TWI440489B - The Structure of Elliptical Motion Machine - Google Patents

Description

Frame structure of elliptical exercise machine

The invention relates to exercise equipment, in particular to an elliptical exercise machine (Elliptical).

The elliptical exercise machine is an exercise fitness equipment that can carry the user's feet with the left and right pedals, thereby guiding the feet to move on an elliptical trajectory. In the prior art, the pedal trajectory of some elliptical exercise machines can be adjusted by the user according to individual needs, thereby changing the step size, the difficulty of movement or the exercise part.

Figure 12 is a conventional elliptical exerciser (9) with an adjustable pedal trajectory (Note: For details, see US Patent Publication No. 2007/0117684), the relevant parts of which operate as follows: (91) supported by a support rod (92) extending forward and backward, the front end of each support rod (92) is coupled to a tail end of a crank (93), and the rear end is pivotally connected to a bottom end of a swingable cantilever (94) So that the supported pedal (91) can move along an elliptical path; wherein the frame (95) for supporting the cantilever (94) can be controlled by a driving device (96), In order to change the spatial position of the top end of the cantilever (94), the swinging path of the bottom end of the cantilever (94) (ie, the rear end of the support rod (92)) is correspondingly changed, so that the trajectory of the pedal (91) is changed accordingly (specifically in the oblique direction). Degree).

Although the above-mentioned structure reveals a typical principle, there are still some improvements in practical production and use, such as:

(1) The frame (95) may be formed as a U-shaped frame with an opening upward, pivotally connected to the frame (98) by a pivot point (97) on the left and right side bars, and The top ends of the two side bars respectively support the left and right second cantilevers (94). The driving device (96) generally drives or expands a screw-screw combination by using a motor, and the two supporting portions of the top portion are synchronously displaced by pushing and pulling the lateral connecting rod at the bottom of the U-shaped frame. In terms of mechanics, such a frame (95) can be regarded as a "first type of lever" in which the length between the point of application of the driving device (96) and the pivot point of the frame (97) The arm is smaller than the length between the suspension point of the cantilever (94) and the pivot point of the frame (ie, the anti-arm), so that the work efficiency of the driving device (96) is relatively low, so that a large output is required. The motor causes the production cost and the power consumption to be relatively high. Incidentally, in this case, directly shifting the pivot point (97) on the elevated body (95) to change the ratio of the force applying arm to the resisting arm is not an ideal method for solving the above problem, because the cantilever is shortened in this way. (94) The yaw range of the top end, increasing the space requirement of the driving device, and reducing the reaction efficiency when adjusting the trajectory, the total disadvantage is more than profit.

(b) In addition, under the above structure, the aforementioned driving device (96) is generally disposed at a central position between the left and right (enables symmetric application of the U-shaped frame), and therefore, when the design phase is in the relative position of the setting member In order to avoid interference with the bottom drive unit (96) (and the protective cover not shown) and to maintain a safe distance that does not cause pinch accidents, the support rod (92) must have a minimum range of motion. The height of the point causes the pedal (91) to be supported to a higher position, thereby affecting the ease of the user when boarding the pedal (91) and the sense of security during exercise.

(c) Alternatively, the aforementioned frame (95) may be separated from each other by left, The right two longitudinal side bars are formed (that is, the transverse links lacking the aforementioned U-shaped frame), and then the upper left and right two sets of driving devices (96) are synchronously pushed and pulled to the bottom ends, so that the top two hanging parts are synchronously biased. put. Although this design maintains the design requirements of the support rod (92) and the pedal (91) as low as possible by moving the driving device (96) from the lower side of the support rod (92) to the side, due to the use of two sets of driving devices ( 96), making the production cost even higher. At the same time, even though the driving force requirements of the driving devices under such a structure are low, the problem of the above-mentioned force arm ratio still exists, so the work efficiency of each driving device is still low and cannot be effectively used.

Incidentally, in another conventional structure similar to FIG. 12, the pivot point of the frame body is at the bottom end, and the driving device directly pushes and pulls the top end of the frame body, that is, the force arm and the resistance arm, etc. Long, the driving efficiency of the drive device under this structure is still not ideal.

(4) In addition to the problem of work efficiency, the front cantilever structure has further room for improvement in terms of stability. Please refer to Figure 12 again. Since the bearing part at the top of the frame (95) is subjected to a great downward force, the top end of the frame (95) is often not directly above the pivot point (97). Therefore, the upper half of the frame body (95) has a bending deformation, and a relatively thick metal rod must be used for this purpose, and the pivot point (97) of the frame body (95), and the frame The connection point between the bottom end of the body (95) and the driving device (96) is also subjected to great stress, so that the pivoting structure at the place must use a member with strong load resistance to avoid damage.

In addition, unlike the above-mentioned frame supporting cantilever with an adjustable skew angle, another conventional structure (for example, the former US No. 2007/0117684) In the second embodiment of the patent publication, a fixed crossbar extending forward and backward is disposed on each of the left and right sides, and the top end of the swing arm is disposed on the crossbar in a displaceable manner, by driving the top end of the swing arm in the horizontal direction. The rod is displaced forward and backward to achieve the purpose of adjusting the trajectory. This structure is also costly because of the use of two sets of drives.

In the elliptical exercise machines of various adjustable pedal trajectories, the driving device fails to integrate well with the existing structure, except that the cover is additionally designed to cover the cover, resulting in cost increase, volume increase, complicated appearance, and more serious. As mentioned above, in design, because other components must be evaded or pulled to drive the device, the freedom of design and ergonomics are reduced.

Moreover, the conventional elliptical exercise machine with adjustable pedal trajectory can only know the current pedal trajectory through the electronic data displayed on the console, and cannot be performed by the spatial relationship of the main components of the exercise machine. Intuitive visual judgment. Moreover, the adjustment members (such as the aforementioned cantilever and frame) in most conventional structures are not located in front of the user.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a frame structure of an elliptical exercise machine, wherein the support structure is relatively stable and stable, and the related members are less deformed or damaged.

In order to achieve the foregoing objective, the frame structure of the elliptical exercise machine provided by the present invention comprises: a left-right and a right-frame body with symmetric shapes, each of the frame bodies comprising a longitudinal rod segment and a cross-bar segment, the two frame bodies The crossbar segments extend forward and backward on the left and right sides, respectively, and the rear end passes through an auxiliary member and the top end of the longitudinal rod segment Fixedly, the front ends are respectively bent from the outside to the inside, and then connected to each other through a connecting member at a central position to form a U-shape with an opening facing backward; the left and right two longitudinal rod segments form a front and rear unobstructed access space; The joint portions of the longitudinal rod segments and the cross rod segments are respectively covered by a corner sleeve, and the top surface of the corner sleeve forms a catchable portion; the auxiliary member between the longitudinal rod segment and the cross rail portion is a hanging portion is provided for pivoting the suspension end of a cantilever; a base disposed on the ground, the rear half of the base forms a U-shaped transparent area with an opening facing rearward and open and closed; the two longitudinal rod segments The bottom ends are respectively connected to the U-shaped openings of the aforementioned base.

The structure of a preferred embodiment of the technical features of the present invention, as well as the functions and features that can be obtained, are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The elliptical exercise machine (1) has a skeleton (10) for use as a base for other components, which mainly comprises a base (11) placed on the ground and a base fixed on the top side of the front end of the base (11). Seat (12) (see Figure 5, covered by a casing (13)), and a hollow instrument pole (14) extending further from the top end of the support (12). The rear half of the base (11) forms a U-shaped permeable area (15) that is open and closed and has a rear end open. The top of the instrument pole (14) is provided with a console (16).

In the rear half of the skeleton (10), a movable frame (20) is additionally provided. The movable frame (20) is formed by combining the left and right frame bodies (21) with symmetric shapes, and each frame body (21) comprises a vertical body. a rod section (22) and a crossbar section (23), the longitudinal rod sections (22) of the two frame bodies (21) are respectively erected at the left and right ends of the rear end of the skeleton (10) The side and the bottom end are pivotally connected to the U-shaped opening of the skeleton base (11) in the left and right axial directions, and the pivots on the left and right sides are on the same axis (A) (refer to FIG. 6); The cross-bar sections (23) of (21) extend forward and backward on the left and right sides, respectively, and the rear end is fixed to the top end of the longitudinal rod section (22) through an auxiliary member (24) (see Fig. 6), and the front ends are respectively outwardly The inner portion is bent and then joined to each other at a central position through a joint member (25) to form a U-shape with an opening facing backward. Thus, a front and rear unobstructed access space (26) is formed between the left and right second longitudinal rod segments (22) at the rear end of the movable frame (20). The joint portions of the longitudinal rod segments (22) and the crossbar segments (23) are respectively covered by a corner sleeve (27), and the top surface of the angle sleeve (27) forms a catchable portion.

The front end of the skeleton (10) is provided with a driving device (30) for controlling the movable frame (20). Referring to Figures 7 and 8, the driving device (30) mainly comprises a deflection seat (31) and a motor (32). a screw (33) and a lifting seat (34), the deflection seat (31) is pivotally disposed on the support (12) in the left and right axial direction, and is located at the bottom end of the pipe of the hollow instrument rod (14); The motor (32) is mounted on the deflection seat (31), and the user can control its operation through the console (16); the screw (33) is longitudinally extended and accommodated inside the instrument pole (14), and the bottom end is pivotally connected On the deflection seat (31), the top end is an unsupported free end; the output of the motor (32) can drive the screw (33) to rotate in place via a reduction gear set (not shown) on the deflection seat (31); The seat (34) is screwed onto the screw (33) (see Figure 8).

The rear side wall of the hollow instrument shaft (14) is provided with a slot (17) extending along the long axis. The connecting member (25) at the center of the front end of the movable frame (20) extends into the interior of the instrument pole (14) via the slot (17), and the driving device (30) The lifting seat (34) is fixed. Thereby, when the screw (33) is driven by the motor (32) to rotate forward or reverse, the lifting seat (34) will rise or fall along the axial direction of the screw (33) to drive the cross section of the movable frame (20). (23) The front end (hereinafter referred to as the driving portion) is raised or lowered, so that the movable frame (20) is deflected with the bottom end of the longitudinal rod section (22) (hereinafter referred to as the rotating shaft portion) as an axis. In the process, since the lifting seat (34) rigidly coupled with the movable frame (20) also has to move on a curved path, the screw (33) will be correspondingly deflected together with the deflection seat (31) (Note: Please observe The angle of the screw (33) in the 7A, 7B, and 7C drawings).

The aforementioned driving portion of the movable frame (20) can be controlled by the driving device (30) to be lifted and positioned between the bottom dead center (as shown in FIG. 7A) and a top dead center (as shown in FIG. 7C), corresponding to Thus, the movable frame (20) as a whole can be controlled to deflect and position between a minimum angle (as indicated by the solid line in Figure 5) and a maximum angle (as indicated by the phantom line in Figure 5). Referring to Figure 5, the auxiliary member (24) between the longitudinal rod section (22) and the crossbar section (23) of the movable frame (20) is provided with a supporting portion (28) when the movable frame (20) When the above deflection is performed, the bearing portion (28) exhibits a significant front-rear displacement, in other words, the driving device (30) can control the left and right two-staying portions (28) of the movable frame (20) at a front dead center and a rear position. Activity and positioning between the dead ends.

In order to improve the stability of the movable frame (20) and the driving device (30), in this embodiment, a guide rail (18) is disposed on each of the left and right wall surfaces inside the instrument panel (14), and each of the guide rails (18) is a movable frame ( 20) The rotating shaft part is a circular arc-shaped plate; at the same time, the left and right sides of the lifting base (34) are respectively pivoted on the front and rear two rollers (35) on opposite sides of the guide rail (18), and the two rollers ( 35) The wheel circumference is clamped to the guide rail (18) with appropriate tightness (see Figure 8).

The left and right sides of the rear end of the movable frame (20) are respectively provided with a left cantilever (40L) and a right cantilever (40R), and each cantilever (40L) (40R) extends longitudinally, and the top end forms a hanging end, which is pivoted left and right. The supporting portion (28) of the frame body (21) connected to the corresponding side side forms a swinging end, which can swing back and forth above the U-shaped transparent area (15) of the rear half of the skeleton base (11). When the movable frame (20) changes its angle, the suspension ends of the left and right second cantilever (40L) (40R) are synchronously displaced back and forth.

Please refer to Figure 5 (Note: the part of the cover (13) is removed from the front end), and the left and right axial crankshafts (52) are pivoted on the support (12) of the frame (10). A crank (54) is attached separately. A support device (56) is additionally provided on the support (12), and the rotation resistance of the crank (54) can be determined by the control console (16). (Note: This is a conventional technique, such as a flywheel matching vortex commonly used in the industry. Current brake).

The left and right sides respectively have a left support rod (60L) and a right support rod (60R) extending forward and backward, and the front end of each support rod (60L) (60R) extends into the shell cover (13) and is pivotally connected to the corresponding side. The trailing end of the crank (54) forms a wraparound portion that can move on a circular path; the rear end of each support bar (60L) (60R) is pivotally connected to the bottom end of the cantilever (40L) (40R) of the corresponding side Forming a swinging position that can move on an arcuate trajectory. Because the front ends of the left and right support rods (60L) (60R) are maintained at 180 on the aforementioned circular trajectory. In contrast, the back end will move in the opposite direction on the aforementioned curved track. When one side swings to the front pole of the curved track, the other side just swings to the rear pole.

The middle part of each support rod (60L) (60R) supports a pedal (70L) (70R) based on the circle and arc of the front and rear ends of the support rod (60L) (60R) For the trajectory, each pedal (70L) (70R) can be guided to move on a closed elliptical trajectory. In the present embodiment, each pedal (70L) (70R) pivotally has its front end pivotally connected to the top side of the support rod (60L) (60R) with its left and right ends so that its rear end can be opposite to the support rod (60L) (60R). At the same time, the left and right sides of the front end of the skeleton (10) are respectively provided with a longitudinally extending handrail bar (82L) (82R), and a predetermined portion of each of the handrail bars (82L) (82R) is pivotally connected to the instrument in the left and right directions. On the rod (14), the top end and the bottom end can swing back and forth; in addition, the left and right sides are respectively provided with a front and rear extending connecting rod (84L) (84R), and the front end of each connecting rod (84L) (84R) is pivotally connected to the armrest The bottom end of the rod (82L) (82R) is guided to move forward and backward on a curved path, and the rear end is supported at the bottom of the pedal (70L) (70R), fixed to the pedal (70L) (70R) and coaxially pivoted On the support rod (60L) (60R) (see Figure 9). Thereby, the handrail lever (82L) (82R) can be driven together with the pedal (70L) (70R) and the support bar (60L) (60R), and the pedal (70L) (70R) is opposite to the support bar (60L) (60R) The angle can be cyclically varied during exercise, providing better ergonomics (known skills).

In another conventional structure (not shown), the connecting rod is pivotally connected to the support rod, and the pedal is fixed on the connecting rod, and is not directly pivotally connected to the supporting rod, that is, the pedal is indirectly supported by the supporting rod. However, the aforementioned linkage effect is the same.

The use of the elliptical exercise machine (1) is briefly described as follows: the user can step on the left and right pedals (70L) (70R) and grasp the left and right handrails (82L) with both hands. At the top end of (82R), the pedal (70L) (70R) and the grab bar (82L) (82R) are moved along their respective trajectories, thereby performing a hand-foot coordinated whole body motion.

Before use, the user is behind the elliptical exercise machine (1) The aforementioned entry and exit space (26) is stepped on the left and right two pedals (70L) (70R), and when the use is over, it also goes down the ground through the entry and exit space (26). During the stepping on and off the pedal (70L) (70R), the user can temporarily catch the top surface of the corner sleeve (27) on the left and right sides of the movable frame (20) to maintain stability.

During the movement, the user can adjust the resistance of the pedal (70L) (70R) and the grab bar (82L) (82R) by using the console (16) to set the resistance of the aforementioned resistance device (56) to the crank (54). The angle of the movable frame (20) can also be changed by the console (16) through the aforementioned driving device (30), thereby adjusting the inclination of the movement track of the pedal (70L) (70R), for example, if the movable frame is made (20) ) Positioned at the minimum angle as shown in Figures 10A, 10B, the top end of the cantilever (40L) (40R) will be at the top dead center of the active range, at this time the bottom end of the cantilever (40L) (40R) (ie the support rod) The front end of the curved trajectory (T1) of the rear end is slightly higher than the rear end, so that the inclination of the pedal (70L) (70R) motion trajectory (not shown) is relatively small, and the movement difficulty is low; 20) Positioned at the maximum angle as shown in Figures 11A and 11B, the top end of the cantilever (40L) (40R) will be at the back end, and the curved path at the rear end of the support rod (60L) (60R) (T2) The front end is significantly higher than the rear end, so that the inclination of the pedal (70L) (70R) motion trajectory is relatively large, and the movement difficulty is high.

In addition to the pedal trajectory available for adjustment, the elliptical exercise machine (1) of the present invention has the following advantages:

(1) In terms of mechanics, the movable frame (20) is shaped like a "second type of lever", that is, the resistance point (the bearing part (28)) is between the point of application (the driving part) and the fulcrum (the part of the shaft). . Referring to FIG. 5, in the present embodiment, although the foregoing three points are not arranged in a line - roughly form a right triangle. Shape, but the linear distance between the driving part and the rotating shaft part (ie, the force applying arm) is still significantly larger than the linear distance between the bearing part and the rotating shaft part (ie, the resistance arm). Therefore, the driving device (30) of the present invention has higher work efficiency than the "first type of lever" of Fig. 12. Based on this advantage, the producer can adopt a relatively low output and a relatively small volume. Motors help reduce costs, save power and facilitate design.

(2) Because the front and rear ends of the movable frame (20) are supported on the skeleton (10), and the supporting portion (28) for carrying the weight is disposed between the front and rear ends, and at the same time, by the 10A, 10B , 11A, 11B can be seen, the swing range of each cantilever (40L) (40R) is set between the longitudinal section (22) and the crossbar section (23), so the movable frame (20) is hoisted The weight can be evenly dispersed to the opposite sides, the support structure is relatively stable and stable, and the rods and bearings are also less deformed and damaged.

(C) In this embodiment, the driving device (30) is installed inside the cover (13) and the instrument pole (14) of the general elliptical exercise machine, and does not occupy extra space, which not only makes the appearance appear fresh and simple, but also The presence of the drive (30) (or the pedal trajectory to adjust for this function) does not affect the design requirements of the support rod (60L) (60R) and the pedal (70L) (70R) to be minimized. It should be noted that the rear half of the skeleton base (12) of the embodiment forms a U-shaped transparent area (15), so that the rear end of the support rod (60L) (60R) can be as close to the ground as possible under the premise of safety, that is, The pedal (70L) (70R) can be moved at a lower height, so that the user can easily board or step down the pedal (70L) (70R) and be more secure during exercise.

(4) In this embodiment, the height of the front end of the movable frame (20) is directly Corresponding to the inclination of the pedal trajectory, more specifically, the higher/lower the front end of the movable frame (20), that is, the higher/lower the front end of the pedal trajectory, so that the user can pass the front end of the movable frame (20) The height of the driving part on the instrument pole (14) or its lifting action quickly and intuitively recognizes the inclination of the current pedal trajectory or its variation, and is not limited to during or before use. Wherein, the length of the slot (17) on the instrument pole (14) corresponds to the adjustment range, which means that the upper and lower end points can indicate the adjustment limit, and in addition, the slot (17) can be marked with a scale to improve the visibility. .

In the above embodiment, the driving portions of the left and right frames (21) are connected to each other, and the driving portion is driven by a single driving device (30). However, the present invention can also make the left and right frames non-connected, and then cooperate with the two sets of driving devices to respectively drive the driving parts of the two frames, so that the bearing parts on both sides are synchronously displaced.

Moreover, those skilled in the relevant art should understand that the foregoing detailed description is only to illustrate a preferred embodiment, but in the implementation of the present invention, The change or replacement, for example, the hinge position of the movable seat, the bearing position, the spatial relationship between the driving parts, the moving path of the driving part, and the corresponding displacement of the supporting part can be appropriately changed according to the design purpose; The device can also employ various known motor-drive mechanisms.

1‧‧‧ elliptical exercise machine

10‧‧‧ skeleton

11‧‧‧Base

12‧‧‧Support

13‧‧‧Shell cover

14‧‧‧Dashboard

15‧‧‧U-shaped transparent area

16‧‧‧ console

17‧‧‧Slots

18‧‧‧ rails

20‧‧‧ movable frame

21‧‧‧ ‧ body

22‧‧‧longitudinal section

23‧‧‧cross section

24‧‧‧Auxiliary components

25‧‧‧Connecting components

26‧‧‧In and out space

27‧‧‧ corner sets

28‧‧‧Hanging parts

30‧‧‧ drive

31‧‧‧ deflection seat

32‧‧‧Motor

33‧‧‧ screw

34‧‧‧ Lifting seat

35‧‧‧Roller

40R/L‧‧‧ cantilever

52‧‧‧ crankshaft

54‧‧‧ crank

56‧‧‧resistance device

60R/L‧‧‧ support rod

70R/L‧‧‧ pedal

82R/L‧‧‧Handrail

84R/L‧‧‧ connecting rod

1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the front end of the movable frame is located at the bottom dead center of the movable range, and wherein the left cantilever position is at the rear dead center of the movable range and the right cantilever position is movable. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention corresponding to the state of FIG. 1; FIG. 3 is a front view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention corresponding to the state of the first and second embodiments; 4 is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention corresponding to the first and second figures; and FIG. 5 is a right side view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention corresponding to the state of the first and second figures, illustrating the activity of the movable frame. The figure is taken apart from the front part of the elliptical machine to show the internal structure; FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the movable state of the movable frame in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; the angle of view of the figure corresponds to 2, 7A, 7B, and 7C are longitudinal cross-sectional views of the instrument pole portion in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, respectively showing the front end of the movable frame at the bottom dead center, the middle position, and the upper side of the movable range. The state of the dead point; Figure 8 is along the 8-8 of Figure 7B FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an elevation angle of a right pedal portion in a preferred embodiment of the present invention; FIGS. 10A and 10B are respectively right side views of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing that the front end of the movable frame is under The state of use at the end; 11A and 11B are respectively right side views of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a state of use when the front end of the movable frame is at the top dead center; and FIG. 12 is an elliptical motion of a conventional adjustable pedal track. Right side view of the machine.

11‧‧‧Base

15‧‧‧U-shaped transparent area

20‧‧‧ movable frame

21‧‧‧ ‧ body

22‧‧‧longitudinal section

23‧‧‧cross section

24‧‧‧Auxiliary components

25‧‧‧Connecting components

26‧‧‧In and out space

28‧‧‧Hanging parts

40R/L‧‧‧ cantilever

Claims (3)

The frame structure of an elliptical exercise machine comprises: a left-right and a right-frame body with symmetric shapes, each of the frame bodies comprises a longitudinal rod segment and a cross-bar segment, and the cross-bar segments of the two frame bodies are respectively on the left and right sides. Extending back and forth, the rear end is fixed to the top end of the longitudinal rod section through an auxiliary member, and the front ends are respectively bent from the outside to the inside, and then connected to each other through a connecting member at a central position to form an U-shaped opening facing backward; Forming an unobstructed access space between the right and second longitudinal rod segments; the joint portions of the longitudinal rod segments and the cross rod segments are respectively covered by a corner sleeve, and the top surface of the corner sleeve forms a catchable portion; The auxiliary member between the longitudinal rod segment and the cross rod portion is provided with a supporting portion for pivoting a suspension end of a cantilever; and a base disposed on the ground, the rear half of the base forming an opening facing rearward And a U-shaped transparent area which is open and closed; the bottom ends of the two longitudinal rod sections are respectively connected to the U-shaped opening of the base. The frame structure of the elliptical exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the swinging range of the two cantilevers is between the longitudinal rod section and the crossbar section. The frame structure of the elliptical exercise machine according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the swinging end of the two cantilevers is located above the ground in the transparent area.