JPH0339704B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an acupuncture device equipped with a vibration means and a heating means, and provides a novel acupuncture stimulation device used in acupuncture therapy in Oriental medicine.

Acupuncture therapy in Oriental medicine has been used empirically to treat various diseases since ancient times. In acupuncture, the parts of the body that produce a therapeutic effect when stimulated are called ``acupoints,'' and the connections between acupuncture points that are effective against a specific disease are called ``meridians.'' In acupuncture, these points are mechanically stimulated depending on the disease, and in moxibustion, moxa is burned to provide thermal stimulation to the points. Until recently, this type of therapy remained an empirical therapeutic medicine, but recently the relationship between this type of stimulation and human physiology has gradually been elucidated, and the production of chemical substances in body fluids due to stimulation, or various It has become clear that it promotes hormone secretion. Conventionally, the needles used in acupuncture treatments include Japanese needles with a narrow diameter and Chinese needles with a thick diameter, which are inserted into the body surface or pressed against the skin surface to stimulate acupuncture points. Other special types of acupuncture needles include those that place burning moxa on the top of the acupuncture needle, which generates thermal stimulation in addition to mechanical stimulation, and those that have protrusions around the heating rotating ring. There is a type of acupuncture that is rolled on the surface and is called thermal acupuncture.

The object of the present invention is to provide a thermal acupuncture device that generates a stimulating effect that cannot be obtained with conventional acupuncture, is easy to operate, and is highly safe. The stimulation effects obtained by the thermal acupuncture device of this invention are: firstly, extremely stable mechanical stimulation and thermal stimulation can be obtained simultaneously; Mechanical and thermal stimulation can be obtained. Furthermore, the cycle of stimulation and the temperature of the needles can be changed with simple operations. In order to generate such stimulation, this thermal acupuncture device uses needles that are movable only in the axial direction by holding the tips of the needles in the case through an elastic body with the tips of the needles facing the opening of the case. It includes electro-mechanical conversion means for vibrating the needle in the axial direction, a heater placed near the needle for heating the needle, and a control circuit for controlling the electro-mechanical conversion means and the heater. ing. As the electro-mechanical conversion means, a solenoid fixed to the case and a ferromagnetic body such as an iron piece or a permanent magnet fixed directly to the needle or to a movable member engaged with the needle are used. In addition, the electricity
As a mechanical transducer, various known devices such as a bimorph piezoelectric element partially engaged with the end of the needle, a piezoelectric element placed between the end of the needle and the case, or an excitation device using a small motor can be used. Can be used. The control circuit controls the electricity at variable intervals.
By exciting the mechanical transducer, the needles can be vibrated at different periods. Further, the temperature of the needle can be adjusted by adjusting the magnitude of the current flowing through the heater using the control circuit. Furthermore, an audio frequency power amplifier circuit having an audio frequency oscillation circuit and an output connected to a speaker is provided in the control circuit, the output of the audio frequency oscillation circuit is connected to a counter electrode, and the acupuncture needle is connected to the audio frequency power amplifier circuit. This allows even non-experts to easily detect acupuncture points while monitoring the sound from the speaker.

Next, a specific example of the acupuncture device of the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of the first embodiment. 1', 1'', and 1 are parts forming the case 1 molded from heat-resistant plastic, and the case part 1, which is fitted or screwed onto the lower end of the case part 1'', has an opening 3 at the conical end. It is equipped with The main body of case 1 is half 1'
and 1", and both halves are fixed with screws 4.
At the same time, the screws 4 fix an elastic movable member 6 to the partition plate 5 of the case 1, and the movable member 6 is passed through a hole 8 provided at the end of the needle 7. Acupuncture 7 is Tsuba 9
The movable member 6 is moved with a weak force by a coil spring 13 provided between the heat-resistant plate 11 and the heat-resistant plate 11 having an opening in the center.
The needle 7 is urged upward against the needle 7. The tip 10 of the needle 7 passes through the center of the coil spring 13, passes through the opening in the heat-resistant plate 11, the opening 14 in the case half 1'', and the opening in the heater case 12, and faces the opening 3 in the case part 1.The tip 10 of the needle Various forms are well known and can be replaced as necessary.The heater case 12 is fixed to the case half 1'' with screws, and a heater 17 arranged surrounding the acupuncture needle 7 is housed inside. has been done. An insulated conductor or semiconductor is used as the heater 17. Further, a solenoid 15 with an iron core is fixed to the case half 1'', and a ferromagnetic material 16 such as iron or a permanent magnet is provided on the movable member 6 that faces the iron core with a small gap.Solenoid 15 Lead wires 15' and 17' from the heater 17 are connected to a control circuit 19 through an opening 18 provided in a partition plate of the case half 1''. A lead wire 7' for picking up the audible frequency from the counter electrode E is connected to the end of the needle 7 by a socket, and the lead wire 7' is also connected to the control circuit 19 through the opening 18.
Further, the control circuit 19 is connected by lead wires to a group of switches 20 such as a power switch, a switch for changing the vibration period of the needle, a volume adjustment knob, and a knob for controlling the current flowing through the heater, and a terminal of a monitor speaker SP. ing. A rubber cord cover 24 is fitted into the rear end of the case 1, and the control circuit 1
A power cord 22 and a lead wire 23 connected to the counter electrode E are drawn out from the terminal 9 . Next, the operation of this acupuncture device will be explained. First, turn on the power to the switch group 20, hold the opposing electrode E provided on the lead wire 23 with your left hand, or otherwise fix it on an appropriate part of your body.
0 along the meridians on the skin surface to detect areas where the speaker's sound is strong. At this time, adjust the volume appropriately using the volume adjustment knob. The point where the volume is high, that is, the area where the resistance between the counter electrode E and the needle 7 is low, almost coincides with the acupuncture point that requires treatment.
Next, the current control knob and the switch for changing the vibration period of the switch group 20 are set, the needle 7 is heated by the heater 17, and the needle 7 is vibrated in the axial direction at a predetermined period. When a current is applied to the coil of the solenoid 15 at a predetermined period, the ferromagnetic body 16 is attracted only when the solenoid is excited, and the elastic movable member 6
The needle 7 is vibrated at a predetermined period through the . Then, grasp the rear part of the case 1 with your hand and lightly press the tip 10 of the needle against the acupuncture point. When the vibration frequency of the acupuncture needle 7 is about 3 Hz, the patient feels a pleasant stimulation, and it has a therapeutic effect on medical symptoms such as stiff shoulders and lower back pain.
In the case of Hz, patients felt a tingling stimulus, and it was confirmed that it had a healing effect on neuralgia, headaches, stomach pain, bleeding, etc. The above excitation period is optimal, but it can be changed as necessary. In addition, if there is no need to detect the acupuncture points, the lead wires 7' and 2
3 and speaker SP are unnecessary. Furthermore, instead of an external power source, a battery may be housed in the case and used as a power source for the control circuit.

FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the acupuncture device of the second embodiment. In this example, a thin cylindrical case consisting of three case parts 1', 1'' and 1 is used as the case 1, which is more compact than the case shown in Fig. 1.The three case parts 1' , 1'' and 1 inside the coil springs 13' and 13'', solenoid 15
etc., and then fit them together to assemble the case 1. The tip 10 of the needle 7 faces the opening 3 of the cylinder 1 through the central opening of the partition plates 5' and 5'' of the parts 1' and 1''. Coil springs 13' and 13'' are provided above and below the tsuba 9 of the needle, and the other ends of both coil springs abut against the partition plates 5' and 5'', and the tsuba 9 is biased in the vertical direction, so that the acupuncture needle 7 is It is held in the case 1 so that it can move only in the vertical direction, that is, in the axial direction. In addition, there is a heater 1 inside the lower side of the partition plate 5''.
A heater case 12 in which 7 is arranged is fixed with screws. A solenoid 15 with an iron core is fixed to the upper part of the cylinder 1a, and a ferromagnetic material 16 such as iron or a permanent magnet is fixed to the upper end of the needle 7, facing the iron core of the solenoid 15 with a small gap.
The solenoid 15, heater 17, lead wire 17' fixed to the needle 7 with a socket, etc. are connected to pins of a connector 25 provided at the upper end of the case 1. Connector 25 is connected to a control circuit by a cable (not shown). The operation of this acupuncture device is almost the same as that shown in FIG. 1, so a description thereof will be omitted, but the difference is that the needle 7 is directly vibrated by a solenoid 15 and a ferromagnetic body 16.

Moreover, the piezoelectric effect can be used instead of the electro-mechanical conversion means using a solenoid and a ferromagnetic material shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. For this purpose, in the example shown in FIG. 1, a bimorph piezoelectric element in which two piezoelectric layers are laminated is used instead of the cantilever-shaped movable member 6. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 2, both end surfaces of the piezoelectric element are fixed to the inner upper end of the case 1 and the upper end of the needle 7. In this way, the needle 7 can be vibrated by the deflection or expansion/contraction of the piezoelectric element due to voltage application.

FIG. 3 shows a control circuit for the acupuncture device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The control circuit includes an audio frequency oscillation circuit A that applies the signal to the counter electrode E, a power amplification circuit B that amplifies the audio frequency electrical signal picked up from the needle 7 and drives the speaker SP, and a solenoid 15 that has a frequency of 1 and 3 Hz in the previous embodiment. It consists of an acupuncture vibrating circuit C that applies a current periodically, a heating circuit D that controls the magnitude of the current flowing through the case 17, and a power supply circuit that supplies a DC voltage Vcc to operate the circuits A to D. Although the power supply circuit is omitted in Fig. 3, when using a 100V commercial power supply, a transformer is used to step down the voltage and rectify and smooth it. Other batteries can also be used, and in either case, a switch is provided to control the supply of Vcc of about 15V. Circuit A configures a rectangular wave oscillation circuit using a linear IC (IC1) with a large gain. The negative input terminal of IC1 has a capacitance of C _1A .
Since it is connected to the output terminal VO _A through a resistor R _4A , the potential of the output terminal VO _{A is} approximately
It is charged when the saturation value is 12V and discharged when it is 0V.
In addition, the positive input terminal is connected to Vcc of approximately 15V, and the output terminal is connected to VO _A.
It is connected via R _1A and R _3A and grounded via R _2A , and is kept at a high potential when the output terminal VO _A potential is at the saturation value of approximately 12V, and at a low potential when it is 0V. . Therefore, when the potential at the output terminal is at the saturation potential, the positive input terminal is kept at a high potential, and the potential at the negative input terminal increases with time as C _1A is charged through R _4A , and the potential at the positive input terminal increases. reach potential. At this point, the potential at the output end becomes 0V, and the potential at the positive input end becomes a low potential. At the same time, C _1A starts discharging through R _4A , and the potential of the negative input terminal decreases from a high potential over time, becoming equal to the potential of the positive input terminal after a certain period of time, and at the same time, the potential of the output terminal returns to the saturation value of approximately 12V. reach. In this way, a rectangular pulse voltage is generated at the output terminal VO _A , and only the alternating current component is applied to the counter electrode E via C _2A . Although the frequency can be changed by changing any parameter other than C _2A , it is preferable to change C _1A or R _4A . The power amplification circuit B converts the electric signal from the counter electrode E picked up by the acupuncture needle 7 into a power IC (IC
2) to operate the speaker SP. The voltage generated across R _B due to the input signal is applied to IC2 and power amplified. C _1B and C _3B are capacitors for blocking DC components, and C _2B is a bypass capacitor. _VRB is a variable resistor for volume adjustment. The acupuncture vibration circuit C consists of a rectangular wave oscillation circuit and a switching circuit similar to the circuit A. The rectangular wave oscillation circuit can use the same linear IC (IC3) as circuit A, and the configuration is the same except for the circuit constants. R _1C ~ R _4C
corresponds to R _1A to R _1C , and C _1C and C _2C correspond to C _1A . In particular, the capacitance of a specific number of capacitors _C1C and _C2C is increased to enable oscillation of 1 to 20Hz. In addition, the vibration period is made variable by switching between connecting capacitors _C1C and _C2C in parallel using a switch _SW , or using only _C12 . In the case of the figure, R _4C = 510kΩ,
C _1C = C _2C = 2.2μF, and when _SW is closed, it oscillates at 1Hz, and when it is open, it oscillates at 3Hz. The output of the oscillator is connected to the base B of the switching transistor T _r1 via _R5C .
When the output _VOC is at high potential, the collector C
and the emitter E are electrically connected, and current from the power supply Vcc flows through the solenoid 15 connected in series to the acupuncture needle 7.
A force is applied to the magnet 16 through the magnet 16. Also, the output is 0V
When CE is disconnected, the needle 7 is returned to its original position by a coil spring or the like. The heating circuit D consists of a power transistor T _r2 and applies a positive bias voltage to the base B by R _D connected to Vcc and a variable resistor VR _D. When the base voltage is changed by operating VR _D , the collector current changes, and the magnitude of the current flowing through the heater 17 connected in series between the collector and emitter can be changed. Furthermore, the thermistor TH
compensates for changes in the characteristics of T _r2 due to temperature changes.

As explained above, this thermal acupuncture device uses the needles themselves to detect acupuncture point positions, and the acupoint positions can be known through a monitor such as a speaker, so there is no need to use any other acupuncture point detection device. Accurate acupuncture points can be detected using only a thermal acupuncture device.

Once an acupuncture point is detected, anyone can easily and accurately apply acupuncture stimulation and thermal stimulation to the acupuncture point by driving the thermal acupuncture needle while keeping the acupuncture tip in that position.

Since voltage is applied to the acupuncture needles to detect acupuncture points, electrical stimulation is applied to the acupuncture points while detecting the acupuncture points and while applying acupuncture stimulation. At the same time, it is possible to obtain the effect of eliminating electrical imbalance.

By switching the vibration frequency of the acupuncture needles, it is possible to provide optimal stimulation according to the purpose of treatment.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show different embodiments of the acupuncture device of the present invention, and FIG. 3 shows a control circuit used in the acupuncture device of the present invention. In Figures 1 and 2, 1: case, 6:
Movable member, 7: needle, 9: tsuba of needle 7, 13: coil spring, 15: solenoid with iron core, 16: permanent magnet, 19: control circuit, in FIG. 3, A: audio frequency oscillation circuit, B: power amplification The circuits are: C: acupuncture excitation circuit, D: heating circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A needle held so as to be movable only in the axial direction with the tip of the needle facing the opening of the case, an electro-mechanical transducer for vibrating the needle in the axial direction, and A heater disposed near the needle to heat the needle, a counter electrode, a circuit for controlling the electro-mechanical conversion means and the heater, an audio frequency transmitting circuit for applying voltage to the counter electrode and the needle, and the A thermal acupuncture device characterized by comprising a control circuit including an amplifier circuit that drives a monitor using electrical signals picked up by acupuncture needles. 2. The thermal acupuncture device according to claim 1, which uses a solenoid fixed to the case as the electro-mechanical conversion means, and a ferromagnetic body fixed to the needle or a movable member engaged with the needle. . 3. Claim 1, wherein the control circuit can excite the electro-mechanical conversion means at a variable frequency in order to vibrate the needle at different vibration cycles.
Thermal acupuncture device according to Section 1 or Section 2. 4. The thermal acupuncture device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control circuit can adjust the magnitude of the current flowing through the heater in order to adjust the temperature of the acupuncture needles.