This application is based upon and claims priority to Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 202110806632.7, filed on Jul. 16, 2021, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.
The present disclosure relates to the field of sports equipment and, more particularly, to a foldable treadmill.
People tend to be sub-healthy for lack of exercise due to busy work and life. Sub-health is mainly manifested by symptoms such as obesity and cardiopulmonary dysfunction.
Currently, people choose to go to the gym to exercise in order to lose weight and improve their immune system.
However, some people cannot or do not want to go to the gym due to a tight schedule, social phobia or other factors. Running, as one of the easiest exercises, is quite popular among people. Indoor treadmills are the best choice of home fitness equipment, and allow people to run for exercise without leaving home, which satisfies their running requirement.
A foldable treadmill includes: a running board module including a first running board sub-module, an intermediate running board sub-module, and a second running board sub-module, the first running board sub-module and the second running board sub-module being symmetrically arranged on both sides of the intermediate running board sub-module; a running belt arranged in the running board module; and two groups of folding connection assemblies symmetrically arranged on both sides of a first symmetry axis as a center line of a width direction of the running belt. Each folding connection assembly includes a motion part, a first connection part and a second connection part, the first connection part and the second connection part being coupled to the motion part, the first connection part being coupled to the first running board sub-module and the intermediate running board sub-module, and the second connection part being coupled to the second running board sub-module and the intermediate running board sub-module. The motion part moves between a folded position and an unfolded position, drives the first running board sub-module to rotate relative to the intermediate running board sub-module through the first connection part, and drives the second running board sub-module to rotate relative to the intermediate running board sub-module through the second connection part, to fold or unfold the foldable treadmill.
It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.
The drawings herein are incorporated into the specification and constitute a part of the specification, show examples consistent with the present disclosure, and together with the specification are used to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
Embodiments will be described in detail, with examples thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description refers to the accompanying drawings in which the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise represented. The implementations set forth in the following description of embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they are merely examples of devices and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure as recited in the appended claims.
Terms used in the present disclosure are merely for describing specific examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The singular forms “one”, “the”, and “this” used in the present disclosure and the appended claims are also intended to include a multiple form, unless other meanings are clearly represented in the context. It should also be understood that the term “and/or” used in the present disclosure refers to any or all of possible combinations including one or more associated listed items.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “an example,” “some embodiments,” “some examples,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described is included in at least one embodiment or example. Features, structures, elements, or characteristics described in connection with one or some embodiments are also applicable to other embodiments, unless expressly specified otherwise.
It should be understood that although terms “first”, “second”, “third”, and the like are used in the present disclosure to describe various information, the information is not limited to the terms. These terms are merely used to differentiate information of a same type. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, first information is also referred to as second information, and similarly the second information is also referred to as the first information. Depending on the context, for example, the term “if” used herein may be explained as “when” or “while”, or “in response to . . . , it is determined that”.
In related art, to solve the problem that treadmills occupy a large area, foldable treadmills have emerged to facilitate storage and save space.
In one example, a foldable treadmill includes a running board, a bracket assembly and a handrail assembly. The bracket assembly can be folded backward around a front portion of the running board. This method reduces the height of the treadmill by folding the handrail assembly. However, the area occupied by the treadmill is not changed, failing to achieve an effect of saving space inside the house.
In another example, a foldable treadmill includes a base, a motor, a running board, and a connection rope. The motor fixed on the base tightens the connection rope fixed on the running board, so that the running board can be set upright and the treadmill can be folded. This method can reduce the area occupied by the treadmill, but the overall height and the high center of gravity of the treadmill leads to poor stability and safety hazards since the treadmill may topple over after being set upright.
The present disclosure proposes a foldable treadmill including a running belt and a running board module, and the running belt is arranged in the running board module. The running board module includes a first running board sub-module, an intermediate running board sub-module, and a second running board sub-module. The first running board sub-module and the second running board sub-module are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the intermediate running board sub-module. With a center line of a width direction of the running belt as a first symmetry axis, the foldable treadmill includes two groups of folding connection assemblies, and the two groups of folding connection assemblies are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first symmetry axis. The folding connection assembly includes a motion part, as well as a first connection part and a second connection part each coupled to the motion part. The first connection part is coupled to the first running board sub-module and the intermediate running board sub-module, and the second connection part is coupled to the second running board sub-module and the intermediate running board sub-module. The motion part moves between a folded position and an unfolded position, drives the first running board sub-module to rotate relative to the intermediate running board sub-module through the first connection part, and drives the second running board sub-module to rotate relative to the intermediate running board sub-module through the second connection part, to fold or unfold the foldable treadmill. In the present disclosure, the first running board sub-module and the second running board sub-module are arranged on both sides of the intermediate running board sub-module and rotate relative to the intermediate running board sub-module, realizing a three-segment folding and storage effect, stabilizing the center of gravity of the foldable treadmill and preventing the treadmill from toppling over. The overall size of the folded treadmill achieves the effect of low height and small thickness, reducing the occupied area.
In an example, as shown in
The running board module 2 includes a first running board sub-module 21, an intermediate running board sub-module 22, and a second running board sub-module 23, and the first running board sub-module 21 and the second running board sub-module 23 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the intermediate running board sub-module 22 to realize a three-segment structure of the running board module 2.
With a center line of a width direction of the running belt 1 (refer to an X-axis in
The folding connection assembly 3 includes a motion part 31, a first connection part 32 and a second connection part 33, and the motion part 31 is coupled to the first connection part 32 and the second connection part 33. The first connection part 32 is coupled to the first running board sub-module 21 and the intermediate running board sub-module 22, and the second connection part 33 is coupled to the second running board sub-module 23 and the intermediate running board sub-module 22.
The motion part 31 moves between a folded position and an unfolded position, drives the first running board sub-module 21 to rotate relative to the intermediate running board sub-module 22 through the first connection part 32, and drives the second running board sub-module 23 to rotate relative to the intermediate running board sub-module 22 through the second connection part 33, to fold or unfold the foldable treadmill. When the first running board sub-module 21 and the second running board sub-module 23 rotate towards the intermediate running board sub-module 22 and draw close, the running board module 2 presents an inverted U-shaped structure, which improves the stability of the foldable treadmill, avoids shift of the center of gravity, and ensures that the folded treadmill will not topple over. After the foldable treadmill is folded and stored, its overall size is reduced to avoid taking up too much space at home. Users can place it lying flat or upright as needed to meet the needs of users.
In an example, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
In this example, the first motion unit 311 includes an H-shaped connection rod 3111, and the first transmission unit 312 and the second transmission unit 313 are arranged at both ends of the H-shaped connection rod 3111, to achieve rotational connection.
In this example, as shown in
The second transmission unit 313 also includes a U-shaped connection rod, a first end of the U-shaped connection rod of the second transmission unit 313 is rotatably coupled to a second end of the first motion unit 311, and a second end of the U-shaped connection rod is rotatably coupled to the second connection part 33. The rotational connection of the second transmission unit 313 with the first motion unit 311 and the first connection part 32 is realized in the same way as the rotational connection of the first transmission unit 312 with the first motion unit 311 and the second connection part 33, which will not be elaborated herein.
In this example, as shown in
The first connection part 32 is coupled to the first running board sub-module 21, and the plurality of connection rods include, for example, a third connection rod 323, which is shorter than the second connection rod 322 and overlaps with the second connection rod 322 along the width direction of the running belt 1. The third connection rod 323 is fixedly mounted in the first running board sub-module 21. A second end of the first connection rod 321 is rotatably coupled to a first end of the third connection rod 323, a second end of the third connection rod 323 is rotatably coupled to a first end of the second connection rod 322, and the second connection rod 322 and the first connection rod 321 of the first connection part 32 are both coupled to the first running board sub-module 21 through the third connection rod 323.
The first connection part 32 is coupled to the intermediate running board sub-module 22, and the plurality of connection rods include, for example, a first branch connection rod 324, a second branch connection rod 325 and a third branch connection rod 326, the first branch connection rod 324 being longer than the second branch connection rod 325, and the second branch connection rod 325 being longer than the third branch connection rod 326. The first branch connection rod 324 overlaps with the first connection rod 321 along the width direction of the running belt 1, and the second branch connection rod 325 overlaps with the first connection rod 321 along the width direction of the running belt 1. The second branch connection rod 325 and the first branch connection rod 324 are is in a common plane, and the third branch connection rod 326 and the first branch connection rod 324 are in a common plane. The third branch connection rod 326 overlaps with the first branch connection rod 324 and the second branch connection rod 325 along the width direction of the running belt 1. A middle portion of the first branch connection rod 324 is rotatably coupled to a middle portion of the first connection rod 321. A first end of the first branch connection rod 324 is rotatably coupled to a second end of the second connection rod 322, and a second end of the first branch connection rod 324 is rotatably coupled to a first end of the third branch connection rod 326. A second end of the third branch connection rod 326 is rotatably coupled to a first end of the second branch connection rod 325, and a second end of the second branch connection rod 325 is rotatably coupled to the first end of the first connection rod 321. The third branch connection rod 326 is fixedly mounted in the intermediate running board sub-module 22. The first connection rod 321, the second connection rod 322, the third connection rod 323 and the first branch connection rod 324 of the first connection part 32 form a parallelogram linkage, and the first branch connection rod 324, the second branch connection rod 325, the third branch connection rod 326 and the first connection rod 321 also form a parallelogram linkage, in which both linkages share part of the connection rods, so that during rotation the third connection rod 323 and the third branch connection rod 326 tend to approach each other, creating an inward convergence effect.
The first running board sub-module 21 and the intermediate running board sub-module 22 are coupled in sequence by a multi-stage linkage of the first connection part 32, which realizes a linkage effect between the first running board sub-module 21 and the intermediate running board sub-module 22, and the arrangement of the multi-stage linkage improves the stability between the first running board sub-module 21 and the intermediate running board sub-module 22 when they are folded or unfolded.
During the folding or unfolding action, the side wall of the first connection rod 321 of the first connection part 32 forms face-to-face contact with the side wall of the second connection rod 322 and a side wall of the third branch connection rod 326, and a side wall of the first branch connection rod 324 forms face-to-face contact with a side wall of the third connection rod 323 and a side wall of the second branch connection rod 325. As a result, the plurality of connection rods are mutually restrained and constitute structural limits to avoid excessive movement of the four-connection-rod hinge, and enhance the service life of the first connection part 32.
In this example, as shown in
The second connection part 33 is coupled to the intermediate running board sub-module 22, and the plurality of connection rods include, for example, a third connection rod 333, which is shorter than the second connection rod 332 and overlaps with the second connection rod 332 along the width direction of the running belt 1. The third connection rod 333 is fixedly mounted in the intermediate running board sub-module 22. A second end of the second connection rod 332 is rotatably coupled to a first end of the third connection rod 333, a second end of the third connection rod 333 is rotatably coupled to a first end of the first connection rod 331, and the second connection rod 332 and the first connection rod 331 of the second connection part 33 are both coupled to the intermediate running board sub-module 22 through the third connection rod 333.
The second connection part 33 is coupled to the intermediate running board sub-module 22, and the plurality of connection rods include, for example, a first branch connection rod 334, a second branch connection rod 335 and a third branch connection rod 336, the first branch connection rod 334 being longer than the second branch connection rod 335, and the second branch connection rod 335 being longer than the third branch connection rod 336. The first branch connection rod 334 overlaps with the first connection rod 331 along the width direction of the running belt 1, and the second branch connection rod 335 overlaps with the first connection rod 331 along the width direction of the running belt 1. The second branch connection rod 335 and the first branch connection rod 334 are is in a common plane, and the third branch connection rod 336 and the first branch connection rod 334 are in a common plane. The third branch connection rod 336 overlaps with the first branch connection rod 334 and the second branch connection rod 335 along the width direction of the running belt 1. A middle portion of the first branch connection rod 334 is rotatably coupled to a middle portion of the first connection rod 331. A first end of the first branch connection rod 334 is rotatably coupled to a second end of the second connection rod 332, and a second end of the first branch connection rod 334 is rotatably coupled to a first end of the third branch connection rod 336. A second end of the third branch connection rod 336 is rotatably coupled to a first end of the second branch connection rod 335, and a second end of the second branch connection rod 335 is rotatably coupled to the first end of the first connection rod 331. The third branch connection rod 336 is fixedly mounted in the second running board sub-module 23. The first connection rod 331, the second connection rod 332, the third connection rod 333 and the first branch connection rod 334 of the second connection part 33 form a parallelogram linkage, and the first branch connection rod 334, the second branch connection rod 335, the third branch connection rod 336 and the first connection rod 331 also form a parallelogram linkage, in which both linkages share part of the connection rods, so that during rotation the third connection rod 333 and the third branch connection rod 336 tend to approach each other, creating an inward convergence effect.
The second running board sub-module 23 and the intermediate running board sub-module 22 are coupled in sequence by a multi-stage linkage of the second connection part 33, which realizes a linkage effect between the second running board sub-module 23 and the intermediate running board sub-module 22, and the arrangement of the multi-stage linkage improves the stability between the second running board sub-module 23 and the intermediate running board sub-module 22 when they are folded or unfolded. During the folding or unfolding action, the side wall of the first connection rod 331 of the second connection part 33 forms face-to-face contact with the side wall of the second connection rod 332 and a side wall of the third branch connection rod 336, and a side wall of the first branch connection rod 334 forms face-to-face contact with a side wall of the third connection rod 333 and a side wall of the second branch connection rod 335. As a result, the plurality of connection rods are mutually restrained and constitute structural limits to avoid excessive movement of the four-connection-rod hinge, and enhance the service life of the second connection part 33.
Here, it should be noted that the plurality of connection rods in the first connection part 32 and the plurality of connection rods in the second connection part 33 are coupled to each other by shaft rod structures to achieve the rotational connection, which will not be elaborated herein.
In this example, a top surface of the four-connection-rod hinge and a top surface of a running board of the running board module 2 keep flush in the unfolded position to ensure flatness of a surface of the foldable treadmill after being unfolded and to avoid a feeling of hollowness when a user's feet are stepping on it.
In an example, as shown in
In one example, the first drive output unit 41 includes a first motor that may be a stepper motor. The first drive transfer unit 42 includes a screw fixedly coupled to an output shaft of the first motor, and the screw is a ball screw to enhance the effect of threaded connection. The first motion unit 311 also includes a flange nut 3112 fitted over the screw and fixed to the H-shaped connection rod 3111, and a lower end of the screw can pass through the H-shaped connection rod 3111. When the first motor outputs the driving force, the screw follows the output shaft of the first motor and rotates synchronously, and the flange nut 3112 drives the H-shaped connection rod 3111 to move along the screw.
With the application of the foldable treadmill, the flange nut 3112 will be worn out when the treadmill is continuously folded or unfolded, causing a loosening condition between the flange nut 3112 and the screw, and the treadmill cannot be folded or unfolded smoothly. In such a case, the flange nut 3112 can be directly replaced without need to replace the H-shaped connection rod 3111, which may save costs.
In this example, as shown in
In this example, as shown in
In an example, as shown in
In one example, the second drive output unit 61 includes a second motor, which may be, for example, a running belt motor. The second drive transfer unit 62 includes a pulley 621, a first pulley shaft 622 and a second pulley shaft 623, and the pulley 621 is fitted over the first pulley shaft 622 and an output shaft of the second motor. The first pulley shaft 622 is rotatably arranged on the first running board sub-module 21, the second pulley shaft 623 is rotatably arranged on the second running board sub-module 23, and the running belt 1 is fitted over the first pulley shaft 622 and the second pulley shaft 623. The second motor transmits the driving force through the output axial pulley 621, the pulley 621 transmits the driving force to the first pulley shaft 622, and the first pulley shaft 622 drives the running belt 1 to move on the running board module 2. Friction between the running belt 1 and the second pulley shaft 623 enables the running belt 1 to drive the second pulley shaft 623 to rotate on the second running board sub-module 23, which ensures the normal operation of the running belt 1.
In this example, as shown in
In this example, as shown in
When the user is running, the running belt 1 achieves low friction sliding on the flexible lubrication layer 8, which improves a motion effect of the running belt 1, prolongs the service life of the running belt 1, and slows down the wear and tear.
In this example, as shown in
In an example, as shown in
The plurality of connection rods of the first connection part 32 are sequentially arranged along a width direction of the first running board 211 (refer to the X-axis in
In this example, as shown in
The second casing 233 and the second bracket 232 avoid the second running board 231 to ensure that the running belt 1 can be mounted onto the second running board 231 successfully. The second running board 231 provides support for feet of the user to meet the user's running need. The second running board 231 is fixedly mounted into the second bracket 232, and the second running board 231 is off the ground through the second bracket 232, so that the second running board 231 has a predetermined distance from the ground to avoid contact between the running belt 1 and the ground and to ensure that the running belt 1 can move smoothly when it is arranged on the second running board 231.
The plurality of connection rods of the second connection part 33 are sequentially arranged along a width direction of the second running board 231 (refer to the X-axis in
In this example, as shown in
The foldable treadmill provided by the present disclosure includes two groups of folding connection assemblies symmetrically arranged in the running board module along the width direction of the running belt, so that both sides of the foldable treadmill can provide force application points for storage to improve the stability of the foldable treadmill when unfolded and folded. In addition, the first drive part drives the first running board sub-module and the second running board sub-module to rotate relative to the intermediate running board sub-module, realizing the automatic storage function of the foldable treadmill, which is convenient, time-saving and energy-saving, meeting the user's requirement and improving the user experience.
When the first running board sub-module and the second running board sub-module draw close, the limit parts press the running belt, which can avoid the slackness of the running belt after folding without changing its appearance. The overall size of the running belt is not increased, and its shape is not changed. The running belt with the flexible lubrication layer for a lubrication effect of the running belt has improved smoothness during motion. The flexible lubrication layer has no elongation and deformation, which increases the service life of the foldable treadmill.
The foldable treadmill forms an inverted U-shaped structure after being folded, which stabilizes the center of gravity of the whole foldable treadmill and prevents the foldable treadmill from toppling over. Moreover, the inward convergence prevents a dirty surface in contact with the ground from being exposed, to enhance the aesthetics of the foldable treadmill.
The foldable treadmill is stored in a substantially rectangular shape, so that its occupation area, height and thickness are reduced to achieve the effect of low height and small thickness. Users can use the wheel part on the second running board sub-module and the handrail on the drive housing to drag it out of its original position and carry it to other places, or move it against the wall, or place it on the ground, or hide it under the bed, which involves great flexibility and meets various storage needs of users.
Other examples of the present disclosure may be conceivable for those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the technical solutions disclosed herein. The present disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptive changes of the present disclosure. These variations, uses, or adaptive changes follow the general principles of the present disclosure and include common knowledge or conventional technical means in the technical field that are not disclosed in the present disclosure. The description and the examples are regarded as exemplary only, and the true scope of the present disclosure are indicated by the following claims.
It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the particular structures described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is only limited by the appended claims.
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