JPS5858056A - Heat acupuncture apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

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

Acupuncture in Oriental medicine has been used empirically for a long time to treat various diseases.In acupuncture, the part of the body that produces a therapeutic effect upon stimulation is called acupoint I, and it is said to be effective for a specific disease. Something that connects certain acupuncture points is called a meridian. 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 medical treatment, 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 hormones. It has been shown that the secretion of

Conventionally, the needles used in acupuncture include small-diameter phase line needles and thick-diameter Chinese needles, which are inserted into the narrow side of the body or pressed against different surfaces of the skin 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 something to be done in terms of cost, and it is called zeal.

The purpose of this invention is to provide an acupuncture device that cannot be obtained with conventional acupuncture. Second, mechanical and thermal stimulation of constant intensity can be obtained at the same part of the body with extremely accurate cycles. Furthermore, the period of stimulation and the degree of acupuncture can be changed by controlling the volume rate. In order to generate such stimulation, this device uses an acupuncture needle that can be moved in the axial direction by holding the tip of the acupuncture needle in the case through an elastic body with the tip of the needle facing the opening of the case.
electro-mechanical conversion means for vibrating the needle in the axial direction;
A solenoid fixed to the case as an electro-mechanical conversion means, which is equipped with a heater disposed near the acupuncture needle to heat the acupuncture needle, and a control circuit for controlling the electro-mechanical conversion means and the heater; A strong aluminium, such as an iron piece or a permanent magnet, is used, which is directly fixed to the needle or engaged with the needle and fixed to a circular movement member. Further, as the electro-mechanical conversion means, 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 a vibration device using a small motor, etc. , various known ones can be used. By exciting the electro-mechanical transducer at a variable period using the control circuit, the needle can be vibrated at different periods. Furthermore, the temperature of the needle can be adjusted by adjusting the magnitude of the current applied to the heater by the control circuit. Further, an audio frequency power amplification circuit having an audio frequency oscillation circuit and an output connected to a speaker is provided in the control circuit, and the output of the audio frequency oscillation circuit is connected to a counter electrode, and the acupuncture needle is connected to the acupuncture point])σ audio frequency power amplification circuit By connecting it to the speaker, even non-experts can 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. 0wX1 shows a sectional view of the first embodiment. 1', l and 1''' are parts forming the case 1 molded from heat-resistant plastic, and the case parts 1
The case part 1 fitted or screwed onto the lower end of the C case has an opening 3 at its conical end.The main body of the case L consists of halves 1' and l, and both halves are fixed with screws 4. At the same time, the screw 4 fixes an elastic movable member 6 to the partition plate 5 of the case l, and the movable member 6 is passed through a hole 8 provided at the end of the needle 7.The needle 7 has a collar 9. However, the needle 7 is urged upward against the movable member 6 with a strangely weak force by a coil spring 13 provided between the heat-resistant plate 11 having an opening in the center. Acupuncture needle 7 passes through the center of fill spring 13c) and heat-resistant plate 11
The tip 10 of the acupuncture needle faces the opening 3 of the case part 1 through the opening 14 of the case half 1 and the opening 12 of the heater case 12. Various forms of the tip 10 of the needle are well known, and can be modified as needed. Can be exchanged. The heater case 12 is fixed to the case half 1 with screws, and nine heaters 17 are accommodated inside the heater case 12, with the needles 7 removed and arranged in white. 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.

Lead wires 15' from the solenoid 15 and the heater 17;
17' is provided on the partition plate of the case half l and is connected to the control circuit 19 through nine openings 18.

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' also passes through the cup opening 18 to the control circuit 1.
9 is connected. Further, the control circuit 19 is connected by lead wires to a switch group 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 vc of the case 1, and the control circuit 19 is connected to the 'WIL'.
A lead wire 23 connected to the source cord 22 and the counter electrode E is drawn out. Next, the operation of this acupuncture device will be explained. First, turn on the power to the switch group 20, hold the facing ICl1iE provided on the lead @ 23 with your left hand, or fix it on an appropriate part of the body, move the tip 10 of the needle 7 along the meridians on the skin surface, and turn the speaker. When detecting areas with strong sounds, adjust the volume appropriately using the volume control button. 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 [fi 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 vibrates the needle 7 at a predetermined period via the elastic movable member 6. Grasp the rear part 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 3H3￥A degrees, the patient feels a pleasant stimulation, which has a healing effect on medical symptoms such as stiff shoulders and lower back pain. It was confirmed that it has a healing effect on neuralgia, headache, 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 acupuncture points, use Lead I! 7', 2
3 and speaker SP are unnecessary. It is also possible to house a battery in the case instead of an external power source and use it 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, case l includes three case parts 1,
It uses a thin cylindrical shape made of 1 and 1, making it more compact than the one in FIG. Three parts of the case 1
．． 1 and l, coil springs 13' and 13,
After equipping the solenoid 15 and the like, they are fitted together to assemble the case 1. Acupuncture needles 7 are connected to partition plates 5' and 5' of part 1.1.
The tip 10 faces the opening 3 of the cylinder 1 through the central opening. Coil springs 13' and 13 are provided above and below the acupuncture collar 9, and both coil springs are connected to the partition plates 5' and 5.
The needle 7 is held in the case 1 so that it can move only in the vertical direction, that is, in the axial direction, by pressing the collar 9 vertically with the other end abutting on the A heater case 12 in which a heater 17 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 cleaning body 1 made of iron or a permanent magnet is placed opposite the iron core of the solenoid 15 with a small gap.
6 is fixed to the upper end of the needle 7. A lead heel 1 fixed to a solenoid 15, a heater 17, and an acupuncture needle 7 with a socket
7' etc. are connected to pins of a connector 25 provided at the upper end of the case l. 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 strong W&S body 16.

In addition, piezoelectric effect can be used instead of the electro-mechanical conversion means using a solenoid and ferromagnetic material shown in Figs. In place of the member 6, a bimorph piezoelectric element in which two piezoelectric layers are laminated is used. In addition, in the target shown in Figure @2, both end surfaces of the piezoelectric element are fixed to the inner upper end of the case l 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 of the acupuncture i 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 circular audio frequency electric signal picked up from the needle 7 and drives the speaker SP,
1 and 3H1f) l+
Acupuncture excitation circuit C that applies current in the first stage, heater 17: heating circuit that controls the magnitude of the applied current, and circuit A
-D consists of a power supply circuit that supplies a DC voltage VCC for operating. Although the power supply circuit is omitted in FIG. 3, when a 100V commercial power supply is used, a transformer is used to step down the voltage and rectify and smooth it. Other batteries can also be used, and in any case, a switch is provided to control the supply of about 15V vec. Circuit A configures a rectangular wave oscillation circuit using a linear IC (ICI) with a large gain.The negative input terminal of the circuit C1 is grounded via a capacitor tcjA, and connected to the output terminal vOA via a resistor R4A. Because there is 01
A person is charged when the potential of the output terminal 70 is a saturation value of about 12V, and is discharged when it is Ov. Also, the positive input terminal has a voltage of approximately 15V.
ec, and the output terminal VOA [R, mu and R3 are connected via R2A, and the output terminal 7
If the potential of 0 person is the saturation value of about 12V, the potential is set to high, Ov
In this case, the potential is kept low. 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 cIA is charged via R4A, making it different from the potential at the positive input terminal. . At this point, the wt level at the output end becomes OV, and the potential at the positive input end becomes a low potential. At the same time, 01^ starts discharging through 84 people, and the potential of the negative trial output terminal decreases over time from a high potential, 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 12Vo. 〇Thus, a rectangular pulse voltage is generated at the output terminal vO^.

Only the AC component is applied to the counter electrode E via the C2 person. The frequency can be changed by changing any parameter other than C2, but it is preferable to change CIA or R4A.2C Power amplifier circuit B converts the electrical signal from counter electrode E that has been big-amplified by acupuncture needle 7 to power IC ( Speaker S using IC2)
Operate P. The voltage generated across R due to the input signal is applied to C2 and the power is amplified. 01B%csB is a capacitance for blocking DC components, 02B is a bypass capacitor, and VRB is a variable resistor for adjusting the volume. The acupuncture excitation circuit consists of a rectangular wave oscillation circuit and a switching circuit similar to circuit A. The rectangular wave oscillation circuit can use the same linear IC (IC3) as circuit A, and the circuit constant ν\tlllliK is the same. a
te % R4c is RIA-Rlc, C1e and C
ZC corresponds to one C person. Especially the time constant capacitor C1c
The capacitance of C2e and C2e is increased to enable oscillation of 1 to 20 Hz. In addition, the vibration period is made variable by switching the capacitors C1e and C2c (more parallel or using only 012).
tF 't' h ri Swt Close U.

When opened, it oscillates at IHz, and when it is open, it oscillates at 3Hz. The output of the oscillator is passed through a switching transformer via R2O, and current from the power supply Vcc flows through the solenoid 15 connected in series, and force is applied to the needle 7 via the magnet 16. Further, when the protrusion is Ov, there is no conduction between CB and the needle 7 returns to its original position by a coil spring or the like. The heating circuit consists of a power transistor Tr2 connected to VeOIC, 9R, and a variable resistor vitDK to which a positive bias voltage is applied to the base B. When the base voltage is changed by operating oVRD, the collector current changes, and the collector current is connected to the collector emitter. The magnitude of the current flowing through the heater 17 connected to the heater 17 can be changed. Note that the thermistor TH compensates for changes in Tr2 % due to temperature changes. It is easy to apply, easy to operate, and safe, so it is extremely effective in acupuncture treatment.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

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 1
3: Coil spring 15: Iron-core type linoid 16: Permanent magnet 19: Control circuit @ In Figure 3, A: Audio frequency oscillation circuit B: Power amplification circuit C: Acupuncture excitation circuit D: Heating circuit. Patent applicant: Masahide Koga (and 1 other person) Patent attorney: Fumi Sato (and 1 other person)
Valley Figure 2゛110

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1) Acupuncture needles held in a B7 capacity that moves only in the axial direction with the leading part of the needles facing the opening of the case, and electro-mechanical conversion for exciting the needles in the axial direction. 2) a line device comprising: a heater disposed near the needle for heating the needle; and a control circuit for controlling the electro-mechanical converter and the heater; 2) the electro-mechanical converter; A wire device 31 according to claim 1, which uses a lunoid fixed to the case, and a nine-ferromagnetic material that is fixed to the acupuncture needle or to a circular percussion member that is engaged with the acupuncture needle. 4) The wire device according to item 1 or 2 of the guidebook, wherein the control circuit is capable of exciting the electro-mechanical conversion means at a variable period in order to vibrate the needle in a periodic manner. 5) The wire device according to any of the above items 1 to 3, wherein the magnitude of the current flowing through the heater can be adjusted by the control circuit. An acupuncture needle held in the case so as to be movable only in the axial direction, an electro-mechanical conversion means for vibrating the acupuncture needle in the axial direction, and a heater disposed near the acupuncture needle for heating the acupuncture needle. , a counter electrode, a circuit for controlling the electro-mechanical conversion means and the heater, an audio frequency oscillation circuit for applying to the counter electrode, and electric power for driving a speaker by amplifying the electrical signal picked up by the blade. Acupuncture I device with control circuit including amplifier circuit