Stimulation Device

Abstract

The invention relates to a stimulation device comprising a main part and a rubber-elastic sleeve which is intended for contact with a body part of a user and which encloses the main part and has a reversibly deformable contact surface region, wherein a shaping element, which is designed to produce a locally limited deformation of the sleeve without deformation of the main part, is arranged on the main part so as to be movable relative to the main part, and an actuating device, which is operatively connected to the shaping element in order to generate a movement of the shaping element, is arranged on the main part and comprises an electric motor having a rotor shaft to which an eccentric is fastened, and the shaping element comprises a pivotally mounted lever having two free ends, wherein a first end of the lever is operatively connected to the eccentric of the actuating device in order to convert a rotation of the rotor shaft into a pivoting movement of the lever, and a second end of the lever acts in a deforming manner on the contact surface region.

Claims

1. A stimulation device, comprising a main part and a rubber-elastic sleeve which is intended for contact with a body part of a user and which encloses the main part and has at least one reversibly deformable contact surface region, wherein at least one shaping element which is designed to produce a locally limited deformation of the sleeve without deformation of the main part is arranged on or in the main part so as to be movable relative to the main part, and at least one actuating device which is operatively connected to the at least one shaping element in order to generate a movement of the at least one shaping element is arranged on or in the main part, the actuating device including an electric motor having a rotor shaft, on which an eccentric is fastened the shaping element including a pivotably mounted lever having two free ends, wherein a first end of the lever is operatively connected to the eccentric of the actuating device in order to convert a rotating movement of the rotor shaft into a pivoting movement of the lever and a second end of the lever acts in a deforming manner on the contact surface region.

2. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the deformable contact surface region is formed by a protuberance of the rubber-elastic sleeve, which is connected to the second end of the lever.

3. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second end of the lever comprises a thickening, the protuberance of the rubber-elastic sleeve comprises an indentation with undercutting, and the thickening is inserted into the indentation, engaging with the undercutting.

4. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first end of the lever comprises at least one sliding surface oriented transversely to a pivoting direction of the lever, with which the eccentric of the actuating device interacts in order to convert a rotating movement of the rotor shaft into a pivoting movement of the lever.

5. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first end of the lever comprises a groove oriented transversely to a pivoting direction of the lever, the two groove flanks of which each form a sliding surface, and the eccentric of the actuating device comprises a pin, which protrudes into the groove, between the groove flanks.

6. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the pin has a convex thickening, making contact with the groove flanks.

7. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a control device having an operator element for influencing the speed of revolution of the electric motor is arranged on or in the main part.

8. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control device is designed to actuate the electric motor with a speed of revolution of 5 rps or less.

9. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electric motor is a step motor and the control device comprises a driver circuit for quasi-continuous driving of the step motor.

10. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control device is designed to actuate the electric motor to create an oscillatory rotating movement (pendulum movement), during which the electric motor moves in an alternating manner in one direction of rotation and then in the other direction of rotation.

11. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control device is designed to actuate the electric motor such that the shaping element is always in the same position when the actuating device is switched off.

12. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the eccentric carries a permanent magnet and a Hall sensor is arranged in the main part in direct proximity to the eccentric and it is connected to the control device.

13. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control device comprises at least one light source and the main part or a housing piece of the main part comprises at least one fiber optic element.

14. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one energy accumulator for the storing of electric energy is arranged at the main part.

15. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the energy accumulator comprises at least one rechargeable storage battery.

16. The stimulation device as claimed in one of claim 1, wherein at least one receiving coil for a noncontact supply of electric energy is arranged at or in the main part.

17. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control device is designed to actuate the electric motor with a speed of revolution of 3 rps or less.

18. The stimulation device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control device is designed to actuate the electric motor with a speed of revolution of 1 rps or less.

Description

[0036] Exemplary embodiments of the proposed stimulation devices will be explained more closely below with the aid of drawings. In the figures:

[0037] FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section through a stimulation device according to an exemplary embodiment,

[0038] FIG. 2 shows a functional diagram of the stimulation device according to the exemplary embodiment,

[0039] FIG. 3 shows a front view of the stimulation device, in which the contact surface element is in the retracted position, and

[0040] FIG. 4 shows a front view of the stimulation device, in which the contact surface element is in the retracted position.

[0041] FIG. 1 shows in a schematic front view a longitudinal section through an exemplary stimulation device. A rubber-elastic sleeve 2 of silicone encloses a main part 1 formed from two housing pieces 11. On the main part 1 a shaping element 3 is arranged in a movable manner, having a first free end 31 and a second free end 32 and arranged movably between the first free end 31 and the second free end 32 by a joint 33 on the main part 1. The housing pieces 11 together define the basic shape of the stimulation device, being bounded on the outside by the rubber-elastic sleeve 2.

[0042] On the inside of the stimulation device there is arranged the actuating device, comprising an electric motor 4 having a rotor shaft, on which an eccentric 41 is fastened. The electric motor 4 in the exemplary embodiment is designed as a step motor.

[0043] The shaping element, as already described, is a pivotably mounted lever 3 with two free ends 31 and 32. The first end 31 of the lever 3 is operatively connected to the eccentric 41 and the second end 32 of the lever 3 acts in a deforming manner on the contact surface region 21. The deformable contact surface region 21 is formed by a protuberance of the rubber-elastic sleeve 2, having an indentation with undercutting. The second end 32 of the lever 3 has a thickening 34, which is inserted into the indentation, engaging with the undercutting. This configuration is especially advantageous for an easy cleaning of the stimulation device. The thickening 34 of the lever 3 can be easily pulled out from the undercutting of the indentation of the rubber-elastic sleeve 2, in order to clean the rubber-elastic sleeve 2 easily under running water. The thickening 34 can then be easily snapped back into the indentation.

[0044] The first end 31 of the lever 3 comprises a groove 35 oriented transversely to the pivoting direction of the lever 3, the two groove flanks of which each form a sliding surface, and the eccentric 41 of the actuating device comprises a pin 43, which protrudes into the groove 35.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows two variants of the interacting elements of the first free end 31 of the lever 3 and the pin 43 of the eccentric 41: in the detail view on the left, the pin 43 has a convex thickening 44, which makes contact with the groove flanks. In the representation on the right, the pin 43 has no such thickening; instead, however, the two groove flanks of the groove 35 in the first free end 31 of the lever 3 are convex, so that in both variants the contact surface between pin 43 and groove 35 is the smallest possible.

[0046] In the main part 1 there is arranged a control device 5 having an operator element 52 for influencing the speed of revolution of the electric motor 4. The control device 5 comprises an electronic circuit, having a driver circuit 51 for quasi-continuous driving of the step motor 4, a micro-key button 52 for operating the stimulation device, which can be operated through the rubber-elastic sleeve 2, and a light source in the form of an LED, which indicates the state of the stimulation device. In order to make the light produced by the LED visible on the outside, the housing piece 11 on top of the light source 54 has a fiber optic element 13, which is designed as an inclusion of transparent plastic in the otherwise non-transparent housing piece 11 of the main part 1. The light is strong enough to pass through the rubber-elastic sleeve 2.

[0047] The control device 5 is connected to an energy accumulator 6, which in the exemplary embodiment is designed as a rechargeable storage battery. The control device 5 is furthermore connected to the step motor 4 in order to supply it with energy.

[0048] Furthermore, the control device 5 is designed to actuate the electric motor 4 such that the lever 3 is always in the same position when the actuating device is switched off. The eccentric 41 carries a permanent magnet 42 and a Hall sensor 53 with switching function is arranged in the main part 1 in direct proximity to the eccentric 41 and it is connected to the control device 5.

TABLE-US-00001 Stimulation device List of reference numbers 1 Main part 11 Housing piece 12 Opening 13 Fiber optic element 2 Rubber-elastic sleeve 21 Deformable contact surface region 3 Lever 31 First free end 32 Second free end 33 Joint 34 Thickening 35 Groove 4 Electric motor 41 Eccentric 42 Permanent magnet 43 Pin 44 Thickening 5 Control device 51 Driver circuit 52 Operator element 53 Hall sensor 54 Light source 6 Energy accumulator