U.S. patent application number 11/702992 was filed with the patent office on 2007-08-09 for training apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to Konami Sports & Life Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Toru Higuchi, Keiichi Matsubara, Kojiro Minami, Hisashi Mori, Masatoshi Mukai, Yasuhiro Noguchi, Daisuke Shijo.
Application Number | 20070184952 11/702992 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38334749 |
Filed Date | 2007-08-09 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070184952 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Matsubara; Keiichi ; et
al. |
August 9, 2007 |
Training apparatus
Abstract
Disclosed is a training apparatus, which comprises a seat unit
30 including a seat 35 allowing a user M to sit thereon, a foot
plate 42 adapted to allow the user M sitting on the seat 35 to keep
his/her feet bottoms in contact therewith, a displacement mechanism
unit 38 adapted to apply to the user M a load against a straining
force generated when the user M sitting on the seat 35 while
keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42 strains
his/her legs, and a base board 20 mounting thereon the above
components. The foot plate 42 is adapted to be changed in posture
between a horizontal posture T1 where it protrudes approximately
horizontally and outwardly from a pair of footrest frames 41
mounted on the base board 20, and a vertical posture T2 where it
protrudes approximately vertically and upward from the footrest
frames 41 at approximately the same height level as a that of the
seat 35. The present invention can provide a training apparatus
capable of allowing a user to readily sit on the seat 35 in the
same manner as that for sitting on a chair, and friendly to elderly
persons.
Inventors: |
Matsubara; Keiichi;
(Kakogawa-shi, JP) ; Mori; Hisashi; (Kobe-shi,
JP) ; Minami; Kojiro; (Kobe-shi, JP) ; Mukai;
Masatoshi; (Akashi-shi, JP) ; Shijo; Daisuke;
(Akashi-shi, JP) ; Higuchi; Toru; (Kobe-shi,
JP) ; Noguchi; Yasuhiro; (Kobe-shi, JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
JORDAN AND HAMBURG LLP
122 EAST 42ND STREET, SUITE 4000
NEW YORK
NY
10168
US
|
Assignee: |
Konami Sports & Life Co.,
Ltd.
Shinagawa-ku
JP
|
Family ID: |
38334749 |
Appl. No.: |
11/702992 |
Filed: |
February 6, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/142 ;
482/148; 482/92 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/00178 20130101;
A63B 23/0405 20130101; A63B 21/0058 20130101; A63B 2208/0228
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/142 ;
482/148; 482/92 |
International
Class: |
A63B 26/00 20060101
A63B026/00; A63B 23/00 20060101 A63B023/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Feb 9, 2006 |
JP |
2006-032776 |
Claims
1. A training apparatus comprising: a seat arranged at a given
height position; a foot plate provided on a frontward side of and
in spaced-apart relation to said seat by a specified distance; a
displacement mechanism for allowing said seat and said foot plate
to be relatively displaced away from and close to each other; a
load-applying device for applying a prescribed load between said
seat and said foot plate due to a relative movement therebetween;
and a posture change mechanism for changing the posture of said
foot plate between an inactive posture where said foot plate is in
a posture such that a user's feet can be placed thereupon from the
above and an active posture where the foot plate is in an upright
posture so that a user can initiate an exercise with this training
apparatus.
2. The training apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:
an operation unit which is externally operated; and a control unit
for controlling said load-applying device and said posture change
mechanism, wherein said posture change mechanism is operable, in
response to a signal generated from said control unit based on the
operation of said operation unit, to change said foot plate from
said inactive posture to said active posture.
3. The training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said
posture change mechanism includes: an arm supporting said foot
plate with respect to said seat; and a rotation mechanism which
rotates said arm by about 90 degrees so as to change said foot
plate between said inactive posture and said active posture.
4. The training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said
displacement mechanism is operable to allow said seat to be
displaced in a frontward/rearward direction of said apparatus.
5. The training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said
load-applying device is operable to apply the load against a
rearward displacement of said seat.
6. The training apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said
load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is
operable to immovably lock said seat at a frontmost position
thereof until said foot plate starts being moved from said inactive
posture in response to a signal generated from said control unit
based on the operation of said operation unit and to release said
locked state when said foot plate is moved in response to a signal
generated from said control unit based on the operation of said
operation unit.
7. The training apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said
load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is
operable, just after said foot plate starts being moved from said
inactive position toward said active position in response to a
signal from said control unit, to start applying the load in such a
manner that said seat is biased in a frontward direction of said
apparatus.
8. The training apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said
load-applying device is an electrical load generator which is
operable, in response to a signal from said control unit, to
increase the load in a vicinity of a rear end of a displaceable
range of said seat in such a manner that it becomes larger as said
seat is displaced closer to said rear end.
9. The training apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said
operation unit is adapted to allow body information of a user to be
input therefrom; and said control unit is operable, based on the
body information input from said operation unit, to set at least
either one of a level of the load to be applied from said
load-applying device and a displaceable range of said seat.
10. The training apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said foot
plate is oriented in a horizontal posture when in said inactive
posture so that the user can step on said foot plate while the user
sits on said seat in an ordinary sitting manner and said foot plate
is oriented in a vertical posture when in said active posture so
that the user's feet can abut against the foot plate in a
horizontal direction.
11. A training apparatus comprising: a seat arranged at a given
height position; a foot plate provided on a frontward side of and
in spaced-apart relation to said seat by a specified distance; a
displacement mechanism for allowing said seat and said foot plate
to be relatively displaced away from and close to each other; a
load-applying device for applying a prescribed load between said
seat and said foot plate due to a relative movement therebetween;
and a posture change mechanism for changing the posture of said
foot plate between a horizontal posture at a lowermost position
with respect to the seat so that a user's feet can be placed
thereupon while the user is in an ordinary sitting posture and a
vertical posture at a frontal end position with respect to the seat
so that a user's feet can abut against said foot plate in a
horizontal direction.
12. The training apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said foot
plate is rotatably supported at the frontal end of the seat by an
arm and said arm is in about a vertical position when said foot
plate is in the horizontal posture and said arm is in about a
horizontal position when said foot plate is in the vertical
posture.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a training apparatus for
exercising the body, such as legs and lumbar, of a human user, and
more particularly to a training apparatus suitable for an elderly
person and a patient who undergoes rehabilitation (hereinafter
referred to collectively as "elderly user").
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Heretofore, there has been known a training apparatus
(exercise apparatus) as discloses in Japanese Patent Laid-Open
Publication No. 2004-194985 ("Patent Publication 1").
[0005] This training apparatus comprises a seat for allowing a user
to sit thereon, a foot-push member adapted to be pushed by a foot
or feet of the user sitting on the seat, and loading means
operable, when the seat is displaced based on a reaction force from
the foot-push member pushed by the user's feet, to impose a load on
the seat. The user sitting on the seat can repeatedly perform
bending/stretching of his/her leg or legs against the load of the
loading means to exercise his/her body.
[0006] The above training apparatus has a given 3-dimensional
shape, and includes a frame having a height dimension slightly
greater than a standard body height of humans. The seat, the
foot-push member and other components are attached to the frame,
and an entrance space is formed between the seat and the foot-push
member to allow a user to enter inside the frame and get out of the
frame.
[0007] Thus, after entering inside the frame through the space, a
user will sit on the seat and place his/her feet on the foot-push
member.
[0008] Even though the entrance space for allowing a user to enter
inside the frame is ensured in the training apparatus disclosed in
the Patent Publication 1, the user is required to step over a lower
sill of the frame before getting into the entrance space, and,
after entering inside the frame and sitting on the seat, move
his/her feet upwardly to bring the feet bottoms into contact with
the foot-press member. While these movements are not so arduous for
a normal healthy person, an elderly user is likely to have
difficulty in carrying out such movements. In this respect, the
training apparatus disclosed in the Patent Publication 1 is not
exactly friendly to elderly users.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the
present invention to provide a user-friendly training apparatus
capable of creating an obstacle-free space in front of a seat when
a user moves toward the seat to sit thereon, to allow the user to
readily sit on the seat without additional movements so as to
achieve enhanced usability for not only normal healthy persons but
also elderly persons and persons with physical handicaps. It is
another object of the present invention to provide a training
apparatus designed to prevent excessive load from being imposed on
a body of a user.
[0010] In order to achieve the above object, according to the
present invention, a training apparatus comprises:
[0011] a seat arranged at a given height position;
[0012] a foot plate provided on a frontward side of and in
spaced-apart relation to said seat by a specified distance;
[0013] a displacement mechanism for allowing said seat and said
foot plate to be relatively displaced away from and close to each
other;
[0014] a load-applying device for applying a prescribed load
between said seat and said foot plate due to a relative movement
therebetween; and
[0015] a posture change mechanism for changing the posture of said
foot plate between an inactive posture where said foot plate is in
a posture such that a user's feet can be placed thereupon from the
above and an active posture where the foot plate is in an upright
posture so that a user can initiate an exercise with this training
apparatus.
[0016] In the above training apparatus of the present invention,
the foot plate can be changed between the active posture relative
to the seat, and the inactive posture where the foot plate is
disposed substantially at a lower extremity below the frontward
position of the seat. Specifically, before a user sits on the seat,
the foot plate is set in the inactive posture at the lower
extremity by the displacement mechanism. Thus, when the user moves
toward the seat, an obstacle-free space is created in front of the
seat to allow the user to significantly easily sit on the seat
using the foot plate as a step ladder simply by the same movement
as that for sitting on a commonly-used chair. This allows not only
a normal healthy user but also an elderly user to sit on the seat
in a significantly easy manner. In addition, an obstacle-free space
created in front of the seat during sitting allows a user using a
wheelchair to roll the wheelchair close to the front of the
training apparatus and then readily move from the wheelchair
directly to the seat. When a care-giver escorts the user, the
burden of the care-giver will be significantly reduced.
[0017] These and other objects, features, and advantages of the
present invention will become more apparent upon reading of the
following detailed description along with the accompanied
drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a training
apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] FIGS. 2A and 2B are assembly perspective views of the
training apparatus in FIG. 1, respectively, viewed from the right
front side thereof, and viewed from the left rear side thereof,
wherein a foot plate is set in a vertical posture, and an outer
cover is detached from the training apparatus.
[0020] FIGS. 3A to 3C are assembly perspective views of the
training apparatus in FIG. 1, which has the outer cover attached
thereto, wherein: FIG. 3A shows a state after the foot plate is set
in a horizontal posture (hereinafter also referred to as "inactive
posture") and a seat is set at a home position; FIG. 3B shows a
state after the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the
seat is set at a front position; and FIG. 3C shows a state after
the foot plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set
at a rear position.
[0021] FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of the training apparatus,
wherein FIG. 4A shows a state after the foot plate is set in the
vertical posture and the seat is set at the home position, and FIG.
4B shows the state after the foot plate is set in the vertical
posture and the seat is set at the rear position.
[0022] FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory fragmentary perspective
views showing one example of a reclining-angle adjustment mechanism
of the training apparatus, wherein FIG. 5A shows a state after a
reclining posture of a backrest is locked by the reclining-angle
adjustment mechanism, and FIG. 5B shows a state after the locked
state of the reclining posture of the backrest is released by a
given action of the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism.
[0023] FIG. 6 is an explanatory block diagram showing an
operational control of the training apparatus based on a control
unit.
[0024] FIG. 7 is a front view showing one example of a layout of an
operation panel.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an initial stage in one
example of a control process of the training apparatus.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an intermediate stage in the
example of the control process of the training apparatus.
[0027] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a last stage in the example
of the control process of the training apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0028] With reference to FIGS. 1 to 4B, a training apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be
described. FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a
training apparatus according to one embodiment of the present
invention, and FIGS. 2A and 2B and FIGS. 3A to 3C are assembly
perspective views of the training apparatus in FIG. 1.
[0029] Specifically, FIGS. 2A and 2B show a state after a foot
plate is set in a vertical posture (also referred to as "an active
posture"), and an outer cover is detached from the training
apparatus, wherein FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the training
apparatus, when viewed from the right front side thereof, and FIG.
2B is a perspective view of the training apparatus, when viewed
from the left rear side thereof. FIG. 3A shows a state after the
foot plate is set in a horizontal posture (also referred to as "an
inactive posture"), and a seat is set at a home position which is a
frontmost position for allowing a user to get on/off the seat. FIG.
3B shows a state after the foot plate is set in the vertical
posture, and the seat is set at a front position which is a start
position of training, and FIG. 3C shows a state after the foot
plate is set in the vertical posture and the seat is set at a rear
position which is located at a rear end of the training
apparatus.
[0030] It should be noted that the term "horizontal" used to
describe the posture of the foot plate in the non-active posture
includes an upwardly or downwardly varied angle of inclination
thereof with respect to an exact horizon (0 degree) as long as the
user's foot can be placed on the foot plate in a reasonably
comfortable manner while the user is in an ordinary sitting
posture. Similarly, the term "vertical" used to describe the
posture of the foot plate in the active posture includes a
reasonable variation of the angle with respect to the exact
vertical (90 degrees) as long as the user's foot can be reasonably
placed against the foot plate during the exercise.
[0031] FIGS. 4A and 4B are side views of the training apparatus,
wherein FIG. 4A shows a state after the foot plate is set in the
vertical posture and the seat is set at the home position, and FIG.
4B shows the state after the foot plate is set in the vertical
posture and the seat is set at the rear position.
[0032] In FIGS. 1 to 4B, the X-X direction will be referred to as
"rightward/leftward direction (width or lateral direction)", and
the Y-Y direction will be referred to as "frontward/rearward
direction (longitudinal direction)". More specifically, the -X
direction will be referred to as "leftward", and the +X direction
will be referred to as "rightward". Further, the -Y direction will
be referred to as "frontward", and the +Y direction will be
referred to as "rearward".
[0033] The training apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is
deigned to allow a user sitting on a seat to bend and stretch
his/her legs against a given exercise load so as to perform
training of legs and lumber. As shown in FIG. 1, the training
apparatus 10 comprises: a seat unit 30 adapted to allow a user M
(see FIGS. 3 and 4) to sit thereon; a footrest mechanism 40 adapted
to change a posture of an after-mentioned foot plate 42 for
allowing the user M who sits on the seat unit 30 to place his/her
feet thereon; an input/output unit 50 which includes an
after-mentioned panel board 54 adapted to allow an operator, such
as the user M, to perform an input/output operation for
after-mentioned actions of the seat unit 30 and the footrest
mechanism 54; and a control unit 60 adapted to control actions of
the seat unit 30 and the footrest mechanism 54. These components
are mounted on a base board 20 having a flat plate shape.
[0034] The base board 20 is formed in a trapezoid shape in top plan
view. Specifically, the base board 20 has a rear portion with a
width which gradually decreases in a rearward direction, and a
front portion with an approximately square shape, so that a contour
of the base board 20 conforms to those of the seat unit 30 and the
footrest mechanism 40 which are supported by the base board 20. The
base board 20 is prepared by combining a plurality of bar members
arranged longitudinally and laterally and along peripheral edges to
form a flat structure and then covering a top surface of the
structure with a metal plate. Thus, the base board 20 is
lightweight yet structurally strong.
[0035] After the seat unit 30, the footrest mechanism 40, the
input/output unit 50 and the control unit 60 are mounted on the
base board 20, an outer cover 21 is attached to the base board 20
to provide an aesthetic appearance to the training apparatus 10 as
shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C. The outer cover 21 includes a pair of
rear side covers 22 for covering right and left sides of the seat
unit 30 mounted on the rear portion of the base board 20, a pair of
front side covers 23 for covering right and left sides of the
footrest mechanism 40 mounted on the front portion of the base
board 20, and a front center cover 24 for covering a central
portion of the footrest mechanism 40.
[0036] Each of the rear side covers 22, the front side covers 23
and the front center cover 24 is attached to the base board in a
detachable manner individually to facilitate a maintenance
operation for the training apparatus 10.
[0037] The seat unit 30 comprises: a seat frame 31 fixed to a
laterally-central region of the base board 20 to extend from a
position on a slightly rearward side relative to a front end toward
a rear end of the base board 20; a guide rail 32 laid on a top
surface of the seat frame 31 to extend longitudinally; a pair of
sliders 33 adapted to be reciprocally moved in frontward/rearward
direction while being guided by the guide rail 32; a seat support
board 34 supported by the pair of sliders 33; a seat 35 mounted on
a top surface of the seat support board 34; a backrest 36 mounted
on the top surface of the seat support board 34; a reclining-angle
adjustment mechanism 37 adapted to adjust a reclining angle of the
backrest 36; and a displacement mechanism unit 38 adapted to
reciprocally move the seat 35 and the backrest 36 in the
frontward/rearward direction through the sliders 33 and the seat
support board 34, and allow the seat 35 to be reciprocally
displaced while applying a load against straining for
bending/stretching of the legs of the user M sitting on the seat
35.
[0038] The seat frame 31 includes four columns 311 each fixed to
the top surface of the base board 20 to extend upward, and a top
plate 312 formed to have a longitudinally-long rectangular shaped
and disposed to bridge between upper ends of the four columns 311.
Each of the columns 311 has a height dimension slightly less than a
standard low-the-knee dimension of humans, so that the seat 35
supported by the seat frame 31 through the guide rail 32, the
sliders 33 and the seat support board 34 has a height dimension
suitable for sitting.
[0039] The guide rail 32 is provided as a means to guide
frontward/rearward movements of the seat support board 34 through
the pair of front and rear sliders 33, and fixed to a
laterally-central region of the top plate 312 of the seat frame 31
to extend longitudinally. The guide rail 32 is formed of a
I-section steel having an I shape in end view. Specifically, the
guide rail 32 has a pair of upper and lower long flat plates 321
extending longitudinally, and a long vertical plate 32 extending
longitudinally and bridging between respective laterally-central
regions of the pair of the long flat plates 321. A pair of right
and left guide grooves 323 extending longitudinally are defined
between the pair of the long flat plates 321.
[0040] The slider 33 is formed in a reverse U shape in end view,
which has opposed sides located on both sides of the upper long
flat plate 321 of the guide rail 32, and each formed as a slide
protrusion 331 adapted to be fitted into the respective guide
grooves 323. These slide protrusions 331 are fitted into the
respective guide grooves 323 in a slidable manner to allow the
slider 33 to be moved in the frontward/rearward direction in a
latched state while being guided by the guide rail 32.
[0041] The seat support board 34 is formed in a rectangular shape
in top plan view, which has a lateral dimension fairly greater than
a lateral dimension of the seat frame 31, and a longitudinal
dimension fairly less than a longitudinal dimension of the seat
frame 31. The seat support board 34 has a laterally-central region
of a front end and a longitudinally-central region, which are
fixed, respectively, to the front and rear sliders 33 by setscrews
or the like. Thus, the seat support board 34 can be moved in the
frontward/rearward direction while being guided by the guide rail
33 through the sliders 33.
[0042] A backrest support frame 341 is disposed on the seat support
board 34 at a position on a slightly rearward side relative to a
longitudinal center of the seat support board 34, to extend upward
so as to support the backrest 36. The backrest support frame 341 is
attached to a pair of right and left brackets 344 extending upward
from the seat support board 34, in a rotatable manner about a first
shaft 345, and associated with the reclining-angle adjustment
mechanism 37 in such a manner that a reclining angle thereof is
adjusted according to an action of the reclining-angle adjustment
mechanism 37. The backrest 36 can be set at a desired inclination
by adjusting a reclining angle of the backrest support frame 341.
The seat 35 is formed in an approximately square shape in top plan
view, and fixed onto the seat support board 34 to cover over
approximately the entire front half region of the top surface
thereof. The seat 35 is prepared by covering a pad member 351 as a
flexible core made of an expandable synthetic resin with a trim 352
as a skin. This provides comfortable sitting.
[0043] As described in detail later, during a period where a user
gets on/off the seat 35, the seat 35 (the term "seat 35" includes
the seat support board 34 in a mechanical aspect; the following
description will be made using the term "seat 35" as a term
representing a movable part of the seat unit 30 unless otherwise
distinctively described) is locked in an immovable state to prevent
the seat 35 from being displaced in the frontward/rearward
direction. This lock operation is achieved by an after-mentioned
sliding motor (load-applying device, electrical load generator) 381
(employing a servomotor). Specifically, a servomotor is employed as
the sliding motor 381, and a speed of the servomotor is set at zero
in a speed control mode to put the motor into an immovable state
having no motor rotation so as to obtain the above locked
state.
[0044] The backrest 36 is formed to have a vertically-long
dimension in conformity to a standard back dimension of humans, and
fixed onto a front surface of the backrest support frame 341. As
with the seat 35, the backrest 36 is prepared by covering a pad
member 361 as a flexible core made of an expandable synthetic resin
with a trim 362 as a skin. This makes it possible to allow the user
M sitting on the seat 35 to comfortably lean the back against the
backrest 36.
[0045] A pair of right and left grip arms 342 are fixed to the
backrest support frame 341 in such a manner as to protrude
frontwardly from right and left sides of the backrest support frame
341. As shown in FIGS. 3A to 4B, the user M sitting on the seat 35
and leaning the back against the backrest 36 can grip the grip arms
342 by his/her right and left hands to exert his/her strength
during exercise.
[0046] Further, a pair of right and left handrails 343 prepared by
subjecting a pipe to a bending process are fixed onto a front
region of the seat support board 34. The pair of handrails 343 are
arranged on respective right and left sides of the seat 35 in the
front region of the seat support board 34, to allow the user M to
readily get on/off the seat 35 while gripping the handrails
343.
[0047] The backrest 36 is designed such that a reclining angle
thereof can be adjusted according to an operation of the
reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37 according to the physique
or preference of the user M. FIGS. 5A and 5B are explanatory
fragmentary partially cutaway perspective views showing one example
of the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37 of the training
apparatus 10. FIG. 5A shows a state after a reclining posture of
the backrest 36 is locked by the reclining-angle adjustment
mechanism 37, and FIG. 5B shows a state after the locked state of
the reclining posture of the backrest 36 is released by a given
action of the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37. In FIG. 5,
the X and Y directions are defined in the same manner as those in
FIG. 1 [X: rightward/leftward or lateral direction (-X: leftward,
+X: rightward), Y: frontward/rearward or longitudinal direction
(-Y: frontward, +Y: rearward)]
[0048] As shown in FIG. 5, the reclining-angle adjustment mechanism
37 comprises an operation shaft 371 disposed along a right side
edge of the seat support board 34 to extend longitudinally, a
manual operation lever 372 extending upward from a front portion of
the operation shaft 371, a link arm 373 extending upward from an
rear portion of the operation shaft 371, a lock pin member 374
interposed between an upper end of the link arm 373 and the
backrest support frame 341, and a positioning plate 375 protruding
rearward from a right side edge of the backrest support frame 341
in opposed relation to a left end face of the lock pin member
374.
[0049] The right side edge of the seat support board 34 has a
cutout concave portion 346 formed to have an angular C shape in top
plan view to allow the operation shaft 371 to be attached thereto,
and the operation shaft 371 is attached to penetrate front and rear
side walls of the cutout concave portion 346 in a rotatable manner
about an axis thereof. The manual operation lever 372 is fixed to
the front portion of the operation shaft 371 located within cutout
concave portion 346, and the link arm 373 is fixed to the rear
portion of the operation shaft 371 located within cutout concave
portion 346. Thus, when the manual operation lever 372 is manually
rotated about the operation shaft 371, the link arm 373 will be
coaxially rotated together with the manual operation lever 372. The
link arm 373 has an upper portion formed with an elongate hole 3731
extending vertically.
[0050] The lock pin member 374 comprises a cylindrical-shaped
cylinder 3741, a lock pin 3742 slidably inserted through the
cylinder 3741, and a coil spring 3745 housed in the cylinder 3741
to give a biasing force to the lock pin 3742 so as to urge the lock
pin 3742 leftward, i.e., toward the positioning plate 375. The
cylinder 3741 is integrally supported by a pair of right and left
support plates 347 extending upward from the seat support board
34.
[0051] The lock pin 3742 has a length greater than that of the
cylinder 3741, and consists of a right small-diameter portion 3743
and a large-diameter portion 3744 integrally formed with the
small-diameter portion 3743 to extend leftwardly from a left end of
the small-diameter portion 3743 in a concentric manner. The coil
spring 3745 is fitted on the small-diameter portion 3743 in a
compressed state within the cylinder 3741 to allow the
large-diameter portion 3744 having a left end protruding outside
from the cylinder 3741 to be biased toward the positioning plate
375.
[0052] The small-diameter portion 3743 of the lock pin 3742
protrudes rightwardly from a right end wall of the cylinder 3741,
and connected to the link arm 373 through a link shaft 376 fixed at
a right end of the small-diameter portion 3743 to extend
longitudinally. The link shaft 376 is inserted into the
vertically-extending elongate hole 3731 formed in the link arm 373.
Thus, reciprocal rotations of the link arm 372 about the operation
shaft 371 can be adequately converted to lateral linear movements
of the lock pin 3742.
[0053] The positioning plate 375 protruding rearwardly from the
right edge of the backrest support frame 341 is formed in an arc
shape which has a curvature center defined by an axis of the first
shaft 345, and a curvature radius set so as to be in opposed
relation to the lock pin 3742. The positioning plate 375 is formed
with a plurality of lock holes 3751 circumferentially arranged
along a circle which has a curvature center defined by the axis of
the first shaft 345 and a given curvature radius allowing each of
the lock holes to be located opposed to the lock pin 3742. Each of
the lock holes 3751 has a hole diameter slightly greater than an
outer diameter of the large-diameter portion 3744 of the lock pin
3742.
[0054] In the above reclining-angle adjustment mechanism 37, as
shown in FIG. 5A, in a state after the large-diameter portion 3744
of the lock pin 3742 is inserted into either one of the lock holes
3751 of the lock plate 375, a rotation of the positioning plate
about the first shaft 345 is inhibited by the lock pin 3742, and
thereby the reclining posture of the backrest is locked.
[0055] In this locked state, when the manual operation lever 372 is
manually rotated clockwise about the operation shaft 371, the link
lever 372 is integrally rotated clockwise about the operation shaft
371, and thereby the lock pin 3742 is moved against the biasing
force of the coil spring 3745 rightwardly through the link shaft
376. Thus, as shown in FIG. 5B, the large-diameter portion 3744 of
the lock pin 3742 is pulled out of the lock holes 3751 of the lock
plate 375, and thereby the locked state of the reclining posture of
the backrest 36 is released.
[0056] After release of the locked state of the backrest 36, the
backrest 36 is manually rotated about the first shaft 345, and the
manual operation lever 372 is released from the manual operation at
a desired reclining angle. Thus, the lock pin 3742 is moved
leftwardly by the biasing force of the coil spring 3745 to insert
the large-diameter portion 3744 of the lock pin 3742 into a new one
of the lock holes 3751 of the positioning plate 375, and thereby a
new reclining posture of the backrest 36 is locked.
[0057] Returning to FIG. 1, the displacement mechanism unit 38 will
be more specifically described below. The displacement mechanism
unit 38 comprises: the sliding motor (load-applying device) 381
installed on the base board 20 within the seat frame 31 to allow a
drive shaft 3811 thereof to extend rightwardly; a first drive
sprocket 382 concentrically fitted on the drive shaft 3811 of the
sliding motor 381 in a co-rotatable manner; a first driven sprocket
383 disposed on a rearward side of and in opposed relation to the
first drive sprocket 382; a first chain 384 wound around between
the first driven sprocket 383 and the first drive sprocket 382 in a
tensioned manner; a second shaft 385 adapted to be coaxially
rotated together with the first driven sprocket 383 and disposed to
extend laterally across the seat frame 31; a left rear sprocket 386
concentrically fitted on a left end of the second shaft 385 in a
co-rotatable manner; a left front sprocket 387 disposed on the left
side of the seat frame 31 and on a frontward side of and in opposed
relation to the left rear sprocket 386; and a board-moving chain
388 wound around between the left front sprocket 387 and the left
rear sprocket 386 in a tensioned manner and adapted to move the
seat support board 34 in the frontward/rearward direction.
[0058] In this embodiment, a servomotor capable of reliably
controlling a driving amount is used as the sliding motor 381.
[0059] The first driven sprocket 383 has an outer diameter greater
than that of the first drive sprocket 382 to generate a larger
torque than that of the first drive sprocket 382.
[0060] A part of the board-moving chain 388 is fixed onto a back
surface of the seat support board 34 supported by the pair of
sliders 33, so that the seat support board 34 can be reciprocally
moved in the frontward/rearward direction according to reciprocal
circulations of the board-moving chain 388 based on a reciprocal
driving action of the sliding motor 381.
[0061] In this embodiment, the sliding motor 381 is driven not only
to slidingly move the seat 35 but also to apply a given load to the
user M sitting on the seat 35 so as to achieve an intended purpose
as the displacement mechanism unit 38.
[0062] Specifically, in a state as shown in FIG. 3C, i.e., when the
user M sitting on the seat 35 set at the rear position leans the
back against the backrest 36, and stretches the legs while keeping
the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42 set in the
vertical posture as described later, the sliding motor 381 is
driven to rotate the drive shaft 3811 counterclockwise about the
axis thereof.
[0063] According to this driving action of the sliding motor 381,
the seat support board 34 receives a frontward force (force acting
in the frontward direction) through the first drive sprocket 382,
the first chain 384, the first driven sprocket 383, the second
shaft 385, the left rear sprocket 386 and the board-moving chain
388, and this force acts as a load against a stretching force of
the user M. The user M bends and stretches the legs against this
load to perform training of legs and lumber.
[0064] Referring to FIG. 1, the footrest mechanism 40 will be more
specifically described below. As shown in FIG. 1, the footrest
mechanism 40 comprises a pair of plate-shaped footrest frames 41
fixed onto right and left edge regions of a front end of the base
board 20 to extend upward, a foot plate 42 attached between the
pair of footrest frames 41 and adapted to be changed in posture
between a horizontal posture T1 (see FIG. 3A: also referred to as
an inactive posture) and a vertical posture T2 (see FIGS. 2, 3B,
3C, 4A and 4B: also referred to as an active posture), and a
posture change mechanism 43 adapted to change the posture of the
foot plate 42. When the foot plate 42 is set in the horizontal
posture T1, the foot plate 42 is set at a step-on/off position (as
set forth in the appended claims) allowing the user M to step
thereon/thereoff.
[0065] Each of the pair of footrest frame 41 includes a
vertically-long frame 411 having an upper edge formed in an arc
shape, and a square-shaped frame 412 having an approximately square
shape in side view and extending rearward from a lower region of a
rear edge of the vertically-long frame 411. The footrest frame 41
has a lower end fixed to the base board 20 by a setscrew or the
like through a given angled member.
[0066] The foot plate 42 is formed to allow the user M sitting on
the seat 35 to place the feet thereon. In this embodiment, the foot
plate 42 is formed in a rectangular shape in top plan view. The
foot plate 42 is formed with a pair of longitudinally-extending
reinforcing edge portions 42 protruding upward from right and left
edges thereof. Each of the reinforcing edge portions 42 is formed
with a connection portion 422 protruding upward from a rear end
thereof, and a vertically-extending plate support arm (arm) 423 is
fixed to the connection portion 422 by a setscrew or the like.
[0067] A pair of right and left support shafts 424 are fixed to
respective upper ends of the plate support arms 423 to protrude
outwardly in opposite directions. Correspondingly, each of the
right and left footrest frames 41 has an upper portion formed with
a support hole 413 for receiving a corresponding one of the support
shafts 424 in a slidable manner. Each of the support shafts 424 is
inserted into the corresponding support holes 413, so that the foot
plate 42 can be rotated about the support shaft 424 by about 90
degrees between the horizontal posture T1 and the vertical posture
T2.
[0068] The posture change mechanism 43 comprises a lifting motor 44
installed in the square frame 412 of the footrest frame 41 in a
horizontal posture, and a driving-force transfer mechanism
(rotation mechanism) 45 adapted to transfer a driving force of the
lifting motor 44 to the support shafts 424 of the foot plate
42.
[0069] The driving-force transfer mechanism 45 includes: a second
drive sprocket 451 concentrically fitted on a drive shaft 441 of
the lifting motor 44 in a co-rotatable manner; a second driven
sprocket 452 disposed below and in opposed relation to the second
drive sprocket 451, a second chain 453 wound around between the
second drive sprocket 451 and the second driven sprocket 452 in a
tensioned manner; a longitudinally-extending third shaft 454
concentrically supporting the second driven sprocket 452 in a
co-rotatable manner; a worm 455 concentrically fitted on the third
shaft 454 in a co-rotatable manner; a fourth shaft 456
penetratingly installed between the pair of footrest frames 41; a
worm wheel 457 concentrically fitted on a right end of the fourth
shaft 456 penetrating through the right footrest frame 41, in a
co-rotatable manner, and engaged with the worm 455; a pair of right
and left third driven sprockets 458 concentrically fitted on right
and left ends of the fourth shaft 456 in a co-rotatable manner; a
pair of right and left fourth driven sprockets 459 disposed above
and in opposed relation to the corresponding third driven sprockets
458 and concentrically fitted on the corresponding support shafts
424 of the foot plate 42 in a co-rotatable manner; and a pair of
right and left third chains 4591 wound around between the third and
fourth driven sprocket 458, 459 in a tensioned manner.
[0070] In this embodiment the worm 455 is formed in a so-called
"right-hand thread" where a spiral thread extends right-handed,
i.e., clockwise.
[0071] In the above driving-force transfer mechanism 45, when the
drive shaft 441 is drivingly rotated counterclockwise (hereinafter
referred to as "normal rotation or normal driving") by a driving
action of the lifting motor 44 in a state after the foot plate 42
is set in the horizontal posture T1 (see FIG. 3A), the driving
normal rotation of the drive shaft 441 is transferred to the third
shaft 454 through the second drive sprocket 451, the second chain
453 and the second driven sprocket 452, and therefore the worm 455
is co-rotated counterclockwise (normally rotated) about the third
shaft 454.
[0072] When the worm 455 with right-handed spiral thread is
normally rotated, the worm wheel 457 engaged with the worm 455 is
co-rotated clockwise about the fourth shaft 456. Thus, the right
and left third driven sprockets 458 are rotated clockwise together
with the fourth shaft 456, and the respective rotations of the left
third driven sprockets 458 are transferred to the corresponding
fourth driven sprockets 459 through the corresponding third chains
4591. In this manner, the fourth driven sprockets 459 are coaxially
rotated clockwise together with the corresponding support shafts
424.
[0073] When the support shafts 424 are rotated clockwise, the foot
plate 42 set in the horizontal posture T1 is rotated about the
support shafts 424 through the plate support arms 424, and will be
changed to the vertical posture T2.
[0074] Then, when the foot plate 42 set in the vertical posture T2
is returned to the original horizontal posture T1, the
driving-force mechanism 45 may be reversely driven. In this case,
the driving-force mechanism 45 acts in a reverse manner to that
described above to rotate the support shafts 424 counterclockwise
about axes thereof, and therefore the foot plate in the vertical
posture T2 will be returned to the original horizontal posture
T1.
[0075] In the present invention, the training apparatus is designed
such that, before the user M sits on the seat 35, the foot plate 42
is pre-set in the horizontal posture T1, as shown in FIG. 3A. In
the horizontal posture T1, an obstacle-free space is created in
front of the seat 35 during sitting, to allow the user M to readily
sit on the seat 35 simply by the same movement as that for sitting
on a chair.
[0076] That is, after stepping on the foot plate without stepping
over any frame or member, the user M can twist his/her body at the
waist and quickly sit on the seat 35 while gripping the handrails
343 if necessary. As described in detail later, the training
apparatus according to this embodiment is designed to have a
passive exercise mode for allowing a user to passively perform
bending/stretching of his/her legs by an external force for the
purpose of rehabilitation exercise or the like, instead of
performing exercise against a load on user's own will. Such an
exercise mode may be utilized for a user using a wheelchair. In
this case, the obstacle-free space toward the seat allows the user
to roll the wheelchair close to the seat and readily sit on the
seat.
[0077] As above, the user M, even an elderly user, can readily use
the training apparatus 10 to perform training.
[0078] The input/output unit 50 comprises a L-shaped support pole
51 having a lower portion bent at a right angle, and an
input/output device 52 supported by an upper portion of the support
pole 51. The support pole 51 has a height dimension allowing the
input/output device 52 to be located at a position slightly lower
that an eye line of the user M sitting on the seat 35. The lower
portion of the support pole 51 bent at a right angle is fixed onto
a right front region of the base board 20 through a given fixing
bracket 511.
[0079] The input/output device 52 comprises a box-shaped casing 53,
and a panel board 54 formed on the side of a front surface the
casing 53. The casing 53 is fixed to the upper portion of the
support pole 51 through a back surface thereof, in an inclined
posture allowing the front surface thereof to face the face of the
user M sitting on the seat 35.
[0080] The panel board 54 has an upper half region provided with a
display device 541 composed of LCD (liquid crystal display) or the
like to display various information or guidance for key operations,
and a lower half region provided with various operation keys for
inputting various types of numerical data. In use of the training
apparatus 10, these operation key are manually pressed to input
various conditions for training. Further, input information and
information about various training results obtained by performing
training are output onto a screen of the display device 541.
Further, for example, when a user wants to set a load and/or a
training time by his/her self without depending on setting
performed by the apparatus during training, a guidance for a
required key operation will be displayed.
[0081] The control unit 60 is a so-called microcomputer, which is
operable, when the user M performs training using the training
apparatus 10, to control an operation of the training apparatus 10
based on input information from the panel board 54. The control
unit 60 is installed in an appropriate position (see FIG. 2B) on
the base board 20. With reference to FIG. 6, a control based on the
control unit 60 will be described below.
[0082] FIG. 6 is an explanatory block diagram showing an
operational control of the training apparatus 10 based on the
control unit 60. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 60
fundamentally comprises a CPU (central processing unit) 61 as a
processing unit, a ROM (read-only memory) 62 associated with the
CPU 61 and a RAM (random access memory) 63 associated with the CPU
61. The ROM 62 stores a program for operating the CPU 61 and
unchanged basic data, and the R, and the RAM 62 temporarily stores
data, such as a calculation result of the CPU 61 and temporary data
generated during determination processing.
[0083] The CPU 61 includes an initial operation setting section
611, a load level setting section 612, a training time setting
section 613, a training time determination section 614, and a
control signal output section 615.
[0084] The initial operation setting section 611 carries out a
function of setting an initial operation of the training apparatus
10 based on input information from a manual operation section
542.
[0085] The load level setting section 612 carries out a function of
setting a level of training based on input information from the
manual operation section 542.
[0086] The training time setting section 613 carries out a function
of setting a training time based on input information from the
manual operation section 542.
[0087] The training time determination section 614 carries out a
function of determining whether an elapsed time after the user M
starts exercise exceeds a setup time based on the training time
setting section 613
[0088] The control signal output section 615 carries out a function
of, based on a setting signal or a determination signal from the
initial operation setting section 611, the load level setting
section 612, the training time setting section 613 and the training
time determination section 614, outputting a control signal to
allow the display device 541 to display a given output, if
necessary, and outputting a control signal to either one or both of
the sliding motor 381 and the lifting motor 44.
[0089] The panel board 54 of the input/output unit 50 is provided
with various keys and switches for inputting necessary information
to the CPU 61. FIG. 7 is a front view showing one example of a
layout of the panel board 45. As shown in FIG. 7, the panel board
54 is sectionalized into upper and lower regions. The display
device 541 is arranged in the upper region, and the manual
operation section 542 for performing various manual input
operations is arranged in the lower region, as described above.
[0090] As shown in FIG. 7, the manual operation section 542
includes a power switch 543 arranged at a right upper position, and
ten numeric keys 544 arranged in a central region. A mode key 5442,
a body weight key 5443, a body height key 5444, an age key 5446, a
sexuality key and a condition setting key 545, are arranged below
the numeric keys 544. Further, a lock release key 5420 is arranged
above the condition selection key 545 to input an instruction for
starting training, and an end key 5424 is arranged on a lateral
side of the lock release key 5420 to input information about end of
training.
[0091] A decimal-point key is arranged on a right side of "0" to
display a decimal point to be used in an operation of
adjusting/selecting a numerical value using the numeric keys 544.
Specifically, after a numerical value is adjusted/selected using
the numeric keys 544 and the decimal-point key, a set key 5441 is
pressed to finally set or input an adjusted/selected numeral
value.
[0092] Each of the mode key 5442, the body weight key 5443, the
body height key 5444, the age key 5445 and the condition setting
key 545 is used for defining a category or type of a numeral value
adjusted/selected using the numeric keys 544 and the decimal-point
key. Specifically, in an operation of inputting body weight data,
the body weight key is firstly pressed, and then a specific value
of body weight is adjusted/selected by pressing the numeric keys
544. Then, the set key 5441 is pressed to finally set or input the
adjusted/selected numerical value to the control unit 60 as body
weight data. The remaining keys are operated in the same
manner.
[0093] The mode key 5442 is used in an operation of inputting a
mode about an interconnected operation between the seat 35 and the
foot plate 42. In this embodiment, as such a mode, 1st to 3rd modes
are employed. The user M can select either one of the 1 st to 3d
modes by pressing the mode key 5442 and pressing one of the numeric
keys 544 corresponding to a desired one of the modes. For example,
in an operation of selecting the 2nd mode, the mode key 5442 is
pressed, and then "2" in the numeric keys 544 is pressed. If there
is no input from the numeric keys 544 after a given time (e.g. 5
seconds) from pressing of the mode key 5442, the 1 st mode will be
automatically selected. In either mode, an initial position of the
seat 35 is set at a home position (frontmost position) U0 (see FIG.
3A).
[0094] In this home position U0, the seat 35 is immovably locked by
the sliding motor 381. This lock operation of the sliding motor 38
is performed in response to a signal from the control signal output
section 615. The lock of the seat 35 can prevent an undesirable
movement of the seat, such as, an unstable frontward/rearward
movement likely to occur when a user gets on/off the seat 35, or an
improper rearward displacement likely to occur when a body weight
or force of the user is imposed on the seat 35 in the rearward
direction. While such an unstable frontward/rearward movement or
improper large rearward displacement is likely to cause rapid
stretching of the user's body and impose excessive load on the
muscles and joints, the lock of the seat 35 can prevent this
problem from occurring. Thus, a user can easily sit on the seat 35
before start of training, and can get off the seat 35 in a stable
state after completion of the training. This makes it possible to
ensure high reliability.
[0095] Further, the handrail 343 is integrally provided in the seat
35, more specifically in the seat support board 34. Thus, when a
user sits on the seat 35 or gets off the seat 35, the user can get
on/off the seat while gripping the handrail 343, to further
facilitate getting-on/off of the seat 35. The handrail 343 is not
necessarily integrated with the seat, but may be integrally
attached to a body of the training apparatus. Preferably, as in
this embodiment, the pair of handrails 343 are fixed to both sides
of a movable part of the seat to highly usefully serve additionally
as a support of the user's body during training.
[0096] [1st Mode]
[0097] When the user M selects the first mode and presses the lock
release key 5420 after sitting on the seat 35 and placing his/her
feet on the foot plate 42, the lock state of the seat 35 based on
the sliding motor 381 is released in response to pursing the lock
release key 5420, to allow for a movement of the seat 35 along the
guide rail 32. Then, in order to change the posture of the foot
plate 42 from the horizontal posture T1 to the vertical posture T2,
the user M presses an up key 5421. In this operation, the foot
plate 42 is rotated toward the vertical posture T2 only during a
period where the up key 5421 is actually presses. That is,
immediately after the user M stops pressing the up key 5421, the
foot plate stops rotating. Thus, the user M can finely adjust a
position of the foot plate 42 to set the foot plate 42 an optimal
position for himself/herself while allowing the foot plate 42 to be
changed to the vertical posture.
[0098] Specifically, if the user M is afraid that the foot plate 45
is excessively lifted for him/her, the user M can press a down key
5422 to move the foot plate 42 downwardly, i.e., rotate the foot
plate 42 toward the horizontal posture. In this process, the seat
35 is in an unlocked state allowing for the movement along the
guide rail 32. Thus, along with the upward rotation of the foot
plate 42 on which the user M sits, the legs of the user M are
lifted, and thereby the seat 42 will be inevitably displaced
rearwardly in response to changes in posture of the user M relative
to the seat 35.
[0099] Then, after setting the foot plate 42 at an optimal position
for the user M by operating the up and down keys, the user M
presses the set key 5441 to fix a position (frontward position
corresponding to a front position U1 of the seat 34) of the foot
plate 42. Then, the user M presses a start key 5423 to start
training. When the training is initiated, a frontward load (load
acting in the frontward direction of the apparatus) is applied to
the seat support board 34 by the displacement mechanism unit 38
(specifically, a certain current is supplied to the sliding motor
381).
[0100] Then, the user M presses the feet against foot plate 42
changed from the horizontal position T1 to the vertical position
T2, while straining to stretch the legs, to perform an exercise,
for example, of displacing the seat 35 against a load from the
front position U1 (see FIG. 3B) toward a rear position (farthermost
position) U2 (see FIG. 3C). The load to be applied to the seat 35
is rapidly increased in a vicinity of the rear position as the seat
35 is displaced closer to the rear position. The reason for this
control is that, if the load is set at a constant value, and the
user M rapidly stretches the legs with great force, the seat 35
will be displaced toward the rear position at a high speed, and the
user M is likely to get imbalance of the body on the seat.
[0101] In this embodiment where the load is increased as described
above, even if the user M rapidly stretches the legs with great
force, the load is increased as the seat 35 is displaced closer to
the rear end, and therefore the speed of the seat 35 can be
gradually reduced to maintain a stable displacement of the seat 35
without causing imbalance of the user's body.
[0102] In this embodiment, the control of rapidly increasing the
load to stop the seat is performed, particularly, in the vicinity
of the rear position, so as to make it easy to displace the seat 35
in an initial stage thereof. The reason is that a user hardly
exerts his/her strength in the front position where the legs are
bent as shown in FIG. 3B, and thereby an increased load in such an
initial stage causes difficulty in displacing the seat 35. If there
is not such a particular problem, the load may be gradually
increased from the front position in FIG. 3B toward the rear
position in FIG. 3C, as one alternative.
[0103] [2nd Mode]
[0104] A second mode is a modification of the first mode, and
therefore the following description will be made only for a
difference from the first mode. In the second mode, while the
locked state of the seat 35 is released by pressing the lock
release key 5420 in the same manner as that in the first mode, a
weak frontward load is applied to the seat 35 in advance of the
lock release, differently from the first mode. In other words, a
force urging the seat 35 to move in the frontward direction is
applied in conjunction with the lock release. This makes it
possible to facilitate setting a training start position, and
eliminate the risk that the body of the user M is uncontrollably
stretched rapidly in the rearward direction during the positional
adjustment of the foot plate 42 to impose excessive load on the
muscles and joints.
[0105] Specifically, just after the lock release key is pressed,
the locked state of the seat 35 is released to allow the seat 35 to
be freely displaced in the frontward/rearward direction. Thus, even
though the position of the foot plate 42 can be adjusted stepwise
by intermittently operating the up key 5421, a body of a user,
e.g., an elderly user who has muscle weakness, is likely to be
uncontrollably stretched rapidly in the rearward direction in
conjunction with only a slight upward movement of the foot plate
42. Moreover, if the user M rapidly stretches the legs regardless
of duration of the positional adjustment of the foot plate 42, the
user's body will be moved rearwardly. This causes imbalance of the
user's body on the seat 35. Further, the user M has to
inconveniently bend the knees by muscular power of the legs, to
return the seat frontwardly so as to set the seat at an adequate
training start position (front position U1). Moreover, such rapid
stretching of the user's body is likely to undesirably impose
excessive load on the legs and joints.
[0106] In order to suppress the above inconvenience or excessive
load on the user's body, a given value of load is applied to the
seat 35 in a direction opposite to the stretching of the user's
body, i.e., in the frontward direction of the apparatus. The given
load is set at a relatively low value, because excessively large
load causes difficulty in adjusting the position of the seat 35.
The load F during the positional adjustment of the seat 35 may be
set, for example, at the following value, by referring to body
information of the user M (in this embodiment, body weight
data):
F=.tau..times.(W+WS).times..delta. (Formula 1) [0107] wherein:
.tau. is a friction coefficient between the seat 35 (slider 33) and
the guide rail 32; W is a body weight of a user; WS is a weight of
the movable part of the seat 30; and 6 is a load level
coefficient.
[0108] While the friction coefficient .tau. is varied depending on
structure and material, it may be set, for example, in the range of
0.003 to 0.015 (the seat 35 can be displaced more optimally and
moderately as the friction coefficient .tau. is set at a lower
value). The load level coefficient .delta. indicates a level of
load to be applied to the seat 35. Specifically, .delta.=1 means a
state just before the seat 35 is displaced (wherein the seat 35 has
not been displaced yet).
[0109] In this embodiment, the load level coefficient .delta. is
set at 1.05 by way of example. For example, a load F to be applied
to the seat 35 in the frontward direction during the positional
adjustment of the seat 35 in training performed by an average user
may be calculated as follows on the assumption that: .tau.=0.01;
W=60 kg; WS=15 kg; and .tau.=1.05.
F(kg)=0.01.times.(60(kg)+15(kg)).times.1.05=0.7875(kg).apprxeq.788(g)
[0110] That is, a load of about 800 g can be applied to prevent the
above problem. This load is intended to be applied to the seat 35
only in a stage before start of training, and a value of this load
is determined without relation to a load to be applied during the
training. A level of load to be applied during training is
separately determined.
[0111] Preferably, the load F is set, but not included in the above
Formula 1, in consideration of a plurality of body information of
the user M, such as body weight and body height. The reason is
that, for example, as to body height, a taller user would exert a
larger rearward stretching force. Thus, the load F may be set at a
higher value as the body height increases, to finely take measures
against the above problem depending on individual users.
[0112] User's body information, such as body weight and/or body
height, may be input using the numeric keys 544. Further, for
example, when this training apparatus is placed in a fitness club
which has a management system such that a user ID (personal
information) is checked in advance of training, and an information
system configured to access user's personal information recorded in
a server via a network as needed, the user's personal information
may be obtained in response to selecting the 2nd mode. This
technique may also be used in the step of inputting user's body
information in an after-mentioned 3rd mode.
[0113] As described above, the 2nd mode is intended to improve
usability for users, particularly, elderly users and users who have
muscle weakness. Thus, a description of recommending the use of the
2nd mode or the after-mentioned 3rd mode to elderly users and users
who have muscle weakness may be added to an instruction leaflet of
the instruction apparatus. Further, in exercise facilities having
an instructor, the instructor may select, or may guide a user to
select, the 2nd or 3rd mode.
[0114] [3rd Mode]
[0115] A 3rd mode is also a modification of the first mode and
therefore the following description will be made only for a
difference from the first mode. The 3rd mode is intended to further
improve the easiness in getting-on/off discussed in the 2nd mode
and others. Specifically, in the 3rd mode, a displaceable range of
the seat 35, i.e., the front position U1 as a training start
position, and the rear position U2 as a rear end (rear limit) of
the displaceable range of the seat 35, is automatically determined
in conformity to body information of the user M by the control unit
60, specifically the initial operation setting section 611 in the
CPU 61. Thus, after inputting body information (in this embodiment,
body weight, body height, age and sexuality), a user may simply
press the lock release key 5420.
[0116] In the 3rd mode, before start of training, the seat 35 can
be displaced only from the home (frontmost) position (see FIG. 3A)
to the front position, i.e., the seat 35 is precluded from being
displaced beyond the front position, to avoid the undesirable
situation where the body of the user M is uncontrollably stretched
rapidly in the rearward direction to receive excessive load.
Further, during the training, the rear position U2 is set such that
the seat 35 can be displace only within a suitable range for the
user to prevent the user from inadvertently performing training
imposing excessive load on the user's body. For example, if the
rear position for an elderly user is set to allow the seat 35 to be
displaced up to a position where legs of the user are fully
stretched, such training is likely to impose excessive load on a
body of the elderly user. Form this point of view, the displaceable
range of the seat 35 is narrowed depending on age and other body
information, such as body height, as a parameter.
[0117] The 3rd mode is originally intended to improve the easiness
in getting-on/off and adequately set training load, as described
above. Further, the 3rd mode may also be selected when a normal
healthy user wants to commit the setting of a training start
position to an automatic control of the apparatus, instead of
manually determining the training start position by pushing the
start key 5423 as in the 1 st mode.
[0118] The above 1st to 3rd modes are configured on the assumption
that a user performs training against a load based on user's own
physical strength. The training apparatus 10 according to this
embodiment further includes a passive mode. In the passive mode
means, the apparatus is operable to automatically move the seat in
the frontward/rearward direction in a state wherein a user may
simply put his/her legs on the foot plate.
[0119] Specifically, in the passive mode, the user is passively
moved according to guide of the apparatus, without the need to
stretch the legs against a load. In particular, this mode is
intended for use in rehabilitation, to move hardened or
significantly weakened muscles and joints by external force so as
to recover their original functions. This passive mode is set by
pressing the mode key 5442 and then pressing "0" in the numeric
keys 544. A process before pressing the start key 5423 is the same
as that in the 3rd mode. An input operation for body information
and others may be performed by a care-giver or an instructor of a
gym. In a circumstance where body information of a user is
pre-recorded in a server, and can be downloaded, the input
operation can be omitted.
[0120] Following the above description about the functions of each
mode, the details of the 1st to 3rd modes including a signal flow
in each section will be described below with reference to FIGS. 6
and 7.
[0121] Input information from the manual operation section 542 is
sent to the initial operation setting section 611, and then
displayed on the display device 541 through the control signal
output section 615.
[0122] In a state after the power switch 543 is turned on, the
initial operation setting section 611 is operable to set an
initial-stage operation of the training apparatus 10 for a selected
one of the modes, based on input information entered by pressing
the mode key 5442, the body weight key 5443, the body height key
5444, the age key 5445 and the sexuality key 5446 (actually, in
combination with the numeric keys 544 and the set key 5441). Then,
the initial operation setting section 611 is operable to instruct
the control signal output section 615 to generate a control signal
for allowing the seat 35 and the foot plate 42 to be operated based
on the setup initial-stage operation.
[0123] The ROM 62 includes an initial operation table storage
section 621 storing an initial operation table which is a table of
control parameters for operating the sliding motor 381 and the
lifting motor 44 in the initial-stage operation of the training
apparatus 10 for a selected one of the modes. The initial operation
setting section 611 is operable to read information about the
initial-stage operation for the selected mode from the mode key
5442, from the table stored in the initial operation table storage
section 621, and instruct the control signal output section 615
based on the read information.
[0124] Then, the control signal output section 615 is operable, in
response to receiving the instruction, to output a control signal
corresponding to the selected mode to the sliding motor 381 and the
lifting motor 44. Based on the control signal, the sliding motor
381 and the lifting motor 44 are driven to operate the seat 35 and
the foot plate 42 so as to achieve a given function of the selected
mode as described above.
[0125] When the 1st mode is selected, the seat 35 is allowed to be
displaced between the home position U0 and the rear position U2
which is a rearmost position (rear limit) in the displaceable range
of the seat 35. When the 2nd or 3rd mode is selected, each of the
front position U1 and the rear position U2 is set depending on body
information, and the seat 35 is allowed to be displaced only within
the setup range. That is, when the 2nd or 3rd mode is selected, if
the seat 35 is just about being displaced beyond the displaceable
range, the sliding motor 381 is operable, based on a control signal
from the control signal output section 615, to increase a load so
as to inhibit such a displacement.
[0126] For this control, in this embodiment, the control signal
output section 615 is designed to determine a position of the seat
35 based on an accumulated number of rotations of the sliding motor
381 on the basis of an initial value set when the seat 35 is
located at the home position U0. Alternatively, a position sensor
may be disposed at an appropriate position of the guide rail 32 to
detect the position of the seat 32 based on a detection signal from
the position sensor.
[0127] After the training apparatus completes the initial-stage
operation set by the initial operation setting section 611, the
load level setting section 612 is operable to instruct the control
signal output section 615 to output a control signal based on body
information input from the manual operation section 542, to the
sliding motor 381, so as to allow a straining load conforming to
the body information of the user M to be imposed on the user M.
[0128] For the purpose of setting the straining load, the ROM 62
includes a load table storage section 622 storing a straining load
table which is a correlation table between a straining load and
body information input from the body weight key 5443, the body
height key 5444, the age key 5445 and the sexuality key 5446.
[0129] The load level setting section 612 is operable, based on
input body information, to refer to the table stored in the load
table storage section 622 so as to set a load level, and instruct
the control signal output section 615 to generate a control signal
corresponding to the setup load level.
[0130] Then, the control signal output section 615 is operable, in
response to receiving the instruction, to control a level of power
to be supplied to the sliding motor 381 (the control of power level
is equivalent to generating a control signal). Thus, based on a
driving action of the sliding motor 381, a straining load
conforming to the body information will be given to the user M.
[0131] At a time when the user M sits on the seat 35, the seat 35
is located at the home position U0 illustrated in FIG. 4A. Then, at
a time just after the foot plate 42 sets in the vertical posture
T2, the user M bends the knees while keeping the feet bottoms in
contact with the foot plate 42, and leaning the back against the
backrest 36, at the home position U0, or at the front position U1,
i.e., training start position, which is displaced rearwardly from
the home position U0 as shown in FIG. 3B. Then, when the user M
strains to unbend the knees and stretch the legs at the front
position U1, the seat 35 is displaced against a load, i.e., a force
based on driving torque of the sliding motor 381, rearwardly up to
the rear position U2. Then, when the user M bends the knees at the
rear position U2, the seat 35 will be returned to the front
position U1 by the driving action of the sliding motor 381.
[0132] In this manner, when the user M sitting on the seat 35
repeatedly unbends and bends the knees, the user M exerts a force
against the load based on the driving action of the sliding motor
381 during unbending of the knees. Thus, bending/stretching
exercise with a coordinated action of three joints of the thigh in
the lower leg, the knee and the foot is achieve, and exercises for
quadriceps muscle, musculus triceps surae and gluteus maximus are
performed.
[0133] Further, the straining load to be imposed on the user M
during bending/stretching exercise can be adequately set depending
on a physical capacity based on body information. Thus, not only
normal healthy users but also elderly users can effectively utilize
the training apparatus 10.
[0134] The training time setting section 613 is operable to set a
training time period based on the body information input from the
manual operation section 542, after the training apparatus 10
performs the given initial-stage operation set by the initial
operation setting section 611. The training time determination
section 614 is operable, in response to an elapse of the training
time period set by training time setting section 613, to instruct
the control signal output section 615 to generate and output a
given control signal to the lifting motor 44 and the sliding motor
381 so as to automatically shift from the training mode to a stop
mode of the training apparatus 10.
[0135] For the purpose of setting the training time period, the ROM
62 includes a training time table storage section 623 storing a
training time table which is a correlation table between a training
time period and body information input from the body weight key
5443, the body height key 5444, the age key 5445 and the sexuality
key 5446. The training time setting section 613 is operable, based
on input body information to refer to the table stored in the
training time table storage section 623 so as to set a training
time period.
[0136] Further, the RAM 63 includes a setup time storage section
631 for deleting previous data and updated new data, and a timer
632 adapted to start clocking on the basis of a time when the setup
time storage section 631 updates the setup training time
period.
[0137] The training time determination section 614 is operable to
constantly compare an elapsed time clocked by the timer 632 and the
setup training time period stored in the setup time storage section
631, and, when the elapsed time reaches the setup training time
period, to instruct the control signal output section 615 to output
a control signal for shifting the training mode to the stop mode of
the training apparatus 10, to the sliding motor 381 and the lifting
motor 44. Thus, the foot plate 42 is automatically changed from the
vertical posture T2 to the horizontal posture T1, and the seat 35
is automatically moved up to the home position U0, to terminate the
series of training operations.
[0138] In this manner, the training time period, i.e., duration of
training, can be adequately set depending on a physical capacity
based on body information. Thus, not only normal healthy users but
also elderly users can effectively utilize the training apparatus
10.
[0139] In this embodiment, training can be performed based on the
straining load and the training time period which are freely
generated by pressing the mode key 5442 to select one of the modes,
and inputting body information, instead of automatically setting
the straining load and the training time period.
[0140] In a process of performing training in a so-called
"control-free" manner without control according to the control unit
60, after selecting one of the modes, the condition setting key 545
is pressed before the start key 5423 is finally pressed. Then, a
given instruction, such as "Enter load level: Low.fwdarw.1,
Normal.fwdarw.2, High.fwdarw.3 to 5 (5: Max)", is indicated on the
display device 541. When a user presses one of the numeric keys 544
and then the set key 5441 according to the instruction, a load is
set based on this input. When the load is set, a given instruction,
such as "Enter training time period from numeric keys by minute" is
indicated on the display device 541. When the user presses the
numeric key(s) and then the set key 5441 according to the
instruction, a training time period is set based on this input.
Then, an instruction "Press start key to start training" is
indicated on the display device 541. According to this instruction,
the user presses the start key 5423 to start training. The training
can be terminated by pressing the end key 5424, irrespective of
whether the training apparatus 10 is set in an automatic training
mode or in a manual training mode. If the end key 5424 is pressed,
the seat 35 will be returned to the home position U0, and
locked.
[0141] With reference to FIGS. 8 to 10, a control flow of the
training apparatus 10, particularly a control flow of the 1 st to
3rd modes, will be described below. FIGS. 8 to 10 are flowcharts
showing one example of a control process of the training apparatus
10. These flowcharts show a control process of the automatic
training mode to be carried out after the mode switch 5442 is
presses. This control process starts at a time when the foot plate
42 is set in the horizontal posture T1, and the user M sits on the
seat 35 which is set at the home position U0 (see FIG. 3A).
[0142] Firstly, when it is determined in Step S1 that the power
switch 543 is turned on (YES in Step S1), it is determined whether
the mode key 5442 is pressed. If it is determined that the mode
switch 5442 is pressed (YES in Step S1), the initial operation
setting section 611 will determine whether the numeric key 544 is
pressed to select either one of the 1st to 3rd modes, before a
given time (hesitation time; in this embodiment, 5 seconds) has
elapsed, in Step S3. Specifically, the ROM 62 stores a reference
time (5 seconds) of the hesitation time, and the timer 632 is
adapted to start measuring an elapsed time from a time just after
the mode switch 5442 is pressed. The initial operation setting
section 611 is operable to determine whether the elapsed time
measured by the timer 632 reaches the hesitation time stored in the
ROM 62, so as to make the above determination.
[0143] In Step S3, when it is determined that the numeric key 544
is pressed before the elapse of the hesitation time (YES in Step
S3), the process advances to Step S4. If it is determined that the
numeric key 544 is not pressed (NO in Step S3), it will be
automatically determined that the 1st mode is selected, and the
process will skip to Step S7.
[0144] In Step S4, it is determined whether the mode selected in
Step S3 is the 1st mode, i.e., the numeric key pressed before the
elapse of the hesitation time after the pressing of the mode key
5442 is "1". If it is determined that the pressed numeric key 544
is "1", i.e., the selected mode is the 1st mode (YES in Step S4),
the process will advance to Step 7 and subsequent steps.
[0145] When it is determined that the selected mode is not the 1 st
mode (NO in Step S4), the process advances to Step S5, wherein it
is determined whether the selected mode is the 2n mode, i.e., the
numeric key pressed after the pressing of the mode key 5442 is "2".
If it is determined that the pressed numeric key 544 is "2", i.e.,
the selected mode is the 2nd mode (YES in Step S5), the process
will advance to Step 14 and subsequent steps.
[0146] If it is determined that the selected mode is not the 2nd
mode (NO in Step S5), it will be determined that the pressed
numeric key 544 is "3", i.e., the selected mode is the 3rd mode
(YES in Step S6), and then the process will advance to Step 17 and
subsequent steps.
[0147] When the lock release key 5420 is pushed (YES in Step S7)
after the selected mode is determined to be the 1st mode (YES in
Step S4), the seat 35 locked at the home position U0 by the sliding
motor 381 is released from its lock state in response to a control
signal from the control signal output section 615, and allowed to
be freely displaced in the frontward/rearward direction (Step
S8).
[0148] Then, when the up key 5421 is pressed (YES in Step S9), the
foot plate 42 is rotationally moved upwardly by a given angle
according to a driving action of the lifting motor 44 based on a
control signal from the control signal output section 615 (Step
S91). Then, if the down key 5422 is pressed (YES in Step S10), the
foot plate 42 is rotationally moved, reversely, i.e., downwardly,
by a given angle (Step S101). In an operation of successively
pressing the up or down key plural times, the foot plate 42 is
rotationally moved from a previous position by the given angle
every time the up or down key is pressed. According to this
rotational movement, the position of the foot plate 42 will be
changed. That is, the user M operates the up and down keys to
adjust the position of the foot plate 42 at an optimal position for
himself/herself.
[0149] Then, when the set key 5441 is pressed (YES in Step S102),
the position of the foot plate 42 is fixed. If the set key 5411 is
not pressed (NO in Step S102), a state which enables the input from
the up key 5447 and the down key 5422, i.e., the positional
adjustment of the foot plate 42, will is maintained.
[0150] Then, the start key 5423 is pressed (YES in Step S11) after
the set key 5441 is pressed, and training is started.
[0151] When the training is started, a predetermined standard value
of power is supplied to the sliding motor 381, and thereby the
sliding motor 381 is driven to move the seat 35 in the frontward
direction so as to apply a given straining load to the seat 35
(Step S12). In this embodiment, the straining load in Step S12 is
set at a standard level. Alternatively, the training apparatus may
be designed to set a level or a specific value of the load
according to operation of the manual operation section 542. In this
state, the user M strains to unbend his/her knees against the load
from the sliding motor 381. Then, when the user M releases the
straining after the seat 35 reaches the rear position U2, the seat
35 is pushed back in the frontward direction. The user M will
repeat this movement to perform the training of reciprocally
displacing the seat 35.
[0152] Then, when the end key 5424 is pressed by the user M (YES in
Step S13), the seat 35 is returned to the home position U0 and
locked (Step 26).
[0153] Subsequently, it is determined in Step S27 whether the power
switch 543 is turned off. If the power switch 543 is not turned off
(NO in Step S27), the process will skip to Step S2 to offer the
above operations for another user M. When the power switch 543 is
turned off (YES in Step S27), the control process is
terminated.
[0154] Returning to Step S5, when it is determined that the
selected mode is the 2nd mode (YES in Step S5), body weight
information is input by pressing the body weight key 5443 and the
numeric keys 544 (YES in Step S14). Then, the set key 5441 is
pressed to set the body weight information (Step S141). Thus, a
load conforming to the body weight of the user M is applied to the
seat 35 in the forward direction (Step S15).
[0155] In this embodiment, the 2nd mode is configured such that a
level of the load to be applied to the seat 35 is set based on body
weight data in body information. Preferably, body height data may
be additionally referred to. The reason is that a taller user would
exert a larger rearward stretching force. Thus, the load to be
applied in the frontward direction may be set at a higher level or
larger value as the body height increases, so as to be finely
adjusted depending on individual users.
[0156] Returning to the flowchart, it is then determined whether
the lock release key 5420 is pressed (Step S16).
[0157] If the lock release key 5420 is pressed (YES in Step S16),
the process will skip to Step 8, and the same processing as that in
the 1 st step will be performed.
[0158] Returning to Step S6, when it is determined that the
selected mode is the 3rd mode (YES in Step S6), positions of the
seat 35 are automatically set in conformity to the body information
of the user M, differently from the 1st and 2nd modes. That is, the
3rd mode is configured to automatically move the seat 35 from the
initial home (frontmost) position U0 to a front position U1 set in
conformity to the body information of the user M, according to a
driving action of the sliding motor 381, and to allow the user M to
perform training between the front position U1 and a rear position
U2 set in conformity to the body information of the user M. This
feature of the 3rd mode will be more specifically described based
on the flowcharts.
[0159] When the 3rd mode is selected (YES in Step S6), it is
determined in Step S17 whether body information is input. Actually,
the user M sitting on the seat 35 inputs his/her body information
from the manual operation unit 542. Then, when the set key 5441 is
pressed after input of the body information, the input body
information is set up. Thus, each of the front position U1 and rear
position U2 is set in conformity to the body information (Step
S18).
[0160] Then, in Step S19, it is determined whether the lock release
key 5420 is pressed. When it is determined that the lock release
key 5420 is pressed (YES in Step S19), the lock state of the seat
35 based on the sliding motor 381 is released (Step S20).
[0161] Then, when the up key 5447 is pressed (Step S21), the foot
plate 42 is rotationally moved upward by a given angle according to
a driving action of the lifting motor 44 based on a control signal
from the control signal output section 615 (Step S211). Then, if
the down key 5422 is pressed (Step S22), the foot plate 42 is
rotationally moved, reversely, i.e., downwardly, by a given angle
(Step S221). In an operation of successively pressing the up or
down key plural times, the foot plate 42 is rotationally moved from
a previous position by the given angle every time the up or down
key is pressed. According to this rotational movement, the position
of the foot plate 42 will be changed. That is, the user M operates
the up and down keys to adjust the position of the foot plate 42 at
an optimal position for himself/herself.
[0162] Then, when the set key 5441 is pressed (YES in Step S222),
the position of the foot plate 42 is fixed. If the set key 5411 is
not pressed (NO in Step S222), a state which enables the input from
the up key 5447 and the down key 5422, i.e., the positional
adjustment of the foot plate 42, will is maintained.
[0163] Then, after the set key 544 is pressed, in the 3rd mode, the
seat 35 is automatically moved from the home position U0 to the
front position U2, i.e., a training start position, which is set
based on the input body information (Step S23). Then, the start key
5423 is pushed to start training (YES in Step S24). As in the 3rd
mode, the rear position can be variably set depending on body
information of a user which is manually or automatically input.
That is, the rear position is not limited to a mechanically fixed
position which is set as a rearmost end of a displaceable range of
the seat 35.
[0164] Then, in Step S25, it is determined whether a training time
period pre-set based on the body information of the user M has
elapsed. When the training time period has elapsed (YES in Step
S25), the seat 35 is returned to the home position U0, and then
locked by the sliding motor 381 (Step S26). Then, it is determined
whether the power switch 543 is turned off (Step S27).
[0165] As mentioned above in detail, in the training apparatus 10
according to the above embodiment of the present invention, the
seat unit 30 including the seat 35 which allows a user M to sit
thereon, the foot plate 42 adapted to allow the user M sitting on
the seat 35 to keep his/her feet bottoms in contact therewith, and
the displacement mechanism unit 38 adapted to apply to the user M a
load against a straining force generated when the user M sitting on
the seat 35 while keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot
plate 42 strains his/her legs, are mounted on the base board 20.
The foot plate 42 is adapted to be changed in posture between the
horizontal posture T1 where it protrudes approximately horizontally
and outwardly from the pair of footrest frames 41 mounted on the
base board 20, and the vertical posture T2 where it protrudes
approximately vertically and upward from the footrest frames 41 at
approximately the same height level as a that of the seat 35.
[0166] In the training apparatus 10, when the user M sits on the
seat 35 disposed on the base board 20 and strains the legs while
keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42 set in
the vertical posture T2, a load against the straining force is
loaded on the user M. Thus, the user M can repeat the straining
movement to perform exercise of the legs and lumbar.
[0167] Further, the foot plate 42 is adapted to be changed in
posture between the horizontal posture T1 where it protrudes
approximately horizontally and outwardly from a lower position
equivalent to that of the base board 20, and the vertical posture
T2 where it protrudes approximately vertically and upward from an
upper position relative to the base board 20 and at approximately
the same height level as a that of the seat 35. Thus, when the user
M gets on the seat 35, the foot plate 42 can be set in the
horizontal posture T1 to create an obstacle-free space in front of
the seat 35. This allows not only a normal healthy user but also an
elderly user to significantly readily sit on the seat 35 directly
or using the foot plate 42 as a step ladder. In addition, the
obstacle-free space created in front of the seat 35 makes it
possible to roll a wheelchair alongside the front of the seat 35.
Thus, even a user M who usually uses wheelchair can move from the
wheelchair to the seat 35 without worrying about falling or
dropping. When a care-giver escorts the user M who uses a
wheelchair, the burden of the care-giver will be significantly
reduced.
[0168] Then, after the user M sits on the seat 35 when the foot
plate 42 is set in the horizontal posture T1, the posture of the
foot plate 42 can be changed to the vertical posture T2 to allow
the user M to have an exercise starting posture where the knees of
the user M are bent.
[0169] The training apparatus 10 includes the posture change
mechanism 43 adapted to change the posture of the foot plate 42
between the horizontal posture T1 and the vertical posture T2. The
posture change mechanism 43 includes the plate support arms 423
adapted to be rotated about the support shafts 424 and support the
foot plate 42 in such a manner as to allow the posture of the foot
plate 42 to be changed, and the driving-force transfer mechanism 45
adapted to rotate the plate support arms 423 about the support
shafts 424.
[0170] Thus, the foot plate 42 can be readily changed in posture
between the horizontal posture T1 and the vertical posture T2
according a driving action of the posture change mechanism 43.
Further, the posture change mechanism 43 includes the plate support
arms 423 adapted to be rotated about the support shafts 424
provided on the base board 20 to change the posture of the foot
plate 42 and the driving-force transfer mechanism 45 adapted to
rotate the plate support arms 423 about the support shafts 424.
Thus, the posture of the foot plate 42 can be changed by a simple
operation of reciprocally rotating the plate support arms 423
according to the driving action of the posture change mechanism 45.
This makes it possible to simplify the structure of the posture
change mechanism 43 so as to contribute to reduction in production
cost, while ensuring a reliable operation of changing the posture
of the foot plate 42.
[0171] The seat 35 can be moved to the front position U1 close to
the foot plate 42 by a pushing force of the sliding motor 381
serving as the load-applying device, and displaced the rear
position U2 apart from the foot plate 42, when the user M sitting
on the seat 35 strains to stretch the legs against the pushing
force of the sliding motor 381. That is, when the user M sitting on
the seat 35 strains to stretch the legs while keeping the feet
bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42, the seat 35 is displaced
against the pressing force according to a driving action of the
sliding motor 381 in such a manner as to be spaced apart from the
foot plate 42, and finally set to the rear position U2. Then, when
the user M releases the straining of the legs, the seat 35 is moved
to the front position U1 close to the foot plate 42 by the pushing
force of the sliding motor 381. In this manner, the user M can
repeat the straining movement of the legs to perform exercise of
the legs and lumbar.
[0172] The backrest 30 is provided on the rear side of the seat 35.
Thus, the backrest 30 makes it possible to allow the user M sitting
on the seat 35 to more strongly strain to stretch the legs while
keeping the feet bottoms in contact with the foot plate 42, so as
to achieve enhanced exercise effect of the legs and lumbar.
Further, the backrest 36 is designed to change a reclining angle
thereof. Thus, the reclining angle of the bracket 36 can be changed
in response to requests from the user M.
[0173] This training apparatus 10 includes the control unit 60
adapted to control the pushing force of the sliding motor 381, and
the manual operation section 542 adapted to allow body information
of the user M to be input therefrom. The control unit 60 is
operable to set the pushing force based on body information of the
user M input from the manual operation section 542, and control the
sliding motor in such a manner as to push the seat 35 by a force
suitable for a physical ability of the user M. Thus, the user M can
perform training moderately and adequately.
[0174] The present invention is not limited to the above
embodiment. For example, the following modifications may be made
therein.
[0175] (1) The training apparatus according to the above embodiment
is designed such that the seat 35 is displaced in the
frontward/rearward direction against the straining load generated
according to a driving action of the sliding motor 381, when the
user M sitting on the seat 35 while keeping the feet bottoms in
contact with the foot plate 42 set in the vertical posture T2
strains to stretch the legs. The present invention is not limited
to the above structure based on the displacement of the seat 35,
but may be designed to have a given slide mechanism adapted to
allow the foot plate 42 set in the vertical posture T2 to be
slidingly displaced in the frontward/rearward direction (in this
case, a load from the load-applying device may be applied to the
foot plate 42), or may be designed such that both the seat 35 and
the foot plate 42 are displaced close to and apart from each
other.
[0176] (2) While the training apparatus according to the above
embodiment is designed such that, the backrest 36 is disposed on
the rear side of the seat 35 to allow the user M to perform
bending/stretching exercise of legs while leaning the back against
the backrest 36, it is not essential to provide the backrest 36,
but the training apparatus may be designed to allow the user M to
perform bending/stretching exercise of legs while simply sitting on
the seat 35.
[0177] (3) In the above embodiment, the sliding motor 381 serving
as an electrical load generator is used for providing a driving
force of the load-applying device to push the user M toward the
foot plate 42. The present invention is not limited to the use of a
driving force of the sliding motor 381 as the pushing force against
the user M, but any suitable type of biasing means, such as a coil
spring or a plate spring, or any suitable cylinder device adapted
to hydraulically or pneumatically press a piston to generate the
pushing force, may be used. Further, while the driving-force
transfer mechanism (rotation mechanism) 45 is used as a lifting
mechanism for the foot plate 42, an actuator adapted to be
hydraulically or pneumatically driven may be used.
[0178] (4) In the above embodiment, a faster belt may be attached
to the foot plate 42, to allow the feet of the user M placed on the
foot plate to be fastened to the foot plate. This makes it possible
to impose a load even when the user M bends the knees, to increase
the type of exercise.
[0179] (5) In the above embodiment, when the 3rd mode is selected
as one training mode of the training apparatus 10, a load suitable
for a physical ability of the user M is set based on input body
information of the user M, and imposed on the user M. However, it
is assumed that some users M are not satisfied with such a load. In
order to cope with this need, various techniques may be employed.
For example, an increment key for increasing load and a decrement
key for reducing load may be provided in the manual operation
section 542 to increase or reduce a level of the load by a pressing
operation of the increment and decrement keys.
[0180] (6) While the panel board 54 in the above embodiment 54
comprises the display device composed of a LCD and the manual
operation section 542 having various types of operation keys, a
touch panel may be used as the operation panel and the functions of
the input/output device 52 may be concentrated in the touch panel.
This makes it possible to display instructions and guidance for
mode selection, input procedure and others in a time-series manner
so as to provide an input/output device having enhanced usability
for the user M.
[0181] (7) The training apparatus according to the above embodiment
is designed to move the foot plate 42 from the step-on/off position
to the frontward position, based on the operation of the manual
operation section 542. Alternatively, the training apparatus may be
designed to automatically move the foot plate 42 without the manual
operation section 542, while clearly informing the user M of the
timing of moving the foot plate 42. For example, after a given
elapsed time, e.g., 3 seconds, from a detection of sitting of a
user using an optical sensor or a weight sensor, a given message to
the effect that the rock state of the seat will be released and the
foot plate will be lifted may be informed. In this case, the height
level of the foot plate 42 and the front and rear positions of the
seat 35 may be automatically set by connecting the apparatus to a
server storing user's personal information and acquiring body
information of the user from the database.
[0182] In sum, a training apparatus, as described in the above,
comprises a seat arranged at a given height position; a foot plate
provided on a frontward side of and in spaced-apart relation to
said seat by a specified distance; a displacement mechanism for
allowing said seat and said foot plate to be relatively displaced
away from and close to each other; a load-applying device for
applying a prescribed load between said seat and said foot plate
due to a relative movement therebetween; and a posture change
mechanism for changing the posture of said foot plate between an
inactive posture where said foot plate is in a posture such that a
user's feet can be placed thereupon from the above and an active
posture where the foot plate is in an upright posture so that a
user can initiate an exercise with this training apparatus.
[0183] In the above training apparatus of the present invention,
the foot plate can be changed between the active posture relative
to the seat, and the inactive posture where the foot plate is
disposed substantially at a lower extremity below the frontward
position of the seat. Specifically, before a user sits on the seat,
the foot plate is set in the inactive posture at the lower
extremity by the displacement mechanism. Thus, when the user moves
toward the seat, an obstacle-free space is created in front of the
seat to allow the user to significantly easily sit on the seat
using the foot plate as a step ladder simply by the same movement
as that for sitting on a commonly-used chair. This allows not only
a normal healthy user but also an elderly user to sit on the seat
in a significantly easy manner. In addition, an obstacle-free space
created in front of the seat during sitting allows a user using a
wheelchair to roll the wheelchair close to the front of the
training apparatus and then readily move from the wheelchair
directly to the seat. When a care-giver escorts the user, the
burden of the care-giver will be significantly reduced.
[0184] In the second aspect of the invention, the training
apparatus may include an operation unit adapted to be externally
operated, and a control unit adapted to control the load-applying
device and the posture change mechanism, wherein the posture change
mechanism is operable, in response to a signal generated from the
control unit based on the operation of the operation unit, to
change the foot plate between the inactive position and the active
position.
[0185] In this training apparatus, a user sitting on the seat can
operate the operation unit to change the foot plate between the
inactive posture (user's getting on & off posture) and the
active posture (an exercise enabling posture) according to a
driving action of the posture change mechanism. Thus, before a user
sitting on the seat starts training, the user operates the
operation unit to move the foot plate from the inactive position to
the active position. Then, after completion of the training, the
user operates the operation unit to move the foot plate from the
active position to the inactive position, so that the user can
readily get off the seat.
[0186] In the 3.sup.rd aspect of the invention, the posture change
mechanism may include an arm supporting the foot plate with respect
to the seat, and a rotation mechanism which rotates the arm by
about 90 degrees so as to change the foot plate between the
inactive posture and the active posture.
[0187] In this training apparatus, the posture of the foot plate is
changed between the horizontal posture (inactive posture) and the
vertical posture (active posture) at the frontward position,
according to a driving action of the posture change mechanism which
includes the arm supporting the foot plate, and the rotation
mechanism adapted to rotate the arm by about 90 degrees. Thus, the
posture of the foot plate can be changed by a simple operation of
reciprocally rotating according to the driving action of the
posture change mechanism. This makes it possible to simplify the
structure of the posture change mechanism so as to contribute to
reduction in production cost, while ensuring a reliable operation
of changing the posture of the foot plate.
[0188] In the 4.sup.th aspect, the displacement mechanism is
operable to allow the seat to be displaced in a frontward/rearward
direction of the apparatus.
[0189] In this training apparatus, the seat is displaced relative
to the foot plate in the frontward/rearward direction. Thus, a user
can perform bending/stretching of the legs and lumber while fixing
the position of the foot plate.
[0190] In the 5.sup.th aspect, the load-applying device is operable
to apply the load against a rearward displacement of the seat.
[0191] In this training apparatus, when a user sitting on the seat
strains to stretch or unbend his/her legs while keeping the feet
bottoms in contact with the foot plate set in the vertical posture,
the seat is displaced in the rearward direction against the load of
the load-applying device. Then, when the straining force is
released, i.e., the user bends the legs, the seat is returned to
its original front position by a pushing force of the load-applying
device. In this manner, the straining and unstraining (i.e.,
release of straining) will be repeated to perform training or
exercise of the legs and lumber.
[0192] In the 6.sup.th aspect, the load-applying device is an
electrical load generator which is operable to immovably lock the
seat at a frontmost position thereof until the foot plate starts
being moved from the inactive position in response to a signal
generated from the control unit based on the operation of the
operation unit and to release the locked state when the foot plate
is moved in response to a signal generated from the control unit
based on the operation of the operation unit.
[0193] In this training apparatus, until the foot plate starts
being moved based on the operation of the operation unit, the seat
can be locked in the immovable state to prevent an undesirable
movement of the seat, such as, an unstable frontward/rearward
movement likely to occur when a user gets on/off the seat, or an
improper rearward displacement likely to occur when a body weight
or force of the user is imposed on the seat in the rearward
direction. While such an unstable frontward/rearward movement or
improper large rearward displacement is likely to cause rapid
stretching of the user's body and impose excessive load on the
muscles and joints, this training apparatus can prevent this
problem from occurring. Thus, a user can sit on the seat as usual
before start of training. This makes it possible to ensure high
reliability.
[0194] A handrail may be integrally attached to the seat to allow a
user to sit on the seat while gripping the handrail. Thus, even an
elderly user can sit on the seat without difficulty. The handrail
is not necessarily integrated with the seat, but may be integrally
attached to a body of the training apparatus. Preferably, a pair of
handrails are fixed to both sides of a movable part of the seat to
highly usefully serve additionally as a support of the user's body
during training.
[0195] In the 7.sup.th aspect, the load-applying device is an
electrical load generator which is operable, just after the foot
plate starts being moved from the inactive position toward the
active position in response to a signal from the control unit, to
start applying the load in such a manner that the seat is biased in
a frontward direction of the apparatus.
[0196] This training apparatus can avoid an undesirable situation
where the seat after a user sits thereon is rapidly displaced in
the rearward direction due to a posture of the user or other factor
to cause rapid stretching of the user's body, particularly legs,
which leads to imbalance of the user's body, inconvenience due to
the need to return the seat frontwardly, and improper load imposed
on the muscles and joints. Specifically, when the foot plate starts
being moved the inactive position toward the active position, the
user's legs will be lifted while being gradually bent, and thereby
the upper body (above the hip) of the user sitting on the seat will
be pushed by the legs being bent, to inevitably cause a rearward
displacement of the seat. In case of an elderly user who has muscle
weakness, the legs are likely to be fully stretched during the
above process to result in imbalance of the user's body. Further,
if the legs are fully stretched, the user has to inconveniently
bend the knees by muscular power of the legs, to return the seat
frontwardly so as to set the seat at an adequate training start
position (i.e., after-mentioned front position). Moreover, this is
likely to impose excessive load on the muscles of the legs and
lower abdomen. In this respect, this training apparatus is designed
such that, in an initial stage of the movement of the foot plate,
where the user's body is likely to is fully stretched, a relatively
light load is applied to the seat in a direction opposite to the
rearward displacement of the seat, i.e., in a frontward direction
of the apparatus. This makes it possible to suppress the rapid
stretching of the user's body as described above. Thus, this
training apparatus can offer enhanced usability, particularly, for
elderly users
[0197] In the 8.sup.th aspect, the load-applying device is an
electrical load generator which is operable, in response to a
signal from the control unit, to increase the load in a vicinity of
a rear end of a displaceable range of the seat in such a manner
that it becomes larger as the seat is displaced closer to the rear
end.
[0198] In this training apparatus, even if a user rapidly stretches
his/her legs with great force during training, a speed of the seat
is reduced down in the rear end region of the displaceable range.
Specifically, the load in the opposite direction (frontward
direction of the apparatus) becomes larger as the seat is displaced
closer to the rear end. Thus, even if the seat is displaced close
to the rear end at a high speed, the speed can be gradually reduced
to maintain a moderate displacement of the seat and an adequate
balance of the user's body on the seat.
[0199] In the present invention, the "displaceable range" of the
seat includes a displaceable range to be mechanically determined,
and a displaceable range determined with reference to body
information of a user by the control unit, such as an
after-mentioned 3rd mode. The latter is intended to set a
displaceable range which is assumed to be suitable for each user,
in view of bodily features of the user. For example, a displaceable
range for a user who has a relatively low body height is set to be
narrower than that for a user has a relatively high body height.
Thus, in the present invention, the "rear end" of the displaceable
range of the seat is not limited to a rear end of the displaceable
range to be mechanically determined, but a rear end of the
displaceable range to be determined by the control unit is also
included therein.
[0200] In the 9.sup.th aspect, the operation unit is adapted to
allow body information of a user to be input therefrom, and the
control unit is operable, based on the body information input from
the operation unit, to set at least either one of a level of the
load to be applied from the load-applying device, and a
displaceable range of the seat.
[0201] In this training apparatus, under control of the control
unit, a load (pushing force) corresponding to a body's ability of a
user is set based on body information of the user input from the
operation unit, and the load-applying device pushes the seat by the
pushing force. This makes it possible to perform a moderate and
adequate exercise. Further, a displaceable range of the seat
suitable for the user is set based on the body information to allow
the user to perform the exercise without imposing excessive load on
the body.
[0202] In the present invention, a technical concept of the term
"operation unit" is not limited to an input device attached to the
apparatus, but a receiving section adapted to receive information
from a database connected thereto via a network is also included
therein
[0203] This application is based on Japanese Patent Application
Serials No. 2006-032776, filed with Japan Patent Office on Feb. 9,
2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by
reference.
[0204] Although the present invention has been fully described by
way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is
to be understood that various changes and modifications will be
apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, unless otherwise
such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present
invention hereinafter defined, they should be construed as being
included therein.
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