JP2011130815A - Rocking type exercise equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide rocking type exercise equipment which permits a user to be conscious of muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle during a rocking motion. <P>SOLUTION: The rocking type exercise equipment includes: a pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 to measure muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle K of a user; and a display portion 15a announcing to the user information of measurement by the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21. The pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 is inserted into the vagina of the user for use. A groove portion 20 where the width direction inside part of a seat portion 13 assumes the shape of a concavity is formed on the top face 13a of the seat portion 13 so as to avoid making the seat portion 13 interfere with the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 during the rocking motion. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an oscillating exercise apparatus that applies an exercise load to a user by oscillating a seat portion.

  In the swing type exercise device, for example, as shown in Patent Document 1, the seat portion swings and moves in a predetermined pattern, and an exercise load or the like imitating riding is given to a user seated on the seat portion. There is something configured as follows. Further, in this swing type exercise device, airbags that can be inflated and contracted are provided on both the left and right sides of the seat portion, and the user can perform the inflating and contracting operation in conjunction with the swinging motion. It is possible to perform exercises for training the legs around the thighs (inner thighs) and improving the flexibility of the hip joints.

JP 2004-344683 A

  By the way, symptom such as urinary incontinence is often seen in the elderly and postpartum women, and it is known that urinary incontinence can be alleviated by training the pelvic floor muscles supporting the bladder and uterus in the pelvis. Yes. However, it is difficult for the user to be aware of muscular activity of the pelvic floor muscles in the above-mentioned swing type exercise device, and it is difficult to effectively train the pelvic floor muscles. Therefore, it is desired to develop an oscillating exercise apparatus that can make the user aware of the pelvic floor muscle activity during the oscillating movement.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a rocking-type exercise device that can make the pelvic floor muscle activity conscious during rocking motion. is there.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an invention according to claim 1 is an oscillating type exercise device comprising a seat part on which a user can be seated and an exercise mechanism for oscillating the seat part. The gist of the present invention is that it comprises pelvic floor muscle measuring means for measuring muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscles of the user and notifying means for notifying the user of measurement information obtained by the pelvic floor muscle measuring means.

  In this invention, the pelvic floor muscle measuring means for measuring the musculoskeletal muscle activity of the user and the notifying means for notifying the user of the measurement information by the pelvic floor muscle measuring means are provided. With such a configuration, the measurement information of the pelvic floor muscle activity can be notified to the user, so that the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle can be made conscious. Thereby, it becomes possible to effectively train the pelvic floor muscles. In addition, by notifying the measurement information of muscle activity, it is possible to contribute to maintenance and improvement of motivation for the user's exercise.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the oscillating exercise device according to the first aspect, the informing means informs if the measurement information by the pelvic floor muscle measuring means is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The gist.

  In this invention, if the measurement information by the pelvic floor muscle measuring means is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value, the notification means notifies the user. With such a configuration, it is possible to notify when the pelvic floor muscle activity is high. Muscle training can be performed and symptoms of urinary incontinence can be alleviated.

The gist of the invention according to claim 3 is that in the swing type exercise device according to claim 1, the notification means always notifies the measurement information during the swing motion of the seat portion.
In the present invention, the measurement information by the pelvic floor muscle measurement means is always notified by the notification means during the swinging motion of the seat. By setting it as such a structure, the state of the muscular activity of a pelvic floor muscle can be alert | reported to a user in real time. For this reason, it can contribute to maintenance and improvement of a user's motivation.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the oscillating exercise device according to any one of the first to third aspects, a plurality of pieces of measurement information stored by the pelvic floor muscle measuring means as history information can be stored. And the notification means is configured to be able to notify the history information stored by the measurement information storage means.

  In the present invention, the measurement information storage means capable of storing a plurality of pieces of measurement information by the pelvic floor muscle measurement means as history information is provided, and the history information stored by the measurement information storage means can be notified by the notification means. Thus, by notifying the history information, it is possible to notify the user how much pelvic floor muscle training has been performed up to the present time, which can contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the user's motivation.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the oscillating motion apparatus according to the fourth aspect, the notification means includes the measurement information and the history of the oscillating motion after the oscillating motion of the seat portion by the motion mechanism is completed. The gist is to inform the information.

  In the present invention, after the end of the swing motion, the notifying unit notifies the measurement information of the swing motion and the history information stored in the measurement information storage unit. In this way, by notifying new measurement information and history information, that is, past measurement information, it is possible to inform the user of the results of the exercise so far and contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the user's motivation. . In addition, it is possible to know the relationship between the content of exercise and urinary incontinence.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the swing type exercise apparatus according to the fourth or fifth aspect, the input means capable of inputting information on the urination of the user, and the input information input by the input means are stored. The gist is that the notifying means notifies the history information of the measurement information storing means in association with the input information of the input information storing means.

  In this invention, the input means which can input the information regarding urination such as the frequency of urinary incontinence of the user, and the input information storage means which stores the input information input by the input means are provided. The history information of the measurement information storage means and the input information stored in the input information storage means are associated with each other and notified by the notification means. In this way, by associating information on urination and history information based on, for example, the date and time, the user can easily know the relaxation of urinary incontinence due to exercise, and can contribute to the maintenance and improvement of motivation. .

  The invention according to claim 7 is the oscillating exercise apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein muscle muscles that act in addition to the pelvic floor muscles during the swinging motion of the seat portion. At least one user state detection unit that detects state information of at least one of an activity state and the posture state of the user is provided, and the notification unit includes information measured by the pelvic floor muscle measurement unit and the user state detection unit. The gist is to simultaneously display and notify the user's status information detected by.

  In the present invention, there is at least one user state detecting means for detecting state information of at least one of the muscle activity state of the muscles acting other than the pelvic floor muscles and the posture of the user during the swinging motion of the seat. Provided. The measurement information by the pelvic floor muscle measurement means and the user state information by the user state detection means are simultaneously displayed by the notification means, so that the user is notified. By adopting such a configuration, the user can be made aware of two or more muscles including the pelvic floor muscles, and can be made aware of the pelvic floor muscles and the exercise posture. It is possible to improve.

  The invention according to claim 8 is the swing-type exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pelvic floor muscle measuring means is used by being inserted into the user's vagina or anus. The gist of the upper surface of the seat portion is that the inner portion in the width direction is formed in a concave shape.

  In the present invention, the pelvic floor muscle measuring means is used by being inserted into the user's vagina or anus, and the upper surface of the seat is formed such that the inner part in the width direction has a concave shape. With such a configuration, the pelvic floor muscle measuring means inserted into the vagina or anus can be prevented from coming into contact with the seat during the swinging motion of the seat, and the pelvis while performing a comfortable exercise It becomes possible to measure the muscle activity of the bottom muscle.

  The invention according to claim 9 is characterized in that the pelvic floor muscle measuring means is used by being inserted into the vagina or anus of the user, and measures the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle, and the measuring body A transmission unit that wirelessly transmits the measurement information output from the transmission unit, and a reception unit that receives the measurement information transmitted from the transmission unit, wherein the notification unit is obtained by the reception unit The gist is to notify the user of the measurement information.

  In the present invention, the pelvic floor muscle measuring means is used by being inserted into the user's vagina or anus and measuring the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle, and the measurement information output from the measurement body. Are transmitted wirelessly, and a receiving unit that receives measurement information transmitted from the transmitting unit. The measurement information obtained at the receiving unit is notified to the user by the notification means. Here, compared with the case where the signal of the measurement information from the measurement main body used in the user's vagina or anus is transmitted by wire, the user is seated by transmitting the signal wirelessly as in this configuration. Since members such as lead wires can be omitted between the user's body and the seat, it is possible to suppress the feeling of strangeness caused by the lead wires coming into contact with the user's body and perform comfortable exercise Is possible.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the rocking | swiveling type exercise device which can be made to be aware of the muscular activity of the pelvic floor muscles during rocking exercise can be provided.

(A) is a perspective view of the swing type exercise device in the present embodiment, (b) is a side view of the swing type exercise device, and (c) is a sectional view of the seat portion. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the usage example of a pelvic floor muscle sensor. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the electrical structure of a rocking | swiveling type exercise device. It is a top view for demonstrating an operation part. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the pelvic floor muscle sensor in another example. (A) (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the amount of muscle activities and the number of incontinence in another example. It is a top view for demonstrating the operation part in another example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the pressure sensor in another example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating one operation example in various sensors. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the seat part in another example. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the seat part in another example.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIGS. 1A and 1B show a schematic configuration of the swing type exercise device of the present embodiment, and FIG. 1C shows a cross section of the seat portion. The swing type exercise device 10 has a seat 13 mounted on a base 11 installed on a floor so as to be swingable via a swing drive device 12, and drives the swing drive device 12 using a motor as a drive source. Based on the above, the seat 13 swings in various swing patterns including a swing pattern imitating horse riding that combines swings in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction.

  In the swing type exercise device 10, a reins 14 gripped by a user who sits straddling the seat portion 13 and an operation portion 15 operated by the user are provided in front of the upper surface 13 a of the seat portion 13. The operation unit 15 starts a series of operations such as a swinging motion and a display unit 15a on which a state display of the swinging type exercise device 10 and a motion level from each sensor such as a pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 described later are displayed. A switch portion 15b such as a start / stop switch for stopping is provided. And various control signals are output from the operation part 15 with respect to the control part 23 (refer FIG. 3) electrically connected with the operation part 15 by pressing operation of the switch part 15b by a user. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1A to 1C, the upper surface 13a of the seat portion 13 is formed with a groove portion 20 having a concave shape in the downward direction in the width direction (left-right direction) inner portion in the front-rear direction. The groove portion 20 of the seat portion 13 is provided with a pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 as a measuring means for measuring the muscular activity (myoelectric potential) of the pelvic floor muscle K of the user. The pelvic floor muscle K is a muscle that forms a hammock between the tail bone B1 and the pubic bone B2 as shown in FIG. 2 and supports the user's bladder Z and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 is electrically connected to a seat 13 and a control unit 23 (see FIG. 3) accommodated inside the base 11 via a lead wire 22, and the user's vagina It is used by being inserted into X. Note that the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle K can be measured in the same manner even if it is inserted not only into the vagina X but also into the anus Y. The measurement information measured by the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 is output to the control unit 23, and the measurement information is stored in a memory 24 electrically connected to the control unit 23. . Then, at the end of the swing motion of the seat 13 by the swing drive device 12, the control unit 23 refers to the muscle activity information (measurement information) of the pelvic floor muscle K during the swing motion from the memory 24, The information is displayed on the display unit 15a of the operation unit 15. Incidentally, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the muscle activity information of the pelvic floor muscles is visualized on the display unit 15a of the operation unit 15 by a line graph that changes with time. As described above, the information on the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle K (measurement information) can be notified to the user, so that the user can be made aware of the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle K. Thereby, the pelvic floor muscle K can be effectively trained. In addition, by notifying information on muscle activity (measurement information), for example, it is possible to contribute to maintenance and improvement of motivation for the user's exercise.

Next, characteristic effects of the present embodiment will be described.
(1) A pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 that measures the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle K of the user and a display unit 15a that notifies the user of measurement information obtained by the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 are provided. With such a configuration, it is possible to notify the user of information (measurement information) on the pelvic floor muscles K, so that the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscles K can be made conscious. Thereby, the pelvic floor muscle K can be effectively trained. Moreover, it can contribute to maintenance and improvement of the motivation with respect to a user's exercise | movement by alerting | reporting the information (measurement information) of muscle activity.

  (2) The pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 is used by being inserted into the user's vagina X, and the upper surface 13a of the seat portion 13 is formed with a groove portion 20 whose inner portion in the width direction forms a concave shape. With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 inserted into the vagina X from contacting (interfering) with the seat portion 13 during the swinging motion of the seat portion 13, so that comfortable exercise is possible. It is possible to measure the muscular activity of the pelvic floor muscle K while performing.

In addition, you may change embodiment of this invention as follows.
In the above-described embodiment, the muscle activity information of the pelvic floor muscle K is configured to be displayed as a line graph that changes with the passage of time at the end of the rocking motion, but is not limited thereto. For example, another graphic or numerical value such as a bar graph is notified on the display unit 15a, notification is performed by lighting / flashing control using the LED 30 as indicated by a broken line in FIG. 3, and sound is output from the speaker 31 or the buzzer 32 By doing so, you may employ | adopt the structure which alert | reports. The strength of the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle K can be dealt with by notifying by the intensity of light by the LED 30, the intensity of the sound output from the speaker 31 and the buzzer 32, and the pitch (frequency difference). In addition, by notifying the user of the muscle activity information of the pelvic floor muscle K by sound using the speaker 31, the buzzer 32, or the like, it is not necessary to look at the display unit 15a and the like, and it can be easily notified. .

  In the above embodiment, the muscle activity information of the pelvic floor muscle K is notified at the end of the rocking motion, but a configuration in which notification is always made (in real time) may be adopted. By setting it as such a structure, since the state of the muscular activity of the pelvic floor muscle K can be alert | reported to a user in real time, it can contribute to maintenance and improvement of a user's motivation.

  In the above embodiment, although not specifically mentioned, for example, a configuration is adopted in which a threshold value is set and visual display or sound notification is performed when measurement information obtained from the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 is equal to or greater than the threshold value. May be. With such a configuration, it is possible to notify when the pelvic floor muscle K muscle activity is high (above the threshold), so the user is notified of the timing of awareness of the pelvic floor muscle activity. Can effectively train the pelvic floor muscles and relieve symptoms of urinary incontinence. Note that the threshold value may be changeable by the user, and by adopting such a configuration, it is possible to perform an exercise that matches the physical strength and muscle strength of each user.

  In the above embodiment, the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 is electrically connected to the control unit 23 via the lead wire 22, that is, in a wired manner, but is not limited thereto. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 may be configured by the sensor main body 21 a, the transmission unit 21 b, and the reception unit 21 c. Specifically, information on the muscle activity (measurement information) is output to the transmitter 21b from the sensor body 21a that is inserted into the user's vagina X or anus Y and measures the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle K. For example, the measurement information is output from the transmission unit 21b to the reception unit 21c provided in the seat unit 13 by wireless communication, and the measurement information is transmitted to the control unit 23 via the reception unit 21c. . In this way, by adopting a configuration in which the lead wire 22 is omitted using wireless communication, a comfortable exercise can be performed in a state in which the occurrence of an uncomfortable feeling that may occur between the user's body and the seat portion 13 is suppressed. Can do.

  Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, for example, measurement information measured with each exercise is stored as history information in the memory 24 in association with the date, and stored in the memory 24 in the display unit 15a. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that allows confirmation of the history information. Further, for example, as shown in FIG. 6A, the measurement information obtained by the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 is accumulated every day, for example, and the accumulated measurement information is displayed, for example, after the end of the rocking motion, so that the pelvic floor muscles so far are displayed. The amount of muscle activity can be notified to the user, which can contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the user's motivation. Note that, for example, when exercise using the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 is not performed, a configuration in which the measurement information accumulated in the memory 24 is appropriately reset by the control unit 23 may be employed.

  Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, input switches 15 c and 15 d that can input the number of times of urinary incontinence, which is information regarding urination of the user, are provided in the operation unit 15. The number of urinary incontinences input at 15 c and 15 d may be stored in the memory 24. In such a configuration, for example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, for example, the muscle activity amount (history information) of each day of the pelvic floor muscle is displayed on the display unit 15a, and the number of urinary incontinences every day. Is displayed on the display unit 15a, the relationship between the amount of pelvic floor muscle activity and urinary incontinence can be known, and the effect of exercise can be easily notified to the user.

  Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, in addition to the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21, for example, as shown in FIG. 8, the muscle activity state acting on muscles other than the pelvic floor muscle and the user's movement during rocking motion You may employ | adopt the structure which provides the various sensors 40-42 which detect at least one of a posture state. For example, by providing a plurality of pressure sensors 40 on the upper surface 13a of the seat portion 13 in the front, rear, left and right directions (only the front and rear pressure sensors 40 are shown in FIG. 8), the pressure distribution of the seat portion 13 by the user is measured and the weight of the user is measured. You may employ | adopt the structure which detects a user's exercise posture state by detecting a movement. Moreover, the structure which provides the pressure sensor 41 in the site | part which both the user's right and left inner crotches contact in the seat part 13, and detects the pinching force by a user's leg part may be employ | adopted. Further, a configuration may be adopted in which the pressure sensor 42 is provided on the upper surface 44a of the footrest portion 44 of the heel 43 that is suspended from the left and right sides of the seat portion 13, and the stepping force by the user's foot portion is detected. Moreover, you may employ | adopt the structure using sensors other than the said pressure sensors 40-42, and the structure using two or more of the said pressure sensors 40-42.

  Further, among the various sensors 40 to 42, for example, a pressure sensor 42 for detecting the stepping force of the heel 43, a pressure sensor 40 for detecting the pressure distribution of the seat portion 13, and the pelvic floor muscle sensor 21 are used. As shown in FIG. 9, the measurement values obtained by the various sensors 21, 40, and 42 may be simultaneously displayed on the display unit 15a. With such a configuration, for example, it is possible to report which muscle is acting, and at that time, for example, the user knows about the muscle by knowing it, and exercises such as more suitable strength improvement An effect can be applied.

-In above-mentioned embodiment, although the groove part 20 was formed in the upper surface 13a of the seat part 13, the structure which abbreviate | omitted the groove part 20 may be employ | adopted.
Although not specifically mentioned in the above embodiment, when the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle is not measured, for example, as shown in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11, cushion cover members 50 and 51 that cover the entire upper surface 13a of the seat portion 13 are used. The structure which suppresses the uncomfortable feeling at the time of the rocking | fluctuation motion by the groove part 20 may be employ | adopted. Further, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the protrusions 50 b and 51 b fitted to the groove portions 20 of the seat portion 13 are provided on the lower surfaces 50 a and 51 a of the cushion cover members 50 and 51, so that the seat portion 13 can be shaken. The displacement of the cushion cover members 50 and 51 can be suppressed in the dynamic motion. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the cushion cover member 51 can be further prevented from being displaced by covering the side surface 13 b of the seat portion 13 with the protruding portions 51 c that protrude downward from the left and right ends of the cushion cover member 51.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Swing type exercise device, 12 ... Swing drive device (movement mechanism), 13 ... Seat part, 13a ... Upper surface, 15a ... Display part (notification means), 15c, 15d ... Input switch (input means), 21 ... Pelvic floor muscle sensor (pelvic floor muscle measuring means), 21a ... sensor body (measurement body), 21b ... transmitting section, 21c ... receiving section, 24 ... memory (measurement information storage means and input information storage means), 30 ... LED (notification means), 31 ... speaker (notification means), 32 ... buzzer (notification means), 40 to 42 ... pressure sensor (user state detection means), K ... pelvic floor muscle, X ... vagina, Y ... anus.

Claims (9)

A swing type exercise device comprising a seat part on which a user can sit and a motion mechanism for swinging the seat part,
An oscillating motion comprising: pelvic floor muscle measuring means for measuring muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle of the user; and notifying means for notifying the user of measurement information by the pelvic floor muscle measuring means apparatus. The swing type exercise device according to claim 1,
The oscillating exercise apparatus, wherein the informing means notifies if the measurement information by the pelvic floor muscle measuring means is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. The swing type exercise device according to claim 1,
The oscillating exercise apparatus characterized in that the informing means constantly informs the measurement information during the oscillating motion of the seat portion. In the rocking | fluctuation type exercise device as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
Measurement information storage means capable of storing a plurality of measurement information as history information by the pelvic floor muscle measurement means,
The oscillating exercise apparatus characterized in that the notification means is configured to be able to notify the history information stored by the measurement information storage means. The oscillating motion apparatus according to claim 4,
The notifying means notifies the measurement information and the history information of the swinging motion after the swinging motion of the seat by the motion mechanism is completed. The oscillating motion apparatus according to claim 4 or 5,
Input means capable of inputting information related to urination of the user, and input information storage means for storing input information input by the input means,
The notifying means notifies the history information stored in the measurement information storage means and the input information stored in the input information storage means in correspondence with each other. In the rocking | fluctuation type exercise device as described in any one of Claims 1-6,
Comprising at least one user state detecting means for detecting state information of at least one of a muscle activity state of a muscle acting other than the pelvic floor muscle and a posture state of the user during the swinging motion of the seat portion;
The oscillating type exercise device is characterized in that the notification means simultaneously displays the measurement information obtained by the pelvic floor muscle measurement means and the user status information detected by the user status detection means for notification. In the swing type exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The pelvic floor muscle measuring means uses an insertion type sensor inserted into the user's vagina or anus,
An oscillating exercise device, wherein an upper surface of the seat portion is formed in a concave shape to suppress interference with the insertion type sensor. The oscillating motion apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
The pelvic floor muscle measuring means is used by being inserted into the vagina or anus of the user and measuring the muscle activity of the pelvic floor muscle, and the measurement information output from the measuring body portion A transmission unit that transmits wirelessly and a reception unit that receives the measurement information transmitted from the transmission unit;
The informing means informs a user of the measurement information obtained by the receiving unit.

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