Patent Application
20180250552
The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to a treadmill which can be driven in both directions.
In the field of physical exercise and rehabilitation, treadmills are common exercise apparatuses for fitness or rehabilitation. Generally, every treadmill has an exercise platform (or running board) and an endless belt mounted around the exercise platform for walking or running in the same place. In most electric treadmills, a driving device for driving the endless belt is generally mounted on the front end of the exercise platform, and a console as a user interface is located above the front end of the platform. The console is provided with a control unit electrically connected to the driving device for controlling the driving device in accordance with a preset program or an immediate command, so that the endless belt is rotated at a predetermined speed for allowing an exerciser to walk, jog, or run at a speed matching that of the endless belt. In general, when the treadmill is used, the motor in the driving device is operated in a rotational direction such as a positive rotational direction, and the endless belt is rotated circularly in a predetermined direction, namely the endless belt is moved to the rear for allowing the exerciser to simulate forward walking or running toward the front (the console) of the treadmill.
On the other hand, compared to normal forward walking, backward walking on the ground has some benefits such as less joint load, large muscle activity, easy to buffer the foot, training for different parts of muscles. Therefore, some people may use a treadmill to perform the similar exercise to achieve the same effect, that is, in a conventional treadmill, the endless belt is controlled to be rotated at a slow speed, and the exerciser stands on the endless belt but faces the rear of the treadmill (namely the back towards the console), since the top surface of the endless belt continuous to slide forward from the rear of the exerciser at this time, so that the exerciser is able to simulate walking backward in this state. In fact, some treadmills already provide an operation mode for performing backward walking (hereinafter referred to as reverse movement mode). In the reverse movement mode, the control unit controls the motor of the driving device to rotate in a rotational direction opposite to the positive rotational direction, and driving the endless belt to rotate in a reverse rotational direction, namely the top surface of the endless belt is moved to the front end from the rear end of the exercise platform so as to allow the exerciser to perform backward walking and keep facing the front of the treadmill.
Referring to the safety of the treadmill in the forward movement mode, during exercise of walking or running on the treadmill, if the exerciser is exhausted or distracting, the speed of walking or running may be slower than the backward speed of the endless belt, the exerciser will fall back with respect to the platform. Once the exerciser backs to the end of the platform, the exerciser may slip away or fall from the platform. In order to avoid such accident, generally, an emergency switch and/or a safety clip are provided on the console of the treadmill. The emergency switch provides the exerciser to actively actuate in an emergency. When the emergency is triggered, the control unit will control the driving device to stop driving the endless belt. The safety clip is used to be secured on the front of the exerciser's clothes, and a rope with a predetermined length is connected between the safety clip and the console. When the exerciser backs excessively out of a preset distance and pulls the rope backward to actuate the emergency switch, the control unit will control the driving device to stop driving the endless belt. Furthermore, the treadmill may use infrared, ultrasound, step sensing, image recognition or other means to detect the position of the exerciser on the platform for setting safety mechanisms.
Then discuss the safety of backward walking on the treadmill. When the top surface of the endless belt is moved forward from the rear of the exerciser, if the speed of backward walking is slower than the speed of the endless belt, the exerciser will move forward with respect to the platform. It is not recommend using a conventional treadmill without reverse movement mode to perform backward walking, since the exerciser faces toward the rear of the treadmill so that the exerciser is hard to press the emergency switch in an emergency.
On the other hand, regarding to the treadmill having a reverse movement mode, the top surface of the endless belt is moved to the front end from the rear end of the exercise platform during backward walking. If the speed of backward walking is slower than the speed of the endless belt, the exerciser will approach the console at the front of the treadmill. If the exerciser does not come back in time, the body of the exerciser may hit the console and the feet may be pushed forward to the cover of the driving device at the front of exercise platform and thus stumbles on the endless belt. Of course, the exerciser can actively press the emergency switch, but it cannot expect to press the emergency switch in time.
The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate the disadvantages of the conventional method. Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
The present invention is directed to a treadmill that is capable of being selected to be operated in a forward movement mode or in a reverse movement mode. The forward movement mode is provided for allowing an exerciser facing the front of the treadmill to simulate movement of forward walking or forward running. The reverse movement mode is provided for allowing the exerciser facing the front of the treadmill to simulate movement of backward walking. The aforementioned treadmill provides a safety mechanism as the exerciser performs the movement of backward walking.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a treadmill which can be driven in both directions comprises a platform, a driving device, a detecting device and a control unit. The platform has a frame and an endless belt mounted around the frame. The endless belt defines an exercise surface which is slidable in a longitudinal direction for allowing a user to perform walking or running. The platform defines a warning area located more forward than a center of the exercise surface. The driving device has a motor coupled to the endless belt for driving the endless belt to rotate. The detecting device is configured for detecting whether the user enters the warning area or not. The control unit is electrically connected to the driving device and the detecting device. The control unit is configured to control the driving device to drive the endless belt to rotate in a predetermined rotational direction at a predetermined rotational speed. The control unit has a reaction mechanism such that when the detecting device detects that the user enters into the warning area, the control unit controls the driving device to slow down or stop the endless belt. The treadmill is selected to be operated in a forward movement mode or in a reverse movement mode. In the forward movement mode, the control unit controls the driving device to drive the exercise surface of the endless belt to slide backward and to disable the reaction mechanism. In the reverse movement mode, the control unit controls the driving device to drive the exercise surface of the endless belt to slide forward and enable the reaction mechanism.
Further benefits and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after a careful reading of the detailed description with appropriate reference to the accompanying drawings.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically depicted in order to simplify the drawings.
Referring to
The platform 110 has a substantially rectangular frame 111 which has two ends corresponding to the front and rear ends of the treadmill 100. A rectangular deck (or running board, not shown) is sustained on the frame 111 by a plurality of elastic support members or damping elements (not shown). A front roller 112 and a rear roller 113 are pivotally and transversely mounted on the frame 111 and disposed at a front side and a rear side of the deck respectively, as shown in
Generally, most treadmill platforms can be electrically or manually adjusted the inclined angle with respect to the ground, so that the user can adjust the exercise surface to a level state or a predetermined inclined angle for simulating movement on a level ground or on different slopes, respectively. The treadmill of the present invention may also employ a movable platform capable of being angled. Actually, the front end of the platform 110 in the present embodiment is provided with an electric control mechanism (not shown) for changing the angle of the platform 110, and the detailed description is not mentioned in the present invention. The exercise surfaces in the drawings are presented at a horizontal state for illustrating the typical use of the treadmill, which is not limited in the present invention. In other words, when the treadmill of the present invention is used, either simulating forward movement or simulating backward movement, the exercise surface of the platform may be adjusted to a level state, an inclined state that the front end is higher than the rear end, or an inclined state that the front end is lower than the rear end according to the use requirement.
The platform 110 has a protecting cover 116 disposed at the front end thereof for covering the electric control mechanism that is provided to change the angle of the platform 110 and covering a driving device 120 that is configured to drive the endless belt to rotate and the correlated power system. The driving device 120 includes a motor 121 coupled to the endless belt 114. Like a conventional transmission method, a small belt pulley 122 is coupled to the motor shaft of the motor 121, a large belt pulley 123 is coupled to one end of the front roller 112, and a driving belt 124 is mounted around the two belt pulleys 122, 123. Thereby, as shown in
Two lower ends of the two symmetric uprights 130 are respectively mounted to the left and right sides of the frame 111 of the platform 110 corresponding to the front end of the exercise surface 115. In the present embodiment, each of the two uprights 130 extends upward and rearward from the platform 110 (about 60 degrees tilt), in other words, the closer to the top of each upright 130 the closer to the rear.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The right upright 130 has an upper infrared emitter 181 and a lower infrared emitter 182 disposed in an inner side thereof, and the left upright 130 has an upper infrared receiver 183 and a lower infrared receiver 184 disposed in an inner side thereof. The upper infrared emitter 181 is opposite to the upper infrared receiver 183 at a height substantially corresponding to a tight range as an ordinary person stands on the exercise surface 115. The lower infrared emitter 182 is opposite to the lower infrared receiver 184 at a height substantially corresponding to a shank range as an ordinary person stands on the exercise surface 115. The lower infrared emitter 182 and the lower infrared receiver 184 are located more forward than the upper infrared emitter 181 and the upper infrared receiver 183. As shown in
The two symmetric handrails 140 are respectively secured to the top ends of the left and right uprights 130, and each extends horizontally in a longitudinal direction at a height substantially corresponding to the waist or abdomen of an ordinary person for allowing the exerciser S to hold anytime. In another embodiment, the left and right handrails may extend to the rear end of the platform, namely the length of the handrails at two sides of the treadmill corresponds to the length of the exercise surface.
The console 150 is secured between the front ends of the left and right handrails 140, and located above the protecting cover 116 at the front end of the platform 110. The console 150 includes a plurality of input interfaces 151 and a display interface 152 disposed thereof. The input interfaces 151 are provided for allowing the exerciser S to manually input commands, and the display interface 152 is provided to display information for the exerciser S.
On the rear side of the console close to the handrails 140 and the exerciser S, there are two handles 145 extended transversely at a position substantially above the front end of the exercise surface 115 and located at a height which is the same as the handrails 140 for allowing the exerciser S to reach his hands out to grasp the left and right handles 145, if needed.
As shown in
The console 150 has a control unit therein (not shown). The control unit refers to a hardware, software and firmware assembly that can process a variety of electrical signals of the treadmill in a predetermined manner. In practice, a microcontroller (MCU) with a built-in specific program is generally used as the processing core, and the related circuits and components are integrated on one or a plurality of circuit boards. The control unit is electrically connected to the electric control mechanism (for changing the angle of the platform 110, not shown), the driving device 120, the input interface 151, the display interface 152, the emergency switch 160, the infrared emitters 181, 182 and the infrared receivers 183, 184. The control unit is able to control the driving circuit of the motor 121 of the driving device 120, such as commanding the motor 121 to start or stop operation and to control the rotational direction and rotational speed of the operation, that is, making the driving device 120 drive the endless belt 114 to rotate in the predetermined rotational direction (namely the positive rotational direction D1 or the reverse rotational direction D2) and the predetermined rotational speed. Besides, the control unit may also receive and process instructions or data from the input interface 151, control the display content of the display interface 152, receive circuit signals from the emergency switch 160 (monitor whether it is triggered), control the infrared emitters 181, 182 to emit infrared rays, and receive circuit signals from the infrared receivers 183, 184 (for monitoring whether they receive infrared rays or not).
The treadmill 100 can be selected to be operated in a forward movement mode or in a reverse movement mode. In brief, the forward movement mode is provided for the exerciser S to simulate the movement of forward walking or forward running, and the reverse movement mode is provided for the exerciser S to simulate the movement of backward walking (even backward running). The exerciser S can use the input interface 151 on the console 150 to select an exercise mode he wants. In the forward movement mode, as shown in
In the above mechanism, the safety clip 172, the rope 174 and the circuit of the emergency switch 160 constitute a first detecting device for detecting whether or not the exerciser S enters a preset warning area (hereinafter referred to as first warning area) behind the normal range of movement. In short, the first detecting device is configured to detect whether the upper body of the exerciser S (the position where the safety clip 172 is secured to) enters the posterior approximately one-third of the space above the exercise surface 115. When the first detecting device detects the exerciser S entering the first warning area, it will transmit an electrical signal to the control unit, or the control unit may obtain or determine the detection result based on an electrical state of the first detecting device.
Of course, the exerciser S can manually press the emergency switch 160 by hands to make the driving device 120 stop driving the endless belt 114 immediately if the exerciser S himself feels dangerous or needs to stop movement immediately during exercise. However, like some treadmills in the prior art, the treadmill of the present invention may be only provided with a safety clip set (or other detectors that can detect an excess of the backward movement of the exerciser) without an emergency switch. In contrast, like some treadmills in the prior art, the treadmill of the present invention may be only provided with an emergency switch without a safety clip set (or other detectors that can detect an excess of the backward movement of the exerciser), namely the exerciser needs to stop operation of the treadmill himself via the emergency switch.
In the above mechanism, the infrared emitters 181, 182 and the infrared receivers 183, 184 constitute a second detecting device for detecting whether or not the exerciser S enters a preset warning area (hereinafter referred to as second warning area) in front of the normal range of movement. In short, the second detecting device is configured to detect whether legs of the exerciser S (there may be hands or other parts of the body) enter the area between the left and right uprights 130. When the second detecting device detects the exerciser S entering the second warning area, it will transmit an electrical signal to the control unit, or the control unit may obtain or determine the detection result based on an electrical state of the second detecting device. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, two pairs of infrared sets are arranged on the inner sides of the two upright 130 to generate two infrared rays at different positions for detection. One of the two infrared rays is arranged higher and more rearward, and the other infrared ray is arranged lower and more forward in order to avoid missing detection and improve reliability. In another embodiment of the present invention (not shown), it may provide more pairs of infrared sets on the uprights 130, or maybe provide only one pair of infrared set arranged at a key position. However, it is not necessary to make the infrared rays arranged in a left-right axial direction. For example, an infrared emitter may be disposed at the bottom of the console 150, and a corresponding infrared receiver is disposed at the top of the protecting cover 116, so that the infrared ray for detection is presented longitudinal.
Likewise, in the reverse movement mode, in addition to the detection of the second detecting device for stopping the treadmill 100 in an emergency, the exerciser S can manually press the emergency switch 160 by hands to make the driving device 120 stop driving the endless belt 114 immediately if the exerciser S himself feels dangerous or needs to stop movement immediately during exercise. However, the treadmill of the present invention may not be provided without an emergency switch.
It should be noted that the infrared emitters 181, 182 and the infrared receivers 183, 184, namely the second detecting device, are not operated in the forward movement mode as shown in
Referring to
According to one aspect of the present invention, in a particular embodiment, the treadmill of the present invention has a detecting unit. The detecting unit includes a first detecting function and a second detecting function. The first detecting function is provided for detecting whether the exerciser enters the first warning area at the rear part of the space above the platform. The second detecting function is provided for detecting whether the exerciser enters the second warning area at the front part of the space above the platform. In the aforementioned first and second embodiments, the first detecting function is achieved by a first detecting device such as safety clip set, and the second detecting function is achieved by a second detecting device such as infrared sets or an ultrasonic module.
Referring to
In the present embodiment, the detecting device (namely the ultrasonic module 380) is capable of knowing the position of the exerciser S on the platform 310 rather than knowing the position as the exerciser S has reached or crossed a particular position. The treadmill 300 of the present embodiment may be further designed such that, in a forward movement mode, when the detecting device detects that the exerciser S backs to a first pre-warning area which is slightly more forward than the first warning area, that is, although the position of the exerciser S is behind the normal range of movement but it still has no need to stop operation of the treadmill immediately, the control unit will control the driving device to slow down the endless belt so that the exerciser S has an opportunity to speed up the walking or running speed to return to the normal range of movement. If the detecting device detects that the exerciser S has moved forward and away from the first pre-warning area, the rotational speed of the endless belt is controlled to return to the previous speed. If the detecting device detects that the exerciser S continues to back to the first warning area, the endless belt is controlled to stop immediately. In contrast, in the reverse movement mode, when the detecting device detects that the exerciser S moves forward to a second pre-warning area which is slightly more rearward than the second warning area, that is, although the position of the exerciser S is ahead of the normal range of movement but it still has no need to stop operation of the treadmill immediately, the control unit will control the driving device to slow down the endless belt so that the exerciser S has an opportunity to speed up the backward walking speed to return to the normal range of movement. If the detecting device detects that the exerciser S has moved backward and away from the second pre-warning area, the rotational speed of the endless belt is controlled to return to the previous speed. If the detecting device detects that the exerciser S continues to move forward to the second warning area, the endless belt is controlled to stop immediately.
In the present embodiment, the ultrasonic module 380 works in either forward movement mode or reverse movement mode, that is, the ultrasonic module 380 will emit and receive ultrasound (US) to monitor the position of the exerciser S. However, in the forward movement mode, it is more dangerous when the exerciser S is located more rearward. In contrast, in the rearward movement mode, it is more dangerous when the exerciser S is located more frontward. Therefore, the control unit controls the driving device to slow down the endless belt or stop operation as “the exerciser enters the first warning area (including the pre-warning area)” in the forward movement mode and to slow down the endless belt or stop operation as “the exerciser enters to second warning area (including the pre-warning area)” in the rearward movement mode. The two reaction mechanisms are different and not enabled at the same time.
According to one aspect of the present invention, in a particular embodiment, the control unit of the present treadmill has two reaction mechanisms. When it is determined that the exerciser enters into a first warning area which is preset at the rear portion above the platform according to a first detecting device or first detecting function, the control unit will control the driving device to slow down or stop operation of the endless belt, called “rear-end warning mechanism”. Besides, when it is determined that the exerciser enters into a second warning area which is preset at the front portion above the platform according to a second detecting device or second detecting function, the control unit will control the driving device to slow down or stop operation of the endless belt, called “front-end warning mechanism”. The aforementioned two reaction mechanisms can be respectively controlled by the control unit to enable or disable depending to situations. For example, when the treadmill is operated in the forward movement mode, the control unit will enable the rear-end warning mechanism and disable the front-end warning mechanism. In contrast, when the treadmill is operated in the rearward movement mode, the control unit will enable the front-end warning mechanism and disable the rear-end warning mechanism. In the embodiment in which the emergency switch is provided, the control unit controls the driving device to stop operation as the emergency switch is triggered, called “emergency switch reaction mechanism”. Preferably, the emergency switch is enabled in both the forward movement mode and the rearward movement mode.
Referring to
In the aforementioned embodiments, both the first warning area and the second warning area are located at the space above the exercise surface. The first warning area is located more rearward than the center of the exercise surface, and the second warning area is located more forward than the center of the exercise surface. In another embodiment (not shown), the second warning area may be set in front of the space above the exercise surface, for example, as mentioned before, an infrared emitter may be disposed at the bottom of the console 150 and a corresponding infrared receiver may be disposed at the top of the protecting cover 116 so as to generate a longitudinal infrared ray for detecting whether the exerciser enters the top of the protecting cover in the reverse movement mode. Additionally, the present invention may provide a pressure sensor on the protecting cover, and the control unit controls to stop the endless belt in reverse rotation as the exerciser steps on the protecting cover.
In addition to the aforementioned embodiment, there are other methods to detect whether the exerciser enters a preset warning area. For example, a pressure sensor may be disposed on a front/rear end area of a top plane of a rectangular deck (or running board) under the exercise surface for sensing whether such area is stepped by the exerciser. A pressure sensor may be coupled to an elastic support member that is provided for supporting the rectangular deck and configured to detect the stepping position of the exerciser according to the force acting on the supporting member. An ultrasonic module is arranged on the rear end of the treadmill and configured to emit ultrasound forward so as to determine the position of the exerciser according to the reflection of the ultrasound. Also, the mechanism of the aforementioned safety clip set can move to the rear end of the treadmill for detecting whether exerciser is located more forward in the reverse movement mode. Additionally, a cord winder may be provided in the treadmill, for example, a cord may have one end connected to a clip member that could be attached to the exerciser and the other end connected to the cord winder, so that it is able to monitor the pull-out length of the cord to determine the position of the exerciser.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they fall within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.
