Exercise Device

Abstract

An exercise device includes a sliding track, a sliding element, a rotating element and a locked element. The sliding element is movably connected to the sliding track. The sliding element includes a locked base and a pivoting portion. The locked base has a first positioning hole. The rotating element is connected to the sliding element. The rotating element includes an arc track and a pivoting axis. The arc track is corresponding to the first positioning hole. The pivoting axis is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion. The rotating element is rotatable at an angle relative to a moving direction of the sliding element. The locked element is movably connected to the arc track and the first positioning hole. The rotating element is rotatable along the arc track on the sliding element.

Description

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to Taiwan Application Serial Number 104209374, filed Jun. 11, 2015, which is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to an exercise device. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an abdominal exercise device.

[0004] Description of Related Art

[0005] Exercise devices make raining day and limited ground no longer be problems of doing exercise. Therefore, exercise devices are main priority for modern people who are always busy but want to keep in shape. It is well-known that walking and running are body exercise which not only can burn calories and firm muscles but also can enhance myocardial function and increase lung capacity. Accordingly, treadmills, steppers, and elliptical trainers are most common exercise device compared to others on the present market. However, users barely train their abdominal muscles when using those exercise device and improvements of muscle strength and body shape are mostly concentrated on their calf only.

[0006] Conventional abdominal exercise device, such as sit-ups are known to cause overload to the spine and neck and can easily cause injury when sitting up from a prone position to a sitting position. To overcome this problem, many abdominal exercise devices have been created in an attempt to develop and maintain the abdominal muscles. Unfortunately these abdominal exercise devices often produce results which do not necessarily strengthen the abdominal muscles but strengthen the hip and thigh muscles attached to the lumbar spine area and to the rear of the pelvis and hip bones. When such muscles contract not only does the rectus muscle of the abdomen work with little effort but the other muscles rotate the pelvis forward thus creating the occurrence of increased lower back pain which contributes to poor mechanical alignment and undesirable upright posture of the user. In addition, no exercise device for stably, safely and effectively executing abdominal exercise has been developed nowadays. Therefore, an exercise device having effective rotation, stable actuation and human-based control is commercially desirable.

SUMMARY

[0007] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an exercise device includes a sliding track, a sliding element, a rotating element and a locked element. The sliding element is movably connected to the sliding track. The sliding element includes a locked base and a pivoting portion. The locked base has a first positioning hole. There is a second distance between the locked base and the pivoting portion. The rotating element is connected to the sliding element. The rotating element includes an arc track and a pivoting axis. There is a third distance between the arc track and the pivoting axis. The second distance is equal to the third distance. The arc track is corresponding to the first positioning hole. The pivoting axis is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion. The rotating element is rotatable at an angle relative to a moving direction of the sliding element. The locked element is movably connected to the arc track and the first positioning hole. The rotating element is rotatable along the arc track on the sliding element.

[0008] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an exercise device includes a sliding track, a sliding element, a rotating element and a locked element. The sliding element is movably connected to the sliding track. The sliding element includes a locked base, an inclined positioning hole and a pivoting portion. The locked base has a first positioning hole. There is a second distance between the locked base and the pivoting portion. The rotating element is connected to the sliding element. The rotating element includes at least one inclined fixing hole, an arc track and a pivoting axis. There is a third distance between the arc track and the pivoting axis. The second distance is equal to the third distance. The arc track is corresponding to the first positioning hole. The pivoting axis is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion. The rotating element is rotatable at an angle relative to a moving direction of the sliding element. The locked element is movably connected to the inclined positioning hole and the inclined fixing hole. The rotating element which is inclined at the angle relative to the moving direction of the sliding element is positioned on the sliding element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] The present disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an exercise device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] FIG. 2A shows a schematic view of a sliding track, a sliding element, a rotating element and a locked element of the exercise device of FIG. 1;

[0012] FIG. 2B shows an exploded view of the sliding track, the sliding element, the rotating element and the locked element of the exercise device of FIG. 2A;

[0013] FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the rotating element centrally locked on the sliding element of the exercise device of FIG. 1;

[0014] FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the exercise device of FIG. 3;

[0015] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the rotating element inclinedly locked on the sliding element of the exercise device of FIG. 1;

[0016] FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the rotating element swung on the sliding element of the exercise device of FIG. 1;

[0017] FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of a sliding element and a rotating element according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0018] FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of a sliding element and a rotating element according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an exercise device 100 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2A shows a schematic view of a sliding track 200, a sliding element, a rotating element and a locked element of the exercise device of FIG. 1; FIG. 2B shows an exploded view of the sliding track, the sliding element, the rotating element and the locked element of the exercise device of FIG. 2A; FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the rotating element centrally locked on the sliding element of the exercise device of FIG. 1; and FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of the exercise device taken along line 4-4 of FIG. 3. In FIG. 1A, the exercise device 100 includes a sliding track 200, a sliding element 300, a rotating element 400, a locked element 500 and a frame body 600.

[0020] The sliding track 200 includes two sliding bars 210a, 210b, two upper stoppers 220a, 220b and the two lower stoppers 230a, 230b. The two sliding bars 210a, 210b are arranged parallel to each other and separated by a first distance D1. The upper stopper 220a is disposed on a front end of the sliding bar 210a. The upper stopper 220b is disposed on a front end of the sliding bar 210b. The two upper stoppers 220a, 220b are used for preventing upward movement of the sliding element 300. In other words, the sliding element 300 can be moved upward most to the position of the two upper stoppers 220a, 220b which are positioned at the same height from the ground. On the contrary, the lower stopper 230a is disposed on a back end of the sliding bar 210a. The lower stopper 230b is disposed on a back end of the sliding bar 210b. The two lower stoppers 230a, 230b are used for preventing downward movement of the sliding element 300, so that the sliding element 300 can be moved downward most to the position of the two lower stoppers 230a, 230b which are positioned at the same height from the ground. Therefore, the sliding element 300 may be moved between the two upper stoppers 220a, 220b and the two lower stoppers 230a, 230b. The sliding element 300 is connected to the two lower stoppers 230a, 230b in a stationary state (unused state).

[0021] The sliding element 300 is movably connected to two sliding bars 210a, 210b of the sliding track 200. The sliding element 300 includes a top portion 310, two inclined portions 320a, 320b, four inclined bearings 322a, 322b, 322c, 322d, four lug portions 330a, 330b, 330c, 330d, two connecting bars 340a, 340b, four bottom bearings 342a, 342b, 342c, 342d, a pivoting portion 360 and a locked base 370. The top portion 310 is a flat plate and has two opposite surfaces. The two surfaces of the top portion 310 are parallel to both of the two sliding bars 210a, 210b. The top portion 310 is connected to the pivoting portion 360 and the locked base 370. The top portion 310 has a center positioning hole 350a and an inclined positioning hole 350b. The two opposite surfaces of the top portion 310 are connected by the center positioning hole 350a and the inclined positioning hole 350b. The two inclined portions 320a, 320b are connected to two opposite sides of the top portion 310, respectively. The two inclined portions 320a, 320b are inclined downwardly from the two opposite sides of the top portion 310, respectively. The two inclined bearings 322a, 322c are pivotally connected to the inclined portion 320a, and the other two inclined bearings 322b, 322d are pivotally connected to the inclined portion 320b. The two inclined bearings 322a, 322c are rollably disposed on the sliding bar 210a, and the other two inclined bearings 322b, 322d are rollably disposed on the sliding bar 210b, so that the sliding element 300 can be movable along the sliding track 200.

[0022] The four lug portions 330a, 330b, 330c, 330d have four lug holes 332a, 332b, 332c, 332d, respectively. The two lug holes 332a, 332b are corresponding to each other, and the two lug holes 332c, 332d are corresponding to each other. The two lug portions 330a, 330c are outwardly extended from the inclined portion 320a, and the two lug portions 330b, 330d are outwardly extended from the inclined portion 320b. The connecting bar 340a is connected to the two lug holes 332a, 332b, so that the top portion 310, the inclined portion 320a, the lug portion 330a, the connecting bar 340a, the lug portion 330b and the inclined portion 320b are sequentially connected to form an opening. The two sliding bars 210a, 210b are arranged in the opening. The connecting bar 340b is connected to the two lug holes 332c, 332d. The two bottom bearings 342a, 342b are coaxially and pivotally connected to the connecting bar 340a. The two bottom bearings 342c, 342d are coaxially and pivotally connected to the connecting bar 340b. The two bottom bearings 342a, 342c and two bottom bearings 342b, 342d are rollably connected to the two sliding bars 210a, 210b, respectively, so that the sliding element 300 may be stably movable along the sliding track 200. The pivoting portion 360 is located between the two sliding bars 210a, 210b, and located between the center positioning hole 350a and the inclined positioning hole 350b. The pivoting portion 360 has a hollow cylindrical shape, an outer diameter and an inner diameter. The outer diameter of the pivoting portion 360 is smaller than the first distance D1, so that the pivoting portion 360 may be disposed between the two sliding bars 210a, 210b. Therefore, when the sliding element 300 is moved on two sliding bars 210a, 210b of the sliding track 200, the stability and safety of the exercise device 100 can be significantly improved because a center of gravity of the pivoting portion 360 is close to the sliding track 200. The locked base 370 has a first positioning hole 372. The locked base 370 has a hollow cylindrical shape. The locked base 370 is outwardly extended from the upper surface of the top portion 310 and has a thickness T, so that the locked element 500 may be positioned by the locked base 370, and the first positioning hole 372 is located on the top portion 310. The first positioning hole 372 has a depth, and the thickness T is equal to the depth. The thickness T is greater than 0.5 cm and less than 5 cm. In FIG. 2B, the thickness T is 3 cm. There is a second distance D2 between the pivoting portion 360 and the locked base 370. The inclined positioning hole 350b is located between the pivoting portion 360 and the locked base 370, so that the second distance D2 is greater than a distance between the inclined positioning hole 350b and the pivoting portion 360.

[0023] The rotating element 400 is connected to the sliding element 300. The rotating element 400 includes a rotating body 410, a pivoting axis 420, a center fixing hole 430a, two inclined fixing holes 430b, 430c, a virtual line 440, an arc track 450 and two driving portions 460. The rotating body 410 is connected to the pivoting axis 420 and has a rectangular shape. The center fixing hole 430a, the two inclined fixing holes 430b, 430c and the arc track 450 are disposed on and passed through the rotating body 410. The virtual line 440 is passed through a center of the pivoting axis 420 and the center fixing hole 430a. The virtual line 440 is perpendicular to the pivoting axis 420 and parallel to an extending direction of the rotating body 410. The pivoting axis 420 is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion 360. In FIG. 2A, when the rotating element 400 is moved along the sliding track 200 by a user, the sliding element 300 is driven to move along the sliding track 200 by the pivoting axis 420 of the rotating element 400. The pivoting axis 420 has a cylindrical shape, and a diameter of the pivoting axis 420 is smaller than the inner diameter of the pivoting portion 360, so that the user can easily control the pivoting axis 420 to combine with to or separate from the pivoting portion 360. When the virtual line 440 is parallel to the two sliding bars 210a, 210b, the center fixing hole 430a is aligned to the center positioning hole 350a (the angle .theta. is equal to 0 degrees in FIG. 5). The two inclined fixing holes 430b, 430c is located on two opposite sides of the virtual line 440, respectively. There is a third distance D3 between the arc track 450 and the pivoting axis 420. The second distance D2 is equal to the third distance D3. The arc track 450 is corresponding to the first positioning hole 372. The two driving portions 460 are configured to abut upon knees of the user, and can be moved by strengths of user's hands, legs and waist for driving the movement of the rotating element 400 and the sliding element 300.

[0024] The locked element 500 has a positioning bar and a hand-held portion. The locked element 500 can be a plug or a T-shaped element. In FIG. 2B, the positioning bar of the locked element 500 is an elongated rod, and the hand-held portion of the locked element 500 is a sphere. A diameter of the positioning bar of the locked element 500 is less than a diameter of the center fixing hole 430a, a diameter of the inclined fixing hole 430b, a diameter of the inclined fixing hole 430c, a diameter of the center positioning hole 350a, the inclined positioning hole 350b, the first positioning hole 372 or a width of the arc track 450, so that the locked element 500 can be easily passed through the center fixing hole 430a, the inclined fixing holes 430b, 430c, the center positioning hole 350a, the inclined positioning hole 350b, the first positioning hole 372 or a width of the arc track 450.

[0025] The frame body 600 includes a supporting frame 610, an elbow abutment portion 620, a bracket 630 and an electronic processor 640. The sliding track 200 is supported by the supporting frame 610. The elbow abutment portion 620 is connected to the supporting frame 610 and the bracket 630. The electronic processor 640 is electrically connected to the sliding element 300 and the rotating element 400, so that the electronic processor 640 can record a usage status of the exercise device 100.

[0026] FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the rotating element 400 inclinedly locked on the sliding element 300 of the exercise device 100 of FIG. 1. The locked element 500 can be movably connected to the inclined positioning hole 350b and one of the two inclined fixing holes 430b, 430c. The rotating element 400 may be rotatable at an angle .theta. relative to a moving direction of the sliding element 300 and rotatable in clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the sliding element 300. When the rotating element 400 is rotated counterclockwise and the locked element 500 is connected to the inclined positioning hole 350b and the inclined fixing hole 430b, the rotating element 400 which is inclined counterclockwise at the angle .theta. relative to the moving direction of the sliding element 300 is positioned on the sliding element 300. The angle .theta. may be larger than or equal to 0 degrees and smaller than or equal to 40 degrees. In FIG. 5, the angle .theta. is 21 degrees. When the rotating element 400 is rotated clockwise and the locked element 500 is connected to the inclined positioning hole 350b and the inclined fixing hole 430c, the rotating element 400 which is inclined clockwise at the angle .theta. relative to the moving direction of the sliding element 300 is positioned on the sliding element 300. The user can train different positions of abdomen of the body depend on the locked element 500 corresponding to the center fixing hole 430a, the inclined fixing hole 430b or the inclined fixing hole 430c.

[0027] FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of the rotating element 400 swung on the sliding element 300 of the exercise device 100 of FIG. 1. The locked element 500 can be movably connected to the arc track 450 and the first positioning hole 372. When the locked element 500 is connected to the arc track 450 and the first positioning hole 372, the rotating element 400 is rotatable in clockwise or counterclockwise along the arc track 450 on the sliding element 300 and rotatable at an angle .theta. relative to a moving direction of the sliding element 300. The user can train different positions of abdomen of the body according to clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the rotating element 400.

[0028] FIG. 7 shows a schematic view of a sliding element 300a and a rotating element 400a according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. The sliding element 300a includes a center positioning hole 350a, a pivoting portion 360 and three locked bases 370a, 370b, 370c. The rotating element 400a includes a rotating body 410, a pivoting axis 420, a center fixing hole 430a, two inclined fixing holes 430d, 430e, three arc tracks 450a, 450b, 450c and two driving portions 460. The three locked bases 370a, 370b, 370c is corresponding to the three arc tracks 450a, 450b, 450c, respectively. Each of the three locked bases 370a, 370b, 370c has a first positioning hole (not shown). The two inclined fixing holes 430d, 430e have the same size and shape as the two inclined fixing holes 430b, 430c, respectively. The inclined fixing holes 430b, 430c, 430d, 430e are located on different positions corresponding to the pivoting axis 420. The inclined fixing holes 430d, 430e and the three arc tracks 450a, 450b, 450c are located on opposite sides of the pivoting axis 420. Distances between the pivoting axis 420 and the three arc tracks 450a, 450b, 450c are different from each other. The user can select one of the three arc tracks 450a, 450b, 450c for different swing angles to achieve different training effects.

[0029] FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of a sliding element 300b and a rotating element 400b according to further another embodiment of the present disclosure. The sliding element 300b has a center positioning hole 350a, a pivoting portion 360 and a locked base 370. The rotating element 400b includes a rotating body 410, a pivoting axis 420, a center fixing hole 430a, two inclined fixing holes 430d, 430e, an arc track 450 and two driving portions 460. The locked base 370 is corresponding to the arc track 450. The two driving portions 460 are connected to the two opposite ends of the rotating body 410, and each of the two opposite ends of the rotating body 410 has an arc shape for connecting to a surface of one of the two driving portions 460. Hence, the rotating body 410 of the rotating element 400b has a maximum upper surface area, so that the amount of are tracks or fixing holes disposed on the rotating body 410 can be increased by a manufacturer. In addition, when the two driving portions 460 are connected to the two opposite ends of the rotating body 410 of the rotating element 400b, the user's center of gravity is closer to the sliding track 200, and the stability and safety of the sliding element 300b and the rotating element 400b can be significantly improved.

[0030] According to the aforementioned embodiments and examples, the advantages of the present disclosure are described as follows.

[0031] 1. The exercise device of the present disclosure is for inclinedly positioning the rotating element on the sliding element to train different positions of abdomen of the body of the user depend on the locked element aligned to the corresponding fixing hole and positioning hole.

[0032] 2. The exercise device of the present disclosure is for training different positions of abdomen of the body of the user according to clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the rotating element.

[0033] 3. The exercise device of the present disclosure can constrain the swing angle of the rotating element by the arc track to prevent damage resulting from too large swing angle.

[0034] 4. The exercise device of the present disclosure can effectively improve the stability and safety of the exercise device because the user's center of gravity can be closer to the sliding track than that of the conventional exercise device.

[0035] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. An exercise device, comprising: a sliding track; a sliding element movably connected to the sliding track, wherein the sliding element comprises a locked base and a pivoting portion, the locked base has a first positioning hole, and there is a second distance between the locked base and the pivoting portion; a rotating element connected to the sliding element, wherein the rotating element comprises an arc track and a pivoting axis, there is a third distance between the arc track and the pivoting axis, the second distance is equal to the third distance, the arc track is corresponding to the first positioning hole, the pivoting axis is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion, and the rotating element is rotatable at an angle relative to a moving direction of the sliding element; and a locked element movably connected to the are track and the first positioning hole, wherein the rotating element is rotatable along the arc track on the sliding element.

2. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the locked base has a thickness, the first positioning hole has a depth, and the thickness is equal to the depth.

3. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the rotating element is rotatable in clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the sliding element, and the angle is larger than or equal to 0 degrees and smaller than or equal to 40 degrees.

4. The exercise device of claim 1, wherein the sliding track comprises two sliding bars, the two sliding bars are arranged parallel to each other and separated by a first distance, the pivoting portion is located between the two sliding bars, the pivoting portion has a hollow cylindrical shape, an outer diameter and an inner diameter, the outer diameter of the pivoting portion is smaller than the first distance, the pivoting axis has a cylindrical shape, and a diameter of the pivoting axis is smaller than the inner diameter of the pivoting portion.

5. The exercise device of claim 4, wherein the sliding element further comprises: a top portion connected to the pivoting portion, wherein the first positioning hole is located on the top portion; two inclined portions connected to two opposite sides of the top portion, respectively; two lug portions having two lug holes, respectively, wherein the two lug holes are corresponding to each other, and the two lug portions are outwardly extended from the two inclined portions, respectively; and a connecting bar connected to the two lug holes, wherein the top portion, one inclined portion, one lug portion, the connecting bar, the other lug portion and the other inclined portion are connected to form an opening, and the two sliding bars are arranged in the opening.

6. The exercise device of claim 5, wherein the sliding element further comprises: at least two inclined bearings pivotally connected to the two inclined portions, respectively, wherein the two inclined bearings are rollably disposed on the two sliding bars, respectively, and the sliding element is movable along the sliding track.

7. The exercise device of claim 5, wherein the sliding element further comprises: at least two bottom bearings coaxially and pivotally connected to the connecting bar, wherein the two bottom bearings are rollably connected to the two sliding bars, and the sliding element is movable along the sliding track.

8. An exercise device, comprising: a sliding track; a sliding element movably connected to the sliding track, wherein the sliding element comprises a locked base, an inclined positioning hole and a pivoting portion, the locked base has a first positioning hole, and there is a second distance between the locked base and the pivoting portion; a rotating element connected to the sliding element, wherein the rotating element comprises at least one inclined fixing hole, an arc track and a pivoting axis, there is a third distance between the arc track and the pivoting axis, the second distance is equal to the third distance, the are track is corresponding to the first positioning hole, the pivoting axis is pivotally connected to the pivoting portion, and the rotating element is rotatable at an angle relative to a moving direction of the sliding element; and a locked element movably connected to the inclined positioning hole and the inclined fixing hole, wherein the rotating element which is inclined at the angle relative to the moving direction of the sliding element is positioned on the sliding element.

9. The exercise device of claim 8, wherein the angle is larger than or equal to 0 degrees and smaller than or equal to 40 degrees, the sliding element further comprises a center positioning hole, the rotating element further comprises a center fixing hole, when the angle is equal to 0 degrees, the center positioning hole is aligned to the center fixing hole.

10. The exercise device of claim 8, wherein the sliding track comprises two sliding bars, the two sliding bars are arranged parallel to each other and separated by a first distance, the pivoting portion is located between the two sliding bars, the pivoting portion has a hollow cylindrical shape, an outer diameter and an inner diameter, the outer diameter of the pivoting portion is smaller than the first distance, the pivoting axis has a cylindrical shape, and a diameter of the pivoting axis is smaller than the inner diameter of the pivoting portion.

11. The exercise device of claim 10, wherein the sliding element further comprises: a top portion connected to the pivoting portion, wherein the first positioning hole is located on the top portion; two inclined portions connected to two opposite sides of the top portion, respectively; two lug portions having two lug holes, respectively, wherein the two lug holes are corresponding to each other, and the two lug portions are outwardly extended from the two inclined portions, respectively; and a connecting bar connected to the two lug holes, wherein the top portion, one inclined portion, one lug portion, the connecting bar, the other lug portion and the other inclined portion are connected to form an opening, and the two sliding bars are arranged in the opening.

12. The exercise device of claim 11, wherein the sliding element further comprises: at least two inclined bearings pivotally connected to the two inclined portions, respectively, wherein the two inclined bearings are rollably disposed on the two sliding bars, respectively, and the sliding element is movable along the sliding track.

13. The exercise device of claim 11, wherein the sliding element further comprises: at least two bottom bearings coaxially and pivotally connected to the connecting bar, wherein the two bottom bearings are rollably connected to the two sliding bars, and the sliding element is movable along the sliding track.