JP2851833B2 - Infrared therapy device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an infrared therapy apparatus capable of obtaining a therapeutic effect by irradiating an affected area with infrared rays. More specifically, the present invention relates to an infrared therapy apparatus having a function of preventing a temperature of a housing containing an infrared irradiation plate from rising.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Infrared therapeutic devices have rapidly become widespread as devices that can easily obtain a therapeutic effect by irradiating an affected part with infrared rays, mainly far infrared rays, from an infrared irradiating plate. FIG. 6 shows a schematic structure of a general infrared irradiation section of a conventional infrared treatment apparatus. As shown in this figure, an infrared irradiation unit 70 is provided with an infrared irradiation plate 73 capable of irradiating infrared light, and behind the infrared irradiation plate 73,
Reflecting plate 7 that is convex toward the rear so that infrared rays from infrared irradiating plate 73 can be reflected toward the front (affected part).
4 and a housing 72 projecting rearward to accommodate the infrared irradiation plate 73 and the reflection plate 74.

The infrared irradiating plate 73 is capable of emitting infrared rays centered on far infrared rays by being heated by an electric heater. For this purpose, a heat-resistant paint containing an infrared radiator is applied to the surface. A heating element is used.

As described above, in order to generate infrared rays, it is necessary to supply electric power to the infrared irradiation plate 73 to generate heat, and the heat is transmitted to the housing 72 by conduction, convection and radiation, and the surface of the housing 72 is transmitted. Increases the temperature. However, as for the housing 72, the temperature rise on the surface is 7
It is necessary to keep the temperature below 0 ° C.

For this reason, in the conventional infrared therapy apparatus,
Heat is transferred from the infrared irradiation plate 73 to the housing 72 by providing a space (air flow area 75) between the reflection plate 74 and the housing 72 or by interposing a heat insulating material between the infrared irradiation plate 73 and the reflection plate 74. Is to be reduced.

In the conventional infrared therapy apparatus, a thermostat (temperature sensor) 33 is attached to the rear surface 74a of the reflection plate 74 as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 6, and the detection result by the thermostat 33 indicates a predetermined condition. In this case, the power supply to the infrared irradiation plate 73 is stopped to prevent the temperature of the housing 72 from rising.

[0007]

In the infrared treatment apparatus provided with the infrared irradiation section 70 as described above, the infrared irradiation plate 73 is used in order to obtain a higher treatment effect in a short time.
And the amount of infrared radiation emitted therefrom tends to increase. However, when the output of the infrared irradiation plate 73 is increased, the amount of heat generated also increases, and the surface temperature of the housing 72 increases. As a result, the housing 72
It is difficult to keep the surface temperature rise below a specified value.

In order to suppress the temperature rise of the housing 72, the size of the housing 72 may be increased. However, this hinders the downsizing and downsizing of the infrared irradiation section 70, which leads to an increase in cost and design restrictions. I will. Further, it is conceivable that more heat insulating material is interposed between the infrared irradiation plate 73 and the reflection plate 74. However, since the housing 72 becomes large due to the large amount of heat insulating material, the same adverse effect as described above occurs. .

In the infrared therapy apparatus, it is also important to prevent the temperature rise on the surface of the housing 72 by a thermostat (temperature sensor) 33 so as to be less than a specified value. However, an excessive heat load is applied to the thermostat 33 as compared with a conventional infrared treatment apparatus due to an increase in the amount of heat generated by increasing the output of the infrared irradiation plate 73. For this reason, it is necessary to use an expensive special thermostat having a high temperature specification capable of withstanding the heat load, which leads to an increase in the cost of the infrared therapy apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an infrared treatment apparatus employing a high-output infrared irradiation plate, wherein the increase in the surface temperature of the housing can be suppressed to a specified value or less. In addition, even when a high-output infrared irradiation plate is adopted, an infrared therapy apparatus capable of suppressing a rise in the surface temperature of the housing to a specified value or less using a temperature sensor having the same specifications as the conventional one is provided. is there.

[0011]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, a shielding plate for inhibiting heat transfer to a portion of a housing where a heat load is most concentrated is provided in an air flow region which is pre-configured. Thus, the temperature rise in any part of the housing is kept below a specified value without increasing the size of the housing. That is, the infrared treatment apparatus of the present invention is an infrared irradiation plate capable of irradiating an infrared ray toward a diseased part located in front, a rearwardly convex reflecting plate provided behind the infrared irradiation plate, and these infrared irradiation plates. An infrared treatment apparatus having a rearwardly projecting housing that houses an irradiation plate and a reflection plate, wherein an airflow region capable of flowing air is configured between the reflection plate and the housing, It is characterized in that a shielding plate for inhibiting heat transfer is arranged between a region near the vertex of the reflector and a region near the vertex of the housing.

The inventors of the present application have analyzed the thermal load distribution in an infrared therapy apparatus having a housing having the above-mentioned shape which is convex rearward. It has been found that the surface temperature of the housing can be maintained at a specified value or less without increasing the size of the entire housing by suppressing the temperature rise near the apex. Therefore, by providing a shielding plate limited to the vicinity of the apex, it is possible to realize an infrared treatment apparatus in which a high-output infrared irradiation plate can be installed without increasing the size of the housing. Therefore, according to the present invention, even if a high-output infrared irradiation plate is employed, the housing is enlarged or a large amount of space is provided between the infrared irradiation plate and the reflection plate simply by disposing the shielding plate in the airflow region. The increase in the surface temperature of the housing can be suppressed to a specified value or less without interposing a heat insulating material. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a small, compact, and inexpensive infrared therapy apparatus having a high therapeutic effect employing a high-output infrared irradiation plate.

Further, the shielding plate of the present invention can be used as a base for arranging a temperature sensor behind. In other words, by attaching the temperature sensor behind the shielding plate in this way, heat transfer from the infrared irradiation plate to the temperature sensor is also inhibited by the shielding plate, so that the thermal load applied to the temperature sensor is reduced as in the vicinity of the top of the housing. Is done. For this reason, it is not necessary to replace the temperature sensor for preventing the temperature rise of the housing with an expensive one having a high temperature specification. Therefore, according to the infrared therapy apparatus of the present invention, an abnormal rise in temperature can be monitored using an inexpensive temperature sensor having the same specifications as the conventional one. For this reason, an infrared therapy apparatus with a high therapeutic effect employing a high-output infrared irradiation plate can be made more inexpensive and the safety of the apparatus is high.

[0014] In the infrared treatment apparatus of the present invention, if a ventilation port is provided around the top of the convex housing,
The air affected by the shield plate can easily escape to the outside. For this reason, the heat load applied to the housing can be further reduced by the ventilation opening, and this is effective in keeping the rise in the surface temperature of the housing below a specified value. The present invention is particularly suitable for an infrared therapy apparatus in which the angle of the housing is adjustable as described above.
An increase in the surface temperature of the housing can be suppressed.

[0015]

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

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the appearance of an infrared therapy apparatus to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 showing the front and side surfaces of the infrared therapy apparatus of the present embodiment, the infrared therapy apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a base 3 installed on the floor,
The base 3 has an infrared irradiator 10 which is supported at an appropriate height by a column 5 which is partially a flexible arm 5a. Therefore, in the infrared treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the irradiation direction and the height of the infrared irradiation section 10 can be freely adjusted by bending or twisting the flexible arm 5a. For example, in FIG. 2, the flexible arm 5a
Is bent to the front side, the height of the infrared irradiation section 10 can be reduced, and further, the irradiation direction of the infrared rays is directed downward in the vertical direction, so that infrared treatment can be performed on the affected part below. A rotary arm 5b rotatable in a horizontal direction is provided on an upper portion of the flexible arm 5a, and an infrared irradiation unit 10 is attached to the rotary arm 5b so as to be rotatable in a vertical direction. That is, by moving the infrared irradiating unit 10 in the horizontal direction via the rotating arm 5b, the direction of infrared irradiation can be changed, and further, the infrared irradiating unit 10 is rotated in the vertical direction with respect to the rotating arm 5b. This also makes it possible to change the irradiation direction of infrared rays. In addition, in the infrared therapy apparatus 1 of the present example, an operation handle 7 commonly connected to the rotating arm 5b and the infrared irradiation unit 10 is provided,
By using the operation handle 7, the infrared irradiation unit 10 can be used.
Can be easily changed.

The infrared irradiation section 10 has an opening at the front,
It has a housing 12 having a convex shape toward the rear,
An infrared irradiating plate 14 capable of irradiating an infrared ray centered on far infrared rays to a diseased part located in front thereof, and a reflecting plate 16 disposed rearward of the infrared irradiating plate 14 and having a convex shape toward the rear. Is stored. Further, a net-like guard panel 21 is attached to the opening of the housing 12 so that the hand does not inadvertently shake with respect to the infrared irradiation plate 14 housed therein, thereby ensuring safety.

The infrared irradiation plate 14 of this embodiment is a disk-shaped heating element coated with a heat-resistant paint containing an infrared radiator capable of emitting infrared rays centering on far infrared rays when heated. As shown in FIG. 3 using a cross section, the infrared irradiation plate 14 is attached to the front surface of the reflection plate 16. A heat insulating material 22 is filled between the infrared irradiating plate 14 and the reflecting plate 16, and the amount of heat transfer from the infrared irradiating plate 14 to the reflecting plate 16 is reduced by the heat insulating material 22. The front surface of the reflection plate 16 is a reflection surface, and the infrared light emitted from the infrared irradiation plate 14 is efficiently reflected toward the affected area in front by the reflection surface, and the affected area is appropriately irradiated with the infrared light. It has become. The reflecting plate 16 is formed by three reflector collars 25 on the inner peripheral surface 12 a on the rear surface side of the housing 12.
Is held away from the front. Therefore, an air flow area 27 through which air flows is secured between the rear surface 16a of the reflection plate 16 and the inner peripheral surface 12a of the housing 12. In the air flow region 27, the amount of heat transmitted from the infrared irradiation plate 14 to the housing 12 is reduced by circulating air.

The rear surface 16a of the reflector 16 and the housing 12
In the air flow region 27 between the inner peripheral surfaces 12a of the convex shape, a position located between the vicinity 16b of the top of the reflective plate 16 and the vicinity 12d of the top of the convex housing 12 is located from the rear surface 16a of the reflective plate 16. A thermo bracket 30 having a shaft portion 31 protruding toward the inner peripheral surface 12a of the housing 12 and a disk-shaped shielding plate 32 supported by the shaft portion 31 is arranged. A thermostat 33 (temperature sensor) behind the shielding plate 32 of the thermo bracket 30
Is arranged. In the infrared treatment apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the thermo bracket 30 holding the thermostat 33 has a shielding function for inhibiting the transfer of heat from the infrared irradiation plate 14 to the housing 12 as described later. In the infrared therapy apparatus 1 of this example, the detection result of the thermostat 32 is sent to the control unit built in the base 3 or the like via the wiring 34, and the control unit reaches a temperature indicating a predetermined abnormality based on the detection result. When it is sensed that the power supply to the infrared irradiation plate 14 is stopped.

As shown in FIG. 4, the rear surface of the infrared irradiator 10 is provided with a plurality of elongated ventilation holes 12b and 12c on the rear surface of the housing 12 for improving the air circulation rate in the housing 12. The vent 12b is, in particular,
It is suitable for releasing the high-temperature air whose flow has been changed by the shielding plate 32 to the outside. A total of eight pieces are formed so as to concentrically surround the apex in the peripheral portion of the apex of the housing 12. In addition, the housing 12
A total of seven ventilation holes 12c are formed along the edge of the rear surface of the housing 12 for smoothing the flow of air inside. Note that the vents 12b and 12c may have a perfect circle or square shape instead of an elongated shape, and a shape excellent in design can be adopted. Ventilation port 1
The number of 2b and 12c is not limited to the above number, and may be determined in consideration of the size of the hole, the air circulation rate inside the housing 12, and the like.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the peripheral portion of the thermo bracket 30 to which the thermostat 33 is attached. As shown in this figure, the thermo bracket 30 holding the thermostat 33 is substantially perpendicular to the vertex 16 d of the housing 12 from the vertex 16 b of the reflector 16.
And a disk-shaped shield plate 32 attached to the tip of the shaft portion 31.
The shielding plate 32 separates the housing 1 from the infrared irradiation plate 14.
The flow of the high-temperature air concentrated in the vicinity 12d of the top of 2 can be inhibited.

Here, in the infrared therapy apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the convex reflecting plate 16 and the infrared irradiating plate 14 are covered by the convex housing 12, the air flows along the rear surface 16a of the reflecting plate 16. The fluid flows toward the vicinity 12d of the top of 12. Therefore, the vicinity 12d of the vertex of the housing 12 is a region where the heat load is highest. In particular, FIG.
As shown in (2), when the irradiation direction of the infrared light from the infrared irradiation unit 10 is adjusted downward, the flow of air as shown by the arrow in FIG. 3 becomes remarkable, and the surface temperature of the housing 12 tends to rise. However, in the infrared therapy apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, since the shielding plate 32 is disposed between the vicinity 12d of the vertex of the housing 12 and the vicinity 16b of the vertex of the reflecting plate 16, the shielding plate 32 allows the vicinity of the vertex 12d of the housing 12 to be formed. The air flowing toward is changed and the flow path is changed, and the flow as indicated by the broken line in FIG. 5 is forcibly changed to the flow of air as indicated by the solid line in FIG. For this reason, the housing 12
The heat transfer to the vicinity 12d of the vertex is hindered, and the heat load applied to that portion is reduced. For this reason, the housing 1
The temperature rise in the vicinity 12d of the top of 2 is alleviated. In this manner, the shield plate 32 limited to the vicinity of the vertex 12d of the housing 12 is simply arranged in the space (the air flow region 27) provided in advance, and the housing 12 can be increased without increasing the size.
An infrared treatment apparatus that can use the high-output infrared irradiation plate 14 can be realized.

In the infrared therapy apparatus 1 of the present embodiment,
The air blocked by the shield plate 32 mainly travels toward the ventilation ports 12b provided on the rear surface of the housing 12, and escapes from the inside of the housing 12 to the outside through these ventilation ports 12b. In this way, by dispersing the air around the vicinity of the vertex 12d of the housing 12 by the shielding plate 32, a wide area where the ventilation port 12b can be formed can be secured. For this reason, the ventilation opening 12b can be enlarged, and the ventilation efficiency is good. Therefore, since the heat transfer to the vicinity 12d of the apex of the housing 12 is inhibited by the shielding plate 32, an excessive heat load is not applied to other specific portions of the housing 12, and the temperature rise of the entire housing can be reduced. Can be.

Further, in the infrared therapy apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, a thermostat 33 for preventing a temperature rise on the surface of the housing 12 is attached to the rear of the shielding plate 32. Therefore, the amount of heat transmitted to the thermostat 33 is also hindered by the shielding plate 32, so that the heat load applied to the thermostat 33 also decreases in the vicinity of the vertex 12 d of the housing 12.
Is reduced as well. Therefore, even if the infrared irradiation plate 14 having a high output and a large amount of heat generation is employed, the abnormality can be accurately detected by using an inexpensive thermostat having the same specification as the conventional one instead of an expensive thermostat having a high temperature specification. Therefore, it is possible to provide an infrared treatment apparatus having a large amount of infrared irradiation, a high therapeutic effect, and a high safety at a lower cost.

As described above, in the infrared therapy apparatus 1 of the present embodiment,
There is no need to increase the size of the housing 12 or increase the amount of the heat insulating material 22 between the infrared irradiating plate 14 and the reflector 16 with the increase in the output of the infrared irradiating plate 14. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a space for this purpose, so that the high-output infrared irradiation plate 14 can be used without changing the size of the housing 12. Further, a low-cost thermostat 33 for detecting an abnormal temperature rise of the housing 12 while using the high-output infrared irradiating plate 14 can be adopted as before. Therefore, it is possible to provide a small, compact, and inexpensive infrared therapy apparatus having a high therapeutic effect by employing a high-output infrared irradiation plate, and to detect an abnormal temperature rise of the housing 12 securely. Equipment can be provided. As a result, it is possible to realize an infrared therapy apparatus suitable for personal use that can easily obtain a high therapeutic effect at home or the like.

Instead of supporting the thermostat 33 by the thermo bracket 30 protruding from the rear surface 16a of the reflector 16, the thermostat 33 is supported by the support means extending from the inner peripheral surface 12a of the housing 12 toward the rear surface 16a of the reflector 16. It may be supported.
In this case, the thermostat 33 supported by the support means may be located behind the shielding plate 32.

[0027]

As described above, in the infrared therapy apparatus of the present invention, a shielding plate for inhibiting heat transfer to a portion of the housing where a thermal load is most likely to be applied is provided in a pre-configured air flow region. By arranging it effectively, a rise in temperature at that portion is suppressed. Therefore, even if a high-output infrared irradiation plate is used, a small, compact, and inexpensive infrared therapy apparatus with a high therapeutic effect can be realized. Furthermore, by disposing the temperature sensor behind the shielding plate, the thermal load applied to the temperature sensor can be reduced, so that the infrared treatment device with a high therapeutic effect and high safety can be obtained by using a conventional inexpensive temperature sensor. Can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of an infrared therapy apparatus to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the infrared therapy apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of an infrared irradiation section of the infrared treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the infrared irradiation section of the infrared treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1 when viewed from the back.

5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view showing a peripheral portion of the infrared treatment apparatus shown in FIG. 1 where a thermostat is arranged.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an infrared irradiation section of a conventional infrared treatment apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Infrared radiation treatment device 3 Base 5 Prop 10 Infrared irradiation part 12 Housing 12b, 12c Ventilation opening 12d Near a vertex (of a housing) 14 Infrared irradiation plate 16 Reflector 16a Rear surface of a (reflector) 16b Near vertex of a (reflector) 27 Air Flow area 30 Thermo bracket 32 Shield plate 33 Thermostat

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An infrared irradiation plate capable of irradiating an infrared ray toward a diseased part located in front, a rearwardly convex reflector provided behind the infrared irradiation plate, the infrared irradiation plate and the reflection plate. An infrared treatment apparatus having a rearwardly projecting housing housing a plate and having an air flow region through which air can flow between the reflector and the housing, wherein the reflector in the air flow region is provided. An infrared treatment device, wherein a shielding plate for inhibiting heat transfer is disposed between a region near the vertex of the housing and a region near the vertex of the housing. 2. The infrared therapy apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a temperature sensor for preventing a rise in the temperature of the housing is disposed behind the shielding plate. 3. The infrared treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a ventilation port is provided in a peripheral portion of a vertex of the convex housing. 4. The infrared treatment apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the angle of the housing is adjustable.