JP4625161B2 - Breathing exercise equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a breathing exercise apparatus that performs abdominal breathing as exercise.
[0002]
[Prior art]
So-called abdominal breathing, in which the diaphragm moves up and down, has the effect of increasing the amount of oxygen supplied to the body and improving blood flow to promote metabolism. Incorporating the abdominal breathing as a daily exercise originally requires appropriate guidance and training, but as a simple abdominal breathing practice method, it is only necessary to inflate a rubber balloon.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, rubber balloons are short-lived and uneconomical, and many people refrain from fear of bursting because they burst and crack. In addition, most exercises are effective by long-term continuation, but long-term continuation is difficult with monotonous exercises that inflate rubber balloons silently.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention has been made in view of the above, and is provided with an insufflation port for inhaling exhalation, an exhalation passage for guiding the inhaled exhalation to an exhaust port, and a resistance provided by restricting the flow rate of the exhalation provided in the middle of the exhalation passage. And a pressure sensor provided between the blowing port and the resistance applying means, wherein the resistance applying means is constituted by a variable flow rate adjusting valve and the flow rate adjusting valve. There is provided a breathing exercise apparatus in which a driving means for electrically driving is installed and the flow rate control valve is driven by a detection signal of the pressure sensor to adjust the blowing resistance . Since this breathing exercise apparatus blows exhalation from the blowing port against the resistance of the resistance applying means, the abdominal breathing can be practiced naturally by inflating the rubber balloon. And, there is no waste in a short period of time like a rubber balloon, and since no fear of bursting is given, abdominal breathing exercise can be performed easily and comfortably.
[0005]
Also, set up a pressure sensor between the pre-Symbol blow port up to the resistance applying means, while the drive means for electrically driving the flow control valve is installed, the flow control valve by the detection signal of the pressure sensor due to so as to moderate blowing resistance by driven, it can be performed automatically optimal respiratory motion in accordance with the level of the user.
[0006]
Furthermore, as according to claim 2, it is preferable to install a flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of exhalation into the breath passage. By doing so, since the amount of exhaled breath can be grasped, it can be used as a measure of the amount of exercise. In addition, if the flow control valve is driven while measuring the flow rate, it resembles the feeling of inflating a rubber balloon, that is, the resistance is large at the beginning of blowing, and the resistance suddenly decreases when it blows above a certain level. Since the feeling of inflating the rubber balloon that the resistance increases as the condition increases can be reproduced by the control of the flow control valve, it is possible to give the user a feeling of actually inflating the rubber balloon.
[0007]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an outline of the apparatus.
[0008]
The breathing exercise apparatus 1 of the present invention is provided with a blow-in port 2 through which exhaled air is blown, an exhalation passage 4 that guides the exhaled breath into an exhaust port 3, and a flow rate of the exhalation that is provided in the middle of the exhalation passage 4 to reduce resistance. A resistance applying means 5 to be applied, a display means 6 for displaying the amount of exhalation, and a sound generating means 7 for outputting a sound are schematically constituted, and all components except the air inlet 2 are apparatus cover 8. It is stored inside.
[0009]
The exhalation passage 4 includes a tank-shaped air chamber 9 connected to the air inlet 2 and an exhaust pipe 10 that communicates with the air chamber 9 and has a discharge port 3 at the tip thereof and opened to the outside of the device cover 8. Become. A pressure sensor 11 is provided above the air chamber 9 to detect the internal pressure of the air chamber 9. On the other hand, a flow rate sensor 12 for measuring the flow rate of exhaled air is provided in the middle of the exhaust pipe 10. The flow sensor 12 and the pressure sensor 11 are connected to a control circuit 13 installed in the apparatus cover 8, and their detection results are input to the control circuit 13. Although not shown in the drawings, the air chamber 9 is provided with a saliva stopper that can be opened and closed because saliva contained in exhaled air is stored.
[0010]
The blowing port 2 is detachably attached to an end of a flexible bellows hose 14 connected to the air chamber 9, and can be removed and cleaned as appropriate. Moreover, what is necessary is just to prepare the some insufflation port 2 and to replace the insufflation port 2 for every user, when sharing the breathing exercise apparatus 1 with several persons.
[0011]
The resistance applying means 5 is constituted by a variable flow rate adjusting valve 15 provided in the connection portion between the air chamber 9 and the exhaust pipe 10 in the middle of the exhalation passage 4. That is, the flow control valve 15 includes a partition wall 15b provided with only one valve hole 15a that expands in a mortar shape in the direction of the exhalation in the air chamber 9, and a conical tip that fits into the valve hole 15a. In combination, the plug member 15c can block the exhalation passage 4, and the electric drive means 15d moves the plug member 15c forward and backward toward the valve hole 15a. The drive means 15d comprises a motor 15e, a pinion gear 15g fixed to the rotating shaft 15f of the motor 15e, and a rack gear 15h protruding from the rear portion of the plug member 15c. By rotating the motor 15e forward and backward, the rack gear The position of the plug member 15c is electrically adjusted by advancing and retreating 15h. The motor 15e is electrically connected to the control circuit 13 and is controlled by the control circuit 13.
[0012]
The display means 6 uses, for example, a liquid crystal display device connected to the control circuit 13 and displays the amount of exhaled breath in an analog manner based on the measurement data of the flow sensor 12. In the analog display mode, the state until the deflated rubber balloon is inflated is displayed graphically in accordance with the flow rate of exhalation, or displayed in a simple graph format. On the other hand, the sound generating means 7 is a speaker connected to the control circuit 13, and is mainly used for the purpose of instructing a program relating to breathing exercise by sound.
[0013]
Next, a method for using the breathing exercise apparatus 1 of the present invention will be described. First, the plug member 15c of the flow rate control valve 15 is moved forward to slightly open the valve hole 15a, and an initial setting is made so that a large resistance is applied to the passage of exhalation. In this state, when the user blows in exhalation through the air inlet 2, the pressure of the air chamber 9 increases due to the resistance of the flow control valve 15. Since the internal pressure of the air chamber 9 is sent to the control circuit 13 by the pressure sensor 11, the position of the plug member 15c is adjusted by the motor 15e so that the pressure of the air chamber 9 becomes, for example, about the internal pressure of the rubber balloon based on the information. Automatic control. On the other hand, since the flow rate of exhalation is measured by the flow sensor 12, for example, one breathing exercise is completed in a state where exhalation for one human-sized rubber balloon flows. At this time, since the expiratory flow rate is displayed in analog form on the display means 6 by means of a rubber balloon graphic, the end of one breathing exercise is known.
[0014]
The control of the plug member 15c may be changed to resemble the feeling of inflating the rubber balloon, in addition to keeping the pressure of the air chamber 9 constant. In other words, when inflating a rubber balloon, the resistance is high at the beginning of blowing, the resistance suddenly decreases when inflated above a certain level, and the resistance increases as the inflated greatly changes. The position of the plug member 15c is adjusted such that the pressure of the air chamber 9 is high at the beginning of the blowing in accordance with the change in the flow rate due to 12, rapidly drops at the moment when the predetermined flow rate is exceeded, and increases as the flow rate increases. To control. By doing so, the abdominal breathing exercise can be continued as if the rubber balloon was actually inflated.
[0015]
Since the abdominal breathing can be practiced naturally by performing the exercise of blowing exhalation against the resistance imparted by the resistance imparting means 5 as described above, if this operation is repeated several tens times (for example, 30 times) every day, the abdominal type Respiratory movements can be performed easily and reliably. As a result, the supply of oxygen to the body increases, blood is purified, blood circulation is improved, metabolism is promoted, fat burning in the body is promoted and body temperature is increased. As it rises, excess fat does not accumulate. Therefore, maintenance and improvement of health and a slimming effect can be obtained.
[0016]
By the way, according to the rule of thumb, there is a large difference in the degree of effect between the case where the same exercise is performed firmly based on appropriate guidance and the case where the exercise is carried out by self-flow. Therefore, a program relating to the abdominal breathing exercise instruction is written in the control circuit 13 of the breathing exercise apparatus 1 of the present invention, and the instruction is performed by the display means 6 and / or the sound generation means 7.
[0017]
For example, when the breathing exercise apparatus 1 is turned on, an appropriate character serving as an instructor is first displayed on the display means 6 and the character greets. At this time, it is preferable to use the timer circuit of the control circuit 13 to select a greeting suitable for the time. Next, in order to urge the start of breathing exercise, the voice generation means 7 will say “Let's take a big breath and let the mouthpiece (* 2 in the mouth 2) and exhale slowly”. The display of the display means 6 switches to a deflated rubber balloon figure, the state in which the rubber balloon is inflated in response to the measurement data of the flow sensor 12 is displayed in an analog manner, and the display is switched to the character again when the rubber balloon is fully inflated. Then, “Yes, get there. Take a big breath again…”, and when the predetermined number of times is over, the program ends with a greeting saying “Thank you. In this way, proper breathing exercise can be continued with patience while enjoying an accurate rhythm.
[0018]
Note that it is most effective to use both the display means 6 and the sound generation means 7 as a guide for breathing exercise, but only one of them may be used. In addition, data relating to daily breathing exercise may be accumulated to encourage the user, or the number of breathing exercises may be appropriately changed based on the data.
[0019]
In addition to the case where the plug member 15c is appropriately controlled while detecting the pressure in the air chamber 9 as described above, the breathing exercise apparatus 1 first sets the flow rate adjustment valve 15 of the resistance applying means 5 and is changed by the user thereafter. The flow rate control valve 15 may be fixed at a set position until it is operated. Hereinafter, specific means for setting the flow rate control valve 15 will be described.
[0020]
First, an input key (not shown) for changing the resistance value such as “strong, medium, weak” is provided on the apparatus cover 8 and the user arbitrarily selects the input key and plugs it accordingly. The position of the member 15c is controlled. Needless to say, when "strong" is input, the plug member 15c approaches the valve hole 15a and the resistance increases, and when "small" is selected, the plug member 15c moves away from the valve hole 15a and the resistance decreases. The user can change the setting at any time.
[0021]
Second, a standard vital capacity is calculated from the sex, weight, height, etc. of the user, and the plug member 15c is automatically set to an appropriate position based on the result. For this purpose, an input key (not shown) such as a numeric keypad is installed on the device cover 8 so that necessary items are input in a form that answers the question of the display means 6 or the sound generation means 7, and necessary calculations are performed. This is executed by the control circuit 13. Needless to say, the smaller the vital capacity, the smaller the resistance so that the user is not overburdened. It should be noted that a reset button for initializing the input value is provided to cope with different users.
[0022]
Third, the user's vital capacity is first measured, and the position of the plug member 15c is controlled based on the measured value. For actual measurement of vital capacity, a flow sensor 12 or a pressure sensor 11 provided in the exhaust pipe 10 may be used. Also in this case, the smaller the vital capacity, the smaller the resistance so that the user is not overburdened. Of course, the actual measurement of vital capacity does not need to be precise, and may be accurate enough to determine a rough level. Note that a reset button for initialization is provided to cope with different users.
[0023]
Fourth, the rack gear 15h of the plug member 15c of FIG. 1 can be screwed into a part of the exhalation passage 4 instead of the screw shaft, and the screw shaft can be protruded outside the device cover 8 and rotated by a knob. The position of the plug member 15c is adjusted manually.
[0024]
The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is of course not limited to the above embodiments. For example, even if there is no display means 6, sound generation means 7, pressure sensor 11, variable flow rate control valve 15, etc. as in the embodiment, the blow-in port 2 for blowing exhalation and the exhaled breath into the discharge port 3. If there is the exhalation passage 4 to be guided and the resistance imparting means 5 having a small valve hole 15a in the partition wall 15b, the basic effect can be obtained. Of course, it is possible to obtain a high degree of movement effect by adding each element.
[0025]
In the embodiment, the amount of exhalation is displayed on the analog type display means 6, but the amount of exhalation may be displayed on a digital display. Alternatively, the amount of exhalation may be converted into calories burned and displayed in analog or digital form.
[0026]
【The invention's effect】
The breathing exercise apparatus of the present invention can practice abdominal breathing naturally in the same manner as inflating a rubber balloon in order to blow in expired air from the blowing port against the resistance of the resistance applying means. In addition, there is no waste in a short period of time like a rubber balloon, and there is no danger of bursting, so that abdominal breathing exercise can be performed easily and comfortably. If the abdominal breathing exercise is carried out firmly and continuously, as explained in the above explanation, the supply of oxygen to the body will be increased, the blood will be purified, the blood circulation will be improved, the metabolism will be thriving, There are many effects that fat burning is promoted and body temperature rises so that excess fat is not accumulated. Therefore, the breathing exercise apparatus of the present invention is based on the promotion of health maintenance, fat burning promotion and accumulation prevention. Demonstrate the slimming effect. In addition, from this, you may grasp | ascertain the breathing exercise apparatus of this invention as a health maintenance / promotion apparatus or a slimming apparatus.
[0027]
In addition , a pressure sensor is installed between the blowing port and the resistance applying means, while a driving means for electrically driving the flow control valve is installed, and the flow control valve is driven by the detection signal of the pressure sensor. If the blowing resistance is adjusted, the optimum breathing exercise can be automatically performed according to the level of the user.
[0028]
Furthermore, as described in claim 2 , if a flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of exhalation is installed in the exhalation passage, the amount of exhaled breath can be grasped, and the momentum can be grasped. Also, if the flow control valve is driven while measuring the flow rate, it resembles the feeling of inflating the rubber balloon, that is, the resistance is large at the beginning of the blowing, and the resistance suddenly decreases when it inflates above a certain level. The feeling when inflating a rubber balloon that the resistance increases as the condition increases can be reproduced by controlling the flow control valve, giving the user a sense of reality as if the balloon was actually inflated Can do.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an outline of an apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Respiratory exercise device 2 ... Blowing port 3 ... Exhaust port 4 ... Expiratory passage 5 ... Resistance provision means 11 ... Pressure sensor 12 ... Flow sensor 15 ... Flow control valve 15d ... Drive means

Claims (2)

An insufflation port for inhaling exhalation, an exhalation passage for guiding the exhaled breath to an exhaust port, resistance application means provided in the middle of the exhalation passage so as to restrict the flow rate of exhalation, and resistance from the injection port have a, a pressure sensor provided between the up to the resistance applying means,
The resistance applying means is composed of a variable flow rate control valve, and a drive means for electrically driving the flow rate control valve is installed,
A breathing exercise apparatus characterized in that the flow control valve is driven by a detection signal of the pressure sensor to adjust the blowing resistance . Breather exercise device according to claim 1, characterized in that by installing a flow sensor for measuring the flow rate of exhalation into the breath passage.

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