EP2098207A1 - Exercise aid device - Google Patents
Exercise aid device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- EP2098207A1 EP2098207A1 EP07860076A EP07860076A EP2098207A1 EP 2098207 A1 EP2098207 A1 EP 2098207A1 EP 07860076 A EP07860076 A EP 07860076A EP 07860076 A EP07860076 A EP 07860076A EP 2098207 A1 EP2098207 A1 EP 2098207A1
- Authority
- EP
- European Patent Office
- Prior art keywords
- foot support
- right foot
- assisting device
- exercise assisting
- supports
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
- 230000033001 locomotion Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 36
- 230000007246 mechanism Effects 0.000 claims description 11
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 claims description 5
- 230000004044 response Effects 0.000 claims description 2
- 210000003205 muscle Anatomy 0.000 abstract description 15
- 210000002683 foot Anatomy 0.000 description 167
- 210000002414 leg Anatomy 0.000 description 11
- 230000036544 posture Effects 0.000 description 6
- 230000005540 biological transmission Effects 0.000 description 5
- 210000000544 articulatio talocruralis Anatomy 0.000 description 3
- 238000006073 displacement reaction Methods 0.000 description 3
- 210000001503 joint Anatomy 0.000 description 3
- 230000011514 reflex Effects 0.000 description 3
- 230000008878 coupling Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000010168 coupling process Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000005859 coupling reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000001537 neural effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000002265 prevention Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000004936 stimulating effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000005452 bending Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000008859 change Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004891 communication Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000005484 gravity Effects 0.000 description 1
- 210000000629 knee joint Anatomy 0.000 description 1
- 201000008482 osteoarthritis Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000009467 reduction Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010008 shearing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004088 simulation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000002123 temporal effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B22/00—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements
- A63B22/04—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for conditioning the cardio-vascular system, for training agility or co-ordination of movements with movable multiple steps, i.e. more than one step per limb, e.g. steps mounted on endless loops, endless ladders
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H1/00—Apparatus for passive exercising; Vibrating apparatus; Chiropractic devices, e.g. body impacting devices, external devices for briefly extending or aligning unbroken bones
- A61H1/02—Stretching or bending or torsioning apparatus for exercising
- A61H1/0237—Stretching or bending or torsioning apparatus for exercising for the lower limbs
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H1/00—Apparatus for passive exercising; Vibrating apparatus; Chiropractic devices, e.g. body impacting devices, external devices for briefly extending or aligning unbroken bones
- A61H1/02—Stretching or bending or torsioning apparatus for exercising
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B23/00—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body
- A63B23/035—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body for limbs, i.e. upper or lower limbs, e.g. simultaneously
- A63B23/04—Exercising apparatus specially adapted for particular parts of the body for limbs, i.e. upper or lower limbs, e.g. simultaneously for lower limbs
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H2201/00—Characteristics of apparatus not provided for in the preceding codes
- A61H2201/12—Driving means
- A61H2201/1207—Driving means with electric or magnetic drive
- A61H2201/1215—Rotary drive
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H2201/00—Characteristics of apparatus not provided for in the preceding codes
- A61H2201/14—Special force transmission means, i.e. between the driving means and the interface with the user
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H2201/00—Characteristics of apparatus not provided for in the preceding codes
- A61H2201/14—Special force transmission means, i.e. between the driving means and the interface with the user
- A61H2201/1418—Cam
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61H—PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY
- A61H2203/00—Additional characteristics concerning the patient
- A61H2203/04—Position of the patient
- A61H2203/0406—Standing on the feet
Definitions
- the present invention relates to an exercise assisting device which assists a user to stretch ones leg muscles with an aid of external forces mainly in a standing posture.
- the devices are designed to require the user to take different postures depending upon the muscles to be stretched.
- One example of the devices is to simulate a walking by the user at a standing posture mainly for the purpose of preventing osteoarthritis or walk-training, as proposed in JP 2003-290386 A and JP10-55131 A .
- JP 2003-290386 A and JP10-55131 A are respectively called as PATENT DOCUMENT 1 and PATENT DOCUMENT 2.
- PATENT DOCUMENT 1 discloses a training device which includes a pair of steps bearing thereon left and right feet of the user, and is configured to interlock the reciprocating movements of the left and right steps for providing a skating simulation exercise to the user.
- This device is designed to adjust a phase difference of 0 to 360 degrees between the left and right steps with regard to the forward/rearward movements as well as to the lateral movements, and is initially set to have the phase difference of 180 degrees and to vary the phase difference in a direction of increasing a period in which the left and right steps moves forward/rearward together.
- the steps are driven by a driving unit to move so that the user can enjoy the passive exercise simply by placing one's feet on the steps and without making an effort or active movement.
- the device of PATENT DOCUMENT 1 is configured to vary user's center of gravity forward/rearward and leftward/rightward in order to cause the neural reflex for keeping balance of the user. According to the neural reflex, the user's muscles are stretched. Therefore, the exercise assisting device is designed to move the steps along the trajectory being approximately paralleled such that the user's steps moves frontward/rearward as well as leftward/rightward at the same time.
- the device of PATENT DOCUMENT 2 is designed for walking training or virtual-reality exercise, and includes a pair of left and right foot plates driven by a horizontal driving unit, and means for rotating the foot plates in left-and-right directions in order to vary their position with respect to the forward/rearward direction as well as to vary their orientation, and also for varying the height and the inclination of the foot plates.
- the device of PATENT DOCUMENT 1 comprises a driving mechanism for moving the left and right steps leftward and rightward, and a driving mechanism for moving the left and right steps frontward and rearward.
- These driving mechanisms are arranged with respect to each step.
- Both driving mechanisms have servomotors. Therefore, the device requires four servomotors.
- the four servomotors makes it possible to move the steps frontward/rearward and leftward/rightward with freedom.
- the device faces a problem that the device requires the four servomotors.
- the device of PATENT DOCUMENT 2 is configured to simulate walking so as to stretch the user's leg muscles. Therefore, the device comprises extremely complicated components for moving the left and right steps. Consequently, there is a necessity that the device requires a plurality of the driving unit for generating driving force.
- An object in this invention is to provide an exercise assisting device which is configured to stimulate the leg muscles, while the device comprises a single driving source for generating driving force.
- An exercise assisting device in claim 1 comprising a left foot support, a right foot support, a guide, a driving unit, and a frame.
- the left foot support and the right foot support are respectively configured to bear a user's left foot and right foot.
- the guide is configured to restrict travel paths respectively of the left foot support and the right foot support.
- the driving unit is configured to move the left and right foot supports in a mutually linked manner.
- a frame mounts the left foot support, the right foot support, the guide, and the driving unit.
- the driving unit comprises a driving source, a router, and a reciprocator.
- the driving source is configured to generate a driving force.
- the router is configured to provide two routes for distributing the driving force respectively to the left foot support and the right foot support.
- the reciprocator is configured to reciprocate the left and right foot supports in at least one of a forward/rearward direction and a lateral direction by the driving force.
- the driving force of the single driving source is distributed into two routes.
- the divided driving force allows the left foot support and the right foot support to reciprocate.
- the right foot support and the left foot support respectively have the travel path which is restricted by the guide. Therefore, the exercise assisting device with the single driving source is capable of stimulating each of the leg muscles individually. Consequently, the exercise assisting device with the single driving source is capable of stimulating each of the leg muscles by the exercise.
- the right foot support and the left foot support are respectively reciprocated by the different route. Therefore, the single driving source that driving force generates is capable of applying the different motion to the right foot support and the left foot support.
- the invention in claim 2 discloses the exercise assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the driving source is a rotary motor.
- the router includes a first gear and a pair of second gears.
- the rotary motor has an output shaft.
- the first gear is fixed to the output shaft of the rotary motor.
- a pair of the second gears is meshed with the first gear.
- the reciprocator includes a translation mechanism of translating rotary motions of the second gears into reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the right foot support respectively.
- the first gear is fixed to the output shaft of the rotary motor.
- the first gear meshes with a pair of the second gears.
- a pair of the respective second gears is translated into reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the right foot support by the translation mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to cause the phase difference between the left foot support and the right foot support by only varying the mesh position between the first gear and the second gears.
- the first gear meshes with the second gears. Therefore, an amount of displacement that is caused by the mesh between the first gear and the second gears is smaller than an amount of slip displacement caused by a belt which is provided for dividing the driving force into two routes. That is, this configuration makes it possible to move the right foot support and the left foot support as planned. In addition, this configuration also makes it possible to prevent the displacement between the first gear and the second gears due to temporal change.
- the invention in claim 3 discloses the exercise assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the first gear is a worm gear.
- the second gears are worm wheels which mesh with the worm gear.
- the translation mechanism includes a crank rode for translation of rotary motion of the worm wheel to the reciprocatory motions of the left foot support and the right foot support.
- the worm gear meshes with the worm wheels. Therefore, the worm gear generates the rotary force which is divided by the worm wheels. These worm wheels generate rotations which are translated into reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the right foot support. Therefore, it is possible to dispose the output shaft along a plane that the left foot support and the right foot support reciprocate. Consequently, this configuration makes it possible to reduce a thickness size along a direction which intersects with top faces of the right foot support and the left foot support. That is, this configuration makes it possible to reduce size of the exercise assisting device.
- the invention in claim 4 discloses the exercise assisting device as set forth in any one of claim 1 to 3, wherein the router is configured to give a phase difference between the movements of the left foot support and the right foot support.
- the router gives the phase difference between the reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the reciprocatory motion of the right foot support. Therefore, this configuration makes it possible to give the phase difference to the left foot support and the right foot support which are reciprocated by the single driving source. Further, in the case where the gears are employed as the router, it is possible to give the phase difference by only adjusting position that the first gear meshes with the second gears.
- the invention in claim 5 discloses the exercise assisting device as set forth in any one of claim 1 to 3, further includes an inclination provider which is configured to vary a top surface angle of each of the left foot support and the right foot support with respect to a reference plane in an interlocked manner with the reciprocatory movement of the left foot support and the right foot support.
- the inclination provider comprises a guide face and a follower projection.
- the guide face is formed on one of the foot support and the frame to have at least an inclination surface inclined with respect to the direction of the movement of the left foot support and the right foot support
- the follower projection is formed on the other of the foot support and the frame to come into sliding contact with the guide face while the left foot support and the right foot support are driven to move in order to vary the top surface angle of each of the left foot support and the right foot support with respect to the reference plane.
- the guide face is formed on one of the frame and the foot support, and the following projection is formed on the other of the frame and the foot support. Therefore, this configuration makes it possible to move the left foot support and the right foot support while inclining the left foot support and the right foot support according to the reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the right foot support. That is, this configuration makes it possible to not only move the left foot support and the right foot support forward/rearward and lateral direction but also incline the left foot support and the right foot support with respect to the frame by the single driving source. Therefore, the exercise assisting device is configured to stimulate the user's various leg muscles by operating the left foot support and the right foot support to give complex movement as above mentioned. In addition, the exercise assisting device has the single driving source. Therefore, it is possible to provide inexpensive exercise assisting device.
- the invention in claim 6 discloses the exercise assisting device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the inclination provider includes an axle and a bearing.
- the axle is provided on a side of one of the foot support and the frame, and the bearing is provided on the other of the foot support and the frame in order to support the axle.
- the axle defines a pivot axis around which each of the left foot support and the right foot support swings in response to the top surface of the left foot support and the right foot support which are inclined along the inclination surface.
- the invention in claim 7 discloses the exercise assisting device of claim 5, wherein the follower projection is provided at its top with a roller which comes into a rolling contact with the guide face.
- the follower projection has its tip with the roller which comes into the rolling contact with the guide face. Therefore, this configuration makes it possible to smoothly move the following projection while the left foot support and the right foot support receives user's load.
- Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 shows the exercise assisting device which comprise a base plate 1a which defines a frame for disposing on the floor.
- Fig. 1 and 2 shows the base plate 1a which is formed to have rectangular.
- the circumference shape is not limited to the rectangular.
- the base plate 1 has a top face parallel to the floor in a condition where the base plate 1 a is disposed on the floor. Therefore, an upper direction and a lower direction in Fig. 1 and 2 are defined as an upper direction and a lower direction when the exercise assisting devices is used.
- An upper plate 1b is disposed above the base plate 1a, and is coupled thereto to constitute a housing 1.
- the base plate 1a is provided with a left foot support 2a and a right foot support 2b adapted respectively for bearing left and right feet of a user.
- a drive unit 3 is disposed on the base plate 1 a for moving the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b.
- an arrow X in FIGS. 1 and 2 denotes a forward direction of the device. This applies to any other figure which includes the arrow X.
- an arrow X in the other figures similarly denotes a forward direction of the device.
- the upper plate 1 b is formed with two openings 11 a and 11 b extending in a thickness direction of the plate to expose the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b, respectively.
- the openings 11a and 11 b are each formed into a rectangular shape.
- the openings 11 a and 11 b have their longitudinal center lines extending in a crossing relation with respect to the forward/rearward direction of the housing 1 such that the distance between the center lines is greater at the front ends of the openings than at the rear ends thereof.
- slide grooves 12 are provided on opposite width ends of each of the openings 11 a and 11 b in communication therewith for receiving a flange 22b formed on each of footrest covers 22.
- Each of the footrest covers 22 is cooperative with a foot plate 21 to define each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b, and is composed of a main section 22a in the shape of a rectangular barrel and is formed with the flange 22b extending around an open face (upper face) over the entire periphery of the main section 22a.
- the footrest cover 22 has an integrally formed attachment plate 22c at a lower end within the main section 22a.
- the main section 22a has its lengthwise as well as the width dimensions respectively less than those of the openings 11 a and 11 b, while the flange 22b has such dimensions larger than those of the openings 11 a and 11 b.
- the slide groove 12 has its opposed bottom spaced by a distance greater than a corresponding distance between the opposite edges of the flange 22b.
- the foot plate 21 is formed into a rectangular plate slightly smaller than the inner periphery of the main section 22a of the footrest cover 22 to have such dimensions as to bear the entire foot of the user.
- the foot plate 21 is made of a material or shaped to have a large coefficient of friction.
- the foot plate 21 is integrally formed around its lower periphery with generally U-shaped cover members 21 a and 21 b.
- the foot plate 21 is integrally formed on its bottom at a portion surrounded by the cover members 21 a and 21 b with a pair of bearings 21 c spaced in the width direction of the foot plate 21.
- a bearing plate 23 of U-shaped cross section is fixed to the top of the attachment plate 22c of the footrest cover 22 to have its open end oriented upwardly, and has its opposed legs 23a in contact respectively with the outer faces of the bearing 21 c of the foot plate 21.
- An axle 24 penetrates through the legs 23a of the bearing plate 23 and the bearings 21 c to extend in the width direction of the foot plate 21.
- the foot plate 21 is allowed to swing about the axle 24 in such a manner that the foot plate 21 moves up and down at its lengthwise forward and rearward ends.
- the cover members 21 a and 21 b are provided to conceal a gap formed between the foot plate 21 and the footrest cover 22 while the foot plate 21 swings relative to the footrest cover 22.
- a truck 41 of U-shaped cross section is fixed to the bottom of the attachment plate 22c of the footrest cover 22 to have its open end oriented downwardly, and is provided on each exterior face of its legs 41 a with two wheels 42.
- the base plate 1 a is formed with two fixed rails 43 for each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b such that the truck 41 is placed on the rails 43 with the wheels 42 roll in the rail grooves 43a in the upper end of the rails 43.
- a derailment prevention plate 18 is provided on top of the rail 43 for preventing the wheels 42 from running off the rail grooves 43a (see FIG. 4 ).
- the rails 43 extend in a direction different from the lengthwise direction of the openings 11a and 11b in the housing 1. As described in the above, the openings 11a and 11b have their individual longitudinal center lines inclined with respect to each other so as to be spaced by a larger distance at the forward ends than at the rearward ends. Also, the rails 43 have their individual longitudinal directions crossed with each other in the like manner.
- the rails 43 are inclined in relation to the forward/rearward direction of the housing 1 at a large angle than the openings 11a and 11b.
- the rails 43 have its length inclined at an angle of 45 degrees.
- the rails 43 are oriented to such a direction as to prevent an increase of shearing force acting on the knee joints while the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are moved along the rails 43 in a condition that the user's feet are placed thereon with each center line of the feet aligned with each of the length of the openings 11a and 11b.
- the present embodiment illustrates a preferred mode that the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are moved along the individual travel paths of shifting their positions both in the forward/rearward direction and the lateral direction, it is possible to determine the orientation of the rails 43 such that the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are moved either in the forward/rearward direction or the lateral direction.
- the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are allowed to move respectively along the lengths of the rails 43. Because of that the rails 43 have their lengths inclined respectively with respect to the lengthwise center lines of the openings 11a and 11b, the foot plate 21 and the footrest cover 22 are allowed to move within the openings 11a and 11b along the directions crossing with the lengthwise direction of the openings 11 a and 11 b. That is, the truck 41 cooperates with the wheels 42, the rail 43, and the derailment prevention plate 44 to act as a guide 4 which restrict the travel path of the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b.
- the drive unit 3 which shifts the positions of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b includes a driving source 31 of generating a driving force, a router 32 for transmitting the driving force of the driving source 31 to the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b, and reciprocators 33 for using the driving force to reciprocate the trucks 15 respectively along the rails 43.
- the present embodiment is configured to divide the driving force at the router 32 and transmit the divided driving force to the reciprocators 33, as shown in FIG. 5(a) , it is equally possible to generate the reciprocating driving force at the reciprocator 33 and divide the same at the router 32, as shown in FIG. 5(b) .
- the driving source 31 is a rotary motor 31.
- the motor 31 has an output shaft 31 a which is coupled to the router 32.
- the router 32 includes a worm gear 32a coupled to an output shaft 31 a of the motor 31, and a pair of worm wheels 32b.
- the worm gear 32a is composed of a first gear 32a.
- the worm wheels 32b are composed of second gears 32b.
- the worm gear 32a and the two worm wheels 32b are held within a gearbox 34 fixed to the base plate 1 a.
- the gearbox 34 is composed of a gear case 34a with a top opening, and a lid 34b fitted in the opening of the gear case 34a.
- a pair of bearings 32c is mounted between the gear case 34a and the lid 34b to bear the opposite longitudinal ends of the worm gear 32a.
- a rotary shaft 35 Extending through the worm wheel 32b is a rotary shaft 35 which is held by the gear case 34a and the lid 34b and is coupled to the worm wheel 32b to be driven thereby to rotate.
- the rotary shaft 35 is formed at its upper end with a coupling section 35a with non-circular cross-section (rectangular one in the illustrated instance).
- the motor 31 is mounted on a holder member 34c of the gear case 34a and on a holder plate 13a secured to the base plate 1a, and is fixed to the base plate 1a by means of the lid 34b fitted over the gear case 34a and a retainer plate 13b coupled to the holder plate 13a.
- the reciprocator 33 includes a crank plate 36 coupled at its one end to the coupling section 35a of the rotary shaft 35, and a crank rod 38 coupled to the crank plate 36 by means of a crank shaft 37.
- the crank shaft 37 has its one end fixed to the crank plate 36 and has the other end received in the bearing 38a carried on one end of the crank rod 38. That is, the crank rod 38 has its one end rotatively coupled to the crank plate 36, while the other end of the crank rod 38 is coupled to the truck 41 by means of an axle 38b so as to be rotatively coupled thereto.
- the crank rod 38 functions as a translation mechanism to translate the rotary motion of the worm wheel 32b into a reciprocatory motion of the truck 41. Since the crank rod 38 is provided for each of the worm wheels 32b and the trucks 15 are provided respectively to the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b, the crank rods 38 function as the individual translation mechanism for translating the rotary motion of the worm wheels 32b into the reciprocating motions of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b.
- the truck 41 has its travel path restricted by the wheels 16 and the rails 43 so that the truck 41 reciprocate along the length of the rails 43 as the worm wheel 32b rotates. That is, the rotation of the motor 31 is transmitted to the crank plate 36 by way of the worm 32a and the worm wheel 32b, so that the crank rod 38 coupled to the crank plate 36 causes the truck 41 to reciprocate linearly along the rails 43. Whereby, the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are driven to reciprocate respectively along the length of the rails 43.
- the worm gear 32a and the two worm wheels 32b are responsible for routing the driving force into two channels respectively for driving the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b so that the drive unit 3 drives the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in a manner linked to each other.
- the worm wheels 32b are meshed with the worm gear 32a at different portions spaced apart by 180 degrees such that the right foot support 2b comes to the forward end of its movable range when the left foot support 2a comes to the rear end of its movable range.
- the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b shift in the same direction along the lateral direction.
- phase difference of 180 degrees is effective to minimize the shifting of the user's weight in the forward/rearward direction, enabling the exercise even by the user suffering from lowered balancing capability.
- the device necessitates the shifting movement of the user's weight in the forward/rearward direction, thereby developing an exercise not only for the leg muscles but also for lower back muscles of the user maintaining the balancing capability.
- the foot plate 21 provided on each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b is allowed to swing about the pivot axis of the axles 24 relative to the footrest cover 22, enabling to vary the height positions of the forward end as well as the rearward end of the foot plate 21 shown in Fig. 7 .
- the height positions of the toe and the heel of the foot placed on the foot plate 21 can be varied for enabling the plantarflexion and dorsiflexion of the ankle joint.
- the base plate 1 a is provided at a portion along the travel path of the foot plate 21 with a guide surface 14 including an inclination 14a.
- the foot plate 21 is provided on its bottom with a follower projection 25 which comes into contact with the guide surface 14.
- the inclination 14a extends the full length of the guide surface 14 at a constant angle relative to the upper face of the base plate 1 a.
- the guide surface 14 is not particularly delimited to the illustrated embodiment and may be shaped to have the inclination partially along its length.
- the follower projection 25 is formed from a material and/or shaped into a configuration to have a tip of small coefficient of friction, the follower projection 25 is preferred to have at its top a roller 25 which comes into rolling contact with the guide surface 14, as illustrated in the figure.
- the follower projection 25, which is arranged to come into rolling contact with the guide surface 14, rides up and down the inclination 14a while each of the left and right foot supports 24a is driven by the motor 31 to reciprocates, thereby swinging the foot plate 21 about the axle 24 to vary its tilt angle relative to the base plate 1 a, and therefore enabling the plantarflexion and dorsiflexion at the ankle joint.
- the illustrated embodiment has the base plate 1 a formed with the guide surface 14a and the foot plate 21 formed with the follower projection 25, the same operation can be achieved with a configuration of FIG. 9 in which the foot plate 21 is provided with the guide surface 14 and the base plate 1 a is provided with the follower projection 25.
- the router 32 of the drive unit 3 is configured to have the worm gear 32a and the worm wheels 32b for realizing the power transmission from the output shaft 31 a of the motor 31 to the rotary shaft 35 of the worm wheel 32b with speed reduction.
- a belt can be utilized to transmit the power from the output shaft 31 a of the motor 31 to the rotary shaft 35 perpendicular to the output shaft 31 a.
- a pulley is utilized to receive the belt while dispensing with the worm 32a.
- the motor 31 has its output shaft 31a extending along the upper surface of the base plate 1 a.
- spur gearing is adopted to achieve the transmission and routing of the rotary power, instead the combination of the worm 32a and the worm wheels 32b.
- pulleys and a belt may be used in place of the spur gearing for transmission of the rotary power between the pulleys.
- the reciprocator 33 may be composed of a grooved cam driven to rotate by the motor 31 and a cam follower engaged in a groove of the cam.
- the grooved cam can be used instead of the worm wheel 32b and be arranged to have its rotation axis parallel to the output shaft 31 a of the motor for power transmission from the output shaft 31 a to the grooved cam through a pinion.
- two cam followers can be used for engagement respectively with the cam grooves of the cams such that the grooved cam and the cam followers are cooperative to function as the router 32 as well as the reciprocators 33.
- the exercise assisting device When the user uses the exercise assisting device in stand posture, the user stands on the left foot support and the right foot support with the user's left foot and right foot are respectively on the left foot support and the right foot support in an initial position that the left foot support and the right foot support are respectively at a stop, and subsequently starts operation of the drive unit 3.
- the left foot support 2a and the right foot support 2b respectively has longitudinal directions Dx arranged along a direction inclined with a forward/rearward direction defined by the arrow X to make an angle of 9 degrees. Consequently, there is no possibility of twisting the user's legs when the user stands on the left foot support and the right foot support, thereby the exercise assisting device permitting the user to stand posture naturally.
- the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are located at the same level along the forward/rearward direction. That is, the representative points of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b lie on a line extending along the lateral direction when they are at the initial positions. Accordingly, when the user stands on the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b of the initial positions, a vertical line depending from the weight center of the user passes through a center between the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b.
- the drive unit 3 can drive the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b to move in the forward/rearward direction and at the same time to move in the lateral direction in the linked manner to each other.
- the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are driven to reciprocate linearly along the rails 43, respectively, so as to move in directions different from the lengthwise directions of the feet.
- the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b move in the directions inclined at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the forward/rearward direction of the housing 1, over the travel distance of 20 mm, for example.
- the foot plate 21 is driven to swing about the axle 24 as each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b reciprocates along the rail 43. While the foot plate 21 is moving, the follower projection 25 rides up and down the inclination 14a of the guide surface 14 to cause the dorsiflexion of the ankle joint when each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b comes to its forward end position, and the plantarflexion when it comes to its rearward end position.
- the axle 24 is positioned nearer to the heel within the length of the foot bottom.
- Each of the dorsiflexion and plantarflexion is realized at the tilt angle of about 10 degrees relative to a reference plane defined by the upper surface of the base plate 1 a.
- the dorsiflextion and the plantarflexion can be made respectively at the rearward end position and the forward end position of each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in opposite relation to the above.
- the tilt angle relative to the reference plane can be selected differently from the above mentioned angle.
- Such modified operation can be easily realized by an appropriate shaped guide surface 14.
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Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to an exercise assisting device which assists a user to stretch ones leg muscles with an aid of external forces mainly in a standing posture.
- In the past, there have been proposed various types of passive exercise assisting devices which assist a user to stretch ones muscles without effort but with an aid of external forces being applied to the user in order to give an exercise effect. The devices are known to be classified into two types, one being configured to apply a force of bending joints of the user for stretching the muscles associated with the joints, and the other configured to apply a stimulus to a user's body to cause a nervous reflex by which associated muscles are forced to stretch.
- Further, the devices are designed to require the user to take different postures depending upon the muscles to be stretched. One example of the devices is to simulate a walking by the user at a standing posture mainly for the purpose of preventing osteoarthritis or walk-training, as proposed in
JP 2003-290386 A JP10-55131 A JP 2003-290386 A JP10-55131 A PATENT DOCUMENT 2. - PATENT DOCUMENT 1 discloses a training device which includes a pair of steps bearing thereon left and right feet of the user, and is configured to interlock the reciprocating movements of the left and right steps for providing a skating simulation exercise to the user. This device is designed to adjust a phase difference of 0 to 360 degrees between the left and right steps with regard to the forward/rearward movements as well as to the lateral movements, and is initially set to have the phase difference of 180 degrees and to vary the phase difference in a direction of increasing a period in which the left and right steps moves forward/rearward together. The steps are driven by a driving unit to move so that the user can enjoy the passive exercise simply by placing one's feet on the steps and without making an effort or active movement.
- The device of PATENT DOCUMENT 1 is configured to vary user's center of gravity forward/rearward and leftward/rightward in order to cause the neural reflex for keeping balance of the user. According to the neural reflex, the user's muscles are stretched. Therefore, the exercise assisting device is designed to move the steps along the trajectory being approximately paralleled such that the user's steps moves frontward/rearward as well as leftward/rightward at the same time.
- The device of
PATENT DOCUMENT 2 is designed for walking training or virtual-reality exercise, and includes a pair of left and right foot plates driven by a horizontal driving unit, and means for rotating the foot plates in left-and-right directions in order to vary their position with respect to the forward/rearward direction as well as to vary their orientation, and also for varying the height and the inclination of the foot plates. - By the way, the device of PATENT DOCUMENT 1 comprises a driving mechanism for moving the left and right steps leftward and rightward, and a driving mechanism for moving the left and right steps frontward and rearward. These driving mechanisms are arranged with respect to each step. Both driving mechanisms have servomotors. Therefore, the device requires four servomotors. The four servomotors makes it possible to move the steps frontward/rearward and leftward/rightward with freedom. However, the device faces a problem that the device requires the four servomotors.
- On the other hand, the device of
PATENT DOCUMENT 2 is configured to simulate walking so as to stretch the user's leg muscles. Therefore, the device comprises extremely complicated components for moving the left and right steps. Consequently, there is a necessity that the device requires a plurality of the driving unit for generating driving force. - This invention is achieved to solve the above problems. An object in this invention is to provide an exercise assisting device which is configured to stimulate the leg muscles, while the device comprises a single driving source for generating driving force.
- An exercise assisting device in claim 1 comprising a left foot support, a right foot support, a guide, a driving unit, and a frame. The left foot support and the right foot support are respectively configured to bear a user's left foot and right foot. The guide is configured to restrict travel paths respectively of the left foot support and the right foot support. The driving unit is configured to move the left and right foot supports in a mutually linked manner. A frame mounts the left foot support, the right foot support, the guide, and the driving unit. The driving unit comprises a driving source, a router, and a reciprocator. The driving source is configured to generate a driving force. The router is configured to provide two routes for distributing the driving force respectively to the left foot support and the right foot support. The reciprocator is configured to reciprocate the left and right foot supports in at least one of a forward/rearward direction and a lateral direction by the driving force.
- With this arrangement in claim1, the driving force of the single driving source is distributed into two routes. The divided driving force allows the left foot support and the right foot support to reciprocate. On the other hand, the right foot support and the left foot support respectively have the travel path which is restricted by the guide. Therefore, the exercise assisting device with the single driving source is capable of stimulating each of the leg muscles individually. Consequently, the exercise assisting device with the single driving source is capable of stimulating each of the leg muscles by the exercise. In addition, the right foot support and the left foot support are respectively reciprocated by the different route. Therefore, the single driving source that driving force generates is capable of applying the different motion to the right foot support and the left foot support.
- The invention in
claim 2 discloses the exercise assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the driving source is a rotary motor. The router includes a first gear and a pair of second gears. The rotary motor has an output shaft. The first gear is fixed to the output shaft of the rotary motor. A pair of the second gears is meshed with the first gear. The reciprocator includes a translation mechanism of translating rotary motions of the second gears into reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the right foot support respectively. - According to the invention of
claim 2, the first gear is fixed to the output shaft of the rotary motor. The first gear meshes with a pair of the second gears. A pair of the respective second gears is translated into reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the right foot support by the translation mechanism. Therefore, it is possible to cause the phase difference between the left foot support and the right foot support by only varying the mesh position between the first gear and the second gears. In addition, the first gear meshes with the second gears. Therefore, an amount of displacement that is caused by the mesh between the first gear and the second gears is smaller than an amount of slip displacement caused by a belt which is provided for dividing the driving force into two routes. That is, this configuration makes it possible to move the right foot support and the left foot support as planned. In addition, this configuration also makes it possible to prevent the displacement between the first gear and the second gears due to temporal change. - The invention in
claim 3 discloses the exercise assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the first gear is a worm gear. The second gears are worm wheels which mesh with the worm gear. The translation mechanism includes a crank rode for translation of rotary motion of the worm wheel to the reciprocatory motions of the left foot support and the right foot support. - With this configuration, the worm gear meshes with the worm wheels. Therefore, the worm gear generates the rotary force which is divided by the worm wheels. These worm wheels generate rotations which are translated into reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the right foot support. Therefore, it is possible to dispose the output shaft along a plane that the left foot support and the right foot support reciprocate. Consequently, this configuration makes it possible to reduce a thickness size along a direction which intersects with top faces of the right foot support and the left foot support. That is, this configuration makes it possible to reduce size of the exercise assisting device.
- The invention in
claim 4 discloses the exercise assisting device as set forth in any one of claim 1 to 3, wherein the router is configured to give a phase difference between the movements of the left foot support and the right foot support. - With this configuration, the router gives the phase difference between the reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the reciprocatory motion of the right foot support. Therefore, this configuration makes it possible to give the phase difference to the left foot support and the right foot support which are reciprocated by the single driving source. Further, in the case where the gears are employed as the router, it is possible to give the phase difference by only adjusting position that the first gear meshes with the second gears.
- The invention in claim 5 discloses the exercise assisting device as set forth in any one of claim 1 to 3, further includes an inclination provider which is configured to vary a top surface angle of each of the left foot support and the right foot support with respect to a reference plane in an interlocked manner with the reciprocatory movement of the left foot support and the right foot support. The inclination provider comprises a guide face and a follower projection. The guide face is formed on one of the foot support and the frame to have at least an inclination surface inclined with respect to the direction of the movement of the left foot support and the right foot support, and the follower projection is formed on the other of the foot support and the frame to come into sliding contact with the guide face while the left foot support and the right foot support are driven to move in order to vary the top surface angle of each of the left foot support and the right foot support with respect to the reference plane.
- With this configuration, the guide face is formed on one of the frame and the foot support, and the following projection is formed on the other of the frame and the foot support. Therefore, this configuration makes it possible to move the left foot support and the right foot support while inclining the left foot support and the right foot support according to the reciprocatory motion of the left foot support and the right foot support. That is, this configuration makes it possible to not only move the left foot support and the right foot support forward/rearward and lateral direction but also incline the left foot support and the right foot support with respect to the frame by the single driving source. Therefore, the exercise assisting device is configured to stimulate the user's various leg muscles by operating the left foot support and the right foot support to give complex movement as above mentioned. In addition, the exercise assisting device has the single driving source. Therefore, it is possible to provide inexpensive exercise assisting device.
- The invention in claim 6 discloses the exercise assisting device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the inclination provider includes an axle and a bearing. The axle is provided on a side of one of the foot support and the frame, and the bearing is provided on the other of the foot support and the frame in order to support the axle. The axle defines a pivot axis around which each of the left foot support and the right foot support swings in response to the top surface of the left foot support and the right foot support which are inclined along the inclination surface.
- With this configuration, positional relation between the pivot axis and the both foot supports is kept constantly. Therefore, it is possible to exercise desired muscles and desired joints in a concentrated manner.
- The invention in claim 7 discloses the exercise assisting device of claim 5, wherein the follower projection is provided at its top with a roller which comes into a rolling contact with the guide face.
- With this configuration, the follower projection has its tip with the roller which comes into the rolling contact with the guide face. Therefore, this configuration makes it possible to smoothly move the following projection while the left foot support and the right foot support receives user's load.
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Fig. 1 is a planer view of the embodiment in this invention. -
Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the above. -
Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view of a main part seen from rear. -
Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of the main part of the above. -
Fig. 5 (a) is a block diagram explaining function of the driving unit of the above. -
Fig. 5 (b) is a block diagram explaining function of the driving unit of the above, -
Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view of the main part of the above seen from right. -
Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the main part of the above. -
Fig. 8 (a) is a side view of the main part of the above. -
Fig. 8 (b) is a side view of the main part of the above. -
Fig. 9 (a) is a side view of the main part of another embodiment. -
Fig. 9 (b) is a side view of the main part of another embodiment. -
Fig. 10 is a schematic view of the above showing the position of the foot in using the device. - In this embodiment, configurations of this invention are explained by using an exercise assisting device disposed on a floor. However, it is also possible to apply the configurations of this invention to the device which is provided in the floor. In addition, the exercise assisting device is capable of employing configurations fixed at a predetermined position, and also employing configurations being movable.
Fig. 1 andFig. 2 shows the exercise assisting device which comprise abase plate 1a which defines a frame for disposing on the floor.Fig. 1 and2 shows thebase plate 1a which is formed to have rectangular. However, the circumference shape is not limited to the rectangular. Hereinafter, the base plate 1 has a top face parallel to the floor in a condition where thebase plate 1 a is disposed on the floor. Therefore, an upper direction and a lower direction inFig. 1 and2 are defined as an upper direction and a lower direction when the exercise assisting devices is used. - An
upper plate 1b is disposed above thebase plate 1a, and is coupled thereto to constitute a housing 1. Thebase plate 1a is provided with aleft foot support 2a and aright foot support 2b adapted respectively for bearing left and right feet of a user. Also, adrive unit 3 is disposed on thebase plate 1 a for moving the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b. It is noted that an arrow X inFIGS. 1 and2 denotes a forward direction of the device. This applies to any other figure which includes the arrow X. In addition, an arrow X in the other figures similarly denotes a forward direction of the device. - The
upper plate 1 b is formed with twoopenings openings openings - As shown in
FIG. 3 ,slide grooves 12 are provided on opposite width ends of each of theopenings flange 22b formed on each of footrest covers 22. Each of the footrest covers 22 is cooperative with afoot plate 21 to define each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b, and is composed of amain section 22a in the shape of a rectangular barrel and is formed with theflange 22b extending around an open face (upper face) over the entire periphery of themain section 22a. Thefootrest cover 22 has an integrally formedattachment plate 22c at a lower end within themain section 22a. - The
main section 22a has its lengthwise as well as the width dimensions respectively less than those of theopenings flange 22b has such dimensions larger than those of theopenings slide groove 12 has its opposed bottom spaced by a distance greater than a corresponding distance between the opposite edges of theflange 22b. Thus, thefootrest cover 22 is allowed to move within the confines of theslide groove 12 with respect to the width as well as lengthwise direction thereof. - The
foot plate 21 is formed into a rectangular plate slightly smaller than the inner periphery of themain section 22a of thefootrest cover 22 to have such dimensions as to bear the entire foot of the user. Thefoot plate 21 is made of a material or shaped to have a large coefficient of friction. Thefoot plate 21 is integrally formed around its lower periphery with generallyU-shaped cover members 21 a and 21 b. Thefoot plate 21 is integrally formed on its bottom at a portion surrounded by thecover members 21 a and 21 b with a pair ofbearings 21 c spaced in the width direction of thefoot plate 21. - A bearing
plate 23 of U-shaped cross section is fixed to the top of theattachment plate 22c of thefootrest cover 22 to have its open end oriented upwardly, and has itsopposed legs 23a in contact respectively with the outer faces of thebearing 21 c of thefoot plate 21. Anaxle 24 penetrates through thelegs 23a of the bearingplate 23 and thebearings 21 c to extend in the width direction of thefoot plate 21. Thefoot plate 21 is allowed to swing about theaxle 24 in such a manner that thefoot plate 21 moves up and down at its lengthwise forward and rearward ends. Thecover members 21 a and 21 b are provided to conceal a gap formed between thefoot plate 21 and thefootrest cover 22 while thefoot plate 21 swings relative to thefootrest cover 22. - A
truck 41 of U-shaped cross section is fixed to the bottom of theattachment plate 22c of thefootrest cover 22 to have its open end oriented downwardly, and is provided on each exterior face of itslegs 41 a with twowheels 42. Thebase plate 1 a is formed with two fixedrails 43 for each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b such that thetruck 41 is placed on therails 43 with thewheels 42 roll in therail grooves 43a in the upper end of therails 43. A derailment prevention plate 18 is provided on top of therail 43 for preventing thewheels 42 from running off therail grooves 43a (seeFIG. 4 ). - The
rails 43 extend in a direction different from the lengthwise direction of theopenings openings rails 43 have their individual longitudinal directions crossed with each other in the like manner. - However, the
rails 43 are inclined in relation to the forward/rearward direction of the housing 1 at a large angle than theopenings openings rails 43 have its length inclined at an angle of 45 degrees. In short, therails 43 are oriented to such a direction as to prevent an increase of shearing force acting on the knee joints while the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are moved along therails 43 in a condition that the user's feet are placed thereon with each center line of the feet aligned with each of the length of theopenings rails 43 such that the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are moved either in the forward/rearward direction or the lateral direction. - With the above arrangement, the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are allowed to move respectively along the lengths of the
rails 43. Because of that therails 43 have their lengths inclined respectively with respect to the lengthwise center lines of theopenings foot plate 21 and thefootrest cover 22 are allowed to move within theopenings openings truck 41 cooperates with thewheels 42, therail 43, and thederailment prevention plate 44 to act as aguide 4 which restrict the travel path of theleft foot support 2a and theright foot support 2b. - As shown in
FIG. 5 , thedrive unit 3 which shifts the positions of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b includes a drivingsource 31 of generating a driving force, arouter 32 for transmitting the driving force of the drivingsource 31 to the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b, andreciprocators 33 for using the driving force to reciprocate the trucks 15 respectively along therails 43. Although the present embodiment is configured to divide the driving force at therouter 32 and transmit the divided driving force to thereciprocators 33, as shown inFIG. 5(a) , it is equally possible to generate the reciprocating driving force at thereciprocator 33 and divide the same at therouter 32, as shown inFIG. 5(b) . - Details of the
drive unit 3 are now explained. The drivingsource 31 is arotary motor 31. Themotor 31 has anoutput shaft 31 a which is coupled to therouter 32. - The
router 32 includes aworm gear 32a coupled to anoutput shaft 31 a of themotor 31, and a pair ofworm wheels 32b. Theworm gear 32a is composed of afirst gear 32a. Theworm wheels 32b are composed ofsecond gears 32b. Theworm gear 32a and the twoworm wheels 32b are held within agearbox 34 fixed to thebase plate 1 a. Thegearbox 34 is composed of agear case 34a with a top opening, and alid 34b fitted in the opening of thegear case 34a. A pair ofbearings 32c is mounted between thegear case 34a and thelid 34b to bear the opposite longitudinal ends of theworm gear 32a. - Extending through the
worm wheel 32b is arotary shaft 35 which is held by thegear case 34a and thelid 34b and is coupled to theworm wheel 32b to be driven thereby to rotate. Therotary shaft 35 is formed at its upper end with acoupling section 35a with non-circular cross-section (rectangular one in the illustrated instance). - The
motor 31 is mounted on aholder member 34c of thegear case 34a and on aholder plate 13a secured to thebase plate 1a, and is fixed to thebase plate 1a by means of thelid 34b fitted over thegear case 34a and aretainer plate 13b coupled to theholder plate 13a. - As shown in
FIG. 6 , thereciprocator 33 includes a crankplate 36 coupled at its one end to thecoupling section 35a of therotary shaft 35, and acrank rod 38 coupled to the crankplate 36 by means of acrank shaft 37. Thecrank shaft 37 has its one end fixed to the crankplate 36 and has the other end received in thebearing 38a carried on one end of thecrank rod 38. That is, thecrank rod 38 has its one end rotatively coupled to the crankplate 36, while the other end of thecrank rod 38 is coupled to thetruck 41 by means of anaxle 38b so as to be rotatively coupled thereto. - As is apparent from the above, the
crank rod 38 functions as a translation mechanism to translate the rotary motion of theworm wheel 32b into a reciprocatory motion of thetruck 41. Since thecrank rod 38 is provided for each of theworm wheels 32b and the trucks 15 are provided respectively to the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b, the crankrods 38 function as the individual translation mechanism for translating the rotary motion of theworm wheels 32b into the reciprocating motions of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b. - As described in the above, the
truck 41 has its travel path restricted by the wheels 16 and therails 43 so that thetruck 41 reciprocate along the length of therails 43 as theworm wheel 32b rotates. That is, the rotation of themotor 31 is transmitted to the crankplate 36 by way of theworm 32a and theworm wheel 32b, so that thecrank rod 38 coupled to the crankplate 36 causes thetruck 41 to reciprocate linearly along therails 43. Whereby, the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are driven to reciprocate respectively along the length of therails 43. - In the present embodiment, the
worm gear 32a and the twoworm wheels 32b are responsible for routing the driving force into two channels respectively for driving the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b so that thedrive unit 3 drives the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in a manner linked to each other. Theworm wheels 32b are meshed with theworm gear 32a at different portions spaced apart by 180 degrees such that theright foot support 2b comes to the forward end of its movable range when theleft foot support 2a comes to the rear end of its movable range. As theleft foot support 2a comes to the right end of its movable range when it comes to the rear end of the movable range, and theright foot support 2b comes to the right end of its movable range when it comes to the forward end of the movable range, the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b shift in the same direction along the lateral direction. - As apparent from the above, it is possible to give a desired phase difference of the movement between the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b by varying positions of meshing the
worm gear 32a with theworm wheels 32b. When the device is used by the user at the standing posture with one's feet placed on the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b, the phase difference of 180 degrees is effective to minimize the shifting of the user's weight in the forward/rearward direction, enabling the exercise even by the user suffering from lowered balancing capability. Alternatively, when no phase difference is given, the device necessitates the shifting movement of the user's weight in the forward/rearward direction, thereby developing an exercise not only for the leg muscles but also for lower back muscles of the user maintaining the balancing capability. - In the present embodiment, the
foot plate 21 provided on each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b is allowed to swing about the pivot axis of theaxles 24 relative to thefootrest cover 22, enabling to vary the height positions of the forward end as well as the rearward end of thefoot plate 21 shown inFig. 7 . Thus, the height positions of the toe and the heel of the foot placed on thefoot plate 21 can be varied for enabling the plantarflexion and dorsiflexion of the ankle joint. - Now, in order to link the swinging movement of the
foot plate 21 about theaxle 24 with the reciprocating movement thereof along therail 43, thebase plate 1 a is provided at a portion along the travel path of thefoot plate 21 with aguide surface 14 including aninclination 14a. In this connection, thefoot plate 21 is provided on its bottom with afollower projection 25 which comes into contact with theguide surface 14. In the illustrated embodiment, theinclination 14a extends the full length of theguide surface 14 at a constant angle relative to the upper face of thebase plate 1 a. Theguide surface 14 is not particularly delimited to the illustrated embodiment and may be shaped to have the inclination partially along its length. Although it is suffice that thefollower projection 25 is formed from a material and/or shaped into a configuration to have a tip of small coefficient of friction, thefollower projection 25 is preferred to have at its top aroller 25 which comes into rolling contact with theguide surface 14, as illustrated in the figure. - The
follower projection 25, which is arranged to come into rolling contact with theguide surface 14, rides up and down theinclination 14a while each of the left and right foot supports 24a is driven by themotor 31 to reciprocates, thereby swinging thefoot plate 21 about theaxle 24 to vary its tilt angle relative to thebase plate 1 a, and therefore enabling the plantarflexion and dorsiflexion at the ankle joint. - Although the illustrated embodiment has the
base plate 1 a formed with theguide surface 14a and thefoot plate 21 formed with thefollower projection 25, the same operation can be achieved with a configuration ofFIG. 9 in which thefoot plate 21 is provided with theguide surface 14 and thebase plate 1 a is provided with thefollower projection 25. - In the above embodiment, the
router 32 of thedrive unit 3 is configured to have theworm gear 32a and theworm wheels 32b for realizing the power transmission from theoutput shaft 31 a of themotor 31 to therotary shaft 35 of theworm wheel 32b with speed reduction. However, a belt can be utilized to transmit the power from theoutput shaft 31 a of themotor 31 to therotary shaft 35 perpendicular to theoutput shaft 31 a. In this instance, instead of theworm wheel 32b, a pulley is utilized to receive the belt while dispensing with theworm 32a. - In the above embodiment, the
motor 31 has itsoutput shaft 31a extending along the upper surface of thebase plate 1 a. However, when theoutput shaft 31a is required to extend perpendicular to the upper surface of thebase plate 1 a, spur gearing is adopted to achieve the transmission and routing of the rotary power, instead the combination of theworm 32a and theworm wheels 32b. In this instance, pulleys and a belt may be used in place of the spur gearing for transmission of the rotary power between the pulleys. - Instead of using the
crank plate 36 and thecrank rod 38, thereciprocator 33 may be composed of a grooved cam driven to rotate by themotor 31 and a cam follower engaged in a groove of the cam. In this instance, the grooved cam can be used instead of theworm wheel 32b and be arranged to have its rotation axis parallel to theoutput shaft 31 a of the motor for power transmission from theoutput shaft 31 a to the grooved cam through a pinion. - Further, when using only one grooved cam for power transmission from the
output shaft 31 a of themotor 31 to the groove cam, two cam followers can be used for engagement respectively with the cam grooves of the cams such that the grooved cam and the cam followers are cooperative to function as therouter 32 as well as thereciprocators 33. - When the user uses the exercise assisting device in stand posture, the user stands on the left foot support and the right foot support with the user's left foot and right foot are respectively on the left foot support and the right foot support in an initial position that the left foot support and the right foot support are respectively at a stop, and subsequently starts operation of the
drive unit 3. As shown inFig. 10 , theleft foot support 2a and theright foot support 2b respectively has longitudinal directions Dx arranged along a direction inclined with a forward/rearward direction defined by the arrow X to make an angle of 9 degrees. Consequently, there is no possibility of twisting the user's legs when the user stands on the left foot support and the right foot support, thereby the exercise assisting device permitting the user to stand posture naturally. - At the initial positions, the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are located at the same level along the forward/rearward direction. That is, the representative points of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b lie on a line extending along the lateral direction when they are at the initial positions. Accordingly, when the user stands on the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b of the initial positions, a vertical line depending from the weight center of the user passes through a center between the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b.
- As apparent from the above, the
drive unit 3 can drive the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b to move in the forward/rearward direction and at the same time to move in the lateral direction in the linked manner to each other. The left and right foot supports 2a and 2b are driven to reciprocate linearly along therails 43, respectively, so as to move in directions different from the lengthwise directions of the feet. For example, the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b move in the directions inclined at an angle of 45 degrees relative to the forward/rearward direction of the housing 1, over the travel distance of 20 mm, for example. - Also as discussed in the above, the
foot plate 21 is driven to swing about theaxle 24 as each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b reciprocates along therail 43. While thefoot plate 21 is moving, thefollower projection 25 rides up and down theinclination 14a of theguide surface 14 to cause the dorsiflexion of the ankle joint when each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b comes to its forward end position, and the plantarflexion when it comes to its rearward end position. Theaxle 24 is positioned nearer to the heel within the length of the foot bottom. Each of the dorsiflexion and plantarflexion is realized at the tilt angle of about 10 degrees relative to a reference plane defined by the upper surface of thebase plate 1 a. - The dorsiflextion and the plantarflexion can be made respectively at the rearward end position and the forward end position of each of the left and right foot supports 2a and 2b in opposite relation to the above. Also, the tilt angle relative to the reference plane can be selected differently from the above mentioned angle. Such modified operation can be easily realized by an appropriate shaped
guide surface 14.
Claims (7)
- An exercise assisting device comprising:a left foot support and a right foot support respectively configured to bear a user's left foot and right foot;a guide configured to restrict travel paths respectively of said left foot support and said right foot support,a drive unit configured to move said left and right foot supports in a mutually linked manner, anda frame mounting said left foot support, said right foot support, said guide, and said drive unit,wherein
said drive unit comprises a drive source of generating a driving force,
a router configured to provide two routes for distributing said driving force respectively to said left foot support and said right foot support, and
a reciprocator configured to reciprocate said left and right foot supports in at least one of a forward/rearward direction and a lateral direction by said driving force. - An exercise assisting device as set forth in claim 1, wherein
said drive source is a rotary motor,
said router includes a first gear fixed to an output shaft of said rotary motor, and a pair of second gears meshing with said first gear, and
said reciprocator includes a translation mechanism of translating rotary motions of the second gears into reciprocatory motion of said left and right foot supports, respectively. - An exercise assisting device as set forth in claim 2, wherein
said first gear is a worm gear,
said second gear is a worm wheel meshing with said worm gear,
said translation mechanism includes a crank rod for translation of rotary motion of said worm wheels to the reciprocatory motions of said left and right foot supports. - An exercise assisting device as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein
said router is configured to give a phase difference between the movements of said left and right foot supports. - An exercise assisting device as set forth in any one of claims 1 to 3, further including:an inclination provider configured to vary a top surface angle of each of said leftand right foot supports with respect to a reference plane in an interlocked manner with the reciprocatory movement thereof,said inclination provider comprises a guide face formed on one of said foot support and said frame to have at least an inclination surface inclined with respect to the direction of the movement of said left and right foot supports, and a follower projection formed on the other of said foot support and said frame to come into sliding contact with said guide face while said left and right foot supports are driven to move.
- An exercise assisting device as set forth in claim 5, wherein
said inclination provider includes an axle on a side of one of said foot support and
said frame, and a bearing on a side of the other of said foot support and said frame for supporting said axle, said axle defining a pivot axis around which each of said left and right foot supports swings in response to the top surface thereof being inclined along said inclination surface. - An exercise assisting device as set forth in claim 5, wherein
said follower projection is provided at its top with a roller which comes into a rolling contact with said guide face.
Applications Claiming Priority (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
JP2006348563A JP5032838B2 (en) | 2006-12-25 | 2006-12-25 | Exercise assistance device |
PCT/JP2007/068558 WO2008041554A1 (en) | 2006-09-25 | 2007-09-25 | Passive motion-type exercise assistance device |
PCT/JP2007/074847 WO2008081782A1 (en) | 2006-12-25 | 2007-12-25 | Exercise aid device |
Publications (2)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
EP2098207A1 true EP2098207A1 (en) | 2009-09-09 |
EP2098207A4 EP2098207A4 (en) | 2010-03-31 |
Family
ID=39588465
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
EP07860076A Withdrawn EP2098207A4 (en) | 2006-12-25 | 2007-12-25 | Exercise aid device |
Country Status (7)
Country | Link |
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US (1) | US20100022370A1 (en) |
EP (1) | EP2098207A4 (en) |
JP (1) | JP5032838B2 (en) |
KR (1) | KR20090101255A (en) |
CN (1) | CN101583334A (en) |
TW (1) | TWI371294B (en) |
WO (1) | WO2008081782A1 (en) |
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JP5032883B2 (en) * | 2007-05-14 | 2012-09-26 | パナソニック株式会社 | Exercise assistance device |
TW200927225A (en) * | 2007-10-31 | 2009-07-01 | Matsushita Electric Works Ltd | Passive exercise apparatus |
CN103211692A (en) * | 2012-11-12 | 2013-07-24 | 王胜豪 | Pedal moving machine |
US9586085B2 (en) * | 2014-06-04 | 2017-03-07 | Precor Incorporated | Exercise apparatus with non-uniform foot pad transverse spacing |
KR101553066B1 (en) * | 2014-09-05 | 2015-09-15 | 주식회사 에스피글로벌 | Exercise equipment for foot hit |
CN105726265A (en) * | 2016-05-06 | 2016-07-06 | 李云祥 | Driven walking machine for diabetics |
KR101979937B1 (en) * | 2017-05-10 | 2019-05-20 | 에이치엠에이치 주식회사 | Robot for assisting user to walk |
KR102012727B1 (en) * | 2017-10-26 | 2019-10-21 | 주식회사 유투유 | Body Fat Disintegration Equipment |
CN112022478B (en) * | 2020-09-23 | 2022-04-29 | 南阳市中心医院 | Orthopedics postoperative limbs fixing device |
CN113730880B (en) * | 2021-07-09 | 2024-06-18 | 合肥工业大学 | Joint movement rehabilitation training device |
KR102402981B1 (en) | 2021-11-02 | 2022-05-26 | 주경리 | The pelvis and spinal device for calibration of movement |
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Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
JP2008154879A (en) | 2008-07-10 |
CN101583334A (en) | 2009-11-18 |
KR20090101255A (en) | 2009-09-24 |
EP2098207A4 (en) | 2010-03-31 |
WO2008081782A1 (en) | 2008-07-10 |
JP5032838B2 (en) | 2012-09-26 |
TWI371294B (en) | 2012-09-01 |
US20100022370A1 (en) | 2010-01-28 |
TW200833393A (en) | 2008-08-16 |
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