Foot training device

Abstract

Provided is a leg training device that can avoid the inconvenience of being limited in the installation direction and location due to the fixed entry / exit side. 【Solution means】The leg training device includes a frame 10, a seat 11 attached to the frame, a foot pad portion 14 for a user sitting on the seat to apply leg force, an actuator 19 that generates a load, and an arm unit 13 that has the actuator and the foot pad portion attached thereto and mechanically connects the actuator and the foot pad portion so as to transmit the load from the actuator to the foot pad portion. The arm unit is detachably attached to the frame on the right or left side of the seat.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a leg training device that can efficiently train the muscles of a user's lower limbs by operating under a load.

Background Art

[0002] As leg training devices for training the muscles of the lower limbs, for example, a leg curl machine and a leg extension machine are known. Many of these leg curl machines and leg extension machines are provided with a foot pad portion that extends horizontally in front of a seat on which the user sits and is driven by the user's legs, a support arm that is connected to one end of the foot pad portion and supports the foot pad portion, and an actuator that is connected to the support arm and generates a load on the foot pad portion. Patent Document 1 describes an example of a conventional leg curl machine and leg extension machine having such a configuration.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in conventional leg curl machines and leg extension machines as described in Patent Document 1, since the support arm that supports the foot pad portion is arranged on one side of the seat, when the user sits down, they need to enter and exit from the open side where the support arm is not present, and it was difficult to enter and exit from the non - open side where the support arm is present. For this reason, this type of conventional machine could not be arranged such that the open side (entrance / exit side) is located on the side where the wall is present, and it was necessary to arrange it such that the open side is located on the side where the passage is present. As a result, there has been the inconvenience that the installation direction and installation location of the machine are limited.

[0005] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a leg training device that can avoid the inconvenience that the installation direction and installation location are limited due to the entrance / exit side being fixed.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention, a leg training device includes a frame, a seat attached to the frame, a foot pad portion for a user sitting on the seat to apply a force to the legs, an actuator that generates a load, and an arm unit that has the actuator and the foot pad portion attached thereto and mechanically connects the actuator and the foot pad portion so as to transmit the load from the actuator to the foot pad portion. The arm unit is detachably attached to the frame on the right side or the left side of the seat.

[0007] Since the arm unit is detachably attached to the frame on the right side or the left side of the seat, according to the installation location of the leg training device, the entrance / exit side (open side) can be easily changed to the right side or the left side as appropriate. As a result, the limitation of the installation direction and installation location of the leg training device due to the entrance / exit side being fixed is eliminated.

[0008] Preferably, the foot pad portion can be attached to the arm unit in a left - right reversed manner.

[0009] In this case, it is more preferable that a base member attached to one end of the foot pad portion is further provided, and this base member can be attached to the arm unit by means of detachable fixing means so as to be reversely attached left and right.

[0010] It is also preferable that the arm unit is detachably attached to the frame by means of detachable fixing means.

[0011] It is also preferable that the frame is provided with fixing portions for attaching the arm unit on both the right side and the left side of the seat.

[0012] It is also preferable that the arm unit includes at least one arm member that mechanically connects between the actuator and the foot pad portion.

[0013] The arm unit includes a first arm member with a foot pad portion attached to one end and the other end pivotally supported by the arm unit, a second arm member with one end rotatably connected to the first arm member, and a third arm member with one end rotatably connected to the other end of the second arm member and the middle portion pivotally supported by the frame. It is also preferable that an actuator is connected to the third arm member.

[0014] In this case, it is more preferable that one end of the actuator is rotatably connected to the middle portion of the third arm member, and the other end of the actuator is rotatably connected to the arm unit.

Advantages of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, since the arm unit is detachably attached to the frame on the right side or the left side of the seat, according to the location where the leg training device is installed, the entrance / exit side (open side) can be easily changed to the right side or the left side as appropriate. As a result, the problem that the installation direction and installation location of the leg training device are limited due to the fixed entrance / exit side is solved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] FIG. 1 schematically shows the configuration of a leg curl and leg extension machine as an embodiment of the leg training device of the present invention. FIG. 2 schematically shows the configuration of the leg curl and leg extension machine of the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 schematically shows the state in which the leg curl and leg extension machine of the embodiment of FIG. 1 is operating. FIG. 4 schematically shows the configuration of each member of the leg curl and leg extension machine of the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 4(A) shows the arm unit 13, FIG. 4(B) shows the first arm member 16, FIG. 4(C) shows the foot pad part 14, FIG. 4(D) shows the second arm member 17, and FIG. 4(E) shows the third arm member 18.

[0018] As shown in these figures, a seat 11 and a backrest 12 on which the user sits are attached to a frame 10 which is a fixing member. In the present embodiment, an arm unit 13 is detachably mounted on the left side of the seat 11 of the frame 10 (the left side when looking forward from the seat).

[0019] The arm unit 13 is provided with a pair of foot pad parts 14 for the user to apply force to the legs for training of the lower limb muscles, a first arm member 16 connected to the pair of foot pad parts 14, a second arm member 17 connected to the first arm member 16, a third arm member 18 connected to the second arm member 17, and an actuator 19 connected to the third arm member 18. Also, a power supply device (not shown) is attached to the frame 10. The power supply device is provided with a connector for power supply, and is configured to be connected left and right with one touch by this connector to supply power. Note that the foot pad part of the present invention is not limited to the pair of foot pad parts 14, and a single foot pad part may be used instead.

[0020] One end of the foot pad part 14 (the right end when looking from the seat 11 in FIG. 1) is a free end, and the opposite end (the left end when looking from the seat 11 in FIG. 1) is integrally fixed to the base member 15. A plurality of (four in the present embodiment) bolt holes 15a into which a plurality of bolts (corresponding to the means for detachably fixing the present invention) are respectively inserted are formed in the base member 15. Each foot pad part 14 is configured to be rotatable about its axis.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 4(B), a mounting portion 16a having a U-shaped cross-section is formed at one end of the first arm member 16, and a plurality of (four in this embodiment) bolt holes 16b into which a plurality of bolts (corresponding to the means for detachably fixing the present invention, not shown) are respectively inserted are formed in the mounting portion 16a. The base member 15 of the foot pad portion 14 is fitted into the mounting portion 16a of the first arm member 16, and the foot pad portion 14 is fixed to the first arm member 16 by a plurality of bolts inserted into the bolt holes 16b. In this case, the base member 15 can be mounted on the mounting portion 16a in a horizontally reversed manner. A bearing portion 16c supported by a support portion 13a (see FIG. 4(A)) of the arm unit 13 is formed at the other end of the first arm member 16, whereby the first arm member 16 is pivotally supported by the arm unit 13 so as to be rotatable.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4(D), a bearing portion 17a supported by a support portion 16d (see FIG. 4(B)) provided at an intermediate portion of the first arm member 16 is formed at one end of the second arm member 17, whereby the second arm member 17 is pivotally supported by the first arm member 16 so as to be rotatable.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 4(E), a bearing portion 18a supported by a support portion 17b (see FIG. 4(D)) provided at the other end of the second arm member 17 is formed at one end of the third arm member 18, whereby the third arm member 18 is pivotally supported by the second arm member 17 so as to be rotatable. A bearing portion 18b supported by a support portion 13b (see FIG. 4(A)) provided on the arm unit 13 is formed at an intermediate portion of the third arm member 18, whereby the third arm member 18 is pivotally supported by the arm unit 13 so as to be rotatable.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 4(E), a support portion 18c is formed in the middle portion of the third arm member 18, and a support portion 13c (see Fig. 4(A)) is formed in the arm unit 13. One end portion and the other end portion of the actuator 19 are respectively connected between the support portion 18c of the third arm member 18 and the support portion 13c of the arm unit 13. Thereby, the actuator 19 is rotatably connected to the third arm member 18 and the arm unit 13, and the load generated from the actuator 19 is transmitted to the foot pad portion 14 via the third arm member 18, the second arm member 17, and the first arm member 16.

[0025] Mounting portions 13d and 13e (see Fig. 4(A)) for mounting the arm unit 13 to the frame 10 are formed in the arm unit 13. Bolt holes 13f (two bolt holes for each mounting portion in this embodiment) into which a plurality of bolts (corresponding to the means for detachably fixing the present invention, not shown) are respectively inserted are formed in these mounting portions 13d and 13e. On the other hand, fixing portions 10a and 10b to which these mounting portions 13d and 13e of the arm unit 13 are fixed by bolts (not shown) are provided in the frame 10. Although not shown, a plurality of bolt holes are also formed in these fixing portions 10a and 10b. In particular, in this embodiment, these fixing portions 10a and 10b are provided on both the right side and the left side of the seat 11 of the frame 10. Thereby, the arm unit 13 can be selectively fixed to the right side or the left side of the seat 11 as required.

[0026] In this embodiment, the actuator 19 is an electromagnetic resistance type linear actuator (which is merely an example, for example, the TA6 series linear actuator of TiMOTION Technology) that converts the rotational force of a motor into linear motion to generate a load. However, it is not limited to this electromagnetic resistance type linear actuator. Instead of the electric linear actuator, a hydraulic actuator that uses hydraulic pressure to generate a load, a pneumatic actuator that uses pneumatic pressure to generate a load, or an electric assist type actuator that uses an electronically controlled cylinder to generate a load may also be used.

[0027] The operation of the leg curl - leg extension machine of this embodiment will be described below. The user enters and exits from the right side (the right side when looking forward from the seat 11) where the arm unit 13 does not exist and is released, sits on the seat 11, inserts the legs between the pair of foot pad portions 14, and applies a downward force to the legs, thereby performing the leg curl operation. At this time, the foot pad portion 14 changes from the state shown in FIG. 2 to the state shown in FIG. 3, and the load from the actuator 19 is applied to the legs. The leg extension operation is performed by applying an upward force to the legs inserted between the pair of foot pad portions 14.

[0028] Next, in the leg curl - leg extension machine of this embodiment, an operation for converting the open side (entry / exit side) to the opposite side (from the right side to the left side) will be described. First, remove all the bolts that fix the attachment parts 13d and 13e of the arm unit 13 to the fixing parts 10a and 10b of the frame 10, and remove the arm unit 13 from the frame 10. Next, remove the bolt that fixes the base member 15 of the foot pad part 14 to the attachment part 16a of the first arm member 16, and rotate the base member 15 180 degrees in the same plane so that the direction of the foot pad part 14 is converted by 180 degrees, or turn the surface over and fit it to the attachment part 16a of the first arm member 16, and fix the base member 15 and the attachment part 16a with a bolt inserted into the bolt hole 15a. Fix the attachment parts 13d and 13e of the arm unit 13 in this state to the fixing parts 10a and 10b provided on the right side of the seat 11 of the frame 10 with bolts inserted into the bolt holes 13f. FIG. 5 shows a leg curl - leg extension machine with the arm unit 13 and the foot pad part 14 mounted with their left and right sides swapped, and the open side (entry / exit side) is on the left side.

[0029] As described in detail above, according to this embodiment, the arm unit 13 includes the foot pad portion 14, the first arm member 16, the second arm member 17, the third arm member 18, and the actuator 19, and is detachably configured on the frame 10. The frame 10 is provided with fixing portions 10a and 10b for fixing the arm unit 13 on both the right side and the left side of the seat 11. Further, since the foot pad portion 14 is configured to be attachable to the arm unit 13 in a horizontally reversed manner, the arm unit 13 can be attached to the frame 10 on a desired side (right side or left side) of the seat 11, and further, the foot pad portion 14 can be attached in a horizontally reversed manner. Also, although the power supply device is attached to the frame, it is configured to be connectable left and right with one touch by a connector. Thereby, according to the place where the leg training device is installed, the open side (entrance / exit side) can be easily changed to the right side or the left side as appropriate. As a result, there is no inconvenience such that the installation direction and installation location of the leg training device are limited due to the fixed entrance / exit side.

[0030] In the embodiment described above, the first arm member 16, the second arm member 17, and the third arm member 18 are used as a configuration for transmitting force between the foot pad portion 14 and the actuator 19. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and any configuration may be used as long as the load generated from the actuator 19 is transmitted to the foot pad portion 14. For example, a configuration having at least one arm member that mechanically connects the foot pad portion and the actuator may be used. Also, in the above-described embodiment, bolts are used as means for detachably fixing the frame 10 and the arm unit 13, and means for detachably fixing the foot pad portion 14 and the first arm member 16. However, other fixing means may be used as long as they can securely fix in a detachable manner.

[0031] The above-described specific embodiments all illustratively show the present invention and do not show it in a limiting manner. The present invention can be implemented in various other modified forms and changed forms. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined only by the scope of claims for utility model registration and its equivalent scope.

Explanation of Signs

[0032] 10 Frame 10a, 10b Fixing part 11 Seat 12 Backrest 13 Arm unit 13a, 13b, 13c, 16d, 17b, 18c Support part 13d, 13e, 16a Mounting part 13f, 15a, 16b Bolt hole 14 Hood pad part 15 Base member 16 First arm member 16c, 17a, 18a, 18b Bearing part 17 Second arm member 18 Third arm member 19 Actuator

Claims

1. A leg training device comprising a frame, a seat attached to the frame, a foot pad portion to which a user sitting on the seat can apply leg force, an actuator that generates a load, and an arm unit to which the actuator and the foot pad portion are attached and which mechanically connects the actuator and the foot pad portion so as to transmit the load from the actuator to the foot pad portion, the arm unit being removably attached to the frame on the right or left side of the seat.

2. 2. The leg training device according to claim 1, wherein the foot pad portion can be attached to the arm unit in a laterally inverted manner.

3. 3. The leg training device according to claim 2, further comprising a base member attached to one end of the foot pad portion, the base member being attachable to the arm unit in a left-right inverted manner by a removably fixing means.

4. 2. A leg training device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said arm units are removably attached to said frame by removably fastening means.

5. 2. The leg training device according to claim 1, wherein the frame has fixing portions to which the arm units are attached on both the right and left sides of the seat.

6. 2. The leg training device of claim 1, wherein the arm unit comprises at least one arm member providing a mechanical connection between the actuator and the foot pad portion.

7. 2. The leg training device according to claim 1, wherein the arm unit comprises a first arm member having one end to which the foot pad portion is attached and the other end pivotally supported by the arm unit, a second arm member having one end rotatably connected to the first arm member, and a third arm member having one end rotatably connected to the other end of the second arm member and an intermediate portion pivotally supported by the frame, and the actuator is connected to the third arm member.

8. 8. A leg training device according to claim 7, wherein one end of the actuator is rotatably connected to an intermediate portion of the third arm member, and the other end of the actuator is rotatably connected to the arm unit.

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