PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an artificial tongue that enables natural deglutition assistance.SOLUTION: When a lower jaw 503 is closed with a bolus placed between a lingua member 4 and a palate 500, the bolus 4 is interposed between the lingua member 4 and the palate 500 and the lingua member 4 falls overall and the bolus S is maintained temporarily. By rocking of the lingua member 4, a cylinder projection 65 on the tip of a short hand part 64 of the L-shape member 6 hangs on a receive side cylinder projection 56 of a back tongue member 5, the back tongue member 5 moves forward in a state engaged with the lingua member 4, the bolus S is moved to the depth and the throat 501 is opened, and the bolus S is swallowed. When swallowing is carried out like this, because the tongue shape in the initial swallowing oral cavity phase is reproduced, natural deglutition assistance can be attained.COPYRIGHT: (C)2012,JPO&INPIT【課題】 自然な嚥下補助を可能とする人工舌を提供すること。【解決手段】 中舌部材4と口蓋500との間に食塊を入れて下顎503を閉じると、中舌部材4と口蓋500との間に食塊Sが挟まれ、中舌部材4が全体的に下がり、食塊Sが一時的に保持される。中舌部材4の揺動により、前記L字部材6の短手部分64先端の円柱突起65が前記奥舌部材5の受側円柱突起56に引っ掛かり、奥舌部材5が中舌部材4に係止された状態で一緒に前方に移動し、食塊Sが奥に移動されると共に、咽頭501が開かれ、食塊Sを嚥下する。このようにすれば、嚥下口腔相初期の舌形態を再現できるので、自然な嚥下補助を実現できる。【選択図】図2
