JP2023059679A - lower leg relaxation device - Google Patents

Abstract

To allow a person undergoing therapy to easily and comfortably remove swelling of lower legs.SOLUTION: A lower leg relaxation device 1 includes a closed box 10 in which the lower legs 2 of a person X undergoing therapy and seated on a chair Y are inserted from an insertion opening 11, an airtight mechanism 20 securing airtightness of the insertion opening 11, in the insertion opening 11 provided in the closed box 10 and in which the lower legs 2 are inserted. an air pump 30 connected to the closed box 10 and supplying/exhausting air with respect to the inside of the closed box 10, and a pump control part 80 for controlling the drive of the air pump 30. The lower leg relaxation device 1 uses the control of the pump control part 80 to adjust the pressure applied by the air pump 30, to the lower legs 2 in the closed box 10.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a lower leg relaxation device for applying a massage effect to the lower leg of a person to be treated.

Conventionally, there is known a differential air pressure system (lower leg relaxation device) for imparting a massage effect to the lower leg of a subject (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this prior art lower leg relaxation device, the lower body of the subject and any exercise system are housed in an airtight chamber (closed chamber), and the pressure inside the chamber is reduced against the pressure outside the chamber. Equipped with a pressure control system for changing the pressure level of the

JP 2015-144907 A (paragraphs 0012 to 0013 and FIG. 1, etc.)

In the lower leg relaxation apparatus of the prior art, the subject has to put the entire lower half of the body into the chamber in a standing position and has to exercise. unsuitable for taking

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a lower leg relaxation device that allows a person to be treated to easily and comfortably remove swelling of the lower leg.

In order to achieve the above object, the lower leg relaxation apparatus of the present invention is provided with a closed chamber into which the lower leg of a subject seated on a chair is inserted through an insertion opening, and a closed chamber into which the lower leg is inserted. an air-tight mechanism for air-tightening the insertion port in the closed state; an air pump connected to the sealed chamber for supplying and discharging air to and from the sealed chamber; and a pump control unit for controlling the driving of the air pump. and , wherein the pressure applied to the lower leg in the sealed chamber by the air pump is adjusted by the control of the pump control unit.

In the leg relaxation device of the present invention, it is possible to obtain a massage effect on the leg by pressurizing or decompressing the leg with air, thereby removing swelling of the leg and improving blood circulation.

At that time, there is no physical damage to the person to be treated due to local excessive pressure or biased pressure as in the case of applying pressure with an acupressure tool. A reduced pressure can be applied.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a person to be treated can easily and comfortably remove swelling of the lower leg.

It is a figure which shows the external appearance of the lower leg relaxation apparatus by one Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a lower leg relaxation device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the insertion opening of the closed box (state where the lower leg is not inserted). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the insertion opening of the closed box (with the lower leg inserted); FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between an electrocardiogram and pressurization and depressurization operations by an air pump.

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

<Configuration>
1 to 5 are diagrams for explaining the lower leg relaxation device 1 according to the present embodiment. A lower leg relaxation device 1 according to this embodiment is a device for applying a massage effect to the lower legs 2 of a person to be treated X who is seated on a chair Y. an air pump 30 connected to the sealed box 10; an air heating device 40 (corresponding to a heating unit) for heating air; and an air cooling device 50 (corresponding to a cooling unit) for cooling air. ), a sensor 60 for measuring the electrocardiogram of the subject X, and a controller 70 for controlling the operation of the lower leg relaxation device 1 .

The closed box 10 is a box-like body in which a space is formed in which the lower leg 2 of the person to be treated X is placed. Insertion openings 11 into which the left and right lower legs 2 are inserted are formed in the upper part of the closed box 10 . The insertion opening 11 is a substantially circular opening having a size sufficiently larger than the lower leg 2 .

The airtight mechanism 20 is a mechanism that ensures airtightness at the insertion opening 11 in a state where the leg 2 is inserted. In this embodiment, the airtight mechanism 20 is a mechanism using a plurality of aperture blades 21 provided along the circumferential direction of the insertion port 11 . The diaphragm blades 21 are made of a flexible material. Each aperture blade 21 is provided in the closed box 10 so as to be rotatable around an axis 22 provided along the outer peripheral edge of the insertion port 11, and the aperture blade 21 rotates around the axis 22 according to the rotation angle. By protruding to the inner peripheral side of the insertion port 11, the substantial opening size of the insertion port 11 can be reduced/enlarged. When the leg 2 is not inserted into the insertion opening 11, the diaphragm blade 21 is protruded toward the innermost circumference of the insertion opening 11 by a spring or the like (not shown) provided around the shaft 22. It is biased so that the opening size becomes smaller (see FIG. 3). When inserting the lower leg 2 into the insertion opening 11, the aperture blade 21 is rotated and moved to the outer peripheral side so that the diaphragm blade 21 follows the outer circumference of the insertion opening 11 (see FIG. 4), and the opening size is adjusted. Make it bigger. Thus, in a state where the lower leg 2 is inserted into the insertion opening 11, the flexibility of the aperture blade 21 fills the gap between the lower leg 2 and the aperture blade 21, and the airtightness of the closed box 10 can be maintained. The airtight mechanism 21 is not limited to a mechanism using the aperture blades 21, and may be another known mechanism capable of maintaining the airtightness of the closed box 10. FIG.

The air pump 30 is a pump that supplies and exhausts air into the sealed box 10 . In this embodiment, the air pump 30 uses a pump that can rotate forward and backward, and is provided in a supply/discharge path 31 connected to the sealed box 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). As a result, when the air pump 30 rotates forward, air can be supplied into the closed box 10 and pressurized, and when the air pump 30 rotates in the reverse direction, the inside of the closed box 10 can be exhausted to reduce the pressure. In addition, the air pump 30 is not limited to a pump capable of forward and reverse rotation, and a pump capable of only forward rotation may be used. In this case, for example, the air supply/exhaust route is divided into two systems, an air supply route and an exhaust route, and air is supplied/exhausted to/from the sealed box 10 by switching the route with an electromagnetic valve. Evacuation route is used.

The air heating device 40 is a device for heating the air supplied into the closed box 10 by the air pump 30 . In this embodiment, the air heating device 40 is an electric heater and is provided in the closed box 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Thereby, the leg 2 inserted into the closed box 10 can be warmed. Note that the air heating device 40 is not limited to an electric heater, and may be another known heating device.

The air cooling device 50 is a device that cools the air supplied into the closed box 10 by the air pump 30 . In this embodiment, the air cooling device 50 is a small air conditioner capable of cooling operation, and is provided in the branch path 32 connected to the sealed box 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The branch path 32 is a path that is branched from the supply/discharge path 31 and then connected to join the supply/discharge path 31 again (see FIGS. 1 and 2). In this embodiment, a valve 33 for switching between use and non-use of the branch path 32 is provided at a position where the branch path 32 joins the supply/discharge path 31 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). Thereby, the leg 2 inserted into the closed box 10 can be cooled. Note that the air cooling device 50 is not limited to an air conditioner, and may be another known cooling device. Moreover, if the air conditioner used as the air cooling device 50 can perform heating operation, the air conditioner may be used not only as the air cooling device 50 but also as the air heating device 40 .

Sensor 60 is a sensor for measuring an electrocardiogram. In this embodiment, the sensor 60 is an electrode that detects an electrocardiogram waveform signal, and is worn by the subject X (see FIG. 1).

The controller 70 is a control device that controls the operation of the lower leg relaxation device 1 . Although not shown in detail, the controller 70 has a storage section for storing various data and programs, and a control section for performing arithmetic and control processing. The controller 70 is provided in the closed box 10 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The controller 70 is connected to the sensor 60, the air pump 30, the valve 33, the air heating device 40, and the air cooling device 50 described above, and the subject X inputs commands such as operation and stop to the controller 70. An operation unit 72 for displaying the operating state and a display unit 73 for displaying an electrocardiogram are also connected. The operation part 72 and the display part 73 are provided at a position such as the upper part of the closed box 10 where the person to be treated X can visually recognize and can reach (see FIG. 1).

The controller 70 has a signal processing section 71, a pump controller 80 (corresponding to a pump control section), and a temperature controller 90 (see FIG. 2).

The signal processing unit 71 receives a command from the operation unit 72 and performs processing for converting the detection signal transmitted from the sensor 60 into electrocardiogram waveform data. The electrocardiogram waveform obtained by the signal processing unit 71 is transmitted to the display unit 73 and displayed as electrocardiogram data (see FIG. 5).

The pump controller 80 receives commands from the operation unit 72 and controls the driving of the air pump 30 . Under the control of the pump controller 80, the pressure applied to the leg 2 inside the closed box 10 by the air pump 30 is adjusted. In this embodiment, the pump controller 80 controls the air pump 30 so as to alternately repeat pressurization and depressurization of the leg 2 . That is, the pump controller 80 controls the air pump 30 so as to alternately repeat forward rotation driving and reverse rotation driving. Specifically, the pump controller 80 further includes an information acquisition unit 81 that acquires the electrocardiogram waveform information Z of the subject X (see FIG. 2). and controls the driving of the air pump 30 . The electrocardiogram waveform information Z is electrocardiogram waveform data of the subject X obtained by the signal processing unit 71 . The pump controller 80 depressurizes the lower leg 2 during the diastolic phase of the heart of the subject X (from the end of the point T to the point R in FIG. 5) based on the electrocardiogram waveform information Z. The driving of the air pump 30 is controlled so as to pressurize the lower leg 2 during the systole of the heart (from point R to the end of point T in FIG. 5) (see FIG. 5). That is, the pump controller 80 reversely drives the air pump 30 during the diastole of the patient X's heart, and drives the air pump 30 forward during the systole of the patient's X heart. The information acquisition unit 81 may acquire the electrocardiogram waveform information Z directly from the detection signal transmitted from the sensor 60 instead of from the signal processing unit 71 .

The temperature controller 90 receives commands from the operation unit 72 and controls driving of the valve 33 , the air heating device 40 and the air cooling device 50 . When the temperature controller 90 receives an air heating command from the operation unit 72 , it drives the air heating device 40 to heat the air supplied into the sealed box 10 by the air pump 30 . When the temperature controller 90 receives an air cooling command from the operation unit 72 , the temperature controller 90 switches the valve 33 to use the branch path 32 , drives the air cooling device 40 , and supplies the air into the sealed box 10 with the air pump 30 . Cools the air that is supplied.

<Action>
With the lower leg relaxation device 1 of the present embodiment having the above configuration, the massage effect can be applied to the lower leg 2 of the subject X sitting on the chair Y as follows.

First, the person to be treated X sits on the chair Y and inserts his lower leg 2 into the insertion opening 11 of the closed box 10 (see FIG. 1). When inserting the lower leg 2 into the insertion opening 11, the diaphragm blade 21 of the airtight mechanism 20 provided in the insertion opening 11 is moved to the outer peripheral side by hand or the like to increase the opening size. (see Figures 3 and 4). When the lower leg 2 is inserted into the insertion opening 11, the aperture blade 21 is brought into close contact with the outer periphery of the lower leg 2 due to the biasing force acting on the diaphragm blade 21 toward the inner periphery and the flexibility of the diaphragm blade 21, thereby closing the closed box in the insertion opening 11. 10 is airtight. After that, the sensor 60 is attached to the subject X (see FIG. 1).

Next, an operation command is issued to the controller 70 through the operation unit 72 . When an operation command is issued, the sensor 60 detects an electrocardiogram waveform signal, and the detection signal is sent to the signal processing section 71 of the controller 70 . The signal processing unit 71 converts the detection signal transmitted from the sensor 60 into electrocardiogram waveform data, and transmits the data to the display unit 73 and the information acquisition unit 81 of the pump controller 80 . The display unit 73 displays electrocardiogram waveform data in the form of an electrocardiogram, and the information acquisition unit 81 acquires the data as electrocardiogram waveform information Z of the person X to be treated.

Next, the pump controller 80 obtains the systole and diastole of the subject X's heart from the electrocardiogram waveform information Z obtained by the information obtaining unit 81 (see FIG. 5). The pump controller 80 drives the air pump 30 forward at the timing of systole obtained from the electrocardiogram waveform information Z, and reversely drives the air pump 30 at the timing of diastole obtained from the electrocardiogram waveform information Z. and are alternately controlled to drive the air pump 30 . That is, the pump controller 80 controls the air pump 30 so as to alternately repeat pressurization and depressurization of the leg 2 in conjunction with the electrocardiogram waveform information Z (see FIG. 5). As a result, the lower leg 2 is decompressed to promote blood flow during diastole when the patient X's heart expands and blood is supplied, and the lower leg 2 is pressurized during systole when the heart contracts. It can be made to act and press stimulation can be performed.

When an operation command is given to the controller 70 through the operation unit 72 or while the air pump 30 is in operation, when the controller 70 is instructed to heat the air through the operation unit 72, the temperature controller 90 drives the air heating device 40 to heat the air. The air supplied into the closed box 10 by the pump 30 is heated. When the air cooling is commanded to the controller 70 via the operation unit 72, the temperature controller 90 switches the valve 33 so that the branch path 32 is used, drives the air cooling device 40, and causes the air pump 30 to cool the sealed box 10. Cools the air supplied in.

<Effects of Embodiment>
As described above, the lower leg relaxation device 1 of the present embodiment includes the sealed box 10, the airtight mechanism 20, the air pump 30, and the pump controller 80. Under the control of the pump controller 80, the air is The pressure applied to the leg 2 inside the closed box 10 by the pump 30 can be adjusted.

With the lower leg relaxation device 1 of the present embodiment having such a configuration, it is possible to obtain a massage effect on the lower leg by pressurizing or decompressing the lower leg 2 with air, thereby removing swelling of the lower leg 2 and improving blood circulation. be able to.

At that time, the entire lower leg 2 is evenly and gently pressed without causing physical damage to the person to be treated due to local excessive pressure or biased pressure as in the case of applying pressure with an acupressure tool. Alternatively, reduced pressure can be applied.

Moreover, particularly in this embodiment, the pump controller 80 controls the air pump 30 so as to alternately repeat pressurization and depressurization of the leg 2 . Therefore, by repeating pressurization and depressurization, a good massage effect can be obtained.

Further, particularly in the present embodiment, an information acquisition unit 81 for acquiring electrocardiogram waveform information Z of the subject X is further provided, and the pump control unit 80 interlocks with the electrocardiogram waveform information Z acquired by the information acquisition unit 81. to control the driving of the air pump 30 (see FIG. 5). Therefore, the blood circulation to the lower leg 2 can be effectively improved according to the blood supply by the heart, that is, the heartbeat behavior.

Further, in this embodiment, in particular, based on the electrocardiogram waveform information Z, pressure is applied to the lower leg 2 during the diastolic phase of the heart of the subject X, and pressure is applied to the lower leg 2 during the systole of the heart of the subject X. The driving of the air pump 30 is controlled so as to pressurize (see FIG. 5). Therefore, during diastole when the heart expands and blood is supplied, pressure is applied to the lower leg 2 to promote blood flow, and during systole when the heart contracts, pressure is applied to the lower leg 2 for pressure stimulation. It can be performed. Blood circulation to the lower leg 2 can be improved more reliably according to the heartbeat behavior in which diastole and systole are alternately repeated.

In this embodiment, in particular, an air heating device 40 that heats the air supplied into the closed box 10 by the air pump 30 and an air cooling device that cools the air supplied into the closed box 10 by the air pump 30 50. Therefore, the heating effect or cooling effect of the air can be obtained together.

<Modification>
Although both the air cooling device 40 and the air heating device 50 are provided in the lower leg relaxation device 1 of the above embodiment, only one of them may be provided.

It should be noted that, in the above description, descriptions such as "the same", "equal", and "different" regarding external dimensions and sizes are not strictly defined. That is, the terms "same", "equal", and "different" mean "substantially the same", "substantially equal", and "substantially different", with allowance for design and manufacturing tolerances and errors. .

In addition to the methods already described above, the methods according to the above-described embodiments and modifications may be appropriately combined and used.

In addition, although not exemplified one by one, the present invention can be implemented with various modifications within the scope of the invention.

1 lower leg relaxation device 2 lower leg 10 closed box (closed room)
11 insertion port 20 airtight mechanism 30 air pump 40 air heating device (heating unit)
50 air cooling device (cooling part)
80 pump controller (pump control unit)
81 information acquisition unit X patient Y chair Z electrocardiogram waveform information

Claims (5)

A sealed room into which the lower leg of the subject seated on a chair is inserted through the insertion opening,
an airtight mechanism provided in the sealed chamber to ensure airtightness at the insertion opening in which the lower leg is inserted;
an air pump connected to the sealed chamber for supplying and discharging air to and from the sealed chamber;
a pump control unit that controls driving of the air pump;
has
A lower leg relaxation apparatus, wherein the pressure applied to the lower leg in the sealed chamber by the air pump is adjusted under the control of the pump control unit. The lower leg relaxation device according to claim 1,
The pump control unit
A crus relaxation device, wherein the air pump is controlled so as to alternately repeat pressurization and decompression of the crus. In the lower leg relaxation device according to claim 2,
further comprising an information acquisition unit that acquires electrocardiogram waveform information of the subject;
The pump control unit
A crus relaxation device characterized by controlling driving of the air pump in conjunction with the electrocardiogram waveform information acquired by the information acquisition unit. In the lower leg relaxation device according to claim 3,
Based on the electrocardiogram waveform information, the air pressure is applied to the lower leg during diastole of the subject's heart, and to pressurize the lower leg during the systole of the subject's heart. A lower leg relaxation device characterized by controlling driving of a pump. In the lower leg relaxation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A lower leg comprising at least one of a heating unit for heating air supplied into the sealed chamber by the air pump and a cooling unit for cooling the air supplied by the air pump into the sealed chamber. relaxation device.

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