Piston fluid pulsator with handcontrolled valves

June 19, 1934. j. boerlage 1,963,576

PISTON FLUID PULSATOR WITH HAND CONTROLLED VALVE Filed Oct. 23, 1930

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Patented June 19, 1934

1,963,576

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

1,963,576

PISTON FLUID PULSATOR WITH HANDCONTROLLED VALVES

Johann Boerlage, Wiesbaden, Germany

Application October 23, 1930, Serial No. 490,655 In Germany July 11, 1929

Claim. (Cl. 230—40)

This invention relates to pulsators for medical purposes, open at the operating end and consequently single acting and intended for the simultaneous production of pressure and suction ef5 fects. Such pulsators are employed particularly for treating parts of the body under massage bells. Besides air and other gas, substances in the form of vapour or mist can be employed as actuating intermediate medium, especially for .10 forcing medicaments into the body in a certain mist form, at the same time with the massage.

The known pulsators of this type are driven by hand or motor power and either possess coacting pressure and suction valves operated auto15 matically by the vacuum or pressure in the pulsator or during the moving of the piston, or hand adjustable valves enabling only a shutting off or throttling of the pulsator.

According to the invention two ports extending 20 through the cylinder walls are employed with such single acting pulsators for medical purposes with hand adjustable valves connected to: the channels, one port being arranged directly in front of the surface of the piston towards the 25 suction chamber when the piston is in its extreme suction position and the second port directly in front of the surface of the head of the other end.

It is possible by this arrangement of the pulsator, to produce, according to the desired heal30 ing purpose, both pressure impulses and also suction impulses in uninterrupted succession separately and also alternately. Moreover it is possible according to the invention, to always regulate the pressure and suction impulses to a very 35 fine degree, as regards output and strength.

These pressure and suction impulses may, according to the invention, be produced and regulated by adjusting the valves between the individual piston strokes and also the peculiar vi⁴⁰ brating effects produced, when, in the case of high speed for example motor driven pulsators, the valves are differently or suitably set or adjusted according to requirements and the desired effect whilst the pulsator is running. The ar⁴⁵rangement of adjustable ports in the cylinder wall in the path traversed by the piston in the cylinder causes this effect.

The operation of the pulsator according to the 5θ. invention and its advantages over ordinary suction and pressure pulsators, such as are employed for massage purposes, will be hereinafter described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 shows the pulsator with cylinder, partly in section and the piston in the extreme pressure position.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the piston in extreme suction position.

Fig. 3 shows a top plan View of the air pulsator 60 with external hand adjustable valves.

In the drawing k represents the handle, which is hingedly connected at i to the piston rod h and oscillatable around the pivot Z, that is, it is situated in front of the piston e, when this piston is 65 in its extreme pressure position as illustrated in Fig. 1. The valve s controls the connection between the pulsator and the cup r.

The operation, due to the valve t, being situated with its cylinder port w, according to Fig. 2 di- 70 rectly in front of the cylinder head y and the valve tz with its cylinder port wz directly in front of the piston face when the piston e assumes the extreme suction position as shown in Fig. 2, is as follows:— 75 (1) By closing both valves ti and tz the air flows between the bell r and the piston e in the cylinder d and in the connecting tube can be accelerated alternately in opposite directions with the aid of the piston e reciprocated at any de- 80 sired speed. Thus, positive and negative pressure impulses are produced under the bell r and can act as pressure and vacuum as in the known massage pulsators. In these known massage pulsators the efficiency of the massage depends, on 85· the one hand, upon the speed of pumping or on the speed of the rotation of the motor and, on the other hand, upon the adjustment of the cock s, which serves for regulating the efficiency. This known effect of the massage pulsators can also 90be obtained with the apparatus according to the invention, when both valves ii and tz are closed as the air behind the piston e can always escape and flow in through the guide m, and as only the surface z of the piston e produces the pressure 95 and suction impulses in the bell r.

(2) By completely closing the valves ti and tz, illustrated in Fig. 3, and consequently the cylinder ports wi and wz during the suction stroke, a succession of strong suction strokes can be obtained, 160 according to the invention, by hand adjustment between each stroke, without any intermediate pressure strokes, if at the termination of a suction stroke the valve ti is open and air allowed to enter slowly through the port wi in the cylinder 105 wall for equilibrating or removing the vacuum. At the same time the piston e must also be moved back into the suction position according to Fig. 1, when the Valve ti and consequently the port wi are closed, the air in the cylinder d being forced no

1,963,576 out through the port wi. If the point to be massaged is very sensitive to pressure, owing to inflammation or other causes, and must be protected against pressure, the cock s is closed before re5 turning the piston e and again opened, when the piston has reached the position illustrated in Fig. 1, after which a fresh suction stroke can be performed. For determining the strength and intensity of the suction impulse, the piston e can 10 be drawn any desired distance into the cylinder d by means of the handle k for producing the vacuum.

(3) It is also possible to exert pressure impulses of any desired strength and intensity on 15 the portion of the body to be treated without intermediate suction impulses, if the two valves ti and Ϊ2, illustrated in Fig. 3, are maintained closed during the time, in which the piston e, according to the position shown in Fig. 2, is pushed 20 into the cylinder at any desired speed and to any desired distance with the aid of the hand’e k. Before pulling back the piston e the valve ti can be opened and the cock s closed so as to prevent a vacuum being produced under the bell r during 25. the return movement of the piston e, so that any desired sequence of only pressure stroke impulses is possible.

(4) It is also possible, by suitably controlling the working parts as described under 2 and 3, to 30. produce alternately pressure and suction impulses of any desired and varying strength and intensity, which is necessary in many instances. When effecting the suction stroke more or less air always enters the cylinder through the valve ti and leaves 35 same during the pressure stroke. By suitably adjusting the valve ti between and during the pressure and suction strokes, the suction stroke or the pressure stroke can be made weaker.

(5) By closing the valve ti and opening the 40 valve is, strong pressures and suction strokes can be imparted successively, because at the end of the suction stroke the surface z of the piston e in the position according to Fig. 2 draws in air through the port wz of the open valve and each 45, time more or less relieves the vacuum produced in the cylinder d and under the bell r. The effect of these alternating pressure and suction impulses' is entirely different to the action of the pulsator as described under 1, wherein the two valves ti and t2 are closed. By suitably adjusting the valve tz in conjunction with the speed of movement of 80 the piston e or of the motor drive, a very accurate adjustment of the strength and intensity of the pressure and suction strokes is attained so that, by suitably adjusting the valve tz during the working of the pulsator or between the individual 85 strokes, the physician can produce a very fine adjustment of the pulsator effect and consequently of the vibration effect.

(6) By opening the two valves ti and ta the suction strokes can be rendered practically in- 90 effective, and by occasionally closing the valve ti the pressure impulses can be made as effective as desired.

(7) It is not necessary, as assumed under 6, to adjust the valves ti and tz, especially the valve ti 95 between each suction and pressure stroke, but with a little practice it is possible, especially with a motor driven pulsator, to regulate and adjust the massage effect or the production of suction and pressure impulses by adjusting the valves 1Ό0 ti and tz whilst the pulsator is running, so that very peculiar vibration effects are produced.