Patent Application
20230001254
The present invention relates to an exercise machine and, more particularly, to a loading device for use on an exercise machine.
An exercise machine includes a loading device operable to control a load or resistance against a person who exercises with the exercise machine. The loading device can include a spring, a set of weights or a system of levers.
Where a loading device includes a spring, it is impossible for a user to adjust the load provided by the spring because the load provided by the spring gets heavier as extension of the spring gets longer.
Where a loading device includes a set of weights, a user is allowed to adjust the load by using different combinations of the weights. However, the adjustment of the load is not delicate for two reasons. Firstly, each of the weights is made with a considerable weight. Secondly, the number of the combinations is limited.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,758,479 for example, an exercise machine is provided with a left loading device and a right loading device. The left and right loading devices are identical to each other in structure and are mirror images to each other in position. For the briefness of the description, only the left loading device will be described. The left loading device includes a lever 30, two pulleys 34 and 70, a pneumatic cylinder 36, a cable 40 and a coupling device 50. The lever 30 includes multiple holes 42 arranged along the lever 30. A pivot 32 is used to connect an end of the lever 30 to an upright member 14 of the exercise machine. The pulley 34 is supported on the lever 30, near another end of the lever 30. The pulley 70 is attached to a lower support member 16 of the exercise machine. The cable 40 is wound on the pulleys 34 and 70. An end of the cable 40 is tied to a lower support member 16 of the exercise machine. Another end of the cable 40 is tied to a handle 44 to be held by a user. The coupling device 50 includes a body 52 and a handle 54. The body 52 is supported on the lever 30. The handle 54 is formed with a pin 54a and a flange 54d. A spring 54b is compressed between the flange 54d and an internal portion of the body 52. An upper end of the pneumatic cylinder 36 is pivotally connected to the body 52. A pivot 38 is used to connect a lower end of the pneumatic cylinder 36 to the lower support member 16. The distance between the pivot 32 and the upper end of the pneumatic cylinder 36 sets a first moment arm while the distance between the pivot 32 and a center of the rollers 34 sets a moment arm. The body 52 is movable on the lever 30 so that the first moment arm is adjustable. In use, the pin 54a is inserted in a selected one of the holes 42 to keep the upper connected end of the pneumatic cylinder 36 in a selected one of multiple positions relative to the pivot 32, i.e., keep the first moment arm in a selected one of multiple values. The spring 54b keeps the while pin 54a in the selected hole 42 and retains two contact portions 53 of the body 52 against the lever 30.
The use of the loading devices is not without any problem. The sliding of the body 52 on the lever 30 and the insertion of the pin 54a in one of the holes 42 are manual. Hence, the use of the loading devices is not convenient. Moreover, the use of the handle 54 to keep the upper end of the pneumatic cylinder 36 in position relative to the pivot 32 is not firm.
The present invention is therefore intended to obviate or at least alleviate the problems encountered in the prior art.
It is the primary objective of the present invention to provide an exercise machine with a delicately adjustable loading device.
To achieve the foregoing objective, the loading device includes a lever, a coupler, a cylinder unit and a driving unit. The lever includes two ends. The first end of the lever is connected to the exercise machine. The coupler is movable along the lever between the first and second ends. The cylinder unit includes an end connected to the exercise machine and another end connected to the coupler. The driving unit includes a threaded sleeve, a threaded rod and a motor. The threaded sleeve is connected to the coupler. The threaded rod is engaged with the threaded sleeve. The motor rotates the threaded rod relative to the threaded sleeve so that the threaded rod moves the coupler via the threaded sleeve.
Other objectives, advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description referring to the attached drawings.
The present invention will be described via detailed illustration of two embodiments referring to the drawings wherein:
Referring to
The lever 11 is an arched element formed with two ends 12 and 17. A pivot 13 is used to connect the end 12 of the lever 11 to a portion of the exercise machine 50 or 60 so that the lever 11 is allowed to pivot about an axis 14 along which the pivot 13 extends. A supporting element 15 and a positioner 40 are connected to the lever 11, near the end 17. The supporting element 15 supports a stationary pulley 16. A cable 57 (
The driving unit 41 includes a shell 41a (
Referring to
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The motor 43 can be energized to rotate the mandrel 43a. The mandrel 43a rotates the toothed wheel 41c. The toothed wheel 41c rotates the threaded rod 46. The threaded rod 46 moves the threaded sleeve 45. The coupler 30 moves with the threaded sleeve 45. Thus, the coupler 30 can be located in the vicinity of the end 17 of the lever 11 (
Referring to
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The loading device 10 is located in the frame 51, behind the bench 54. The end 12 of the lever 11 is connected to a left one of the vertical bars 52 via the pivot 13, in the vicinity of an upper end. The lug 24 of the cylinder 21 is connected to the left vertical bar 52 by a pivot (not numbered), in the vicinity of a lower end.
The cable 57 is wound on the pulley set 56 and the pulley 16. An end of the cable 57 is tied to a rear face of the pivotal element 55. Another end of the cable 57 is tied to a lower one of the horizontal bars 53.
A user of the exercise machine 50 sits on the bench 54. The user bends his or her legs before hooking the pivotal element 55 with the legs. Then, the user stretches the legs and pivots the pivotal element 55 from the bench 54 as indicated by an arrow head e. Hence, the user encounters a resistance from the loading device 10 via the cable 57 as indicated by arrow heads a, b, c and d.
Referring to
The loading device 10 is located in the frame 51. The end 12 of the lever 11 is connected to a left one of the vertical bars 62 via the pivot 13, in the vicinity of an upper end. The lug 24 of the cylinder 21 is connected to the left vertical bar 52 by a pivot (not numbered) extending along the axis 25, in the vicinity of a lower end.
The cable 65 is wound on the pulley set 64 and the pulley 16. An end of the cable 65 is tied to a middle portion of the handle 67. Another end of the cable 65 is tied to a lower one of the horizontal bars 63.
A user of the exercise machine 60 stands in front of the primary frame 61. The user stretches his or her arms before holding the handle 67 with his or her hands. Then, the user bends the arms and pulls the handle 67 from the secondary frame 66 as indicated by an arrow head f. Hence, the user encounters a resistance from the loading device 10 via the cable 65
as indicated by arrow heads a, b and c.
The present invention has been described via the illustration of the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can derive variations from the embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments shall not limit the scope of the present invention defined in the claims.
