JPH11290409A - Chair type massager - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a chair type massager capable of applying massage to an appropriate meridian point of a leg on a foot rest regardless of height difference of users. SOLUTION: To a forward end part of a seat surface part 3, a front frame 100 is connected through a pivotal shaft 24 to be capable of oscillation, and a guide rail 105 is provided in such a way that its length direction is directed in a forward-back direction to the front frame 100. A brake shoe 122 movable along the guide rail 105 is provided, and engagement connection to the brake shoe 122 is achieved by a rotation operation shaft 120 inserted from the side of a foot rest 2. As the rotation operation shaft 120 is loosened, the foot rest 2 can be moved forward and back along the guide rail 105.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a chair-type massage machine having a footrest.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a footrest usable for a chair-type massage machine, a footrest described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-89540 is known. This footrest has a section U
It has a main body in the form of two left and right recesses for leg insertion formed in the shape of a letter, and each recess has three inner surfaces and two inner surfaces facing each other on the left and right. Air bladders are provided in several places.

[0003] These air bags are supplied with air alternately by an air supply / discharge device installed at a different location, and repeatedly inflate or deflate, thereby massaging the legs and the like. The footrest is connected to a seat surface of the chair-type massage machine via a pivot, and can swing back and forth with respect to the seat surface. Around this pivot, a ratchet mechanism for allowing the swing angle to be adjustable and stopping and holding at an appropriate angle, and for interlocking the swing of the footrest in accordance with the reclining operation on the chair type massage machine side. An interlocking mechanism or the like is provided.

[0004]

When using a chair-type massage machine of this kind, a difference in height of the user occurs as a shift in the contact position between the leg side and the back side with the seat surface centered. Therefore, the position of the air bag provided in the footrest may not properly correspond to the position of the acupoint of the leg of the user, and in this case, naturally, the expected massage effect cannot be obtained. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a chair capable of performing massage to a proper acupoint position of a leg or the like in a footrest without being affected by a difference in height of a user. It is intended to provide a type massage machine.

[0006]

According to the present invention, the following technical measures have been taken in order to achieve the above object. That is, in the chair-type massage machine according to the present invention, the footrest is provided so as to be able to swing back and forth at the front of the seating surface, and the footrest is provided on the main body having the leg rest and the main body. And a massage drive unit.

[0007] The footrest is provided so as to be able to move back and forth with respect to the seat surface at least in a use state in which the footrest is flipped up. With such a configuration, the position of the massage drive unit (air cell) of the footrest can be appropriately adjusted according to the height of the user, so that massage can be performed at an appropriate acupoint position on the leg of the user. .

[0008] The massage drive section directly or indirectly massages the legs supported by the leg rest by inflating and deflating an air cell having a bellows structure or the like. The massage operation includes acupressure, fir, hit, vibration, and the like. The forward / backward movement of the footrest may be performed by an automatic mechanism or by a manual mechanism. When the operation is performed by an automatic mechanism, operability can be obtained, and when the operation is performed by a manual mechanism, the structure can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

If the footrest can be moved and stopped independently of the swing angle and the front-rear position, the massage can be received at any desired position, so that the pleasure of satisfaction can be satisfied. A feeling is obtained.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 4 show a first embodiment of a chair-type massage machine 1 according to the present invention. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the massage machine 1 of the first embodiment, a footrest 2 is provided at a front portion of the seat surface portion 3 so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction. The backrest 4 is provided so as to be swingable in the front-rear direction.

The backrest unit 4 is provided with a back massage drive unit 5 for performing a massage operation on the neck, back, waist and the like. The back massage drive unit 5 has an operator 6 composed of a roller rotatable about a horizontal axis.
A fluid pressure actuator, an electric motor,
By appropriately combining or independently performing up / down movement, left / right movement / vibration, etc. by a drive source (not shown) such as an electromagnetic vibrator, and up / down movement by a moving mechanism 7 such as a screw feed mechanism The massage operation is performed.

As shown in FIG. 1, the seating surface portion 3 is provided with a seating massaging drive portion 8 for performing a massage operation by repeating acupressure on the buttocks and thighs and the like to push up from under them. . As shown in FIG. 4, the footrest 2 includes a board-shaped main body 10.
The main body 10 is provided with two groove-shaped leg mounting portions 12 so that the left and right legs of the user can be distributed and supported at a predetermined interval from each other. A leg massage driving unit 13 that performs a massage operation on the ankles and calves of the left and right legs corresponding to each of the leg mounting units 12.
Is provided.

That is, the leg rest 12 is provided with a groove bottom 15
And a lateral inner surface 16 facing the left and right sides, and a central outer surface 18 facing the left and right sides of the separation hill 17 bulging at the center in the width direction. The drive unit 13 includes a side inner surface 16 and a central outer surface 1.
The first acupressure part 2 which grasps each ankle from two opposite sides with the first and second fir
6 and a second acupressure part 27 for acupressure so as to push up the calf from the groove bottom surface 15.

The first acupressure part 26 has two (four in total) air cells 29 per one leg, and the second acupressure part 27
Has one (two in total) air cells 35 per one leg. Each of these air cells 29 and 35 is formed of a resin having excellent flexibility and elasticity such as vinyl acetate, and is formed in a cylindrical shape having an accordion-shaped outer peripheral surface. An axial expansion and contraction operation is performed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the main body 10 of the footrest 2 has a front frame 100 on its back side.
The front frame 100
Is connected to a front portion of a chair-side frame 101 supporting the seating surface portion 3 via a pivot 24 so as to be swingable back and forth. The front frame 100 is provided with a guide rail 105 (see FIG. 3) having a U-shaped cross section and a longitudinal direction directed in the front-rear direction at a central portion in the left-right direction. The guide rail 105 has side long holes 108 formed on both left and right side walls 106 with the longitudinal direction directed in the front-rear direction, and an upper slot formed on the ceiling surface 110 with the longitudinal direction directed in the front-rear direction. 111 are formed.

On the other hand, the main body 10 includes a separation hill 17.
An operation recess 115 is provided at a central portion near the seating surface portion 3 in the above, and the operation recess 115 is provided with a through hole 116 that matches the upper elongated hole 111 of the guide rail 105. The through hole 116 has an operation knob 118 at the upper end and a bolt end 119 at the lower end.
The rotary operation shaft 120 is inserted from the upper side to the lower side, and inside the guide rail 105, a square piece-shaped brake shoe 122 screwed to the bolt end 119 of the rotary operation shaft 120 moves back and forth. It is fitted freely. A retaining pin 125 is laterally fitted into the brake shoe 122 so as to pass through the side long holes 108 on both sides of the guide rail 105.

A holder 126 is provided on the back surface of the main body 10 so that the left and right side walls 106 of the guide rail 105 are fitted to the outside.
Retaining pins 127 are fitted sideways so as to pass through the side long holes 108 on both sides of the guide rail 105. Therefore, when the rotation operation shaft 120 is tightened, the main body 10 is
2 is pressed against the ceiling surface 110 of the guide rail 105 so as to be fixed in a fixed position with respect to the front frame 100, and when the rotating shaft 120 is loosened, the brake shoe 122 becomes free. Thus, the front frame 100 can be freely moved to any position in the front-rear direction.

That is, as a result, the footrest 2 can be moved back and forth at the front of the seating surface 3 irrespective of the swing angle position, and can be fixed in an immovable state at any position in the front-back direction. It has become something. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the swing of the footrest 2 is caused by the gas pressure damper between the hinge piece 132 provided on the guide rail 105 and the lower hinge piece 136 provided on the seat frame 135 of the chair-side frame 101. A tool 137 is attached, and the operation is performed by a manual mechanism utilizing the boosting action of the damper tool 137.

However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a manual mechanism using a link (lever) mechanism or the like, a screw feed mechanism or a gear mechanism using a motor as a driving source, or an automatic mechanism using a fluid pressure actuator or the like is used. (All of them are not shown). By the way, the swing of the backrest 4 is also similar to the case of the footrest 2.
It can be performed manually or automatically. In this case, the swing of the footrest 2 and the backrest 4 may be performed independently of each other, or may be interlocked with each other as a series of reclining operations.

When the footrest 2 and the backrest 4 are linked to each other, the seat surface 3 may be moved back and forth. That is,
As shown in FIG. 1, the seat frame 135 is held by the roller 139 or the like so as to be able to move back and forth with respect to the chair-side frame 101, and the back and forth movement of the seat frame 135 is driven by a motor. Screw feed mechanism and gear mechanism,
Alternatively, it can be driven by a fluid pressure actuator or the like (all not shown).

When the backrest 4 is tilted backward, the seat 3 is moved forward and the footrest 2 is moved.
When the backrest portion 4 is to be erected in the original state, the seat surface portion 3 may be moved backward and the footrest 2 may be hung downward. FIG. 5 shows a chair-type massage machine 1 according to the present invention.
In order to move the footrest 2 back and forth with respect to the seat surface portion 3, a feed screw shaft 140 is screwed through the brake shoe 122 in a direction parallel to the guide rail 105, and the feed screw shaft 140 is A second embodiment is shown in which the motor 142 is driven via a motor 141.

FIG. 6 shows a chair type massage machine 1 according to the present invention. In order to move the footrest 2 back and forth with respect to the seat 3, the hydraulic pressure is applied to the brake shoe 122 in a direction parallel to the guide rail 105. Cylinder 143
Are connected to each other and driven by the fluid pressure cylinder 143. As in the second and third embodiments, the footrest 2 may be configured to automatically move back and forth. Of course, other driving methods can be adopted.

FIGS. 7 to 11 show a fourth embodiment of the chair-type massage machine 1 according to the present invention, in which another example of the leg massage drive unit 13 provided on the footrest 2 is employed. The point that the footrest 2 can be moved back and forth with respect to the seating surface 3 and the structure thereof are the same as those in the first to third embodiments.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 11, in the fourth embodiment, the leg rest 12 provided on the main body 10 of the footrest 2 is not a complete groove type as in the first embodiment. However, similarly, two directions of the end 12a near the toe and the end 12b near the seat surface 3 of the supporting leg 11 are open. Also, since the separation hill 17 provided in a bulging shape at the end 12a near the forefoot of the leg rest 12 has a triangular trapezoidal shape, the left and right legs 11 of the user are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance. It can be supported in a distributed manner.

In order to support the leg 11 on the leg rest 12, it is only necessary to approach the leg 11 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (the front-rear direction with respect to the seat surface 3 in the state of FIG. 11). As shown in FIG. 7, in the leg rest portion 12, the groove bottom surface 15 is formed as an inclined surface that gradually becomes deeper (lower) from the end portion 12 b on the side of the seat surface portion 3 toward the end portion 12 a closer to the foot. On the other hand, the inner surface 16 of each side is formed with the left and right side walls 20, which are opposite to each other, and the end 1 near the toe.
The shape is such that the amount of protrusion upward increases as it approaches 2a, and the amount of protrusion below the groove bottom surface 15 increases as it approaches the end 12b on the seat surface 3 side.

For this reason, a hollow portion which becomes higher (widens) as it approaches the end portion 12b of the leg rest portion 12 on the side of the seat surface portion 3 can be formed inside the main body portion 10. It can be used as a space for providing a pivot 24 for supporting the front and rear swinging of the footrest 2 with respect to the surface portion 3 and for providing an angle setting mechanism and a swing interlocking mechanism as required. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the main body 10 from becoming large and bulky.

In the leg massage driving section 13, the first
The acupressure part 26 grasps and ankles the ankle from both right and left sides, and the air cell 29 used for the first acupressure part 26 is formed of a resin such as vinyl acetate into a cylindrical shape having an accordion-shaped outer peripheral surface. That the first
This is the same as the embodiment. However, as shown in FIG. 9, the air cell 29 used in the second embodiment has a bellows formed in an approximately half-peripheral region facing upward around its outer periphery, in an approximately half-peripheral region facing downward. It is larger than the number of formed bellows.

That is, this air cell 29 is not rotationally symmetrical about the central axis, and among the bellows arranged upward, those that do not make one round of the cell outer periphery at the concave and convex circumferential ridges. Will be included. Accordingly, when air is supplied to each of the air cells 29 and the air cell 29 is extended, the air cell 29 gradually expands toward the groove bottom surface 15 as the degree of expansion advances. Therefore, the leg 11 is subjected to an action of being pressed toward the groove bottom surface 15 simultaneously with the finger pressure.

Therefore, during the acupressure, the leg 11 is kept in a stable state, and the leg 11 is not naturally expelled from the leg rest 12. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, each air cell 29 is made of a cloth or synthetic leather sewn with a bending allowance according to the amount of expansion, or a cloth or rubber sheet having elasticity. It is covered with the skin material 30 so as not to directly touch the legs 11 and the like.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 7 does not apply acupressure so as to push up the calf, but performs a massage operation by grasping the calf from both right and left sides and fir. That is, the second acupressure part 27 has an opening / closing body 34 having a fixed part 32 at the center in the width direction and projecting the swinging piece 33 to both sides of each of the left and right legs 11, The opening / closing body 34 has left and right air cells 35 provided below the two rocking pieces 33, and the opening / closing body 34 has an acupressure piece 36 provided above the projecting end of the two rocking pieces 33. It has become.

The opening / closing member 34 is made of a flexible and elastic material such as a spring plate, a resin plate, or a rubber plate. When the air cell 35 extends, it is warped upward. When the air is discharged from 35, the opening / closing operation body 34 itself returns to the original shape by the elastic restoring force. In addition, as long as the fixing portion 32 and the swinging piece 33 are connected by a hinge structure, the material of the opening / closing operation body 34 is not limited. In this case, the swinging piece 34 is urged in an open state. Return mechanism is required.

These air cells 35 are also formed of a resin such as vinyl acetate into a cylindrical shape having an outer peripheral surface in a bellows structure. The opening / closing member 34 and the acupressure piece 36 are connected to the legs 11.
Are formed to have a predetermined length along the calf, and two air cells 35 are arranged side by side in the front-rear direction accordingly (see FIGS. 7 and 8). Of course, this is not limited at all, and it may be one in the front-rear direction.

Each of the air cells 35 has an asymmetrical number of bellows formed around its outer periphery. In each arrangement, the bellows are formed in such a manner that the number of bellows formed in the approximately half-circumferential region facing outward is greater than the number of bellows formed in the approximately half-circumferential region facing inward. That is, each air cell 35 is not rotationally symmetrical about the central axis, and among the bellows arranged outwardly, those that do not make one round of the cell outer circumference at the concave and convex circumferential ridges are included. Will be.

With such a structure, when air is simultaneously supplied to all the left and right air cells 35 to perform the extension operation,
As the degree of elongation advances, the acupressure piece 36 gradually expands in a curve such that the left and right ones approach each other, and acupressures both sides of the leg 11 supported by the leg rest 12. Therefore, the acupressure of the leg 11 by the acupressure piece 36 is performed smoothly and with sufficient finger pressure.

Therefore, during the acupressure, the leg 11 is kept in a stable state, and the leg 11 is naturally displaced from the leg rest 12. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the opening / closing member 34 and the acupressure piece 36 are covered with the skin material 30 formed so as to have a bending allowance corresponding to the swing amount, and are directly connected to the legs 11 and the like. And not to touch.

Although not shown, a third acupressure part for acupressure so that an ankle or a calf is pushed up from the back side may be provided on the groove bottom surface 15 of the leg rest part 12 as the leg massage drive part 13. It is possible. In this case, each of the first acupressure part 26, the second acupressure part 27, and the third acupressure part may be independently operated, or may be operated with a predetermined interlocking relationship. When linking,
As described above, the first acupressure part 26 and the second acupressure part 27
Since each of them has the function of preventing the leg 11 from being expelled from the leg rest 12, the air pressure is applied to the first and second acupressure parts 26 and 27 and the third acupressure part at the same time. Can be controlled to be supplied.

Of course, the first and second acupressure parts 26 and 27 and the third
When the acupressure unit is operated individually, even if their use times happen to overlap, it is necessary to perform complicated control to keep the air supply / discharge timing in a predetermined relationship. There is no. The first acupressure part 26
The advantages common to the second acupressure part 27 are, in particular, that acupressure utilizing air pressure does not cause excessive acupressure exceeding a predetermined pressure, and that the air cells 29 and 35 are cylindrical. It can be said that expansion and contraction can be performed smoothly and efficiently.

In the first and second acupressure parts 26 and 27 (ie, the massage driving part 13), air hoses, hose joints, control valves, and the like necessary for the air pipes are machined by using a hollow part secured in the main body part 10. It can be provided here by utilizing it as the storage unit 25. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12, it is also possible to use a method in which a foot part is inserted into the first acupressure part 26 or the second acupressure part 27.

Further, as shown in FIG.
In the above, it is also possible to provide, for example, a hemispherical or other acupressure piece 40 on the protruding end surface side of each air cell 29 to increase the surface pressure at the time of acupressure and enhance the acupressure effect. FIG.
FIGS. 4 and 15 show that the chair-type massage machine 1 according to the present invention is provided with a step 45 capable of supporting the sole of the leg 11 on the leg rest 12 of the footrest 2.
5 shows a fifth embodiment in which a machine accommodating portion 25 is formed on the back bottom side of FIG.

Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, the plumbing device and the wiring device (not shown) of the leg massage drive unit 13 are stored in the machine storage unit 25, and the massage drive unit 1
As step 3, a fourth acupressure part 46 for performing a massage operation on the sole can be provided in step 45. FIG. 16 shows a configuration in which, in the chair-type massage machine 1 according to the present invention, as the massage drive unit 13 of the footrest 2, the massage operation is performed by repeating the acupressure by pushing up the calf from under the calf by the second acupressure unit 27. A sixth embodiment is shown.

That is, in the sixth embodiment, the acupressure piece 36 is held swingably about the pivot 50 in the rising direction, and the air cell 35 is provided below the acupressure piece 36. ing. not to mention,
Also in these fifth and sixth embodiments, the point that the footrest 2 can move back and forth with respect to the seat surface portion 3 and the structure thereof are the same as those in the first to third embodiments.

Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For example, the massage driving unit 13
In the above, the arrangement and the number of the acupressure operation units 26 and 27 and the like can be appropriately changed, and, of course, the number of the air cells 29 and 35 used can be appropriately changed. As described above, the structure, massage operation content, operation principle, and the like of the massage driving unit 13 are not limited at all.

[0043]

As is clear from the above description, in the chair-type massage machine according to the present invention, the footrest provided to be able to swing back and forth at the front of the seating surface is at least used in a state of being flipped upward. Since it is provided so as to be able to move back and forth, the positioning of the massage drive unit (air cell) provided on this footrest can be accurately positioned at an appropriate acupoint position or the like of the leg. Therefore, even when various users having different heights use the same, it is possible to obtain a satisfactory massage effect for each user.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing a structural portion that enables a footrest to swing with respect to a seat surface in a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a view taken along line DD in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged front cross-sectional view showing a structural portion that enables the footrest to move back and forth in the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the chair-type massage machine of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial view showing a main part (a part that allows a footrest to move back and forth) of a second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a partial view showing a main part (a part that allows a footrest to move back and forth) of a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 8;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a footrest according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a chair-type massage machine according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a side sectional view showing another usage example of the footrest.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 9, illustrating a situation in which the acupressure piece is provided in the air cell of the first acupressure part.

FIG. 14 is a schematic side view showing a chair-type massage machine of a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing a footrest according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view showing a footrest according to a sixth embodiment in correspondence with FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Chair-type massage machine 2 Footrest 3 Seat part 10 Body part 12 Leg rest part 13 Massage drive part 29 Air cell 35 Air cell 105 Guide rail 120 Rotating operation shaft 122 Brake shoe

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A chair-type massage machine provided with a footrest (2) at the front of a seat surface (3) so as to be able to swing back and forth, wherein the footrest (2) has a body portion having a leg rest (12). (10) and an air cell (29) (35) provided in the main body (10) inflated / contracted to allow the leg rest (1).
A massage drive unit (13) for performing a massage operation on the legs supported in 2), and provided so as to be able to move back and forth with respect to the seat surface unit (3) at least in a use state in which it is flipped up. A chair-type massage machine characterized by being used. 2. The chair-type massage machine according to claim 1, wherein the footrest is moved forward and backward by an automatic mechanism. 3. The chair type massage machine according to claim 1, wherein the back and forth movement of the footrest is performed by a manual mechanism. 4. The front-rear movement of the footrest (2) can be started and stopped independently of a swing angle and a front-rear position. The chair-type massage machine as described.