Patent Publication Number: US-2020297575-A1

Title: Neck and shoulder massaging mechanism

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to a massaging apparatus, and more particularly to a neck and shoulder massaging mechanism. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     A massage device is a novel health care apparatus developed based on physics, bionics, bioelectricity, traditional Chinese medicine and many years of clinical practice. It usually works with several independent soft massaging heads, which can relax muscles, soothe nerves, promote blood circulation, strengthen cell metabolism, enhance skin elasticity, relieve fatigue, significantly reduce all kinds of chronic pain, acute pain and muscle soreness, and relax the body and relieve pressure. 
     A conventional neck and shoulder massaging mechanism includes a neck massaging assembly and a shoulder massaging assembly. The neck massaging assembly and the shoulder massaging assembly are connected through a connecting rod. The neck massaging assembly will be affected by the shoulder massaging assembly, resulting in small eccentric oscillation amplitude of the neck massaging assembly. 
     Accordingly, the inventor of the present invention has devoted himself based on his many years of practical experiences to solve these problems. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The primary object of the present invention is to provide a neck and shoulder massaging mechanism that has a simple structure and provides large eccentric oscillating amplitude. 
     In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: 
     A neck and shoulder massaging mechanism comprises a housing, a neck massaging assembly, a shoulder massaging assembly, an eccentric assembly, a connection assembly, and a rotating shaft driven by a motor to rotate. The neck massaging assembly, the shoulder massaging assembly, the eccentric assembly, the connection assembly, the motor and the rotating shaft are accommodated in the housing. The eccentric assembly is disposed on the rotating shaft. The neck massaging assembly is fitted on the eccentric assembly. The eccentric assembly is linked to the neck massaging assembly to perform an eccentric oscillating movement. One end of the neck massaging assembly is defined as an eccentric oscillating end. One end of the shoulder massaging assembly is defined as an oscillating end. A middle portion of the shoulder massaging assembly is fixed to the housing. The connection assembly includes a first spherical cavity disposed at one side of the neck massaging assembly, a ball connecting rod having two ends provided with spherical members, and a second spherical cavity disposed at another end of the shoulder massaging assembly. The spherical members at the two ends of the ball connecting rod are respectively accommodated within the first spherical cavity and the second spherical cavity so that the neck massaging assembly is linked to the shoulder massaging assembly. 
     Preferably, the motor drives the rotating shaft to rotate through a gear assembly. One end of the motor is provided with a worm. The worm is meshed with the gear assembly. The rotating shaft is inserted through the gear assembly. 
     Preferably, the gear assembly includes a first driving gear, a second driving gear, and a first driven gear. The first driven gear is fixed on the rotating shaft. The worm is meshed with the first driving gear. The first driving gear is coaxially linked with the second driving gear. The first driven gear is meshed with the second driving gear. 
     Preferably, an inside of the housing is divided into a massaging assembly chamber, a motor chamber and a gear assembly chamber by partitions. 
     Preferably, the housing includes a lower housing chamber and an upper cover. The upper cover is configured to cover the motor chamber and the gear assembly chamber. The partitions are disposed in the lower housing chamber. 
     Preferably, the eccentric assembly includes a first bevel wheel and a second bevel wheel. The inclined directions of the opposing surfaces of the first bevel wheel and the second bevel wheel are opposite. The first bevel wheel is provided with a first cylinder extending toward the second bevel wheel. The neck massaging assembly is fitted onto the first cylinder. The second bevel wheel is fixed to the first cylinder. The rotating shaft is inserted through the second bevel wheel, the neck massaging assembly and the first bevel wheel in sequence. 
     Preferably, the neck massaging assembly includes a first massaging ann and two misaligned first massaging heads. The first massaging heads are disposed on two sides of an eccentric oscillating end of the first massaging ann, respectively. The first massaging ann has a cylindrical hole for the first cylinder to pass through. Each of the first spherical cavity and the second first spherical cavity is formed by two half cavities. One half cavity of each of the first spherical cavity and the second first spherical cavity is formed separately. The other half cavity of the first spherical cavity is convexly provided on one side of the first massaging arm. The shoulder massaging assembly includes a second massaging arm and a second massaging head. The second massaging head is disposed at an oscillating end of the second massaging arm. A middle portion of the second massaging ann is fixed to the housing. The other half cavity of the second spherical cavity is protruded from another end of the second massaging ann. 
     Preferably, another end of the neck massaging assembly is provided with a ball rod. One end of the ball rod has a spherical head. The housing is provided with a groove corresponding in position to the spherical head. The spherical head is confined and slidable in the groove. 
     According to the present invention, a universal joint structure is formed by the cooperation of the spherical members at the two ends of the ball connecting rod and the first spherical cavity and the second spherical cavity, so that the influence of the shoulder massaging assembly on the neck massaging assembly becomes small. The amplitude of the eccentric oscillation of the neck massaging assembly becomes larger. The oscillation of the shoulder massaging assembly is slower than the eccentric oscillation of the neck massaging assembly. The invention changes the traditional massaging manner, provides a new massaging experience, and has a simple structure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention after the upper cover is removed; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view of  FIG. 2 , without the motor; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view of  FIG. 3 , wherein one neck massaging assembly, the connection assembly and the shoulder massaging assembly are removed; 
         FIG. 5  is a partial perspective view of the present invention; 
         FIG. 6  is an exploded view of  FIG. 5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a perspective view of the first bevel wheel of the present invention; 
         FIG. 8  is a left view of  FIG. 7 ; and 
         FIG. 9  is a top view of  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 9 , the present invention discloses a neck and shoulder massaging mechanism. The neck and shoulder massaging mechanism comprises a housing  1 , a neck massaging assembly  4 , a shoulder massaging assembly  5 , an eccentric assembly  6 , a connection assembly  7 , and a rotating shaft  3  driven by a motor  2  to rotate. The neck massaging assembly  4 , the shoulder massaging assembly  5 , the eccentric assembly  6 , the connection assembly  7 , the motor  2  and the rotating shaft  3  are accommodated in the housing  1 . The number of the neck massaging assembly  4 , the shoulder massaging assembly  5 , the eccentric assembly  6 , the connection assembly  7 , the motor  2  and the rotating shaft  3  described in this technical solution is not limited, and the user can select and set as required. This embodiment includes a pair of neck massaging assemblies  4 , a pair of shoulder massaging assemblies  5 , a pair of eccentric assemblies  6 , a pair connection assemblies  7 , one motor  2 , and one rotating shaft  3 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 3 , the housing  1  includes a lower housing chamber  11  and an upper cover  12 . The lower housing chamber  11  is provided with a plurality of partitions  13  to partition the lower housing chamber  11  into a massaging assembly chamber  14 , a motor chamber  15  and a gear assembly chamber  16 , thereby preventing the components of the present invention from affecting each other during operation. The upper cover  12  is configured to cover the motor chamber  15  and the gear assembly chamber  16 . This makes the present invention beautiful and prevents the motor  2  and a gear assembly  8  from being affected by the external things. In this embodiment, the upper cover  12  is fixed to the partitions  13  corresponding to the motor chamber  15  and the gear assembly chamber  16  through fixing members. As shown in  FIG. 4 , a plurality of limiting blocks  151  are fixed on the inner wall of the motor chamber  15 , and the motor  2  is limited and fixed by the limiting blocks  151 . 
     In this embodiment, the motor  2  drives the rotating shaft  3  to rotate through the gear assembly  8 . One end of the motor  2  is provided with a worm  21 . The worm  21  is meshed with the gear assembly  8 . The rotating shaft  3  is inserted through the gear assembly  8 . However, the manner in which the motor  2  drives the rotating shaft  3  is not limited thereto. The motor  2  may drive the rotating shaft  3  to rotate through the cooperation between a belt and a pulley. Other mechanical structures may be used for the motor  2  to drive the rotating shaft  3  to rotate. 
     The gear assembly  8  is accommodated in the gear assembly chamber  16 . The gear assembly  8  includes a first driving gear  81 , a second driving gear  82 , and a first driven gear  83 . The first driven gear  83  is fixed on the rotating shaft  3 . The worm  21  is meshed with the first driving gear  81 . The first driving gear  81  is coaxially linked with the second driving gear  82 . The first driven gear  83  is meshed with the second driving gear  82 . According to the present invention, the first driving gear  81  is coaxially linked with the second driving gear  82 , so that the installation position of the motor  2  can be flexibly changed. Only by changing the positional relationship between the first driving gear  81  and the second driving gear  82 , the motor  2  can drive the first driven gear  83  to rotate, so that the rotating shaft  3  is rotated. The coaxial two ends of the first driving gear  81  and the second driving gear  82  are rotatably connected to the two side walls of the gear assembly chamber  16 , respectively. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 7  through  FIG. 9 . The eccentric assembly  6  is disposed on the rotating shaft  3 . The eccentric assembly  6  includes a first bevel wheel  61  and a second bevel wheel  62 . The first bevel wheel  61  is provided with a first cylinder  611  extending toward the second bevel wheel  62 . The second bevel wheel  62  is fixed to the first cylinder  611 . The eccentric assembly  6  is linked to the neck massaging assembly  4  to perform an eccentric oscillating movement. 
     Please refer to  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 6 . The neck massaging assembly  4  is sleeved on the eccentric assembly  6 . One end of the neck massaging assembly  4  is defined as an eccentric oscillating end. The neck massaging assembly  4  includes a first massaging arm  41 , two misaligned first massaging heads  42 , and a second cylinder  43 . The first massaging heads  42  are disposed on two sides of an eccentric oscillating end of the first massaging ann  41 , respectively. The first massaging ann  41  has a cylindrical hole  44  for the first cylinder  611  to pass through. A third cylinder  45  is protruded from the edge of the cylindrical hole  44  toward the second bevel wheel  62 . The second cylinder  43  is sleeved onto the third cylinder  45  and is fixed to the first massaging ann  41 . The first spherical cavity  71  is formed by two half cavities. One half cavity of the first spherical cavity  71  is convexly provided on one side of the second cylinder  43 . The other half cavity of the first spherical cavity  71  is convexly provided on one side of the first massaging ann  41 . 
     One end of the shoulder massaging assembly  5  is defined as an oscillating end. The shoulder massaging assembly  5  includes a second massaging arm  51  and a second massaging head  52 . The second massaging head  52  is disposed at an oscillating end of the second massaging ann  51 . A middle portion of the second massaging ann  51  is fixed to the housing  1 . The second spherical cavity  72  is formed by two half cavities. One half cavity of the second spherical cavity  72  is formed separately, and the other half cavity of the second spherical cavity  72  is protruded from the other end of the second massaging ann  51 . The neck massaging assembly  4  is sleeved on the first cylinder  611  through the cylindrical hole  44 . The rotating shaft  3  is inserted through the second bevel wheel  62 , the cylindrical hole  44  and the first bevel wheel  61  in sequence, and the two ends of the rotating shaft  3  are rotatably connected to two side walls of the lower housing chamber  11 , respectively. The middle portion of the second massaging ann  51  is fixed to the side wall of the corresponding motor chamber  15  through a bolt  9 , and the second massaging head  52  extends out of the motor chamber  15 , so that the second massaging head  52  can oscillate flexibly. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , the other end of the first massaging ann  41  is provided with a ball rod  46 . One end of the ball rod  46  has a spherical head  461 . The lower housing chamber  11  is provided with a groove  17  corresponding in position to the spherical head  461 . The spherical head  461  is confined and slidable in the groove  17 . By the cooperation of the spherical head  461  and the groove  17 , the eccentric oscillation of the first massaging ann  41  is limited, so as to prevent the eccentric oscillation of the first massaging arm  41  from being excessive. 
     The connection assembly  7  includes a first spherical cavity  71  disposed at one side of the neck massaging assembly  4 , a ball connecting rod  73  having two ends provided with spherical members  731 , and a second spherical cavity  72  disposed at the other end of the shoulder massaging assembly  5 . The spherical members  731  at the two ends of the ball connecting rod  73  are respectively accommodated within the first spherical cavity  71  and the second spherical cavity  72 , such that the neck massaging assembly  4  is linked to the shoulder massaging assembly  5 . 
     According to the present invention, a universal joint structure is formed by the cooperation of the spherical members  731  at the two ends of the ball connecting rod  73  and the first spherical cavity  71  and the second spherical cavity  72 , so that the influence of the shoulder massaging assembly  5  on the neck massaging assembly  4  becomes small. The eccentric oscillation of both ends of the ball connecting rod  73  is more flexible and the angle of eccentric oscillation is larger, so that the amplitude of the eccentric oscillation of the neck massaging assembly  4  becomes larger. The oscillation of the shoulder massaging assembly  5  is slower than the eccentric oscillation of the neck massaging assembly  4 . The invention changes the traditional massaging manner, provides a new massaging experience, and has a simple structure. 
     When in use, the motor  22  drives the rotating shaft  3  to rotate by linking the gear assembly  8 . Through the action of the eccentric assembly  6 , the rotary motion of the rotating shaft  3  is converted into a composite motion of the first massage arm  41  formed by the left-right oscillation and the up-down motion. The second massaging ann  52  is connected to the first massaging ann  41  through the connection assembly  7 , so that the motion of the first massaging ann  41  is converted into an arc-shaped motion. When the first massaging ann  41  moves toward the center, the second massaging ann  52  approaches the first massaging ann  41 ; when the first massaging ann  42  moves away from the center, the second massaging ann  52  moves away from the first massaging ann  42 , thereby forming a massage action on the neck and shoulders. 
     Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims