NL2016947B1

NL2016947B1 - A lower leg treatment device and method of operating thereof

Info

Publication number: NL2016947B1
Application number: NL2016947A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Johannes Van Eijden Barry; Eugene Conger Ronald
Original assignee: Johannes Van Eijden Barry; Eugene Conger Ronald
Priority date: 2016-06-13
Filing date: 2016-06-13
Publication date: 2017-12-21
Also published as: WO2017217858A1

Abstract

This invention relates to a lower leg treatment device comprising: - a water reservoir to hold a quantity of water and to receive a lower leg of a person; - a vibration frame to support the water reservoir; - a support frame to support the vibration frame from the ground, wherein vibration isolation elements are provided in between the support frame and the vibration frame; - an actuation system to vibrate the vibration frame; and - a cooling system arranged on the support frame and in fluid communication with the water reservoir to provide cooled water to the water reservoir.

Description

TITLE OF THE INVENTION

A lower leg treatment device and method of operating thereof BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a lower leg treatment device and method of operating thereof.

After an intense workout of the lower leg and muscles thereof, it may take quite some time to recover. This may even be worse in case of injury or decease.

It is known in the prior art that massaging the muscles, e.g. using air jets in water, aids in the recovery of the muscles in the lower leg. However, recovery is still not optimal and takes too long.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide a lower leg treatment device that allows to efficiently treat the lower legs.

This object is achieved by providing a lower leg treatment device comprising: a water reservoir to hold a quantity of water and to receive a lower leg of a person; a vibration frame to support the water reservoir; - a support frame to support the vibration frame from the ground, wherein vibration isolation elements are provided in between the support frame and the vibration frame; - an actuation system to vibrate the vibration frame; and a cooling system arranged on the support frame and in fluid communication with the water reservoir to provide cooled water to the water reservoir.

The lower leg treatment device allows an improved recovery of the lower leg and muscles thereof because: - vibrations and cooled water can simultaneously be applied; and - vibrations are applied to the entire lower leg with similar intensity, i.e. energy, due to the fact that the entire water reservoir including the water is vibrated. A further advantage of the device according to the invention is that the cooling system is arranged on the support frame and not on the vibration frame, so that the cooling system is not subjected to the vibrations resulting in a longer lifetime of the cooling system and more design freedom for the cooling system as coping with vibrations is no longer a design requirement. This enables to use efficient cooling systems allowing to reach water temperatures as low as 3 degrees Celsius.

Vibrating the vibration frame and thereby the entire water reservoir including water also allows to use a higher intensity of the vibrations on the lower leg. Air jets and ultrasonic agitation of the water are limited to a relatively low intensity and the treatment is local especially for air jets, i.e. not evenly distributed throughout the water reservoir, so that some regions of the lower leg receive more energy than other regions.

It is to be noted here that the lower leg treatment device is specifically configured for treatment of the lower leg of a person and is not configured for treatment of other parts of the body. This can be derived from the fact that the device is supported from the ground, i.e. as low as possible, to allow a person to easily introduce its lower leg or lower legs into the water reservoir.

In an embodiment, the water reservoir is custom made for a specific person, making the device particular suitable to be used at home. In other cases, when the device is used by two or more, preferably many more, persons, the water reservoir is preferably dimensioned such that it can receive a wide variety of lower leg sizes. However, in both cases the water reservoir is dimensioned such that it cannot easily receive other body parts at the same time, although especially in case the device is intended to be used for more than one person it may be possible for a person to insert a hand, possibly a part of an arm, next to the lower leg, but this will result in a non-comfortable posture during treatment as only the lower leg and hand/arm are received in the water reservoir.

In other words, even with a completely filled water reservoir, it will not be possible to immerse more than the lower legs and a part of the upper leg considering adult persons having average dimensions. Said differently, the water reservoir is much smaller than a standard bath tub.

In an embodiment, the water reservoir is configured to receive two lower legs, thereby allowing to treat both lower legs of a person simultaneously. For this embodiment, the above explanation about not being able to easily receive other body parts in the water reservoir applies to the situation that both lower legs are received in the water reservoir.

In an embodiment, the water reservoir comprises a cover to close off the water reservoir, which cover comprises an opening per lower leg that can be received in the water reservoir through which the corresponding lower leg can extend.

This has the advantage that the risk of water leaving the water reservoir as a result of the vibrations is low. Preferably, the openings in the cover are provided with resilient and/or flexible members to provide a seal between lower legs and the cover to further minimize the escape of water from the water reservoir while at the same time lower legs having different cross sectional dimensions can be received in the water reservoir and be sealed by the members.

In an embodiment, the device is provided with a set of at least two covers, where the openings of each cover have a different dimension. In case the openings are circular, the openings will have a different diameter for each cover. A person can then choose a cover with openings that are larger than his lower legs, but come closest to the cross sectional dimensions of the lower leg, so that the gap between the lower leg and cover during use is minimal or that the seal between cover and lower leg is optimal. As an example, the set of covers may include a cover for children and a cover for adults, or a cover for children, a cover for people having relatively thin lower legs and a cover for people having relatively thick lower legs.

In an embodiment, the water reservoir has an inner height which is smaller than an average height of a lower leg of an adult person. This allows a bottom of the water reservoir to support the feet and/or to bend the knees to for instance assume a sitting position. Contact between feet and bottom of the water reservoir further has the advantage that vibrations can also be transferred to the lower leg via the feet.

The inner height of the water reservoir may for instance be substantially the same as standard seat heights of chairs, for example between 43cm and 48cm. This may allow to use a standard chair with the device, so that the person can sit during treatment.

In an embodiment, the device further comprises a control unit configured to control a temperature of water in the water reservoir by driving the cooling system and to control vibration of the vibration frame by driving the actuation system.

Preferably, control of the cooling system and the actuation system is based on user input allowing to adjust the device to specific user settings, wherein adjustable user settings may include temperature of the water in the water reservoir, frequency of the vibrations, intensity of the vibrations and/or time period of the treatment.

In an embodiment, the actuation system comprises one or more vibration motors with a rotating body whose weight is distributed rotationally asymmetrical to cause vibrations. An advantage of such motors is that simply mounting them on the vibration frame and driving the motors suffices to provide vibrations to the water in the water reservoir. A further advantage of such vibration motors is that in case more than one vibration motor is used in parallel, it is still possible to drive the vibration motors in an open-loop configuration as they synchronize themselves automatically after each operation due to the gravitational forces applied to the asymmetrically distributed weight of the rotating body.

In an embodiment, the actuation system comprises two identical vibration motors which are arranged on either side of the water reservoir on the vibration frame. This has the advantage that the water reservoir can be positioned low while at the same time vibrations can effectively be transferred to the water reservoir.

In an embodiment, the device further comprises one or more levelers to be arranged between the support frame and the ground allowing to stably support the device from the ground. This allows to stabilize the device and level the device for optimal operation and comfort.

In an embodiment, the cooling system comprises a heat exchanger, a pump, a first hose between the water reservoir and the heat exchanger, a second hose between the heat exchanger and the pump and a third hose between the pump and the water reservoir, wherein the pump is configured to circulate water through the heat exchanger, and wherein the heat exchanger is configured to exchange heat between the circulated water and the environment. Preferably, the first and third hose comprise a flexible portion to isolate the pump and heat exchanger from the vibrations as much as possible.

In an embodiment, the cooling system may comprise a filter to clean the water while being circulated by the pump. The cooling system may even be configured such that the cooling system can be operated in a cleaning mode in which the water is only forced through the filter for cleaning purposes, but water is not cooled at the same time.

In an embodiment, the cooling system or the water reservoir comprises a drain outlet to empty the water reservoir after which the water reservoir can be filled with new fresh water. Emptying and/or filling can be done manually, but the device may also comprise a water inlet connectable to the water supply and/or the drain outlet may be connectable to a water drainage, so that emptying and/or filling can be done automatically by operating corresponding valves and/or the pump.

The invention also relates to a method for operating the device according to the invention, comprising the following steps: a) filling the water reservoir with water; b) driving the actuation system to vibrate the vibration frame; and c) driving the cooling system to cool the water in the water reservoir to a predetermined temperature.

In an embodiment, the predetermined temperature may be in the range between 15 degrees Celsius and room temperature, preferably between 10 degrees Celsius and room temperature, more preferably between 5 degrees Celsius and room temperature, and most preferably between 3 degrees Celsius and room temperature.

In an embodiment, driving the actuation system and driving the cooling system is performed simultaneously for a predetermined time period.

In an embodiment, prior to driving the actuation system and the cooling system, a user is able to set one or more of the following parameters: - duration of the treatment; - temperature of the water in the water reservoir; - frequency of the vibrations; and intensity of the vibrations, which parameters along with other constant or default parameters are used to operate the device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in a non-limiting way with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like parts are indicated by like reference symbols and in which:

Fig. 1 depicts a front view of a lower leg treatment device according to an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 depicts a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 depicts a perspective view of the device of Fig. 1 without housing; and

Fig. 4 depicts top view of the device of Fig. 1 without housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Figs. 1-4 depict a lower leg treatment device 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 1 depicts a front view of the device including housing, Fig. 2 depicts a perspective view of the device including housing, Fig. 3 depicts a perspective view of the device without housing, and Fig. 4 depicts a top view of the device without housing.

The device 1 comprises a water reservoir 10, a vibration frame 20, a support frame 30, an actuation system, and a cooling system.

The water reservoir 10 is configured to hold a quantity of water and therefore comprises a bottom and four sidewalls extending upwards from the bottom. At an upper side thereof, the water reservoir 10 is partially closed off by a cover 11 to keep the water inside as much as possible.

The water reservoir 10 is in the shown embodiment configured to receive two lower legs of a person although an embodiment for only one lower leg is also envisaged. The cover 11 therefore comprises two openings 12, i.e. one opening 12 per lower leg that can be received in the water reservoir 10. The openings 12 in the cover 11 allow the lower legs to be received in the water reservoir 10 while extending through the openings 12, so that the cover 11 can close off the water reservoir while the lower legs are received in the water reservoir 10.

The openings 12 are provided with resilient or flexible members 13 configured to sealingly engage with the lower legs extending through the openings 12. This will improve the closing off the water reservoir and minimize the risk of water spillage.

The cover 11 may be permanently fixed to the water reservoir 10. However, the cover 11 may also be releasable, e.g. for cleaning purposes. When the cover 11 is releasable, the device 1 may comprise a plurality of interchangeable covers 11 allowing to adapt the device to the user or usage.

As an example, the set of covers may include covers 11 having openings 12 with different dimensions, e.g. different diameters when the openings 12 are circular. The set of covers may further also comprise covers with only one opening 12 allowing to use the device also for one lower leg only.

The water reservoir 10 is supported by the vibration frame 20. The vibration frame 20 in turn is supported by the support frame 30 via vibration isolation elements 40, and the support frame 30 is supported from the ground by levelers 31. The vibration isolation elements 40 allow the vibration frame 20 to vibrate without transferring much, preferably none, of the vibrations to the support frame 30. The levelers 31 allow a stable support of the entire device 1 even in cases where the ground is not perfectly flat.

In this embodiment, the vibration isolation elements 40 are provided at or near each corner of the vibration frame 20, and the levelers are provided at or near each corner of the support frame. However, a single vibration isolation element, e.g. a rubber mat may also be provided.

The actuation system in this embodiment comprises two electric vibration motors 50 arranged on the vibration frame 20. Each motor 50 has a rotating body (not shown) whose weight is distributed rotationally asymmetrical to cause vibrations when the rotating body is rotated by the motor 50 to vibrate the vibration frame including the water reservoir 10 supported thereby.

In an embodiment, the asymmetrical distribution of the weight is adjustable to adjust the intensity of the vibrations. Further, the frequency and voltage applied to the motors may be adjusted.

In this specific embodiment, the water reservoir 10 is arranged in between the two vibration motors 50 allowing the water reservoir 10 to be arranged in a lower position compared to the situation that the water reservoir is arranged on top of the actuation system.

The cooling system comprises a pump 60, a heat exchanger 61, a first hose 62 between the water reservoir 10 and the heat exchanger 61, a second hose 63 between the heat exchanger 61 and the pump 60, and third hose 64 between the pump 60 and the water reservoir 10.

The pump 60 and the heat exchanger 61 are arranged on the support frame and in fluid communication with the water reservoir via the first and third hoses 62, 64. The pump 60 is configured to draw water from the water reservoir 10 and to circulate the water via the heat exchanger 61 back to the water reservoir 10 allowing the heat exchanger 61 to exchange heat between the circulated water and the environment to cool the water in the water reservoir 10.

The device 1 further comprises a control unit 70 to control the cooling system and the actuation system based on user input that can be provided to the control unit 70 via a control panel 71.

The control panel 71 comprises a plurality of buttons and knobs allowing a user to turn the device on and off, and to set one or more of the following: a temperature of the water in the water reservoir; - a frequency of the vibrations applied to the vibration frame by the actuation system; an intensity of the vibrations applied to the vibration frame by the actuation system; a time period for the treatment; and starting, pausing and/or stopping of the time period.

In order to protect the actuation system, cooling system and control unit 70 and to prevent users from getting injured by access to the actuation system, the device 1 comprises a housing 80 covering all components except for the water reservoir 10 and the control panel 71.

In an embodiment, the housing may be such that a chair can be positioned on the housing allowing a user to sit on top of the device with the lower legs in the water reservoir. In an alternative embodiment, the housing is an integral part of a floor of a building, wherein the vibration frame and isolation frame with the cooling system and actuation system are arranged below the floor and the water reservoir and control panel 71 extend through openings in the floor. The control panel may alternatively extend from the floor.

Although the invention has been depicted as an example in Figs. 1-4 in which both lower legs can be treated at the same time, the invention also relates to an embodiment with a smaller water reservoir able of receiving only one lower leg for treatment.

Claims

A lower leg treatment device comprising: a water reservoir to hold an amount of water and receive a lower leg from a person; a vibrating frame to support the water reservoir; a chassis to support the vibrating frame from the ground, vibration isolation elements being arranged between the chassis and the vibrating frame; a drive system for causing the vibrating frame to vibrate; and a cooling system mounted on the chassis and in fluid communication with the water reservoir to provide the water reservoir with cooled water.

The device of claim 1, wherein the water reservoir is adapted to receive two lower legs.

The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the water reservoir comprises a cover to close off the water reservoir, the cover comprising an opening per lower leg that can be received in the water reservoir through which the corresponding lower leg can extend.

The device of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the water reservoir has an internal height that is less than an average length of a lower leg of an adult person.

The device according to any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a control unit adapted to control a temperature of the water in the water reservoir by driving the cooling system and to control vibration of the vibrating frame by driving the drive system based on user input.

The device according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the drive system comprises one or more vibrating motors with a rotating body whose weight is rotated asymmetrically to cause vibrations.

The device of claim 6, wherein the drive system comprises two identical vibrating motors mounted on each side of the water reservoir on the vibrating frame.

The device of any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising one or more leveling feet to be mounted between the chassis and the ground to stably support the device from the ground.

The device according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the cooling system comprises a heat exchanger, a pump, a first hose between the water reservoir and the heat exchanger, a second hose between the heat exchanger and the pump and a third hose between the pump and the water reservoir, wherein the pump is adapted to circulate water through the heat exchanger, and wherein the heat exchanger is adapted to exchange heat between the circulated water and the environment.

A method for operating a device according to any of claims 1 to 9, comprising the following steps: a) filling the water reservoir with water; b) driving the drive system to vibrate the vibrating frame; and c) driving the cooling system to cool the water in the water reservoir to a predetermined temperature.

A method according to claim 10, wherein driving the drive system and driving the cooling system are performed simultaneously for a predetermined period of time.

A method according to claims 10 or 11, wherein prior to driving the drive system and the cooling system, a user can set one or more of the following parameters: duration of the treatment; - temperature of the water in the water reservoir; - frequency of the vibrations; and intensity of the vibrations.