WO2011070932A1

WO2011070932A1 - Exercise aid device

Info

Publication number: WO2011070932A1
Application number: PCT/JP2010/071283
Authority: WO
Inventors: 直人白澤; 洋司川本; 三原　泉; 望遠山; 隆介中西
Original assignee: パナソニック電工株式会社
Priority date: 2009-12-10
Filing date: 2010-11-29
Publication date: 2011-06-16
Also published as: JP2011120729A; JP5140657B2

Abstract

An exercise aid device (10) is provided with a buttocks support unit (13) which supports the buttocks of the user, foot placement bases (14c, 14d) on which the feet of the user are placed, a buttocks rocking device (12) which rocks the buttocks support unit (13) in at least the front-rear direction so that a load acting on the legs (T) due to the user's own weight changes, and a foot tilt device (12) which tilts the foot placement bases (14c, 14d) in the vertical direction. When the buttocks support unit (13) is moved forward by the buttocks rocking device (12), the foot tilt device (12) tilts the foot placement bases (14c, 14d) in association with the rocking operation of the buttocks rocking device (12) so that the angle (θ) of the user's knee joints increases and changes from a certain angle of bend.

Description

Exercise assistance device

The present invention relates to an exercise assisting device that can exercise a leg.

For example, a treadmill capable of running indoors and a fitness bike simulating a bicycle rowing exercise are widely known as exercise assistance devices that enable exercise of the legs. In exercise assistive devices such as treadmills and fitness bikes, the knee joint is bent and stretched, and a strong load is applied to the knee joint. Therefore, when the user hurts the knee, the load is excessive. Difficult to continue exercise.

In order to improve such a problem, an exercise assisting device capable of suppressing the load applied to the user's knee and allowing the leg (particularly the thigh) to move has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1).
The exercise assisting device of Patent Document 1 includes a buttocks support portion that supports the user's buttocks and a footrest base that supports the user's feet, and the buttocks support portion is swung by the drive unit. Yes. By swinging the buttocks support portion in this way, a part of the user's own weight acting on the user's buttocks acts on the leg side, so that the leg can be exercised. It has become. In addition, since the positional relationship between the footrest and the heel support is constant, the knee angle of the user can be kept substantially constant, and the thigh that is the leg is suppressed while reducing the burden on the knee. It can be applied to the muscles of the department.

JP 2005-168907 A

By the way, it is known that the range of motion of joints such as ankles is gradually narrowed in elderly people and low-power people due to a decrease in exercise due to aging or a decrease in physical strength. Further, in the auxiliary exercise device as described above, it is not considered to effectively perform an exercise that widens the range of motion of the ankle or the like, and this improvement is desired.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem, and its purpose is to exercise the leg while suppressing the load on the knee and exercise that can exercise the range of motion of the ankle. It is to provide an auxiliary device.

In order to solve the above-described problem, an exercise assisting device according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a buttocks support portion that supports a user's buttocks, a footrest on which the user's feet are placed, and the user's own weight. And a foot part tilting device for tilting the footrest in the vertical direction, and a foot part tilting device for tilting the footrest in the vertical direction, so that the load acting on the legs changes. The apparatus for tilting the foot supports the footrest so that the knee joint angle of the user is changed in a direction of widening from a certain bending angle when the buttocks support section is moved forward by the buttocks swing apparatus. Tilt in conjunction with rocking.

In this invention, when the buttocks swinging device swings the buttocks support part forward, the footrest is tilted by the foot tilting device so as to change the knee joint angle of the user from the predetermined bending angle. Is done. In this way, the footrest is tilted up and down by the foot tilting device, whereby the joint of the ankle can be moved, and the motion relating to the range of motion of the joint can be performed. Further, when the user's own weight is applied to the leg portion by swinging the buttocks support portion, the footrest is tilted so that the knee joint is not bent and the knee joint angle is not smaller than the predetermined bending angle. By doing so, it is possible to exercise the legs (particularly the thighs) while suppressing the burden on the knees.

(A) is a side view which shows schematic structure of the exercise assistance apparatus in this embodiment, (b) is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the exercise assistance apparatus. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the drive device of an exercise assistance apparatus. (A) (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating a footrest. (A) (b) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating an angle adjustment mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1A and 1B show a schematic configuration of the exercise assisting device. The exercise assisting device 10 according to the present embodiment has a base 11 placed on a floor surface (not shown), a drive device 12 provided on the base 11, and a buttocks support portion that is swung by the drive device 12. 13 and a footrest portion 14 tilted by the driving device 12.

As shown in FIG. 2, the drive device 12 includes a motor 20 as a drive source and a drive transmission mechanism 21 forming a transmission path. The motor 20 constituting the driving device 12 is fixed in a state of being tilted in a direction intersecting with the front-rear direction of the base 11, and its driving is controlled by a control unit 22 (see FIG. 1B) as control means. Has been.

The drive transmission mechanism 21 includes a first gear 23 that is engaged and connected to the worm 20a of the motor 20, and a second gear 24 that is engaged and connected to the first gear 23. As the motor 20 is rotated by driving the motor 20, the driving force is transmitted to the heel support 13 and the footrest 14. The rotation speed ratio between the first gear 23 and the second gear 24 is set to 2: 1, that is, the diameter of the second gear 24 is set to be twice that of the first gear 23.

The first gear 23 is provided with a rotation support shaft 23a that rotates integrally with the first gear 23 at substantially the center in the radial direction. One end side of the eccentric crank member 23b is connected to one end side of the rotating support shaft 23a, and a connecting member 23c connected to the flange support portion 13 is connected to the other end side of the eccentric crank member 23b.

On the other hand, the second gear 24 is provided with a rotation support shaft 24a that rotates integrally with the second gear 24 at substantially the center in the radial direction. One end side of an eccentric crank member 24b is connected to each end of the rotating support shaft 24a, and a connecting member 24c connected to the footrest portion 14 is connected to the other end side of the eccentric crank member 24b.

The eaves support 13 includes a support column 13a erected upward at the rear portion of the base 11, and a seat 13b fixed to the upper portion of the support column 13a. It is configured to be rotatable about 11a. In addition, a height adjusting mechanism 13c that can change the length of the column 13a, that is, the height of the seat 13b, is provided in the middle of the column 13a, so that it matches the user's physique and the like. The height of the seat 13b can be adjusted.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the footrest portion 14 can be tilted around a pivot shaft 14 b at the upper end of a pivot support portion 14 a erected upward from the upper surface front portion of the base 11.

Footrests

14c and 14d are provided. The

footrests

14c and 14d include a footrest 14c for the right foot and a footrest 14d for the left foot. When one of the

footrests

14c and 14d is at the uppermost position, the other is the highest. It is configured to be in the lower position.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an operation unit 30 is provided at a predetermined height between the left and

right footrests

14c and 14d. The operation unit 30 is operated by a user and is connected to the control unit 22. On the other hand, a specific operation such as adjustment of the rotation speed of the motor 20 is performed. In addition, a handle portion 31 is provided that extends on both sides of the operation portion 30 in the left-right direction (the direction orthogonal to the paper surface in FIG. 1).

In the exercise assistance device 10 configured as described above, when a start switch (not shown) is pressed by the operation of the operation unit 30 by the user, the control unit 22 supplies electric power to the motor 20 to rotate. Accordingly, the drive transmission mechanism 21 that is drivingly connected to the motor 20 operates to tilt the

footrests

14c and 14d, and the heel support 13 swings in the front-rear direction.

Here, in the exercise assistance device 10 of the present embodiment, the rotational speed ratio of the first gear 23 and the second gear 24 constituting the drive transmission mechanism 21 is 2: 1 as described above. For this reason, when the rotational drive of the first gear 23 is transmitted through the rotation support shaft 23a, the eccentric crank member 23b, and the connecting member 23c, the hook support portion 13 performs two reciprocating motions in the front-rear direction. The gear 24 is rotated once, and the

footrests

14c and 14d are alternately tilted up and down once. When the buttocks support portion 13 is moved forward, the rear portion 14e of one of the

footrests

14c and 14d is tilted to the lowest position around the rotation shaft 14b, and the other footrest is supported. The rear part 14e of the base is tilted to the uppermost position around the rotation shaft 14b. At this time, a part of the user's own weight acts on one of the

footrests

14c and 14d tilted to the lowest position, so that the leg (thigh) T can be exercised more effectively. It is like that.

Further, since the rear portions 14e of the

footrests

14c and 14d alternately tilt to the lowest position so that a part of the user's own weight acts, when the buttocks support portion 13 is moved forward, the right foot or the left foot The knee joint angle θ changes alternately from the state where the knee joint angle θ is maintained at a certain bending angle to the direction in which the knee joint angle θ is widened (the direction in which the entire leg is linear). That is, the user's knee joint does not bend beyond a predetermined bending angle even when the

footrests

14c and 14d are tilted to the uppermost position, and exercises the leg portion T with a reduced burden on the knee. Can be done. In the exercise assistance device 10 of the present embodiment, the knee joint angle θ is set to be always 130 degrees or more.

Further, since the

footrests

14c and 14d are tilted, the ankle joint can be moved, and the ankle motion can be performed to widen the range of motion of the ankle joint. Further, when the buttocks support part 13 swings forward and a part of the user's own weight acts most, any one of the

footrests

14c and 14d is at the lowest position where it does not tilt further. The user's own weight can be made to act on the leg T more reliably. Further, since the operation unit 30 can adjust the rotation speed of the motor 20, that is, the swinging speed of the buttocks support part 13 and the tilting speed of the

footrests

14c and 14d, the user's preference and user can be adjusted. You can exercise according to your muscle strength (physical strength).

Next, characteristic effects of the present embodiment will be described.
(1) The

footrests

14c and 14d are configured to be able to tilt in the vertical direction, and when the buttocks support portion 13 swings forward by the drive device 12, the knee joint angle θ of the user spreads from a certain bending angle. Thus, the

footrests

14c and 14d are tilted. Thus, by allowing the

footrests

14c and 14d to be tilted up and down, the joint of the user's ankle can be moved, and the motion relating to the joint range of motion can be performed. Further, when the user's own weight is applied to the leg portion T by swinging the buttocks support portion 13, the

footrests

14c and 14d are tilted so that the knee joint is not bent and the angle is not reduced. Thus, the leg (particularly the thigh) T can be exercised while reducing the burden on the knee.

(2) A footrest 14c for the left foot and a footrest 14d for the right foot are provided so that the user's feet can be placed individually. When the heel support 13 is swung forward by the driving device 12, the rear portion 14e of one of the

footrests

14c and 14d is tilted to the lowest position by the driving device 12. . Therefore, when the buttock support portion 13 is moved forward, the knee joint angle θ of the leg portion T does not change in the direction in which it decreases (the bending direction). In addition, when the user's own weight is most likely to be actuated by moving the buttocks support portion 13 forward, the

footrests

14c and 14d are in the lowest position (incapable position), so the user's own weight is The portion T can be reliably acted on.

(3) The

footrests

14c and 14d are provided so that the user's feet can be individually arranged, and the

footrests

14c and 14d are alternately tilted by the driving device 12. Each time either one of the

footrests

14c and 14d is tilted up and down one time by the driving device 12, the heel support 13 is reciprocated twice by the driving device 12. That is, since the buttocks support portion 13 is swung forward in accordance with the downward tilt of the two

footrests

14c and 14d that are alternately tilted, the weight of the user with respect to one leg of the user is reduced. As compared with the case where a part of its own weight is applied to both legs, a more effective exercise effect can be imparted. In addition, since the

footrests

14c and 14d are tilted alternately, it is possible to perform an exercise simulating walking.

(4) Since the drive device 12 constituting the foot tilting means (device) and the heel swinging means (device) is configured by the motor 20 as one drive source, it is not necessary to provide a plurality of motors 20. An increase in the number of parts and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

(5) The gear mechanism provided in the drive transmission mechanism 21 (that is, the drive transmission path) from the motor 20 based on the number of vertical tilts of the

footrests

14c and 14d and the number of swings of the heel support 13 in the front-rear direction. , That is, the reduction ratio of the first gear 23 and the second gear 24. As described above, the number of operations of the buttock support portion 13 and the foot are determined by the reduction ratio of the first gear 23 and the second gear 24 in the drive transmission path from the motor 20 to the heel support portion 13 and the

footrests

14c and 14d. The number of operations of the

cradles

14c and 14d can be easily set to a different number.

(6) Since the height adjustment mechanism 13c for adjusting the height is provided on the buttocks support portion 13, it is possible to perform an exercise that matches the physique (height) of the user.
(7) Since the operation unit 30 capable of changing the swinging speed of the heel support 13 and the tilting speed of the

footrests

14c and 14d by the user is provided, the exercise load can be adjusted. Thereby, it becomes possible to perform the exercise | movement adapted to the muscular strength (physical strength) which changes with each user.

In addition, you may change embodiment of this invention as follows.
In the above embodiment, under the condition that the two

footrests

14c and 14d are tilted alternately, each time the one of the two

footrests

14c and 14d tilts one reciprocating motion, the buttocks support portion 13 swings twice. It was supposed to be. Instead, under the condition that the two

footrests

14c and 14d tilt simultaneously, the heel support 13 may swing one reciprocating motion each time the two

footrests

14c and 14d tilt one reciprocating motion. In other words, when one or both of the two

footrests

14c and 14d tilt to the lower position, the heel support 13 may be driven to swing to the front position.

In the above embodiment, the tilting operation of the

footrests

14c and 14d and the swinging operation of the buttocks support portion 13 are configured to be interlocked by the drive device 12 (drive transmission mechanism 21), but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a drive source for the

footrests

14c and 14d and a drive source for the buttocks support unit 13 are provided, and the drive unit is controlled by the control unit 22 to link the tilting operation and the swinging operation. It may be adopted.

In the above embodiment, the gear ratio (reduction ratio) of the two

gears

23 and 24 that are directly driven and connected (meshed) to each other by the swinging motion of the heel support 13 and the tilting motion of the

footrests

14c and 14d. Although determined to be determined, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, you may employ | adopt the structure which prescribes | regulates various operation | movement with the gear ratio in the structure which is not drive-coupled directly in the drive transmission path | route (drive transmission mechanism 21) from the motor 20 as a drive source.

In the above embodiment, a configuration in which the height adjustment mechanism 13c for adjusting the position (height) of the seat portion 13b of the collar support portion 13 is employed, but the height adjustment mechanism 13c is omitted, that is, after the seat portion 13b. A configuration in which the height at the end position is constant may be employed.

In the above embodiment, although not particularly mentioned, a fixing plate 40 is provided below the

footrests

14c and 14d as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b). A configuration may be employed in which a recess 40a is formed, and a spring member 41 as an elastic member is provided in the recess 40a to generate a repulsive force toward the

footrests

14c and 14d. As described above, since the spring member 41 is provided at the lower part of each

footrest

14c, 14d, a repulsive force against the load acting on the

footrest

14c, 14d is generated. When stepping 14d, more effective exercise can be performed.

In the above embodiment, although not particularly mentioned, a configuration including an operation amount adjusting mechanism that adjusts the operation amount of the swinging operation of the buttock support portion 13 may be adopted. As the operation amount adjusting mechanism, for example, it is conceivable to adjust the driving amount of the motor 20 or to change the connection position or length of the connection member 23c with the flange support portion 13. As a method for adjusting the drive amount of the motor 20, for example, a drive amount adjustment switch is provided in the operation unit 30, and the drive amount (rotation amount) of the motor 20 is controlled by pressing the switch by the user. A method controlled by the unit 22 is conceivable. As described above, the movement amount adjustment mechanism that adjusts the movement amount of the swinging movement of the buttocks support portion 13 can adjust the exercise load, and can be adjusted to different muscular strength (physical strength) depending on individual users. It is possible to exercise.

In the above embodiment, although not particularly mentioned, for example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a configuration in which an angle adjustment mechanism 45 that makes the angle of the seat portion 13b variable may be adopted. As the angle adjusting mechanism 45, the following configuration is conceivable. As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a seat portion 13b is provided on an upper portion of a seat portion support member 45a that is rotatably provided on an upper portion of the support column portion 13a, and the rear portion of the seat portion support member 45a is vertically moved. A plurality of engaging recesses 45b are formed in the direction. The angle of the seat portion 13b is fixed by engaging the engaging convex portion 45e rotated around the rotating shaft 45d by the lever 45c with the engaging concave portion 45b. Then, the lever 45c is operated by the user, and the engagement recess 45b is released from the engagement state with the engagement projection 45e, so that the angle of the seat portion 13b can be changed, and the engagement recess 45b and the engagement again. The seat portion 13b can be fixed at an arbitrary angle by engaging the mating convex portion 45e. Thus, since the angle adjustment mechanism 45 which adjusts the support angle of a user's buttocks is provided in the buttocks support part 13, the user's load which acts on the buttocks support part 13 can be adjusted. It is possible to adjust the load acting on the T side.

In the above embodiment, the rotation speed of the motor 20 is changed so that the swinging speed of the heel support 13 and the tilting speed of the

footrests

14c and 14d can be adjusted. A configuration in which the rotation speed is constant and the rocking speed and tilting speed are constant may be employed.

Claims

An exercise assistance device,
A buttock support portion that supports the buttock of the user;
A footrest for placing the user's foot;
A hook part swinging device that swings the hook part support part at least in the front-rear direction so that the load acting on the leg part changes due to the weight of the user;
A foot tilting device for tilting the footrest in the vertical direction;
The foot tilting device swings the footrest so as to change the knee joint angle of the user from a certain bending angle when the buttocks swinging device moves forward by the buttocks swinging device. An exercise assisting device that tilts in conjunction with the swinging of the device.
The exercise assistance device according to claim 1,
The footrest is one of two footrests provided so that both feet of the user can be individually arranged,
When the buttocks support part is swung forward by the buttocks swinging device, the rear part of at least one of the two footrests is tilted to the lowest position by the foot tilting device. An exercise assisting device.
The exercise assistance device according to claim 1 or 2,
The footrest is one of two footrests provided so that both feet of the user can be individually arranged,
The two footrests are alternately tilted by the foot tilting device,
The hip support device swings the buttocks support portion two times each time one of the two footrests is tilted up and down one time by the foot tilting device. apparatus.
The exercise assistance device according to claim 1 or 2,
The footrest is one of two footrests provided so that both feet of the user can be individually arranged,
The two footrests are tilted simultaneously by the foot tilting device,
The movement assisting device is characterized in that the hip swinging device swings the buttocks support portion by one reciprocating motion each time the two footrests are tilted one reciprocating up and down by the foot tilting device.
The exercise assistance device according to claim 1,
The exercise assisting device, wherein the foot tilting device and the buttocks swinging device are configured by a single drive source.
The exercise assistance device according to claim 5,
A gear mechanism in which the number of vertical tilts of the footrest by the foot tilting device and the number of vertical swings of the buttocks support by the buttocks swinging device are provided in the drive transmission path from the drive source An exercise assisting device, which is set according to the reduction ratio.
The exercise assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An exercise assisting device provided with a height adjusting mechanism that is provided on the buttocks support portion and adjusts the height of the buttocks support portion.
The exercise assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An exercise assisting device provided with an angle adjusting mechanism provided on the buttocks support portion for adjusting a support angle of the user's buttocks.
The exercise assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An exercise assisting device comprising an elastic member provided on the footrest and resisting a load acting on the footrest.
The exercise assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An exercise assisting device comprising: an operation unit capable of changing a swinging speed of the buttocks support part and a tilting speed of the footrest by the user.
The exercise assisting device according to claim 1, further comprising:
An exercise assisting device comprising an operation amount adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting an operation amount of a swinging operation of the buttocks support portion.