ROPE MECHANISM FOR FITNESS EQUIPMENT AND FITNESS EQUIPMENT UTILIZING THE ROPE MECHANISM

Abstract

A rope mechanism for fitness equipment includes a drive unit and a rope unit. The drive unit includes a motor, a reduction device and a spool connected to the motor. The rope unit includes a rope and a pulley located adjacent to the spool. The rope has one end thereof connected to the spool, allowing it to be pulled by the spool and wound around it.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Fields of the invention

The present invention relates to a rope mechanism used for fitness equipment, and more particularly, to a rope mechanism used for fitness equipment, as well as fitness equipment that utilizes this rope mechanism.

2. Descriptions of Related Art

Traditional fitness equipment equipped with tension ropes relies on the elasticity generated by pulling the rope to perform weight training on the upper arms and chest muscles so as to achieve muscle exercise effects. By using methods such as stepping on the ropes or fixing them to surfaces like walls, the training effectiveness can be enhanced. However, these fixing methods pose risks of instability, which may lead to sports injuries or accidents.

The present invention intends to provide a rope mechanism used for fitness equipment to eliminate the shortcomings mentioned above.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a rope mechanism for fitness equipment, and comprises a servo, a drive unit, and a rope unit. The servo is electrically connected to the drive unit and adjusts the speed and torque of the drive unit. The drive unit includes a motor, a reduction device, and a spool. The servo drives the motor to activate the reduction device, and the reduction device provides different speed reduction ratios to the spool to rotate the spool in forward or reverse directions. The rope unit includes a rope and at least one pulley. The rope includes a first end, a second end, and a body portion. The first end is fixed to the spool and wound around the spool. The second end of the rope is held by a user. When the rope is wound onto the spool, a portion of the body portion of the rope extends outward from the spool. The rope is released from the spool by pulling the second end of the rope. The body portion extends outward by passing through the at least one pulley.

The present invention will become more obvious from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, a preferred embodiment in accordance with the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows that the rope mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention is used a platform-style rope-pulling fitness machine;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the FIG. 1, and shows the rope mechanism of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view to show the drive unit of the rope mechanism of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows the drive unit of the rope mechanism and the rope of the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows that the rope mechanism of the third embodiment of the present invention is used to a rowing machine;

FIG. 6 is another perspective view of the FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 shows a gantry-style weight training machine, and the illustrates the rope mechanism of the fourth embodiment of the present invention is used to the gantry-style weight training machine, and

FIG. 8 shows that the rope mechanism of the fifth embodiment of the present invention is used to a platform-style rope fitness machine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, which show that the rope mechanism 10 of first embodiment of the present invention is used to a platform-style rope fitness machine 1. In this embodiment, the platform-style rope fitness machine 1 includes a platform 11, inside which two sets of servos 14, two power resistors 16 and two rope mechanisms 10 are symmetrically arranged in a mirror image configuration. The servos 14 and the power resistors 16 are electrically connected to the driving units 20 of the rope mechanisms 10. The speed and torque of the driving units 20 are adjusted by the servos 14. Additionally, when the rope mechanisms 10 pull the driving units 20 to generate electrical power, the power resistors 16 can convert the electrical energy into heat energy to dissipate it, thereby protecting the driving units 20. Furthermore, since the structures of the two rope mechanisms 10 are identical, only one set of rope mechanism 10 will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rope-pulling mechanism 10 includes a driving unit 20, a rope unit 30, and a grip 40. The user can stand on the top surface of the platform 11 and grips the grips 40 of the rope mechanisms 10 with their left and right hands, achieving fitness goals by repeatedly pulling and relaxing the rope units 30.

Please also refer to FIGS. 2 and 3, the drive unit 20 comprises a motor base 21, a motor 22, a reduction device 23, and a spool 24. The motor base 21 includes a bottom plate 212, a front upright plate 214, a rear upright plate 216, and two columns 218. The bottom sides of the front upright plate 214 and the rear upright plate 216 are fixed to the top surface of the bottom plate 212 by means such as welding. The two columns 218 are spaced apart and fixed at their ends to the left and right top edges of the front and rear upright plates 214 and 216. The reduction device 23 is located on the bottom plate 212 and is fixed to the rear side of the rear upright plate 216. The spool 24 is located between the front upright plate 214 and the rear upright plate 216, the front end of the spool 24 is supported by a bearing (not shown) installed in the front upright plate 214, and the rear end of the spool 24 is coaxially connected to the output shaft of the reduction device 23 (not shown). The motor 22 is connected to the reduction device 23 to provide a power source.

The rope unit 30 comprises a rope 34 and a pulley 36. The rope 34 is wound around the spool 24 and has the first end 341 thereof fixed to the spool 24. The second end 342 is located opposite the first end 341, and a body portion 343 is formed between the first and second ends 341 and 342. When the rope 34 is wound on the spool 24, the first end 341 of the rope 34 passes through a hole in the spool 24 (not shown in the drawings) and is tied, and is connected to the spool 24. The second end 342 of the rope 34 is fixed to the grip 40 via a fastener ring 38. In this way, the body portion 343 of the rope 34 can be wound around the spool 24 when pulled by the spool 24 and released by the user, causing the spool 24 to rotate. The pulley 36 is freely and rotatably positioned on a wheel base 361 located on the bottom frame of the platform 11, corresponding to the position of the spool 24. After the body portion 343 of the rope 34 extends horizontally outward from the spool 24, it passes around the pulley 36, changes direction, and then extends vertically upward.

In the above-mentioned drive unit 20, by adjusting the speed of the motor 22 through the reduction device 23, variable resistance can be output. When the user pulls the rope 34 and generates a pulling force greater than the starting torque of the drive unit 20, the drive unit 20 activates a resistance that counteracts and opposes the pulling force, and vice versa. In other words, the rope mechanism 10 of the present invention utilizes the drive unit 20 including the motor 22, the reduction device 23, and the spool 24, to provide adjustable resistance when pulling the rope 34, thereby offering the users high-intensity and customizable training resistance.

Furthermore, the rope mechanism 10 has a simple and easy-to-assemble structure. It can also utilize one or more pulleys 36 to change the direction of the extended rope 34. Therefore, it can be used in various types of exercise equipment, such as the platform-style rope fitness machine 1 as disclosed in this embodiment, or a rowing machine or a gantry-style weight training machine that will be described in detail below.

In the above-described embodiment, the motor 22, the reduction device 23, and the spool 24 are coaxially connected to achieve the advantage of overall size reduction. Moreover, the reduction device 23 can be implemented using a known gear-type reducer, which includes multiple gears that mesh with each other, to provide a multi-stage reduction ratio transmission. An example of such a reduction device 23 will be described below.

As shown in FIG. 4 which shows a perspective view of the drive unit 20 of the rope mechanism 10 of the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the reduction device 23 of the drive unit 20 comprises multiple toothed pulleys and multiple belts. The reduction device 23 includes a first belt pulley 231 coaxially connected to the motor 22, a second belt pulley 232 and a third belt pulley 233 that are coaxially arranged and rotate synchronously, a fourth belt pulley 234 coaxially connected to the spool 24, a first belt 235 wound around the first belt pulley 231 and the second belt pulley 232, and a second belt 236 wound around the third belt pulley 233 and the fourth belt pulley 234. Additionally, the reduction device 23 further includes four tension wheels 237 that respectively contact the first belt 235 and the second belt 236. The second and third belt pulleys 232, 233, and the tension wheels 237 are supported above the motor base 21 by a bracket 238. Moreover, the fourth belt pulley 234 is integrally formed with the spool 24, simplifying the components and reducing costs.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, showing the application of the rope mechanism 10 of the third embodiment of the present invention used in a rowing machine 50. Not all components of the rowing machine 50 are shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, only several key components such as the left foot pedal and right foot pedal are displayed. The rope mechanism 10 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 is structurally similar to the rope mechanism 10 shown in the first embodiment, with the main difference being the number and placement of the pulley 36. Furthermore, the second end 342 of the rope 34 is fixedly connected to a rod 42 to change the mode of weight training from upper body to lower body.

The rowing machine 50 comprises a base 51 on which the drive unit 20 and rope unit 30 are installed. Similarly, the drive unit 20 includes a motor base 21, a motor 22, a reduction device 23, and a spool 24. The motor base 21 is fixed to the top surface of the base 51, and the base 51 includes a first bar 53, a second bar 55, a left pedal 57, and a right pedal 59 placed on the front side of the second bar 55 for the user's feet to step on.

In this embodiment, the rope unit 30 includes a first steering wheel 363 and a second steering wheel 365. The first steering wheel 363 is positioned on the first bar 53 and located beside the spool 24, while the second steering wheel 365 is placed to the second bar 55 in front of the drive unit 20. Additionally, the body portion 343 of the rope 34 is wound around the spool 24, and extends outward and passes through the space between the left and right pedals 57, 59 by passing around the first and second steering wheels 363, 365. Therefore, the user can pull the rope 34 by stepping on the left and right pedals 57, 59. When the user's stepping force exceeds the starting torque of the drive unit 20, the resistance in the opposite direction is activated, and vice versa. In summary, the rope mechanism 10 of the third embodiment of the present invention can be applied to the rowing machine 50.

As shown in FIG. 7 which shows the application of the rope mechanism 10 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention used in a gantry-style weight training machine 60. Only several key components of the gantry-style weight training machine 60 are shown in FIG. 7, such as the frame 62, the servo 14, and the power resistor 16. The servo 14 and power resistor 16 are electrically connected to the drive unit 20 of the rope mechanism 10, and the speed and torque of the drive unit 20 can be adjusted by the servo 14. Additionally, when the rope mechanism 10 pulls the drive unit 20 to generate electricity, the power resistor 16 can convert the electrical energy into heat to dissipate it, thereby protecting the drive unit 20.

Furthermore, the structural difference between the rope mechanism 10 as shown in FIG. 7 and the third embodiment is that the drive unit 20 of the rope mechanism 10 is vertically fixed to the upright side wall 621 of the frame 62 through the motor base 21. The first steering wheel 363 and the second steering wheel 365 of the rope unit 30 are also placed on the upright side wall 621. The body portion 343 of the rope 34 wound around the spool 24 passes around the first steering wheel 363 and the second steering wheel 365, and extends upward through a hole 625 in the top wall 623 of the frame 62 before extending outward. Various pulley configurations (not shown in the figure) can guide the second end 342 of the rope 34 to the desired position. Thus, the rope mechanism 10 can replace the conventional weight stack used in gantry-style weight training machines 60 to provide resistance for unilateral or bilateral weight training with different intensities. In summary, the rope mechanism 10 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a gantry-style weight training machines 60.

While we have shown and described the embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that further embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rope mechanism for fitness equipment, comprises:

a servo, a drive unit, and a rope unit, the servo electrically connected to the drive unit and adjusting a speed and a torque of the drive unit, the drive unit including a motor, a reduction device and a spool, the servo driving the motor to activate the reduction device, the reduction device providing different speed reduction ratios to the spool to rotate the spool in forward or reverse directions, the rope unit including a rope and at least one pulley, the rope including a first end, a second end and a body portion, the first end of the rope fixed to the spool and wound around the spool, the second end of the rope adapted to be held by a user, when the rope is wound onto the spool, a portion of the body portion of the rope extends outward from the spool, the rope is released from the spool by pulling the second end of the rope, the body portion extends outward by passing through the at least one pulley.

2. The rope mechanism as claimed in claim 1 further includes at least one power resistor, the at least one power resistor and the servo are electrically connected to the drive unit.

3. The rope mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor, the reduction device and the spool are coaxially connected with each other.

4. The rope mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reduction device includes a first belt pulley coaxially connected to the motor, a second belt pulley and a third belt pulley that are coaxially connected to each other, a fourth belt pulley coaxially connected to the spool, a first belt wrapped around the first belt pulley and the second belt pulley, and a second belt wrapped around the third belt pulley and the fourth belt pulley, the reduction device includes multiple tension wheels that are in contact with the first belt and the second belt.

5. The rope mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the rope mechanism is used in a platform-style cable fitness machine, a rowing machine, and a gantry-style weight training machine.

6. The rope mechanism as claimed in claim 5, wherein the platform-style rope fitness machine comprises a platform and the two rope mechanisms, the ropes of the two rope mechanisms pass through the platform, and the second end of the rope of each rope mechanism is connected to a grip via a stopper, when the rope of each rope mechanism is wound onto the spool, the stopper rests against the platform of the platform-style cable fitness machine.

7. The rope mechanism as claimed in claim 5, wherein the rowing machine includes a base to which the drive unit and the rope unit are installed.

8. The rope mechanism as claimed in claim 7, wherein the base of the rowing machine includes a left pedal and a right pedal for the user to step on with their feet, the body portion of the rope passes between the left pedal and the right pedal.

9. The rope mechanism as claimed in claim 6, wherein the gantry-style weight training machine includes a frame, the drive unit is vertically installed on an upright side wall of the frame, the first pulley and the second pulley of the rope unit are positioned on the upright side wall.