JPH06311994A - Warmth implement - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a warmth implement which can improve a cure effect by avoiding a fact that the body adapts itself to stimulation given by repeating a high temperature and a low temperature. CONSTITUTION:In a sheet-like bag body, a heating element 3 is arranged, and also, this warmth implement is provided with control means (a l/f fluctuation control circuit 10, a temperature detecting circuit 11, a temperature comparing circuit 12 and a heater control part 12) for controlling electric power supplied to the heating element 3 so that a temperature of the heating element 3 repeats irregularly (for instance, with a l/f fluctuation) an ascent and a descent within a prescribed temperature range.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a heating device to be worn on the body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional heating device of this type, a cord-shaped heating element is arranged, for example, in a meandering shape in a sheet-like bag body that fits the shape of a body part to which it is attached, and is supplied from a commercial power source. The above-mentioned heating element is driven to generate heat by electric power to apply heat to the body, and is used as a thermotherapy tool or a heating tool (Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-3653).
No. 3, Gazette of Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-2024, and Gaikaihei 2
-10816 (see A61F 7/00)).

By the way, in this type of heating device, when a constant treatment temperature is continuously applied to the body for a long period of time, the body becomes accustomed to the treatment temperature and the therapeutic effect cannot be sufficiently obtained. is doing. Further, even if the temperature applied to the body is low, there is a risk of low-temperature burn due to application for a long time.

Here, in order to improve the therapeutic effect by heat and prevent low temperature burns, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-36533 is used.
As disclosed in the publication, it is said that it is good to repeat high temperature and low temperature within a predetermined temperature range.

[0005]

However, since the above-mentioned heating tool is to turn on and off the heating element in a monotonous manner and repeat high and low temperatures, the thermal stimulation by this is relatively monotonous and the therapeutic effect is improved. It cannot be raised enough.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a heating tool capable of improving the therapeutic effect by avoiding the body from acclimatizing to repeated stimulation of high temperature and low temperature. And

[0007]

The heating device according to the present invention comprises:
In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, in a warming tool to be worn on the body, control means for controlling electric power supplied to the heating element such that the temperature of the heating element repeats rising and falling irregularly within a predetermined temperature range. It is characterized by having.

The control means may control the irregular repetition so that it has a fluctuation proportional to the reciprocal of the frequency f.

Further, the control means may control the irregular repetition so that it is performed after the temperature of the heating element reaches a constant temperature.

[0010]

According to the above-mentioned first structure, the heating element repeats rising and falling irregularly within a predetermined temperature range, so that the heat stimulation applied to the body becomes monotonous and the therapeutic effect is enhanced. it can.

Further, according to the above-mentioned second structure, since the irregular repetition has a fluctuation proportional to the reciprocal of the frequency f, a temperature change matching the basic rhythm fluctuation of the person is given to the body. Therefore, the therapeutic effect of heat can be further enhanced.

Further, according to the third configuration, the irregular repetition is performed after the temperature of the heating element reaches a constant temperature, so that the irregular repetition control is performed from the beginning of treatment. It is possible to reach the target temperature (treatment temperature) more quickly than in.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing its embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a plan view in which a part of the main body 1 of the heating device according to the present invention is cut away so that the internal structure can be seen. The warming tool main body 1 is configured to be worn on a person's waist, and has a substantially rectangular flexible and waterproof sheet-like bag body 2 and a meandering shape in the sheet-like bag body 2. And the flexible heat-insulating material 5 disposed on the side of the sheet-like bag body 2 that is not in contact with the body (the surface that is the outer side when worn). And a connector 7a for connecting the heating element 3 and the cord 7b (shown in FIG. 2).

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a supporter-type heating tool in which the heating tool body 1 is incorporated in a supporter 6, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the heating tool body 1 is removed from the supporter 6. It is a figure.

The supporter 6 is a laterally long strip-shaped body, and the central portion in the lengthwise direction thereof, that is, the portion 6a that abuts the waist portion is formed to be somewhat wider. A pocket 6b for accommodating the heating tool body 1 is formed on the body contact surface side of the waist contact portion 6a.

A controller 8 is connected to the heating element body 1 via the connector 7a and the cord 7b, and an electric cord 9 is connected to the controller 8. The controller 8 has a switch 8a for turning it on and off, a temperature control circuit (not shown), and the like.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the supporter-type heating device incorporating the heating device body 1 is mounted on the waist.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the system configuration of the heating tool body 1 and the controller 8 described above.

The heating element 3 is provided with the thermistor circuit lines 14 arranged in parallel, and a change in resistance value due to the temperature of the thermistor circuit lines 14 is changed as a voltage value by the temperature detection circuit 11.
Are detected respectively. Then, the detected temperature of the heating element 3 (voltage corresponding to the detected temperature) is input to the temperature comparison circuit 12.

The temperature comparison circuit 12 outputs the 1 / f fluctuation control circuit 10 to the voltage value which is the detected temperature and the voltage (reference voltage corresponding to the set temperature) set by the temperature adjusting volume 16. The voltage value (target value) to which the fluctuation voltage is added is compared, and the comparison result is input to the heater control unit 13.

The heater control section 13 controls the heating element 3 on and off based on the comparison result from the temperature comparison circuit 12. That is, when the temperature of the heating element 3 is lower than the target temperature, electric power is supplied to the heating element 3, while when the temperature of the heating element 3 exceeds the target temperature, the power supply to the heating element 3 is stopped. To do.

The 1 / f fluctuation control circuit 10 stores a ROM (not shown) in which digital data (1 / f numerical sequence) forming a pattern in which the frequency component of temperature change is 1 / f is stored. And the above ROM.
A D / A converter (not shown) for converting the digital data read from the device into an analog signal (voltage signal) is provided.

FIG. 6 shows a voltage value obtained by D / A converting the numerical sequence forming the above pattern, and this voltage change pattern A is repeatedly output from the above 1 / f fluctuation control circuit 10. It has become so.

Next, the operation of the heating device having the above construction will be described.

When the switch 8a of the controller 8 is turned on, the voltage set by the temperature control potentiometer 16 (it does not matter if a fluctuation voltage is added to this voltage) is input to the temperature comparison circuit 12 as a target value. The heater control unit 13 drives the heating element 3 according to the result of comparison between the target value and the actual temperature of the heating element 3.

At the beginning of turning on the switch 8a (at the beginning of treatment),
The temperature of the heating element 3 is about the same as room temperature, and the temperature comparison circuit 1
The power supply to the heating element 3 is started based on the comparison result from No. 2, and thereafter, the power supply to the heating element 3 is performed until the heating element 3 reaches the target temperature. As a result, as shown in the preheating period in FIG. 7, the temperature of the heating element 3 quickly reaches the target temperature (for example, 43 ° C.) from the room temperature (20 ° C.) state. After that, the heating element 3 is driven on and off in accordance with the target temperature that changes sequentially, that is, the fluctuation voltage output from the 1 / f fluctuation control circuit 10, and the heating element 3 corresponds to the pattern of FIG. 6 described above. Then, a temperature change as shown in FIG. 7 is exhibited.

As described above, according to the present invention, the heating element 3
Since the rising and falling are irregularly repeated within a predetermined temperature range, the monotonous thermal stimulus given to the body disappears, and the therapeutic effect can be enhanced. In particular, as in this embodiment,
Since the irregular repetition has a fluctuation proportional to the reciprocal of the frequency f, it is possible to give the body a temperature change that matches the basic rhythm variation of the person, and further enhance the therapeutic effect of heat. be able to.

In the present embodiment, feedback control is used to perform on / off control so that the temperature of the heating element 3 changes following the target temperature that causes 1 / f fluctuation, but this is not a limitation. .

For example, as shown in FIG. 8, the ON / OFF cycle of the heating element 3 is changed in accordance with 1 / f fluctuation.
By providing the f fluctuation oscillating circuit, the temperature of the heating element 3 can have 1 / f fluctuation. in this case,
As the temperature comparison circuit 12 in FIG. 5, a circuit that manages the upper limit (or the upper limit and the lower limit) of the temperature of the heating element 3 may be provided. Specifically, for example, when the temperature of the heating element 3 exceeds the upper limit temperature, a drive stop signal is output to the heater control section 13, while when the temperature of the heating element 3 falls below the lower limit, the heater control section 13 is notified. A circuit that outputs a continuous drive signal may be provided. Further, when the 1 / f fluctuation oscillation circuit is provided, it is desirable that the on / off control by the oscillation is performed after the temperature of the heating element 3 reaches a constant temperature (target temperature). With this configuration, it is possible to reach the target temperature (treatment temperature) more quickly than when the on / off control is performed from the beginning of the switch 8a (the beginning of treatment).

In the above embodiment, the 1 / f fluctuation voltage is generated by D / A converting the digital data stored in the ROM in advance. However, the present invention is not limited to this. When a direct current is passed, a minute voltage fluctuation having an approximately 1 / f spectrum is generated at both ends thereof, so a 1 / f fluctuation generating circuit configured to amplify this may be provided.

Further, it is possible to randomly change the temperature rise and fall of the heating element 3 by using a random number generation circuit, and further, a circuit for generating a 1 / f numerical value sequence by using this random number generation circuit and a linear conversion circuit. May be configured.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the heating element repeats rising and falling irregularly within a predetermined temperature range, the monotonous thermal stimulation given to the body disappears, and the therapeutic effect is obtained. Can be increased. If the irregular repetition has a fluctuation proportional to the reciprocal of the frequency f, it is possible to give the body a temperature change in accordance with the basic rhythm fluctuation of the human body, which further enhances the therapeutic effect of heat. Can be increased. Furthermore, if the irregular repetition is performed after the temperature of the heating element reaches a constant temperature, the target temperature can be reached more quickly than in the case where the irregular repeated control is performed from the beginning of treatment. Can be done.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing an internal structure of a main body of a heating tool of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a supporter-type heating device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which the heating tool body of the present invention is removed from the supporter-type heating tool.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the supporter-type heating device of the present invention is attached to the waist.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of the main body of the heating tool and the controller of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing an output voltage from the 1 / f fluctuation control circuit of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing how the heating element of the heating device of the present invention changes in temperature with 1 / f fluctuation.

FIG. 8 is a graph showing an ON / OFF cycle signal of a heating element output from the 1 / f fluctuation oscillation circuit of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Main body of heating equipment 2 Sheet-like bag body 3 Heating element 5 Gap 8 Controller 10 1 / f Fluctuation control circuit 11 Temperature detection circuit 12 Temperature comparison circuit 13 Heater control section

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A warming tool to be worn on the body, comprising control means for controlling electric power supplied to the heating element such that the temperature of the heating element repeats rising and falling irregularly within a predetermined temperature range. Heater characterized by. 2. The heating device according to claim 1, wherein the control means controls the irregular repetition so that it has a fluctuation proportional to an inverse of the frequency f. 3. The control means controls the irregular repetition so that the irregular repetition is performed after the temperature of the heating element reaches a constant temperature. Heater described in.