JP5441613B2 - Switching valve and massage machine equipped with the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a switching valve and a massage machine including the same.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a massage machine is known that includes an air supply source, a plurality of air cells (air actuators) that perform a massage operation by supplying and exhausting air, and a switching valve provided between the air supply source and the air cell. .
As an example of the massage machine, the switching valve is composed of a plurality of solenoid valves, and a massage in which at least one solenoid valve is connected to one air cell (or a pair of air cells for massaging one place). A machine is disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1). The massage machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an air cell that communicates with an air supply source by individually switching the open / close state of each solenoid valve by exciting or demagnetizing each solenoid valve electrically connected to the control unit Is switched.
As another example of the massage machine, there is disclosed a massage machine in which the switching valve is constituted by a rotary valve and a plurality of air cells are connected to one rotary valve (for example, Patent Document 2). The massage machine disclosed in Patent Literature 2 drives an electric cell connected to an air supply source by rotating a rotary body (valve body) of a rotary valve by driving a motor electrically connected to the control unit. Switching.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-87765 JP-A-7-184749

However, since the massage machine disclosed in Patent Document 1 requires at least one electromagnetic valve for one air cell, the number of peripheral devices including the electromagnetic valve and wiring / piping for this purpose also increases. As a result, the configuration of the massage machine becomes complicated or expensive. On the other hand, the massage machine disclosed in Patent Document 2 requires only one rotary valve for a plurality of air cells. However, a separate drive source for driving the rotary body (valve body) of the rotary valve is required. . As a result, the configuration of the massage machine (mainly the massage machine control unit) becomes complicated or expensive.
Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a massage machine capable of simplifying the configuration and a switching valve applied to the massage machine.

The massage machine according to the present invention is provided between an air supply source, a plurality of air actuators, at least one of which is an operation unit for massaging, the air supply source, and the air actuator. In the massage machine having a switching valve that switches and supplies the air from the air supply source to any one of the massaging machines, the switching valve has a main body , and the main body includes an air chamber and the plurality of air actuators. A plurality of discharge ports to be connected; an exhaust port for communicating the air chamber and the outside of the main body ; and the switching valve is slidably and rotatably provided in the main body. a supply position for supplying air from the air supply source to the air actuator, or said exhaust port of the supplied air through the discharge port to the air actuator Wherein an exhaust position to exhaust the body outer, a valve body movable between, by utilizing the differential pressure between the internal pressure and the external pressure of the body portion, the air supply by sliding the valve body And a drive mechanism for switching the air actuator for switching between the position and the exhaust position and for rotating the valve body to communicate with the air supply source.
With such a configuration, in the drive mechanism, the differential pressure between the internal pressure of the main body and the external pressure (atmospheric pressure) can be used as a drive source for switching the valve body between the supply position and the exhaust position. Therefore, a drive source by electric control can be omitted to move the valve body.

Also, the between the switching valve and the air supply opening the switching valve is provided, wherein the drive mechanism includes feed and air condition supplying air from the air supply source, off the air supply from the air supply source an exhaust state, by opening and closing switching operation of the open-close switching valve for switching the, it is preferable to switch the air actuator for communicating with the air supply source.
With such a configuration, the air actuator to be operated among the plurality of air actuators can be switched only by the switching operation for switching the air supply state and the exhaust state from the air supply source in the main body.

Moreover, it is preferable that the drive mechanism switches the air actuator to be communicated with the air supply source by a switching operation including driving and stopping of the air supply source.
With such a configuration, it is possible to switch the air actuator to be operated among the plurality of air actuators only by switching the driving and stopping of the air supply source. That is, the air supply source has a function as a drive source for driving the valve body in addition to a function as a drive source for supplying air to the air actuator.

The drive mechanism may sequentially switch the air actuators connected to the air supply source in a predetermined order by repeating the opening / closing switching operation of the open / close switching valve or the switching operation of the air supply source. preferable.
With such a configuration, the air actuator can be expanded and contracted in a predetermined order only by repeatedly performing the switching operation of driving and stopping the air supply source.

The driving mechanism includes: the air chamber provided in said main body portion, and the exhaust port provided on the main body for communicating with said body portion outside and the air chamber, the sliding of the valve body It is preferable to have a cam portion that converts rotation.
With this configuration, when air from an air supply source is supplied, the air chamber is pressurized, the pressure of the air chamber becomes higher than the external pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the main body, and the air is supplied to the air. Flows from the source side to the exhaust port side. With this air flow, the valve body can be moved from the exhaust position to the supply position. On the other hand, when the supply of air from the air supply source is stopped, the air chamber is depressurized, the pressure of the air chamber becomes equal to the external pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the main body, and the valve body is moved from the supply position by its own weight. It can be moved to the exhaust position. Furthermore, the sliding of the valve body is converted into rotation, and the air actuator that communicates with the air supply source can be switched.

Moreover, it is preferable that the said switching valve has a positioning part which controls rotation of the said valve body in the said air supply position.
With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the communication state of the air supply source and the air actuator from being switched to an unintended communication state at the air supply position.

The switching valve of the present invention is provided with an air chamber, a supply port, an exhaust port for communicating the air chamber with the atmosphere , and a main body having a plurality of discharge ports, and is slidable and rotatable in the main body. An air supply position for discharging air from the supply port from a part of the plurality of discharge ports, and air discharged from the discharge port through the discharge port and from the exhaust port to the main body an exhaust position to exhaust the outer, a valve body movable between, by utilizing the differential pressure between the internal pressure and the external pressure of the body portion, and the air supply position by sliding the valve body And a drive mechanism for switching the discharge port for switching to the exhaust position and for rotating the valve body to communicate with the supply port.
With such a configuration, in the drive mechanism, the differential pressure between the internal pressure of the main body and the external pressure (atmospheric pressure) can be used as a drive source for switching the valve body between the supply position and the exhaust position. Therefore, a drive source by electric control can be omitted to move the valve body.

  According to the present invention, in addition to a drive source for switching between an air supply state and an exhaust state in the main body, a separate drive source by electric control for moving the valve body is not required, and the structure can be simplified. .

It is a perspective view of a massage machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a circuit diagram of a massage machine concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the perspective view seen from the direction with the switching valve concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is a disassembled perspective view of the switching valve which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention seen from the same direction as FIG. It is an exploded top view of the switching valve concerning one embodiment of the present invention seen from the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. It is a disassembled perspective view of the switching valve which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention seen from the direction different from FIG. It is the perspective view of the valve body seen from the sliding direction one end part side (upstream side). It is a figure explaining the state which the valve body is located in the 1st exhaust position, (a) is a top view of the switching valve seen from the direction orthogonal to a sliding direction, (b) is a sliding direction one end It is a top view of the switching valve seen from the section side (upstream side). It is a figure explaining the state in which the valve body is located in the 1st air supply position, (a) is a top view of the switching valve seen from the direction orthogonal to a sliding direction, (b) is a sliding direction It is a top view of the switching valve seen from the one end part side (upstream side). It is a figure explaining the state which the valve body is located in the 2nd exhaust position, (a) is a top view of the switching valve seen from the direction orthogonal to a sliding direction, (b) is a sliding direction one end It is a top view of the switching valve seen from the section side (upstream side). It is a figure explaining the state which the valve body is located in the 2nd air supply position, (a) is a top view of the switching valve seen from the direction orthogonal to a sliding direction, (b) is a sliding direction It is a top view of the switching valve seen from the one end part side (upstream side).

[Composition of massage machine]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a massage machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
This massage machine 100 is a chair type, and as a body support that can support the user's body, a seat part 1 on which a user (the user) sits, a footrest 2 in front of the seat part 1, and a seat The backrest part 3 in the rear part of the part 1 and a pair of left and right armrest parts 4 are provided. When the user sitting on the seat 1 sees, the front is “front”, the rear is “rear”, the left hand side is “left”, the right hand side is “right”, and the head side is “ “Up”, waist side “down”, and other cases will be described as appropriate. Further, in the footrest 2, when the footrest 2 is lowered from the front end of the seat 1 (the state shown in FIG. 1), the user sees the front as “front” and the rear as “rear”. This will be described below.

  As a body support, the seat 1 can support the user's buttocks and thighs. The backrest 3 can support the back and head from the waist of the user seated on the seat 1. Moreover, the backrest part 3 is provided in the seat part 1 so that rotation is possible, and it can recline between the standing state and the state which fell backward. The footrest 2 can support the sole of the leg of the user seated on the seat 1 from the knee, that is, the sole from the calf through the ankle. Moreover, the footrest 2 is provided in the seat part 1 so that rotation drive is possible, and can rotate between the state which fell from the seat part 1, and the state protruded ahead. The armrest portion 4 can support the left and right arms of the user and is attached to the seat portion 1. At least one of these body supports is provided with air cells (air actuators) 5 to 9 that expand and contract by air supply and discharge as massage means.

  In the backrest part 3, left and right air cells are provided as a set at positions corresponding to the back part and the waist part. That is, the left and right air cells 5L and 5R are provided as a set for the back portion, and the left and right air cells 6L and 6R are provided as a set for the waist portion. And in the backrest part 3, the treatment element (the kneading ball) 101 which operate | moves with a motor etc. is provided, and the massage means which can move the backrest part 3 up and down is provided. Further, in the seat portion 1, left and right air cells 7L and 7R are provided as a set at positions corresponding to the buttocks and thighs. Further, in the footrest 2, a pair of left and right air cells 8L for the left leg and a pair of right and left air cells 8R for the right leg are provided as a set. Further, in the armrest portion 4, air cells 9L and 9R for the left arm and the right arm are provided as a set. Each armrest portion 4 is provided with an arm holding portion 10. The left arm holding portion 10 is provided with an air cell 9 </ b> L, and the right arm holding portion 10 is provided with an air cell 9 </ b> R.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the massage machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the massage machine 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the air cells 5 to 9, an air supply source 11 for operating the air cells 5 to 9, and the air cells 5 to 9. A switching valve 12 is provided between the air supply source 11 and the air supply source 11. The air supply source 11 includes a pump P operated by a motor M. For the switching valve 12, the switching valve 13 connected to a set of air cells 5L, 5R for the back, the switching valve 14 connected to a set of air cells 6L, 6R for the waist, the buttocks and thighs A switching valve 15 connected to a set of air cells 7L and 7R, a switching valve 16 connected to a set of air cells 8L and 8R for left and right legs, and a left arm and a right arm A switching valve 17 connected to the pair of air cells 9L, 9R is provided. A branch portion is connected to the pump P, and each of the switching valves 13 to 17 (hereinafter, representatively referred to as the switching valve 12) is connected to the branch line from the branch portion via the opening / closing switching valve 18. . The opening / closing switching valve 18 performs an opening / closing switching operation based on an instruction signal from the control unit 19 provided in the massage machine 100. By the opening / closing operation of each opening / closing switching valve 18, each air cell 5-9 is supplied from the pump P. The air supply to the can be turned on and off. Furthermore, the control part 19 can control each operation | movement of the opening / closing switching valve 18, and can make all these opening / closing switching valves 18 into an open state or a closed state, or can make any one or several open.

[Configuration of switching valve]
Hereinafter, the structure of the switching valve 12 will be described.
3 is a perspective view of the switching valve 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention as seen from a certain direction, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the switching valve 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the same direction as FIG. 5 is an exploded plan view of the switching valve 12 according to an embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction, and FIG. 6 is a view of the present invention as viewed from a direction different from FIG. FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the switching valve 12 according to the embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the valve body 21 viewed from one end side (upstream side) in the sliding direction.
In consideration of visibility, in FIG. 3, a valve body 21 provided in a main body 20 described later is indicated by a two-dot chain line, and in FIG. 6, a second main body 20 b described later includes a second body 20 b. A portion of the cam 28b hidden by the peripheral wall portion 24 is indicated by a broken line, and the other internal structure of the second main body 20b is not shown.
As shown in FIG. 3, the switching valve 12 mainly includes a main body 20 having an air chamber 39 inside a substantially cylindrical shape, and is provided in the main body 20 to slide in the main body 20 in the cylindrical direction and in the circumferential direction. A substantially cylindrical valve body 21 and a drive mechanism for switching the air cells 5 to 9 that are moved to expand and contract by moving the valve body 21. This drive mechanism includes the air chamber 39 described above, an exhaust port 27 described later, and a cam portion 28 described later. In addition, the cylinder direction in the main-body part 20 corresponds with the sliding direction (henceforth only a sliding direction) which the valve body 21 slides. Hereinafter, as a description of the switching valve 12, the switching valve 17 connected to the pair of air cells 9L and 9R provided in the left and right arm holding portions 10 will be described as a representative, but the same applies to the other switching valves 13 to 16. This is the structure.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, the main body 20 includes a pair of circular flat bottom portions 23 a and 23 b and a peripheral wall portion 24 erected so as to circulate along the peripheral edges of the pair of bottom portions 23 a and 23 b. And is configured in a substantially cylindrical shape. The main body 20 includes a supply port 25 connected to the air supply source 11, a plurality of discharge ports 26 connected to the plurality of air cells 9 </ b> L and 9 </ b> R, an air chamber 39 that is a space in the main body 20, and the main body 20. It has an exhaust port 27 which is a through hole for communicating outside. The bottom part 23a on one end side (upstream side) in the sliding direction has a supply port 25 protruding from the substantially central part thereof, and the bottom part 23b on the other end part side (downstream side) in the sliding direction has its substantially central part. And a plurality of discharge ports 26 protruding at substantially equal distances from the exhaust port 27. The main body 20 has a first main body 20a having a supply port 25 on the upstream side and a second main body 20b having an exhaust port 27 and a discharge port 26 on the downstream side. Therefore, the first main body 20a and the second main body 20b are configured to be separable in the cylindrical direction (sliding direction). The switching valve 17 is connected to the peripheral wall 24 of the first main body 20a and the peripheral wall 24 of the second main body 20b in a state where the first main body 20a and the second main body 20b are coupled. The outer peripheral portion of the portion 24 is sealed by a seal member (not shown). The switching valve 17 is provided in the massage machine 100 so that one end (upstream side) in the sliding direction is vertically downward.

  It should be noted that two or more discharge ports 26 may be arranged. However, in one embodiment of the present invention, the main body portion 20 is assumed to have four discharge ports 26 arranged at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction. Yes. Specifically, the first discharge port 26a and the third discharge port 26c located diagonally to the first port 26a across the exhaust port 27 are in the same system, and the air cell 9L of the left arm holding portion 10 is included. The second discharge port 26b that is adjacent to the first discharge port 26a in the circumferential direction, and the fourth discharge port 26d that is positioned diagonally to the second discharge port 26b across the exhaust port 27 is the same system And connected to the air cell 9R of the right arm holding portion 10. Hereinafter, for example, the first discharge port 26a and the third discharge port 26c that are in the same system are referred to as one discharge port, and the second discharge port 26b and the fourth discharge port 26d that are in the same system are referred to as other discharge ports.

  Further, the main body portion 20 has a cam portion 28 that converts the sliding of the valve element 21 into rotation on the inner side of the peripheral wall portion 24, and the cam portion 28 faces the inner side of the peripheral wall portion 24. Projected. The cam portion 28 includes a first cam 28a provided on the first main body 20a and a second cam 28b provided on the second main body 20b.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the first cam 28 a has a first inclined surface 29 that is inclined along the circumferential direction, and has a plurality of top portions 30 and continuous valley portions 31 that are the same number as the top portions 30. It is formed in a mountain shape. This 1st inclined surface 29 is a surface which faces the downstream in a cylinder direction (sliding direction). The plurality of top portions 30 and valley portions 31 are alternately provided in the circumferential direction. Specifically, the four top portions 30a to 30d are arranged along the circumferential direction, and the four valley portions 31a are arranged along the circumferential direction. To 31d (see also FIGS. 8 to 11). The valley portion 31 functions as an engagement portion that restricts the rotation of the valve body 21 by engaging an engaged portion 38 provided on the valve body 21 described later. A positioning portion (first positioning portion) is configured by the engaging portion (valley portion) 31 included in the first main body 20a and the engaged portion 38 included in the valve body 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second cam 28 b has a second inclined surface 32 that is inclined along the circumferential direction, and a plurality of second cams 28 b are provided in the circumferential direction. The second inclined surface 32 is a surface facing the upstream side in the cylinder direction (sliding direction). Further, the second main body 20b is provided with a cylindrical groove (sliding direction) long groove portion 33 provided between the adjacent second cams 28b, 28b on the inner side of the peripheral wall portion 24, specifically, Four long groove portions 33a to 33d are provided along the circumferential direction. The long groove portion 33 functions as an engaging portion that restricts the rotation of the valve body 21 when an engaged portion 38 provided on the valve body 21 described later is engaged. The engaging portion (long groove portion) 33 included in the second main body 20b and the engaged portion 38 included in the valve body 21 constitute a positioning portion (second positioning portion).

  As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 7, the valve body 21 includes a circular flat bottom 34 and a peripheral wall 35 erected so as to circulate along the peripheral edge of the bottom 34. It is comprised in the substantially cylindrical shape, and the sliding direction one end part side (upstream side) is opening. The bottom portion 34 has an air supply hole 36 that passes through the bottom portion 34 so that air can flow from the supply port 25 to the discharge port 26, and the air supply hole 36 includes a plurality of discharge ports 26 a to 26 d. It is provided in the position corresponding to any one or a plurality of discharge ports 26a-26d in the surface direction of bottom 34 so that it can connect with any one or a plurality of them. In the embodiment of the present invention, the two air supply holes 36 are provided at substantially equal intervals along the circumferential direction. However, the number of the air supply holes 36 may be one, or three or more. It may be provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the bottom portion 34 has one or more of the plurality of discharge ports 26 a to 26 d and the exhaust port 27 in a state where the valve body 21 is in an air supply position to be described later. The exhaust hole 37 is connected. The exhaust hole 37 is a groove that extends outward from the substantially central portion of the bottom portion 34 in the radial direction and opens only at the other end side (downstream side) in the sliding direction. Specifically, the exhaust hole 37 is opened at a substantially central portion in the surface direction of the bottom portion 34, and is deviated from a radially inner end portion 37 a that can be connected to the exhaust port 27 and a central portion in the surface direction of the bottom portion 34. It has a radially outer end 37b that opens in a center and can be connected to any one or more of the plurality of discharge ports 26a to 26d. In other words, the radially outer end portion 37 b is located at a position corresponding to any one or a plurality of the plurality of discharge ports 26 a to 26 d in the surface direction of the bottom portion 34. Accordingly, the discharge port 26 to which the radially outer end portion 37b is connected at the air supply position to be described later is connected to the exhaust port 27 located at the substantially central portion in the surface direction of the bottom portion 23b via the radially inner end portion 37a. You can communicate. The exhaust port 27 protrudes from the bottom 23b toward one end (upstream) in the sliding direction, and the radially outer end 37b extends from the other end (downstream) in the sliding direction at the bottom 34. ) Is not required to have high sealing performance at the bottom 23b of the second main body 20b and the bottom 34 of the valve body 21.

  The valve body 21 has a plurality of convex portions 38 projecting from the outer portion of the peripheral wall portion 35, and specifically has four convex portions 38a to 38d along the circumferential direction. . The convex portion 38 functions as an engaged portion that can be engaged and disengaged with respect to the engaging portion 31 provided on the first main body 20a and the engaging portion 33 provided on the second main body 20b.

  The drive mechanism for switching the air cells 9L, 9R that move and expand / contract the valve body 21 includes the air chamber 39, the exhaust port 27, and the cam portion 28 described above. The air chamber 39 is a space portion that is surrounded by the pair of bottom portions 23 a and 23 b and the peripheral wall portion 24 of the main body portion 20.

[Switching operation]
Hereinafter, the switching operation of the switching valve 17 will be described.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the valve body 21 is located at the first exhaust position, and (a) is a plan view of the switching valve 17 (12) viewed from a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. (B) is a top view of switching valve 17 (12) seen from the sliding direction one end side (upstream side). In consideration of visibility, in FIG. 8, the valve body 21 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.
As shown in FIG. 8A, in the exhaust state in which the open / close switching valve 18 is in the open state, the internal pressure of the main body 20 is equal to the external pressure of the main body 20, so that the valve body 21 Due to the gravity acting on the body 21, it is positioned at the exhaust position on the first body 20a side on the one end side (upstream side) in the sliding direction, and the rotation position is positioned by the first positioning portion. In this exhaust position, all the discharge ports 26a to 26d of the main body 20 and the air supply holes 36 of the valve body 21 are in a state of being separated in the sliding direction, and the air chamber 39 and the outside of the main body 20 communicate with each other. It is in a state. Therefore, when the valve body 21 is located at the exhaust position, the air cells 9L and 9R connected to the discharge port 26 are all contracted. For example, this exhaust position is defined as the first exhaust position. As shown in FIG. 8B, the first exhaust position includes the convex portion 38a at the valley portion 31a, the convex portion 38b at the valley portion 31b, and the convex portion. It is assumed that 38c is located in the valley portion 31c and the convex portion 38d is located in the valley portion 31d.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the valve body 21 is located at the first air supply position. FIG. 9A is a plan view of the switching valve 17 (12) viewed from a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. (B) is a top view of switching valve 17 (12) seen from the sliding direction one end side (upstream side). In consideration of visibility, in FIG. 9, the valve body 21 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.
Next, when the control unit 19 controls the open / close switching valve 18 so that the open / close switching valve 18 is closed and the air supply state is established, the air chamber 39 is pressurized and the internal pressure of the main body 20 is reduced. It becomes higher than the external pressure (atmospheric pressure), and air flows from the air supply source 11 side to the exhaust port 27 side. That is, in the main body 20, air flows from one end side (upstream side) in the sliding direction to the other end side (downstream side) in the sliding direction. Therefore, the valve body 21 located at the exhaust position (first exhaust position) shown in FIG. 8 is against the gravity acting on the valve body 21 due to the flow of air, and the other end side in the sliding direction (downstream side). 9), the cam portion 28 (second cam 28b) rotates in the circumferential direction and moves to the air supply position on the downstream second main body 20b side shown in FIG. To do. And in this air supply position, the to-be-engaged part 38 which the valve body 21 has engages with the engaging part 33 which the 2nd main body 20b has, and the rotation to the circumferential direction of the valve body 21 is carried out by the 2nd positioning part. The valve body 21 is positioned by being regulated. Specifically, in the air supply position, the convex portion 38a shown in FIG. 9B is the long groove portion 33a, the convex portion 38b is the long groove portion 33b, the convex portion 38c is the long groove portion 33c, and the convex portion 38d is long. For example, this air supply position is defined as a first air supply position.

In the first air supply position, one of the plurality of discharge ports 26a to 26d and one of the discharge ports 26a and 26c are connected to the air supply hole 36, and the one discharge port 26a and 26c and the air supply source 11 are connected. The other discharge ports 26b and 26d of the plurality of discharge ports 26a to 26d and the exhaust hole 37 are connected, and the other discharge ports 26b and 26d and the air supply source 11 are not in communication. The exhaust port 27 is closed by the bottom 34 of the valve body 21 (specifically, the groove bottom surface of the radially inner end 37a of the exhaust hole 37), and the air chamber 39 and the main body 20 The outside is not in communication. Therefore, when the valve body 21 is located at the first air supply position, air is supplied to the air cell 9L of the left arm holding portion 10 connected to one discharge port 26a, 26c communicating with the air supply hole 36. As a result, the air cell 9L expands. At this time, since the other discharge ports 26b and 26d are in communication with the exhaust hole 37, the air cell 9R of the right arm holding portion 10 connected to the other discharge ports 26b and 26d remains in a contracted state. .
Since the main body 20 has an exhaust port 27 that communicates with the outside of the main body 20 (atmosphere), the differential pressure between the inside of the main body 20 and the outside of the main body 20 (atmosphere) is used in the air supply state. And the state where the internal pressure of the main-body part 20 is higher than the external pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the main-body part 20 can always be maintained. Therefore, even when the air cell 9L is supplied with the air of the limit capacity of the air cell 9L and the internal pressure of the air cell 9L and the internal pressure of the main body portion 20 become equal, the valve body 21 remains in the air supply position (first It is possible to prevent undesired movement from the supply position).

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the valve body 21 is located at the second exhaust position, and (a) is a plan view of the switching valve 17 (12) viewed from a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. (B) is a top view of switching valve 17 (12) seen from the sliding direction one end side (upstream side). In consideration of visibility, in FIG. 10, the valve body 21 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.
Next, when the control unit 19 controls the open / close switching valve 18 to open the open / close switching valve 18 to the exhaust state, the air chamber 39 is depressurized and the internal pressure of the main body 20 is changed to the external pressure of the main body 20. (Atmospheric pressure). Therefore, the valve body 21 located at the air supply position (first air supply position) shown in FIG. 9 slides to one end side (upstream side) in the sliding direction due to the gravity acting on the valve body 21. On the other hand, when the engaging portion 33 included in the second main body 20b and the engaged portion 38 included in the valve body 21 are disengaged, the cam portion 28 (first cam 28a) rotates in the circumferential direction, and FIG. The first main body 20a on the upstream side shown in a) moves to a different exhaust position in the circumferential direction from the first exhaust position. And in this exhaust position, the to-be-engaged part 38 which the valve body 21 has engages with the engaging part 31 which the 1st main body 20a has, and rotation to the circumferential direction of the valve body 21 is controlled by the 1st positioning part. Thus, the valve body 21 is positioned. Specifically, in this exhaust position, the convex portion 38d shown in FIG. 10B is in the valley portion 31a, the convex portion 38a is in the valley portion 31b, the convex portion 38b is in the valley portion 31c, and the convex portion 38c is in the valley portion. The exhaust positions are shifted by approximately 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. For example, this exhaust position is defined as the second exhaust position.

  In the second exhaust state, the one discharge port 26a, 26c and the air supply hole 36 are separated in the sliding direction, and the air cell 9L of the left arm holding portion 10 connected to the one discharge port 26a, 26c is included. The air supplied to is exhausted from the exhaust port 27 to the outside of the main body 20 (atmosphere), and the air cell 9L contracts. At this time, since the other discharge ports 26b and 26d and the air supply hole 36 are also separated in the sliding direction, the air cell 9R included in the right arm holding portion 10 connected to the other discharge ports 26b and 26d contracted. The state remains.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the valve body 21 is located at the second air supply position, and (a) is a plan view of the switching valve 17 (12) viewed from a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. (B) is a top view of switching valve 17 (12) seen from the sliding direction one end side (upstream side). In consideration of visibility, in FIG. 11, the valve body 21 is indicated by a two-dot chain line.
Next, when the control unit 19 controls the open / close switching valve 18 so that the open / close switching valve 18 is closed and the air supply state is established, the air chamber 39 is pressurized and the internal pressure of the main body 20 is reduced. It becomes higher than the external pressure (atmospheric pressure), and air flows from the air supply source 11 side to the exhaust port 27 side. That is, in the main body, air flows from one end side (upstream side) in the sliding direction to the other end side (downstream side) in the sliding direction. Therefore, the valve body 21 located at the exhaust position (second exhaust position) shown in FIG. 10 resists the gravity acting on the valve body 21 due to the flow of air, and the other end side in the sliding direction (downstream side). 11), the cam portion (second cam 28b) 28 is rotated in the circumferential direction by the action of the cam portion (second cam 28b) 28, and is on the second main body 20b side on the downstream side shown in FIG. The position moves to a different air supply position in the circumferential direction. And in this air supply position, the to-be-engaged part 38 which the valve body 21 has engages with the engaging part 33 which the 2nd main body 20b has, and the rotation to the circumferential direction of the valve body 21 is carried out by the 2nd positioning part. The valve body 21 is positioned by being regulated. Specifically, in the second air supply position, the convex portion 38d shown in FIG. 11B has the long groove portion 33a, the convex portion 38a has the long groove portion 33b, the convex portion 38b has the long groove 33c, and the convex portion 38c has the convex portion 38c. It is in a state of being located in each of the long groove portions 33d, and is displaced by approximately 90 degrees in the circumferential direction from the first supply position. For example, this supply position is defined as the second supply position.

  In the second air supply position, the other discharge ports 26b and 26d among the plurality of discharge ports 26a to 26d and the air supply hole 36 are connected, and the other discharge ports 26b and 26d and the air supply source 11 are connected. One of the plurality of discharge ports 26a to 26d is connected to one exhaust port 26a, 26c and the exhaust hole 37, and one discharge port 26a, 26c is not connected to the air supply source 11. The exhaust port 27 is closed by the bottom 34 of the valve body 21 (specifically, the groove bottom surface of the radially inner end 37a of the exhaust hole 37), and the air chamber 39 and the main body 20 The outside is not in communication. Therefore, when the valve body 21 is located at the second air supply position, air is supplied to the air cell 9R of the right arm holding portion 10 connected to the other discharge ports 26b and 26d communicating with the air supply hole 36. Then, the air cell 9R expands. At this time, since one discharge port 26a, 26c is connected to the exhaust hole 37, the air cell 9L of the left arm holding portion 10 connected to the one discharge port 26a, 26c remains in a contracted state. .

  Next, when the control unit 19 controls the open / close switching valve 18 to open the open / close switching valve 18 to the exhaust state, the air chamber 39 is depressurized and the internal pressure of the main body 20 is changed to the external pressure of the main body 20. (Atmospheric pressure). Accordingly, the valve body 21 located at the air supply position (second air supply position) shown in FIG. 11 slides to one end side (upstream side) in the sliding direction due to the gravity acting on the valve body 21. On the other hand, when the engaging portion 33 included in the second main body 20b and the engaged portion 38 included in the valve body 21 are disengaged, the cam portion 28 (first cam 28a) is rotated in the circumferential direction, and FIG. It moves to the 1st exhaust position shown. And in this 1st exhaust position, the to-be-engaged part 38 which the valve body 21 has engaged with the engaging part 31 which the 1st main body 20a has, and the rotation to the circumferential direction of the valve body 21 by the 1st positioning part Is regulated and the valve body 21 is positioned.

  In the first exhaust state, the other discharge ports 26b and 26d and the air supply hole 36 are separated in the sliding direction, and the air cell 9R of the right arm holding portion 10 connected to the other discharge ports 26b and 26d is included. The air supplied to is exhausted from the exhaust port 27 to the outside of the main body 20 (atmosphere), and the air cell 9R contracts. At this time, since the one discharge port 26a, 26c and the air supply hole 36 are also separated in the sliding direction, the air cell 9L of the left arm holding portion 10 connected to the one discharge port 26a, 26c contracted. The state remains.

  In this way, the valve body 21 is driven by the drive mechanism described above and expanded / contracted only by the switching operation for switching between the air supply state and the exhaust state from the air supply source 11 in the main body portion 20 of the switching valve 12. The air cells 5 to 9 can be switched. By sequentially repeating this switching operation, the air cells 5 to 9 to be inflated and contracted can be sequentially switched.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the switching operation for switching the supply state and the exhaust state of the air from the air supply source 11 in the main body unit 20 by switching the open / close state of the open / close switching valve 18 is performed. The switching valve 18 may be omitted, and a switching operation for switching between driving and stopping of the air supply source 11 may be performed. In this case, since the internal pressure of the main body 20 is higher than the external pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the main body 20 while the air supply source 11 is being driven (air is supplied), the valve body 21 is Located in the supply position. When the driving of the air supply source 11 is stopped, the internal pressure of the air cell temporarily becomes higher than the internal pressure of the main body portion 20 due to the pressure (load) applied to the air cell from the user side, and the valve body 21 is exhausted. Since the air chamber 39 communicates with the outside of the main body portion 20 (atmosphere) from the exhaust port 27, the internal pressure of the main body portion 20 and the external pressure (atmospheric pressure) of the main body portion 20 become equal. While the drive of the air supply source 11 is stopped (air supply is stopped), the valve body 21 is located at the exhaust position.

  In one embodiment of the present invention, the two air cells 9L and 9R are expanded and contracted with the four discharge ports 26a to 26d and the two discharge ports positioned diagonally across the exhaust port 27 as the same system. However, if all the discharge ports 26a to 26d are independent systems, the expansion and contraction of the four air cells can be switched. By increasing the number of discharge ports 26, the number of air cells that can be switched between expansion and contraction can be increased.

  The switching valve 12 of one embodiment of the present invention is effective when applied to a place where it is preferable to alternately expand and contract the pair of air cells. For example, as described above, it is possible to cope with an emergency such as a disaster by alternately inflating the left and right arm air cells 9L and 9R. Alternatively, by alternately expanding the air cells 7L and 7R corresponding to the pair of left and right buttocks and thighs, the user's body can be shaken to the left and right to provide a relaxing effect.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be applied to a massage machine that can be simplified in configuration and a switching valve that is applied to the massage machine.

5-9 Air cell (Air actuator)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Air supply source 12 (13-17) Switching valve 20 Main part 21 Valve body 25 Supply port 26 Discharge port 27 Exhaust port 28 Cam part 39 Air chamber 100 Massage machine

Claims (7)

An air supply source, a plurality of air actuators, at least one of which is an operation unit for massage, and the air supply source provided between any of the air supply sources and the air actuator. In a massage machine having a switching valve for switching and supplying air from
The switching valve has a main body ,
The main body has an air chamber, a plurality of discharge ports connected to the plurality of air actuators, and an exhaust port for communicating the air chamber with the outside of the main body,
Furthermore, the switching valve
An air supply position that is slidable and rotatable in the main body, and that supplies air from the air supply source to the air actuator, and the air supplied to the air actuator passes through the discharge port and passes through the discharge port. an exhaust position to exhaust from the exhaust port to the body outer, a valve body movable between,
Using the differential pressure between the internal pressure and the external pressure of the main body, the valve body is slid to switch between the air supply position and the exhaust position, and the valve body is rotated to move the air A drive mechanism for switching the air actuator to communicate with a supply source;
The massage machine characterized by having. An open / close switching valve is provided between the air supply source and the switching valve,
The drive mechanism includes a gas supply state to supply the air from the air supply source, an exhaust state to turn off the air supply from the air supply source, by closing the switching operation of the open-close switching valve for switching a corresponding air supply source The massage machine according to claim 1, wherein the air actuator to be communicated with is switched.   The massage machine according to claim 1, wherein the driving mechanism switches the air actuator to be communicated with the air supply source by a switching operation including driving and stopping of the air supply source. The driving mechanism sequentially switches the air actuators connected to the air supply source in a predetermined order by repeating the opening / closing switching operation of the open / close switching valve or a switching operation including driving and stopping of the air supply source. The massage machine according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that. The drive mechanism is
And the air chamber provided in said body portion,
And the exhaust port provided on the main body for communicating with said body portion outside and the air chamber,
A cam portion for converting the sliding movement of the valve body into rotation;
The massage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized by comprising:   The massage machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the switching valve has a positioning portion that restricts rotation of the valve body at the air supply position. An air chamber, a supply port, an exhaust port for communicating the air chamber with the atmosphere , and a main body having a plurality of discharge ports;
An air supply position that is slidable and rotatable in the main body and discharges air from the supply port from some of the discharge ports, and discharges from the discharge port. an exhaust position to exhaust to the main body part outer from the exhaust port of the air passing through the said discharge exit port, a valve body movable between,
Using the differential pressure between the internal pressure and the external pressure of the main body, the valve body is slid to switch between the air supply position and the exhaust position, and the valve body is rotated to supply the valve. A drive mechanism for switching the discharge port communicating with the port;
The switching valve characterized by having.

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