EXERCISE DEVICE

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to an exercise device utilizing differential air pressure.

BACKGROUND ART

Conventionally, exercise devices utilizing differential air pressure have been used as training equipment or rehabilitation equipment for training persons who suffer from muscle weakness and/or paralysis in the lower limbs. An exercise device such as that disclosed, for example, in Patent Literature 1 comprises an exercise equipment such as a treadmill, a chamber covering the exercise equipment and having an opening through which a user enters or exits the chamber, a seal member provided between the user and the opening of the chamber to make the inside of the chamber airtight, and a pressure control unit for regulating the pressure inside the chamber. The user enters the chamber through the opening and attaches the seal member provided to the opening of the chamber to the user's waist, making the inside of the chamber airtight. Thereafter, the pressure of the inside of the chamber is increased. This applies pressure to the lower body of the user, supporting the body weight, so muscles can be strengthened without placing an undue burden on the muscles or joints.

CITATION LIST
Patent Literature

PTL 1: USP NO. 5133339

SUMMARY OF INVENTION
Technical Problem

However, the seal member disclosed in PTL 1 is directly attached to the opening of the chamber, making it difficult for the user to attach or detach the seal member before or after use. Further, the chamber clings to the user's waist due to the seal member, making it difficult for the user to perform exercises. Furthermore, because the chamber is not adaptable to the user's movement, gaps form depending on the user's movement, making it impossible to maintain the airtightness at the opening of the chamber sufficiently. These points are particularly problematic when the exercise device is used as training equipment for active exercise.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems and to provide an exercise device wherein the airtightness of the inside of the chamber is maintained and a seal member of the exercise device can be easily attached and detached by a user.

Solution to Problem

The exercise device of the present invention comprises a chamber having an opening through which a user can enter or exit the chamber, a seal member for closing the opening of the chamber in an airtight manner, a pressure control unit for pressurizing the inside of the chamber, and exercise equipment housed inside the chamber, wherein the opening of the chamber is provided with an engagement ring, the seal member is provided with an elastic tube and a skirt to be worn by the user, the tube being attached to the outer peripheral edge of the skirt, the outer peripheral edge of the skirt being in contact with the engagement ring, and the skirt being in close contact with the engagement ring due to pressurization inside the chamber.

In the exercise device, the engagement ring may comprise a protective ring along the inner peripheral edge thereof.

In the exercise device, the skirt may be provided with a pair of pants to be worn by the user.

The exercise device may further comprise a blower inside the chamber.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

The seal member of the exercise device of the present invention makes it possible to maintain the airtightness of the inside of the chamber, and allows the user to easily attach or detach the seal member.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional side view illustrating an exercise device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 1 when the chamber of the exercise device is contracted.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view near the seal member of the exercise device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the A portion in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

An exercise device according to one embodiment of the present invention is explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the exercise device 1 comprises exercise equipment 2, such as a treadmill; a chamber 10; a seal member 20; and a pressure control unit 30. Hereunder, the longitudinal and lateral directions are defined based on the direction that the user 40 of the exercise equipment 2 faces being the front direction.

For the exercise equipment 2, various commercially available treadmills may be used, and various types of exercise equipment, such as aerobic equipment, are also usable. For athletic training use, exercise equipment 2 that can achieve a suitable speed is preferable. The exercise equipment 2 is located on a base 3. The base 3 has a space sufficient for the exercise equipment 2 to be disposed thereon and is structured to be sufficiently durable for the user 40 to perform training on the exercise equipment 2. Foldable legs 4 and casters 5 may be attached to the base 3. This structure allows the base 3 to be fixed by unfolding the legs 4 so that the base 3 does not move when the exercise device 1 is used, and the position of the exercise device 1 can be freely moved by using the casters 5 with the legs 4 folded.

The chamber 10 is described below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. The chamber 10 is formed of an airtight sheet whose edge is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the base 3 so as to form a bag-like shape. The sheet may be transparent or opaque. When an opaque sheet is used, a transparent window 11 formed of a transparent sheet is preferably provided in any desired portion of the chamber 10. This allows a trainer to observe the conditions of the user 40 from the outside while training.

A circular opening 12 is formed on the upper end of the chamber 10 that allows the lower body of the user 40 to enter or exit the chamber 10. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, an engagement ring 13 is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the opening 12. The engagement ring 13 has a predetermined width to which a tube 23 attached to a skirt 22 described later can be engaged. The engagement ring 13 has an inside diameter smaller than the size of the opening 12 and an outside diameter larger than the size of the opening 12. The engagement ring 13 is formed of a highly rigid material to thereby close the chamber 10 in an airtight manner by the close contact with the seal member 20. A protective ring 14 having a substantially circular cross-section is provided in the lower part of the inner peripheral edge of the engagement ring 13 to protect the skirt 22 described later. An annular stopper 15 projecting inside the chamber 10 is provided on the entire outer periphery of the engagement ring 13.

As shown in FIG. 2, one each of a pair of levers 16,16, which expand and contract the chamber 10 in a vertical manner, is provided on the left and right sides, respectively, of the opening 12 of the chamber 10. Each lever 16 is supported by a pair of slide bars 6,6 each provided on the left and right sides of the base 3 in a vertically movable manner. The levers 16,16 move up and down along the slide bars 6,6 and are supported by the slide bars 6,6 at a desirable height. This makes it possible to position the upper end of the chamber 10 around the waist of the user 40 regardless of the body height of the user 40. When the exercise device 1 is used, the chamber 10 can be compressed downwardly by sliding the levers 16,16 to almost the bottom ends of the slide bars 6,6 as shown in FIG. 3. This allows the user 40 to easily enter the chamber 10 through the opening 12.

The seal member 20 is explained below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The seal member 20 is fitted to the user 40 prior to using the exercise device 1. The seal member 20 comprises a pair of pants 21, a skirt 22 that is united with the pants 21, and a tube 23 that is attached to the outer peripheral edge of the skirt 22. Materials having excellent flexibility and elasticity are used for the pants 21. In order to improve the fit when worn, preferably used materials are those made of synthetic rubber, such as chloroprene rubber that is used for wet suits, etc.

The skirt 22 is provided around the waist portion of the pants 21 in a united manner with the pants 21. The skirt 22 has a doughnut shape having a size larger than the inside diameter of the engagement ring 13 and smaller than the size of the portion to which the stopper 15 is attached. The user 40 can put on the pants 21 by inserting the legs from the opening in the central portion of the pants 21. Airtight materials are used for the skirt 22, wherein the skirt 22 is made by four layers of fabric. As described later, the inside of the chamber 10 is pressurized when the exercise device 1 is used. However, because the skirt 22 has four layers of fabric, even when the inside of the chamber 10 is pressurized, the skirt 22 is prevented from expanding. As a result, this prevents the skirt 22 from slipping out from the engagement ring 13 due to the expansion of the skirt 22. The tube 23 is an annular component formed of an elastic material, such as polyurethane. The tube 23 is attached to the entire outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface of the skirt 22.

Referring to FIG. 1 again, the chamber 10 has a ventilating port 17 in the anterior portion thereof and an exhaust port 18 in the posterior portion, wherein the ventilating port 17 is provided with a pressure control unit 30. A ventilator, such as a blower, can be used as the pressure control unit 30. The pressure inside the chamber 10 can be increased by sucking air from outside the chamber 10 using the pressure control unit 30 and sending the air into the chamber 10 from the ventilating port 17. The pressure inside the chamber 10 can be lowered by releasing the air inside the chamber 10 from the exhaust port 18. This allows the pressure inside the chamber 10 to be controlled.

In the chamber 10, a blower 31 is disposed inside the cover provided in the anterior portion of the exercise equipment 2. The blower 31 sucks air into the chamber 10 and allows air to be blown toward the user 40 from the front of the user 40. The air is released from the exhaust port 18 disposed in the posterior portion of the chamber 10. This generates an airflow circulating inside the chamber 10. When the exercise device 1 is used for training, because the inside of the chamber 10 is made airtight by the seal member 20, the humidity in the chamber 10 often increases due to perspiration by the user 40 following exercise, such as running, causing the inside of the chamber 10 to become damp. However, by providing a blower 31 in the chamber 10 to circulate the air inside the chamber 10 and by discharging the humidity inside the chamber 10 from the exhaust port 18, unpleasant conditions inside the chamber 10 caused by an increase in humidity and dampness can be eliminated. The air from the blower 31 directly strikes the legs of the user 40; therefore, the lower body of the user 40, and the legs in particular, can be cooled.

Next, a method for using the exercise device 1 will be described. First, the legs of the user 40 are placed into the center opening of the skirt 22 to put on the pants 21, thereby holding the skirt 22 in position at the waist of the user 40. As shown in FIG. 3, the levers 16,16 are lowered until the upper edge of the chamber 10 comes close to the base 3. The user 40 then enters the chamber 10 through the opening 12, and lifts the levers 16,16 until the upper edge of the chamber 10 comes to the waist of the user 40. The chamber 10 is then fixed in this position. With the chamber 10 being fixed as such, the user 40 deforms the tube 23 to reduce the size thereof, thereby allowing the tube 23 to pass through the opening 12 to place the skirt 22 into the chamber 10. At this stage, the skirt 22 expands inside the chamber 10 due to the elastic restoring force of the tube 23. Because the engagement ring 13 is provided with a stopper 15, the tube 23 is held at the position where the tube 23 comes into contact with the stopper 15, whereby the skirt 22 is positioned on the inner side of the stopper 15. Because the outside diameter of the skirt 22 is larger than the inside diameter of the engagement ring 13, engagement of the tube 23 attached to the outer peripheral edge of the bottom surface of the skirt 22 with the engagement ring 13 brings the outer peripheral edge of the skirt 22 into close contact with the engagement ring 13. This enables the skirt 22 to be held at a predetermined position where the skirt 22 covers the opening 12, thereby preventing the skirt 22 from being displaced to one side and slipping out from the engagement ring 13.

Through an operating panel (not shown), the user 40 then actuates the pressure control unit 30 to pressurize the inside of the chamber 10. When the chamber 10 is pressurized, internal pressure is applied to the skirt 22 as indicated by the arrows B in FIG. 5 to thereby expand the skirt 22. This presses the skirt 22 onto the engagement ring 13, while causing the skirt 22 to closely fit the protective ring 14, whereby the skirt 22 comes into close contact with the engagement ring 13 and the protective ring 14 to close the opening 12 in an airtight manner. The protective ring 14 attached to the inner peripheral edge of the engagement ring 13 prevents the inner peripheral edge of the engagement ring 13 from coming in contact with the skirt 22 so that the fabric of the skirt 22 is not damaged.

As described above, because the chamber 10 and the seal member 20 are separately provided in the present invention, the user 40 can hold the seal member 20 in position at the waist before entering the chamber 10. Thus, the user 40 can readily attach and detach the seal member 20 to and from the body. The user 40 can also easily enter and exit the chamber 10 because the user 40 enters the chamber 10 with the seal member 20 being held at waist position. In addition, pressurizing the inside of the chamber 10 causes inner pressure to be exerted on the skirt 22, thereby automatically bringing the skirt 22 into close contact with the engagement ring 13 and the protective ring 14. When the user 40 exercises intensely and the seal member 20 thereby moves along with user's movement, the skirt 22 remains in close contact with the engagement ring 13 and the protective ring 14 due to the inner pressure; thus, the airtightness at the opening 12 of the chamber 10 is satisfactorily maintained. Furthermore, because the chamber 10 and the seal member 20 are separate members, the chamber 10 does not cling to the user 40, thus making it easier for the user to do exercise.

The blower 31 is provided inside the chamber 10, and the exhaust port 18 is provided to the chamber 10. Thus, air inside the chamber 10 is circulated, and humidity inside the chamber 10 is removed. This removes the unpleasant feeling when the chamber 10 becomes damp due to perspiration by the exercising user 40.

One embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the scope of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various modifications may be made without departing from the sprit of the invention. For example, although the opening 12 and the skirt 22 have a round shape in the above-described embodiment, their shape is not limited thereto, and various shapes can be used, such as an elliptical, rectangular, or polygonal shape. In such a case, the engagement ring 13 is formed in a similar shape to that of the opening 12; the protective ring 14 and the stopper 15 are provided along the entire periphery of the engagement ring 13 so as to fit the shape thereof, and the tube 23 is provided along the entire periphery of the skirt 22 so as to fit the shape thereof. It is not necessary for the opening 12 and the skirt 22 to have a similar shape as long as the skirt 22 is formed in such a manner as to be in close contact with the engagement ring 13 attached to the inner peripheral edge of the opening 12 to thereby satisfactorily maintain airtightness.

Although the protective ring 14 is provided along the inner peripheral edge of the engagement ring 13 in the above-described embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a protective ring 14 as long as the skirt 22 and the engagement ring 13 satisfactorily maintain airtightness at the opening 12, and the skirt 22 is not damaged by the engagement ring 13. The skirt 22 can also be protected by covering the inner peripheral edge of the engagement ring 13 with a material having low rigidity.

It is not necessary to provide a stopper 15 along the entire periphery of the engagement ring 13, and the stopper 15 may be provided only partly along the periphery of the engagement ring 13.

In the above-described embodiment, although the skirt 22 and the pants 21 are integrally provided, it is not necessary to provide the pants 21 as long as the skirt 22 is formed in such a manner that rubber or the like is attached to the inner peripheral edge of the skirt 22 to hold the skirt 22 at the waist of the user 40.

In the above-described embodiment, the skirt 22 has four layers of fabric. However, it is not necessary for the skirt 22 to have four layers as long as a two or three-layered skirt 22 is prevented from expanding; the skirt 22 may also have five or more layers if the expansion of a four-layered skirt 22 cannot be otherwise satisfactorily prevented.

In the above-described embodiment, although a pair of levers 16,16 is provided on both sides of the opening 12 of the chamber 10 to expand and contract the chamber 10 in a vertical manner, a single rod-shaped lever, for example, may be provided in front or back of the opening 12 of the chamber 10. This single rod-shaped lever is supported at both ends by a pair of slide bars 6,6 in a vertically movable manner. Providing a single lever in such a manner eliminates the need for simultaneously operating the levers 16,16 on both sides when expanding or contracting the chamber 10, and operation of only the single lever readily expands or contracts the chamber 10.

In the above-described embodiment, although the externally provided pressure control unit 30 controls the pressure inside the chamber 10, and the blower 31 circulates the air inside the chamber 10, the scope of the invention is not limited to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the pressure control unit 30 may be provided inside the base 3 to take in open air from the side surface of the base 3 and release the air into the chamber 10 from the upper surface of the base 3.

This enables the exercise device 1 to be compact in size. Further, it is not always necessary to provide the blower 31, and the pressure control unit 30 may also function as a blower 31.

EXPLANATION OF NUMERICAL SYMBOLS

1 exercise device

2 exercise equipment

3 chamber

12 opening

13 engagement ring

14 protective ring

20 seal member

21 pants

22 skirt

23 tube

30 pressure control unit

31 blower

40 user

EXERCISE DEVICE

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Abstract

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