BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of exercise treadmill according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of some important components of the treadmill in its lower front portion including the direction switching assembly and the tread belt;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the direction switching assembly;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1 where a front end of the tread belt is being lifted;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of some important components in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 4 where the front end of the tread belt is being further lifted;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of some important components in FIG. 6;
FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 4 where the front end of the tread belt has lifted to its maximum height;
FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of some important components in FIG. 8;
FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 4 where a rear end of the tread belt is being lifted;
FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of some important components in FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is a view similar to FIG. 4 where the rear end of the tread belt is being further lifted;
FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of some important components in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a view similar to FIG. 4 where the tread belt has been fully folded;
FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of some important components in FIG. 14;
FIGS. 16, 17, and 18 are enlarged views of some important components of the treadmill in its lower front portion including the direction switching assembly, the tread belt, and the link assembly showing the tread belt extending to its operational position;
FIG. 19 is a view identical to FIG. 8; and
FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of some important components in FIG. 19.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 to 20, an exercise treadmill in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a housing 10 including left and right uprights 101 extending upward, and left and right hand grips extended rearward from a top of the uprights 101; a control panel mounted at the top of the uprights 101; and a moving tread belt 20 extended rearward from the housing 10 and supported by an underlying frame, the tread belt 20 including a surface 22 on which a user runs or walks while exercising, a front contact member 21 at either side, left and right slides 23 having a first sensor 231 at a rear end, and a second sensor 232 at a front end, both sensors 231 and 232 being implemented as a mechanical or electronic limit switch, and left and right wheels 24 proximate its rear.
The treadmill further comprises a link assembly 30 mounted in the housing 10 and, at either left or right side, including a first link 31 having a front first pivot 311 pivotably provided in the housing 10, and a rear second pivot 312 slidably secured to the slide 23, and a second link 32 having a rear third pivot 321 pivotably secured to an intermediate point of the first link 31, a front fourth pivot 322 pivotably provided in a front end the tread belt 20, and an intermediate fifth pivot 323.
The treadmill further comprises a lift assembly 40 affixed to the front end of the tread belt 20 and including a fixedly provided motor 41, a rotating direction change member 44 provided in the motor 41, a worm gear 42 extended from an end of a rotating shaft of the motor 41, and a movable member 43 having interior threads in mesh with the worm gear 42 and one end pivotably secured to the fifth pivots 323.
The treadmill further comprises a direction switching assembly 50 mounted in the housing 10 and, at either side, including a rear pivotal detent bar 51, a pivotal returning bar 52 having a front stop 521 and a rear end resiliently connected to the detent bar 51, and a pivotal rail 53 including a first section 531, a second section (i.e., joint) 532, a third section 533, a first spring 534, and a second spring 535 having one end engaged with the first spring 534 and the other end urged against the stop 521. But the second spring 535 may be disengaged with the stop 521 by operating both the detent bar 51 and the returning bar 52 as detailed later.
Folding and unfolding including lifting and lowering operations of the invention will be described in detailed below. In a horizontal state of the tread belt 20 the worm gear 42 is concealed by the movable member 43, and the first pivot 311 is proximate the fourth pivot 322.
For adjusting incline of the tread belt 20, a user may press an incline up key (not shown) on the control panel. Next, the motor 41 activates (i.e., the motor 41 rotates clockwise) to rotate the worm gear 42 (see FIG. 4). The movable member 43 then extends out of the worm gear 42. The extending movable member 43 pushes the front end of the tread belt 20 upward through the link assembly 30. The second link 32 then pivots by pivoting about the fourth pivot 322 due to the upward movement of the front end of the tread belt 20. At the same time, the lifting slide 23 lifts the first link 31 through the second pivot 312. The first link 31 pivots away from the second link 32 about the third pivot 321. The first link 31 pivots upward about the first pivot 311.
The first and second links 31 pivot away each other to continuously push the front end of the tread belt 20 upward until a predetermined height is reached. At this position (as indicated by arrow P1), a user runs or walks on the tread belt 20 in a manner similar to climbing a mountain. Alternatively, a user may press a stop key to position the tread belt 20 at a desired incline during the upward movement. As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the contact member 21 pushes the detent bar 51. And in turn, the detent bar 51 pushes the returning bar 52. The stop 521 disengages with a lock member 536 (see FIG. 3). The stored elastic force of the first spring 534 is then released together with the weight of the rail 53. As a result, the rail 53 pivots to a position indicated by arrow P2.
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the second pivot 312 contacts the second sensor 232 at the end of the upward pivoting of the tread belt 20 as indicated by arrow P3. The rotating direction change member 44 is then enabled by the second sensor 232 to switch the motor 41 to a reverse rotation (i.e., changed from clockwise rotation to counterclockwise rotation).
As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the reverse rotation of the motor 41 will move the movable member 43 toward the worm gear 42 by threading. And in turn, the front end of the tread belt 20 lowers as the movable member 43 moves. Further, the second link 32 pivots about the fourth pivot 322. Also, the second pivot 312 moves rearward relative to the slide 23 while the slide 23 slightly moves forward and the first link 31 lowers by pivoting. In addition, the first link 31 and the second link 32 pivot toward each other by pivoting about the third pivot 321. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the contact member 21 contacts the first section 531.
As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the front end of the tread belt 20 lowers further and the first and second links 31 and 32 further pivot toward each other as the motor 41 continuously rotates counterclockwise. And in turn, the contact member 21 moves from the first section 531 to the second section 532. At this position, the tread belt 20 is on its course of folding. Weight of the tread belt 20 causes the rail 53 to change from position P2 to position P4 (i.e., inclined upward rearward). The lock member 536 locks the stop 521 again. As a result, the returning bar 52 returns to its original position.
As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the front end of the tread belt 20 lowers further and the first and second links 31 and 32 further pivot toward each other as the motor 41 continuously rotates counterclockwise. And in turn, the contact member 21 moves from the second section 532 to the third section 533. As a result, the tread mill 20 disposes in position P5 (i.e., folded position). Also, the second pivot 312 contacts the first sensor 231. As a result, the motor 41 stops and the folding operation of the tread belt 20 ends successfully.
For unfolding the tread belt 20 disposed in a position as shown in FIG. 14, a user may press a reset key to activate the motor 41 (i.e., the motor 41 rotates clockwise). The tread belt 20 then pivots from the folded position P5 (see FIG. 14) with the first and second links 31 and 32 pivoted away each other. The contact member 21 moves from the third section 533 (see FIG. 15) to the second section 532 (see FIG. 16) with a rear end of the tread belt 20 lowered by pivoting.
As shown in FIG. 17, the contact member 21 moves from the second section 542 to the first section 531. As such, the rail 53 pivots to cause the lock member 536 to lock the stop 521 again. As a result, an elastic force is stored in the second spring 535 and the force is adapted to pivot the rail 53 in a reverse direction thereafter.
As shown in FIG. 18, the rail 53 does not contact the contact member 21 as the motor 41 continuously rotates clockwise. The elastic force of the second spring 535 pivots the rail 53 to cause the third section 533 to dispose in a horizontal position. As a result, the inclined first section 531 clears the lowering path of the contact member 21 (i.e., disengaged).
As shown in FIG. 19, the rear end of the tread belt 20 is disposed in position P3 and the second pivot 312 contacts the second sensor 232. The rotating direction change member 44 is then enabled by the second sensor 232 to switch the motor 41 to a reverse rotation (i.e., changed from clockwise rotation to counterclockwise rotation). The front end of the tread belt 20 may continue to lower without being hindered by the rail 53. As shown in FIG. 20, the contact member 21 contacts the detent bar 51 during the lowering. And in turn, the detent bar 51 pivots to facilitate the tread belt 20 to dispose horizontally again the same as shown in FIG. 1. In this horizontal position, the motor 41 is disabled as the second pivot 312 contacts the second sensor 232.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 again, the link assembly 30, at either left or right side, further comprises a third link 33 having one end pivotably secured to the third pivot 321 and the other end formed as a roller 331 which is placed on a concave top surface of either seat 102 provided on a bottom of the housing 10. Further, a moving distance of the roller 331 is defined by two ends of the concave top surface of the seat 102. The provision of the third links 33 and the seats 102 aims at increasing a structural strength of the link assembly 30. As an end, the treadmill is made robust and durable.
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims.
Patent Application
20080004162
