JP2011130814A - Massage machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a massage machine capable of providing more comfortable massage effects. <P>SOLUTION: The massage machine has an airbag 16 in a support body 15 of a leg support part 12 for repeatedly holding and releasing a leg K, at least a part of a user's body. The support body 15 of the leg support part 12 can support the user's body in such a state that the foot of the supported leg K is released. The swinging frequency of the swinging motion by a linear motor 20 can be changed by a control part 18 at least to 2 Hz or higher. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a massage machine that imparts a massage effect by swinging a body.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, massage machines that give external stimulation to a user's body have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
The massage machine of patent document 1 comprises a chair type | mold so that a user can massage in a seating state, and it is provided in the front part of the seat part which a user can sit down, and can mount a user's leg part. The ottoman is provided with a relaxing rocking part. The relax swinging unit is, for example, a unit that reciprocally swings one foot support member that receives both ankles of the user in the left-right direction. The (the entire leg) is swung relatively slowly around the user's waist, so that the so-called goldfish movement is automatically performed. Then, the user's legs are swung from side to side relatively slowly so as to perform a so-called goldfish exercise to relieve the tension of the user's legs, that is, to provide a relaxing effect. .

JP 2008-237295 A

  By the way, in the massage machine as described above, a relaxation effect can be given to the entire leg by swinging the entire leg of the user relatively slowly. Development of a massage machine that is weak to loosen and can impart a more suitable massage effect is desired.

  This invention is made | formed in order to solve the said subject, The objective is to provide the massage machine which can provide the more suitable massage effect.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 comprises a body part support means for supporting a part of a user's body, a swing drive means for swinging the body part support means, Control means for controlling the swing drive means, and the control means controls the swing drive means to swing the body part support means to swing the user's body and massage. The body part support means includes a grip opening means for repeatedly holding and releasing at least a part of the user's body, and the user uses the grip opening means. It is configured to be able to support the body part holding the body in a released state, and the control means is configured to be able to change the swing frequency of the swing operation by the swing drive means to 2 Hz or more. That that And effect.

  In this invention, the body part support means is provided with a grip opening means for repeatedly holding and releasing at least a part of the user's body, and the body part support means grips the user's body by the grip opening means. The body part to be supported is configured to be supported in a released state. The control means is configured to be able to change the oscillation frequency of the oscillation operation by the oscillation drive means to 2 Hz or more. Here, the present inventor has a massage effect by only grasping and releasing operation with a grasping and releasing means with respect to one part of the body, a massage effect by only swinging operation, and a combined operation of swinging operation and gripping and releasing operation. An evaluation experiment was conducted with respect to the massage effect (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). In addition, an evaluation experiment was conducted again on the massage effect only by the swing motion (see FIG. 4). 3 (a), 3 (b) and FIG. 4, it can be seen that the massage effect by the combined operation of the gripping and opening operation in addition to the swinging operation of 2 Hz or higher is high. That is, a more suitable massage effect can be given to the user by adopting a configuration in which massage is performed by a combined operation of a rocking motion of 2 Hz or more and a gripping and releasing motion. Moreover, the variation of operation | movement can be increased by the combination of the holding | grip and release operation | movement by a holding | grip release means, and rocking | fluctuation operation | movement. Further, when the operating frequency (operating speed) of the swinging operation is used in a relatively high state, the body part supporting means is reliably swung with respect to the gripped body part by gripping with the grip opening means. The movement can be transmitted, and the massage effect by the swinging movement can be more reliably applied.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the massage machine according to the first aspect, the control means repeats the swinging motion of the body part support means and the gripping and opening operations with respect to the body part of the user. The gist of the invention is to control the swing driving means and the grip opening means so that the grip opening operation to be performed is interlocked.

  In the present invention, the swing drive means and the grip release means are controlled by the control means so that the swing operation and the grip and release operations are interlocked. As a result, the swinging operation and the gripping and releasing operations are linked, so that it is possible to increase the feeling of interlocking by various operations and to provide a more suitable massage effect. It is also possible to increase the variation of operation.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the massage machine according to the first or second aspect, when the control means makes the swing frequency of the swing motion by the swing driving means higher than a predetermined frequency, The gist of the invention is to control the grasping release means so as to grasp the user's body.

  In the present invention, when the swing frequency of the swing operation is higher than a predetermined frequency, the grip opening means is controlled by the control means so as to grip the user's body. As described above, when the oscillation frequency is set higher than the predetermined frequency, the body is grasped by the grasping release means so that a relatively high-speed (high frequency) oscillation operation can be ensured to the user. Can be transmitted, and a more suitable massage effect can be imparted.

  The gist of the invention according to claim 4 is the massage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the grip opening means is configured by an inflatable and deflatable airbag. .

  In this invention, the grip opening means can be a simple configuration using an airbag. Even if it is such a structure, there can exist an effect similar to the effect as described in any one of Claims 1-3.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the massage machine which can provide a more suitable massage effect can be provided.

(A) (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating schematic structure of the massage machine in this embodiment. (A) (b) is a top view for demonstrating expansion / contraction operation | movement of an airbag. (A) (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the difference of the massage effect in various operation | movement. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the massage effect at the time of changing the rocking | fluctuation frequency of rocking | fluctuation operation | movement. It is a schematic block diagram of the massage machine in another example. It is a schematic block diagram of the massage machine in another example. It is a schematic block diagram of the massage machine in another example. It is a schematic block diagram of the massage machine in another example. It is a schematic block diagram of the massage machine in another example.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
Fig.1 (a) (b) shows schematic structure of the massage machine of this embodiment. The massage machine 10 of this embodiment is for the leg which supports the body part (in this embodiment leg K in this embodiment) which becomes a pair in the user's body independently in the two accommodating parts 11 which make concave shape. A total of two support portions 12 are provided.

  The base portion 13 constituting the leg support portion 12 is supported by coil springs 14 provided on the left and right wall portions 11a of the two accommodating portions 11 so as to be movable on substantially the same axis L in the left-right direction. A support main body portion 15 constituting the leg support portion 12 is fixed to the upper portion of the base portion 13, and the support main body portion 15 is formed to have a concave shape that protrudes downward.

  An airbag 16 capable of inflating and contracting is provided on each of the left and right inner wall surfaces 15 a of the support main body 15. The airbag 16 is inflated and contracted by a control unit 18 that controls driving of the air pump 17. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the support main body 15 releases the foot A, which is the gripping point, in the state where the leg K, which is a body part by the airbag 16, is gripped. It is configured to be supportable in a state where it is made to move.

  On the other hand, on the lower side of the leg support portion 12, a linear motor 20 is provided as a swing driving means for swinging the leg support portion 12 in the left-right direction. The linear motor 20 is controlled by the control unit 18 and includes an electromagnet 21 fixed to the bottom 11b of the housing unit 11 and two magnets 22a and 22b having different magnetic poles.

  The electromagnet 21 includes a core 21a and a coil 21b wound around the core 21a. Power supply from a power source (not shown) to the coil 21b is controlled by the control unit 18, and the upper surface side is based on the power supply. Magnetic poles are formed on the surface. The magnets 22 a and 22 b face the electromagnet 21 in the vertical direction (up and down direction), and are arranged side by side in the left and right direction of the lower surface of the base portion 13. For this reason, when power is supplied via the control unit 18 by the coil 21b of the electromagnet 21, the electromagnet 21 is magnetized and attracted by one of the two magnets 22a and 22b and repulsive by the other side. And the magnets 22a and 22b are moved in the left-right direction.

  In the massage machine 10 configured as described above, for example, a plurality of massage courses for performing a predetermined operation are set, and a swing operation of 2 Hz or more for a certain period is performed in at least one massage course. Here, this inventor performed evaluation experiment about the difference of the massage effect obtained in various massage operation | movement. In addition, the massage operation only by the grip / release operation (expansion / contraction operation) by the airbag 16, the massage operation by only the swinging motion of the leg support portion 12 in the left-right direction, the combined operation of the above-described gripping / release operation and the swing operation An evaluation experiment is conducted on the massage effect of three types of massage operations. In addition, with regard to the swinging operation, an experiment is performed on four types of operating frequencies of 2 Hz, 3 Hz, 4 Hz, and 6 Hz. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show the experimental results of each massage operation, and FIG. 3 (a) shows the difference in massage effect for the “feeling of comfort” by each massage operation. b) shows the difference in the massage effect with respect to “feeling of relaxation” by each massage operation.

  In addition to the above-described evaluation experiment, the present inventor has also separately conducted an evaluation experiment on the difference in massage effect obtained by the difference in swinging motion (see FIG. 4). Specifically, it is an evaluation experiment for a difference in “feeling of unraveling” which is a massage effect when changing from 1 Hz to 6 Hz in 1 Hz increments.

  As can be seen from FIG. 4, the difference between 1 Hz and 2 Hz is the largest, and it can be seen that a good massage effect can be obtained in a relatively high-speed rocking motion of 2 Hz or more. Further, as can be seen from FIG. 3A, by setting the oscillation frequency of the oscillation operation to 2 Hz or more, a massage effect higher than the massage effect only by the gripping / release operation can be obtained. Furthermore, as can be seen from FIGS. 3A and 3B, a more suitable massage effect can be obtained by a combined operation of the swinging operation and the gripping / opening operation. Further, by performing a gripping / opening operation in addition to the swinging operation, it is possible to diversify the massage operation and contribute to the maintenance of the user's motivation.

  Further, in the massage machine 10 configured as described above, the leg portion of the user is inflated by the airbag 16 as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b) during swinging as the aforementioned massage course. The control unit 18 controls the gripping state of gripping K and the open state of opening the user's leg K by the contraction operation of the airbag 16 as appropriate. Here, for example, when the swinging operation of the leg support 12 is performed at a relatively low swinging frequency of about 1 Hz or less, the airbag 16 is contracted and the leg K is opened in a swinging state. It is designed to perform dynamic movement. With such a configuration, when the user swings at a low frequency of about 1 Hz or less, if the user's leg K is gripped, the swing of the swinging motion can be reliably transmitted to the body. Compared with the open state, the swinging state of the leg K tends to deteriorate. For this reason, when the operation has a low oscillating frequency as described above, the entire leg portion K of the user sways in the inner wall surface portion 15a of the support main body portion 15 by operating in an open state. K's thigh, knee circumference and lower leg massage can be performed.

  On the other hand, for example, when the swing frequency of the leg support portion 12 is changed from a swing operation of about 1 Hz or less to a relatively high-speed swing operation of about 2 Hz or more, the control unit 18 controls the air pump 17. The frequency of the swinging operation is changed while the airbag 16 is inflated and the leg K is gripped. This is because when the gripping state is set, the swinging motion of the leg support portion 12 is reliably transmitted to the entire leg portion K, and a massage centering on the foot A side that is the gripping side is performed. As described above, since the air pump 17 and the linear motor 20 are controlled by the control unit 18 so that the swinging operation and the gripping / releasing operation are interlocked, a sense of interlocking by various operations is increased and a more suitable massage effect is obtained. It can be granted.

  Further, the gripping / opening operation can be realized with a relatively simple configuration such as the airbag 16. Since each support main body 15 is configured to be swingable in the reverse direction on the same axis L in the left-right direction, the support main body 15 (leg support 12) is swung so as to be opposite to each other. Thus, the movement (vibration) of the massage machine 10 due to the swinging motion can be suppressed. Further, since the coil spring 14 is configured to resonate, a sufficient swinging operation can be realized even if the power supplied to the coil 21b is suppressed.

Next, characteristic effects of the present embodiment will be described.
(1) The support body 15 of the leg support 12 is provided with an airbag 16 that repeatedly holds and releases the leg K, which is at least part of the user's body. The support main body 15 is configured to be able to support the foot A, which is the gripping point of the leg K for gripping the user's body by the airbag 16, in a released state. The control unit 18 is configured to be able to change the oscillation frequency of the oscillation operation by the linear motor 20 to 2 Hz or more. Here, the present inventor combines a massage effect by only gripping and opening operation with the airbag 16 with respect to one part of the body, a massage effect by only swinging motion, and a combined motion of swinging motion and gripping and releasing motion. An evaluation experiment was conducted with respect to the massage effect (see FIGS. 3A and 3B). In addition, an evaluation experiment was conducted again on the massage effect only by the swing motion (see FIG. 4). 3 (a), 3 (b) and FIG. 4, it can be seen that the massage effect by the combined operation of the gripping and opening operation in addition to the swinging operation of 2 Hz or higher is high. That is, a more suitable massage effect can be given to the user by adopting a configuration in which massage is performed by a combined operation of a swinging operation of 2 Hz or more and a gripping and releasing operation. Moreover, the variation of operation | movement can be increased by the combination of the holding | gripping and releasing operation | movement by the airbag 16, and rocking | fluctuation operation | movement. Furthermore, by using the airbag 16 for gripping when the swinging motion frequency (operating speed) is used at a relatively high level, the leg support 12 is reliably swung with respect to the gripped body part. It is possible to transmit the moving motion, and it is possible to more reliably impart the massage effect by the swing motion.

  (2) The linear motor 20 and the airbag 16 are controlled by the control unit 18 so that the swinging operation and the gripping and releasing operations are interlocked. As a result, the swinging operation and the gripping and releasing operations are linked, so that it is possible to increase the feeling of interlocking by various operations and to provide a more suitable massage effect. It is also possible to increase the variation of operation. Specifically, when the swing frequency of the swing operation is, for example, from about 1 Hz or less to a predetermined frequency (for example, about 2 Hz) or more, the airbag 16 is controlled to hold the user's body. Controlled by the unit 18. As described above, when swinging at a swing frequency of a predetermined frequency (for example, 2 Hz) or more, the body is gripped by the airbag 16 so that the swing motion is relatively fast (high frequency). Can be reliably transmitted to the user, and a more suitable massage effect can be provided.

(3) The grip opening means can be configured by the airbag 16 having a relatively simple configuration.
In addition, you may change embodiment of this invention as follows.

In the above-described embodiment, each leg support 12 is configured to swing so as to move in different directions on the substantially same axis L in the left-right direction.
In the above embodiment, each leg support 12 is configured to swing in the left-right direction. However, the swing direction is not limited to this, for example, circular motion, tilting (arc motion), and vertical motion. It may be a configuration or the like.

  For example, the following configuration is conceivable as a configuration for circularly moving each leg support portion 12. In the massage machine 10 shown in FIG. 5, two (a total of four) disk-shaped rotating plates 30 to which rotational driving of a motor (not shown) is transmitted are respectively provided on the lower side of the base portion 13 of the leg support portion 12. Fixed. Support shafts 31a of two support members 31 erected on the bottom 11b of the accommodating portion 11 are attached to the respective midway positions in the radial direction of the respective rotary plates 30, and the leg support portions 12 are centered on the support shaft 31a. The whole is configured to rotate while maintaining the posture.

  Moreover, as a structure which tilts (arc movement) each support part 12 for legs, the following structures can be considered, for example. In the massage machine 10 shown in FIG. 6, a fixed shaft 35 a of a support member 35 in a form extending upward from the bottom portion 11 b of the accommodating portion 11 is attached to a substantially central position in the left-right direction of each base portion 13. A motor 36 is provided below each base portion 13, and is movable connected to two output shafts 36 a extending from both ends of the motor 36 in the left-right direction and to the lower surface of each base portion 13. The members 37 are alternately moved up and down in accordance with the rotational drive of the motor 36 so that each leg support 12 is moved in an arc.

  Moreover, as a structure which moves each support part 12 for legs up and down, the following structures can be considered, for example. In the massage machine 10 shown in FIG. 7, a rod-like turning member 42 that can turn at the tip of a support member 41 that extends upward from a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of a mounting table 40 that is placed on a floor surface (not shown). The base portion 13 of each leg support portion 12 is connected to the left and right end portions of the rotating member 42. Further, both ends of a holding member 43 that is in a parallel relationship with the rotating member 42 are connected to the base portion 13 to which the support main body portion 15 is fixed in order to maintain the posture. Similarly to the arc motion described above, the movable member 37 connected to the two output shafts 36 a extending in the left-right direction from both ends of the motor 36 and connected to the lower surface of each base portion 13 is provided in the motor 36. The leg support portion 12 is moved up and down alternately according to the rotational drive.

In the above-described embodiment, each support main body 15 is configured to be operable independently. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a configuration in which each support main body 15 is connected and swings integrally may be employed. .
For example, as shown in FIG. 8, in a substantially central portion in the left-right direction of a mounting table 50 mounted on a floor surface (not shown), a rotation shaft 51 can be rotated about the base end (mounting table 50) side. A connecting base piece 53 for connecting the support main body portions 15 is connected to the tip of the rotating portion 52 that is moved. And each support main-body part 15 is connected to the right-and-left both sides of the connection base piece 53, and the rotational drive force of the motor 55 is transmitted to the connection base piece 53, and each support-body part 15 is reciprocally tilted right and left. Yes. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the connecting base piece 53 for connecting the support main body portions 15, the mounting table 50, and two connecting members 56 for connecting the connecting base piece 53 and the mounting table 50 are configured. A configuration may be adopted in which the support main body portions 15 are swung in the left-right direction by the four-bar linkage mechanism 57.

  In the above embodiment, when the swing frequency of the swing operation is changed from about 1 Hz or less to the predetermined frequency of about 2 Hz or more, the airbag 16 is inflated to grip the leg K of the user. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

In the above embodiment, when the swing frequency of the swing operation is 1 Hz or less, the airbag 16 is in the contracted state and the user's leg K is in the open state. .
In the above embodiment, the spring member for resonating with respect to the swinging motion of each support body 15 is configured by the coil spring 14, but may be configured by another spring member such as a leaf spring.

In the above embodiment, the coil spring 14 resonates, but a structure that does not resonate may be used.
In the above-described embodiment, the leg K is supported by the support body 15 and swings. However, the body part supported by the support body 15 is not limited to the leg K. For example, a configuration in which the shape is appropriately deformed so as to support the paired body parts such as the lower leg, the thigh, the wrist, the forearm, and the upper arm may be adopted as the support part. Moreover, you may employ | adopt as a support part the structure deform | transformed suitably so that body parts other than the body part which makes a pair may be supported.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Massage machine, 12 ... Leg support part as body part support means, 16 ... Air bag as grip release means, 18 ... Control part as control means, 20 ... Linear motor as rocking drive means, 36 ... Motor as swing drive means, K ... leg as body part.

Claims (4)

Body part support means for supporting a part of the user's body, swing drive means for swinging the body part support means, and control means for controlling the swing drive means,
A massage machine for performing massage by swinging the body of the user by controlling the swing drive means by the control means and swinging the body part support means;
The body part support means includes a grip opening means for repeatedly holding and releasing at least a part of the user's body, and the body part support means for holding the user's body with the grip opening means. It is configured to be supported with the gripping point released,
The massaging machine characterized in that the control means is configured to be able to change the rocking frequency of the rocking motion by the rocking drive means to 2 Hz or more. The massage machine according to claim 1,
The control means includes the swing drive means and the grip release means so that the swing operation of the body part support means and the grip release operation for repeatedly holding and releasing the body part of the user are interlocked with each other. A massage machine characterized by controlling. The massage machine according to claim 1 or 2,
The control means controls the grip opening means to grip the user's body when the swing frequency of the swing motion by the swing drive means is higher than a predetermined frequency. And massage machine. In the massage machine as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
The massage machine according to claim 1, wherein the grip opening means comprises an airbag capable of inflating and contracting.

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