U.S. patent application number 10/086704 was filed with the patent office on 2003-09-04 for exercising monocycle.
Invention is credited to Ho, Hsiu-Chih.
Application Number | 20030166437 10/086704 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 27803825 |
Filed Date | 2003-09-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030166437 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ho, Hsiu-Chih |
September 4, 2003 |
Exercising monocycle
Abstract
An exercising monocycle includes a main body provided with a
seat so that a user may be seated on the seat to ride the
exercising monocycle, a main frame secured on the main body, a main
shaft rotatably mounted in the main frame, an acceleration
mechanism driven by the main shaft to output an acceleration power,
and a magnetic control mechanism mounted in the main frame. The
magnetic control mechanism includes a flywheel for receiving the
acceleration power output from the acceleration mechanism, and a
damping device for increasing a resistance applied on rotation of
the flywheel, and the acceleration mechanism being surrounded by
the flywheel. Thus, the exercising monocycle has a smaller volume
and occupies a smaller space.
Inventors: |
Ho, Hsiu-Chih; (Miaoli,
TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
ROSENBERG, KLEIN & LEE
3458 ELLICOTT CENTER DRIVE-SUITE 101
ELLICOTT CITY
MD
21043
US
|
Family ID: |
27803825 |
Appl. No.: |
10/086704 |
Filed: |
March 4, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/63 ;
482/57 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/225 20130101;
A63B 21/005 20130101; A63B 22/0605 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/63 ;
482/57 |
International
Class: |
A63B 022/06; A63B
069/16 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An exercising monocycle, comprising: a main body, provided with
a seat so that a user may be seated on the seat to ride the
exercising monocycle; a main frame, secured on the main body; a
main shaft, rotatably mounted in the main frame; an acceleration
mechanism, mounted in the main frame, and driven by the main shaft,
to output an acceleration power; and a magnetic control mechanism,
mounted in the main frame, and includes a flywheel for receiving
the acceleration power output from the acceleration mechanism, and
a damping device for increasing a resistance applied on rotation of
the flywheel, and the acceleration mechanism being surrounded by
the flywheel.
2. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
main frame is a substantially U-shaped frame that includes two
opposite fixing plates secured on the main body.
3. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 2, wherein the
main frame includes a bottom plate secured on the main body and
mounted between the two opposite fixing plates.
4. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 2, wherein one
of the two opposite fixing plates is protruded with two opposite
support plates.
5. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 2, wherein the
main shaft is rotatably mounted in each of the two opposite fixing
plates, and has two ends each protruded outward from each of the
two opposite fixing plates and each secured with a crank which has
a pedal, so that the main shaft may be rotated through the cranks
by stepping the pedals.
6. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
acceleration mechanism includes: a drive gear secured on and
rotated by the main shaft; a driven gear rotatably mounted on the
main shaft; a single direction bearing mounted on one side of the
driven gear; a support shaft mounted on the main frame and parallel
with the main shaft; and a composite gear rotatably mounted on the
support shaft, and including a smaller gear meshing with the drive
gear, and a larger gear meshing with the driven gear.
7. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 6, wherein the
drive gear has sixty teeth, the driven gear has twenty teeth, the
larger gear has sixty teeth, and the smaller gear has twenty teeth,
thereby obtaining an optimum rotation ratio of 1:9.
8. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 6, wherein the
flywheel of the magnetic control mechanism is mounted on the single
direction bearing, and is formed with an annular flange which has
an inner wall provided with a metallic layer.
9. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 1, wherein the
flywheel of the magnetic control mechanism has a surface formed
with multiple through holes each having one side protruded with an
air guide plate.
10. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 8, wherein
the damping device of the magnetic control mechanism includes two
opposite support plates each provided with multiple magnetic blocks
which are spaced from the flange of the flywheel with a determined
distance.
11. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 10, wherein
each of the two opposite support plates has a first end formed with
a pivot end and a second end formed with a free end, and the
damping device of the magnetic control mechanism includes two pivot
shafts each extended through the pivot end of each of the two
opposite support plates and each secured on the main frame, so that
the free end of each of the two opposite support plates may be
pivoted about the pivot shaft.
12. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 10, further
comprising an adjusting device for adjusting the distance between
the metallic layer of the flywheel and the magnetic blocks of the
two opposite support plates, so as to change the magnetic force of
the magnetic blocks of the support plates of the damping device of
the magnetic control mechanism.
13. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 12, wherein
the adjusting device includes a seat plate, a control rod, a guide
wheel, two control wires, and two elastic members, wherein: the
seat plate is secured on the main frame and formed with a through
hole; the control rod is passed through the through hole of the
seat plate, and has an upper section secured with a rotary knob, a
mediate section provided with a positioning block, and a lower
section extended into the main frame and secured with a fixing
block, the guide wheel is mounted on the seat plate, and is located
adjacent to the fixing block of the control rod, the guide wheel
has a periphery formed with multiple grooves; each of the two
control wires has a first end secured on the free end of each of
the two opposite support plates and a second end reeved through the
grooves of the guide wheel and secured on the fixing block of the
control rod; and each of the two elastic members has a first end
secured on the seat plate and a second end secured on the free end
of each of the two opposite support plates.
14. The exercising monocycle in accordance with claim 12, wherein
the seat plate is secured on the main frame, and is formed with a
through hole, and multiple positioning recesses surrounding the
through hole, and the positioning block has a bottom formed with a
chamber for receiving a compression spring and a positioning ball
that may be locked in one of the multiple positioning recesses of
the seat plate, thereby providing a temporary positioning effect
when the rotary knob is rotated.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an exercising monocycle,
and more particularly to an exercising monocycle which has a
smaller volume and occupies a smaller space.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] A conventional exercising bicycle in accordance with the
prior art shown in FIG. 7 comprises main frame 60, a drive sprocket
61 driven and rotated by pedals 63, a driven sprocket 64 driven and
rotated by the drive sprocket 61 by a chain 65, a flywheel 62
mounted on the driven sprocket 64, and a damping device 66 mounted
on the flywheel 62.
[0005] However, the conventional exercising bicycle in accordance
with the prior art has the following disadvantages.
[0006] 1. The drive sprocket 61 is spaced from the driven sprocket
64 with a determined distance, so that the conventional exercising
bicycle has a larger volume, thereby occupying a larger space.
[0007] 2. The acceleration effect of the conventional exercising
bicycle is achieved by the radius ratio between the drive sprocket
61 and the driven sprocket 64. However, the radius ratio between
the drive sprocket 61 and the driven sprocket 64 is limited by the
size of the drive sprocket 61 and the driven sprocket 64, so that
the acceleration effect of the conventional exercising bicycle is
not sufficient.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate
the disadvantage of the conventional exercising bicycle.
[0009] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
an exercising monocycle, wherein the main shaft of the power input
and the flywheel of the power output are arranged in the main
frame, so as to form a single-wheel type structure, thereby greatly
reducing the volume of the exercising monocycle, so that the
exercising monocycle occupies a smaller space.
[0010] Another objective of the present invention is to provide an
exercising monocycle, wherein the acceleration mechanism includes
multiple gears that may co-operate with each other, and the
transmission ratio of the gears is not limited by the space and the
wheel radius, so as to obtain a higher transmission ratio, thereby
increasing the exercising effect.
[0011] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided
an exercising monocycle, comprising:
[0012] a main body, provided with a seat so that a user may be
seated on the seat to ride the exercising monocycle;
[0013] a main frame, secured on the main body;
[0014] a main shaft, rotatably mounted in the main frame;
[0015] an acceleration mechanism, mounted in the main frame, and
driven by the main shaft, to output an acceleration power; and
[0016] a magnetic control mechanism, mounted in the main frame, and
includes a flywheel for receiving the acceleration power output
from the acceleration mechanism, and a damping device for
increasing a resistance applied on rotation of the flywheel, and
the acceleration mechanism being surrounded by the flywheel.
[0017] 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.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a side plan view of an exercising monocycle in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0019] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of an exercising
monocycle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0020] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a flywheel of an exercising
monocycle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exercising monocycle in
accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is a side plan cross-sectional assembly view of the
exercising monocycle as shown in FIG. 3;
[0023] FIG. 5 is a front plan cross-sectional assembly view of the
exercising monocycle as shown in FIG. 3;
[0024] FIG. 6 is a schematic operational view of the exercising
monocycle as shown in FIG. 5 in use; and
[0025] FIG. 7 is a side plan view of a conventional exercising
bicycle in accordance with the prior art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0026] Referring to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1-5, an
exercising monocycle in accordance with a preferred embodiment of
the present invention comprises a main body 1, a main frame 10, a
main shaft 20, an acceleration mechanism 30, and a magnetic control
mechanism 40.
[0027] The main body 1 is provided with a seat 1' so that the user
may be seated on the seat 1' to ride the exercising monocycle.
[0028] The main frame 10 is a substantially U-shaped frame that is
secured on the main body 1. The main frame 10 includes a bottom
plate 12 secured on the main body 1, and two opposite fixing plates
11. Preferably, the bottom plate 12 is integrally formed with the
two opposite fixing plates 11. Each of the two opposite fixing
plates 11 is provided with a bearing 13. One of the two opposite
fixing plates 11 is protruded with two opposite support plates
14.
[0029] The main shaft 20 is rotatably mounted in the bearing 13 of
each of the two opposite fixing plates 11, and has two ends each
protruded outward from each of the two opposite fixing plates 11
and each secured with a crank 21 which has a pedal 22, so that the
main shaft 20 may be rotated through the cranks 21 by stepping the
pedals 22.
[0030] The acceleration mechanism 30 is mounted in the main frame
10, and is driven by the main shaft 20, to output an acceleration
power.
[0031] The magnetic control mechanism 40 is mounted in the main
frame 10, and includes a flywheel 41 for receiving the acceleration
power output from the acceleration mechanism 30, and a damping
device 45 for increasing the resistance of the entire system.
Preferably, the acceleration mechanism 30 is mounted in the
flywheel 41, and the damping device 45 is a magnetic type damping
device.
[0032] Thus, the user may be seated on the seat 1' to tread the
pedals 22, thereby driving the main shaft 20 to rotate. Then, the
acceleration mechanism 30 may be driven by rotation of the main
shaft 20 to output an acceleration power to accelerate rotation of
the flywheel 41. The rotation of the flywheel 41 is subjected to
the resistance of the damping device 45, so that the user has to
provide a treading force to overcome the resistance of the damping
device 45, thereby obtaining an exercising effect.
[0033] The acceleration mechanism 30 includes a drive gear 31
secured on and rotated by the main shaft 20, and a driven gear 32
rotatably mounted on the main shaft 20. A single direction bearing
320 is mounted on one side of the driven gear 32. The acceleration
mechanism 30 further includes a support shaft 33 mounted on the
main frame 10 and is parallel with the main shaft 20, and a
composite gear 34 rotatably mounted on the support shaft 33. The
composite gear 34 includes a smaller gear 340 meshing with the
drive gear 31, and a larger gear 341 meshing with the driven gear
32. Preferably, the drive gear 31 has sixty teeth, the driven gear
32 has twenty teeth, the larger gear 341 has sixty teeth, and the
smaller gear 340 has twenty teeth, thereby obtaining the optimum
rotation ratio of 1:9.
[0034] The flywheel 41 of the magnetic control mechanism 40 is
mounted on the single direction bearing 320 that is mounted on one
side of the driven gear 32. The flywheel 41 of the magnetic control
mechanism 40 is formed with an annular flange 42 which has an inner
wall provided with a metallic layer 43.
[0035] The flywheel 41 of the magnetic control mechanism 40 has a
surface formed with multiple through holes 44 each having one side
protruded with an air guide plate 440 for introducing the ambient
colder air through the through holes 44 into the system when the
flywheel 41 is rotated, and for carrying the heat produced by the
magnetic resistance out of the system through the through holes 44
when the flywheel 41 is rotated, thereby achieving the heatsink
effect.
[0036] The damping device 45 of the magnetic control mechanism 40
includes two opposite support plates 46 each provided with multiple
magnetic blocks 460 which are spaced from the flange 42 of the
flywheel 41 with a determined distance. Each of the two opposite
support plates 46 has a first end formed with a pivot end 461 and a
second end formed with a free end 462. The damping device 45 of the
magnetic control mechanism 40 includes two pivot shafts 47 each
extended through the pivot end 461 of each of the two opposite
support plates 46 and each secured on each of the support plates 14
of the fixing plate 11 of the main frame 10, so that the free end
462 of each of the two opposite support plates 46 may be pivoted
about the pivot shaft 47.
[0037] Thus, the user may be seated on the seat 1' to tread the
pedals 22, thereby driving the main shaft 20 to rotate, thereby
rotating the drive gear 31 which rotates the smaller gear 340 which
rotates the larger gear 341 which rotates the driven gear 32 which
rotates the single direction bearing 320 which rotates the flywheel
41.
[0038] Referring to FIG. 5, when the flywheel 41 is rotated, the
metallic layer 43 of the flywheel 41 is subjected to the magnetic
force of the magnetic blocks 460 of the two opposite support plates
46. Thus, the rotation of the flywheel 41 is subjected to the
resistance of the damping device 45, so that the user has to
provide a treading force to overcome the magnetic resistance
produced by the magnetic force of the magnetic blocks 460 of the
two opposite support plates 46 of the damping device 45 of the
magnetic control mechanism 40, thereby obtaining an exercising
effect.
[0039] In general, the magnetic force of the magnetic blocks 460 of
the support plates 46 of the damping device 45 of the magnetic
control mechanism 40 may be changed, to change the magnetic
resistance produced by the magnetic force of the magnetic blocks
460, so as to determine and change the user's exercising strength,
that is, the range of consumption of the user's physical
energy.
[0040] The exercising monocycle in accordance with a preferred
embodiment of the present invention further comprises an adjusting
device 50 for adjusting the distance between the metallic layer 43
of the flywheel 41 and the magnetic blocks 460 of the two opposite
support plates 46, so as to change the magnetic force of the
magnetic blocks 460 of the support plates 46 of the damping device
45 of the magnetic control mechanism 40.
[0041] The adjusting device 50 includes a seat plate 51, a control
rod 52, a guide wheel 54, two control wires 55, and two elastic
members 56.
[0042] The seat plate 51 is secured on an upper portion of one of
the two fixing plates 11 of the main frame 10, and is formed with a
through hole 510, and multiple positioning recesses 511 surrounding
the through hole 510.
[0043] The control rod 52 is passed through the through hole 510 of
the seat plate 51, and has an upper section secured with a rotary
knob 520, a mediate section provided with a positioning block 53,
and a lower section extended into the main frame 10 and secured
with a fixing block 521. The positioning block 53 has a bottom
formed with a chamber 530 for receiving a compression spring 531
and a positioning ball 532 that may be locked in one of the
multiple positioning recesses 511 of the seat plate 51, thereby
providing a temporary positioning effect when the rotary knob 520
is rotated.
[0044] The guide wheel 54 is mounted on the seat plate 51, and is
located adjacent to the fixing block 521 of the control rod 52. The
guide wheel 54 has a periphery formed with multiple grooves
540.
[0045] Each of the two control wires 55 has a first end secured on
the free end 462 of each of the two opposite support plates 46 and
a second end reeved through the grooves 540 of the guide wheel 54
and secured on the fixing block 521 of the control rod 52.
[0046] Each of the two elastic members 56 has a first end secured
on the seat plate 51 and a second end secured on the free end 462
of each of the two opposite support plates 46.
[0047] When the rotary knob 520 is rotated, the control rod 52 may
be rotated to rotate the fixing block 521 which pulls the control
wires 55 through the guide wheel 54, so that the free end 462 of
each of the two opposite support plates 46 may be pulled and moved
by each of the two control wires 55 from the position as shown in
FIG. 5 to the position as shown in FIG. 6, thereby increasing the
distance between the magnetic blocks 460 of the two opposite
support plates 46 and the metallic layer 43 of the flywheel 41, so
that the magnetic force of the magnetic blocks 460 of the two
opposite support plates 46 on the metallic layer 43 of the flywheel
41 is decreased, and the magnetic resistance produced by the
magnetic force of the magnetic blocks 460 is decreased. Thus, the
user's exercising strength (or the range of consumption of the
user's physical energy) is reduced.
[0048] On the contrary, when the rotary knob 520 is rotated
reversely, the control rod 52 may be rotated to rotate the fixing
block 521 which releases the control wires 55 through the guide
wheel 54, so that the free end 462 of each of the two opposite
support plates 46 may be pushed by the restoring force of each of
the two elastic member 56 to move from the position as shown in
FIG. 6 to the position as shown in FIG. 5, thereby decreasing the
distance between the magnetic blocks 460 of the two opposite
support plates 46 and the metallic layer 43 of the flywheel 41, so
that the magnetic force of the magnetic blocks 460 of the two
opposite support plates 46 on the metallic layer 43 of the flywheel
41 is increased, and the magnetic resistance produced by the
magnetic force of the magnetic blocks 460 is increased. Thus, the
user's exercising strength (or the range of consumption of the
user's physical energy) is increased.
[0049] Accordingly, the exercising monocycle in accordance with a
preferred embodiment of the present invention has the following
advantages.
[0050] 1. The main shaft 20 of the power input and the flywheel 41
of the power output are arranged in the main frame 10, so as to
form a single-wheel type structure, thereby greatly reducing the
volume of the exercising monocycle, so that the exercising
monocycle occupies a smaller space.
[0051] 2. The acceleration mechanism 30 includes multiple gears
that may co-operate with each other, and the transmission ratio of
the gears is not limited by the space and the wheel radius, so as
to obtain a higher transmission ratio, thereby increasing the
exercising effect.
[0052] Although the invention has been explained in relation to its
preferred embodiment as mentioned above, it is to be understood
that many other possible modifications and variations can be made
without departing from the scope of the present invention. It is,
therefore, contemplated that the appended claim or claims will
cover such modifications and variations that fall within the true
scope of the invention.
* * * * *