CA1183559A

CA1183559A - Rowing ergometer

Info

Publication number: CA1183559A
Application number: CA000441931A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Michael Terpenning
Original assignee: TERPENNING MICHAEL
Priority date: 1983-11-25
Filing date: 1983-11-25
Publication date: 1985-03-05

Abstract

Abstract of the Disclosure The crouch, pull and finish positions of rowing in the ergometer of this invention are provided by a sliding seat that can be rocked sideways to develop balancing skills in the user and by stationary foot rests that can be raised or lowered in relation to a support frame. They can be tilted forward or backward or relocated. The ergometer has a handlebar in the shape of a yoke so that the user may pull it in more closely to his chest. Rotating resistance to the handlebar pull is a pressure roller contact on a bicycle wheel tire.

Description

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This invention relates to a rowing ergometer for cardiovascular and muscular fitness.

The crouch, pull and finish positions of rowing are simulated on a light frame that has a handlebar pull against rotating resistance and a sliding seat for the user.

The rotating resistance herein is in the form of a bicycle wheel with a pressure roller that bears directly on the bicycle wheel tire. Its loading can be varied.

A chain is trained from a fixed point on the frame around any one of a plu-rality of sprockets on the bicycle wheel axis. From the sprocket wrap-around the free end of the chain is connected to an elastic cord and thence to the handlebar that the user pulls. He starts his pull from a forward crouch position and finishes the pull in a full extension of his legs in a rearward position. In so doing he has stretched the elastic portion of the drive to produce a flywheel effect in the bicycle wheel. At the same time the user has slid his seat back on its support frame approximately half -the distance traversed by the handlebar in his hand pull. His leg thrust is against stationary foot rests that are subject to adjustment according to the indi-vidual user.

Further features of construction of this invention relate to the seat, the foot rests, the handlebar and the frame assembly.

The seat can be rocked sideways on its track to develop balanciny skills in the user.

The foot rests can be tilted forward and backward. They can be raised or lowered or moved to a new location forwardly or rearwardly.

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The pulling handle or handlebar is in the shape of a yoke. This permits the user to pull the handlebar more closely in to his chest in the finish position.

The frame has a main horizontal section supporting the foot rests and the slidable seat. An inclined frame is sleeved over the front end of the hori-zontal section and mounts the bicycle wheel, the instrument post and the resistance roller. It should be noted that this latter section is canti-levered onto the main section and that ground supports are provided on the main section.

In further description of the invention reference is made to the accompanying drawing wherein, Figure 1 is an isometric view of the ergometer.

As shown in Figure 1, a main frame 1 is supported on leg members 2~2. At the front end of the main frame is an auxiliary frame 3 that is upwardly inclined and cantilevered in relation to the main frame. The auxiliary frame supports a bicycle wheel 4 between spaced side rails. Rearwardly of the hicycle wheel and adjacent thereto a vertically disposed instrument post 5 has a bracing strut 6 betweer, it and the axis of the wheel. An adjustable pressure roller 7 at the top of the instrument post engages the tread surface of the bicycle wheel tire. An instrument panel 8 at the top of the post faces the user.

The main frame, which is horizontally disposed, has a pair of inclined adjustable foot rests 9,9 that are stationary in use of the ergometer. The movement of sliding seat 10 is controlled by the us~r. The handlebar 11 has the effect of joining the user with the machine as it is pulled against the rotating resistance of the loaded bicycle wheel.

A chain portion 12 is connected to the handlebar and has a wrap around one of a plurality of sprockets on the wheel axis. It then passes under a vertical pulley 13 and around a horizontal pulley 14. From here, an elastic cable extension 15 is anohored forwardly at 16.

It is thus seen that the ergometer of the present invention is adaptable to any user.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A horizontally extending main frame supporting stationary foot rests and a sliding seat, an auxiliary frame cantilevered on the main frame and upwardly inclined therefrom, a pressure loaded bicycle wheel mounted in said auxiliary frame, a handlebar connected pull chain rotatably engag-ing one of a plurality of sprockets on the axis of the bicycle wheel, said pull chain having an elastic portion at an opposite end that is anchored to the main frame.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the combined length of the chain and the elastic portion enables the user to slide his seat back approxi-mately half the distance traversed by the handlebar in his hand pull.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pressure loading for the bicycle wheel is an adjustable roller that bears directly on the bicycle wheel tire to provide resistance to the handlebar pull of the user.