JPH0430860A - Autogenic training apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make clear falling and rising in warm stimulation by applying an incandescent lamp as warm stimulation generating means. CONSTITUTION:A person to be inspected puts his right or left hand on a hand carrier 3 with the palm thereof downward and a selection key of a display operation section 12 is depressed to select a desired program and a starting key is depressed to start operation. An autogenic training apparatus 1 lights an incandescent lamp 37 cyclically or intermittently according to the program selected to apply a warm stimulation on the back of his hand while actuating a shutter of an air feed unit 41 to apply a cool stimulation. Inexpensive and small incandescent lamps 37 can be available commercially in various types thereby achieving a smaller size and a lower cost of the autogenic training apparatus. This makes clear the rising and falling of the warm stimulation as with an infrared lamp.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a device for learning autonomic training techniques and obtaining a relaxation sensation, and more specifically, to a means for applying thermal stimulation to a living body.

(b) Conventional technology In recent years, autonomic training methods developed based on the theory of hypnosis have been widely used in clinical psychosomatic medicine. This autonomic training method is a method that uses self-hypnosis to correct and control disturbances in the autonomic nervous system caused mainly by mental stress, thereby leading to treatment of psychosomatic diseases.
It was introduced to the world by Dr. Schulz of Germany and perfected by Dr. Luthe of Canada.

The standard practice of autogenic training is to have a patient in a relaxed state perform autosuggestion step by step using the following formula, for example.

■(Background formula): I feel calm.

■(First formula) Both hands and feet are heavy.

■(Second formula) Both hands and feet are warm.

■(Third formula): The heart is beating quietly and regularly.

■(Fourth formula): Breathing easily.

■(Fifth formula): My stomach is warm.

■(6th formula): My forehead feels cool.

By practicing these formulas, the result is to enter a hypnotic state, that is, to lower the level of consciousness to the subconscious level, and to release psychological depression.

By the way, the problem when practicing the autonomic training method is that, for example, in the case of the second formula, if a self-suggestion such as ``my right hand is warm'' is given, the subject will actively focus their attention for that purpose, becomes tense and the temperature drops. Therefore, passive concentration of attention is required to obtain the results according to self-suggestion, but this is generally extremely difficult (W. Rute, supervised by Nishitsugu Ikemi, "Autonomic Training Method"). In order to make it easier to learn the autonomic training method, an autonomic training device that applies the theory of conditioned reflexes has been proposed. This autonomous training device includes an infrared lamp and an air blower that apply a warm stimulus and a cold stimulus to a predetermined part of the subject, such as the hand, and a sequence control means that controls the infrared lamp and the air blower according to a sequence program. (Patent Application No. 1-339259).

Furthermore, under the control of this sequence control means, the subject is allowed to hear a rhythm or a message such as "your right hand is warm" at regular time intervals. In accordance with these messages and rhythms, warm and/or cold stimuli are applied to the subject periodically or intermittently. At first glance, it seems contradictory to apply a cold stimulus in response to the message "Your right hand is warm," but the fact that it is being cooled by the wind makes it even easier to believe that you are receiving a warm stimulus. , which provides a cold stimulus as well as a warm stimulus.

In this autonomic training device, a warm stimulus and/or a cold stimulus are first given along with the rhythm and message, and the subject is conditioned to increase the temperature of his right hand when he hears the rhythm and message. Since then, it has been shown that simply listening to the rhythm or message to a subject causes a biological reaction in which the blood vessels in the right hand expand, blood flow increases, and the temperature of the right hand actually rises, even without stimulation. can be expected.

Therefore, in this autonomic training device, stimulation is given in accordance with the rhythm etc. at first, but after a certain period of time, stimulation is given intermittently in accordance with the rhythm etc. to condition the biological reaction. For example, initially, stimulation is applied for each beat of the rhythm, but after a certain period of time, sequence control is performed such that stimulation is applied only twice for every three beats of the rhythm.

(C) Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the above-mentioned autonomic training device, in order to effectively condition a subject, it is necessary to make the rise and fall of the warm stimulus and cold stimulus clear.

On the other hand, there is also a demand for miniaturization of this autonomous training device so that it can be easily used in general households.

So, looking at thermal stimulation, infrared lamps are a means of generating thermal stimulation, and although they can clearly indicate the rise and fall of thermal stimulation, commercially available ones are large, which poses a problem when trying to miniaturize an autonomic training device. It is. Other than infrared lamps, microwaves and heaters can be considered.
Microwave equipment is large and expensive, and the noise affects the surrounding area, so it is not suitable as an autonomous training device for general home use. In addition, in the case of a heater, the heat capacity is large, and if it is turned on and off in short cycles, it is difficult to clearly distinguish the rise and fall of the thermal stimulation, and the control circuit for the heater becomes large, making it difficult to train autonomously. There is a problem that hinders miniaturization of the device.

This invention was made in view of the above, and aims to provide an autonomic training device that clearly shows the rise and fall of thermal stimulation and can be miniaturized.

(d) Means and operation for solving the problem In order to solve the above problem, the autonomic training device of the present invention includes a warm stimulation generating means for applying a warm stimulus to the subject's body, and a cold stimulus generating means for applying a cold stimulus to the subject's body. A stimulus generating means, and a sequence control means for controlling the warm stimulus generating means and the cold stimulus generating means so that the warm stimulus and the cold stimulus are applied periodically or intermittently according to a predetermined sequence. ,
The thermal stimulation generating means is characterized in that it is an incandescent lamp.

Many kinds of inexpensive and small incandescent lamps are commercially available, and the autonomous training device can be made smaller and lower in price. In addition, incandescent lamps, like infrared lamps, have a small heat capacity and can clearly indicate the rise and fall of the thermal stimulation, without impairing the training effect.

(e) Examples An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the autonomous training device 1 according to the embodiment.

This autonomous training device 1 is roughly divided into a base part 2, an upright part 6
, the stimulus generator 100 consists of three parts. The base 2 is provided with a gently convex hand rest 3 so that the subject's one hand can be placed naturally thereon. Reference numeral 4 denotes a pulse wave sensor that is attached to the finger of the subject, and is connected to the jack 5 of the upright portion 6 (see FIG. 1) via a cord 4a and a plug 4b.

As shown in FIG. 3, a power supply section 7 and a circuit board 8 are housed in the upright section 6. As shown in FIG. On the circuit board 8, an incandescent lamp 37, a sequence control circuit for sequentially controlling the blower unit 41, a disconnection detection circuit for the incandescent lamp 37, etc., which will be described later, are provided.

The stimulation generating section 10 is composed of an upper case 11, a lower case 21, and a cover 31 (see FIGS. 1, 3, and 4). A display and operation section 12 is provided on the upper surface of the upper case 11, and 12a is a circuit board thereof. Display/operation section 12
There is a bar graph meter 12b that displays the magnitude of the pulse wave.
Also provided are a program/disconnection display section 12C consisting of a 7-segment display, a program selection key 12d, a stop key 12e, and a start key 12f.

A partition wall 14 is integrally formed in the upper case 11.
The inside of the stimulation generating section 10 is separated into upper and lower parts.

A communication hole 15 is formed in the partition wall 14, and a fan 16 for cooling the incandescent lamp 37 is attached above the communication hole 15. On the other hand, a ventilation unit 41 is provided on the partition wall 14 to provide cold stimulation to the subject. This ventilation unit 4
1 includes a fan and a shutter mechanism (not shown). The purpose of turning the wind on and off using the shutter mechanism is to clarify the rise and fall of the cold stimulus, and the fan is always operating. 54 is an intake port, and 56 is a shutter driving motor. Note that the fan 16 and the blower unit 41 are mounted on the side surface of the upper case 11.
An intake slit 13 is provided for the purpose.

The air guide path 23 is guided downward from the air outlet 43 of the air blower unit 41 and opens at the bottom surface of the lower case 21 . Furthermore, an exhaust slit 22 is provided on the side surface of the lower case 21 for discharging the wind that has taken away the heat of the incandescent lamp 37.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper case 11 has a pair of hanging pieces 1.
7.17 is provided. A female connector 18, 18 is attached to each depending piece 17. These connectors 18.18 are electrically connected to the circuit board 8 by lead wires (not shown).

Further, a concave portion 19 is provided between these hanging pieces 17, 17 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

A cutout 20 for ventilation is provided at the lower end of the concave portion 19.

The cover 31 is configured to be separable from the upper case 11 and the lower case 21, as shown in FIG.

The cover 31 is fixed to the upper case 11 and the lower case 21 by engaging the engaging claws 32, 32 with the inner surface of the lower case 21 and fitting the protrusion 31a into the recess 11a of the upper case 11. Note that 33 is a stopper for fingers to slip when attaching and detaching the cover 31.

The cover 31 is provided with a concave portion 34 (see FIGS. 1 to 3). When the cover 31 is attached to the lower case 21 and the upper case 11, this concave part 34 is connected to the concave part 1.
9 to form a lamp storage chamber 30 having a semicylindrical cross section, and the concave portion 19.34 acts as a reflective surface.

Three sockets 36 are arranged in parallel in the concave portion 34, and an incandescent lamp 37 is attached to each socket (see FIG. 2). The reason why three incandescent lamps 37 are used is to vary the strength of the thermal stimulation by the number of lit incandescent lamps 37.
Since only the on/off control of the incandescent lamp 37 is required, the control circuit can be simplified. A pair of male connectors 38 are provided on both sides of the concave portion 34 (only one is shown). This connector 38 and the socket 36 are electrically connected by a lead 36a.

Further, when the cover 31 is attached to the lower case 21 and the upper case 11, the connector 38 and the connector 18 are connected, and the circuit board 8 and the incandescent lamp 37 are electrically connected. Note that the concave surface portion 34 is also provided with a cutout portion 35 for ventilation, similar to the concave surface portion 19 (see FIG. 3).

A heat ray discharge port 39 is provided on the lower surface of the cover 31. The heat ray discharge port 39 is covered with a visible light cut filter 40 made of resin from the inner surface of the cover 31, and the incandescent lamp 37
It has a light-shielding structure that prevents visible light from leaking to the outside. A fin 40a for heat radiation is provided on the top surface of the visible light cut filter 40.
are arranged in parallel (see Figures 2 and 3). Some visible light cut filters are made of glass, but in this embodiment, a cheaper one made of resin is used. When using a visible light cut filter made of glass, such fins can be omitted.

The air from the fan 16 flows through the communication hole 15 to the cover 31.
The visible light cut filter 40 and the incandescent lamp 37 are guided into the lamp storage chamber 30 through the notch 35.
... Takes away 37 heat (see Figure 3). The wind that has absorbed this heat is guided into the case 21 through the notch 20 and is discharged to the outside through the exhaust slit 22.

Next, the operation of the example autonomous training device 1 will be explained.

The subject places his or her right or left hand on the hand rest 3 with the palm facing down, and attaches the pulse wave sensor 4 to the index or middle finger. In this state, the subject presses the selection key 12d, selects the desired program (the selected program is displayed on the program/disconnection display section 12c), and presses the start key 12f to start the operation.

The autonomic training device 1 periodically or intermittently turns on the incandescent lamp 37 according to the selected program to apply thermal stimulation to the back of the subject's hand, and also turns on the blower unit 4.
Shutter No. 1 was activated, and a cold stimulus was also applied to the back of the subject's hand. Since the on/off of the thermal stimulation depends on the on/off timing of the incandescent lamp 37, which has a small heat capacity, its rise and fall can be made clear. Also,
As described above, the strength of the thermal stimulus can be adjusted by selecting the number of incandescent lamps 37 to be lit. Further, due to the light shielding structure, the subject cannot visually recognize that the incandescent lamp 37 is turned on. Therefore, even if the method of applying thermal stimulation changes from periodic to intermittent, the subject can be made to think that thermal stimulation is still being applied periodically, making conditioning easier.

Note that while the autonomic training device 1 is in operation, the magnitude of the pulse wave is displayed on the bar graph meter 12b, so the subject can easily see the effects of the training. can be approved. Furthermore, the autonomous training device I is equipped with a timer and automatically stops after a predetermined period of time has elapsed.

Next, the replacement of the incandescent lamp 37 of the autonomous training device 1 of this embodiment will be explained. In this autonomous training device 1, when an incandescent lamp 37 is disconnected, the program/disconnection display section 12cL of the display/operation section 2 displays numerically which incandescent lamp 37 is disconnected. This is because, as described above, due to the light shielding structure, it is not possible to confirm from the outside whether or not the incandescent lamp 37 is disconnected. Note that the method for displaying disconnections is not limited to numbers, and the design can be changed as appropriate.

If a disconnection is displayed, the user removes the cover 31 and replaces the displayed incandescent lamp 37 with a new one. At this time, the lamp storage chamber 3o is separated into two, exposing the incandescent lamp 37, and since the incandescent lamp 37 is on the cover 31 side, the replacement work is facilitated.
7 damage can also be prevented.

Further, when the cover 31 is separated, the connectors 18 and 38 are also separated, and the incandescent lamp 37 is completely electrically separated from the circuit board 8 and is not lit. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an accident in which the incandescent lamp 37 lights up during the replacement work of the incandescent lamp 37 and the user suffers burns.

(f) As described in detail, the autonomic training device of the present invention uses an incandescent lamp as a means for generating thermal stimulation, so it is possible to make the rise and fall of the thermal stimulation clear and to reduce the size of the device. It has the advantage of being able to achieve

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an autonomous training device according to an embodiment of the present invention with the cover removed, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the autonomous training device as seen from above, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of the autonomous training device, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view. 8: Circuit board, 18/38: Connector, 31: Cover 40: Visible light cutter 41: Air blower unit 11: Upper case, 21: Lower case, 37: Incandescent lamp, filter, Appearance of the autonomous training device

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A warm stimulus generating means for applying a warm stimulus to the subject's body, a cold stimulus generating means for applying a cold stimulus to the subject's body,
An autonomous training device comprising a sequence control means for controlling the warm stimulus generation means and the cold stimulus generation means so that the warm stimulus and cold stimulus are applied periodically or intermittently according to a predetermined sequence, An autonomous training device characterized in that the stimulus generating means is an incandescent lamp. (2) The self-training device according to claim 1, wherein the incandescent lamp is housed in a case in a light-shielded state except for the heat ray emission port, and the heat ray emission port is covered with a visible light cut filter. (3) The incandescent lamp is housed in a case with a separable cover, a socket is provided on the cover side to which the incandescent lamp is attached, and the cover and the case are each provided with connectors, so that the cover can be attached to the case. The self-training device according to claim 1, wherein these connectors are connected when attached to a case, and the incandescent lamp and the case side are electrically connected.