JP3913226B2 - Massage device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a massage device that expands and contracts an air bag to spread a massage stimulus from the side to a limb of a human body.

  Conventionally, there is a recess into which a human limb is taken in and out, and an air bag disposed in the recess is accommodated in the recess by inflating and contracting air by supplying and exhausting air with an air supply / exhaust device. 2. Description of the Related Art A massage device is known that massages a human limb by pressing and relaxing (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Air bags used for this type of massager include air bags that are excellent in flexibility and air bags that are not so flexible. The former air bag is made of a material obtained by laminating a resin layer of sponge-like soft foamed urethane resin and a flexible fiber layer made of glass-filled nylon fiber or the like. The latter air bag is made by blow molding a synthetic resin such as polypropylene.
JP 2001-37829 A (paragraphs 0002, 0008-0011, FIGS. 1 and 3)

  The air bag excellent in flexibility can be softly compressed when it is inflated to compress a human limb. On the other hand, because it has flexibility, when the air bag is inflated, the expansion concentrates on the part that touches the soft muscles and the like rather than the hard part such as the bone of the shin. This is not preferable for massage because the pressure on the body becomes too strong.

  In contrast, an air bag made of a blow molded product does not concentrate on the soft part of the body tissue due to the hardness of the air bag, and the air bag is averaged from the side with respect to the limb. There is an advantage that the limbs can be strongly pressed by applying expansion to the body. On the other hand, since the air bag made by blow molding does not prevent the thickness from gradually increasing from the central part to the periphery, the peripheral part of the air bag is relatively hard.

  For this reason, when an air bag made of a blow molded product is employed in the air bag of the above-mentioned prior art document 1, the relatively hard peripheral portion of the blow molded product air bag hits the limb placed in the recess, and the limb in the recess May hurt the feeling of use.

  In order to improve this point, it is conceivable to use a thick material for the stretchable exterior cover that is the exterior material of the massage device, and to buffer the contact of the peripheral part of the blow molded product air bag against the limb by the expansion and contraction. . However, as the thickness of the stretchable outer cover that covers the massage device increases, the cost increases, so such a measure is not practical.

  Therefore, the present inventor inserts a cushion made of a soft foam urethane resin having a plate shape approximately the same size as the blow molded product air bag between the thin stretchable outer cover and the blow molded product air bag. In addition to this, a massaging device with a measure to sew a cushion made of a soft foam urethane resin on the inner surface of the exterior cover has been made.

  However, in the former measure, the cushion is not restrained anywhere and is provided so that it can move freely. For this reason, the present inventor says that with the expansion and contraction of the blow-molded product air bag, the cushion may easily deviate from the appropriate position with respect to the air bag, and the desired buffer function by the cushion may not be completely covered. It was confirmed by trial. In other words, the former measure cannot provide a guarantee that the peripheral portion of the blow molded product air bag will surely be prevented from hitting the limb.

  In the latter measure, the cushion can be held at an appropriate position with respect to the blow molded product air bag. However, when the air bag is inflated, the cushion is stretched by an exterior cover that follows the air bag. The cushion that has not been pulled will be pulled excessively. As a result, it was confirmed by the inventor's trial that the cushion is easily broken and easily damaged.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a massager that can improve the feeling of use and is excellent in durability despite the use of a blow molded product air bag.

The present invention comprises a base having a recessed portion into which a human limb can be taken in and out, and a blow-molded product made to be able to expand and contract, and is integrally extended from the bag portion and the peripheral portion of the bag portion to the base. An air bag that has a fixed mounting portion and is placed in the recess and inflates and contracts to exert massage stimulation on the limb in the recess, and an air supply / exhaust device that inflates and inflates the air bag, and an open bottom The air bag is formed larger than the air bag and is covered with the air bag through the lower edge, and has an attachment portion fixed to the base. A cap that changes a relative position with respect to the bag, and a cushion that is substantially the same as or larger than the air bag and is attached to the inside or the outside of the cap so as to overlap the massaging surface of the air bag. Masser equipped It is a vessel.

In the present invention, the cushion that cushions the contact between the limb and the peripheral portion of the blow molded product air bag during massage can be held so as not to be displaced from the appropriate position with respect to the air bag as the air bag expands and contracts . Thereby, the contact between the limb and the peripheral portion of the air bag can be reliably buffered.

  According to the present invention, in spite of using a blow molded product air bag, it is possible to improve the feeling of use by buffering the contact with the main part of the air bag, and to suppress damage to the cushion for cushioning. A highly durable massage device can be provided.

A reference example of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 denotes a chair-type massage machine, and the massage machine 1 includes a chair body 2 and a massage device 21 for a human limb, for example, a lower limb.

  The chair body 2 includes a seat portion 3, armrest portions 4 provided on both sides in the width direction of the seat portion 3, and a backrest portion 5 that is preferably attached to the rear side of the seat portion 3 so as to be reclining. . The backrest 5 includes, for example, a pair of lower back massage air bags 6, a pair of lower back massage air bags 7, and a pair of back massages as means for massaging the upper body of the seated user. An air bag 8 and a pair of shoulder massage air bags 9 are attached. In addition, the code | symbol 10 in FIG. 1 has shown the backrest part cover which consists of the fabric which has the elasticity which covered the air bags 6-9 and was attached to the backrest part 5. FIG.

  These air bags 6 to 9 are inflated and contracted in a desired mode as a result of being selectively supplied and exhausted as the air supply / exhaust device 11 disposed in the space below the seat portion 3 is driven, for example. A massage with compression / relaxation is applied to the entire upper body of the person or a selected part. Instructions for various massage operations such as driving and stopping of the air supply / exhaust device 11, designation of a massage location, mode selection, and the like can be given via an operation unit, for example, the remote controller 12 shown in FIG. 1 as a preferred example. . In the present invention, the massage means of the chair body 2 can be omitted. However, when the massage means is provided in the chair body 2, mechanical massage means for giving massage stimulation to the upper body of the seated person using so-called kneading balls may be provided instead of the air-type massage means described above. In addition to the backrest 5, it is also possible to provide an additional massage means such as an air type in the seat 3.

  The air supply / exhaust device 11 also serves as a drive source for the massage device 21. The massage device 21 is, for example, on the seat portion 3 of the chair body 2, a position standing substantially vertically as shown in FIG. 1 centering on a pivot (not shown), and a position protruding slightly forward and downward in front of the seat portion 3. It is provided so that it can be positioned at any position between these positions and both positions. The massage device 21 includes the air supply / exhaust device 11, a base 22, air bags 27 and 28, cushions 29 and 30, and an exterior cover 31 as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5.

  The base 22 includes a plurality of support walls extending in parallel with each other, for example, a pair of first support walls 23 and a second support wall 24 provided between each of the first support walls 23. It has a recess 25 formed between the two support walls 23, 24. Corresponding first and second support walls 23 and 24 are integrally continuous via a bottom wall 26 of the recess 25. A seated person's lower limb (indicated by symbol B in FIGS. 3 to 5) can be taken in and out of the recess 25.

The air bags 27 and 28 are obtained by blow-molding synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and are integrally extended from a substantially rectangular bag portion that is inflated and contracted by air supply and exhaust, and a peripheral portion of the bag portion. It has the attached mounting part 27a or 28a. The bag portion has first and second side surfaces facing each other, and one of the side surfaces functions as a massaging surface 27b or 28b (see FIGS . 4 and 5). Further, the wall thickness of the bag portion gradually increases from the central portion toward the peripheral portion 27c or 28c. The bag portion communicates with the air supply / exhaust device 11 and is inflated and contracted by the air supply / exhaust device 11 synchronously. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of, for example, two mounting portions 27a and 28a are provided, and these are strip-shaped non-inflatable portions having flexibility.

The air bags 27 and 28 are attached to the base 22 corresponding to the width direction of the base 22 (in other words, the direction crossing the recess 25) so that the lower limbs B placed in the recess 25 can be compressed from the side. . That is, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, one air bag 27 has its attachment portion 27 a fixed to the bottom wall 26 with a stopper 32 such as a screw, so that the other side surface facing the massaging surface 27 b is the first side. 1 is attached along the side surface 23a of the support wall 23 on the concave side. The other air bag 28 has its attachment portion 28a fixed to the bottom wall 26 with a stopper 33 such as a screw, so that the other side facing the massaging surface 28b is aligned with the side 24a of the second support wall 24. Installed. In this reference example , two air bags 27 and two air bags 28 are provided along the direction in which the concave portion 25 extends so that the kneecap side portion and the ankle side portion of the lower limb can be individually massaged. However, this may be one, or three or more. The air bags 27 and 28 arranged to face each other in the width direction of the base 22 have the same size.

  As shown in FIG. 6 etc., the cushion 29 provided with respect to the air bag 27 has the cushion part 29a and the attaching part 29b extended from this. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the cushion portion 29a has a thickness of 5 mm to 10 mm, and is made of, for example, cotton as a wear-resistant layer on both front and back surfaces of a cushion material made of a foam material such as soft foamed urethane foamed in a sponge shape. The fiber layers 29a1 and 29a2 are laminated. In addition, the fiber layer should just be provided in the surface which can contact at least the said massage action surface 27b of the cushion part 29a. The cushion portion 29a is formed to be substantially the same as or larger than the air bag 27. The attachment portion 29b has a strip shape that can be flexibly deformed.

  Similarly, the cushion 30 provided with respect to the air bag 28 has the cushion part 30a and the attaching part 30b extended from this. The cushion portion 30a has a thickness of 5 mm to 10 mm, and is formed by laminating, for example, cotton fiber layers 30a1 and 30a2 as wear-resistant layers on both the front and back surfaces of a cushion material made of soft foamed urethane foamed in a sponge shape. It becomes. In addition, the fiber layer should just be provided in the surface which can contact at least the said massage action surface 28b of the cushion part 30a. The cushion portion 30a is formed to be approximately the same as or preferably larger than the air bag 28. The attachment portion 30b has a strip shape that can be flexibly deformed.

  The cushion 29 is attached to the base 22 so that the cushion portion 29 a covers the massaging surface 27 b of the air bag 27 by fixing the attachment portion 29 b to the bottom wall 26. The attachment portion 29 b is overlapped with the attachment portion 27 a and is fastened to the base 22 using the stopper 32. This is advantageous in that the number of parts can be reduced. Similarly, the cushion 30 is attached to the base 22 so that the cushion portion 30a covers the massaging surface 28b of the air bag 28 by fixing the attachment portion 30b to the bottom wall 26. The mounting portion 30 b is overlapped with the mounting portion 28 a and is fastened to the base 22 using the stopper 33. This is advantageous in that the number of parts can be reduced.

  Thus, the cushion portions 29a, 30a of the cushions 29, 30 supported by the base 22 can be moved by the flexible deformation of the mounting portions 29b, 30b, and the relative positions with respect to the air bags 27, 28 can be changed. The movement (free movement) is limited within a certain range by setting the lengths of the attachment portions 29b and 30b. Due to this restriction, the cushions 29 and 30 are held so that the cushion portions 29a and 30a are not displaced from the proper positions of the air bags 27 and 28 with respect to the bag portion.

  The exterior cover 31 is formed of a stretchable fabric or the like. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the exterior cover 31 is covered with the base 22 by covering the air bags 27 and 28, the cushions 29 and 30, and the recess 25. The portion of the exterior cover 31 that is covered with the recess 25 is recessed along the shape of the recess 25 so as not to prevent the insertion of the lower limb B into the recess 25. For this reason, between the back surface of the part 31a which covered the recessed part 25 of the exterior cover 31, and the massaging action surface 27b of the air bag 27, the cushion part 29a is arrange | positioned so that free movement by the attachment mentioned above. Similarly, the cushion portion 30a is movably disposed between the back surface of the portion 31b of the exterior cover 31 that covers the recess 25 and the massaging surface 28b of the air bag 28 by the above-described attachment.

  The massage device 21 drives the air supply / exhaust device 11 by the remote controller 12 in a state where the user's lower limb B is put in the concave portion 25, and the expansion and contraction of the air bags 27 and 28 corresponding to the width direction of the base 22 The lower limb B can be massaged by repeating simultaneously. In this massage, the state in which the air bags 27 and 28 are inflated is shown in FIG. 5, and the state in which the air bags 27 and 28 are contracted is shown in FIG. When the air bags 27 and 28 located on both sides of the lower limb B are inflated, the lower limb B is compressed from the side, and when the air bags 27 and 28 are contracted, the pressure from the side against the lower limb B is released. The lower limbs B relax.

  In this massage operation, since the air bags 27 and 28 have a certain degree of hardness, the air bags 27 and 28 to the soft part of the lower limbs B are taken into consideration even if the attenuation of the compression force by the cushions 29 and 30 is taken into consideration. While suppressing the concentration of the expansion, the lower limbs B can be massaged by exerting an average expansion on the lower limbs B from the side, and compressing the lower limbs B relatively strongly.

  As the air bags 27 and 28 are repeatedly expanded and contracted during the massage operation, the cushion portions 29a and 30a of the cushions 29 and 30 are loosely moved, and the massaging action surfaces 27b and 28b of the exterior cover 31 and the air bags 27 and 28 Change the relative position to. However, the cushions 29 and 30 are supported by the base 22, and the loose movement of the cushion portions 29 a and 30 a between the air bags 27 and 28 and the outer cover 31 is from an appropriate position with respect to the bag portions of the air bags 27 and 28. Since it is restricted so as not to come off, the cushion portions 29a and 30a are moved unnecessarily, and the peripheral portions 27c and 28c of the bag portions of the air bags 27 and 28 are prevented from protruding from the cushion portions 29a and 30a. Is done.

  Thereby, even if the peripheral portions 27c, 28c of the air bags 27, 28 arranged closer to the seat portion 3 with respect to the lower limbs B in the concave portion 25 may hit, the hits are cushion portions 29a, Can buffer at 30a. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from being painful with the massage, and to improve the feeling of use.

  Further, the cushion portions 29a, 30a disposed between the outer cover 31 and the massage acting surfaces 27b, 28b of the air bags 27, 28 follow the expansion and contraction of the air bags 27, 28 as described above. Therefore, the cushion portions 29a and 30a are not pulled by the exterior cover 31 that extends as the air bags 27 and 28 expand. For this reason, it is possible to improve the durability without damaging the cushion portions 29a and 30a torn off with the massage operation.

  Moreover, since the front and back surfaces of the cushion portions 29a, 30a are reinforced by the fiber layers 29a1, 29a2, or 30a1, 30a2, the cushion is caused by friction between the exterior cover 31 and the massaging surfaces 27b, 28b of the air bags 27, 28. Wear of the portions 29a and 30a can be suppressed. Also in this respect, durability can be improved.

7 to 11 show an embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is basically the same as the reference example, the same configuration as the reference example, the description is omitted with the same reference numerals as in Reference Example, will be described below differs from the reference example .

The massage device 21 of one embodiment includes caps 41 and 42. The caps 41 and 42 are made larger than the air bags 27 and 28 and are fitted to the air bags 27 and 28 so as to be freely movable.

The caps 41 and 42 are sewed together on one side C and the other side D, which are similar in shape to the massaging surfaces 27b and 28b and form a larger sheet, except for the lower edge (in FIGS. 8 to 10). Become. In FIG. 10 and FIG. 11, the symbol E indicates the staking portion. The non-sewn edge F of the caps 41 and 42 can be opened, and the caps 41 and 42 can be put on the air bags 27 and 28 through the edge F. The one side part C of the caps 41 and 42 is integrally connected through the attachment part G extended integrally from now on. The mounting portion G is provided so as to cover the bottom wall 26 of the recess 25 and is fixed to the bottom wall 26 with a stopper 43 such as a screw. Therefore , in one embodiment , the air bags 27 and 28 and the caps 41 and 42 are attached to the bottom wall 26 by separate fixtures. The caps 41 and 42 may be independent from each other.

  Among the one side C and the other side D of the caps 41 and 42, at least one side C that covers the massaging surfaces 27b and 28b of the air bags 27 and 28 follows the expansion and contraction of the air bags 27 and 28. It is preferably made of stretchable fabric so that it can be deformed.

  For example, a cushion 29 or 30 is attached to the caps 41 and 42 so as to overlap the one side portion C located inside the caps 41 and 42. These cushions 29 and 30 may be approximately the same size or larger than the air bags 27 and 28, but the cushions 29 and 30 of the present embodiment are larger than the air bags 27 and 28. The cushions 29 and 30 have, for example, a cover edge portion 44 bent in a substantially U-shaped cross section. The cover edge 44 forms an edge other than the edge extending toward the edge F of the caps 41 and 42 and extending in the same direction as the edge F.

  As shown in FIGS. 8, 9, and 11, the cushions 29, 30 are sewed at the cap edge 41 by sewing the cover edge portion 44 to the ridge portion E extending over three edges except the edge F. , 42. By this attachment, the cover edge 44 is provided from one side C of the caps 41 and 42 to the edge of the other side D, and is provided so as to cover the peripheral portions 27c and 28c of the air bags 27 and 28. It has been.

The outer cover 31 is covered with the base 22 by covering caps 41 and 42 movably fitted to the air bags 27 and 28. The configuration other than the points described above is the same as the reference example shown in FIGS.

The massaging device 21 according to this embodiment is configured such that the air bag corresponding to the width direction of the base 22 is driven by driving the air supply / exhaust device 11 by the remote controller 12 with the user's lower limb B in the recess 25. The lower limb B can be massaged by repeating the expansion and contraction of 27 and 28 simultaneously. In this massage, the state in which the air bags 27 and 28 are inflated is shown in FIG. 9, and the state in which the air bags 27 and 28 are contracted is shown in FIG. When the air bags 27 and 28 located on both sides of the lower leg B are inflated, the lower leg B is compressed from the side, and when the air bags 27 and 28 are contracted, the pressure from the side against the lower leg B is released. The lower limbs B relax. When the air bags 27 and 28 are inflated, at least one side portion C of the caps 41 and 42 extends, so that the caps 41 and 42 do not hinder the expansion of the air bags 27 and 28b.

  In this massage operation, since the air bags 27 and 28 have a certain degree of hardness, the air bags 27 and 28 to the soft part of the lower limbs B are taken into consideration even if the attenuation of the compression force by the cushions 29 and 30 is taken into consideration. While suppressing the concentration of the expansion, the lower limbs B can be massaged by exerting an average expansion on the lower limbs B from the side, and compressing the lower limbs B relatively strongly.

  As the air bags 27 and 28 are repeatedly expanded and contracted during the massaging operation, the cushions 29 and 30 are loosely moved with respect to the air bags 27 and 28, and the massaging action surfaces 27b and 28b of the outer cover 31 and the air bags 27 and 28 are moved. Change the relative position to. However, the caps 41, 42 that support the cushions 29, 30 are supported by covering the air bags 27, 28, and the movement of the caps 41, 42 between the air bags 27, 28 and the exterior cover 31 is caused by air Since the caps 27 and 28 are limited so that they do not deviate from the proper positions with respect to the bag portions, the caps 41 and 42 that support the cushions 29 and 30 move unnecessarily, and the air bags 27 and 30 are moved relative to the cushions 29 and 30. The peripheral portions 27c and 28c of the 28 bag portions are prevented from protruding.

  Moreover, since the cover edge portions 44 of the cushions 29 and 30 are provided so as to cover the peripheral portions 27c and 28c of the air bags 27 and 28 as shown in FIGS. No matter how the caps 41, 42 move freely with respect to the air bags 27, 28, the peripheral portions 27 c, 28 c of the air bags 27, 28 remain covered with the cover edges 44 of the cushions 29, 30. it can.

  Thereby, even if the peripheral portions 27c and 28c of the air bags 27 and 28 arranged closer to the seat portion 3 with respect to the lower limbs B in the concave portion 25 may hit, the cushions 29 and 30 Can be buffered. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from being painful with the massage, and to improve the feeling of use.

  Further, the cushions 29 and 30 disposed between the outer cover 31 and the massaging surfaces 27b and 28b of the air bags 27 and 28 are used to expand and contract the air bags 27 and 28 together with the caps 41 and 42 as described above. The cushions 29, 30 are not pulled by the exterior cover 31 that extends as the air bags 27, 28 expand because they follow and idle. For this reason, it is possible to improve the durability without damaging the cushions 29, 30 torn off with the massage operation.

  At the same time, when the air bladders 27 and 28b are inflated, the one side portion C of the caps 41 and 42 and the cushions 29 and 30 can be displaced except for the attachment portions E. Excessive pulling force can also be suppressed.

  Moreover, since the front and back surfaces of the cushions 29, 30 are reinforced by the fiber layers 29a1, 29a2, or 30a1, 30a2, the cushion 29 is caused by friction between the exterior cover 31 and the massaging surfaces 27b, 28b of the air bags 27, 28. , 30 wear can be suppressed. Also in this respect, durability can be improved.

In addition, in one Embodiment , it can be used in the state which removed the exterior cover 31, Therefore Therefore, this exterior cover 31 can also be abbreviate | omitted and implemented. Further, when the outer cover 31 is used as described above, the cushions 29 and 30 are not placed inside the caps 41 and 42, but the cushions 29 and 30 are placed outside the caps 41 and 42 by the above-described attachment. It is also possible to provide it.

The present invention is not limited to the one embodiment . For example, the massage device can be used separately from the main support body that mainly supports the user's body, such as a chair body, and juxtaposed with the support section. It can also be implemented as a massager that massages the lower limbs or upper limbs of the human body independently of the main support.

The perspective view which shows the chair type massage machine provided with the massage device which concerns on the reference example of this invention. The perspective view which shows the massage device of a reference example in the state which removed the exterior cover. The front view which shows the massage device of a reference example in the state which removed the exterior cover. Sectional drawing which shows a part of massage device of a reference example in the state which the air bag contracted. Sectional drawing which shows a part of massager of a reference example in the state which the air bag expanded. The perspective view which decomposes | disassembles and shows the relationship between the air bag with which the massage device of a reference example is provided, and a cushion. The top view which shows the massage device of one Embodiment of this invention in the state which removed the exterior cover partially. Sectional drawing which shows a part of massager of one Embodiment in the state which the air bag contracted. Sectional drawing which shows a part of massager of one Embodiment in the state which the air bag expanded. The rear view which shows the air bag with which the massage device of one Embodiment is provided, and the cap covered by this. Sectional drawing shown along the XX line in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 ... Supply / exhaust apparatus, 21 ... Massager, 22 ... Base, 23 ... 1st support wall, 24 ... 2nd support wall, 25 ... Recessed part, 26 ... Bottom wall, 27, 28 ... Air bag, 27a, 28a ... Air Attaching part of the bag, 27b, 28b ... massage action surface of the air bag, 27c, 28c ... peripheral part of the air bag, 29, 30 ... cushion, 29a, 30a ... cushioning part of the cushion, 29b, 30b ... attaching part of the cushion, 32, 33 ... Stopper, 41, 42 ... Cap, B ... Lower limbs (limbs), C ... One side of the cap, D ... The other side of the cap , E ... The garment part of the cap, F ... The cap is sewn together No lower edge, G ... cap attachment, 43 ... stopper, 44 ... cushion cover edge

Claims (2)

A base having a recess into which a human limb can be taken in and out;
It is made of a blow-molded product made inflatable and expandable, and has a bag portion and a mounting portion that is integrally extended from the peripheral portion of the bag portion and is fixed to the base, and is disposed in the concave portion to expand and contract An air bag that gives massage stimulation to the limbs in the recess,
An air supply / exhaust device for expanding and contracting the air bag ;
The air bag has a lower edge that can be opened and is larger than the air bag and is covered with the air bag through the lower edge, and has a mounting portion fixed to the base, and the air bag is inflated. A cap that changes its relative position with respect to the air bag as it shrinks;
A cushion substantially attached to the inside or outside of the cap so as to overlap the massaging action face of the air bag has the same or greater than the size of said air bag,
A massage device equipped with. The cap has one side portion to which the cushion is attached and another side portion continuously covering the other side surface of the air bag, and the cushion extends from the one side portion of the cap to the other side portion. The massage device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a cover edge provided over an edge of the air bag, wherein the cover edge covers the periphery of the air bag .

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