Passive exercise device

Abstract

When a body is paralyzed for a long time due to a disorder, a disease, or the like, the muscle of the paralyzed part is hardly moved, which may lead to joint contracture and pain associated therewith. The present invention provides a passive exercise device that enables inclined circular movement and eccentric circular movement of paralyzed parts of the body, which are, for example, the ankle and the knee in the case of the legs. This passive exercise device enables eccentric circular movement and inclined circular movement with respect to the horizontal direction, for example, when the feet of a person are put thereon and the device is started. The device includes: rotary disks (7) and (4), treatment boards (3) and (1), angle adjusters (2) and (5), a slide rail (6), slide pipes (12) and (13), mounting fittings (9) and (16), and a mounting base (8) on which these components are placed.

Description

passive exercise device

[0001] The present invention relates to a passive exercise device capable of performing inclined circular exercise, eccentric circular exercise, or both exercises simultaneously.

[0002] A conventional passive exercise device is known from Patent Document 1 below.

[0003] The passive exercise device of Patent Document 1 listed below can passively exercise the part of the user to be treated placed on the treatment table by tilting and eccentrically rotating the treatment table.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 09-149951

[0005] However, in the passive exercise device of Patent Document 1, the center of rotation of the treatment table cannot be changed, and the treatment table can only move with a constant eccentricity, so only a constant passive exercise can be provided to the treatment area of ​​the user.

[0006] Furthermore, the inclination of the treatment table cannot be changed, and from this point of view, only a fixed passive movement can be provided.

[0007] A support mechanism is provided to maintain the orientation of the treatment table (1) and the treatment table (3) in a constant direction. This allows the treatment table (1) and the treatment table (3) to always maintain a constant direction during operation. Furthermore, when the treatment table (3) is used as a treatment table, the mounting bracket (9) in Figure 1 is turned upside down and installed on the front part of the upper surface of the treatment table (3), so that the treatment table (3) always maintains a constant direction. These support mechanisms allow passive exercise to be performed safely while maintaining the orientation of the treatment area in one direction, and the passive exercise device of the present invention fundamentally solves the problems associated with conventional passive exercise devices described above. In brief, the passive exercise device of the present invention comprises a turntable (7) that rotates on a base (8) by motor drive or manually, a turntable (4) that rotates on the turntable (7), and a treatment table (3) that rotates on the turntable (4), the treatment table (3) being arranged concentrically with the turntable (4) but having a turntable mechanism that allows it to rotate freely without being influenced by the rotation of the turntable (4), the turntable (4) rotating together with the turntable (7) and having a configuration in which its center of rotation can slide on a slide rail (6) when the device is stopped, and the treatment table (3) undergoes eccentric circular motion in the horizontal direction on the turntable (7), causing a variety of large and small eccentric circular motions of the target part of the user, making this a passive exercise device.

[0008] Preferably, the turntable (4) is provided with an angle adjuster (5) relative to the turntable (7) so that the angle can be arbitrarily set and tilted while the device is stopped, thereby enabling the turntable (4) to perform inclined circular motion at various angles.

[0009] More preferably, a treatment table (1) that operates together with the treatment table (3) is provided on the turntable (4), and an angle adjuster (2) is provided between the treatment table (1) and the treatment table (3), so that the treatment table (1) can be tilted by arbitrarily setting the angle while the device is stopped. As a result, when the treatment table (1) makes an eccentric or tilted circular movement together with the treatment table (3), the tilt angle of the treatment table (1) can be maintained at a safe angle relative to the treatment site.

[0010] Even more preferably, the components (9) to (16) in Figure 1 function to absorb up-down, left-right, front-back, or twisting movements of the treatment table (1) and the treatment table (3) when the device is activated.

[0011] The present invention, configured as described above, has the following advantages. According to the passive exercise device of the present invention, the treatment table (3) and the optionally installed treatment table (1) can be adjusted to any desired angle and by any desired shift in the center of rotation relative to the turntable (7), enabling passive exercise combining eccentric circular motions of various widths and inclined circular motions of various angles. This allows for passive exercise of appropriate inclined circular motion or eccentric circular motion, or both, simultaneously, tailored to the area to be treated, such as the feet, buttocks, shoulder blades, wrists, or cervical vertebrae. This is expected to help prevent contracture, chronic pain, spasticity, poor circulation, disuse atrophy, and other conditions caused by general paralysis.

[0012] The inclined circular motion refers to the manner in which the turntable (4) rotates while maintaining an inclined angle by adjusting the angle of the turntable (4) relative to the turntable (7) using the angle adjuster (5), similar to the movement of a coin just before it falls over after being spun. The eccentric circular motion refers to the manner in which the turntable (4) rotates horizontally around the outside of the center of the turntable (7) when the central axis of the turntable (4) is shifted relative to the center of the turntable (7) using the slide rail (6).

[0013] For example, when the passive exercise device of the present invention is simultaneously operated by the slide rail (6) to shift the central axis of the turntable (4) relative to the turntable (7) to perform eccentric circular motion, and the angle adjuster (5) to set the angle of the turntable (4) relative to the turntable (7), and further by the angle adjuster (2) to set the angle of the treatment table (1) relative to the treatment table (3), when the treatment table (1) rotates relative to the turntable (7) to 6 o'clock, 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock, and 3 o'clock, which correspond to the positions of the hour hand on a clock, as shown in (A) of Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5, the angles of the knee and ankle are stretched as shown in (B) of Figures 2, 3, 4, and 5 as follows: Θ1, Θ2, Θ3, Θ4, Θ5, Θ6, Θ7, and Θ8.

[0014] Fig. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the passive exercise device according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the usage state when the treatment table 1 is positioned at the 6 o'clock position relative to the turntable 7, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock; (A) is a plan view, (B) is a side view, and (C) is a perspective view. Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the usage state when the treatment table 1 is positioned at the 9 o'clock position relative to the turntable 7, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock; (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a perspective view. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of the usage state when the treatment table 1 is positioned at the 12 o'clock position relative to the turntable 7, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock; (A) is a plan view, (B) is a side view, and (C) is a perspective view. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the usage state when the treatment table 1 is positioned at the 3 o'clock position relative to the turntable 7, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock; (A) is a plan view, (B) is a front view, and (C) is a perspective view. Fig. 6 is a side view showing the treatment table 1 tilting relative to the turntable 7. (A) is a side view of the treatment table 1 when it is positioned at 6 o'clock relative to the turntable 7, which corresponds to the position of the minute hand of a clock, and (B) is a side view of the treatment table 1 when it is positioned at 12 o'clock relative to the turntable 7, which corresponds to the position of the minute hand of a clock.

[0015] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A passive exercise device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1, a slide rail 6 is fixedly installed at the center of the upper part of a turntable 7, which is mounted on a base 8 and rotates either manually or by motor drive. When the device is stopped, the position of the turntable 4 is adjusted by using the slide rail 6 to shift outward from the concentric position relative to the turntable 7, thereby enabling eccentric circular motion.

[0017] An angle adjuster 5 is fixedly installed on the sliding portion of the slide rail 6. By arbitrarily setting the angle adjuster 5 while the device is stopped, the turntable 4 can make an inclined circular motion.

[0018] An end portion of the rotating disk 4 is fixedly installed on the top of the angle adjuster 5 .

[0019] The treatment table 3 is installed concentrically above the turntable 4 so that it can rotate freely without being affected by the rotation of the turntable 4. This turntable mechanism allows the treatment table 3 to rotate freely relative to the turntable 4, so that the treatment area can be circularly moved while maintaining a constant direction. In addition to passively moving the treatment area with the treatment table 3, the present invention also provides a treatment table 1 on the treatment table 3 that rotates together with the treatment table 3, as will be described later. By making the treatment table 1 tiltable relative to the treatment table 3, the treatment table 1 can be used as the treatment table, allowing the treatment area to be subjected to tilted circular movement while maintaining a safe tilt angle.

[0020] An angle adjuster 2 is fixedly installed at the end of the treatment table 3. Furthermore, the treatment table 1 is fixedly installed at the end of the treatment table 1 above the angle adjuster 2. By arbitrarily setting the angle adjuster 2 while the device is stopped, the treatment table 1 can perform passive exercise while maintaining the angle set by the angle adjuster 2.

[0021] A mounting bracket 9 is fixed to the center of the opposite end of the underside of the treatment table 1 from where the angle adjuster 2 is fixed, and the upper end of the slide pipe 12 is axially fixed to the mounting bracket 9 with a screw 10 and a nut 11. Alternatively, when the treatment table 3 is used as a treatment table, the mounting bracket 9 is inverted upside down and fixed to the front portion of the upper surface of the treatment table 3, and the slide pipe 12 is similarly axially fixed. Furthermore, a mounting bracket 16 is fixed to the front center portion of the upper surface of the main base 8, and the lower end of the slide pipe 13 is axially fixed with a screw 14 and a nut 15. The slide pipe 13 is then inserted into the mounting bracket 9 to form a cylindrical structure. The mounting bracket 9 is U-shaped, for example, as used for the rear wheels of a cart, and the slide pipe 12 fixed to the mounting bracket 9 can move freely up and down but not left and right. Furthermore, although the mounting bracket 16 is U-shaped, for example, as used for the front wheels of a cart, it can also rotate freely, allowing for left and right rotation in addition to up and down.

[0022] The mounting brackets 9 and 16, and the slide pipes 12 and 13 ensure that the direction of the treatment tables 1 and 3 is always maintained constant toward the mounting bracket 16, even when the positions of the treatment tables 1 and 3 change back and forth or left and right due to eccentric circular motion, or even when twisting and up and down movement occurs due to tilted circular motion.

[0023] In the present invention, the support mechanism for always maintaining the treatment tables 1 and 3 in a constant direction can be configured to rotate the treatment table 3 in the opposite direction to the turntable 4 at the same speed using a gear or motor, etc., so that the treatment tables 1 and 3 always maintain a constant direction, depending on the implementation.

[0024] The treatment tables 1, 3 and turntable 4 can perform concentric circular motion and eccentric circular motion of various widths relative to the turntable 7 by means of the slide rails 6, and can also perform inclined circular motion at various angles by means of the angle adjuster 5. Therefore, by adjusting the angle adjuster 5 and the slide rails 6, either the inclined circular motion or the eccentric circular motion, or both can be passively performed at the same time.

[0025] As shown in Figure 6, when the treatment table 1 is used as a treatment table, when tilted circular movement or eccentric circular movement is performed on the turntable 7, the angle adjuster 2 cooperates with the angle adjuster 5, and when the treatment table 1 is positioned at 6 o'clock relative to the turntable 7, it provides, for example, an appropriate dorsiflexion angle of the ankle, and when the treatment table 1 is positioned at 12 o'clock relative to the turntable 7, it prevents, for example, excessive plantar flexion of the ankle, allowing safe tilted circular movement and eccentric circular movement.

[0026] That is, when the treatment table 1 is positioned at the 6 o'clock position relative to the turntable 7 as shown in Figure 6(A), and when the treatment table 1 is positioned at the 12 o'clock position relative to the turntable 7 as shown in Figure 6(B), the inclination direction of the treatment table 3 relative to the turntable 7 is exactly opposite. Therefore, if the angle adjuster 2 is used to adjust the angle of the treatment table 1 relative to the treatment table 3 to Θ9, and the angle adjuster 5 is used to adjust the angle of the turntable 4 relative to the turntable 7 to Θ10, as shown in Figure 6(A), the treatment table 1 acts on the treatment area at an inclination angle relative to the turntable 7 which is the sum of Θ9 and Θ10, whereas as shown in Figure 6(B), the treatment table 1 is inclined at an angle relative to the turntable 7 which is Θ9 minus Θ10.

[0027] Therefore, for example, when treating the foot, the ankle will be at a moderate dorsiflexion angle when the foot is at the 6 o'clock position, and at the 12 o'clock position, the ankle will be at a moderate plantar flexion angle, allowing for safe passive movement.

[0028] 1 Treatment table 2 Angle adjuster 3 Treatment table 4 Turntable 5 Angle adjuster 6 Slide rail 7 Turntable 8 Base 9 Installation fitting 10 Screw 11 Nut 12 Slide pipe 13 Slide pipe 14 Screw 15 Nut 16 Installation fitting 17 Recipient Θ1 Knee flexion angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 6 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7 Θ2 Ankle flexion angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 6 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7 Θ3 Right ankle external rotation angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 9 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7 Θ4 Left ankle internal rotation angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 9 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7 Θ5 Knee extension angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 12 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7. Θ6 Ankle extension angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 12 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7. Θ7 Right ankle internal rotation angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 3 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7. Θ8 Left ankle external rotation angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 3 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7. Θ9 Angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 6 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7. Θ10 Angle when treatment tables 1 and 3 are in the 6 o'clock position, which corresponds to the position of the hour hand of a clock, relative to the turntable 7.

Claims

1. A passive exercise device comprising a turntable (7) which rotates on a base (8) by motor drive or manually, a turntable (4) which rotates on the turntable (7), and a treatment table (3) which rotates on the turntable (4), the treatment table (3) being arranged concentrically with the turntable (4) while having a turntable mechanism which rotates freely without being influenced by the rotation of the turntable (4), the turntable (4) rotating together with the turntable (7) and having a configuration in which its center of rotation can slide on a slide rail (6) while the device is stopped, the turntable (4) can be tilted by arbitrarily setting an angle adjuster (5) relative to the turntable (7) while the device is stopped, thereby enabling the turntable (4) to perform inclined circular motion at various angles, and the treatment table (3) can perform eccentric circular motion with the central axis shifted, or inclined circular motion at various angles, or both eccentric circular motion and inclined circular motion simultaneously, relative to the turntable (7).

2. A passive exercise device as described in claim 1, characterized in that a treatment table (1) is provided which rotates together with the treatment table (3) on the turntable (4), and an angle adjuster (2) is provided between the treatment table (1) which rotates together with the treatment table (3), making the treatment table (1) tiltable relative to the treatment table (3).

3. A passive exercise device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a support mechanism for maintaining the orientation of the treatment table (1) and the treatment table (3) constant.

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