JP2002248142A - Neck massager - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a neck massager which is capable of easily positioning its pressure section onto an affected region of the neck, thereby massaging the neck portion with an appropriate pressure. SOLUTION: The neck massager equipped with a rotational axis 19 to be rotationally driven within a casing 2 and a pair of symmetric rotational cams 21 provided with both ends of the axial direction in a way of relatively being unable to rotate includes the cam surface 20 gradient toward to the rotational axis, a pair of symmetric massaging members 3 arranged to be protruded from the casing in a state of being freely involved in a relative rotation against the cam surface of the respective rotational cams, leaving a sufficient space for the neck of a subject to be accommodated therein, where the massaging members are composed of an elastic, freely flexible arm 28 extensively located toward the outside of the casing, a section 29 installed in the forefront of the arm for pressing an affected region, and a retaining member 30 that inhibits the massaging member from being led off by the rotational cam, thus retaining the arm portion at a specified circumferential direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a neck massage device suitable for massaging a human body with a pair of left and right massage members sandwiching the neck of the human body from right and left.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-567 discloses a neck massage device suitable for massaging the neck of a human body.
No. 65 is known. This conventional neck massage device includes a pair of left and right rotating shafts that are rotationally driven in a casing, and a cam surface that is provided at both axial ends of the rotating shaft so as to be relatively non-rotatable and that is inclined with respect to the rotating shaft. Rotating cam and a pair of left and right arranged so as to be rotatably engaged with the cam surfaces of the respective rotating cams and to protrude from the casing in a state in which the neck of the human body is separated so as to be sandwiched therebetween. And a massage member, and converts the rotational motion of the rotating shaft into a left and right swing motion of both massage members via a rotary cam.

Therefore, according to the conventional neck massage device, when the rotating shaft is rotated by the drive motor, the protruding portions of the two massage members perform a kneading motion in which the protruding portions of the two massage members repeat approaching and separating from each other by the cam action of the rotating cam. The massage can be performed by repeatedly pressing the neck of the human body sandwiched between the protruding portions of both massage members from left and right.

[0004]

In the above-mentioned conventional neck massaging device, the pair of left and right massage members is constituted by a relatively rigid ring member orbiting the outer periphery of the rotary cam. Although the rubber ring is externally fitted to the portion, the neck portion sandwiched between the massage members receives excessive pressing force from both the left and right sides, and the neck portion may feel pain during massage. Therefore, as means for solving such inconveniences, an arm portion elastically deformable in the axial direction of the rotation shaft is extended from each massage member toward the outside of the casing, and an affected part pressing body is provided on the distal end side of this arm portion, It is conceivable to reduce the pressing force on the neck by such elastic deformation of the arm.

However, since each massage member is merely rotatably engaged with the rotary cam via the ball bearing, it is not necessary to simply extend the elastically deformable arm portion to each massage member. The circumferential position of the arm is not determined, and therefore, when the neck is sandwiched between the massage members, the affected part pressing body escapes in the circumferential direction, and it is difficult to properly position the affected part pressing body with the neck. A new issue arises. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has been made to be able to hold an arm portion for reducing a pressing force on a neck portion at a predetermined circumferential position.
It is a first object of the present invention to provide a neck massage device that can easily position an affected part pressing body with respect to a neck and can massage the neck with an appropriate pressing force.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned conventional neck massage device is used in such a manner that a user leans on the body against a casing leaning against a wall or the like. Does not have a function to support the base of the neck. For this reason, when such a neck massage device is placed horizontally and the neck is sandwiched between both massage members, the weight of the head and shoulders of the human body acts on both massage members as they are, and the pressing force on the neck is excessive. Disadvantage. Therefore, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-131
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 493, it is conceivable to form a head rest portion supporting the back of the human body lying on the back on the rear part of the massage member in the casing. The weight of the shoulders of the human body lying on his back acts on both massage members, and the pressing force on the neck cannot be relieved so appropriately only by supporting the body.

In view of the above, the present invention is intended to support not only the back of a human body lying on the back but also the weight of the shoulders, and to massage the neck of the human body lying on the back with an appropriate pressing force. A second object is to provide a neck massage device that can be used.

[0008]

In order to achieve the first object, the first invention of the present application employs the following technical means. That is, the first invention of the present application is the neck massage device described above, wherein each massage member is extended toward the outside of the casing and elastically deformable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft; And a holding member for restricting the massage member from being rotated by the rotating cam and holding the arm portion at a predetermined circumferential position. And

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the arm portion extending toward the outside of the casing is elastically deformable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, and the affected part pressing body is attached to the distal end side of the arm portion. Because of the provision, the affected part pressing body is prevented from excessively pressing the neck due to the elastic deformation of the arm part. Further, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation of each massage member by the rotating cam is regulated by the holding member, whereby the arm portion is held at the predetermined circumferential position. When the neck is sandwiched between the members, the affected part pressing body does not escape in the circumferential direction, and the affected part pressing body can be easily positioned with respect to the neck.

In the first aspect of the present invention, a pair of left and right massage members are provided for necks of various thicknesses so that the necks of various users can be massaged with appropriate pressing force. It is necessary to abut properly.
Therefore, in the first invention of the present application, it is recommended to provide a kneading width adjusting mechanism for adjusting the kneading width with respect to the neck of the human body by changing the relative distance between the pair of left and right massage members to an appropriate value. Specifically, the kneading width adjusting mechanism is provided in the casing so as to be parallel to the rotation axis, and has an adjusting shaft having screw shaft portions at both ends, and is configured to be movable in the axial direction of the adjusting shaft. And a pair of left and right sliders slidably connected to a rotary cam provided in the screw shaft portion in a threaded state and axially movable with respect to the rotary shaft.

If a fan unit for blowing air to the neck during massage is provided in the casing, the fan unit blows hot or cold air to the neck to further improve the massage effect on the neck. be able to. On the other hand, in order to achieve the second object, the second invention of the present application has taken the following technical means. That is, the second invention of the present application is a neck massage device including a casing that can be mounted on a flat mounting surface, and a pair of left and right massage members that protrude upward from the casing. A head rest portion on which the back of the head of a sleeping human body can be placed, a neck rubbing portion disposed in front of the head rest portion and having an opening through which a pair of left and right massage members are inserted, and a front portion of the neck rubbing portion An inclined portion that is formed so as to be downwardly inclined toward the front so as to be thin enough to be sandwiched between the base of the neck of the human body lying on the back and the flat mounting surface on which the casing is mounted. And

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the neck of the human body lying on his back is sandwiched between the two massaging members arranged in the neck massaging section, only the back of the human body is supported by the head mounting section. Instead, the base of the neck of the human body is also supported by the inclined portion. For this reason, the weight of the shoulder as well as the back of the human body lying on the back does not act on both massage members as it is, and it is possible to more reliably prevent the pressing force on the neck from becoming excessive.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the neck massage device 1 of the present embodiment includes a casing 2 that can be placed on a flat placing surface S (see FIG. 6), and a left and right that projects upward from the casing 2. A pair of massage members 3,3
And a massage unit 4 having most of the other components housed in the casing 2, and both massage members 3,
Kneading width adjusting mechanism 5 for adjusting the kneading width by 3;
A fan unit 6 for blowing air to the neck 52 of the human body 51 during massage to enhance the massage effect.

The casing 2 includes a lower half 8 whose upper part is open, and an upper half 9 that closes an upper opening of the lower half 8 from above. At the center of the upper surface of the upper half 9, a pair of left and right openings 10, 10 through which the respective massage members 3 are respectively inserted are formed, and the upper surface of the upper half 9 is made of a highly elastic cloth. It is covered by the cover sheet 11. A handle 12 is provided on both left and right sides of the lower half body 8 for holding the neck massage device 1 with both hands and pressing it against another person for use.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 6, the casing 2 of the present embodiment is formed of a box body having a length in the front-rear direction larger than its width direction and tapered toward the front end. ing. The upper surface of the casing 2 is formed in a streamline shape that gradually descends from the rear to the front, and the rear of the casing 2 has a substantially horizontal upper surface on which the rear head 53 of the human body 51 lying on the back can be placed. The mounting portion 13 is provided. In front of the head mounting portion 13 (left side in FIG. 6), a neck rubbing portion 14 having the opening 10 through which the pair of left and right massage members 3 is inserted is disposed. Is formed so as to be downwardly inclined toward the front so as to be thin enough to be directly sandwiched between the neck base 54 of the human body 51 lying on the back and the flat mounting surface S on which the casing 2 is mounted. Inclined portion 15 is disposed.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6, when the neck 52 of the human body 51 lying on his back is sandwiched between the two massage members 3, 3 arranged on the neck massaging section 14, the rear head 53 of the human body 51 is mounted on the head. In addition to being supported by the placing portion 13, the neck base 54 of the human body 51 is supported by the inclined portion 15, whereby the weight of the back head 53 and the shoulder 55 of the human body 51 lying on the back is applied to both the massage members 3. It does not act as it is, and it is possible to reliably prevent the pressing force against the neck portion 52 from becoming excessive. In order to support the neck base 54 and prevent the weight of the shoulder 55 from being transmitted to the massage members 3 as described above, the inclination angle θ of the upper surface of the inclined portion 15 (see FIG. 30
It is preferable to set each time. Further, the cover sheet 11 made of cloth is attached to the head mounting portion 1 on the upper surface of the casing 2.
It is formed to have a length that follows the entire range from 3 to the vicinity of the tip of the inclined portion 15.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the massage unit 4 is disposed in the neck rubbing portion 14 located at the center of the casing 2 in the front-rear direction. A gear case 18 connected to the front end face of the drive motor 17, and a rotating shaft 19 disposed in the casing 2 in the left-right direction by rotatably supporting a central portion in the axial direction of the gear case 18. And The massage unit 4 includes a pair of left and right rotary cams 21 and 21 having a cam surface 20 which is provided at both axial ends of the rotary shaft 19 so as to be relatively non-rotatable and which is inclined with respect to the rotary shaft 19. Each rotating cam 21,
The pair of left and right massage members 3 which are respectively rotatably engaged with the cam surfaces 20 of the first and second members 21 and protrude from the casing 2 in a state where the neck 52 of the human body 51 is separated so as to be sandwiched therebetween. , 3 and,
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of left and right thrust bearings 22 are provided inside the gear case 18.
The central portion in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 19 is inserted through the bearings 22 and 22. A worm wheel 23 is provided on a portion of the rotating shaft 19 corresponding to between the two bearings 22.
The drive motor 1 is mounted on the wheel 23.
The worm gear 24 fixed to the output shaft 7 is engaged.

Both ends of the rotating shaft 19 in the axial direction are the gear case 1.
8, the rotation cam 21 is not rotatable and slides in the axial direction on sliding sleeves 25 which are fitted to both protruding portions of the rotating shaft 19 in the lateral direction. It is externally fitted so as to be movable. On the outer peripheral surfaces of the pair of left and right rotating cams 21 and 21, recesses having the cam surface 20 as a bottom surface inclined with respect to the axial direction of the rotating shaft 19 (left and right directions in FIGS. 3 and 4) are arranged at equal circumferential intervals. The rolling ball 26 is accommodated in each of the concave portions. The circumferential positions of the rotating cams 21 and 21 with respect to the rotating shaft 19 are set such that the inclination directions of the cam surfaces 20 of the left and right rotating cams 21 and 21 are opposite to each other.

On the other hand, a pair of left and right massage members 3, 3
A boss 27 in which all the rolling balls 26 abutting on the cam surface 20 of the rotating cam 21 are fitted on the inner peripheral side, and extends diagonally upward from the outer peripheral surface of the boss 27 toward the outside of the casing 2. The arm 28 provided and the arm 2
8 and the boss 27
And a holding member 30 projecting downward from the outer peripheral surface of the holding member. The rolling balls 26 are in rolling contact with the inner peripheral surface of the boss portion 27, and the boss portion 2
A retaining ring 31 for preventing the rolling ball 26 from dropping is screwed to the end face of the gear case 18 on the gear case 18 side. As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
, And is configured to be elastically deformable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 19. Further, the affected-part pressing body 29 is formed in an elliptical shape with a rounded inside on the opposite side so as to have a soft contact surface with the neck 52.

In this embodiment, the boss 27, the arm 28, the affected part pressing body 29 and the holding member 30 are integrally formed of a synthetic resin such as plastic.
By embedding a metal leaf spring material inside 8, the durability of the massage member 3 can be improved. Further, each of these units 27 to 30 may be configured as a separate component. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the holding member 30 is formed in a forked shape in which a center portion is cut open downward, and the holding member 30 is provided with a slider 36 of a kneading width adjusting mechanism 5 described later. The arm member 28 is held at a predetermined circumferential position by restricting the massage member 3 from being rotated by the rotating cam 21 by being hooked on the screw cylinder portion 40 of the arm.

As is apparent from the above configuration, the driving shaft 17 is rotated by the drive motor 17 through the worm wheel 23.
9 is rotated, the holding member 30 causes the arm portion 28 to rotate.
Is held at a predetermined circumferential position, and each rotary cam 2
By the cam action of 1,21, the arm portion 28, which is the protruding portion of both massage members 3,3, and the affected part pressing body 29 perform a kneading motion that repeats approaching and separating. In the illustrated example, the rolling ball 6 is interposed between the cam surface 20 of the rotating cam 21 and the inner surface of the boss 27 of the massage member 3. However, if a lubricant such as silicone oil is used, the same cam may be used. The surface 20 can also directly contact the boss 27 of the massage member 3. Further, the cam surface 20 can be formed on the axial end surface of the rotary cam 21.

The kneading width adjusting mechanism 5 of the present embodiment is rotatably attached to the base frame 33 fixed to the center in the front-rear direction of the bottom surface in the casing 2 and to the base frame 33 so as to be parallel to the rotating shaft 19. An adjusting shaft 35 which is erected and has screw shaft portions 34, 34 at both ends; and a screw shaft portion 34 slidably fitted in the base frame 33 so as to be movable in the axial direction of the adjusting shaft 35.
A pair of left and right sliders 36,
36. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the base frame 33 is formed in a rectangular frame shape that is long in the width direction of the casing 2, and rotatably supports the adjustment shaft 35 at the center and both ends in the longitudinal direction. The gear case 18 of the massage unit 4 is fixed to the upper surface at the center in the longitudinal direction of the base frame 33. One end in the axial direction of the adjustment shaft 35 penetrates the side surface of the lower half 8 of the casing 2 and protrudes to the outside, and a disc-shaped operation knob 37 is fixed to the protruding end.

At both ends in the longitudinal direction of the base frame 33, substantially square opening frames 38, 38 (see FIG. 5) are formed. The pair of left and right sliders 36, 36 are stored respectively. Each of the sliders 36, 36 has a slide plate 39 slidably fitted inside the opening frame 38,
The screw shaft portion 34 of the adjustment shaft 35 is threadedly inserted into the screw tube portion 40. As shown in FIG. 5, a semicircular engaging edge 41 is formed at the upper end of the slide plate 39, and the engaging edge 41 is movable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 19. Is slidably fitted in a circumferential groove 42 formed in the outer peripheral portion of the rotary cam 21. For this reason, as shown in FIG.
When the adjusting shaft 35 is rotated by rotating the 7, the sliders 36, 36 approach and separate along the base frame 33 by the respective screw shaft portions 40, and the sliders 36, 36 approach or separate from each other. With each rotary cam 2
The relative distance between the massage members 3, 3 connected to 1, 21 can be changed to an appropriate value.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the fan unit 6 is disposed in the casing 2 from the inclined portion 15 to the neck rubbing portion 14, and has a function of discharging air to the outside. A motor 44 and a blower pipe 45 composed of an elbow pipe connected to the fan motor 44 are provided. The blower pipe 45 is piped such that the exhaust port thereof is directed upward between the pair of left and right massage members 3, so that an appropriate amount of air can be blown to the neck 52 of the human body 51 during massage. It has become.

A heater for heating the exhaust air is provided inside the fan motor 44. By selectively turning on and off the power of the heater, either the hot air or the cold air is supplied from the air blow pipe. It can be discharged.
Next, the operation of the neck massage device 1 having the above configuration will be described. First, the human body 5 is
In order to massage the neck 52, it is necessary to set the neck 52 between the pair of left and right massage members 3 projecting from the upper surface of the casing 2 mounted on the mounting surface S.

At this time, according to the neck massage apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the rotation of the massage members 3 and 3 by the rotating cam 21 is restricted by the holding member 30, whereby the arm 28 is moved. Since it is held at the predetermined circumferential position, the neck 5
When the body 2 is sandwiched, the affected part pressing body 29 does not escape in the circumferential direction, and the affected part pressing body 29 can be easily positioned with respect to the neck 52. Then, the drive motor 17
Is turned on and the massage unit 4 is operated, the affected part pressing bodies 29 of both massage members 3 and 3 repeat approaching and separating, and the neck 52 sandwiched therebetween can be massaged from both the left and right sides.

At this time, according to the neck massage device 1 of the present embodiment, the arm portion 28 extending toward the outside of the casing 2 is elastically deformable in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 19. The affected part pressing body 2 is provided at the distal end side of the arm 19.
Since the arm 9 is provided, the affected part pressing body 29 is prevented from excessively pressing the neck part 52 due to the elastic deformation of the arm part 28. In addition, according to the neck massage device 1 of the present embodiment, it is possible to blow warm air or cold air to the neck 52 by operating the fan unit 6 during massage. Therefore, in the case of warm air, the massage effect can be improved by massaging the neck 52 while warming the affected area and increasing blood circulation. In addition, in the case of cold air, massage can be performed while a refreshing feeling is felt in the neck portion 52, which is particularly suitable for massage in summer.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the projecting direction of the arm portion 28 is held by hooking the bifurcated holding member 30 formed on the massage member 3 onto the threaded tube portion 40 of the slider 36. The structure of engagement with the casing 2 (fixed side) is not limited to this, but the point is that any structure can be used as long as it can regulate the rotational movement while allowing the axial movement with respect to the casing 2 side.

[0029]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the arm for reducing the pressing force on the neck is held at a predetermined circumferential position, the positioning of the affected part pressing body with respect to the neck is not difficult, and the neck is massaged with an appropriate pressing force. be able to. Further, according to the present invention, since the weight of the shoulder as well as the back of the human body lying on the back is supported, the weight of the shoulder as well as the back of the human body acts on both massage members as they are. It is possible to massage with proper pressing force on the neck of the human body lying on his back.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an internal mechanism of a neck massage device according to the present invention in a see-through manner.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the massage device.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 for illustrating a massage motion of a massage member.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2 for illustrating a function of adjusting a massage width of a massage member.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing a state where a massage unit and a massage width adjusting mechanism are separated.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a use state of the neck massage device according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Massage device for neck 2 Casing 3 Massage member 4 Massage unit 5 Massage width adjustment mechanism 6 Fan unit 10 Opening 13 Fine head portion 14 Neck massage portion 15 Inclined portion 19 Rotary shaft 20 Cam surface 21 Rotating cam 28 Arm portion 29 Affected portion pressing Body 30 Holding member 34 Screw shaft 35 Adjusting shaft 51 Human body 52 Neck 53 Back of head 54 Neck base

Claims (6)

[Claims] A rotary shaft (19) rotatably driven in a casing (2), and provided at both axial ends of the rotary shaft (19) so as to be relatively non-rotatable with respect to the rotary shaft (19). A pair of left and right rotating cams (21, 21) having an inclined cam surface (20), respectively, are rotatably engaged with the cam surfaces (20) of the respective rotating cams (21, 21), and a human body ( A pair of left and right massage members (3, 3) arranged so as to protrude from the casing (2) with the neck portion (52) of the component (51) separated so as to be sandwiched therebetween. In the device, each of the massage members (3, 3) is extended toward the outside of the casing (2) and the rotating shaft (1
The arm (28) elastically deformable in the axial direction of (9), the affected part pressing body (29) provided on the distal end side of the arm (28), and the massage member (3) include the rotating cam (21). ) To hold the arm portion (28) at a predetermined circumferential position.
0), and a neck massage device. 2. A massage width adjusting mechanism (5) for adjusting the massage distance of the neck (52) of the human body (51) by changing the relative distance between the pair of left and right massage members (3, 3) to an appropriate value. 2. The neck massage device according to claim 1, further comprising: 3. A kneading width adjusting mechanism (5) includes a rotating shaft (1).
An adjusting shaft (35) provided in the casing (2) so as to be parallel to 9) and having screw shaft portions (34, 34) at both ends; and an adjustable shaft (35) movable in the axial direction. A pair of left and right slidably connected to a rotary cam (21) provided in the screw shaft portion (34) in a threaded state and movably provided in the axial direction with respect to the rotary shaft (19). The neck massage device according to claim 2, further comprising a slider (36, 36). 4. The casing (2) includes a head rest (1) on which the back of the head (53) of a human body (51) lying on his back can be placed.
3), a neck rubbing part (14) disposed in front of the head mounting part (13) and having an opening (10) through which a pair of left and right massage members (3, 3) are inserted; A human body (5) placed in front of the
It is formed so as to be inclined downward toward the front so as to be thin enough to be directly sandwiched between the neck base (54) of 1) and the flat mounting surface (S) on which the casing (2) is mounted. The neck massage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an inclined portion (15). 5. The neck massage device according to claim 1, wherein a fan unit (6) for blowing air to the neck portion (52) during the massage is provided in the casing (2). 6. A neck comprising a casing (2) mountable on a flat mounting surface (S), and a pair of left and right massage members (3, 3) projecting upward from the casing (2). In the massage device for use, the casing (2) is disposed on a head rest (13) on which the back of the head (53) of the human body (51) lying on the back can be placed, and is disposed in front of the head rest (13). Opening (10) through which a pair of left and right massage members (13, 13) are inserted
And a flat surface on which the base (54) of the neck (54) of the human body (51) placed in front of the neck rubbing part (14) and lying on the back and the casing (2) are placed. A neck portion (15) having a downwardly sloped shape as it goes forward so as to be thin enough to be sandwiched between the mounting surface and (S). apparatus.