TWI875513B - Treadmill with adjustable incline - Google Patents

Abstract

A treadmill includes a base, a running stage, a gear assembly, a shaft, a driving assembly, and a bearing assembly. The running stage is arranged above the base. The gear assembly is arranged under the running stage and includes a driving gear and a driven gear. The shaft is fixed to the running stage and the driven gear. The driving assembly includes a motor to drive the driving gear to rotate. The bearing assembly is arranged on the base and supports the shaft.

Description

Adjustable incline treadmill

The present invention relates to a treadmill with variable slope.

Due to busy life, modern people generally lack exercise. However, running has become the sport of choice for many people because it is simple and efficient. When the weather is bad or at certain times, it is more convenient to use an indoor treadmill than to run outdoors.

To simulate climbing a hill, some treadmills have a lift mechanism that raises the front end of the treadmill. In addition, in addition to simulating climbing a hill, some treadmills also have a lift mechanism that raises the rear end of the treadmill to simulate downhill running training.

The applicant's previously applied Republic of China patent TWI549719B discloses a treadmill, which includes a running platform, a front lifting frame, a rear lifting frame, and a driving assembly. The front lifting frame is pivotally connected to the front half of the running platform, and the rear lifting frame is pivotally connected to the rear half of the running platform. The driving assembly is movably connected to the front lifting frame and the rear lifting frame, and is displaced between the front lifting frame and the rear lifting frame, so that the front lifting frame or the rear lifting frame is lifted. Among them, the driving assembly may include a motor, a screw, and a sleeve.

In the previous design, the same motor is used to drive the front lifting frame and the rear lifting frame, which requires the motor to generate a large torque, otherwise it is difficult to drive the front lifting frame and the rear lifting frame.

The present invention relates to a treadmill with adjustable slope.

In some embodiments, a treadmill includes a base, a treadmill, a gear assembly, an axle, a drive assembly, and a bearing assembly. The treadmill is located above the base. The gear assembly is located below the treadmill and includes a driving gear and a driven gear. The axle is fixed to the treadmill and the driven gear. The drive assembly includes a motor to drive the driving gear to rotate. The bearing assembly is located on the base and supports the axle.

In some embodiments, the treadmill further includes a reduction gearbox, the shaft of the motor is connected to the reduction gearbox, and the output shaft of the reduction gearbox is connected to the driving gear.

In some embodiments, the motor speed divided by the driven gear speed is equal to or greater than 1000.

In some embodiments, a bracket is provided on each side of the bottom of the treadmill, and the first end and the second end of the axle pass through a corresponding bracket and are fixed to the bracket respectively.

In some embodiments, the bearing assembly includes two seat bearings to support the first end and the second end of the shaft respectively.

In some embodiments, the base includes two supporting columns, and two seat bearings are respectively fixed on one supporting column.

In some embodiments, the number of teeth of the driving gear is greater than the number of teeth of the driven gear.

The embodiments will be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, which constitute a part of this document and show specific exemplary embodiments by way of illustration. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However, these embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Therefore, the following detailed description is not intended to be limiting.

FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional view of a treadmill 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the treadmill 1 shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional view of the treadmill 1 shown in FIG. 1 with some components omitted. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, the main components of the treadmill 1 include a base 10, a treadmill 11, an axle 12, a gear assembly 13, a drive assembly 14, and a bearing assembly 15. The base 10 is in contact with the ground. The treadmill 11 is located on the base 10 and usually has a moving running belt (not shown) for the user to run or walk on it. The axle 12 is fixed to the treadmill 11. The drive assembly 14 is connected to the gear assembly 13 to drive the gear assembly 13 to rotate. The gear assembly 13 at least comprises a driving gear 131 and a driven gear 132 which are engaged with each other, wherein the driven gear 132 is fixed to the shaft 12. The bearing assembly 15 is fixed to the base 10 and comprises two seat bearings 151 to support the shaft 12.

FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are schematic diagrams of the manufacturing process of the treadmill 1 shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 4A is a view of the bottom of the treadmill 11 facing upward. Referring to FIG. 4A , first, the treadmill 11 is turned upside down so that its bottom faces upward, and then the driven gear 132 is fixed to the shaft 12 in an appropriate manner, such as welding. Next, the shaft 12 is fixed to the bottom of the treadmill 11 in an appropriate manner, such as welding. In this embodiment, each side of the bottom of the treadmill 11 has a bracket 110, and the two ends of the shaft 12 pass through a bracket 110 respectively and are fixed to the bracket 110 by welding.

Referring to FIG. 4B , the treadmill 11 is then reversed so that the shaft 12 is located below the treadmill 11, and the two ends of the shaft 12 are respectively disposed in a seat bearing 151 of the bearing assembly 15. Then, the two seat bearings 151 of the bearing assembly 15 are fixed to the base 10. In this embodiment, the base 10 has two support columns 101, and the two seat bearings 151 are respectively locked to one support column 101 in an appropriate manner or by a fixing element, such as a screw.

FIG. 5 shows a partial view of the treadmill 1 after the assembly of FIG. 4B (some components are omitted). Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the drive assembly 14 has a motor 140 and a reduction gearbox 141. The input shaft 1411 of the reduction gearbox 141 is connected to the motor 140, and the output shaft 1410 of the reduction gearbox 141 is connected to the driving gear 131. In one embodiment, the reduction gearbox 141 has a plurality of gears of different sizes, which are combined into a gearbox. The gear connected to the input shaft 1411 can be the gear with the least number of teeth, and the gear connected to the output shaft 1410 can be the gear with the most number of teeth. In another preferred embodiment, for example, a model E worm gear reduction box produced by Li Ming Machinery Co., Ltd. can be used. The reduction box 141 has a worm and a worm gear engaged with the worm, wherein the worm is engaged with an input shaft 1411 (also a worm in this embodiment), and the worm gear is fixed to an output shaft 1410. In another preferred embodiment, for example, a model LHM worm gear reduction box produced by Li Ming Machinery Co., Ltd. can be used. The reduction box 141 has a first worm, a second worm, a first worm gear, and a second worm gear. The input shaft 1411 (a worm in this embodiment) is engaged with the first worm, the first worm is engaged with the first worm wheel, the first worm wheel is engaged with the second worm, the second worm is engaged with the second worm wheel, and the second worm wheel is fixed to the output shaft 1410. In this way, the reduction box 141 reduces the input speed of the motor 140 but increases the output torque. In other embodiments, the reduction box 141 can be composed of a pulley or a sprocket.

Referring to FIG. 5 , through the above configuration, the motor 140 drives the reduction gear 141, so that the reduction gear 141 drives the driving gear 132 to rotate in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, and the driving gear 131 drives the driven gear 132 to rotate in a counterclockwise or clockwise direction. Since the driven gear 132 is fixed to the treadmill 11 through the axle 12, the rotation of the driven gear 131 causes the axle 12 and the treadmill 11 to rotate, causing the front end or rear end of the treadmill 11 to be lifted or lowered, thereby adjusting the slope of the treadmill 11.

FIG6 is a perspective view of the treadmill 1 shown in FIG1 being operated in a first state. When the motor 140 drives the reduction gear 141, the reduction gear 141 drives the driving gear 131 to rotate in a first direction (e.g., clockwise), and the driving gear 131 drives the driven gear 132 to rotate in a second direction (e.g., counterclockwise), so that the axle 12 and the treadmill 11 also rotate, causing the rear end of the treadmill 11 to be lifted (the front end to be lowered).

FIG7 is a perspective view of the treadmill 1 shown in FIG1 being operated in the second state. When the motor 140 drives the reduction gear 141, the reduction gear 141 drives the driving gear 131 to rotate in the second direction (e.g., counterclockwise), and the driving gear 131 drives the driven gear 132 to rotate in the first direction (e.g., clockwise), so that the axle 12 and the treadmill 11 also rotate, causing the front end of the treadmill 11 to be lifted (the rear end to be downward).

Referring to FIGS. 5 to 7 , in a preferred embodiment, the “speed ratio” between the motor 140 and the driven gear 132 is defined as the rotation speed (rpm) of the motor 140 ÷ the rotation speed (rpm) of the driven gear 132, which is equal to or greater than 1000. In addition, in some embodiments, the number of teeth of the driving gear 131 may be greater than the number of teeth of the driven gear 132. Through the above configuration, the number of revolutions of the motor 140 is reduced, and a larger torque is obtained, so that the treadmill 11 can adjust a wide range of slopes. In addition, the working capacity of the motor 140 is improved, and at the same motor speed, the treadmill 11 can withstand a larger load, and even a heavier user can run on it and remain stable. In addition, since a smaller motor can be used to achieve the required output power, equipment and energy costs can be reduced.

It can be understood from the above that, for the purpose of illustration, specific embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, but various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited except within the scope of the attached patent.

1: Treadmill 10: Base 11: Treadmill 12: Axis 13: Gear assembly 14: Drive assembly 15: Bearing assembly 101: Support column 110: Bracket 131: Driving gear 132: Driven gear 140: Motor 141: Gearbox 151: Seat bearing 1410: Output shaft 1411: Input shaft

Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the disclosed technology, including preferred embodiments, will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like symbols represent like elements or parts throughout the several views unless otherwise specified.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a treadmill 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the treadmill shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional diagram of the treadmill shown in FIG. 1 with some components omitted.

4A and 4B are schematic diagrams of the manufacturing process of the treadmill shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 shows a partial view of the treadmill 1 after being assembled as shown in FIG. 4B (some components are omitted).

FIG. 6 is a three-dimensional diagram showing the treadmill shown in FIG. 1 being operated in a first state.

FIG. 7 is a three-dimensional diagram showing the treadmill shown in FIG. 1 being operated in a second state.

1: Treadmill

10: Base

11: Treadmill

12: Axis

13: Gear assembly

14: Drive assembly

15: Bearing assembly

101: Support column

Claims (10)

A treadmill comprises: a base; a treadmill located above the base; a gear assembly located below the treadmill and comprising a driving gear and a driven gear; an axle fixed to the treadmill and the driven gear; a drive assembly comprising a motor to drive the driving gear to rotate; and a bearing assembly located on the base and supporting the axle. The treadmill as claimed in claim 1 further includes a reduction gearbox, the motor is connected to an input shaft of the reduction gearbox, and an output shaft of the reduction gearbox is connected to the driving gear. A treadmill as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reduction gear box comprises a plurality of gears, the gear with the least number of teeth among the plurality of gears is connected to the input shaft, and the gear with the largest number of teeth among the plurality of gears is connected to the output shaft. A treadmill as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reduction gear box includes a worm wheel and a worm rod, the input shaft engages the worm rod, the worm rod engages the worm wheel, and the worm wheel is connected to the output shaft. A treadmill as claimed in claim 2, wherein the reduction gear box includes a first worm wheel, a second worm wheel, a first worm rod, and a second worm rod, the input shaft engages the first worm rod, the first worm rod engages the first worm wheel, the first worm wheel engages the second worm rod, the second worm rod engages the second worm wheel, and the second worm wheel is connected to the output shaft. A treadmill as claimed in claim 1, wherein the speed of the motor divided by the speed of the driven gear is equal to or greater than 1000. A treadmill as claimed in claim 1, wherein each side of the bottom of the treadmill has a bracket, and a first end and a second end of the axis respectively pass through a corresponding bracket and are fixed to the bracket. A treadmill as claimed in claim 7, wherein the bearing assembly includes a double-seat bearing to respectively support the first end and the second end of the axis. As for the treadmill of claim 8, the base includes two supporting columns, and the two coupling bearings are respectively fixed on one of the supporting columns. A treadmill as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of teeth of the driving gear is greater than the number of teeth of the driven gear.

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