JP3790768B1 - Lower limb exercise assist device - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] In a lower limb exercise assisting device, a movement that closely resembles the movement of a lower limb during actual walking can be performed on the spot while being compact and inexpensive, and diet, lack of exercise, posture correction, muscle strength It can be suitably used for up.
A base board 2, a pair of left and right footrest members 3 and 4 provided on the base board 2, and one end portions of the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 are swingable up and down on the base board 2. And the left and right footrest members 3 provided on the swing support portion 7. , 4 are swingable on the base board 2 so as to be movable back and forth.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a lower limb exercise assisting device that can be suitably used for diet, lack of exercise, posture correction, muscle strength improvement, and the like.

Today, various types of exercise assist devices have been developed, mainly for moving the lower limbs, such as devices that ride on booms such as dieting and health-oriented, pedaling bicycles, and belt conveyor walking devices. Recently, in addition to these, various types of stepping type exercise assist devices have been developed.
In this stepping type exercise assist device, a pedal is provided on a pair of left and right levers that protrude from the swing fulcrum and swing up and down, and a load device such as a cylinder type hydraulic damper is provided on each lever. (See, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

The user of this stepping type exercise assisting device has the force to compress the load device by riding on the pedal while looking forward at the swing fulcrum side and stepping on the left and right feet alternately (raising and lowering the heel side). It becomes the mechanism that becomes the exercise of the lower limbs.
In addition, as a thing similar to this stepping type exercise assisting device, a device for causing the pedal to move up and down by an electric motor has also been proposed (see Patent Document 3). This device uses a cam that is rotationally driven by an electric motor to push up smoothly when the pedal is raised and rapidly lowers when the pedal is lowered. It is intended to improve health by giving small vibrations in the direction and stimulating it to the sacrum.
JP 2004-141292 A JP 2004-8625 A JP 2003-339800 A

The stepping-type exercise assisting device is superior in that it is more compact and cheaper than a pedal-type bicycle rowing device or a belt-conveyor type walking device.
However, conventional foot-type exercise assist devices (Patent Documents 1 and 2 etc.) simply move the left and right feet up and down alternately, and are exactly the same as the bamboo bamboo stepping exercise. It is no exaggeration to say that such a movement is similar to the movement during walking and is a movement that does not exist in daily life. Therefore, apart from a user who wants to increase the strength of a specific location, such as a sports player, a general user cannot hide a sense of incongruity and troublesomeness in the feeling of use.

As a result, people tend to get bored quickly, don't last long, and don't take full advantage.
Note that even in an apparatus (Patent Document 3) that uses a transmission motor-driven cam to give a vertical stimulus to the sacrum, the movement of the pedal itself is a simple left-right up-and-down movement. Therefore, except for the point that stimulation to the sacrum is obtained, it must be said that the same problem as that of the conventional stepping type exercise assisting device (Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc.) occurs.
On the other hand, these devices in the past are usually limited in one-step stepping motion, and even a high-end model can adjust the stepping speed at most. This was one of the reasons why users were quickly bored.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and while taking advantage of the advantage of being compact and inexpensive compared to a pedal-type bicycle rowing apparatus, a belt conveyor type walking apparatus, etc. To provide a lower limb exercise assisting device that can be used on the spot for exercise that closely resembles the movement of the lower limb when actually walking, and that can be suitably used for diet, lack of exercise, posture correction, muscle strength improvement, etc. With the goal.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a lower limb exercise assisting device that can be used in various ways according to the user's purpose, condition, physical condition, and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has taken the following measures.
That is, the lower limb exercise assisting device according to the present invention includes a base board, a pair of left and right footrest members provided adjacent to each other on the base board, and one end portion on the same side of the left and right footrest members. It has a swinging support portion that supports the base board while holding the other end portion of each footrest member as a free end so as to be swingable up and down. Moreover, it has the drive part which moves a right-and-left footrest member up and down on those free end sides.
The swing support portion is provided with a portion that swingably holds the left and right footrest members so as to be movable back and forth on the base board, and the left and right footrest members move back and forth in the vertical motion. Combined pseudo walking motion is possible.

That is, the left and right footrest members move forward while moving up, and then move backward while moving backward (pseudo walking operation when moving forward), and conversely, while moving upward, move backward It is possible to perform a combined action (pseudo walking action when retreating) such as returning and then moving forward while descending.
Such pseudo walking motion in the forward direction or the backward direction is exactly the movement of the foot during walking. Therefore, a person who uses the lower limb exercise assisting apparatus according to the present invention can perform an effective pseudo walking operation on the spot.

In addition, each pseudo walking motion of the left and right footrest members is driven by the driving unit, and unlike the conventional stepping type motion assisting device (Patent Documents 1 and 2, etc.), the user himself / herself presses the pedal. It doesn't require a heavy load.
This means that during the actual walking in daily life, the artificial walking motion of the lower limb exercise assisting device according to the present invention is not compared with the fact that it does not make an unnatural movement that strongly steps on the road surface with the left and right feet. It can be said that it is closer (similar) to the actual walking motion in daily life. Therefore, it can be used suitably (within a range where it is not difficult) for diet, lack of exercise, posture correction, muscle strength improvement, and the like.

The prime mover is an eccentric cam member that is rotatably provided around a rotation shaft that faces in the left-right direction at the lower part of each footrest member, and is fixed to the lower surface of each footrest member and relatively rotated around the eccentric cam member. A transmission member that is slidably contacted in a free state and a cam driving tool that rotationally drives the eccentric cam member.
With such an eccentric cam structure, the left and right footrest members can be moved back and forth while moving up and down on their free ends. Further, this structure has a small number of parts, is simple and strong in structure, is difficult to break or break down, and can be inexpensive.

In particular, it is preferable that the transmission member of the driving portion is formed in a cylindrical shape so as to surround the outer peripheral portion of the eccentric cam member all around.
The cam driving tool is preferably disposed in an intermediate space formed by separating the left and right footrest members by a predetermined distance on the base board.
In this way, the space that inevitably arises between the left and right footrest members (equivalent to the width of the crotch when a user with a standard figure stands in a comfortable posture) is utilized without making it a dead space. In addition, the bulk of the entire apparatus can be reduced (thin).

In addition, a support shaft whose axial center faces in the left-right direction is provided on one end portion side of the footrest member, and this support shaft is slidably fitted in a long hole facing in the front-rear direction provided on the base board. Thus, the footrest member may be supported by the base board.
The rotating shaft of the prime mover is provided such that the rotating shaft that supports the left eccentric cam member and the rotating shaft that supports the right eccentric cam member are separated from each other in the same axial arrangement. The rotation shafts may be connected by a half-rotation clutch mechanism that restricts the range of relative rotation to approximately half rotation.

When such a half-rotation clutch mechanism is employed, the upper and lower surfaces of the left and right footrest members are flush with each other separately from the pseudo walking operation in which the left and right footrest members are alternately moved up and down and front and rear alternately. It can be said that they are combined and operated simultaneously in the vertical and forward / backward directions.
In such various usage methods, the direction of the user riding on the left and right footrest members may be forward or backward. Therefore, the above-mentioned various combined operations (especially how to move the left and right footrest members together so that their upper surfaces are flush with each other and simultaneously move them up and down and back and forth) are like lifting and lowering movements of the heel and toes. It can be used for that.

  Also, if the left and right footrest members are tilted and the driving part is stopped, and the user rides on the left and right footrest members in that state, the usage for obtaining the acupoint massage effect on the soles, It can be used as a usage method for posture correction and balance nurturing.

The lower limb exercise assisting device according to the present invention, when taking advantage of the advantage that it is compact and inexpensive compared with a pedal-type device for bicycle riding and a belt-conveyor type device for walking. Movements that closely resemble the movements of the lower limbs can be performed on the spot, and can be suitably used for diet, elimination of lack of movement, posture correction, muscle strength improvement, and the like.
In addition, various usages can be made according to the user's purpose, condition, physical condition, and the like.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 12 show an embodiment of a lower limb exercise assisting apparatus 1 according to the present invention. The lower limb exercise assisting device 1 includes a base board 2 and a pair of left and right footrest members 3 and 4 provided on the base board 2 so as to be adjacent to each other in parallel.
Although the casing is not shown in each figure, under actual use (implementation), the upper part of the base board 2 is covered except for the areas corresponding to the upper surfaces of the footrest members 3 and 4. A casing is provided as appropriate. Preferably, a cover having flexibility or stretchability is provided so as to surround the upper surface of each footrest member 3, 4 and the periphery thereof, and a human body, a pet, an insect, etc. 4 is prevented from entering the operation part.

In the following, the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 will be described as “left footrest member 3” on the left side in FIG. 2 and “right footrest member 4” on the right side in FIG. This is for convenience of explanation and does not specify the front-rear direction of the apparatus.
These left and right footrest members 3 and 4 are each formed by attaching soft plates 3b and 4b to the upper surfaces of plate materials 3a and 4a that are rectangular and have a size that allows one foot to be placed thereon. . A space (intermediate space 5 to be described later) corresponding to the width of the crotch when the user (assuming a person with a standard body shape) stands in a very natural posture is formed between the two footrest members 3 and 4. Has been. The above-mentioned soft plates 3b and 4b are rubber, soft resin, sponge, cloth, carpet material, artificial turf, etc., and have the effect of improving the anti-slip and feel of the person riding on each footrest member 3 and 4 have.

In the present embodiment, the adjacent parallel state of the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 is “parallel”, but one end portions of the both footrest members 3 and 4 or the other so as to be slightly “shaped”. The ends may be narrow and the opposite sides may be wide. The plate members 3a and 4a may have a shape other than a rectangle (for example, an oval shape), and the soft plates 3b and 4b are not essential.
In the left and right footrest members 3, 4, one end portion on the same side is supported by a swing support portion 7 provided on the base board 2. The swing support portion 7 has a support shaft 8 whose axis is directed in the left-right direction, and holds the footrest members 3 and 4 so as to swing up and down with their other end portions as free ends. It has a so-called hinge effect.

The support shaft 8 is bridged between a plurality of bracket members 9 provided at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction of the base board 2. In the present embodiment, one bracket member 9 is provided at each of the left and right positions sandwiching the left footrest member 3, and a set of swing support portions 7 is formed by these bracket members 9, and the right footrest member One bracket member 9 is provided at each of the left and right positions sandwiching 4, and another set of swing support portions 7 is formed by these (that is, there are two sets of swing support portions 7). It was.
In the support shaft 8, a sleeve 15 having a columnar shape is inserted in a skewered manner in a portion that crosses the lower portions of the left and right footrest members 3, 4. Members 3 and 4 are supported.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lower surfaces of the footrest members 3 and 4 are brought into contact with a part of the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve 15, and in this state, the footrest members 3 and 4 (plate members 3a and 4a). ) From the upper surface toward the sleeve 15 with screws 16. Further, the support shaft 8 is in a state of penetrating the center position of the sleeve 15, and is fixed to the sleeve 15 so as not to rotate relative to the sleeve 15 (integral rotation is possible) by a locking means such as a set screw, a key, or a locking pin. . Therefore, when the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 swing up and down, the sleeve 15 and the support shaft 8 rotate together.

Each bracket member 9 is formed as a long hole 17 having a portion that supports the support shaft 8 long in the front-rear direction. The support shaft 8 supported in the long hole 17 is rotatable and has a long hole 17. It is movable along the longitudinal direction.
That is, the swing support portion 7 is configured such that a portion that holds the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 so as to be swingable is movable back and forth on the base board 2. In the case of the present embodiment, the length of the long hole 17 is about 7 cm to 10 cm, and the stroke of the back and forth movement is also about 7 cm to 10 cm.
In the left and right footrest members 3, 4, the end portion on the free end side thereof is moved up and down by the driving portion 20. The prime mover 20 includes an eccentric cam member 21 provided for each of the left and right footrest members 3, 4, and a cam driving tool 22 that rotationally drives the cam members 21.

The eccentric cam member 21 is formed in a disk shape, and a rotating shaft 23 is inserted in a skewered manner at a position eccentric from the circular center. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, two eccentric cam members 21 are provided in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 23 so as to maintain intervals corresponding to the plate widths of the footrest members 3, 4. It is assumed that a transmission member 24 having a cylindrical shape that is laid down in a state of surrounding the outer peripheral portion of each eccentric cam member 21 is fitted between the eccentric cam members 21.
Each eccentric cam member 21 is fixed to the rotation shaft 23 so as not to rotate relative to the rotation shaft 23 (integral rotation is possible) by a rotation prevention means 25 such as a set screw, a key, or a rotation prevention pin.

Needless to say, the positions where the two eccentric cam members 21 are eccentric with respect to the rotating shaft 23 are the same, and the shaft center of the rotating shaft 23 and the shaft center of the transmission member 24 are parallel to each other. Between the outer peripheral surface of the eccentric cam member 21 and the inner peripheral surface of the transmission member 24, relative rotation is possible (free rotation).
The lower surfaces of the footrest members 3 and 4 are in contact with a part of the outer peripheral surface of the transmission member 24, and in this state, the upper surfaces of the footrest members 3 and 4 (plate members 3 a and 4 a) are directed toward the transmission member 24. The screw 28 is screwed.

The rotating shaft 23 is bridged between a plurality of bracket members 26 provided at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction of the base board 2, and is freely rotatable by bearings 27 such as bearings provided on the bracket members 26. Is retained. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, one bracket member 26 provided at the left position of the left footrest member 3 and each one provided at both the left and right positions sandwiching the right footrest member 4. A total of three bracket members 26 including the one bracket member 26 are used.
For this reason, when the rotary shaft 23 is driven to rotate, the eccentric cam member 21 rotates eccentrically, and at this time, the transmission member 24 slips (idles) around the eccentric cam member 21. Therefore, the vertical and vertical motion components included in the eccentric rotation of the eccentric cam member 21 are transmitted to the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 in a composite manner.

As described above, since the swing support portion 7 holds the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction, the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 have a vertical motion component and a longitudinal motion component. Is added, the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 move forward while moving upward (see FIG. 4), and then move backward while moving downward (see FIG. 3). Or, on the contrary (when the rotating shaft 23 is rotated in the reverse direction), a backward walking pseudo-walking operation is performed in which it moves backward while moving up and then moves forward while moving down. .
The cam driving tool 22 is disposed in the intermediate space 5 formed between the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 on the base board 2. As shown in FIG. 6, the cam driving tool 22 has a structure in which a worm wheel 30 provided so as to rotate integrally with a rotary shaft 23 is rotated while being decelerated by a worm gear 32 provided on an output shaft of an electric motor 31. .

2, the rotation shaft 23A of the left eccentric cam member 21 that drives the left footrest member 3 and the rotation shaft 23B of the right eccentric cam member 21 that drives the right footrest member 4 are axes. Although the center is the same, it is separated at the one side position of the cam driving tool 22 described above. A half-rotation clutch mechanism 40 is provided at the separation portion.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the half-rotation clutch mechanism 40 has a cup-type joint 41 provided on one rotation shaft 23A and a plunger-type joint 42 provided on the other rotation shaft 23B. ing.

Anti-rotation means 46 such as a set screw, a key, or an anti-rotation pin is provided at the connecting portion between the rotating shaft 23A and the cup-type joint 41 and the connecting portion between the rotating shaft 23B and the plunger-type joint 42, respectively. The rotary shafts 23A and 23B are fixed so that they cannot rotate relative to each other (integral rotation is possible).
The inside of the cup-type joint 41 is formed in a circular recess, and a part (or all) of the plunger-type joint 42 is formed in a cylindrical shape that fits inside the cup, enabling relative rotation. It has become.

In this embodiment, a friction band 43 formed by a rubber plate or the like is sandwiched between the inner peripheral surface of the cup-type joint 41 and the outer peripheral surface of the plunger-type joint 42, and the two joints 41 and 42 are relatively rotated. In order to achieve this, a rotational torque greater than a predetermined value is required.
The cup joint 41 is provided with a regulating pin 44 projecting in the radial direction near the shaft end where the rotating shaft 23A connected to the cup joint 41 projects into the cup. 42 is formed with a half-moon-shaped notch 45 that allows the regulation pin 44 to rotate halfway.

Because of this structure, the cup joint 41 and the plunger joint 42 are integrated between the rotary shafts 23A and 23B while driving within the rotational torque set by the friction band 43 is applied. Rotate. That is, the rotating shafts 23 </ b> A and 23 </ b> B rotate integrally as one rotating shaft 23.
However, when driving exceeding the rotational torque set by the friction band 43 occurs between the rotating shafts 23A and 23B, the cup joint 41 and the plunger joint 42 slip (idle). This slip is limited to the range in which the regulation pin 44 rotates in the notch 45, that is, only for a half rotation, and after the regulation pin 44 abuts one inner wall in the notch 45, The plunger-type joint 42 rotates integrally, and the rotation shafts 23A and 23B rotate integrally as one rotation shaft 23.

As a result, by selecting whether or not to apply a predetermined rotational torque to the half-rotation clutch mechanism 40, the mutual twist angle when the rotary shafts 23A and 23B are integrally rotated can be selected alternatively. become. The rotational angles of the rotary shafts 23A and 23B are such that an eccentric cam member 21 that drives the left footrest member 3 and an eccentric cam member 21 that drives the right footrest member 4.
In both cases, the eccentric direction is shifted by 180 ° or the same.
In a state in which the eccentric direction is shifted by 180 °, the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 perform a combined operation of up and down and front and back alternately, as shown in FIG. On the other hand, in the state where the eccentric directions are the same, as shown in FIG. 10, the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 perform a combined operation of up and down and front and back at the same time with their upper surfaces being flush with each other. .

The method of applying the rotational torque is simple, with a concentrated load being applied, for example, by pressing firmly on the upper surface of one footrest member 3 or 4 (preferably closer to the eccentric cam member 21) with a foot or the like. It is only necessary to actuate the cam drive 22.
As described above in detail, the lower limb exercise assisting apparatus 1 according to the present invention can be used as follows.
First, as shown in FIG. 11, the footrest members 3 and 4 are put in a state in which the heel is directed to the lower side and the toe side is directed to the higher side. Then, the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 are set to an alternate operation state as shown in FIG. 9 or a simultaneous operation state as shown in FIG.

At this time, the user may be standing, being caught by a wall or an assistant, or sitting on a chair.
Further, after setting the simultaneous operation state as shown in FIG. 10, the inclination degree of the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 is adjusted to a desired angle (if the favorite position is selected by moving the cam driving tool 22 little by little). The cam drive 22 is not operated (while the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 are stopped) and can be used such as standing on it.
By using these methods, exercises such as ankles, calves, stretches, and acupoint stimulation can be performed.

Also, as shown in FIG. 12, the footrest members 3 and 4 can be used in various manners as described above, with the toes facing the lower side and the heel side facing the higher side.
In this case, exercises such as ankle, shin, etc., stretching, acupuncture stimulation, etc. can be mainly performed.
Of the various uses described above, when the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 are operated alternately as shown in FIG. 9, the left and right feet of the user on the left and right footrest members 3 and 4 are exactly Since it resembles the foot movement during forward walking or backward walking, the user can perform a very effective pseudo walking operation on the spot.

By the way, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, It can change suitably according to embodiment.
For example, the eccentric cam member 21 can be formed as a single disk or a cylindrical shape that is long in the axial direction, in addition to a pair of left and right disks. The transmission member 24 is not particularly limited as long as the transmission member 24 is in contact with the three points of the front and rear surfaces and the upper surface of the eccentric cam member 21. The shape of the mold inverted).

The cam driving tool 22 can also be provided separately for the left and right eccentric cam members 21. It is also possible to add a control circuit capable of speed control.
You may make it provide the processus | protrusion for massage on the upper surface of the footrest members 3 and 4 corresponding to the point position of a sole. In this case, this protrusion may be a separate member from the footrest members 3 and 4 and may be detachable from the footrest members 3 and 4 as necessary.

It is the perspective view which showed one Embodiment of the lower limb exercise | movement assistance apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a top view of the lower limb exercise | movement assistance apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a right side view corresponding to FIG. 2, and is a side view in which an operation state for lowering a footrest member from a high position is added. FIG. 3 is a right side view corresponding to FIG. 2, and is a side view in which an operation state for raising the footrest member from a lower position is added. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 3. It is a BB line arrow directional view of FIG. FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 2. It is the DD sectional view taken on the line of FIG. It is the figure explaining the usage example in the EE arrow direction state of FIG. It is the figure explaining the example of use different from FIG. 9 in the EE arrow direction state of FIG. It is the side view which showed a mode that it got on the lower limb exercise | movement assistance apparatus shown in FIG. It is the side view which showed a mode that the lower limb exercise | movement assistance apparatus shown in FIG. 1 got on in the reverse direction to FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower limb exercise | movement assistance apparatus 2 Base board 3 Footrest member 4 Footrest member 5 Intermediate space 7 Oscillation support part 20 Driving part 21 Eccentric cam member 24 Transmission member 22 Cam drive tool 40 Half rotation clutch mechanism

Claims (4)

A base board (2), a pair of left and right footrest members (3, 4) provided adjacent to and parallel to each other on the base board (2), and the same side of the left and right footrest members (3, 4); A swing support portion (7) for supporting the one end portion on the base board (2) and holding the other end portion of each footrest member (3, 4) freely swinging up and down, and left and right feet And a driving portion (20) for moving the mounting members (3, 4) up and down on their free ends, and the swing support portion (7) can swing the left and right foot mounting members (3, 4) freely. The left and right footrest members (3, 4) can perform a pseudo walking motion combining the vertical motion with the forward / backward motion. Tei Te,
The driving portion (20) includes an eccentric cam member (21) provided rotatably around a rotation shaft (23) facing in the left-right direction at a lower portion of each footrest member (3, 4), and each of the footrest members. A transmission member (24) fixed to the lower surface of (3,4) and slidably contacted around the eccentric cam member (21) in a relatively rotatable state, and a cam for rotationally driving the eccentric cam member (21) A drive tool (22),
The rotating shaft (23) of the driving portion (20) includes a rotating shaft (23A) that supports the left eccentric cam member (21) and a rotating shaft (23B) that supports the right eccentric cam member (21). The two shafts are separated by a half-rotation clutch mechanism (40) that restricts the range of relative rotation between the two rotation shafts (23A, 23B) to approximately a half rotation. leg exercise assisting apparatus characterized by being. The lower limb exercise assisting device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission member (24) of the driving portion (20) is formed in a cylindrical shape surrounding the outer peripheral portion of the eccentric cam member (21) over the entire circumference . The cam driving tool (22) is disposed in an intermediate space (5) formed by separating the left and right footrest members (3, 4) by a predetermined distance on the base board (2). The lower limb exercise assisting device according to claim 1 or 2 . A support shaft (8) whose axis is directed in the left-right direction is provided on one end side of the footrest member (3, 4), and the front-rear direction in which the support shaft (8) is provided on the base board (2). The footrest member (3, 4) is supported by the base board (2) by being slidably fitted into the long hole (17) facing the base plate (2). A device for assisting exercise of lower limbs.

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