GB2124165A

GB2124165A - Pedal for a home trainer

Info

Publication number: GB2124165A
Application number: GB08317424A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Gerhard Wehmeyer
Original assignee: WEHMEYER FAHRZEUG CO
Current assignee: WEHMEYER FAHRZEUG CO
Priority date: 1982-07-09
Filing date: 1983-06-27
Publication date: 1984-02-15
Also published as: DE3225677C2; FR2529791B1; FR2529791A1; IT8312566A0; GB2124165B; ES282028U; GB8317424D0; DE3225677A1; IT8312566A1; ES282028Y; IT1171195B

Abstract

A plastics upper portion (1) and a plastics lower portion (11) are joined together by a catch (12), bearing shells (4) for the pedal axle (5) and its bearings (6, 7) being inserted in the upper portion (1); a strap (10) for fixing the foot is in one piece; and when the upper and lower portions are locked together it is laid between them, and inclined bearing surfaces for fixing it are provided on the upper and lower portions. The home trainer pedal consists of only a few, easily mounted components which can easily be put into their relative positions during assembly. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Pedal for a home trainer This invention relates to a pedal for a home trainer having a plastics upper portion, a plastics lower portion joined to it, a pedal axle mounted between the upper and lower portions and a strap fastened between the upper and lower portions.

In a known home trainer pedal of this type (DE-GM 75 04 725) two substantially identical plastics upper and lower portions are provided, interconnected by screws. They support the fully mounted pedal axle between them in appropriate bearings, the fully mounted pedal axle substantially comprising the axle itself, bearings and bearing shells on both sides, interconnected by a tube. The strap is in two parts, each part being forked at the end designed to be fixed to the pedal. During assembly these ends of the strap are placed between the upper and lower portions. They are fixed securely in the pedal by passing the fastening screws for joining the upper and lower portions through holes provided in the fork arms of the two sections of strap.

A home trainer pedal of this type comprises a relatively large number of components and involves a difficult assembly process, some of which can be automated only with difficulty or not at all. This also applies to the rotatable axle insertion, particularly with automatic assembly, due to the fact that only the two bearing shells and the tubular member joining them are provided on the outside, and accurate enough tightening is extremely difficult to achieve in automatic manufacture. The fully mounted pedal axle including its bearings then has to undergo a separate process to mount it between the upper and lower portions. A further problem is that the two ends of the strap sections, which have to be fixed between the upper and lower portions, need to be positioned accurately so that the fastening screws can pass through the holes in the ends of the straps.Four different fastening screws then have to be inserted and tightened.

The problem underlying the invention is therefore to provide a home trainer pedal of the above type, which is built up from only a few simple components, and which is extremely simple to assemble, even allowing for automatic processing.

According to the present invention there is provided a pedal for a home trainer having a plastics upper portion, a plastic's lower portion joined to it, a pedal axle mounted between the upper and lower portions, and a strap fastened between the upper and lower portions, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion are joined together by catch means, and including bearing shells for the pedal axle and for its bearings fixedly and stationarily located in the upper portion, the strap being in one piece, being guided around the underside of the upper portion, and being supported against inclined bearing surfaces on both sides, and covering pieces to cover the strap being arranged on the lower portion and provided with inclined backing surfaces to fasten the strap to the upper portion inclined bearing surfaces.

The insertion of the bearing shells for the pedal axle fixedly and stationarily into the upper portion of the pedal, e.g. under pressure, makes it extremely simple to manufacture and assemble a pedal component comprising an upper portion and a pedal axle mounted in it. In view of the strength of the plastics material of the upper portion, e.g.

high pressure polythene, the tubular member which has hitherto been required between the two bearing shells for the pedal axle can be eliminated completely. The assembly of the pedal axle including its bearings is considerably simplified and in particular is specifically easy to automate, since the upper portion provided with large flat surface areas can conveniently be fitted accurately into simple clamping means. The material of the upper portion readily absorbs e.g. the countering forces which appear in both bearing shells when the pedal axle is mounted in the shells.

The fact that the strap is made of one piece and is supported against inclined bearing surfaces at both sides of the underside of the upper portion means that the insertion of the strap can be carried out very quickly and gives good positioning. The final fastening of the strap takes place automatically when the upper and lower portions are fitted together by interlocking, since the inclined backing surfaces on the covering pieces of the lower portion then fix the strap accurately and at the same time cover it externally, thus giving a pedal unit which is virtually closed externally, right up to the apertures through which the strap emerges. In a particularly advantageous manner the inclined bearing surfaces enable the strap to be fixed in the pedal substantially without any bending, thus eliminating any danger of breaking the strap.The inclined bearing surfaces make it easy to fix the strap so that it emerges virtually perpendicularly from the top of the pedal at both sides of the pedal. This is particularly important at the side of the panel which will subsequently face the tread crank, in order that the strap cannot collide with the crank.

The plastic upper portion of the home trainer pedal thus has the multiple function of supporting the two bearing shells for the pedal axle, absorbing the countering forces which occur when the axle is being mounted, acting as a tensioning member for automatically mounting the pedal axle, and cooperating in fixing the strap at both sides without screws and so as to avoid strong bending forces. The lower portion has substantially covering functions in addition to the function of holding the strap.

The mounting of the two portions is a quick and simple operation, since it can be carried out without any screws, simply by locking the portions together. When the one-piece strap is being inserted and positioned no attention need be given to aligning any holes with other holes giving passage to fastening screws.

Mounting may be further simplified by providing a covering cap for the outer end of the pedal axle on the lower portion. The lower portion is thereby given the additional function of protecting the pedal in question from dust at the outer end of the axle, without any separate closure cap or the like having to be mounted. During assembly the upper portion is placed under the cap in an extremely simple manner, in an inclined position with the outer end of the axle in question. The two parts are then pushed into one another in the manner of tipping movement for locking. This pressing together in the manner of a tipping movement is also made possible by the inclined bearing surfaces and inclined backing surfaces for fixing the strap.

Insertion of the one-piece strap can be carried out particularly simply and with accurate positioning, since the strap has a substantially central mounting aperture, one bottom edge of which positions it stationary, positively against an opposed bearing face on the upper portion. During assembly the belt can thus first be located against the opposed bearing face at one side of the upper portion; for the rest it is then simply wound round the underside of the upper portion, and the strap automatically finds its desired portions. The construction can be kept particularly simple, since the top edge of a block to receive a bearing shell forms this opposed bearing face.

It is further particularly desirable to form a substantially central, downwardly directed, outwardly curved part of the lower portion, and to construct it as a seat for a strap balancing weight. This too is simple to construct and assemble, and the balancing weight is used in known manner to keep the pedals in a position, such that when the home trainer is not in use the strap is always at the top, ready to receive the foot.

An example of a home trainer pedal of this type will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a longitudinal section through a home trainer pedal according to the invention, Figure 2 is a plan view of the pedal of Fig.

1, Figure 3 is an enc view of the Fig. 1 pedal, with part shown in cross-section, and Figure 4 is another longitudinal section through the Fig. 1 pedal, taken through the zones where the strap is fixed.

The home trainer pedal has a plastics upper portion 1 made of high pressure polythene with multiple ribs. It has receiving blocks 2 and 3 in the region of the central longitudinal axis, at the inner and outer narrow sides, and the bearing shells 4 of the pedal axle 5 are inserted stationary into these blocks in alignment with one another, e.g. under pressure. The axle 5 with its bearing 6 and the counter bearing (Konterung) 7 are placed in this component, comprising the upper portion 1 and the pressed-in bearing shells 4. This can be done without any problems in an automatic production line, since the large flat surface portions on the upper portion 1 enable the component to be tightened accurately and without any difficulty in simple clamping means. The countering forces (Konterkrafte) in mounting the axle are also absorbed without any problem by the material of the upper portion 1.

Inclined bearing surfaces 8 and 9 (see Fig.

4) are formed at both sides and both ends of the underside of the plastic upper portion 1, offset laterally from the central longitudinal axis. The function of these surfaces is to support and fix a strap 10 which has to be fastened in the pedal block. The strap 10 is in one piece and contains a mounting aperture in the region where it is housed in the pedal block, so that two parallel lengths of strap 1 0a, 1 0b are formed in this region. One boundary edge 1 0c (see Fig. 3) of the mounting aperture in the strap 10 is used during mounting for simple positive positioning of the strap. Here it interacts with an opposed bearing face on the upper portion 1. The upper edge of the receiving block 2, which has a substantially square outline, is provided for this purpose.It is at the inside of the pedal, that is to say, at the side where after mounting on the home trainer, it will adjoin the tread crank thereof.

Apart from securely fixing the strap 10, the inclined bearing surfaces 8 and 9 at the underside of the plastic upper portion 1 fulfil a further function which can be seen particularly from Fig. 4: they make the strap 10, or initially the lengths of strap 1 0a and 1 0b, emerge virtually perpendicularly from the top of the pedal block, without causing excessive bending of the strap material. This is very important, particularly at the inside of the pedal which will subsequently face towards the tread crank, to prevent the strap from colliding with the tread crank or the axle of the pedal.

The home trainer pedal further has a plastic lower portion 11, which is joined to the upper portion 1 in a simple manner, by means of a catch and without screws. For this purpose upright webs 12 with adequate elasticity are moulded onto both longitudinal sides of the lower portion 11. Their upper ends have lock ing lugs 13, which snap into engagement in corresponding locking recesses 13a in the outer walls of the upper portion 1 when the upper and lower portions are fitted into one another.

The lugs 1 3 have an incline at the underside, such that the lock can be released by pressing between the upper and lower portion.

The lower portion 11 has a fixing and covering function for the lengths of strap 1 0a and 10b. For this purpose it is provided with upright covering pieces 14, 1 5 in the region of the four edges of the pedal. The pieces 14, 1 5 have corresponding inclined backing surfaces (Gegenhalterschragen) 1 6 and 1 7 (see Fig. 4) in the region which is opposite the inclined bearing surfaces 8 and 9 of the upper portion after assembly.Together with the opposing parts of the material of the upper portion 1, the covering pieces 14 and 1 5 further define the top apertures through which the lengths of strap 1 0a and 1 0b emerge (see Fig. 2) The rounded outer edges of the covering pieces 14 and 1 5 are taken round the corners of the pedal block to the longitudinal sides of the pedal, as can be seen particularlyt from Fig. 2.

The two covering pieces 14 at the side of the pedal block which wil subsequently face away from the tread crank of the home trainer merge into a similarly upright covering cap 18. After assembly (see Fig. 1) the cap provides a dustproof cover for the outer edge of the pedal axle located there. To assemble the upper and lower portions, the upper portion 1 is guided in a slightly obligue position, with that end of the pedal axle being inserted in the cap 18, and the upper and lower portions are the pressed into one another with a slight tilting movement to lock tham together. The strap 10, which has previously been positioned around the upper portion 1 as described, is fastened simultaneously.

At the inside of the pedal, which will later face towards the tread crank of the trainer, a seat 1 9 for the square receiving block of the upper portion 1 is formed between the two covering pieces 1 5 of the lower portion 11, as can be seen particularly from Fig. 3.

As shown particularly in Figs. 1 and 3, the lower portion 11 has a part 20 which curves outwards at the centre of its underside and which is designed to receive a strap balancing weight 21, which is fixed therein automatically by holding webs 1 on the upper portion when the upper and lower portions are locked together. In this way the balancing weight is seated in a very central, deep position so that the pedal swings particularly quickly into the desired spatial position, with the strap 10 uppermost.

The arrangement described above enables the pedal location to be closed in all directions once the upper portion 1 and lower portion 11 have been locked together, apart from the top aperture through which the lengths of strap 1 0a and 1 0b emerge.

The strap 10, which consists of one piece, is desirably made of a plastics material, so that the strap is moisture resistant if the home trainer is set up in warm, moist treatment rooms. Since it is in places such as this that the home trainer is to be used by persons whose mobility leaves much to be desired, it is desirable for the strap and strap closure to be designed for rapid and convenient adjustment but adjustment with fine graduations.

For this purpose one end of the strap, in the example illustrated, it provided with transversely extending fine toothing 22 with saw teeth, while the other, free end of the strap has a U-shaped buckle fixed to it. A catch 24 with corresponding toothing at the underside of one end is mounted rotatably in the top of the buckle, and is held by a spring 25 with its teeth in engagement with the fine toothing 22. All that is required to release and adjust the strap is to press the catch 24 upwards by pushing its other end against the force of the spring 25.

Claims

1. A pedal for a home trainer having a plastics upper portion, a plastics lower portion joined to it, a pedal axle mounted between the upper and lower portions and a strap fastened between the upper and lower portions, wherein the upper portion and the lower portion are joined together by catch means, and including bearing shells for the pedal axle and for its bearings fixedly and stationarily located in the upper portion, the strap being in one piece, being guided around the underside of the upper portion, and being supported against inclined bearing surfaces on both sides, and covering pieces to cover the strap being arranged on the lower portion and provided with inclined backing surfaces to fasten the strap to the upper portion inclined bearing surfaces.

2. A pedal according to claim 1, including a covering cap for the upper end of the pedal axle, which cap is porived on the lower portion.

3. A pedal according to claim 2, wherein the cap is integral with one of the covering pieces for the strap.

4. A pedal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one-piece strap has a substantially central mounting aperture, one bottom edge of the aperture being operative to position the strap positively against an opposed face on the upper portions.

5. A pedal according to claim 4, wherein the top edge of a receiving block for one of the bearing shells of the pedal axle forms an opposed bearing face for the bottom edge of the mounting aperture in the strap.

6. A pedal according to claim 5, wherein the receiving block is substantially square in shape, and wherein two of the covering pieces for the strap, located at that side of the pedal define between them a seat for the receiving block.

7. A pedal according to claim 1, the inclined bearing surfaces at both sides of the underside of the upper portion (1), and thus also the inclined backing surfaces on the covering pieces of the lower portion are arranged so that the strap emerges perpendicularly from the top of the pedal on both sides.

8. A pedal according to claim 1, wherein outside parts of the covering pieces on the lower portion form rounded corner portions for the pedal, extending to the longitudinal side thereof.

9. A pedal according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the underside of the lower portion has a centrally outwardly curved part designed to receive a strap balancing weight.

10. A pedal according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the catch means is provided by upright elastic webs moulded onto the long sides of the lower portion which webs have locking lugs at their upper ends for co-operating with locking recesses provided for the lugs in the adjoining outer wall of the upper portion.

11. A pedal according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the one-piece strap is made of a moisture resistant plastics.

1 2. A pedal according to claim 11, wherein a free end of the strap is provided with transversely extending fine toothing, while the other free end of the strap carries a U-shaped buckle, there being a catch mounted rotatably in the buckle and having corresponding teeth at the underside of one end, and the catch being acted on by a spring in such a direction as to engage the strap and catch teeth.

1 3. A pedal according to claim 9, wherein the strap balancing weight is fixed in the curved part by further webs provided on the upper portion.

14. A pedal for a home trainer, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.