Massage machine and physiological quantity measuring circuit for use in the machine

• US 6,899,687 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2002
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hiyamizu, Kazuya, Hori, Kunihiko, Nonoue, Torahiko, Fujiwara, Yoshihisa, Koma, Toshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): DeMille, Danton D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thanh, Quang D.
• Application Number:
  US10/085,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20020123704A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 601/15, 601/46, 601/49, 601 51- 52, 601 56- 60, 601/70, 601/84, 601/86, 601/90, 601/98, 601/99, 601/100, 601/102, 601/103, 601/115, 601/116, 601/1, 600 26- 28, 128/905
• US Class Current: 601/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0462 Apparatus with built-in sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0468 Built-in electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0533 Measuring galvanic skin response
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/16 Devices for psychotechnics using teaching or educational appliances G09B1/00 - G09B7/00; Testing reaction times ; Devices for evaluating the psychological state
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4035 Evaluating the autonomic nervous system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4824 Touch or pain perception evaluation A61B5/4821 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7445 Display arrangements, e.g. multiple display units
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/0149 Seat or chair
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/04 neck
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/062 Shoulders
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/081 Back
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2205/10 Leg
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/00 Measuring physical parameters of the user
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2230/50 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 601/13 including biological sensor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 601/19 including biological sensor

Abstract

The invention provides a massage machine for health care which comprises a living body information sensor 5 for detecting living body information of the autonomic nervous system of the person to be massaged, a control circuit 6 for judging the psychological state of the person based on the living body information detected, and a memory 61 for holding histories of psychological states of persons to be massaged. The machine is adapted to judge the physical condition of the person based on the history of psychological states of the person, and to judge whether the condition of the person'"'"'s health is improved by massage so as to utilize the result of judgement as guidelines for health care.

Claims

1. A physiological quantity control and measuring circuit for a massage machine, the circuit detecting a physiological quantity of the person massaged and controlling the massage operation of the machine based on variations in the physiological quantity, the measuring circuit comprising:

at least one sensor, sensing a single physiological quantity;

a detection and signal processing circuit, for producing physiological quantity data based on a signal obtained from the sensor, comprising a plurality of signal converters each adapted to receive an input signal from the sensor and deliver a respective output signal corresponding to the single physiological quantity,

the signal converters exhibiting respective different signal conversion characteristics which are different in the relationship of the output signal to the input signal, the different signal conversion characteristics overlapping each other in an input range of the input signal,

the detection and signal processing circuit being operable to produce data to control the massage operation based on the output signal, regardless of how many of the signal converters are used to convert the input signal into the output signal.

2. The physiological quantity control and measuring circuit according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a skin temperature sensor for measuring skin temperature, and the detection and signal processing circuit includes two kinds of the signal conversion characteristics respectively for low temperatures and high temperatures which partly overlap each other in the temperature range to be measured.

3. The physiological quantity control and measuring circuit according to claim 2, wherein the signal processing circuit produces a series of items of skin temperature data in the process of giving the same massage to the same body part based only on physiological quantity detection signals resulting from the low-temperature signal conversion characteristics when said resulting detection signals are all included within the effective output range of the low-temperature signal conversion characteristics, or to produce a series of items of skin temperature data in the process based on physiological quantity detection signals resulting from the two kinds of signal conversion characteristics for high and low temperatures when said resulting detection signals are not all included within the effective output range of the low-temperature signal conversion characteristics.

4. The physiological quantity control and measuring circuit according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a perspiration quantity sensor for measuring the resistance value between a pair of electrodes, and the detection circuit includes two kinds of the signal conversion characteristics respectively of low gain and high gain which overlap each other in the range of resistance values to be measured.

5. The physiological quantity control and measuring circuit according to claim 4, wherein the signal processing circuit produces a series of items of perspiration quantity data in the process of giving the same massage to the same body part based only on physiological quantity detection signals resulting from the high-gain signal conversion characteristics when said resulting detection signals are all included within the effective output range of the high-gain signal conversion characteristics, or to produce a series of items of perspiration quantity data in the process based on physiological quantity detection signals resulting from the low-gain signal conversion characteristics when said resulting detection signals are not all included within the effective output range of the high-gain signal conversion characteristics.