JP7741274B2 - Massage System - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a massage system.

Patent Document 1 discloses a massage machine equipped with a seat, backrest, armrests, leg rest, and a base that serves as the foundation for these components. A massage unit equipped with a pair of left and right kneading balls is attached to the backrest in such a way that it can be raised and lowered. The massage unit includes a kneading mechanism that rotates the kneading balls eccentrically, and a tapping mechanism that oscillates the kneading balls back and forth.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2012-250072

The purpose of this invention is to provide a massage system that can provide an appropriate massage based on the user's condition and needs.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a massage system that includes a situation/request acquisition unit that acquires a user's situation and user requests, a course determination unit that determines a massage course based on the user's situation and user requests acquired by the situation/request acquisition unit, and a massage machine control unit that causes the massage machine to execute the massage course determined by the course determination unit. The situation/request acquisition unit displays a plurality of pre-set situation candidates related to the user's situation on a display unit, and when a situation candidate is selected by the user from the plurality of situation candidates displayed on the display unit, acquires the selected situation candidate as the user's situation, displays a plurality of pre-set request candidates related to the user's requests for the acquired user situation on the display unit, and when a request candidate is selected by the user from the plurality of request candidates displayed on the display unit, acquires the selected request candidate as the user's request.

This configuration allows for an appropriate massage to be performed based on the user's condition and needs.

One embodiment of the present invention provides a massage system that includes a situation/request acquisition unit that acquires a user's situation and user requests, a course determination unit that determines a massage course based on the user's situation and requests acquired by the situation/request acquisition unit, and a massage machine control unit that causes the massage machine to execute the massage course determined by the course determination unit. The situation/request acquisition unit displays a plurality of preset request candidates related to the user's requests on a display unit, and when the user selects one request candidate from the plurality of request candidates displayed on the display unit, acquires the selected request candidate as the user's request, displays a plurality of situation candidates related to the user's situation that are preset for the acquired user requests on the display unit, and when the user selects one situation candidate from the plurality of situation candidates displayed on the display unit, acquires the selected situation candidate as the user's situation.

This configuration allows for an appropriate massage to be performed based on the user's condition and needs.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile terminal capable of communicating with the massage machine control unit is included, and the mobile terminal includes the situation/request acquisition unit and the course determination unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a mobile terminal equipped with the display unit and capable of communicating with the massage machine control unit is included, the mobile terminal includes the situation/request acquisition unit and the course determination unit, and the display unit is a touch panel display unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a remote controller is provided with the display unit and connected to the massage machine control unit, and the remote controller includes the situation/request acquisition unit and the course determination unit.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a massage system. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the appearance of the massage machine and the mobile terminal. FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the configuration of the massage unit. FIG. 4A is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the massage machine. FIG. 4B is an air circuit diagram showing the air circuit from the air pump to each air bag. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the mobile terminal. FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a home screen, FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a pairing standby screen, and FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram showing an example of a pairing completion screen. FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a login screen, FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connected device list screen, FIG. 7C is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connecting screen, and FIG. 7D is a schematic diagram showing an example of a connection completion screen. FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a home screen of a massage machine app, and FIG. 8B is a schematic diagram showing an example of a scene selection screen. FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram showing an example of a request selection screen, and FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram showing an example of an analysis result screen. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the contents of the course selection table. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the course selection table.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[1] Overall Configuration of Massage System FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration of a massage system 1. As shown in FIG.

The massage system 1 includes a chair-type massage machine (hereinafter simply referred to as "massage machine 2"), a mobile terminal 3, and a server 4. In this embodiment, the mobile terminal 3 is a smartphone. The mobile terminal 3 is used by a user (person receiving massage) who is to receive a massage using the massage machine 2. The massage machine 2 and the mobile terminal 3 can communicate wirelessly, for example, via Bluetooth (registered trademark). The mobile terminal 3 and the server 4 can communicate via a communication network 5.

When a massage is performed by the massage machine 2, the massage history is sent to the mobile terminal 3. The massage history includes the date and time the massage was performed, the massage course, the massage intensity for each part of the body, etc. The mobile terminal 3 stores the massage history received from the massage machine 2 in its memory. The mobile terminal 3 transmits the massage history stored in its memory to the server 4 in real time or at a predetermined timing. The server 4 stores the massage history received from the mobile terminal 3 for each user of the mobile terminal 3.

[2] Appearance of the Massager FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing the appearance of the massager 2 and the mobile terminal 3.

The massage machine 2 includes a seat 11, a backrest 12, armrests 13, a footrest (ottoman) 14, and a base that serves as the foundation for these components.

In the following description, the terms "front-rear direction," "left-right direction," and "up-down direction" refer to the front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction, respectively, as seen by the user when seated on the massage machine 2 in a normal posture.

The base is located below the seat 11, but is not visible in Figure 2 because it is hidden by the seat 11, backrest 12, armrests 13, and leg rest 14.

The seat 11 is placed on a base. The backrest 12 is located at the rear of the seat 11. The armrests 13 are located on both the left and right sides of the seat 11. The footrest 14 is located at the front of the seat 11. The backrest 12 is supported by a backrest rotation actuator 21 (see Figure 4A) so that it can tilt relative to the seat 11. The legrest 14 can also be rotated by a legrest rotation actuator 22 (see Figure 4A) around a support shaft extending left and right near the top of the seat. This allows the legrest 14 to rotate between the vertical position shown in Figure 2 and a horizontal position rotated approximately 90 degrees from the vertical position.

A massage unit 23 is built into the backrest 12. The massage unit 23 is used to perform various massages (mechanical massages) using a pair of left and right massage applicators (kneading balls) 51. The backrest 12 is provided with a pair of left and right guide rails 28, 29 (see Figure 3) that extend vertically and have a U-shaped cross section, allowing the massage unit 23 to move vertically along the guide rails 28, 29. The detailed configuration of the massage unit 23 will be described later.

The armrest 13 is provided with an arm unit 16 having a forearm accommodation recess 17 for accommodating the user's forearm. The leg rest 14 has a leg accommodation recess 18 and a foot accommodation recess 19 for accommodating the user's left and right legs and feet, respectively.

Airbags are provided in the backrest 12, seat 11, armrests 13, and leg rest 14 of the massager 2. Each airbag inflates and deflates by supplying and discharging air, providing an air massage to the user.

The backrest 12 is provided with a right upper arm airbag 31a for massaging the right upper arm and a left upper arm airbag 31b for massaging the left upper arm. These airbags 31a and 31b together form the upper arm airbag 31 for massaging the upper arms.

The seat portion 11 is provided with a pair of left and right side thigh airbags 32a, 32b for massaging the sides of the thighs, a pair of left and right upper back thigh airbags 32c, 32d for massaging the upper back of the thighs, and a lower back thigh airbag 32e for massaging the lower back of the thighs. These airbags 32a to 32e make up the thigh airbag 32 for massaging the thighs.

On both sides of the pair of left and right forearm accommodating recesses 17, forearm airbags 33a, 33b for massaging the forearms and hand airbags 33c, 33d for massaging the hands are provided. These airbags 33a-33d make up the forearm airbag 33 for massaging the forearms and hands.

Side calf airbags 34a, 34b are provided on both sides of the pair of left and right leg accommodating recesses 18 for massaging the sides of the calves. Sole calf airbags 34c, 34d are provided on the bottom surfaces of the pair of left and right leg accommodating recesses 18 for massaging the backs of the calves. These airbags 34a-34d make up the calf airbags 34 for massaging the calves.

Foot front airbags 35a, 35b are provided on both sides of the pair of left and right foot accommodating recesses 19 to press downward on the instep. Foot sole airbags 35c, 35d are provided on the bottom of the pair of left and right foot accommodating recesses 19 to press upward on the sole. These airbags 35a-35d form the sole airbag 35 for massaging the soles of the feet.

A remote control stand 24 is attached to the arm unit 16. A remote controller (hereinafter referred to as the "remote control 25") for the user to operate the massage machine 2 is detachably attached to the remote control stand 24. As shown in FIG. 4A, the operation surface of the remote control 25 is provided with an operation display unit 26 and multiple operation keys. The operation display unit 26 is, for example, a touch panel type liquid crystal display. The remote control 25 is equipped with a communication unit for wireless communication with the mobile terminal 3.

[3] Configuration of Massage Unit FIG. 3 is a perspective view diagrammatically showing the configuration of the massage unit 23. As shown in FIG.

The massage unit 23 is attached to the guide rails 28, 29 so that it can move up and down freely. The massage unit 23 includes a rectangular main frame 41. The main frame 41 consists of a pair of left and right side walls, and a top wall and a bottom wall that connect the upper ends and lower ends of these side walls, respectively. A guide shaft 42 and an elevation drive shaft 43, which extend in the left-right direction, are rotatably attached to the main frame 41.

The guide shaft 42 is located on the top of the main frame 41, and the lifting drive shaft 43 is located on the bottom of the main frame 41. Both ends of the guide shaft 42 and the lifting drive shaft 43 protrude outward from both side walls of the main frame 41. Guide rollers 44, which are guided by guide rails 28 and 29, are attached to both ends of the guide shaft 42. Pinion gears 45, which mesh with racks (not shown) provided on the guide rails 28 and 29, are attached to both ends of the lifting drive shaft 43.

An elevator motor 46 is attached to the main frame 41 to rotate the elevator drive shaft 43. The elevator motor 46 is connected to the elevator drive shaft 43 via a gear mechanism 47. When the elevator motor 46 is rotated, the massage unit 23 is raised and lowered along the guide rails 28 and 29.

The massage unit 23 is provided with a lift position sensor 48 that detects the amount of rotation of the lift drive shaft 43 to detect the lift position (vertical position) of the massage unit 23. The lift position sensor 48 consists of a rotary encoder that detects the amount of rotation of the lift drive shaft 43.

A swingable frame 49 is attached to the middle of the lifting drive shaft 43, allowing it to swing back and forth. A pair of left and right treatment applicators 51 and a treatment applicator drive unit 50 equipped with their drive mechanism are attached to the swingable frame 49. The main frame 41 is provided with a treatment applicator drive unit advance/retract mechanism for moving the swingable frame (treatment applicator drive unit) back and forth.

The treatment element drive unit advance/retract mechanism will now be described. An advance/retract shaft 52, located below the guide shaft 42 and extending in the left-right direction, is rotatably attached to the main frame 41. An advance/retract motor 53 for rotating the advance/retract shaft 52 is attached to one side of the main frame 41. The advance/retract motor 53 is connected to the advance/retract shaft 52 via a gear mechanism 54. A pair of left and right pinion gears 55 are attached to the midpoint of the advance/retract shaft 52. An arc-shaped rack 56 that meshes with the left and right pinion gears 55 is provided on the upper part of the oscillating frame 49. When the advance/retract shaft 52 is rotated by the advance/retract motor 53, the pinion gear 55 rotates, and the arc-shaped rack 56 moves. This causes the oscillating frame 49 to oscillate around the lifting drive shaft 43. This causes the treatment element drive unit 50 (treatment element 51) to advance/retract in the forward/backward direction.

The massage unit 23 is provided with a front-rear position sensor 57 that detects the amount of rotation of the advance/retract shaft 52 to detect the front-rear position of the treatment element drive unit 50. The front-rear position sensor 57 consists of an encoder that detects the amount of rotation of the advance/retract shaft 52.

The treatment element drive unit 50 includes a kneading mechanism that performs a kneading action by eccentrically rotating the treatment elements 51, and a tapping mechanism that performs a tapping action by swinging the treatment elements 51 back and forth. The kneading mechanism includes a kneading motor 58 as an actuator (drive source). The tapping mechanism includes a tapping motor 59 as an actuator (drive source). Such kneading and tapping mechanisms are well known.

[4] Electrical Configuration of the Massager 2 and the Portable Terminal 3 Fig. 4A is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the massager 2. Fig. 4B is an air circuit diagram showing the air circuit from the air pump to each airbag.

Referring to FIG. 4A, a control unit 60 for controlling the massage machine 2 is built into the massage machine 2. The control unit 60 is an example of the "massage machine control unit" of the present invention. The control unit 60 includes a microcomputer and is equipped with a CPU, memory (RAM, ROM, non-volatile memory), etc. The memory stores various data in addition to CPU programs.

Connected to the control unit 60 are the remote control 25, the drive circuit 71 for the backrest rotation actuator 21, and the drive circuit 72 for the leg rotation actuator 22. The control unit 60 is also connected to the drive circuit 73 for the lift motor 46 in the massage unit 23, the drive circuit 74 for the forward/backward movement motor 53, the drive circuit 75 for the kneading motor 58, and the drive circuit 76 for the tapping motor 59. The control unit 60 is also connected to the lift position sensor 48 and the front/rear position sensor 57 in the massage unit 23.

The control unit 60 is further connected to a drive circuit 77 for the air pump 81 and a drive circuit 78 for multiple solenoid valves 82a-82s. Air is supplied to each of the solenoid valves 82a-82s from the air pump 81. Hereinafter, the solenoid valves 82a-82s may be collectively referred to as solenoid valves 82.

Referring to Figure 4B, the right upper arm airbag 31a is connected to solenoid valve 82a, and the left upper arm airbag 31b is connected to solenoid valve 85b. The right lateral thigh airbag 32a is connected to solenoid valve 82c, and the left lateral thigh airbag 32b is connected to solenoid valve 82d. The right upper back thigh airbag 32c is connected to solenoid valve 82e, and the left upper back thigh airbag 32d is connected to solenoid valve 82f. The lower back thigh airbag 32e is connected to solenoid valve 82g.

The right forearm airbag 33a is connected to solenoid valve 82h, and the left forearm airbag 33b is connected to solenoid valve 82i. The right hand airbag 33c is connected to solenoid valve 82j, and the left hand airbag 33d is connected to solenoid valve 82k.

The right lateral calf airbag 34a is connected to solenoid valve 82l, and the left lateral calf airbag 34b is connected to solenoid valve 82m. The right sole of the calf airbag 34c is connected to solenoid valve 82n, and the left sole of the calf airbag 34d is connected to solenoid valve 82o. The right front airbag 35a is connected to solenoid valve 82p, and the left front airbag 35b is connected to solenoid valve 82q. The right sole of the foot airbag 35c is connected to solenoid valve 82r, and the left sole of the foot airbag 35d is connected to solenoid valve 82s.

In this embodiment, individual solenoid valves are provided for the paired airbags on both the left and right sides, but a single solenoid valve may also be provided common to the two paired airbags.

When the solenoid valve 82 of a certain airbag is energized, air is supplied to the airbag from the air pump 81 via the solenoid valve 82, causing the airbag to inflate. When the solenoid valve 82 of the airbag is de-energized, the air inside the airbag is exhausted to the outside via the solenoid valve, causing the airbag to deflate.

The control unit 60 controls the drive circuits 71, 72 of the actuators 21, 22 based on the operation of the remote control 25, the operation of the mobile terminal 3, etc. The control unit 60 also controls the drive circuits 73-76 of the motors 46, 53, 58, 59, the drive circuit 77 of the air pump 81, and the drive circuit 78 of the solenoid valve 82 based on the operation of the remote control 25, the operation of the mobile terminal 3, etc. This allows the massager 2 to perform various types of massage.

Massage modes include manual mode, automatic mode, body map mode, healthcare mode, history mode, scene-specific massage mode (hereinafter referred to as "scene mode"), and distribution mode.

Manual mode is a mode in which a massage is performed according to the type of massage selected by the user.

Automatic mode allows the user to select the desired massage course from multiple options and then executes the selected massage course.

Human body map mode is a mode in which the user inputs the area of stiffness and the level of stiffness, determines a massage course appropriate for the input area of stiffness and level of stiffness, and then carries out the determined massage course.

Healthcare mode is a mode in which a massage course appropriate for the user's biometric information, such as the number of steps taken, sleep time, and pulse rate (heart rate), is determined and the determined massage course is carried out.

History mode allows the user to select a desired massage course from massage courses previously performed, and then executes the selected massage course.

Scene mode is a mode that determines an appropriate massage course based on a combination of the "user's situation or condition" and the "user's wishes," and then executes the determined massage course.

The distribution mode is a mode in which a massage course is downloaded from the server 4 to the mobile terminal 3 and the downloaded course is executed by the massage machine 2.

Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the mobile terminal 3.

The mobile terminal 3 is equipped with a control unit 90. The control unit 90 includes a microcomputer and is equipped with a CPU, memory (RAM, ROM, non-volatile memory) 91, etc. The memory 91 stores various data in addition to CPU programs. The control unit 90 is connected to a first communication unit 101, a second communication unit 102, an operation display unit 103, etc. The first communication unit 101 is a communication interface that allows the control unit 90 to wirelessly communicate with the remote control 25 (control unit 90 of the massage machine 2). The second communication unit 102 is a communication interface that allows the control unit 90 to communicate with the server 4 or other mobile terminals via the communication network 5. The operation display unit 103 is a display with input functions. In this embodiment, the operation display unit 103 is a touch-panel liquid crystal display (touch-panel display unit).

[5] Scene Mode The following mainly describes the scene mode.

The memory 91 (non-volatile memory) of the mobile terminal 3 stores an application (hereinafter referred to as the "massage app") for implementing the human body map mode, healthcare mode, history mode, scene mode, or distribution mode, and for sending history data to the server 4. The control unit 90 functions as a multi-function processing unit by executing the massage app.

Memory 91 (non-volatile memory) stores a course selection table 91A used to determine the course in scene mode.

To realize the scene mode, which is a feature of the present invention, the control unit 90 includes, as functional processing units, a situation/request acquisition unit 92, a course determination unit 93, and a course transmission unit 94.

The situation/request acquisition unit 92 acquires the "user situation" and the "user request." Specifically, the situation/request acquisition unit 92 acquires the user situation and the user request by having the user input them in a selection format.

In this embodiment, the situation/request acquisition unit 92 includes a situation acquisition unit 92A and a request acquisition unit 92B. The situation acquisition unit 92A acquires the user's situation by presenting multiple situation candidates related to the user's situation that have been set in advance and having the user select one situation candidate from among them. In this embodiment, the multiple situation candidates are presented by displaying them on the operation display unit 103.

The request acquisition unit 92B acquires the user's requests by presenting multiple request candidates related to the user's requests, which are preset for the user's situation acquired by the situation acquisition unit 92A, and having the user select one of the candidate requests. In this embodiment, the multiple request candidates are presented by displaying them on the operation display unit 103. Details of the operation of the situation acquisition unit 92A and the request acquisition unit 92B will be described later.

The course determination unit 93 determines a massage course based on the user's situation and requests acquired by the situation/request acquisition unit 92.

The course transmission unit 94 transmits the massage course determined by the course determination unit 93 to the massage machine 2 via the first communication unit 101. The control unit 60 of the massage machine 2 has a function to cause the massage machine 2 to execute the massage course received from the mobile terminal 3.

[5.1] Starting up the Massage Machine The user starts up the massage machine 2 by turning on the power switch of the remote control 25. As a result, a home screen as shown in Fig. 6A (hereinafter referred to as the "remote control home screen") is displayed on the operation display unit 26 of the remote control 25. The remote control home screen displays a course selection button 111 for selecting various massage courses, a manual button 112 for manually selecting the type of massage, a setting button 113 for making various settings, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) button 114, etc. A Bluetooth (registered trademark) mark is displayed on the Bluetooth (registered trademark) button 114. When the massage machine 2 is not connected to the mobile terminal 3, the Bluetooth (registered trademark) mark is displayed in white.

When the user taps the Bluetooth (registered trademark) button 114, the massage machine 2 enters a state of waiting for connection with the mobile terminal 3 (pairing standby mode). At this time, a pairing standby screen such as that shown in FIG. 6B is displayed on the operation display unit 26. The pairing standby screen displays the words "Pairing Mode," an arc-arrow pairing mark, a cancel button, a Bluetooth (registered trademark) button, and the like. While waiting for pairing, the arc-arrow pairing mark rotates.

When the massage machine 2 and the mobile terminal 3 are connected, a pairing completion screen such as that shown in FIG. 6C is displayed on the operation display unit 26. On the pairing completion screen, the circular arrow pair mark on the pairing standby screen changes to a check mark.

After a predetermined time (e.g., two seconds) has elapsed since the connection completion screen was displayed, the remote control home screen (see Figure 6A) will be displayed on the operation display unit 26. However, in this case, the Bluetooth (registered trademark) mark on the Bluetooth (registered trademark) button 114 will be displayed in blue.

[5.2] Starting the Massage App The user starts the massage app by tapping the icon of the massage app displayed on the operation and display unit 103 of the mobile terminal 3. This causes a login screen such as that shown in Fig. 7A to be displayed on the operation and display unit 103. The login screen displays a login ID input section 121, a password input section 122, a login button 123, etc.

If the user has already registered, when the user taps the login button 123 after entering their login ID and password, a connected device list screen such as that shown in FIG. 7B is displayed on the operation display unit 103. The connected device list screen displays model selection buttons 124, 125 that indicate the models of massage machines that are in pairing standby mode. The user taps the model selection button that corresponds to the model of the massage machine that the user wishes to use.

When a specific model selection button is tapped, the control unit 90 of the mobile terminal 3 performs processing to connect the mobile terminal 3 to the massage machine 2 of the model corresponding to that model selection button (hereinafter referred to as the "selected model"). If the selected model is XY-0001, the operation display unit 103 displays a connection screen containing the message "Connecting to XY-0001," as shown in FIG. 7C. If the massage machine 2 being used is in a pairing standby state, the mobile terminal 3 will then connect to the massage machine 2.

When the mobile terminal 3 is connected to the massage machine 2, a connection completion screen such as that shown in FIG. 7D is displayed on the operation display unit 103. If the selected model is XY-0001, the connection completion screen displays the message "Connection completed to XY-0001." Then, the home screen of the massage app (hereinafter referred to as the "app home screen") is displayed on the operation display unit 103.

Figure 8A is a schematic diagram showing an example of an app home screen.

The app home screen 130 displays a connection status field 131 indicating the connection status with the massage machine 2, a body map mode button 132, a healthcare mode button 133, multiple history buttons 134, a home button 135, a scene mode button 136, a distribution mode button 137, etc.

The connection status field 131 is located near the top of the app home screen 130. The connection status field 131 displays the text "Connected" when the mobile terminal 3 is connected to the massage machine 2, and displays the text "Not connected" when the mobile terminal 3 is not connected to the massage machine 2.

The human body map mode button 132 is located below the connection status field 131. The human body map mode button 132 is a button for setting the massage mode to human body map mode. The human body map mode button 132 displays the text "Human Body Map" or the like. When the human body map mode button 132 is tapped, a human body map screen (not shown) that allows the user to input the stiff area and level of stiffness is displayed on the operation display unit 103. The user inputs the stiff area and level of stiffness on the human body map screen.

When the stiff area and level of stiffness are input on the human body map screen, a course selection screen presenting massage courses appropriate for the input stiff area and level of stiffness is displayed on the operation display unit 103. Then, when the user performs a predetermined operation on the course selection screen, the presented massage course is executed by the massage machine 2.

The healthcare mode button 133 is located below the human body map mode button 132. The healthcare mode button 133 is a button for setting the massage mode to healthcare mode. The healthcare mode button 133 displays, for example, biometric information such as the user's number of steps, sleep time, and pulse rate, as well as a message recommending a massage course appropriate for that biometric information. In this example, the user's number of steps for the day and a message recommending a massage course appropriate for that number of steps are displayed. When the healthcare mode button 133 is tapped, a course selection screen presenting massage courses appropriate for the user's number of steps, sleep time, pulse rate, etc. is displayed on the operation display unit 103. When the user performs a predetermined operation on the course selection screen, the presented massage course is executed by the massage machine 2.

The history button 134 is located below the healthcare mode button 133. The history button 134 is a button for setting the massage mode to history mode. The history button 134 displays the names of massage courses previously performed on the user and the dates and times of massages. When the history button 134 is tapped, a course selection screen presenting the massage course corresponding to the history button 134 is displayed on the operation display unit 103. When the user then performs a predetermined operation on the course selection screen, the presented massage course is performed by the massage machine 2.

The home button 135, scene mode button 136, and distribution mode button 137 are arranged horizontally below the history button 134. The home button 135 is a button for returning the display screen to the application home screen 130 when the display screen is a screen other than the application home screen 130. The scene mode button 136 is a button for setting the massage mode to the scene mode. The distribution mode button 137 is a button for setting the massage mode to the distribution mode.

[5.3] Scene Selection Screen and Request Selection Screen When the scene mode button 136 is tapped on the application home screen 130, the situation acquisition unit 92A of the mobile terminal 3 displays a scene selection screen (situation selection screen) 140, for example, as shown in FIG. 8B , on the operation display unit 103. The scene selection screen 140 includes a title area E1, a choice display area E2, and a button area E3.

The title area E1 is a horizontally long rectangular area at the top of the scene selection screen 140. The word "Scene" representing the scene mode is displayed in the title area E1.

Button area E3 is a horizontally long rectangular area at the bottom of the scene selection screen 140. The home button 135, scene mode button 136, and distribution mode button 137 are displayed in button area E3.

The option display area E2 is a vertically long rectangular area between the title area E1 and the button area E3. The option display area E2 displays multiple status selection buttons 141-143 that allow the user to select the "user's status." Each of the status selection buttons 141-143 displays a status candidate assigned to that button from among multiple pre-set status candidates related to the user's status.

In this embodiment, situation selection button 141 displays a character string representing the first situation candidate, "When you wake up in the morning," and a mark representing the "sun." Situation selection button 142 displays a character string representing the second situation candidate, "After work," and a mark representing the "star." Situation selection button 143 displays a character string representing the third situation candidate, "Before going to bed," and a mark representing the "moon."

On the scene selection screen 140, the user taps one of the situation selection buttons 141, 142, or 143 that corresponds to the situation candidate that best suits the user's current situation. When the user taps one of the situation selection buttons, the situation acquisition unit 92A of the mobile device 3 acquires the situation candidate that corresponds to the tapped situation selection button as the "user's situation." In addition, the request acquisition unit 92B of the mobile device 3 displays a request selection screen 150 corresponding to the tapped situation selection button on the operation display unit 103, as shown in FIG. 9A.

Specifically, when the user taps a situation selection button on the scene selection screen 140, multiple request selection buttons 151-153 corresponding to the tapped situation selection button are displayed below the tapped situation selection button. If one or more other situation selection buttons exist below the tapped situation selection button on the scene selection screen 140, those other situation selection buttons are displayed below the multiple request selection buttons 151-153. In this way, the screen transitions from the scene selection screen 140 to the request selection screen 150. Note that the one or more request selection buttons 151-153 corresponding to the tapped situation selection button may be displayed in a typical pull-down menu format or in a pop-up menu format.

The multiple request selection buttons 151-153 display the request candidates assigned to that request selection button from multiple request candidates related to "user requests" that have been pre-set for the situation candidate selected by the user.

Figure 9A shows an example of a request selection screen 150 that is displayed on the operation display unit 103 when the situation selection button 141 is tapped on the scene selection screen 140.

In the example of FIG. 9A, the request selection screen 150 displays three request selection buttons 151 to 153 corresponding to three request candidates preset for the first situation candidate (situation selection button 141). Request selection button 151 displays the request candidate "I want to feel refreshed and active." Request selection button 152 displays the request candidate "I want to do some stretching when I wake up." Request selection button 153 displays the request candidate "I want to take care of swelling when I wake up."

On the request selection screen 150, the user taps one of the request selection buttons 151, 152, or 153 that corresponds to the request candidate that best suits the user's current request. When the user taps one of the request selection buttons, the request acquisition unit 92B of the mobile device 3 acquires the request candidate that corresponds to the tapped request selection button as the "user's request."

Then, the course determination unit 93 of the mobile device 3 uses the course selection table 91A to determine a massage course that is appropriate for the combination of the "user's situation" acquired by the situation acquisition unit 92A and the "user's request" acquired by the request acquisition unit 92B. The contents of the course selection table 91A will be described later.

The course determination unit 93 then displays an analysis result screen 160 as shown in FIG. 9B. The analysis result screen 160 displays the request candidates selected by the user, the name of the massage course determined by the course determination unit 93, the massage time, the massage content, and a message to the user, as well as a massage start button 161.

In the example of Figure 9B, the candidate desire selected by the user is "I want to feel refreshed and active." The name of the massage course determined by the course determination unit 93 is "Full-body refresh course." The massage duration is 15 minutes. The massage content is "A rhythmic massage of the whole body." The message to the user is "Enjoy a rhythmic massage that will wake you up."

The names and details of massage courses that can be determined by the course determination unit 93 are stored in the course selection table 91A. The duration (massage time) of the massage courses that can be determined by the course determination unit 93 is stored in a course table (not shown) (a table that stores the ID, name, details, etc. for each massage course). The massage time may also be stored in the course selection table 91A. The message to the user is a message provided to the user in accordance with the combination of the "user situation" and "user request" acquired by the situation/request acquisition unit 92, and is stored in the course selection table 91A.

When the user taps the massage start button 161, the course sending unit 94 of the mobile terminal 3 sends the ID of the massage course displayed on the analysis result screen 160 to the massage machine 2. The ID of the massage course determined by the course determination unit 93 is stored in the course selection table 91A. When the massage machine 2 receives the massage course ID from the mobile terminal 3, it executes the massage course corresponding to the received ID.

[5.4] Course selection table 91A
The course selection table 91A is a table used to determine a massage course suitable for the combination of the "user's situation" selected by the situation acquisition unit 92A and the "user's request" selected by the request acquisition unit 92B.

Figure 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the contents of the course selection table 91A.

In the following, "scene ID" refers to identification information for identifying the combination of "user situation" and "user request."

The course selection table 91A stores "situation candidates," "request candidates," "message to user," "course ID," "course name," and "course content" for each scene ID. For ease of explanation, scene IDs will be represented as A1 to A9. The course ID is an ID for identifying a massage course. For ease of explanation, course IDs will be represented as B1 to BN (N is an integer corresponding to the number of massage courses).

In the example of Figure 9, three "situation candidates" are pre-set: "When waking up in the morning," "After work," and "Before going to bed." Three "request candidates" are pre-set for each situation candidate.

The "Whole Body Refresh Course" is stored for the combination (scene ID = A1) of "When I wake up in the morning" and "I want to feel refreshed and active." Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Whole Body Refresh Course," which rhythmically massages the whole body to help wake you up, is determined as the massage course.

In the full-body refresh course, mechanical massage using the treatment elements 51 and air massage using airbags are performed. Specifically, the massage unit 23 is controlled to move back and forth, for example, from the neck and shoulder area to the ischial area based on the output of the elevation position sensor 48, thereby performing mechanical massage throughout the entire range of movement of the massage unit 23. The massage action, for example, alternates between kneading and tapping at predetermined intervals. Compared to the full-body fatigue recovery course described below, the kneading and tapping action are performed at a faster speed to provide a more rhythmic massage. In addition, the upper arm airbags 31, thigh airbags 32, forearm airbags 33, calf airbags 34, and sole airbags 35 are repeatedly inflated and deflated by air intake and exhaust at regular intervals. Compared to the full-body fatigue recovery course described below, the intervals between air intake and exhaust are shortened to provide a more rhythmic massage.

The "Full Body Stretching Course" is stored for the combination of "When I wake up in the morning" and "I want to do some stretching when I wake up" (Scene ID = A2). Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Full Body Stretching Course" is determined as the massage course, in which the entire body is massaged while being stretched in order to stretch the muscles of the entire body.

In the full-body stretching course, mechanical massage and air massage are performed. Specifically, mechanical massage is performed over the entire range of movement of the massage unit 23. The massage action, for example, alternates between kneading and tapping at predetermined intervals. Air is supplied to and exhausted from the upper arm airbags 31, thigh airbags 32, forearm airbags 33, calf airbags 34, and sole airbags 35, which then expand and contract at regular intervals. For example, the calf airbags 34 are inflated while holding the user's legs, and the user is reclined backwards to stretch the user.

The "Full Body Air Course" is stored for the combination of "When I wake up in the morning" and "I want to treat swelling after waking up" (Scene ID = A3). Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Full Body Air Course," which massages the entire body using only air bags to promote blood circulation throughout the body, is determined as the massage course.

The full-body air course provides an air massage. Specifically, air is supplied to and exhausted from the upper arm airbags 31, thigh airbags 32, forearm airbags 33, calf airbags 34, and sole airbags 35, which then expand and contract at regular intervals. No mechanical massage is provided in this course.

For the combination of "After work" and "I want a hard full body massage" (scene ID = A4), the "Full body fatigue recovery course" is stored. Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Full body fatigue recovery course", which involves a strong full body massage, is determined as the massage course.

The full-body fatigue recovery course involves mechanical massage and air massage. Specifically, mechanical massage is performed over the entire range of movement of the massage unit 23. Massage operations, for example, alternate between kneading and tapping at predetermined intervals. In addition, air is supplied to and exhausted from the upper arm airbags 31, thigh airbags 32, forearm airbags 33, calf airbags 34, and sole airbags 35, which then expand and contract at regular intervals.

The "Neck and Shoulder Fatigue Recovery Course" is stored for the combination of "After work" and "I want a strong shoulder massage" (Scene ID = A5). Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Neck and Shoulder Fatigue Recovery Course," which focuses on massaging the neck and shoulders, is determined as the massage course.

The neck and shoulder fatigue recovery course includes mechanical massage and air massage. Specifically, the massage unit 23 is controlled to move back and forth mainly over the neck and shoulder area based on the output of the lift position sensor 48, thereby providing a mechanical massage centered on the neck and shoulders. The massage action alternates between kneading and tapping at predetermined intervals, for example.

For the combination of "After work" and "I want a strong massage on my lower back" (scene ID = A6), the "Lower back fatigue recovery course" is stored. Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Lower back fatigue recovery course", which provides a strong massage on the lower back, is determined as the massage course.

The lower back fatigue recovery course involves mechanical massage and air massage. Specifically, the massage unit 23 is controlled to move back and forth mainly in the lower back area based on the output of the lift position sensor 48, thereby providing a mechanical massage centered on the lower back. The massage action alternates between kneading and tapping at predetermined intervals, for example.

The "VIP course" is stored for the combination of "before going to sleep" and "want a thorough full-body massage" (scene ID = A7). Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "VIP course," which provides a long full-body massage, is determined as the massage course.

In the VIP course, mechanical massage and air massage are performed. Specifically, mechanical massage is performed over the entire range of movement of the massage unit 23. The massage action, for example, alternates between kneading and tapping at predetermined intervals. In addition, air is supplied to and exhausted from the upper arm airbags 31, thigh airbags 32, forearm airbags 33, calf airbags 34, and sole airbags 35, which then expand and contract at regular intervals. The VIP course has a massage time that is approximately twice as long as the full body fatigue recovery course described above.

The "Night Healing Course" is stored for the combination of "Before going to bed" and "I want to fall asleep easily" (Scene ID = A8). Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Night Healing Course," which provides a slow, full-body massage, is determined as the massage course.

In the night healing course, mechanical massage and air massage are performed. Specifically, mechanical massage is performed over the entire range of movement of the massage unit 23. The massage action, for example, alternates between kneading and tapping at predetermined intervals. In addition, air is supplied to and exhausted from the upper arm airbags 31, thigh airbags 32, forearm airbags 33, calf airbags 34, and sole airbags 35, which expand and contract at regular intervals. Compared to the full-body fatigue recovery course described above, the intensity of the mechanical massage and air massage is set lower in the night healing course. The massage time in the night healing course is set to be approximately twice that of the full-body fatigue recovery course described above.

The "Slow Stretch Course" is stored for the combination of "Before going to bed" and "I want to sleep refreshed" (Scene ID = A9). Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Slow Stretch Course," which gently stretches the entire body, is determined as the massage course.

In the slow stretch course, mechanical massage and air massage are performed. Specifically, mechanical massage is performed over the entire range of movement of the massage unit 23. The massage action alternates between kneading and tapping at predetermined intervals. Air is supplied to and vented from the upper arm airbags 31, thigh airbags 32, forearm airbags 33, calf airbags 34, and sole airbags 35, causing them to expand and contract at regular intervals. For example, the calf airbags 34 are inflated while supporting the user's legs, and the user is stretched by reclining backward. The mechanical massage and air massage are performed at lower intensities than in the full-body fatigue recovery course. The slow stretch course also has a massage time that is approximately twice as long as the full-body fatigue recovery course.

In place of or in addition to the course selection table 91A described above, a course selection table 91B such as that shown in FIG. 11 may be used.

Like the previously described course selection table 91A, this course selection table 91B stores "user status," "user request," "message to user," "course ID," "course name," and "course content" for each scene ID. For ease of explanation, scene IDs will be represented as C1 to C9. Course IDs are used to identify massage courses. For ease of explanation, course IDs will be represented as B1 to BN (N is an integer corresponding to the number of massage courses).

In the example of Figure 11, two types of "situation candidates" are pre-set: "Feeling tired" and "Feeling unwell." Three "request candidate" candidates are pre-set for each situation candidate.

For the combination of "I feel tired" and "I want a hard full-body massage" (scene ID = C1), the "Full-body fatigue recovery course" is stored. Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Full-body fatigue recovery course," which involves a strong full-body massage, is determined as the massage course. The content of the full-body fatigue recovery course is the same as the full-body fatigue recovery course described above.

For the combination of "I feel tired" and "I want my shoulders massaged hard" (scene ID = C2), the "neck and shoulder fatigue recovery course" is stored. Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "neck and shoulder fatigue recovery course," which focuses on massaging the neck and shoulders, is determined as the massage course. The contents of the neck and shoulder fatigue recovery course are the same as the neck and shoulder fatigue recovery course described above.

For the combination of "I feel tired" and "I want my lower back massaged hard" (scene ID = C3), the "lower back fatigue recovery course" is stored. Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "lower back fatigue recovery course," which provides a strong massage of the lower back, is determined as the massage course. The content of the lower back fatigue recovery course is the same as the lower back fatigue recovery course described above.

For the combination of "feeling heavy" and "want to feel refreshed and active" (scene ID=C4), a "whole body refresh course" is stored. Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "whole body refresh course" in which the whole body is rhythmically massaged is determined as the massage course. The contents of the whole body refresh course are the same as those of the whole body refresh course described above.
For the combination of "feeling heavy" and "want to have a thorough full body massage" (scene ID=C5), the "VIP course" is stored. Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "VIP course" in which the whole body is massaged for a long time is determined as the massage course. The contents of the VIP course are the same as those of the VIP course described above.

When "I feel tired" and "I want to sleep refreshed" are selected, the "Slow Stretch Course" is stored for the combination (scene ID = C6) with the "Slow Stretch Course" which slowly stretches the entire body. Therefore, when this combination is selected, the "Slow Stretch Course" which slowly stretches the entire body is determined as the massage course. The content of the slow stretch course is the same as the slow stretch course described above.

[6] Modifications Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention can also be embodied in other forms. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the user is first prompted to select a "user situation," and then to select a "user request" from a selection of multiple "user requests" corresponding to the selected "user situation." However, the present invention may be configured such that the user is first prompted to select a "user request," and then to select a "user situation" from a selection of multiple "user situations" corresponding to the selected "user request."

In other words, the situation/request acquisition unit 92 may include a request acquisition unit 92C and a situation acquisition unit 92D, as indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 5. In other words, the request acquisition unit 92C acquires the user's request by presenting multiple pre-set request candidates related to the user's request and having the user select one of the pre-set request candidates. The situation acquisition unit 92D acquires the user's situation by presenting multiple pre-set situation candidates related to the user's situation in response to the user's request acquired by the request acquisition unit 92C and having the user select one of the pre-set situation candidates.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the control unit 90 of the mobile device 3 includes a situation/request acquisition unit 92, a course determination unit 93, and a course transmission unit 94, but the server 4 may also have the functions performed by the course determination unit 93. In this case, the course selection table 91A (91B) is stored on the server 4 side.

In this case, the information acquired by the situation/request acquisition unit 92 (user situation and user request) is sent from the mobile terminal 3 to the server 4. The server 4 determines a massage course appropriate for the received information based on the received information and the course selection table 91A (91B) and sends it to the mobile terminal 3. The mobile terminal 3 then sends the received massage course to the massage machine 2.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, sole-side airbags 35c and 35d for pressing the soles upward are provided on the bottom surfaces of the pair of left and right foot accommodation recesses 19 (see Figure 2). However, instead of the sole-side airbags 35c and 35d, sole rollers that are driven to rotate to massage the soles of the feet may be provided.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the mobile terminal 3 was a smartphone, but the mobile terminal 3 may also be a computer such as a tablet computer.

Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the massage machine 2 is a chair-type massage machine, but the massage machine 2 may be a massage machine other than a chair-type massage machine.

In the above-described embodiment, the course determination unit 93 determines a massage course based on the user's situation and request acquired by the situation/request acquisition unit 92, and a course selection table 91A (91B) that stores massage courses (course IDs) appropriate for each combination of situation (potential situation) and request (potential request). The contents of the course selection table 91A (91B) stored in the mobile terminal 3 may be changeable (deleted, added) by the user operating the mobile terminal.

Furthermore, the mobile terminal 3 (control unit 60) may prevent situations (situation candidates) or requests (request candidate) that have not been selected by the user for a certain period of time from being displayed on the operation display unit 103 (touch panel display). Specifically, the mobile terminal 3 (control unit 90) may prevent situations (situation candidate) or requests (request candidate) that have not been selected by the user for a certain period of time from being displayed on the scene selection screen 140 (see FIG. 8B) or request selection screen 150 (see FIG. 9A).

In addition, various design modifications may be made within the scope of the claims.

The following features can be extracted from the description in this specification and drawings:

[A1] a situation/request acquisition unit that acquires a user's situation and user's request;
a course determination unit that determines a massage course based on the user's situation and request acquired by the situation/request acquisition unit;
a massage machine control unit for causing the massage machine to execute the massage course determined by the course determination unit.

This configuration allows for an appropriate massage to be performed based on the user's condition and needs.

[A2] The massage system described in [A1], wherein the situation/request acquisition unit is configured to acquire the user's situation and request by having the user input the user's situation and request in a selective manner.

[A3] The situation and request acquisition unit
a situation acquisition unit that acquires the user's situation by presenting a plurality of situation candidates related to the user's situation, which are set in advance, and allowing the user to select one situation candidate from the situation candidates;
The massage system described in [A1] or [A2] includes a request acquisition unit that acquires the user's requests by presenting multiple request candidates related to the user's requests that are pre-set for the user's situation acquired by the situation acquisition unit and having the user select one of the request candidates.

[A4] The situation and request acquisition unit
a request acquisition unit that acquires a request from the user by presenting a plurality of preset request candidates related to the request of the user and allowing the user to select one request candidate from the plurality of request candidates;
The massage system described in [A1] or [A2] includes a situation acquisition unit that acquires the user's situation by presenting multiple situation candidates related to the user's situation that are pre-set in response to the user's requests acquired by the request acquisition unit and having the user select one situation candidate from among them.

[A5] A mobile terminal capable of communicating with the massage machine control unit is included,
The massage system according to [A1], wherein the mobile terminal includes the situation/request acquisition unit and the course determination unit.

[A6] A mobile terminal capable of communicating with the massage machine control unit is included,
the mobile terminal includes the situation/request acquisition unit, the course determination unit, and a touch panel display unit;
the situation acquisition unit is configured to display the plurality of situation candidates on the touch panel display unit and allow a user to select one situation candidate from the plurality of situation candidates;
The massage system described in [A3] or [A4], wherein the request acquisition unit is configured to display the plurality of request candidates on the touch panel display unit and allow the user to select one request candidate from among them.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Massage system 2 Chair-type massage machine 3 Mobile terminal 4 Server 5 Communication network 23 Massage unit 25 Remote control 31 Upper arm airbag 32 Thigh airbag 33 Forearm airbag 34 Calf airbag 35 Sole airbag 51 Massage ball 60 Control unit 90 Control unit 91 Memory 91A, 91B Course selection table 92 Situation/request acquisition unit 92A, 92D Situation acquisition unit 92B, 92C Request acquisition unit 93 Course determination unit 94 Course transmission unit 101 First communication unit 102 Second communication unit 103 Operation display unit 130 Application home screen 136 Scene mode button 140 Scene selection screen 141 to 143 Situation selection button 150 Request selection screen 151 to 153 Request selection button 160 Analysis result screen 161 Massage start button

Claims (6)

a situation and request acquisition unit that acquires a user's situation and request;
Based on the user's situation and user's request acquired by the situation/request acquisition unit,
a course determination unit that determines a massage course;
a massage machine control unit for causing the massage machine to execute the massage course determined by the course determination unit,
The situation and request acquisition unit
Displaying a plurality of preset request candidates related to the user's requests on a display unit;
When a user selects one of the plurality of desire candidates displayed on the display unit, the selected desire candidate is acquired as a desire of the user;
displaying, on the display unit, a plurality of candidate situations relating to the user's situation, which are preset in accordance with the acquired user's request;
When a user selects one situation candidate from the plurality of situation candidates displayed on the display unit, the massage system acquires the selected situation candidate as the user's situation . The massage system according to claim 1 , wherein the candidate situations include at least one of: when waking up in the morning, after work, before going to bed, feeling tired, and feeling heavy. The massage system of claim 1 , wherein the potential needs include at least one of wanting to feel refreshed and active, wanting to stretch when waking up, wanting to treat swelling when waking up, wanting to fall asleep easily, and wanting to sleep refreshed. A mobile terminal capable of communicating with the massage machine control unit is included,
4. The massage system according to claim 1 , wherein the mobile terminal includes the situation/request acquisition unit and the course determination unit. A mobile terminal is provided with the display unit and is capable of communicating with the massage machine control unit,
the mobile terminal includes the situation/request acquisition unit and the course determination unit,
The massage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the display unit is a touch panel display unit. a remote controller having the display unit and connected to the massage machine control unit;
the remote controller includes the situation/request acquisition unit and the course determination unit;
The massage system according to any one of claims 1 to 3 .