U.S. patent application number 11/385691 was filed with the patent office on 2007-09-27 for cushion device for exercise machine.
This patent application is currently assigned to Forhouse Corporation. Invention is credited to Francis Chung Hwa Pan, Pao-Chuan Wang.
Application Number | 20070225127 11/385691 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38534206 |
Filed Date | 2007-09-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20070225127 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Pan; Francis Chung Hwa ; et
al. |
September 27, 2007 |
Cushion device for exercise machine
Abstract
A cushion device for an exercise machine, such as treadmill,
includes a linkage, a spring and a mount. The linkage is pivoted on
a bottom of the exercise machine, and wheel is pivoted on a distal
end of the linkage. The mount is fixed to the bottom of the
exercise machine, on which the spring is provided to urge the
linkage. When user takes exercise on the machine, the vibration
from different orientations will transmit to the linkage and make
it swing, such that the spring is compressed to absorb the
vibration.
Inventors: |
Pan; Francis Chung Hwa;
(Taichung County, TW) ; Wang; Pao-Chuan; (Taichung
County, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BIRCH STEWART KOLASCH & BIRCH
PO BOX 747
FALLS CHURCH
VA
22040-0747
US
|
Assignee: |
Forhouse Corporation
|
Family ID: |
38534206 |
Appl. No.: |
11/385691 |
Filed: |
March 22, 2006 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/54 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 22/0207 20151001;
A63B 22/02 20130101; A63B 2071/025 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/054 |
International
Class: |
A63B 22/02 20060101
A63B022/02 |
Claims
1. A cushion device, which is mounted on an exercise machine to
absorb vibration, comprising a linkage having an end pivot on a
bottom of the exercise machine to be swung by the vibration; and an
elastic member having opposite end urging the exercise machine and
the linkage respectively to be elastically deformed when the
linkage is swung, wherein an angle between the linkage and the
ground is less than ninety degrees.
2. The cushion device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a
mount fixed to the exercise machine, which has a shaft through a
bore of the linkage and a nut screwed to a distal end of the shaft,
wherein the elastic member is fitted to the shaft.
3. The cushion device as defined in claim 1, further comprising a
wheel pivoted on the linkage to touch the ground.
4. The cushion device as defined in claim 1, wherein the linkage
includes two substantially parallel arms and a plate connected to
the arms.
5. The cushion device as defined in claim 4, further comprising a
wheel between the arms and pivoted thereon to touch the ground.
6. The cushion device as defined in claim 4, further comprising a
mount fixed to the exercise machine, wherein the mount has a shaft
though a bore on the plate with a nut screwed to a distal end
thereof and the elastic member is fitted to the shaft.
7. The cushion device as defined in claim 1, wherein the angle
between the linkage and the ground is preferred less than
forty-five degrees.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to an exercise
machine, and more particularly to a cushion device of the exercise
machine, such as treadmill, which can absorb the vibration from
various orientations.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Treadmill is the most popular machine to provide a place for
user walking, jogging or running indoors. When user is running or
walking on the treadmill, every step will give the knee joints and
heel joints a reactive force. It is easy to get musculoskeletal
injure when a user running or walking on the treadmill for a long
time. Some new treadmills are provided with a cushion device to
reduce the loading of knee joints and heel joints, when user is
running or walking on the treadmill.
[0005] There was a treadmill equipped with a cushion device between
the deck and base. The cushion device may be a spring or hydraulic
pump to absorb the vibration when user is running or walking on the
treadmill. Such invention includes U.S. Pat. No. 5,072,928 issued
to Stearns, et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,872,168 issued to Wang, et
al.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,468, issued to Deckers, et al., taught a
treadmill with cushion pads under the running belt to absorb
vibration. Similar inventions include Buhler's invention (U.S. Pat.
No. 5,542,892) and Chiu's invention (U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,053).
[0007] Other cushion devices for treadmill include Eschenbach's
invention (U.S. Pat. No. 6,053,848) providing a rope to be the
cushion medium and the invention issued to Dalebout et al. (U.S.
Pat. No. 6,821,230) providing a cushion block with holes thereon.
The sizes of the holes are different, so that the block is rotated
to give different cushion capacities.
[0008] The above cushion devices only absorb the vibration normal
to the cushion device. There is a poor absorbing capacity for the
vibration not normal to the cushion device. For a spring cushion
device, the vibration not normal to the axis of the spring will
provides a shear force that the spring has a weak capacity to
absorb it and the shear force may damage the spring.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
a cushion device of an exercise apparatus, which can absorb the
vibration from various orientations.
[0010] According to the objective of the present invention, a
cushion device, which is mounted on an exercise machine to absorb
vibration, comprises a linkage having an end pivot on a bottom of
the exercise machine, and an elastic member having opposite end
urging the exercise machine and the linkage respectively. An angle
between the linkage and the ground is less than ninety degrees,
such that the vibration from different orientation will transmit to
the linkage and make it swing, and the elastic member is
elastically deformed to absorb the vibration.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the treadmill of a preferred
embodiment of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the cushion device of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0013] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the cushion device of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the
condition of unloading;
[0014] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cushion device of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the
condition of loading; and
[0015] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the cushion device of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the nut is
screwed to comprise the spring.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a treadmill 1 of the
preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a base 10
and a deck 12 with a front end connected to the base, on which a
running belt 14 and two cushion devices 18 (only show one of which
in drawings) are provided.
[0017] Each of the cushion devices 18 has a linkage 20, a wheel 22,
an elastic member 24, which is a spring in the embodiment, and a
mount 26. The linkage 20 has two parallel arms 28 and a plate 30
fixed to the arms 28. The plate 30 has a bore 32 between the arms
32. The arms 28 have inner ends pivoted on a bottom of the deck 12
and outer ends pivoted with the wheel 22. The wheel 22 is rested on
the ground for running. The mount 26 is fixed to the bottom of the
deck 12 with a shaft 34 through the bore 32 of the plate 30 of the
linkage 20. A nut 36 is screwed to the distal end of the shaft 34
and against the plate 30. The spring 24 is fitted to the shaft 34
with opposite ends urging the mount 26 and the plate 30 of the
linkage 20 respectively.
[0018] As shown in FIG. 3, when an user (not shown) is running or
walking on the running belt 14 of the treadmill of the present
invention, the steps will provide vibrations from various
orientations and transmit to the linkages 20 of the cushion devices
18. In analysis of mechanics, the force of vibrations form every
orientation to the linkages 20 can be resolved into a normal
component (Fn) and a horizontal component (Fs). The normal
component (Fn) will swing the linkages 20 and compress the spring
24, as shown in FIG. 3. When the vibration is gone, the spring 24
will force the linkages 20 back to the initial position, as shown
in FIG. 2.
[0019] The ratio of the normal component (Fn) and the horizontal
component (Fs) is relative to an angle .theta. between the linkage
20 and ground. When the value of the normal component (Fn) is
positive related to the angle .theta.. The present invention
recommends the angle .theta. is less than 45 degrees, and more
preferred, the angle .theta. is between 25 degrees and 35
degrees.
[0020] In operation, the nut 36 may be screwed to adjust the
pre-compression of the spring 24. FIG. 3 shows the spring 24 in the
condition of less pre-compression, which provides the cushion
device 18 with a "soft" cushion capacity. FIG. 5 shows the nut 36
is screwed to compress the spring 24 much. The cushion device 18 of
FIG. 5 will provide a "hard" cushion capacity.
* * * * *