Patent Application
20060058160
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a treadmill, more particularly to a treadmill which is foldable and which can be raised to an inclined position.
2. Description of the Related Art
When the tread base 3 is to be raised to an inclining position for the user to exercise thereon, the screw rod 502 of the linear actuator 5 is rotated by the motor 501 to retract the threaded sleeve 503. The front leg frame 4 is thus pulled and the wheels 401 are moved along the slide rails 101 so that the mounting arms 301 are inclined and the tread base 3 are raised by the front leg frame 4.
Referring to
However, the conventional treadmill has a disadvantage in that the construction thereof is rather complicated and that the spring latch 302 is unsafe as it can drop from the latch hole 201 due to vibration. In addition, when the tread base 3 is to be unfolded for use, the user must pull out the spring latch 302 from the latch hole 201 with one hand while holding the tread base 3 with another hand to prevent the tread base 3 from falling down accidentally. The need to pull out the spring latch 302 is therefore troublesome.
An object of the present invention is to provide a treadmill which has an improved mechanism for inclining and folding a tread base and which has a latch member that can be operated easily to control a hydraulic telescopic unit for holding a tread base in a folded state.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a treadmill comprises: a support base having a front end, a rear end, and an upright frame extending upward from the support base adjacent the front end; a tread base carrying an endless belt and having a bottom side and a top side; a front leg frame attached to the tread base and connected pivotally to the support base adjacent the front end of the support base; a connecting arm having a lower end connected pivotally to the front leg frame and an upper end which extends upward; an inclining unit including a motor mounted on the tread base at the top side, a screw rod connected to the motor at the top side, and a threaded sleeve disposed movably around the screw rod and connected to the upper end of the connecting arm; and a hydraulic telescopic unit having a rear end pivoted to the support base and a front end connected pivotally to the front leg frame, the hydraulic telescopic unit being extendable and retractable.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a treadmill comprises: a support base having a front end, a rear end, and an upright frame extending upward from the support base adjacent the front end; a tread base carrying an endless belt; a front leg frame connected movably between the tread base and the support base; an inclining unit for moving the front leg frame so as to incline the tread base, the inclining unit including a motor, a screw rod connected to the motor, and a threaded sleeve disposed movably around the screw rod; and a hydraulic telescopic unit connected to the tread base and the support base and being extendable to maintain the tread base in an upward folded state; a latch member mounted on the hydraulic telescopic unit to engage the hydraulic telescopic unit so that the hydraulic telescopic unit is prevented from moving telescopically when the tread base in the folded state; and a release member connected to the latch member for disengaging the latch member from the hydraulic telescopic unit.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Referring to FIGS. 4 to 8, a treadmill embodying the present invention is shown to include a four-sided support base 10 having two upright posts 20 carrying an instrument panel 21. A tread base 30 is mounted pivotally on the support base 10 and includes an endless belt (not shown). Since the constructions of the support base 10 and the tread base 30 are conventional, they will not be detailed hereinafter.
The present invention resides in a mechanism 40 for raising the tread base 30 to an inclining position and for lifting the tread base 30 to a folded position. The mechanism 40 includes a front leg frame 41 which is disposed below the tread base 30 and which has a transverse rod 411 connected between left and right support arms 412. The support arms 412 have respective front ends which are pivoted to the support base 10 and respective rear ends which are pivoted to the tread base 30. Intermediate parts of the support arms 412 are connected respectively to two opposite ends of the transverse rod 411.
The mechanism 40 further includes a connecting arm 42 which is composed of a pair of curve plates 421 that have lower ends connected pivotally to the transverse rod 411 between the support arms 412 and upper ends extending upwardly to a level above a top side of the tread base 30.
The upper ends of the curved plates 421 are connected to an inclining unit 43 which includes a motor 431 mounted on the tread base 30 through a bracket 430 provided at the front end of the tread base 30, a screw rod 432 connected to the motor 431 to be driven by the motor 431, and a threaded sleeve 433 connected telescopically to the screw rod 432. The motor 431 is thus disposed above the top side of the tread base 30. The threaded sleeve 433 is connected between the upper ends of the curve plates 421.
The mechanism 40 further includes a hydraulic telescopic unit 44 which has a hydraulic cylinder 441, a piston rod 442 and an outer telescopic tube 443. The hydraulic cylinder 441 has a rear end connected pivotally to a rear end of the support base 10. The piston rod 442 is connected to the hydraulic cylinder 441 and extends forwardly. A front end of the piston rod 442 is connected pivotally to the intermediate part of the transverse rod 411 between the curve plates 421. The telescopic tube 443 is disposed around the hydraulic cylinder 441 and the piston rod 442 and has a rear end pivoted to the rear end of the support base 10 and a front end connected to the transverse rod 411 between the curve plates 421. The piston rod 442 and the telescopic tube 443 are pivotal about an axis which is coaxial with an axis of rotation of the support arms 412 of the front leg frame 41.
A spring-loaded latch member 444 is mounted on the telescopic tube 443 to prevent the telescopic tube 443 from moving telescopically when the tread base 30 is lifted to a folded position as shown in
A release member 45 includes a trigger 453 which is disposed on an intermediate part of the tread base 10 and a control cable 451 which is connected to the trigger 453 and the latch member 444 and which extends within a guide tube 452. The latch member 444 is engageable with a selected one of a plurality of slots 4433 formed in the inner tube 4431. The trigger 453 is operable to actuate the control cable 451 so that the latch member 444 is disengaged from the inner tube 4431 to allow the telescopic tube 443 to move telescopically.
Referring to
Referring to
When the tread base 30 is to be unfolded, the user may turn the tread base 30 downward by holding the tread base 30 with his two hands and by pressing the trigger 453 that is provided at a handy position on the tread base 30 with one of his two hands which hold the tread base 30 so as to release the latch member 444.
Unlike the conventional treadmill, the treadmill of the present invention employs only one hydraulic cylinder 441 in association with the front leg frame 41 and the connecting arm 42. The construction according to the present invention is therefore simplified. Furthermore, since the hydraulic cylinder 441 and the piston rod 442 are concealed within the telescopic tube 443, the outer appearance of the treadmill is enhanced. Moreover, the use of the latch member 444 which can be controlled through the handy trigger 453 facilitates the unfolding operation of the tread base 30.
While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements.
