JP2003038603A - Warm water stream generating device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a warm water stream generating device for giving a stimulus in a wide range. SOLUTION: This device is formed in a bathtub which is provided with an inflow port and outflow port and in which warm water is circulated. In the inflow port, an opening area has 0.02-0.25 m<2> where the width is 0.6-1.6 times as long as the height, a flow rate is 0.5-2.0 m/s and a pressurization fluid of 36-40 deg.C to be a turbulence inside the bathtub is pressurized by an axial stream blade with a diameter of 160-400 mm and jetted. The jetted turbulence flows to enwrap the body surface of a bathing user, and then, the stimulus is given to the whole body surface by generating a flutter (self-excited vibration) of 8-13 Hz.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a hot water flow generator for ejecting fluid from a part of a bath.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a large number of jet baths for ejecting a pressurized fluid from a small hole formed in a part of a bath have been used. These jet baths have a diameter of, for example, 10 to 15 m.
Bubbles are mixed and ejected from a small hole of about m in a rate of about 5 m / s into hot water, and pressure is applied to a narrow area of the back, arms, legs or the like. By taking a bath in the jet bath for a predetermined time, blood circulation in a predetermined range can be improved.

[0003]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional jet bath, high pressure is applied to a narrow area,
I cannot apply stimulation to the whole body at the same time. Also, in order to apply pressure to the targeted area, one cannot move much in the bathtub. For this reason, it is difficult to relax the whole body, and it is less effective in improving biological functions such as promoting blood circulation and getting sufficient sleep. Then, the subject which this invention tends to solve is providing a warm water flow generator which gives a stimulation to a wide range.

[0004]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the hot water flow generator of the present invention is a hot water flow generator in which a fluid passage for circulating the fluid in the bath is attached to the bath. A mechanism for ejecting a pressurized fluid that becomes a turbulent flow in the bathtub from an inlet of 200 to 2500 cm ² is provided. The shape of the inflow port is not particularly limited, and can be formed into, for example, a circle, a rectangle, an ellipse, or the like. The mechanism for generating turbulent flow is formed, for example, by adjusting the flow velocity and changing the shape of the inflow port. The generated turbulent flow flows so as to wrap around the body surface of a person taking a bath, and gives stimulus by generating flutter (self-excited vibration) of 8 to 13 Hz on the entire body surface.

If the area of the inflow port is smaller than 200 cm ² , stimulation can be given only in a narrow range, and if it is larger than 2500 cm ² , the propeller to be used needs to have a large diameter, which requires a large apparatus. become. Since the area is in the range of 200 to 2500 cm ² ,
A wider area than the inlet can be simultaneously pressurized and stimulated. Incidentally, this range is capable of stimulating the entire back by setting preferably when the 300～1700Cm ^2, and more preferably when the 400～1600Cm ^2, the range of.

It is also possible to form the width of the inflow port to be 0.6 to 1.6 times the height. 0.6
When it is less than twice or more than 1.6 times,
The pressurized fluid spreads only in one of the width direction and the height direction,
This is because the bather's body cannot be wrapped and stimulated.

Further, the flow velocity of the pressurized fluid is 0.5 to
It is also possible to set it to 2.0 m / s. Flow velocity is 0.5m
This is because if it is smaller than / s, the stimulus is not transmitted, and if it is larger than 2.0, it may be pushed by the fluid and flow to the downstream side. Due to the pressurized fluid that hits the human body, self-excited vibration of about 8 to 13 Hz easily occurs on the body surface.

Further, the pressurized fluid has a diameter of 160-4.
It is also possible to pressurize with an axial flow blade of 00 mm.
The axial flow vane is provided outside the bathtub and is provided at an intermediate position of a fluid passage connecting the outflow port and the inflow port. Diameter is 1
This is because if it is smaller than 60 mm, the flow velocity becomes too fast and irritation to the human body becomes too strong, and if it is larger than 400 mm, the device becomes large and installation becomes difficult.

Further, the temperature of the pressurized fluid is set to 36-40.
It is also possible to set the temperature to ° C. This is because if the temperature is lower than 36 ° C, the rise in body temperature is too small, and if the temperature is higher than 40 ° C, fatigue becomes large and it is difficult to take a bath for a long time.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. FIG. 1 is a plan view of a hot water flow generator according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the hot water flow generator.

The hot water flow generator 1 according to the first embodiment
Has a bathtub 2 having a length of 1400 mm, a width of 1000 mm and a water depth of 750 mm, for example, and an inflow port 3 is formed on one side in the longitudinal direction of the water tank 2 and an outflow port 4 is formed on the other side. The inlet 3 and the outlet 4 are, for example, 350 to 4 on a side.
The grid-shaped guard member 8 is formed in a rectangular shape of 50 mm.

The inflow port 3 and the outflow port 4 are connected to a C-shaped fluid passage 5 passing through one side of the water tank 1, and the fluid passage 5
In the middle of the position, for example, a diameter of 40
A 0 mm axial flow vane 7 is provided.

The drive motor 6 is provided so as to be capable of shifting within a range of 0.5 to 2.0 m / s by a control device (not shown). The hot water having a predetermined temperature that has flowed into the bathtub starts to flow by starting the drive motor 6, and is jetted from the inflow port 3 into the bathtub 2. A heater (not shown) is provided in the bath 2 or the fluid passage 5 to adjust the temperature of the hot water to 36 to 38.
It can be adjusted within the range of ° C.

The bathtub 2 can be bathed by one or two users standing. The user usually takes a bath with the inflow port 3 as a back or in front, and the hot water flowing into the bathtub 2 from the inflow port 3 becomes a turbulent flow and passes while enclosing the entire body of the user. . At this time, 8 to 8 on the user's body
Self-excited vibration of 13 Hz is generated, and shaking stimulus is given to a wide range of skin, subcutaneous fat and muscle, and massage can be naturally performed without difficulty. In addition, blood circulation throughout the body can be improved.

Further, while the calorie consumption in the jet bath is 0.02 Kcal / kg / min, the calorie consumption in the present embodiment is 0.04 to 0.25 Kcal / kg / min, and the weight reduction effect is also obtained. is there.

Next, a hot water flow generator according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the hot water flow generator according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the hot water flow generator.

The hot water flow generator 9 is a device that allows five people to sit down and take a bath with their water depths of 750 mm.
The backrest portion 10, the seat portion 11, and the calf guide portion 12 are respectively provided in the five bathing portions 15 which can be set to. At the center of the hot water flow generator 9, a circular table 18 is provided, the lower center of which is supported by legs. The backrest 10 and the calf guide 12 have, for example, outlets 13 and 14 of 220 mm in width and 160 mm in length.
And the outflow ports 13 and 14 are provided with a guard member 8 having a large number of horizontally elongated holes.

The outflow ports 13 and 14 are communicated with each other through a fluid passage 16 formed on the lower side of the seat portion 11, and the fluid passage 1
Axial flow vanes 17 are provided at 6 so as to be capable of forward and reverse operation. By setting the rotation direction of the axial flow vanes to one side, the hot water can be made to flow into the bathing section 15 from the outflow port 13 and the turbulent flow generated on the back can be applied and discharged from the outflow port 14. Further, by switching to the other side, it is possible to cause the turbulent flow to be applied to the calf by causing the turbulent flow to flow into the bathing portion 15 from the outflow inlet 14 and to discharge the calf.

The flow velocity of the hot water, the diameter of the axial flow vanes 17, the hot water temperature, etc. are the same as those of the hot water flow generator 1 of the first embodiment described above. With this configuration, the user's body is
A self-excited vibration of 13 Hz is generated, and a shaking stimulus is applied to a wide range of skin, subcutaneous fat and muscles, and massage is naturally and reasonably performed. In addition, blood circulation throughout the body can be improved.

[0020]

EXAMPLES Next, various measurement results when bathing is performed using the hot water flow generators 1 and 9 of the first and second embodiments will be described. In the first example, a test was conducted on the shaking of the body surface due to bathing and the effects of time, flow velocity, and water temperature on the living body.

First, a hot water flow generator 19 according to a comparative example will be described. FIG. 5A is a plan view of a hot water flow generator according to a comparative example, and FIG. 5B is a front sectional view of the hot water flow generator.

The water tank 22 of the hot water flow generator 19 has a length of 3
It is formed to have a width of 400 mm, a width of 1800 mm, and a depth of 1120 mm, and has a horizontally long inlet 20 and an outlet 21.
The inflow port 20 and the outflow port 21 pass through the lower portion of the water tank 22 and are C
Shaped fluid passages 23 communicate with each other. Four axial flow vanes 24 are arranged in parallel in the fluid passage 23, and a laminar flow is generated in the water tank 22 by rotating the axial flow vanes 24 by a driving device (not shown). In the aquarium 22,
One to six people can enter at the same time and exercise while standing.

(Swing of Body Surface) Next, measurement of body surface swing will be described. Subjects A and B are thin healthy women, and subjects C and D are obese healthy women. The accelerometer was attached to the front of the abdomen, the side of the abdomen, and the back to measure changes in the number of times of shaking. As a result, the hot water flow generators 1 and 9 according to the first and second embodiments have a large difference between the maximum frequency and the minimum frequency (15-5 = 10 Hz), and the hot water flow generator 19 according to the comparative example is , The difference is small (11-8 = 3H
z). It is considered that this is because the hot water flow generators 1 and 9 are turbulent and the hot water flow generator 19 is laminar. Further, although the difference in frequency depending on the physique was not seen, the amplitude was larger in the obese subjects C and D.

Further, in the hot water flow generators 1 and 9, the tendency of "1 / f fluctuation" that humans feel comfortable was observed.
1 / f fluctuation means that fluctuation occurs in a cycle that is inversely proportional to the frequency. In particular, the hot water flow generator 1 has a tendency of 1 / f fluctuation at any of the three flow velocities of 0.5 m / s, 1 m / s, and 1.5 m / s. A tendency of / f fluctuation was observed. On the other hand, in the hot water flow generator 19, the tendency of 1 / f fluctuation was not observed regardless of the change in the flow velocity.

(Effects of time, flow velocity and water temperature on living body)
The blood flow was measured by attaching a probe of a blood flow meter to the tip of the index finger of the left hand. In addition, the whole body of subjects A to D before and after bathing was photographed with a thermotracer to confirm the change.

As a result, it was confirmed that even if the input time was changed to 10 minutes and 20 minutes, the blood flow increased at an early stage (within 4 minutes) after bathing and remained constant thereafter. It was In addition, when the flow velocity of hot water was increased, the blood flow tended to drop sharply after taking a bath. The blood flow increased regardless of the difference in water temperature, but the rate of increase was slower as the water temperature was lower.

Particularly, in the hot water flow generator 1, when the hot water is applied to the subject from the front, the blood flow immediately after bathing and 10 minutes after bathing is 11 ml / min / 100 g at high speed and 7 at medium speed.
ml / min / 100g, 6ml / min / 1 at low speed flow
An increase of 00 g was shown. When hot water was applied to the subject from the rear, the high-speed flow was 9 ml / min / 100 g, the medium-speed flow was 20 ml / min / 100 g, and the low-speed flow was 5 ml / min.
The amount of increase was min / 100g, which was the largest increase.

In the hot water flow generator 9, it rapidly increases from the bathing until 4 minutes, and thereafter the increase and decrease is small. After bathing, the maximum increase was 6 ml / min / 100 g at the medium flow rate. In the warm water flow generation device 19, the blood flow increased up to 5 to 6 minutes after bathing, but showed a tendency to decrease thereafter.

In the thermography, in the hot water flow generator 1, the upper limb was high but the lower limb was low when the temperature increased during bathing for 10 minutes. On the other hand, after bathing for 30 minutes, the lower limbs became particularly high. However, the subject felt cold after 10 minutes of bathing for 30 minutes, and conversely 1 hour after bathing for 10 minutes.
It was the opinion that the body was soft after 0 minutes.

At a constant hot water temperature and bathing time, the flow velocity is low (0 to 0.5 m / s), medium (0.8 to 1.0 m / s),
The change in body surface temperature when divided into high (1.2 to 1.8 m / s) was confirmed. The temperature increased most in the slow flow. Next, the temperature of the medium-speed flow increased, and that of the high-speed flow was small.

The bathing time is 10 minutes, and the water temperature is low (3
5 ° C or less), Medium (36 to 38 ° C), High (39 to 40 ° C)
The change in body surface temperature when divided into two was confirmed. However, when the water temperature was high, when the subject took a bath for 10 minutes, his physical strength was exhausted. As a result, the rate of body surface temperature rise was small in the bath when the water temperature was low, and the temperature rise was sufficiently observed at the water temperature, and the heat retention effect was also confirmed.

It was the bathing of the hot water flow generator 9 that the rate of increase in body surface temperature change was the largest and the heat retaining effect was observed.
The hot water flow generator 1 was next, and the warm water flow generator 19 had the smallest increase rate. The difference between the hot water flow generators 1 and 19 for bathing in the standing position was in the lower limbs of the subject.
In the case of bathing in the warm water flow generator 19, the subject's lower limb front side (near the shin) has a temperature increase, but the lower limb rear side (near the calf) has no temperature increase. The temperature rise of the warm water flow generation device 1 is seen before and after the lower limbs.

When bathing in the hot water flow generators 1, 9, and 19, the body surface temperature at the peripheral part of the living body rises. In addition, there is no difference according to physique. As a result of the thermography measurement, it was confirmed that the body surface temperature was increased where the water flow hits the living body, although there was a difference depending on the model and the flow velocity.

From these results, the following can be considered. (1) Bathing in a hot water stream for a long time and in a high-speed stream consumes a lot of energy, and it can be assumed that heat is easily released to the outside of the body due to perspiration and an increase in respiratory rate, and the body temperature decreases rapidly after taking a bath. Tend to do. (2) Like the hot water flow generators 19, the width direction uniformly flows, but the entire bathing portion such as the hot water flow generators 1 and 9 is more uniform than the hot water flow generators in which the bottom of the bathtub does not flow from the water surface. A device in which there is a flow in a part, and the flow is turbulent and wraps around the body of the bather is preferable.

(3) In the standing position, blood tends to concentrate on the lower limbs, but in the sitting position, the blood flow is dispersed and spreads throughout the body. In the sitting position, the body is very relaxed and muscle tension is relieved. Therefore, it has an effect on the whole body. (4) Usually, the water temperature is 39 to 4 when bathing without running water.
Although 0 ° C is required, a sufficient heat retaining effect can be expected even at 36 to 38 ° C in the case of hot water flow.

Next, a second embodiment will be described. Second
In this example, the bath was tested for brain activation.

First, the subjects were a group of 13 people, 14
Before taking a bath, a brain wave was measured and a questionnaire was conducted to evaluate cognitive function of health and dementia. After that, the group a lived a normal life for two weeks without bathing in the hot water flow generator. Group b is hot water flow generator 1,9
Bathed for 15 minutes every day for 2 weeks (30 minutes in total). Two weeks later, the second electroencephalogram measurement and questionnaire were conducted for both groups a and b.

Next, the group a bathed for 30 minutes every day for 2 weeks as in the group b, and the group b lived a normal life without bathing for 2 weeks. After that, the third electroencephalogram measurement, blood collection, and questionnaire were performed.

(Activation of the brain) In the case of dementia, the activity of nerve cells on the surface of the cerebrum is nonuniform and unstable. Therefore,
The subject's scalp was fitted with 21 dish-shaped electrodes, and the electroencephalogram was recorded for 5 minutes while the patient was seated with the eyes closed, to confirm the inhomogeneity and instability, and digitized using analysis software (DPL: alpha dipole degree = Non-uniformity, STD: instability (standard deviation) was performed.

DPL is 0.963 or more, STD is 0.0
A region below 235 is considered to be a normal region, and a region where DPL is smaller than 0.963 and STD is larger than 0.0235 is considered to be an Alzheimer region. All subjects suspected of having Alzheimer's area moved to normal after 2 weeks of bathing. Furthermore, when the subject stopped the hot water inflow bath for 2 weeks, the subject also tended to return to the Alzheimer's area.
It was also confirmed that the person who was originally in the normal range did not change.

(Questionnaire) Questionnaire is SF36
(The Medical Outcomes Stu
Entry method called dy Short Form 36) and MMSE (Mini-Mental St)
A method called a question examination by a questioner is used. SF36 is an index that measures a general health concept and is also used in the medical field. An MMSE score of 23 or less with a score of 30 is suspected of being a cognitive impairment.

As a result of SF36, the most effective of the eight areas was the "pain" area. The pain was improved after bathing in the hot water flow generators 1 and 9 for two weeks in groups a and b. It is generally said that when the depression is severe, the pain in the body increases. If pain is improved, depression can be improved and relaxation can be expected. The MMSE results showed that the subject's original score was high, so no significant difference was observed before and after bathing.

[0043]

The present invention has the following effects. (1) Since the pressurized fluid that becomes a turbulent flow in the bath is ejected from the inlet of 200 to 2500 cm ² formed in the bath, it is possible to simultaneously pressurize and stimulate a wider area than the inlet. (2) Further, the width of the inflow port is about 0.6 to the height.
When formed 1.6 times, it can be stimulated to wrap around the bather's body. (3) Further, the flow velocity of the pressurized fluid is 0.5 to 2.0 m /
When s is set, self-excited vibration of about 8 to 13 Hz easily occurs on the body surface due to the pressurized fluid that hits the human body, and a wide range can be vibrated greatly. (4) Furthermore, by applying pressure with an axial flow blade having a diameter of 160 to 400 mm, it is possible to prevent the apparatus from becoming huge and to operate with a small vibration. (5) When the temperature of the pressurized fluid is set to 36 to 38 ° C, the body temperature can be raised to a range where fatigue is small, and a long bath can be performed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a hot water flow generation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the hot water flow generator.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a hot water flow generation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the hot water flow generator.

5A is a plan view of a hot water flow generator according to a comparative example, and FIG. 5B is a front sectional view of the hot water flow generator.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Hot water flow generator 2 bathtubs 3 Inlet 4 Outlet 5 fluid passages 6 drive motor 7 Axial flow blade 8 Guard member 9 Hot water flow generator 10 Backrest 11 seat 12 Calf guide section 13, 14 Outflow entrance 15 Bath 16 fluid passages 17 Axial flow blade 18 tables 19 Hot water flow generator 20 Inlet 21 Outlet 22 aquarium 23 fluid passage 24 axial blades

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    F-term (reference) 4C074 LL07 MM04 NN04 QQ21                 4C094 AA01 AA07 BB03 BB15 DD14                       EE20 FF02 GG03                 4C100 AC03 BA01 BB02 BB05 BC11                       CA17 DA05 DA06 DA10 EA06                       EA09 EA12

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A hot water flow generator in which a fluid passage for circulating a fluid in a bathtub is attached to the bathtub, and a turbulent flow is generated in the bathtub from an inlet of 0.02 to 0.25 m ² formed in the bathtub. A hot water flow generator characterized in that a mechanism for ejecting a pressurized fluid is provided. 2. The width of the inlet is 0.6 with respect to the height.
A hot water flow generator characterized in that it is formed up to 1.6 times. 3. The flow velocity of the pressurized fluid is 0.5 to 2.0.
It is m / s, The hot water flow generator of Claim 1 or 2 characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The pressurized fluid has a diameter of 160 to 400 m.
The hot water flow generator according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the hot water flow generator is pressurized by an axial flow blade of m. 5. The hot water flow generator according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the pressurized fluid is 36 to 40 ° C.