JP4144437B2 - Air massage machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an air massage machine that applies an inflation pressure of an air bag to a treatment site and massages the treatment site.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, an air massage machine generally applies an inflating pressure of an air bag to a treatment site by directly contacting the treatment site with an air bag disposed in a treatment part that positions the treatment site of a human body. It is supposed to give a massage.
[0003]
Further, in the air massage machine, as shown in FIG. 10, an air bag 3 is disposed on the groove wall of the concave groove-shaped treatment part 2, and has a flexible U-plate-shaped resin molded sheet that does not expand and contract. There is an air massage machine 1 ′ in which the material 20 is disposed on the treatment site side of the air bag 3 and the treatment region is loaded with the inflation pressure of the air bag 3 via the resin molded sheet 20 (for example, Patent Document 1). reference).
[0004]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-37829
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the air bag generally used for an air massage machine is comprised of a hollow molded product that is relatively hard and durable and has a low extensibility. Such an air bag becomes domed when inflated.
[0006]
Therefore, in the above general air massage machine, the inflated air bag has a dome shape and does not inflate along the shape of the treatment site, so that the pressure on the treatment site by the air bag swells toward the treatment site. It is performed only in a part of the air bag, and only the part where the air bag protrudes toward the air bag of the treatment site will be partially compressed, and it is not possible to give a comfortable massage to the treatment site there were. Further, even in the air massage machine 1 ′ of FIG. 10, the resin-made sheet material 20 is a thin sheet-like material, and is only in contact with the treatment site in accordance with the shape of the air bag 3. However, since the air bag is partially compressed only at the portion of the treatment site that protrudes toward the air bag, it is not possible to give a comfortable massage to the treatment site.
[0007]
Further, the surface of the air bag 3 generally used in the air massage machine is relatively hard, and not only the air bag 3 is directly pressed against the treatment site, but also a resin such as the massage machine 1 'in FIG. Even in the case where the air bag 3 is pressed against the treatment site via the molded sheet 20, the treatment site pressed by the air bag 3 is given a hard feel on the surface of the air bag 3. There was a problem of reducing the comfort of the massage.
[0008]
In view of this point, in order to inflate the air bag 3 along the shape of the treatment site, it was considered that the air bag 3 was molded with a relatively soft material such as nylon or polyurethane. Since there is a problem of durability such that deterioration occurs during repeated expansion and contraction and the manufacturing cost is high, it has not yet been put into practical use.
[0009]
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and while using an air bag generally used for an air massage machine, when the air bag presses the treatment site, the hardness of the surface of the air bag is treated. As a matter of course, it is an object to provide an air massage machine that can improve the comfort of the massage applied to the treatment site by applying the inflation pressure of the air bag almost uniformly to a wide range of the treatment site. It is what.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an air massage machine 1 according to the present invention includes an air pump 7 that arranges an air bag 3 in a treatment part 2 that positions a treatment site of a human body and supplies and exhausts air to and from the air bag 3. In the air massage machine that applies the inflation pressure of the air bag 3 to the treatment site and massages the treatment site, the cushion material 4 is disposed on the treatment site side of the air bag 3 and the cushion material 3 contacts the air bag. The sheet material 5 which can be elastically deformed is laminated on the surface.
[0011]
According to this, when the air bag 3 is inflated, the cushioning material 4 disposed so as to overlap the treatment site side of the air bag 3 elastically contacts the treatment site of the human body positioned in the treatment unit 2. Therefore, even if the air bag 3 is made of a relatively hard and durable material that is generally used for an air massage machine and has a low extensibility, the cushion material 4 that elastically contacts the treatment site is provided. The surface of the air bag 3 can be prevented from being felt by the treatment site, and the cushion material 4 is elastically pressed along the shape of the treatment site to compress the treatment site. The pressure can be applied substantially uniformly over a wide range of the treatment site, and the comfort of the massage applied to the treatment site can be improved.
[0012]
In addition, by a laminate of an elastically deformable sheet material 5 on the air bag contact surface of the cushion material 4 it can be an air bag 3 to expand and contract by the sheet material 5 so as not to directly contact the cushion material 4, i.e. the sheet material 5 Thus, the cushion material 4 can be protected from the inflating and contracting air bag 3, and the life of the cushion material 4 can be extended.
[0013]
In addition, it is also preferable that the air bags 3 are disposed at a plurality of locations of the treatment unit 2 and that the cushion materials 4 are disposed corresponding to the air bags 3. According to this, the inflating pressure of each air bag 3 can be individually applied to the treatment site by the cushion material 4 corresponding to each air bag 3, and it can be effectively localized on the target site of the treatment site. Massage can be given.
[0014]
It is also preferable that a vibrator 8 is attached to the sheet material 5. According to this, it is possible to avoid the vibration of the vibrator 8 from being directly applied to the cushion material 4, that is, the cushion material 4 can be protected from the vibrator 8 that vibrates with the sheet material 5, and the life of the cushion material 4 can be extended. it can.
[0015]
Moreover, it is also preferable that the cushioning material 10 is interposed between the sheet material 5 and the vibrator 8. According to this, the vibration of the vibrator 8 is first transmitted to the cushioning material 10, and the cushioning material 10 can transmit the vibration to a wide range of the cushion material 4. The vibration of the vibrator 8 can be loaded, and the massage effect can be enhanced.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the air massage machine 1 of the present invention, the air bag 3 is arranged in the treatment part 2 where the treatment site of the human body is located, and the cushion material 4 is arranged on the treatment site side of the air bag 3 so as to be conventional. Even if the air bag 3 generally used for the air massage machine is used, the air bag 3 does not feel the hardness of the surface of the air bag 3 to the treatment site when the air bag 3 presses the treatment site. The comfort pressure of the massage applied to the treatment site is improved by applying a uniform expansion pressure to a wide range of the treatment site. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
[0017]
1 and 2 show examples of embodiments of the present invention. The air massage machine 1 of this example is a limb body air massage machine in which a limb such as an arm or a leg of a human body is used as a treatment site and massage is performed by applying an inflation pressure of the air bag 3 to the limb. In this air massage machine 1, two concave groove-shaped treatment parts 2 for left and right are arranged side by side, and an air bag 3 is arranged on each groove wall of the treatment part 2. The air supply / exhaust to the air bag 3 is performed by the air pump 7, but the time and timing required for the air supply / exhaust to the air bag 3 are controlled by a control unit (not shown). Although the air bags 3 arranged in the treatment part 2 are opposed to each other, a vertical plate-like cushion material 4 is arranged on the opposed surface of the air bag 3. In order to position the limb on the treatment unit 2, the limb is actually positioned between the opposing cushion members 4, and the inflation pressure of the air bag 3 is applied to the limbs via the cushion member 4. This cushion material 4 is a relatively thick block-like elastic body having a cushioning property made of, for example, a foam such as urethane, and wraps the limb when elastically contacting the limb by receiving the inflation of the air bag 3. Thus, it can be adapted to the shape of the limbs. Specifically, in order to place the cushion material 4 on the air bag 3, the bottom plate 6 is disposed at the groove bottom portion of the treatment portion 2, and the longitudinal plate-shaped cushion material is formed along both widthwise edges of the bottom plate 6. This is done by raising 4 vertically.
[0018]
Specifically, both ends of the groove-shaped treatment part 2 in the groove length direction are open, and the limb body can be positioned so that the longitudinal direction of the limb body is aligned with the groove length direction. Here, the limb body has a diameter that decreases from the central side (side closer to the heart) to the peripheral side (side away from the heart). The expansion pressure can be reliably loaded. That is, the distance between the opposing air bag 3 and the cushion material 4 at one end in the groove length direction of the treatment part 2 where the distal side of the limb is located is the other end in the groove length direction of the treatment part 2 where the center of the limb is located. It is formed to be narrower than that of the part. In addition, although the cover is attached to the whole air massage machine 1 which has the said structure from a viewpoint of safety | security or an external appearance improvement, this is abbreviate | omitted in drawing.
[0019]
In the air massage machine 1 of this example, when the limb body is positioned on the treatment portion 2 so as to be positioned between the opposing cushion materials 4 and the air bag 3 is inflated, the cushion material 4 is formed into an uneven limb shape. Then, it is elastically contacted and compressed so that the inflation pressure of the air bag 3 is applied to the limbs through the cushion material 4 and massage is applied to the limbs. In this way, when the cushion material 4 is elastically contacted with the limb body due to the expansion of the air bag 3, the cushion material 4 is adapted to the shape of the uneven limb body so as to wrap the limb body. Even if the air bag 3 is a relatively hard and durable air bag that is generally used in an air massage machine and has a low stretchability, the cushion material 4 that elastically contacts the treatment site is the air bag. The hardness of the surface of 3 can be prevented from being felt by the limbs. In addition, the cushion material 4 that elastically contacts the limb so as to adjust to the shape of the limb body after receiving the inflation of the air bag 3 can contact a wide range of the shape of the limb body with unevenness, and the inflation pressure of the air bag 3 can be reduced. It is possible to apply a substantially uniform load over a wide range. As described above, in the air massage machine 1 of the present example, the hardness of the surface of the air bag 3 is not felt on the limb body, and the inflation pressure of the air bag 3 can be loaded almost uniformly on a wide range of the limb body. Therefore, it is intended to give a comfortable massage to the limbs.
[0020]
Other examples of the embodiment of the present invention are listed below. These examples are obtained by changing a part of the example of the previous embodiment. Thus, the same parts as those in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted, and different parts will be described.
[0021]
Another example of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 is an example in which a sheet material 5 serving as a backing material is attached to the air bag contact surface of the cushion material 4. The sheet material 5 is a resin sheet that serves as a backing material having at least higher strength than the cushion material 4. According to this example, the air bag 3 inflated and contracted by the sheet material 5 can be prevented from directly contacting the cushion material 4, that is, the cushion material 4 can be protected from the air bag 3 inflated and contracted by the sheet material 5. The life of the cushion material 4 is increased.
[0022]
Still another example of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is an example in which air bags 3 are arranged at a plurality of locations of the treatment part 2 and a plurality of cushion materials 4 are arranged corresponding to each air bag 3. It is. Specifically, three air bags 3 are arranged in a straight line in the groove length direction on each groove wall of the treatment portion 2, and a vertical plate-like cushion material 4 erected from the bottom plate 6 is attached to the air bag 3. It is divided into three in the groove length direction of the treatment part 2 corresponding to the position. The cushion material 4 is easily divided by making a cut 4 a extending from the upper end of the cushion material 4 to the bottom plate 6. Each air bag 3 is independently inflated and contracted under the control of the control unit. In the massage machine 1 of this example, the inflation pressure of each air bag 3 can be individually applied to the limb located in the treatment part 2 by the cushion material 4 corresponding to each air bag 3.
[0023]
That is, even if a plurality of air bags 3 are arranged in the groove length direction of the treatment portion 2, the cushion material 4 remains in a single plate shape extending in the groove length direction of the treatment portion 2 without being divided. In some cases, each air bag 3 that expands and contracts independently presses the corresponding portion of the cushion material 4, and the pressing forces pressed by the respective portions interfere with each other in the cushion material 4. . In such a case, the worst cushion material 4 may work so as to prevent the air bag 3 from expanding and contracting, and at least the targeted part of the limb cannot be effectively massaged locally. .
[0024]
However, in this example, as described above, the cushion member 4 corresponding to the air bag 3 can individually apply the inflation pressure of each air bag 3 to the limb located in the treatment unit 2, and the target part of the limb It is possible to give a detailed massage to the limbs because it can effectively perform a local massage.
[0025]
Still another example of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 is an example in which a vibrator 8 is attached to the cushion material 4 to which the sheet material 5 is adhered. In detail, in this example, the sheet material 5 is stuck through the bottom plate 6 so that it may go over the air bag contact surface of a pair of cushion material 4 which opposes. The vibrator 8 is fixed to the sheet material 5 adhered to the bottom plate 6. In addition, 9 is a frame which supports the air bag 3 for arrange | positioning the air bag 3 in the groove wall of the treatment part 2. FIG.
[0026]
According to this example, the vibration by the vibrator 8 can be loaded to a wide range of the limbs via the cushion material 4, and the massage effect is enhanced. In addition, since the vibrator 8 is fixed to the sheet material 5, it is possible to avoid the vibration of the vibrator 8 from being directly applied to the cushion material 4, that is, the cushion material 4 can be protected from the vibrator 8 that vibrates with the sheet material 5. The life of the cushion material 4 is also extended.
[0027]
In addition, when arranging the cushion material 4 in the treatment part 2, it replaces with standing up the vertical-plate-shaped cushion material 4 from the bottom plate 6 like this example, and from the width direction both ends of a horizontal plate like FIG. The cushion material 4 itself may be formed in the shape of a grooved frame in which a vertical plate is erected. Accordingly, the vibration of the vibrator 8 can be efficiently propagated to the entire cushion material 4 through the cushion material 4 and the vibration of the vibrator 8 is loaded to the wider part of the limb through the cushion material 4. The massage effect applied to the limbs can be further enhanced.
[0028]
Still another example of the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 7 is an example in which a cushioning material 10 having cushioning properties is interposed between the sheet material 5 laminated on the air bag contact surface of the cushion material 4 and the air bag 3. It is. Specifically, in this example, the cushion material 4 is formed in a groove frame shape with the vertical plate-shaped portion standing substantially vertically from both widthwise ends of the horizontal plate-shaped portion, and the back surface of one sheet material 5 Is attached to the air bag contact surface of the cushion material 4 of the pair of vertical plate portions via the cushion material 4 of the horizontal plate portion and covers the entire surface of the sheet material 5. A cushioning material 10 having cushioning properties is attached to the surface. And the vibrator 8 is attached to the site | part of the shock absorbing material 10 laminated | stacked on the horizontal plate-shaped site | part of the cushion material 4. FIG. According to this example, the vibration of the vibrator 8 is first transmitted to the shock absorbing material 10, and the shock absorbing material 10 can transmit the vibration to a wide range of the cushion material 4, and the cushion material 4 allows a wide range of treatment sites. Since the vibration of the vibrator 8 can be loaded, the massage effect can be enhanced. In this example, a cushioning material 10 is also interposed between the sheet material 5 and the air bag 3, and the cushioning material 10 causes the sheet material 5 to directly hit the air bag 3 by vibration of the vibrator 8. It is possible to prevent the generation of noise. In other words, the air massaging machine provided with the vibrator 8 is silenced. Since the cushioning material 10 has cushioning properties like the cushioning material 4, the cushioning material 10 may be made of the same material as the cushioning material 4. In this case, the productivity can be improved. it can.
[0029]
Here, the air massage machine 1 for the limbs according to the above examples may be used alone, but the air massage machine 1 may be used as an upper part of the armrest 13 as shown in FIG. Alternatively, it may be used as a part of the chair 11 by being arranged on the front surface of the seat 12.
[0030]
Moreover, although the air massage machine 1 quoted in the above examples is of a type that assumes a limb as a treatment site, the air massage machine 1 of the present invention has a shape of the treatment portion 2 and an arrangement position of the air bag 3. Needless to say, it can be applied to a type in which massage is performed on a treatment site other than the limb by changing the above. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a treatment portion 2 for seating a hip or thigh of a human body is provided on a seat portion 12 of a chair, an air bag 3 is embedded in the treatment portion 2 of the seat portion 12, and an inflated air bag 3 is provided. There is a buttocks air massager that protrudes to the treatment section 2 and raises the treatment section 2, but the cushion material 4 is arranged on the buttocks and thigh side of the air bag 3 so as to overlap the buttocks and thigh Since the cushion material 4 is interposed between the air bag 3 and the air bag 3, the inflating pressure of the air bag 3 can be reduced without causing the buttocks and thighs to feel the hardness of the surface of the air bag 3. It is possible to apply a uniform massage to a wide area of the thigh or the thigh and to perform a comfortable massage.
[0031]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the present invention, when the air bag is inflated, the cushion material disposed on the treatment site side of the air bag is elastically pressed so as to wrap around the treatment site of the human body positioned in the treatment section. Therefore, even if the air bag is made of a relatively hard and durable material that is generally used in air massage machines and has low stretchability, it is a cushion that elastically contacts the treatment site. The material can prevent the treatment site from feeling the hardness of the surface of the air bag, and the inflation pressure of the air bag can be applied almost uniformly to a wide range of the treatment site of the human body through the cushion material. Therefore, a comfortable massage can be applied to the treatment site . In addition, the cushioning material can be protected from the air bag that inflates and contracts by the sheet material, and the life of the cushioning material can be extended.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an air massage machine according to an example of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2A is a top view of the same air massage machine, and FIG. 2B is a front view.
FIG. 3 is a front view of an air massage machine according to another example of the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of still another example of an air massage machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5A is a top view of the same air massage machine, and FIG. 5B is a front view.
6A and 6B show a main part of still another example of the air massage machine according to the embodiment of the present invention, in which FIG. 6A is a front view of the main part, and FIG. 6B is a bottom view of the main part.
FIG. 7 is a front view of a main part of an air massage machine of still another example of the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an example of a usage pattern of an air massage machine according to various embodiments of the present invention.
FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate another example of usage of the air massage machine according to the embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 9A is a top view of a seat portion of a chair, and FIG. FIG.
10A and 10B are air massage machines according to an example of the prior art, in which FIG. 10A is a top view and FIG. 10B is a front view.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air massage machine 2 Treatment part 3 Air bag 4 Cushion material 5 Sheet material 6 Bottom plate 7 Air pump 8 Vibrator 9 Frame 10 Buffer material 11 Chair 12 Seat part 13 Armrest

Claims (4)

An air bag is arranged in the treatment part where the treatment site of the human body is located, and an air pump for supplying and exhausting air is provided to the air bag, and the treatment site is massaged by applying the inflation pressure of the air bag to the treatment site. In the air massage machine, an air massage machine is characterized in that a cushion material is arranged on a treatment site side of an air bag, and an elastically deformable sheet material is laminated on an air bag contact surface of the cushion material . The air massage machine according to claim 1, wherein air bags are disposed at a plurality of locations of the treatment section, and a plurality of cushion materials are disposed corresponding to the air bags . The air massage machine according to claim 1, wherein a vibrator is attached to the sheet material . The air massage machine according to claim 3, wherein a cushioning material is interposed between the sheet material and the vibrator .

Images