Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
  • A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
  • A63B23/00—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body
  • A63B23/02—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body for the abdomen, the spinal column or the torso muscles related to shoulders (e.g. chest muscles)
  • A63B23/0244—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body for the abdomen, the spinal column or the torso muscles related to shoulders (e.g. chest muscles) with signalling or indicating means, e.g. of incorrect posture, for deep-breathing exercises

Definitions

• US Patent No. 3,582,935 describes a warning device of this kind, comprising a belt provided with a housing on its outer face and, on its inner face, a control plate connected to the housing by a leaf spring.
• This box also contains an audible warning device powered by a battery and controlled by an electric circuit which closes with a contact when the plate approaches the box, which occurs in particular when the tension increases in the belt under the effect of '' a relaxation of the abdominal muscles of the wearer of this belt.
• the buzzer "calls to order" the user until he returns his belly, which allows the plate to move away from the housing again so as to interrupt the audible signal.
• Patent publications FR-A-2 329 252, FR-A-2 539 983 and US-A-3 670 320 describe devices of the same kind, but in which the housing is mounted between the two ends of a belt and has a spring mechanism that reacts to variations in the length of the belt.
• FR-A-2 591 472 plans to replace it by an interruption of the normal operation of another device carried by the user, for example a portable music player or a radio receiver that the user hears through headphones.
• another device carried by the user for example a portable music player or a radio receiver that the user hears through headphones.
• FR-A- 2 215 931 provides, in a housing mounted between the two ends of a belt and provided with a spring mechanism, an alarm formed by the spring itself, the camber of which changes direction suddenly and creates a shock felt by the user when the belt tension exceeds a certain threshold.
• the object of the present invention is to remedy the drawbacks of the prior art, by providing a discreet and versatile device, offering enlarged possibilities of use and not requiring a special belt.
• a particular aim is to arrange the device so that it can be used to correct the attitude of different parts of the body.
• the invention provides a device of the type indicated in the preamble, characterized in that the horn is a tactile horn, in that the control plate is integral with the housing and forms at least part of a front face. of the housing, the elastic return means being constituted by the plate and / or a part of the housing, and in that it comprises adjustment means formed by at least one stop member with adjustable position, interposed between the control plate and an opposite part of the housing.
• control plate is made in one piece with the housing, in which it is defined by a slot which partially surrounds it.
• the control plate may have a lateral flange extending towards the inside of the housing and having a stop surface, facing an adjustment member mounted in the housing so that it can be moved between several different positions in which different points of said surface abut against it when the control plate is pressed from the outside.
• Said adjusting member can be provided with a control button outside the housing.
• control plate has an area equal to or greater than half the area of the front face of the housing.
• the tactile horn can advantageously be formed by a vibration generator comprising a rotor having an unbalance.
• the housing is provided with a fixing member arranged to detachably hang the housing from a piece of clothing.
• Said fixing member may be a clip formed by an elastic blade extending along the face opposite to the front face of the housing.
• the housing can be provided with a socket for the electrical connection of an additional sensor placed at a distance from the housing, this sensor being provided with a switching member connected in parallel with - -
• the switching member contained in the housing can be provided with a socket for the electrical connection of an additional tactile alarm placed at a distance from the housing, this alarm being connected in parallel with the alarm contained in the housing.
• fig. 1 represents in perspective an apparatus provided with a device according to the invention and shows in particular the shape of the housing of the apparatus,
• fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the apparatus of FIG. 1,
• fig. 3 is a schematic view of the elements contained in the housing of the apparatus of FIG. 1,
• fig. and 5 represent complementary elements adaptable to the apparatus illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3,
• fig. 6 to 8 are schematic sectional views along line VI-VI of FIG. 3 and illustrate the operation of the apparatus
• fig. 9 is an electrical diagram of the apparatus and of the elements illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, and
• fig. 1 0 shows a way of carrying the device in order to re-educate the abdominal muscles of the user.
• Figs. 1 to 3 and 6 to 8 show a rehabilitation device 1 provided with a flattened housing 2 having a smooth front face 3 and a rear face equipped with a clip 5 making it possible to fix the device 1 removably to a support, including a piece of clothing.
• fig. 10 shows how a user 6 can carry the device 1 against his belly in an invisible manner by hooking the clip 5 on the upper edge of his pants 7, the box 2 being placed between the pants and the wearer's belly, and by fastening his belt 8 on the clip 5 so as to hide it while keeping the front of the device pressed against the belly.
• the housing 2 is preferably made of molded synthetic material and it is in a substantially rectangular shape with rounded angles. For example, this case can have the following approximate dimensions: height 30 to 60 mm, width 25 to 50 mm, depth 6 to 15 mm, that is to say, it can be easily hidden by clothing or even by a common type belt.
• the front face 3 of the housing 2 is pierced with a slot 0 having an inverted U-shaped outline, so as to delimit a control plate 1 1 which, in this case, extends approximately over the upper half of the side 3 of the housing.
• the two parallel edges 12 of the housing which are located along the two opposite sides of the plate 1 1, are slightly inclined towards the rear, so that the plate 1 1 is normally projecting from them.
• the plate 1 1 is maintained by its elasticity and, when an external thrust is exerted on the front face 3 of the housing, this plate, thanks to this elasticity, can deform by sinking into the thickness of the housing.
• the plate 1 1 is preferably aligned with the rest of the front face 3.
• a side face 14 of the housing 2 has a longitudinal slot 15 from which emerges one end 16 of an adjustment lever 17, this end being profiled to serve as a control button.
• the other end of the lever 17 is pivotally mounted on a stud 18 secured to the bottom wall 20 of the housing, against which the lever 17 extends.
• Seven small bulges 21 are formed on the wall 20 and cooperate with a corresponding hole 22 of the lever 17 to form notches defining seven positions of the lever 17, from the lower position shown in solid lines to the upper position 17 'drawn in broken lines in FIG. 3. These positions correspond to a progressive adjustment of the resistance to deformation of the control plate 11.
• the latter has, on the side of the end 16 of the lever 17, a rigid rim 23 having a profiled edge 24 which abuts against the lever 17 when the plate 11 is inserted into the housing, except when this lever is in the lower position.
• Edge 24 can be given the appropriate longitudinal profile, straight or curved, so that it abuts against the lever for predetermined depressions in the plate 11, gradually smaller when the lever 17 is placed higher.
• These adjustment means can be replaced or supplemented by other stop systems interposed between the housing and the control plate 11.
• a mobile shim can be provided which can be brought on a protuberance of the wall 20 of the housing to support the central zone of the plate 11 in order to limit the deformations of the plate for a given bearing force.
• Fig. 6 shows in section the position of the control plate 11 at rest. In this case, the edge 24 does not touch the lever 17, whatever the notch on which this lever is placed.
• Fig. 7 shows how the plate 1 1 sinks into the housing when the lever 17 is placed in its lowest position, shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 and in which the edge 24 cannot rest on the lever 17. The plate 11 can thus sink into the housing 1 simply by bending, without twisting.
• the lever 17 is in its upper position 17 ′ and it retains the edge 24 already after a slight movement of the plate.
• this plate can still deform elastically by warping if the pressure becomes stronger, by sinking into the housing near its other edge and in particular in the area of its opposite upper corner 25.
• the adjustment of the sensitivity of the control plate 11a with respect to an external thrust is obtained simply by moving the lever 17, forming a movable fulcrum along the edge 24 of the plate and thus modifying the elastic reactions of the plate in bending and torsion.
• control plate 1 1 In the vicinity of its angle 25, the control plate 1 1 has on its inner face a lug 26 located opposite an electrical switch 27, which is fixed to the wall 20 of the housing and arranged to close an electrical circuit when the lug 26 is pressed against him by sufficient depression of the plate 1 1 in this area.
• the housing 2 contains a vibration generator 28 powered by an electric battery 29 and controlled by the switch 27.
• the housing is provided with a door 30 giving access to the battery.
• the vibration generator 28 is silent and it is fixed to the housing 2 in order to serve as a tactile alarm, via the face 3 of the housing, held in abutment against the body, either directly or through a garment. These vibrations are transmitted to the skin over the entire face 3, since the plate 11 is integral with the housing and vibrates with it.
• the generator 28 can be an electromagnet vibrator, but its preferred form is that of a miniature direct current electric motor, for example of, 5 V, the shaft of which carries an eccentric element constituting an unbalance.
• the box 2 also comprises an input socket 31 and an outlet 32 which are both of the bipolar coaxial type and which are intended for the connection of complementary devices such as those of FIGS. 4 and 5.
• Fig. 4 symbolically represents a complementary sensor 41 which includes a switch * for example similar to the switch 27, and which can fulfill a similar function for controlling the vibration generator 28 of the device 1.
• the device 41 is connected to the device 1 by an electric cord 42 provided with a bipolar plug 43 of the "jac" type which can be fitted into the socket 31 of the device 1.
• FIG. 5 shows a complementary vibration generator 44, equipped with a cord 45 and a bipolar plug 46 which can be plugged into the socket 32 of the device 1 so that the generator 44 is controlled by the switch 27 or by the sensor 41.
• each of the sockets 31, 32 comprises, in addition to the two pole contacts 31a, 32a and 31b, 32b, a switch 31c, 32c that the corresponding plug 43, 46 opens when it is pressed in the socket 31, 32.
• the switch 3c is mounted in series with the switch 27, while the switch 32c is mounted in series with the vibration generator 28.
• the generator 28 operates only when the control plate 11 closes the switch 27.
• the additional sensor 41 When the additional sensor 41 is connected to the socket 31 of the device 1, it is connected in parallel to the switch 27, but the latter is switched off by opening the switch 31c. Thus, the operation of the vibration generator 28 will be controlled only by the sensor 41.
• This can be placed on another part of the body, for example be combined with two flanges surrounding the shoulders and attached to each other in the dorsal area, so as to warn the user by means of vibrations if the upper back has a hunched position.
• This sensor can be even thinner than the device 1, so as not to be annoying when the user leans against a backrest.
• the complementary vibration generator 44 When the complementary vibration generator 44 is connected to the socket 32, it operates in place of the generator 28 which is put out of service by opening the switch 32c.
• the user can place the generator 44 at the place which is suitable and this generator can be controlled, as the case may be, either by the switch 27 or by the sensor 41. In the latter case, it can be placed on the same part of the body than the sensor 41, the advantage of this arrangement being simply to conserve the electrical supply by the battery 29 of the device 1, representing a weight and a volume which are not bothersome at the level of the belt but which could be on another part of the body.
• control plate 1 1 has a surface representing approximately half the surface of the front face 3 of the device, which has the advantage of avoiding too concentrated pressure on the body.
• the plate can constitute an even larger part of the face 3, or even all of it.
• the control plate can be formed by a separate piece from the rest of the housing and fixed to it by any assembly. It is also possible to conceive embodiments in which the control plate is associated with a piezoelectric crystal whose output voltage controls an electronic switch which replaces the switch 27. Another alternative embodiment consists in replacing one or the other vibration generators 28 and 44 described above by another suitable tactile warning, for example a strip stuck to the skin and producing tingling by small electrical discharges.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Pulmonology (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Neurology (AREA)
• Orthopedic Medicine & Surgery (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Physical Education & Sports Medicine (AREA)
• Percussion Or Vibration Massage (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=9373499

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (4)

Citations (5)

• 1988
  • 1988-12-23 FR FR8817284A patent/FR2640872A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
• 1989
  • 1989-12-22 EP EP19900900744 patent/EP0408695A1/fr not_active Withdrawn
  • 1989-12-22 CA CA002006583A patent/CA2006583A1/fr not_active Abandoned
  • 1989-12-22 WO PCT/CH1989/000223 patent/WO1990007360A1/fr not_active Ceased

Patent Citations (5)

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