Massage machine

Abstract

To provide a massage machine capable of performing a massage operation by a technique using a wide surface in addition to a conventional technique.SOLUTION: A massage machine 1 includes a treatment part 3 that moves while performing treatment to a human body, a power source 4, and a power transmission part 5 for transmitting power for the treatment and the movement from the power source 4 to the treatment part 3. The treatment part 3 includes a treatment element 31 as a unit for performing treatment to the human body. The treatment part 3 includes a first part 3a whose area for performing treatment to the human body is relatively small, and a second part 3b whose area for performing treatment is relatively large.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a massage machine that performs massage treatment on the human body.

Background Art

[0002] In conventional massage machines, for example, in the case of a chair-type massage machine, it has been the mainstream configuration to perform treatment with a treatment element (so-called "kneading ball") attached to the tip of an arm of a treatment mechanism built into the back. During treatment, for example, the treatment mechanism is moved up and down with respect to the back part of the human body to move it to an appropriate treatment site, or an operation of moving it up and down along the back muscles of the human body (back muscle stretching (rolling)) is performed. Due to the relationship of performing such operations, the shape of the treatment element is generally substantially cylindrical or disc-shaped, and a configuration is common in which the circumferential direction on the curved surface on the outer periphery of the treatment element with respect to the human body is made parallel to the moving direction of the treatment element so that the up-and-down movement can be performed smoothly.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, with the shape of this conventional treatment element, since the contact surface with the human body corresponds to a curved surface on the outer periphery of the treatment element and becomes point-like or line-like, the pressure applied from the treatment mechanism to the human body tends to concentrate. For this reason, although the conventional treatment element is suitable for a technique of strongly pressing a single point during treatment, it has been difficult to perform massage techniques such as stroking (rubbing) the back widely in a planar manner or tapping with a wide surface, like a technique using the palm by a masseur.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a massage machine that can perform a massage operation not found in conventional massage machines, specifically, in addition to conventional techniques, a massage operation using a wide surface technique.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention includes a treatment unit that moves while performing treatment on a human body, a power source, and a power transmission unit that transmits power for the treatment and the movement from the power source to the treatment unit. The treatment unit has treatment elements as units for performing the treatment on the human body. The treatment unit has a first portion with a relatively small area for performing the treatment on the human body and a second portion with a relatively large area for performing the treatment, and is a massage machine.

[0007] According to this configuration, different treatment effects can be obtained when performing treatment using the first portion and when performing treatment using the second portion with a large area related to the treatment.

[0008] Further, according to the state change of the treatment unit with respect to the human body, the main part for performing the treatment can be switched between the first portion and the second portion.

[0009] According to this configuration, by changing the state of the treatment unit, it is possible to switch the treatment part that provides different treatment effects.

[0010] Further, the first portion has a curved surface that is the surface for performing the treatment, and the second portion can have a curved surface with a smaller curvature than the first portion or a flat surface, which is the surface for performing the treatment.

[0011] According to this configuration, the first portion and the second portion can be formed by making the shapes of the surfaces of the treatment unit different.

[0012] Further, the first portion and the second portion can be provided on the same treatment element.

[0013] According to this configuration, different therapeutic effects can be obtained with a single therapeutic device.

[0014] Also, the therapeutic device can have a disc-shaped portion, with the first portion provided on the curved circumferential surface of the disc-shaped portion and the second portion provided on the end surface of the disc-shaped portion.

[0015] According to this configuration, the first portion and the second portion can be formed while maintaining the shape of a general therapeutic device.

[0016] Also, the state change can be caused by a change in the posture of the therapeutic device with respect to the human body.

[0017] According to this configuration, by changing the posture of the therapeutic device with respect to the human body, it is possible to switch the therapeutic portion that provides different therapeutic effects.

[0018] Also, it has a support portion that supports the therapeutic device so that the treatment and movement are possible, and the posture change can be caused by a change in the support angle of the support portion with respect to the therapeutic device.

[0019] According to this configuration, since the posture change can be achieved by changing the support angle of the support portion with respect to the therapeutic device, the therapeutic portion can have a simple configuration with respect to the posture change.

[0020] Also, it has a support portion that supports the therapeutic device so that the pressing and movement are possible, and the support portion can move the second portion along the surface of the human body when the second portion faces the human body.

[0021] According to this configuration, by moving the second portion along the surface of the human body, "stroking" treatment can be performed.

[0022] Also, the therapeutic portion can have a heating or cooling portion that can heat or cool the second portion.

[0023] According to this configuration, heating treatment or cooling treatment of the human body by the treatment unit can be performed simultaneously.

Advantages of the Invention

[0024] According to the present invention, different treatment effects can be obtained when performing treatment using the first part and when performing treatment using the second part. Therefore, it is possible to provide a massage machine that can perform a massage operation not found in conventional massage machines, specifically, in addition to conventional techniques, a massage operation using a wide surface.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0025]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Modes for Carrying Out the Invention

[0026] Next, a massage machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Note that the expressions of directions below are based on the directions in the massage machine (chair-type massage machine) 1 shown in FIG. 1. And the front side of this massage machine 1 is defined as the "front". Also, "left and right" refers to the left and right when facing directly in front of the front side (front) of the massage machine 1 (opposite to the left and right as seen from the person being treated).

[0027] As shown in Fig. 1, the massage machine 1 of this embodiment is a chair-type massage machine, mainly including a seat portion 11, a backrest portion 12, an armrest portion 13, and an ottoman 14. Since the configuration of each part is basically the same as that of the prior art, detailed description will not be given. As shown in Fig. 2, a treatment mechanism 2 unitized is built in the backrest portion 12. As parts related to the present invention, the treatment mechanism 2 includes a treatment unit 3, a power source 4, and a power transmission portion 5. As shown in Fig. 2, the treatment mechanism 2 can be configured as being assembled to a case 6 which is a box-shaped body, but this form is only an example, and the treatment mechanism 2 can be configured in various forms. Incidentally, Fig. 2 schematically illustrates in a form embodying the content including the characteristic part of the present invention, and there is no intention to limit the present invention to the illustrated content.

[0028] The treatment unit 3 is a part that moves while performing treatment on a human body in a posture with the back rested on the backrest portion 12 and the waist rested on the seat portion 11. In this embodiment, it is a part that performs massage treatment on the human body facing the backrest portion 12 by moving while accompanied by pressing from the outside of the human body. By pressing, "kneading" and "tapping" are performed on the human body, and by pressing accompanied by movement, "stroking (rubbing)", "kneading", and "tapping" are performed on the human body (the individual contents will be described later). Since there is a seat (made of cloth or leather) of the backrest portion 12 between the treatment unit 3 and the human body as shown in Fig. 1, the above-mentioned pressing is performed through the seat. In addition to the above-mentioned pressing, the treatment includes heating or cooling the human body, vibration (which is a kind of pressing, and the strength of the pressing varies in a short period), applying electromagnetic waves to the human body, or irradiating light.

[0029] The treatment unit 3 is composed of a treatment element 31 and a support part 32 that physically supports the treatment element 31. In this description, one treatment unit 3 is defined as corresponding to a unit that hits the human body at one location. Therefore, in this embodiment, a plurality (specifically, two) of treatment units 3 are provided. And in this embodiment, a plurality (specifically, two) of treatment units 3 are provided in one treatment mechanism 2. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, one treatment element 31 is provided in one treatment unit 3, but it is not limited to this, and a plurality of treatment elements 31 to 31 may be provided in one treatment unit 3. Note that when simply described as "treatment element" below, it refers to one (single) treatment element 31.

[0030] The treatment element 31 is a part that may also be called a "kneading ball", and is a part as a unit for performing treatment (a lump). The treatment element 31 of this embodiment is a part that at least presses against the human body. And the treatment element 31 of this embodiment has a disk-shaped part 311 with a general shape as a conventionally existing "treatment element". The treatment element 31 of this embodiment is rotatably supported by the support part 32 at a connecting part 312 integrally protruding from the center of the diameter on one of the axial end faces of the disk-shaped part 311. That is, this treatment element 31 is "cantilever-supported" by the support part 32. The support enables an angular change such that the treatment element 31 swings like a pendulum with respect to the tip of the support part 32 having an elongated shape. In this embodiment, this angular change is such that from the state shown in FIG. 2, it rotates by swinging the head 90 degrees with respect to the support part 32 to reach the state shown in FIG. 3. In this embodiment, it can be switched between the two states shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and the angle with the support part 32 is fixed in each state. The state shown in FIG. 2 is a state where the first part 3a faces the human body, and the state shown in FIG. 3 is a state where the second part 3b faces the human body. Note that the state switching is not limited to this, and it may be configured such that the treatment element 31 is fixed at an intermediate angle (that is, "obliquely oriented" with respect to the human body) and can be switched to three or more states. Also in this case, the intermediate angle is not limited to a fixed angle, and may be configured as a free stop that is fixed at an arbitrary angle.

[0031] The support part 32 is a part that supports the treatment element 31 so as to be able to press and move it against the human body. In the present embodiment, it is a rod-shaped body whose width dimension becomes smaller toward the tip, and is operated by a power transmission part 5 described later. Note that the shape of the support part 32 is not limited to this, and for example, it may be a plate-shaped body, or may have a shape with a constant width dimension. Although not shown, the support part 32 can be provided with a fixing mechanism for fixing the support angle of the treatment element 31 by fitting or the like. By fixing the support angle between the support part 32 and the treatment element 31 with the fixing mechanism, the treatment in the first part 3a and the treatment in the second part 3b described later can be surely performed. Regarding the support part 32 moving the treatment element 31 against the human body to perform treatment, it will be described later.

[0032] The power source 4 is a part that generates power for the pressing and the moving toward the treatment part 3, and includes, for example, an electric motor (motor) and a configuration for energizing the electric motor. In the present embodiment, it is built in the case 6 (the specific shape is not shown).

[0033] The power transmission part 5 is a part that transmits the power generated by the power source 4 to the treatment part 3 (specifically, the treatment element 31) as the power for the pressing and the moving. The power transmission part 5 is composed of, for example, a speed reduction mechanism, a power interruption mechanism (gear, cam, etc.), a link mechanism, etc. Note that the support part 32 constitutes a part of the power transmission part 5 from the viewpoint of power transmission to the treatment element 31.

[0034] The treatment part 3 has a treatment surface which is a surface that applies a pressing force to the human body. The treatment part 3 has, as parts having the treatment surface, a first part 3a with a relatively small area for treatment and a second part 3b with a relatively large area for treatment. The "area for treatment" refers to the area that exerts an action for treatment on the human body. The treatment part 3 of the present embodiment has a first part 3a with a relatively small area (i.e., the area that contacts the surface (skin) of the human body through the seat of the backrest part 12) for applying a pressing force to the human body, and a second part 3b with a relatively large area for applying the pressing force. Since the areas on the treatment surface that lead to a treatment effect are different between the first part 3a and the second part 3b, different treatment effects can be obtained when performing treatment using the first part 3a and when performing treatment using the second part 3b. And in the present embodiment, the first part 3a and the second part 3b are provided on the treatment element 31. More specifically, the first part 3a and the second part 3b are provided on the same treatment element 31. For this reason, different treatment effects can be obtained with a single treatment element 31.

[0035] The first part 3a is mainly a part that performs "kneading" or "tapping" as the content of massage treatment, and the second part 3b is mainly a part that performs "stroking" or "tapping" with a larger area compared to the first part 3a as the content of massage treatment. For example, "kneading" refers to treatment in which the treatment element 31 moves circularly or arcuately with respect to the human body. For example, "tapping" refers to treatment in which the treatment element 31 moves in the front-rear direction of the human body with respect to the human body. The "stroking" is, for example, treatment in which the treatment element 31 is moved circularly or arcuately along the human body (specifically, the skin) with a relatively small pressing force compared to "tapping" and "kneading". The pressing and movement of the treatment element 31 with respect to the human body are performed by changing the magnitude of the power generated by the power source 4 and the transmission of the power to the treatment part 3 (treatment element 31) and the movement locus in the power transmission part 5 according to the control of a control part (not shown) provided in the massage machine 1 in accordance with the treatment content.

[0036] The first part 3a is the surface for performing treatment, and in this embodiment, it has a curved surface that is the surface for pressing against the human body. The treatment surface in the first part 3a is at least a part of this curved surface. The second part 3b is the surface for performing treatment, and in this embodiment, it is the surface for pressing against the human body, and has a curved surface with a smaller curvature than the first part 3a or a flat surface. The treatment surface in the second part 3b is at least a part of this curved surface or flat surface. By making the shapes of the surfaces (the surfaces to which the treatment surfaces belong in the treatment unit 3) of the treatment unit 3 different, the first part 3a and the second part 3b that can obtain different treatment effects can be formed. In particular, since the part of the first part 3a that presses the human body is smaller than that of the second part 3b, it is possible to perform massage intensively.

[0037] Also, for example, even if the pressing force and movement (trajectory) of the treatment unit 3 against the human body are the same, by changing the part where the treatment (pressing in this embodiment) is performed between the first part 3a and the second part 3b, the treatment effect on the human body can be made different. Therefore, the subject being treated can select the preferred treatment content by the treatment using the first part 3a and the treatment using the second part 3b. Accordingly, even if the movement of the treatment unit 3 is the same movement, by changing the state of the treatment element 31 between the first part 3a and the second part 3b, the variations of the treatment increase, so the options for the subject being treated can be increased, and different treatment effects can be obtained according to the options. For example, in the forward and backward movement ("tapping"), in the first part 3a where the pressing area is relatively small, the conventionally performed "tapping" (moving the treatment element 31 at a relatively high speed) can be realized. Also, in the second part 3b where the pressing area is relatively large, by making the movement of the treatment element 31 relatively slow, a feeling similar to being pressed by the palm of a masseur (a treatment close to stretching where the muscles in the human body are stretched by slow pressing) can be given to the subject being treated.

[0038] In this embodiment, a first portion 3a is provided on the curved circumferential surface of the disc-shaped portion of the treatment element 31, and a second portion 3b is provided on an end surface that is a surface including the plane of the disc-shaped portion (among the end surfaces, the end surface located on the opposite side in the axial direction from the connecting portion 312). In this way, while maintaining the shape of a general treatment element 31 (disc-shaped), the first portion 3a and the second portion 3b having different treatment effects can be formed without making it into a special shape.

[0039] In this embodiment, as the treatment unit 3 changes its state with respect to the human body, the main portions performing massage treatment switch between the first portion 3a and the second portion 3b. By changing the state of the treatment unit 3, the portion having a treatment effect can be switched, and it is possible to switch the massage treatment to obtain different treatment effects. The "switching" is not limited to a complete switch (for example, when the first portion 3a is in contact with the human body, the second portion 3b is completely separated from the human body), and when there are multiple contents of massage treatment and there are main / secondary relationships or light / heavy relationships among them, it also includes cases where the treatment corresponding to "main" or "heavy" is switched.

[0040] Note that the "state change" widely includes aspects in which the treatment unit 3 changes in appearance. This state change is caused by a change in the posture of the treatment element 31 with respect to the human body. In this embodiment, the posture change is caused by a change in the support angle of the support portion 32 with respect to the treatment element 31 (a head swing within a range of 90 degrees). By changing the posture of the treatment element 31 with respect to the human body, it is possible to switch the massage treatment to obtain different treatment effects. In this embodiment, since the posture change can be achieved by changing the support angle of the support portion 32 with respect to the treatment element 31, for example, it is not necessary to make the treatment element itself into a special configuration, and thus the treatment unit 3 can have a simple configuration.

[0041] As described above, with respect to the support portion 32, the treatment element 31 changes its support angle so as to swing its head by 90 degrees. In response to this change in the support angle, the portion for performing massage treatment switches between the case of the first portion 3a (FIG. 2) and the case of the second portion 3b (FIG. 3). When the second portion 3b faces the human body, the support portion 32 moves the second portion 3b along the surface of the human body by the power transmitted from the power source 4 via the power transmission portion 5. By this operation, the treatment of "stroking" can be performed. In this way, for example, the massage machine 1 can realize a treatment with a feeling similar to that of a masseur stroking the human body with the palm. When performing the treatment of "stroking", the support portion 32 may move the second portion 3b linearly with respect to the surface (skin) of the human body, or may move it with a movement (a wavy movement) to which "shaking" is added. The movement with the added "shaking" mainly involves a movement in the direction along the human body (skin) in a relationship corresponding to the concept of "stroking", but it is also allowed that a movement in the direction of approaching and separating from the human body (skin) is secondarily added.

[0042] The treatment portion 3 can have a cooling and heating portion capable of warming or cooling the second portion 3b. In the present embodiment, as the cooling and heating portion, a heating element such as an electric heater is provided inside the treatment element 31 corresponding to the second portion 3b, and it has a heating portion capable of warming the second portion 3b. In this configuration, the heating treatment (warming treatment) by the treatment portion 3 can be performed simultaneously with the massage treatment by the heating portion. In the present embodiment, in addition to the treatment effect obtained by moving the treatment element 31 in the treatment portion 3 while pressing it against the human body, the treatment effect by the warming treatment can also be achieved. In particular, during the "stroking" treatment by the second portion 3b, as the "stroking" is sequentially performed, a warming effect can be exerted on a large area on the surface of the human body, so that effective treatment is possible. On the other hand, by cooling the second portion 3b, a cooling effect can be exerted on the human body, so that effective treatment is also possible in this case. Note that the cooling and heating portion may not be incorporated in the treatment element 31, but may be arranged in another portion separated from the treatment element 31, and heat for heating or cooling the human body may be transmitted from the other portion to the second portion 3b.

[0043] As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been explained. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0044] For example, although the massage machine 1 in the above embodiment is a chair-type massage machine, it is not limited to this, and it may be a massage machine of various forms and configurations. For example, it may be a bed-type massage machine used with the subject lying on their side. Also, it may be a portable type massage machine that can be carried and used to perform treatment by moving the massage machine itself to a desired part of the human body (for example, a massage machine for treating the feet).

[0045] Also, the treatment mechanism 2 may be provided in a chair-type massage machine other than the backrest part 12 (for example, the seat part 11, the ottoman 14).

[0046] Also, the change in the state of the treatment part 3 is not limited to the change in the angle of the treatment element 31 with respect to the support part 32 in the above embodiment, and may be other changes. For example, the shape of the treatment element 31 itself may change. In this case, for example, a substance that can change between a state having fluidity and a solid state is enclosed inside the treatment element 31, and the substance enclosed in the deformed state of the treatment element 31 is solidified, so that the shape of the treatment element 31 itself can be changed between a state where the first part 3a faces the human body and a state where the second part 3b faces the human body. Also, by forming the frame of the treatment element 31 with a shape memory alloy, it is conceivable to make the treatment element 31 deformable. In these cases, the part facing the human body can be changed without changing the angle.

[0047] Also, even in the configuration where the treatment element 31 is supported by the support part 32 as in the above embodiment, it can be configured in a different movement mode, for example, the support part of the treatment element 31 slides in a linear locus.

[0048] Further, it is not limited to a form in which a pair (two) of arranged applicators 31, 31 face the same direction as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Instead, treatment may be performed such that only one of the pair (two) of applicators 31, 31 (either left or right) has the first portion 3a facing the human body and the other has the second portion 3b facing the human body.

[0049] Also, for example, the support portion 32 is formed in a bifurcated shape, and an applicator 31 in the state shown in FIG. 2 (a state where the first portion 3a faces the human body) is fixed to one end of the bifurcated shape, and an applicator 31 in the state shown in FIG. 3 (a state where the second portion 3b faces the human body) is fixed to the other end. Then, by changing the distance of the support portion 32 from the human body, the main part for performing treatment on the human body may be switched to be the first portion 3a or the second portion 3b.

[0050] Also, the applicator 31 may be composed of a plurality of blocks that can be separated and combined. The first portion 3a is constituted by the combination of a single block or a plurality (a small number) of blocks, and the second portion 3b is constituted by the combination of a plurality (a relatively large number compared to the case of the small number) of blocks. That is, this is a configuration in which the state where the first portion 3a faces the human body and the state where the second portion 3b faces the human body are changed by recombination (combination and separation) of the blocks. In this case, particularly for the second portion 3b, it is formed across the applicator 31 and an additional portion for the applicator 31 (corresponding to a part of the block).

[0051] Also, in a single applicator 31, both the first portion 3a and the second portion 3b may be provided in the circumferential direction, and the portion facing the human body may be switched between the first portion and the second portion by rotating the applicator 31 in the circumferential direction.

[0052] Also, a plurality of protrusions that can protrude and retract with respect to the surface may be provided on the surface of the second portion 3b, and when performing treatment with the second portion 3b, pressing against the human body by the plurality of protrusions in the protruding state can also be additionally performed.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0053] 1 Massage device 11 Seat part 12 Backrest part 13 Armrest part 14 Ottoman 2 Treatment institution 3 Treatment part 3a First part 3b Second part 31 Treatment element 311 Disk-shaped part 312 Connecting part 32 Support part 4 Power source 5 Power transmission part 6 Case

Claims

1. A treatment unit that moves while performing treatment on a human body, a power source, a power transmission unit that transmits power for the treatment and the movement from the power source to the treatment unit, and the treatment unit has treatment elements as units for performing the treatment on the human body, the treatment unit has a first part with a relatively small area for performing the treatment on the human body and a second part with a relatively large area for performing the treatment, a massage machine.

2. The massage machine according to claim 1, wherein, in response to a state change of the treatment unit with respect to the human body, the main part for performing the treatment switches between the first part and the second part.

3. The first part has a curved surface that is the surface for performing the treatment, The second part has a curved surface that is the surface for performing the treatment and has a smaller curvature than the first part, or a flat surface, the massage machine according to claim 1.

4. The massage machine according to claim 1, wherein the first part and the second part are provided on the same treatment element.

5. The treatment element has a disk-shaped part, the first part is provided on the curved peripheral surface of the disk-shaped part, and the second part is provided on the end surface of the disk-shaped part, the massage machine according to claim 3 or 4.

6. The massage machine according to claim 2, wherein the state change is caused by a change in the posture of the treatment element with respect to the human body.

7. It has a support part that supports the treatment element so that the treatment and the movement are possible, The massage machine according to claim 6, wherein the posture change is caused by a change in the support angle of the support part with respect to the treatment element.

8. It has a support part that supports the treatment element so that the treatment and the movement are possible, The support part moves the second part along the surface of the human body when the second part faces the human body, the massage machine according to claim 1.

9. The treatment unit has a cooling and heating part that can warm or cool the second part, the massage machine according to claim 1.

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