (10), and the vaporization chamber ( And a vaporizer temperature detector (12) for detecting the temperature of 10), and the heater (8) is heated and the output of the pump (9) is output from the vaporizer temperature detector (12). The leg warm bath according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit (18) for controlling. A temperature detector (17) for detecting the temperature of the space (16) formed at the bottom (3a) in the inner container (3) is provided, and the output of the pump (9) is output by the output of the temperature detector (17). The leg warm bath according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the heating of the heater (8) is controlled by the controller (18). A lid (21) for closing the upper surface opening of the inner container (3) is provided, and the lid (21) can be folded and opened by a fulcrum part A (22) and a fulcrum part B (24). The leg warmer according to claim 1. A water collecting container (26) for collecting the liquid (6) ejected into the inner container (3) or the liquid (6) condensed and liquefied is provided below the inner container (3). The leg warm bath according to claim 1, wherein the) is removable.

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