JP7339659B2 - Relief device for the shoulder and neck region - Google Patents

Description

According to the present invention, the elbows of a user seated on a chair are repeatedly rotated in a vertical direction (so-called swing), and the small rotations are transmitted to the shoulders of the user. , a new relaxation device (relaxation of the shoulder and neck region) that promotes blood circulation in the user's shoulder and neck regions, thereby relieving tension in the muscles and muscles of the shoulder and neck region healing device).

In the modern work environment, a personal computer (hereinafter abbreviated as "PC") is often operated, and workers often feel discomfort such as stiffness and tension in the shoulders and neck.
For this reason, individual workers reduce discomfort in the shoulder and neck region by moving the shoulders up and down or applying acupressure by themselves when discomfort increases. However, such recovery movements (recovery movements performed voluntarily by oneself) are actually difficult to perform for a sufficient period of time, and for workers who are not accustomed to doing such exercises, the symptoms of discomfort may be aggravated. was there.

Of course, massage chairs and the like have already been developed and sold as devices for relieving stiff shoulders (for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3). However, such a massage chair is generally a large size that cannot be easily carried, and it is extremely difficult to personally purchase this and bring it into the workplace. In addition, even if such a massage chair is provided in the workplace as part of employee welfare, the actual situation is that people feel hesitancy to freely use such a massage chair during work. . In addition, the higher the performance of the massage chair, the more expensive it becomes, and the hurdle for personal purchase has become quite high. Incidentally, Patent Document 2 is a chair-type massage machine that moves the user's arm (forearm) up and down as a whole, and does not move the elbow up and down with the wrist side as a fulcrum. Further, Patent Document 3 discloses a chair with an arm massager provided with a massager serving as a massager for massaging the user's elbows and hands on the armrest of the chair. It is an action to apply force (so-called vibration), and it is not a rotating action to move the elbow up and down with the wrist side as a fulcrum, and it is not an action to transmit up and down movement from the user's arm to the shoulder.

Of course, in addition to the above-mentioned massage equipment, for example, massage shops (manipulative clinics) that claim relaxation effects have become popular in recent years, and in fact, there are many people who go to such shops after work. do. However, during work, even if discomfort such as stiff shoulders increased, it was not possible to go to the store immediately.
In addition to the work using a personal computer as described above, so-called "writing cramps", which are said to be so-called "writing cramps", are written in a sitting position almost all day and are involved in sign language interpreting for business. There are many malfunctions of parts.

JP 2019-103947 A Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 48-35188 Japanese Patent No. 3850501

The present invention was made in recognition of such a background, and a user sitting on a chair places the forearm on a movable forearm rest that serves as an elbow rest, and moves the elbow up and down in small steps. By passively (passively) repeatedly inputting the rotating motion, we aim to promote blood circulation in the shoulder and neck region, and reduce discomfort symptoms such as shoulder stiffness and neck tension. The subject is the development of a healing device (relaxation device for the shoulder and neck region).

That is, the shoulder and neck region relaxation device according to claim 1 is
A shoulder and neck relaxation device comprising a vibration unit and a drive unit, comprising:
The vibration unit includes a base portion fixedly installed;
A movable forearm resting part rotatably supported on the upper part of the base part,
By operating the drive unit, the elbow side of the movable forearm rest in the vibration unit is moved up and down more than the wrist side, and the elbow of the forearm placed on the upper surface of the movable forearm rest is reciprocated in the vertical direction. It moves and transmits the movement to the shoulder girdle ,
Although the movable forearm rests are separately provided on the left and right sides, the vertical movement is synchronized between the left and right movable forearm rests,
In addition , the movable forearm placing section includes :
a wrist holding pad that prevents the forearm from slipping forward due to up-and-down movement when the user puts the forearm on the movable forearm rest and maintains a relaxed sitting posture ;
An elbow-opening prevention pad is provided to prevent the elbow from opening outward due to up-and-down movement when the user puts the forearm on the movable forearm rest , thereby maintaining a relaxed sitting posture. It consists of

In addition to the requirements of claim 1 , the shoulder and neck region relaxation device according to claim 2 ,
The movable forearm resting part is characterized in that it performs a sliding action to vertically move the elbow side with the front part of the base part on the wrist side as a fulcrum of rotation.

In addition, the shoulder and neck region relaxation device according to claim 3 , in addition to the requirements of claim 1 or 2 ,
The vibrating unit is characterized in that it comprises fixing means for fixing the base portion to armrests provided on an existing chair.

In addition, in addition to the requirements of any one of claims 1 to 3 , the shoulder and neck region relaxation device according to claim 4 ,
The drive unit is configured such that the drive source is provided at a separate position apart from the vibration unit, the rotary motion of the drive source is converted into reciprocating motion, and this reciprocating motion is transmitted as vertical motion of the movable forearm rest. It is characterized by something.

In addition, the shoulder and neck region relaxation device according to claim 5 , in addition to the requirements according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The drive unit is characterized in that the drive source is mounted on the base portion of the vibration unit, and the rotary motion of the drive source acts as the vertical motion of the movable forearm placement portion.

The above problems are solved by means of the configuration of the invention described in each of these claims.
First of all, according to the invention of claim 1, the user himself/herself does not actively move the shoulder up and down or apply shiatsu by himself/herself. It can relieve stiffness in the shoulders and tension in the neck, and easily restore the flexibility and elasticity of the shoulder and neck region.
In addition, according to the present invention, the user undergoing treatment receives a vertical movement that is synchronous to the left and right. It is possible to obtain a relaxed posture (relaxed sitting posture) without straining, and to easily maintain this state.
Further, according to the present invention, the movable forearm resting portion is provided with a wrist holding pad or an elbow opening prevention pad. It is possible to prevent the part from opening outward and maintain the proper posture (relaxed sitting posture) of the user during treatment.

In addition, according to the second aspect of the invention, since a small and rhythmic back-and-forth rotation (vibration) is input from the user's elbow to the shoulder, the muscle pump action is activated, and the shoulder and neck are activated. blood flow can be further improved. In addition, the action of moving the muscles in small steps and rhythmically has a synergistic effect in that the user's body is easily weakened and the user is more likely to maintain a proper posture.

According to the third aspect of the invention, since the fixing means is provided, the base portion can be stably and firmly attached to various chairs having armrests of different sizes and shapes.

Further, according to the fourth aspect of the invention, since the drive source of the drive unit is provided at a separate position apart from the vibration unit, the structure of the vibration unit (structure for vertically moving the movable forearm rest) can be simplified. can be made into Also, it becomes easy to employ a structure in which a single drive unit drives a plurality of vibration units.

Further, according to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the drive source of the drive unit is mounted on the base portion of the vibration unit, a wire or the like is provided when the drive source is provided at another position away from the vibration unit. (a member provided from the vibration unit to the drive unit for vertically moving the movable forearm rest) becomes unnecessary, and a compact and easy-to-carry relaxation device (relaxation device for the shoulder and neck region) can be formed. .

A perspective view (a) showing a state in which the relaxation device (relief device for the shoulder and neck region) of the present invention is attached to a chair and the user is being treated (the user is giving a massage). and a skeletal side view (b) showing only the relaxation device. Synchronization of the vertical movement (vertical rotation) of the left and right movable forearm rests and the front cross-sectional view (a) showing the skeleton of the preferred bottom shape of the base when the base of the relaxation device is attached to the armrest of the chair. It is explanatory drawing (b) which shows notionally one structural example which makes it. When performing massage (treatment) with a relaxation device, the user's preferred arm placement (a), the preferred installation mode of the movable forearm rest (c), and the arm placement that leaves room for improvement (b ) and an installation mode (d) in which the movable forearm resting portion is in a horizontal state (side view and rear view). Fig. 10 is a top plan view of a preferred way of placing the user's arm and a preferred mode of installation of the movable forearm rest when performing massage (treatment) with the relaxation device. Side view (a) skeletally showing a modification of the relaxation device in which the drive source of the drive unit is built into the vibration unit, and relaxation so that the movable forearm rest can move back and forth as well as up and down. It is a side view (b) which shows the modification of an apparatus skeletal. FIG. 10 is a side view skeletally showing a modified example of the relaxation device (vibration unit) in which the movable forearm resting portion is horizontal at the bottom dead center; Fig. 10 is a side view showing a skeleton of a modification of the relaxation device in which the pivot point is shifted rearward from the front wrist side, and the wrist is moved up and down in conjunction with the up-and-down movement of the elbow.

The modes for carrying out the present invention include those described in the following examples, as well as various techniques that can be improved within the technical concept thereof.

In the shoulder and neck region relaxation device 1 (hereinafter referred to simply as the relaxation device 1) of the present invention, a user M seated on a chair C is mainly With the user M's forearm (from the wrist to the elbow) placed on the arm, the user M's arm is repeatedly rotated in small increments in the vertical direction (so-called swing motion), and the user M's arm is rotated in small steps (thrust motion). This is a device designed to transmit to the scapula, thereby promoting blood circulation in the shoulder and neck region of the user M, and reducing discomfort symptoms such as shoulder stiffness and neck tension.

In addition, according to the present invention, the up-and-down motion input from the user M's forearm (elbow) to the shoulder is a passive motion (passive motion), and the user M will voluntarily move the shoulder. It is not an active movement (active movement), and this vertical movement is a small vertical movement width, and it is a major feature that this vertical movement is rhythmically and quickly repeatedly input. Of course, the range of motion of such a passive action is set to a range that does not exceed the range of motion (active range of motion) that the user M can originally move by himself. This relaxation device 1 can be used continuously for a long time without putting a burden on the body such as joints.
In addition, when a vertical motion is input from the elbow of the user M, the scapula naturally moves up and down. Left and right are synchronized. Therefore, the vertical movement of the left and right movable forearm rests 22 is also synchronized.
Incidentally, when the vertical motions of the left and right movable forearm rests 22 deviate (when the left and right vertical motions are not synchronized), the vertical motion input with the left and right deviations causes the user M to move the body (upper side). The body) will be shaken to the left and right, and the axis of the body will sway. In this state, the user M unconsciously tries to suppress such shaking, and strains on the upper body, and the vertical movement of the shoulder and neck is not transmitted smoothly, and the muscles of the relevant part are strained. The relaxing effect is greatly reduced.
In the following description, the front, rear, left, and right of the relaxation device 1 may be described, but the front, rear, left, and right are based on the user M sitting on the chair C.

In addition, since many people who complain of stiff shoulders and neck tension are involved in office work using a personal computer (work in which they sit at a personal computer for a long time in almost the same posture), a chair to which the relaxation device 1 can be attached is used. C also assumes the application of a general office chair in accordance with this, for example, during a short period of time such as work break time (break time), treatment (massage) by the relaxation device 1 can be performed. is assumed.
Further, in the following description, a configuration in which the relaxation device 1 is attached to an existing chair C, that is, a configuration in which the relaxation device 1 is provided independently of the chair C and fixed to the chair C for use will be described. However, it is also possible to always attach it integrally with the chair C, and specifically, it can be provided as a chair C equipped with the relaxation device 1 . In this case, the relaxation device 1 can be built in the armrest AR of the chair C so as to be accommodated therein, and can be taken out from the armrest AR when treatment (massage) is desired.

As shown in FIG. 1 as an example, the relaxation device 1 of the present invention includes a vibration unit 2 for substantially inputting small vertical motions from the forearm (elbow) to the shoulder of the user M, and this vibration unit. 2 and a drive unit 3 having a drive source 31 for driving 2 as a main.
The vibrating unit 2 comprises, for example, a base portion 21 fixedly mounted on the armrest AR of the chair C, and a movable forearm resting portion 22 rotatably supported above the base portion 21. The forearm resting part 22 is connected to the base part 21 by, for example, a hinge, so that the movable forearm resting part 22 is rotatable. .
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the rotation fulcrum 23 is provided at the distal end (wrist side) of the base portion 21 and the movable forearm resting portion 22, and is configured to mainly move the elbow up and down. there is That is, in the above configuration, by operating the drive unit 3 , the elbow side of the movable forearm resting section 22 in the vibrating unit 2 is moved up and down significantly (than the wrist side), and placed on the upper portion of the movable forearm resting section 22 . The forearm (elbow) is reciprocated in the vertical direction and the movement is transmitted to the scapula.
Further, when the movable forearm resting portion 22 is rotatably supported with respect to the base portion 21, it is not necessarily limited to a hinge. It is also possible to employ a connection means that interposes a rubber block that allows rotation.

The base portion 21 of the vibrating unit 2 will be described below.
The base portion 21 is attached to, for example, an upper portion of an armrest AR of an existing chair C in an integrated state. As an example, FIG. (this fixing means 4 will be described later). Here, as shown in FIG. 1A, the base portion 21 is formed, for example, in the shape of a flat elongated plate.
The movable forearm resting part 22 is a part on which the user M sitting on the chair C rests the forearm in a comfortable posture without straining, and is formed, for example, in the shape of a flat elongated plate like the base part 21. .

In the present embodiment, the distal end portions of the base portion 21 and the movable forearm resting portion 22 are connected by a hinge to form a rotation fulcrum 23. Therefore, both members are joined at an acute angle when viewed from the side. It is provided side by side. That is, the movable forearm resting portion 22 is provided in an inclined state so as to descend forward toward the wrist side with respect to the substantially horizontal base portion 21 .
In addition, it is preferable that the user M who puts his or her forearms on the movable forearm placing section 22 in a seated posture is in a relaxed state or a weakened state as described above. In other words, the height, inclination angle, and the like of the movable forearm resting portion 22 are set in consideration of this (that the user M who puts the forearm thereon should be relaxed and not tense). Of course, the speed of vertical movement of the movable forearm resting part 22, the width of the amplitude, etc. are also considered so that the user M receiving the massage (treatment) is in a relaxed state. Incidentally, in this specification, such a sitting posture is sometimes referred to as a "relaxed sitting posture (relaxed sitting posture in which the shoulders are relaxed)". In such a relaxed sitting posture, the shoulder (shoulder joint) can be easily moved, and the body of the user M can be easily loosened (easily loosened). Conversely, even if the user M takes a seated posture with his or her forearms placed on the movable forearm resting part 22, if the user M becomes tense, the user M will naturally put pressure on his or her shoulders, resulting in stiff shoulders. As a massage effect for loosening the shoulders and shoulders, it will be insufficient.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the movable forearm resting part 22 is provided with a wrist holding pad 24 and an elbow opening prevention pad 25 , which will be described below.
As described above, the user M who is being massaged (medicated) is repeatedly input with small vertical movements from the forearm (elbow). Therefore, with such an input operation, the arm of the user M tends to gradually shift forward, and the elbow of the user M gradually opens outward. tend to sag.
Each of the above pads is a member for preventing these shifts (movements) and for efficiently transmitting the vertical movement of the movable forearm resting part 22 as the vertical movement of the shoulder part.
Especially in the present invention , both of these pads are provided, and the wrist holding pad 24 is provided at the front end of the movable forearm resting part 22. is provided so as to form
On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1A as an example, the elbow opening prevention pad 25 has a lower inner side (user M side) and a higher outer side (non-user side). , the elbow placed on the movable forearm rest 22 can be prevented from shifting outward (not opening). Specifically, for example, one elongated mat is stretched inside the upper part of the movable forearm resting part 22, and two elongated mats are superimposed on the outer part of the upper part of the movable forearm resting part 22. It is possible to form an elbow opening prevention pad 25 having a difference in height. As another form of the elbow opening prevention pad 25, for example, as shown in FIG. 25a), in this case, the user M in the relaxed sitting posture takes a posture in which the elbows are accommodated in the concave portions 25a.

Here, when receiving treatment (massage) by the relaxation device 1, a preferable way of placing the elbow of the user M, or a preferable installation position of the elbow opening prevention pad 25, etc. will be described.
When the user M takes a relaxed sitting posture and places his/her forearms on the movable forearm resting portion 22 when viewed from the side, for example, as shown in FIG. become. Therefore, the vertical motion input from the forearm (elbow) of the user M is smoothly transmitted as the vertical motion of the scapula (see FIG. 3(c)). Also, for this reason, it is preferable to provide the elbow opening prevention pad 25 at a position where the upper arm of the user M is substantially parallel to the upper body.
On the other hand, for example, FIG. 3(b) shows a state in which the elbow opening prevention pad 25 is provided on the front side compared to FIG. 3(a). The elbows are positioned forward with respect to the upper body, instead of being substantially parallel. At this time, the vertical movement by the movable forearm resting portion 22 simply moves the arm (elbow) of the user M back and forth, and is difficult to be transmitted as the vertical movement of the shoulder blade. For this reason, it is preferable to install the elbow opening prevention pad 25 at a position that guides the elbow so that it is not forward of the upper body.

In addition, when the user M in the relaxed sitting posture as described above is viewed from the back, the upper arm is slightly opened (spread) toward the lower elbow, as shown in FIG. 3(c), for example. posture. For this reason, it is preferable that the movable forearm resting part 22 is provided in a slanted state slightly inward when viewed from the rear so as to receive such an upper arm (elbow) from below. As a result, the movable forearm rest 22 moves up and down along the upper arm of the user M (moves up and down toward the shoulder of the user M). The up-and-down movement that is done is smoothly converted into the up-and-down movement of the scapula.
By the way, as shown in Figs. 3(c) and 1(a), the rear edges of the left and right movable forearm rests 22 are extended inwardly. The lines Lb1 and Lb2 are not horizontal, but cross each other.
On the other hand, FIG. 3(d) shows a state in which the movable forearm resting part 22 is provided substantially horizontally. It is not a movement, but simply a vertical movement, and for the user M, rather than a vertical movement of the scapula, it tends to be a movement in the direction of opening and closing the armpits, which is an improvement. leaving room. In other words, depending on the body type of the user M, it may be difficult to input an effective up-and-down motion to the shoulder, resulting in a state in which, as it were, the force escapes.
Therefore, it is preferable that the movable forearm resting part 22 is provided in a slightly inclined state so as to receive the upper arm of the user M in a relaxing sitting posture (upper arm in a state of slightly opening downward). .

Further, when the user M in a relaxed sitting posture is viewed from above, it is preferable that the user M takes a posture in which the wrist side is located inside the elbow portion, as shown in FIG. 4, for example. That is, the movable forearm resting part 22, particularly the wrist holding pad 24 and the elbow opening prevention pad 25 are designed so that the user M in the relaxing sitting posture can take the above posture (posture in which the wrist side is positioned inside the elbow). It is preferable to provide so as to take As a result, when the elbow is vertically moved, the movement of the arm (upper arm) becomes an internal rotation movement, making it easier for the user M's shoulders, shoulder blades, etc. to loosen, which is an ideal movement for improving blood flow.
Incidentally, in such an installation mode, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 1(a) as an example, lines La1 and La2 extending forward from the inner edges of the left and right movable forearm resting portions 22 are constricted. and eventually intersect on the extension line.
Of course, what is important is not the planar shape of the movable forearm resting part 22, but the way in which the user M places his/her arms in the relaxing sitting posture. If the shape is not rectangular, it is conceivable that the lines La1 and La2 extending forward from the inner edges of the left and right movable forearm rests 22 are significantly different from the direction of the forearm. In such a case, the lines La1 and La2 should be interpreted as forward extension lines of the forearm.

Next, the fixing means 4 for attaching the base portion 21 of the relaxation device 1 to the armrest AR of the chair C will be described.
As an example of the fixing means 4, as shown in FIG. 2(a), after the base portion 21 is set on the armrest AR, a fixing band 41 can be wound around the armrest AR to fix the armrest of the chair C. The base portion 21 can be attached to the armrest AR without subjecting the AR to post-processing such as drilling. As shown in FIG. 1(b), the fixing bands 41 are preferably provided at a plurality of locations. Even if the upper portion is rounded, the base portion 21 (relaxation device 1) can be easily and firmly attached to the armrest AR (chair C).
Further, the bottom portion 21B (contact surface with the armrest AR) of the base portion 21 is preferably formed as a recessed R surface as shown in FIG. 2(a) as an example. 21 (relaxation device 1) can be attached to the armrest AR (chair C).

Furthermore, when the base body 21 is attached to the armrest AR, a gap is often formed between the two. The healing device 1) can be attached to the armrest AR (chair C). In addition, if several mounting stabilizing members 42 having different thickness dimensions are prepared in advance, the installation height of the base body 21 can be changed. , the installation height of the base portion 21 (relief device 1) can be adjusted.
Here, as the mounting stabilizing member 42, it is possible to apply a material such as a gel material that is elastic and capable of being deformed and restored, but it is also possible to apply a cushion member (mat member) that mainly deforms. It is possible.
As the fixing means 4, other than the fixing band 41 described above, bolts, nuts, or the like can be used.

Next, the drive unit 3 will be explained.
The drive unit 3 repeatedly moves the movable forearm rest 22 up and down in small steps, and has a drive source 31 such as a motor as a main member. Here, in this embodiment, as an example, as shown in FIG. 1(b), a form in which the drive unit 3, particularly the drive source 31, is provided at a different position apart from the vibration unit 2 will be basically described. In this case, the drive unit 3 is provided, for example, on the legs of the chair C or on the support.
As shown in FIG. 1B, for example, the driving unit 3 is formed by winding a belt 34 around a driving side pulley 32 provided in the driving source 31 and a driven side pulley 33 provided separately from the driving source 31. , the rotation of the drive source 31 is transmitted to the driven pulley 33 by a belt 34 as a transmission member.

One end of a wire 35 is connected to the driven pulley 33 at an eccentric position shifted from the center of rotation, and the other end of the wire 35 passes through the base portion 21 and is connected to the lower portion of the movable forearm resting portion 22 . be. Here, reference numeral 21a in FIG. 1(a) denotes a notch formed in the base portion 21 to allow the wire 35 to pass therethrough. It is formed.
The wire 35 has the same structure as the brake wire of a bicycle, and consists of an inner wire 35I serving as a core wire and housed inside a cylindrical wire outer 35U serving as an outer cylinder. The wire inner 35I is connected to the side pulley 33 and the movable forearm placing portion 22, and the wire inner 35I can be extended and retracted with respect to the stationary wire outer 35U.
In addition, when the drive unit 3 is provided on the leg portion or support of the chair C, the wires 35 are not scattered around the chair C and can be put together well. Therefore, the wire 35 hardly becomes a hindrance to the user M and people walking around the user M, and the wire 35 does not get caught on the foot.

Between the base portion 21 and the movable forearm resting portion 22, an urging member 36 such as a spring is provided as shown in FIG. 1B as an example. ) to the original position (initial position inclined by a certain angle from the base portion 21).
With this structure, the biasing member 36 maintains the movable forearm resting part 22 at the initial position (initial inclination angle) when the tensile force of the wire 35 (the wire inner 35I) does not act. .
In order to convert the rotary motion of the drive source 31 into the vertical motion of the movable forearm resting portion 22, first, the rotation of the drive source 31 is transmitted from the drive side pulley 32 to the driven side pulley 33 via the belt 34, The rotation of the driven-side pulley 33 is converted and transmitted as vertical motion (back-and-forth linear motion in the vertical direction) of the movable forearm resting portion 22 via the wire 35 (wire inner 35I).
With such a configuration, the movable forearm resting part 22 reciprocates rhythmically and repeatedly with a relatively small amplitude up and down.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1(b), the positions of the wire 35 and the biasing member 36, particularly the position where the wire inner 35I is connected to the movable forearm resting part 22, are on the rear side of the movable forearm resting part 22. This is because the pivot point 23 is positioned at the front end of the movable forearm resting portion 22 . However, the connection position of the wire 35 and the installation position of the biasing body 36 may be provided at a position where the user M can move the forearm (elbow) up and down without difficulty. is also appropriately set based on this.
Also, in the movable forearm resting portion 22, there is a relatively large distance between the pivot point 23 and the force point (elbow opening preventing pad 25 on which the elbow is placed) in order to put the forearm thereon. Therefore, if the wire 35 and the biasing member 36 are arranged in series on the center line of the movable forearm resting section 22 in the width direction, twisting occurs when the movable forearm resting section 22 moves up and down. strength and vertical motion transmission efficiency. Therefore, in order to prevent such twisting, it is possible to provide two urging members 36 on both the left and right sides of the wire 35, as shown in FIG. 2(a), for example.
Further, in the above embodiment, when the rotation is transmitted from the drive source 31 to the driven side, a combination of the belt 34 and the pulley is applied to ensure quietness. It is also possible to apply a combination of sprockets.

In addition, vertical movement input from the elbow to the shoulder of the user M by the relaxation device 1 of the present invention is synchronized between left and right as described above, and an example of this configuration will be described below.
In order to synchronize the left and right vertical movements, as shown in FIG. By connecting the ends of the left and right wires 35 to the eccentric position of the rotating body 33R (same eccentric position on the left and right), the left and right vertical movements can be synchronized.
The structure shown in FIG. 2B is also effective when driving a plurality of vibration units 2 from the same drive source 31. As shown in FIG.

The relaxation device 1 of the present invention has the basic structure as described above, and the treatment mode (operation mode of the device) to which this relaxation device 1 is applied will be described below.
Generally, this type of massage device obtains power from a household 100V outlet, but it is also possible to obtain power from a battery in consideration of outdoor use.
(1) Attachment of relaxation attachment (vibration unit) to a chair For this, as described above, the vibration unit 2 (base part 21) of the relaxation device 1 is attached by the fixing means 4 having, for example, the fixing band 41 as a main member. is attached to the armrest AR of chair C.
In attaching the relaxation device 1 to the armrest AR, it is preferable to adjust the installation height of the vibration unit 2 (base portion 21) according to the height (sitting height) of the user M, for example. By the way, as an example of this installation height adjustment mechanism, in the above description, various mounting stabilizers 42 having different thickness dimensions were exemplified. The height of the base portion 21 can also be adjusted by rotating the screw after fixing it to the armrest AR. In addition, an adjustment mechanism using such a screw can also adjust the angle.

(2) The user sits on the chair in a relaxed sitting posture After that, the user M sits on the chair C and puts the forearm on the movable forearm resting part 22 . At this time, the user M sits in a relaxed sitting posture, and the forearms of the user M at this time are almost parallel to the upper body (see FIG. 3(a)), and the elbows are directed downward. It takes a slightly open posture (see FIG. 3(c)). Incidentally, the movable forearm resting part 22 is also attached in an inclined state so as to receive the elbow part (upper arm) placed in such a posture from substantially below (Fig. 3(c)). reference).
In the relaxed sitting posture, as shown in FIG. 4 as an example, a posture in which the wrist side of the user M is positioned inside the elbow when viewed from above is preferable.
The user M who receives the massage (treatment) in this way places his forearm on the movable forearm rest 22 while taking a relaxed sitting posture with relaxed shoulders. Incidentally, such a relaxed sitting posture is a posture in which the shoulders (shoulder joints) are easily movable and the body of the user M is easily loosened (the body is easily loosened).

(3) Start of Vertical Movement of Vibration Unit After that, the drive unit 3 is driven to drive the vibration unit 2 . At this time, the user M can drive the vibrating unit 2 with the forearm resting on the movable forearm rest 22, for example, by operating the remote controller.
By driving the vibrating unit 2 , the movable forearm resting part 22 rotates up and down about the front rotation fulcrum 23 . Therefore, the forearm of the user M placed here also moves up and down, and this motion is input as a vertical motion that rotates the elbow of the user M more than the wrist side. The range of vertical movement of the elbow is preferably adjusted according to the user M. For example, for a small person, a person with shoulder pain, or a person with stiff joints, the range is adjusted to a small vertical movement width. It is desirable that the body should not be overloaded. This is because excessive load causes stress and tension, making it difficult to unravel.
In this way, the vertical motion input to the user M's elbow is transmitted to the scapula via the upper arm, and the user M is instructed to move the scapula and surrounding muscles up and down (passive movement). is input as a typical action). Furthermore, this motion is a rhythmic and small up-and-down motion, and is a motion that is repeatedly input. Of course, the left and right operations are synchronized.
In addition, since the user M to whom such a motion is input is in the relaxed sitting posture as described above, the upper body is in a relaxed state with no strain. For this reason, the passive up-and-down motion input to the shoulder girdle promotes muscle pump action and improves blood flow in the user M's shoulders and neck. The tension is eliminated. Incidentally, the motion of moving the muscles in small steps and rhythmically tends to weaken the body of the user M, so that the relaxed sitting posture and the input motion of the passive up-and-down motion act synergistically to relieve stiff shoulders and neck. The tension of the part becomes easier to be eliminated.

As a result of actual tests conducted by the present applicant, the number of vertical movements of the movable forearm resting part 22 is 1 to 5 times per second, and the width (amplitude) of the vertical movement is 3 cm to 5 cm. 5 cm was preferred.
By the way, it was found that the user M, on the contrary, felt fatigued because he felt that he was physically shaken more than "vibration (small shaking)" but "strongly shaken". In other words, it was found that the subject had the impression that the head was being shaken, and felt discomfort (finding was obtained).
Of course, the speed at which the movable forearm resting part 22 is moved up and down can be changed during treatment, and such operating conditions can be set by a separate program. In addition, it is possible to set the treatment time for one treatment by a timer.

Next, the effects after treatment performed under the above setting will be described.
For example, when the patient moved up and down three times per second for 10 minutes, stiff shoulders and heavy shoulder and neck symptoms were improved. In addition, since not only the shoulders but also the shoulder blades are rocked, the flexibility of the shoulders has improved.

[Other embodiments]
Although the present invention is based on the above-described embodiment as one basic technical idea, the following modifications are possible.
First, in the basic embodiment described above, the configuration in which the drive source 31 of the drive unit 3 is provided separately from the vibration unit 2 has been basically described. However, the drive source 31 of the drive unit 3 can be incorporated into the vibration unit 2 . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5( a ) as an example, a driving source 31 and a driving side pulley 32 are provided on the base portion 21 , and from the eccentric position of the driving side pulley 32 to the lower portion of the movable forearm resting portion 22 . are connected by a link-shaped rod 37 . In this case, the rotational motion of the drive source 31 is converted into vertical motion of the movable forearm resting portion 22 via the drive side pulley 32 and the rod 37 . Reference numeral 26 in the drawing denotes a synchronization detection sensor, which detects vertical movement of the movable forearm resting section 22, that is, horizontal vertical movement input from the elbow to the shoulder of the user M. Synchronize.
Incidentally, in such a configuration, the wire 35 described above is not required.

In the modified example shown in FIG. 5(a), the drive-side pulley 32 and the rod 37 are used to convert the rotational motion of the drive source 31 into the vertical motion of the movable forearm rest 22. It is possible to apply a cam. That is, a cam is provided on the rotating shaft of the drive source 31, and the movable forearm resting portion 22 is configured to always abut against the cam from above. 22 can be moved up and down.

Further, in the basic embodiment described above, the movable forearm resting part 22 performs only vertical movement (vertical rotation) about the pivot fulcrum 23 . However, as shown in FIG. 5(b), for example, the movable forearm placing section 22 may be configured to move back and forth along with the vertical rotation. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, for example, the pivot point 23 is configured to be movable back and forth, and a cam 38 is attached to the connecting portion between the rod 37 and the movable forearm resting portion 22. is provided, and the connecting portion is configured to be movable back and forth. As a result, the movable forearm placing section 22 can move back and forth while moving up and down.

In the basic embodiment described above, the movable forearm resting part 22 is not in a horizontal state at the bottom dead center. In particular, the portion to which the biasing body 36 such as a spring and the wire 35 are connected is also formed at the same height as the other portions. However, the base portion 21 does not necessarily have to be formed at the same height over the entire length. For example, as shown in FIG. can be formed at a position lower than other parts, and by adopting such a structure, the movable forearm resting part 22 can be configured to be in a substantially horizontal state at the bottom dead center. .

Further, in the basic embodiment described above, since the elbow of the user M is moved up and down more than the wrist side, the rotation fulcrum 23 is located at the front end portion of the base portion 21 and the movable forearm resting portion 22. For this reason, the wrist side (hand) has a structure that hardly moves up and down. However, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, it is possible to position (shift) the rotation fulcrum 23 to the rear side (elbow side) within a range in which the elbow moves up and down more than the wrist side (for example, near the bottom of the wrist). In this case, both front and rear ends of the movable forearm resting portion 22 alternately move back and forth, and the user M receives vertical motion from the elbow to the shoulder, and also inputs vertical motion to the hand. be done. For this reason, the user M performs a movement (passive movement) of the wrist while moving the shoulder blade up and down at the same time. can be loosened. That is, with such a structure, the wrist of the user M can be swung up and down in conjunction with the scapula, effectively relieving typing fatigue of the forearm.

1 Relief device (relief device for the shoulder and neck region)
2 vibration unit 3 drive unit 4 fixing means

21 Base 21B Bottom 21a Notch 22 Movable Forearm Placement 23 Rotation Support 24 Wrist Holding Pad 25 Elbow Opening Prevention Pad 25a Concave 26 Synchronization Detection Sensor

31 drive source 32 driving side pulley 33 driven side pulley 33R rotating body 34 belt 35 wire 35I wire inner 35U wire outer 36 biasing body 37 rod 38 cam

41 fixing band 42 mounting stabilizer

C Chair AR Armrest M User La1 line (a line extending forward from the inner edge of the right movable forearm rest)
La2 line (a line extending forward from the inner edge of the left movable forearm rest)
Lb1 line (a line extending inward from the rear edge of the right movable forearm rest)
Lb2 line (a line extending inward from the rear edge of the left movable forearm rest)

Claims (5)

A shoulder and neck relaxation device comprising a vibration unit and a drive unit, comprising:
The vibration unit includes a base portion fixedly installed;
A movable forearm resting part rotatably supported on the upper part of the base part,
By operating the drive unit, the elbow side of the movable forearm rest in the vibration unit is moved up and down more than the wrist side, and the elbow of the forearm placed on the upper surface of the movable forearm rest is reciprocated in the vertical direction. It moves and transmits the movement to the shoulder girdle ,
Although the movable forearm rests are separately provided on the left and right sides, the vertical movement is synchronized between the left and right movable forearm rests,
In addition , the movable forearm placing section includes :
a wrist holding pad that prevents the forearm from slipping forward due to up-and-down movement when the user puts the forearm on the movable forearm rest and maintains a relaxed sitting posture ;
An elbow-opening prevention pad is provided to prevent the elbow from opening outward due to up-and-down movement when the user puts the forearm on the movable forearm rest , thereby maintaining a relaxed sitting posture. A relaxation device for the shoulder and neck region.
2. The apparatus for relaxing the shoulder and neck region according to claim 1 , wherein the movable forearm resting portion performs a oscillating motion to move the elbow side up and down with the front portion of the base portion on the wrist side as a fulcrum of rotation.
3. The apparatus for relaxing the shoulder and neck region according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein the vibration unit has fixing means for fixing the base portion to an armrest provided on an existing chair.
The drive unit is configured such that the drive source is provided at a separate position apart from the vibration unit, the rotary motion of the drive source is converted into reciprocating motion, and this reciprocating motion is transmitted as vertical motion of the movable forearm rest. The shoulder and neck relaxation device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , characterized in that:
4. The drive unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the drive source is mounted on the base portion of the vibration unit, and the rotary motion of the drive source acts as the vertical motion of the movable forearm rest. 1. A relaxation device for a shoulder and neck region according to claim 1.

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