JP5463505B2 - Hand massage robot - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a massage machine. More specifically, the present invention relates to a hand massage robot that can effectively stimulate fingers, palms, and wrists.

  A massage machine refers to a machine that can relieve physical and mental fatigue by relaxing the muscles and promoting blood circulation by applying mechanical stimulation to the whole body or local area. As such a massage machine, many chair-type massage machines for the whole body have been developed.

  However, in recent years, a massage machine (hereinafter referred to as a hand massage robot) targeting around the hands such as fingers, palms, and wrists has attracted attention. In other words, with the rapid spread and indispensability of personal computers not only in workplaces such as companies, but also in ordinary homes, many people began to work on personal computers for a long time. In personal computer work, manual operations such as keyboard input and mouse operation are essential. As a result, fatigue was accumulated on fingers, palms, wrists, etc., and it became easier to become chronic. For office workers, it often leads to diseases such as tendonitis.

Against this background, hand massage robots have attracted attention as one of the means for recovering fatigue around the hand, and are actually being developed (Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3).

JP 2006-314821 A JP 2009-0505571 A JP 2000-185082 A

Patent Document 1 discloses a pneumatic hand massager for performing massage by applying pressure to a user's hand intermittently by an expansion / contraction mechanism that expands / contracts according to supply / discharge of compressed air. However, it has a structure that can only be pinched with air pressure of moderate pressure from above and below, and it can give stimulation to the entire hand, but it cannot give local stimulation.
Patent Document 2 discloses a hand-arm massage machine for performing wrist joint stretching operation. However, since it is intended only for the wrist and not the fingers or palms, it is not necessarily sufficient in terms of the massage effect on the entire periphery of the hand.
Patent Document 3 discloses a massage machine that massages the entire palm including the wrist. However, this method is not necessarily effective in that it can only stimulate the fingers and palms or wrists evenly using the roller, and it cannot give local stimuli according to the fingers, palms and wrists.

As can be seen from these, there were hand massage robots that captured the entire hand and stimulated the entire hand. However, hand massage robots that enhance the massage effect by dividing the periphery of the hand into fingers, palms, and wrists and stimulating each part independently or by stimulating in association with each part. Did not exist.
A hand massage robot "MIIMO" can be mentioned as a hand massage robot close to this (announced at Robo Mecha Design Competition in 2008). However, although MIIMO can stimulate each part independently by dividing the periphery of the hand into fingers, palms, and wrists, the applied stimulus is not sufficiently effective. In addition, MIIMO was a hand-massage robot that left technical challenges, such as being unable to correlate stimulation to each part.

  Against the background of the above circumstances, the present invention divides the periphery of the hand into fingers, palms, and wrists, and stimulates each part independently and by stimulating in association with the stimulus to each part. The task is to develop a hand massage robot that enhances the massage effect. ,

  As a result of earnest research, the inventors focused on the acupoints present on the fingers, palms, and wrists, and completed a hand massage robot that can effectively stimulate those acupoints. By stimulating this acupoint, it became possible to stimulate the fingers, palms, and wrists effectively. In addition, the hand massage robot was equipped with a program, which enabled it to stimulate each of the parts in association with each other and succeeded in enhancing the massage effect.

A first claim according to the present invention is a hand massage robot including a finger stimulation mechanism, a palm stimulation mechanism, and a wrist stimulation mechanism,
a. The finger stimulating mechanism is for two thumbs and other four fingers that can alternately and repeatedly move back and forth between the base of the finger and the tip of the finger and back and forth around the selected point on the side of the finger at a short distance . Comprising at least five inter-finger protrusions of at least five ,
b. The palm stimulation mechanism includes one or more palm stimulation protrusions on a rotating plate, and the palm stimulation protrusion is deflected so that the pressing angle interval is not uniform with respect to the rotation direction of the rotation shaft. Arranged,
c. The wrist stimulation mechanism includes a plurality of pressing members for stimulating the wrist, a first crank mechanism for converting the rotation of the motor so that the left and right side surfaces of both wrists can be pressed at a constant cycle, and upper and lower surfaces of both wrists. And a second crank mechanism for converting the crank mechanism so that it can be pressed at a constant cycle, and these crank mechanisms are operated in synchronism with or out of phase with each other.

The second claim according to the present invention is characterized in that the respective stimulation mechanisms simultaneously press and operate on a plurality of acupoints at different positions of fingers, wrists and palms. The hand massage robot described in 1.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a CPU incorporating a symptom synchronization program which can automatically select a plurality of acupoints according to symptoms and breathing and adjust the stimulation state simultaneously or at regular intervals. The hand massage robot according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the hand massage robot is provided.
Fourth claim of the present invention, claims 1, characterized by being used for both hands a hand massage robot according to claim 3.

  In this specification, a hand massage robot refers to a massage machine for the periphery of hands such as fingers, palms, and wrists. It is a concept that can include a case of a device having a function. For example, when a hand massage function is included as part of a chair-type full body massage machine, the hand massage function is not necessarily the main function but is a subordinate function. Is included in the hand massage robot in this specification. Further, in this specification, “movable around the finger” means that movement is possible along the fingertip, between the fingers, and around the palm.

  According to the hand massage according to the present invention, the periphery of the hand can be divided into fingers, palms, and wrists, and each part can be stimulated independently. In addition, since each acupuncture point can be stimulated, it is possible to more effectively stimulate the fingers, palms, and wrists around the hand than in the prior art. In addition, the synchronized motion program and the biofeedback program enable the stimulation to each part to be associated with each other, so that the massage effect can be enhanced.

The figure which showed the principal part of the hand massage robot concerning this invention Diagram showing finger stimulation mechanism Diagram showing the automatic fingertip recognition mechanism Diagram showing the palm stimulation mechanism Diagram showing wrist stimulation mechanism The figure which showed an example of the symptom synchronization program used for the hand massage concerning this invention The figure which showed the relation between each symptom and acupoint position in the standard hand The figure which showed an example of the point position estimation method of the symptom synchronization program The figure which showed an example of the respiratory synchronization program used for the hand massage concerning this invention The figure which showed an example of the biofeedback program used for the hand massage concerning this invention

  Here, first, the hand massage robot according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  An example of a hand massage robot according to the present invention is shown in FIG. A hand massage robot 1 according to the present invention is an example of a main part of a hand massage robot for both hands having a hand massage function as a main function, and includes a finger stimulation mechanism 10, a palm stimulation mechanism 20, and a wrist stimulation mechanism 30. Usually, this main part is surrounded by an outer box equipped with a CPU and motor amplifier incorporating a program, and an electric circuit and power source incorporating an interface board.

  The finger stimulation mechanism 10 shown in FIG. 2 has a role of stimulating fingers, and the stimulation is given by the inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017.

The inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 can move simultaneously or independently, and have a role of giving a stimulus by directly or indirectly contacting a finger.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a structure in which the inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 move simultaneously. That is, the inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 are attached to the inter-finger protrusion connecting plate 103, and the electric motor 104 is used as a driving force. When the rubber roller 105 rotates, the inter-finger protrusion connecting plate 103 and The attached inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 are structured to move simultaneously. When the inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 are moved independently, for example, an independent inter-finger protrusion connecting plate, an electric motor, and a rotating roller corresponding to each inter-finger protrusion may be used.

The inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 are movable along the long axis direction of the slide grooves 1021 to 1026 of the protrusion support plate 102, and can be moved in the short axis direction within the range of the width of the slide grooves 1021 to 1026. . As a result, the inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 can move to cover the peripheral area of the finger if it is the size of a normal human hand. This makes it possible to stimulate the acupuncture points in the vicinity. In FIG. 2, the inter-finger protrusion 1011 is arranged at a position that stimulates the outside of the thumb and the inter-finger protrusion 1017 stimulates the outside of the little finger, and the other inter-finger protrusions 1012 to 1016 are arranged between the fingers. Stimulate the surroundings. As described above, by using the seven inter-finger protrusions, it is possible to cover and stimulate the acupuncture points distributed over a wide range of fingers.
The inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 are preferable because the shape of the truncated cone can effectively stimulate the acupoint as shown in FIG. 2, but it is not necessary to limit to this. The shape is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape capable of stimulating the periphery of the finger, in particular, the acupuncture point. Further, the inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 may be provided with a mechanism such as rotation or vibration.

Further, since the inter-finger protrusions 1011 to 1017 need to be movable along the fingertip direction of the finger, the slide groove 1021 needs to have a length longer than that of a normal human finger. However, as long as it is satisfied, there is no need to limit the shape.
Although an electric motor is used as a power source in FIG. 2, it is not necessary to limit to this as long as the inter-finger protrusion can be moved. For example, an air cylinder or the like can be used as a power source for the inter-finger protrusion.

  In addition to these, the finger stimulation mechanism 10 may include a mechanism for automatically recognizing the fingertip. As a result, the massage range can be changed according to the difference in finger length, and the position of the acupoint of the finger can be estimated more accurately, and the massage effect can be enhanced. FIG. 3 schematically shows a fingertip recognition mechanism as an example.

  When a hand is inserted into the hand massage robot 1, the fingertip reaches the fingertip receiving portion 1072 attached to the fingertip receiving support 1071. In this case, the adjustment spring 108 attached to the adjustment spring support 109 is contracted in accordance with the force when the hand is inserted, and the photo detector 106, fingertip receiving support 1071, and fingertip receiving portion 1072 are then moved to the slide groove 1021. Move along (not shown). The inter-finger protrusion 1011 moves together with the inter-finger protrusion support 1011.1 and the light blocker 1011.2 while stimulating the finger along the slide groove 1021 (not shown). Eventually, light entering the photodetector 106 is blocked by the light blocker 1011.2, so that it can be recognized that the inter-finger protrusion 1011 has reached the fingertip position. In this case, the inter-finger protrusion 1011 is folded back to move or stop.

  The palm stimulation mechanism 20 shown in FIG. 4 has a role of stimulating the palm, and the stimulation is given by palm projections 2021 to 2029 arranged on the rotating plate 201 which is an essential component. In the example of FIG. 4, the rotating rollers 2031 to 2034 are further provided, and the palm is also stimulated by these rotating rollers.

The rotating plate 201 rotates at a constant or irregular cycle around the rotating plate shaft 205 with the rotating plate motor 204 as a driving force. The rotating plate 201 has a role of assisting stimulation of the entire palm by changing the relative position of the palm protrusion or the rotating roller with respect to the palm. As long as this role is fulfilled, the shape of the rotating plate 201 is not necessarily limited to a circular shape, and may be, for example, an elliptical shape or a polygonal shape.
The palm protrusions 2021 to 2029 are fixedly disposed on the rotating plate 201 and directly or indirectly contact the palm to give a stimulus. The palm protrusions 2021 to 2029 are preferable because the shape of a hemisphere or a semi-elliptical sphere can effectively stimulate the acupoint as shown in FIG. 4, but it is not necessary to limit to this. Any shape capable of stimulating acupoints can be used. In FIG. 4, there are two types of shapes according to the difference in the stimulation site, palm projections 2021 to 2025 for stimulation around the palm and palm projections 2026 to 2029 for stimulation at the center of the palm. However, it is not necessary to limit to this. The palm protrusions may all have the same shape, or conversely all have different shapes. Further, the palm projections 2021 to 2028 may be provided with a mechanism such as rotation or vibration.
The rotating rollers 2031 to 2034 are one of optional components that stimulate the palm. Similar to the palm protrusion, it gives direct or indirect contact with the palm.

The wrist stimulation mechanism 30 shown in FIG. 5 has a role of stimulating the wrist, and the stimulation is given by wrist pressing members 3011 to 3018.
The wrist pressing members 3011 to 3018 provide stimulation by directly or indirectly contacting the wrist. The wrist pressing members 3011, 3012, 3015, and 3016 are paired, and have a structure that gives stimulation in the vertical direction of the wrist. In addition, wrist pressing members 3013 and 3014, 3017 and 3018 are also paired, and have a structure for stimulating the wrist in the left-right direction. Each pair of wrist pressing members can simultaneously or continuously move, thereby stimulating the wrist and the point on the wrist.
Although a bar-shaped wrist pressing member is used in FIG. 5, it is not necessary to be limited to this, and any shape or protrusion can be provided as long as it can stimulate the wrist and the point on the wrist. For example, the tip of the wrist pressing member can be formed in a semicircular projection shape with the tip of the wrist facing the wrist, or the projection member can be provided at the tip of the wrist pressing member. In addition, the number of wrist pressing members can be changed. For example, a pair of wrist pressing members in an oblique direction can be added in addition to upper, lower, left and right, or a pair of wrist pressing members can be formed only in the upper and lower directions.

  Next, synchronous motion and biofeedback that can be provided by the hand massage robot according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Thus, the massage effect of the massage robot according to the present invention can be further enhanced. Synchronous motion and biofeedback are incorporated into the CPU as a program provided for the hand massage according to the present invention.

  First, synchronous motion will be described. Synchronous motion is a program provided for hand massage according to the present invention, and a hand massage robot automatically selects acupoints (usually a plurality of acupoints) according to symptoms and breathing, and these are selected simultaneously or at a certain level. It is defined as a program that can enhance the massage effect by stimulating at intervals. Depending on the synchronization target, it can be divided into symptom synchronization and respiratory synchronization.

  FIG. 6 is an example of a symptom synchronization program. In the symptom synchronization program, first, it is necessary to create the position of the acupuncture point in a standard size hand (hereinafter referred to as a standard hand) and a correspondence table between the symptom and the acupoint position. This will be described with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 7, the position of the acupoint corresponding to each symptom is illustrated on the standard hand. Information about what kind of symptoms these points are effective for, and where the points are on the standard hand is created as a correspondence table. In FIG. 7, for example, the acupuncture points indicated by white triangles are effective points for headache symptoms and are present around the index finger to the little finger, respectively. Similarly, white squares are effective points for tired eye symptoms, white pentagons are tension symptoms, and black circles are effective points for frustrating symptoms. These are merely examples, and a table of acupoint positions corresponding to other symptoms such as loss of appetite, abdominal pain, and blurring can be created.
The created correspondence table may be stored in the CPU so that the symptom synchronization program can be read.

  In the symptom synchronization program, the hand massage robot starts when the power is turned on (FIG. 6). Subsequently, symptoms such as tired eyes, tension, and irritability are displayed on the monitor provided in the outer box, etc., and the massage subject selects the symptoms that are desired to be reduced (S10). Then, the position of the acupoint corresponding to the selected symptom is extracted at several locations on the finger, palm, and wrist (S11). At this time, the above-mentioned correspondence table between the symptom and the acupoint position is read, and the acupoint position corresponding to the symptom is selected. When these steps are completed (S12), the point position of the massage subject is estimated (S13, details will be described later). When the estimation of the acupoint position is completed, the selected acupoint is stimulated simultaneously or continuously for a certain time (S14). Then, the person to be massaged selects whether to continue the massage with the same symptom (S15) or, if not, to select another symptom or to end it as it is (S16). The symptom synchronization program need not be limited to this program as long as the acupoint position corresponding to the symptom can be appropriately selected. For example, the acupoint position extraction step (S11) and the acupoint position estimation step (S13) The order can be reversed.

Here, the acupoint position estimation step S13 will be described with reference to FIG.
In the estimation of the acupoint position, first, the wrist position is selected (S13.1). Usually, the wrist position is fixed to a planar position that can include all wrist pressing members.
Subsequently, the fingertip position is selected by the aforementioned fingertip recognition mechanism (S13.2). In this case, for example, position sensors (not shown) are provided in the slide grooves 1021 to 1026 of the finger stimulation mechanism 10 of FIG. This position sensor can recognize the position of the fingertip by recognizing the position of the photodetector.
Further, the length L from the wrist position to the fingertip is measured (S13.3). There are various methods for calculating L in this case, but as a simple measuring method, for example, only the middle finger can be used, and the distance from the tip of the middle finger to a plane that can include all wrist pressing members at the wrist position can be used as L. .
Finally, the acupoint position is calculated using L (S13.4). In this case, for example, assuming that the size of the hand is similar, each position of the acupoint read from the correspondence table of the standard hand and the acupoint position is set to L (for example, L from the middle fingertip to the wrist measured in the above example). ) / L ′ (distance L ′ from the middle fingertip to the wrist with a standard hand) can be used to calculate the acupoint position.

Next, respiratory synchronization will be described with reference to FIG. When breathing synchronization is provided, the hand massage robot according to the present invention needs to have an external device for grasping the breathing state. Examples of devices in this case include a device that can automatically recognize when you are exhaling by measuring changes in the length of the abdomen and chest, or when you are exhaling by pressing a switch when exhaling A device that can recognize
First, the respiratory state is measured by these devices (S20). In this, it is recognized whether or not it is exhaling (S21), the acupoint is stimulated when exhaling (S22a), and the acupuncture is not stimulated otherwise (S22b). After repeating this for a certain time, the person to be massaged selects whether or not to end the massage (S23).

  Finally, biofeedback is explained. Biofeedback is a program provided in the present invention, and can be adjusted in real time by estimating the state of mind and body, and as a result, it can be defined as a program that can enhance the massage effect. Is done.

  FIG. 10 shows an example of biofeedback using the degree of tension as an index. Although the degree of tension is used as an index in FIG. 10, other indices such as blood flow and heart rate can also be used. These indices can be measured by a commonly used technique. For example, the tension can be estimated using a resistance value between two points of the palm as an index, and can be measured using a measuring instrument using infrared rays or the like if it is a blood flow or a heart rate. .

In the biofeedback, first, stimulation is started by the hand massage robot (S30), and the degree of tension is measured every certain time T1 (S31). At this time, it is determined whether or not the degree of tension exceeds a certain magnitude and threshold (S32). If it does not exceed the threshold value, it can be said that there is no problem in the degree of tension and it is a relaxed state. Therefore, the massage stimulation is continued as long as the massage time has not passed the fixed time T4 (S38). If the degree of tension exceeds the threshold value, it is further determined whether or not the tension continues for a predetermined time T2 or more (S33), and if it continues, the intensity of the massage stimulus is increased. (S34). After that, the tension level is measured every predetermined time T1 (S35). When the tension level does not exceed the threshold value, the normal massage stimulation is resumed (S36). If the degree of tension remains above the threshold value, the massage stimulation is continued with the intensity increased (S34). Even in this case, the massage stimulation with the increased intensity continues for a certain time T3 or more. If it is present or has continued for a certain period of time T4 from the start of the massage, the massage stimulation is terminated (S37).

1 ... hand massage robot

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Finger stimulation mechanism 1011-1017 ... Interprotrusion part 1011.1 ... Interprotrusion protrusion support 1011.2 ... Optical circuit breaker 102 ... Protrusion support plate 1021-1026 ... -Slide groove 103 ... Inter-finger protrusion connecting plate 104 ... Electric motor 105 ... Rubber roller 106 ... Photo detector 1071 ... Finger tip receiving support 1072 ... Finger tip receiving portion 108 ... Adjustment Spring 109 ... Adjusting spring support

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 20 ... Palm stimulation mechanism 201 ... Rotating plate 2021-2029 ... Palm stimulating projection part 2031-2034 ... Rotating roller 204 ... Rotating plate motor 205 ... Rotating plate axis | shaft

30 ... Wrist stimulation mechanism 3011-3018 ... Wrist pressing member

Claims (4)

A hand massage robot having a finger stimulation mechanism, a palm stimulation mechanism, and a wrist stimulation mechanism,
a. The finger stimulating mechanism is for two thumbs and other four fingers that can alternately and repeatedly move back and forth between the base of the finger and the tip of the finger and back and forth around the selected point on the side of the finger at a short distance . Comprising at least five inter-finger protrusions of at least five ,
b. The palm stimulation mechanism includes one or more palm stimulation protrusions on a rotating plate, and the palm stimulation protrusion is deflected so that the pressing angle interval is not uniform with respect to the rotation direction of the rotation shaft. Arranged,
c. The wrist stimulation mechanism includes a plurality of pressing members for stimulating the wrist, a first crank mechanism for converting the rotation of the motor so that the left and right side surfaces of both wrists can be pressed at a constant cycle, and upper and lower surfaces of both wrists. And a second crank mechanism for converting the crank mechanism so that it can be pressed at a constant cycle, and the crank mechanisms are operated in synchronism with or out of phase with each other. 2. The hand massage robot according to claim 1, wherein each of the stimulation mechanisms simultaneously presses and operates on a plurality of acupoints at different positions of a finger, a wrist, and a palm . Depending on the symptoms and respiratory automatically selects a plurality of pot, according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that with these simultaneously or certain CPU incorporating symptoms synchronization program capable of modulating irritation at intervals The hand massage robot described in 1. Hand massage robot according to any one of claims 1, characterized by being used for both hands claim 3.