HK1087655B - Exercising device - Google Patents

Description

Exercise apparatus

Cross reference to related applications

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No. 60/425,181, filed on 8/11/2003 and incorporated herein by reference.

The technical field to which the invention belongs

The present invention relates generally to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to an exercise machine for use by a person who is unable to exercise their limbs by voluntary muscle stretching.

Background

It is well known that regular exercise can provide significant benefits to people with limited limb mobility. These persons may suffer from spinal injuries, stroke, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Muscular Dystrophy (MD) or other similar injuries or conditions that impair mobility (whether temporary or permanent), while perhaps finding their injured area significantly impeding even the exercise of other relatively unaffected body parts.

It has been shown that frequent movement of the major parts of the body is essential to improve the comfort, health and general well-being of persons suffering from these disabilities. Failure to do so can have painful, even unhealthy and dangerous consequences. For example, inactivity tends to cause rapid stiffness and pain in joints and tendons. Over a long period of time, the muscles that are not used or are in use experience atrophy. It has proven very easy to form thrombi. Long-term inactivity also leads to overall deterioration of the cardiovascular system.

In contrast, when the injured limb is exercised frequently (e.g., when repeated manual stretching is performed by the treating physician), the joint tends to become more compliant, circulation improves, the tendency to atrophy slows, the heart works more effectively, and the patient tends to experience less pain and discomfort. While the benefits of such exercise are undisputed, this can require a significant amount of time and effort, including both the patient and the helper (physician or volunteer). In some cases, a truly effective exercise for a disabled person may exceed the limits of the helper's physical and mental capabilities.

In this regard, a variety of mechanical and electromechanical devices have been devised to help provide a practical means by which a disabled person can exercise relatively unassisted. While benefiting from many aspects, these devices generally have their limitations. For example, U.S. patent No. 4,773,399 (' 399), entitled exercise apparatus, issued to keneth o. richardson, describes an apparatus for exercising the arms and legs of persons who otherwise have difficulty moving their limbs. Although the exercise apparatus disclosed in the' 399 patent has proven to work well, it does not provide foot motion comparable to walking.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention provides an apparatus for exercising the feet, arms and legs of a person in a seated position, such as a person restrained by a wheelchair. The device is adapted to repeatedly stretch a person's leg arm and impart a cyclic, rotational motion to the ankle joint. A motor drive unit is used to power rotation of the active crankshaft, which controls and coordinates all of the various motions.

According to the invention, the device has an elongated rotating drive crankshaft. The drive crankshaft is bent to form two arms (i.e., crank arms) that are offset from the axis of rotation of the drive crankshaft. Both foot pedals are rotatably mounted on respective arms. Preferably, the two arms are arranged opposite each other at 180 degrees to the axis of rotation of the drive crankshaft. The arms are also "tilted" relative to the axis of rotation at an angle, preferably 5-25 degrees, more preferably 10-20 degrees.

This "tilt" angle causes a cyclic, rotational motion of the foot plate (when the person's foot is secured to the foot plate), thereby imparting a repetitive cyclic, rotational motion to the person's foot and ankle.

According to one aspect of the invention, the foot pedal is pivotally mounted to a bushing which in turn is rotatably mounted to the arm.

Preferably, the apparatus comprises a frame on which the main components of the apparatus are mounted. The frame includes a platform portion on which the wheelchair can be rolled. Alternatively, a chair, stool or bench may be provided on the platform.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a pair of arm exercising members are pivotally mounted to the frame of the apparatus and are connected to the drive crankshaft such that rotation of the drive crankshaft produces an oscillating motion in the crank arms. The crank arm includes a handle portion that is gripped by a person using the device.

When the device is used, the rotation of the driving crankshaft drives the legs of the person to stretch repeatedly and also drives the ankle joint to rotate, so that a whole set of motion similar to the walking experience is generated.

Brief description of the drawings

These and other features of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the following description and drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an exercise machine of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the exercise machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front partial cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a top view of an alternative embodiment of the pedal coupled to the sleeve;

fig. 5 shows a cross-sectional view along line 5-5 of the pedal of fig. 4.

Detailed Description

As shown in fig. 1, 2 and 3, the present exercise apparatus 10 includes a frame 12 formed by a pair of platforms 14, 16 and a track 18 in sequence. The wheelchair 22 is located on the platforms 14, 16 and may be positioned in any comfortable position and locked in place with a brake (not shown) on the wheelchair. The wheelchair 22 may be replaced by any type of chair, stool, or bench. The patient sitting in the wheelchair may then be secured to the pedals 28, 30 by the foot securing straps 24, 26 in any desired manner that secures the patient's shoes or feet to the pedals 28, 30.

The arm exercising members 32, 34 are pivotally connected to the track 18 at pivot points 36, 38 and include a pair of armrests 40, 42. The arm exercising members 32, 34 are oscillated back and forth by motion imparted by a pair of link arms 44, 46 connected between the arm exercising member and a crankshaft 48 driven by a motor drive 52 to rotate about an axis of rotation or centerline 50. The crankshaft 48 is rotatably supported by shaft supports 54, 56 fixed to the guide rail 18, as best shown in FIG. 2.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the foot pedals 28, 30 have planar base plates 28a, 30a, respectively, with upstanding side foot guards 28b, 30b along the inner edges of the planar base plates (corresponding to the inside of the patient's feet) to hold the feet on the foot pedals as they rotate. In addition, the heel brackets 28c, 30c securely hold the patient's foot/shoe on the pedals 28, 30 so that it can be secured with the securing straps 24, 26. Although one strap is shown in each of the treadles 28, 30, multiple straps and/or foot/shoe retaining clips are within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

The connecting arms 44 and 46 connecting the arm exercising members 32 and 34 are rotatably connected to the crankshaft 48 by bearings 66, 68 on generally U-shaped portions 70, 72, respectively, of the crankshaft 48 such that the arm exercising members 32, 34 alternate back and forth about the pivot points 36 and 38 as the crankshaft rotates about the centerline 50 (the axis of rotation of the crankshaft 48) as will be described hereinafter.

The present invention focuses particularly on the shape of the drive crankshaft 48. Opposite ends 48a and 48b of the drive crankshaft are rotatably connected with the shaft supports 54, 56 by bushings 74, 76, respectively, to rotate the drive crankshaft 48 about the rotational axis 50 by the motor drive 52. The ends 48a, 48b of the drive crankshaft 48 are connected to U-bends or bends 70, 72. The bearings 66, 68 are rotatably fixed to the U-shaped portion as previously described. Note that the U-shaped bends 70, 72 are 180 degrees opposite one another and revolve about the centerline 50. Although referred to as U-shaped, the bent portions 70, 72 have center portions 70a, 72a, respectively, each disposed parallel to the center line 50, and arm portions 70b, 70c, 72a, 72b extending outward at a predetermined angular range with respect to the center line 50 to connect with the ends 48a, 48b of the crankshaft and the pedal connecting portions 80, 82 of the active crankshaft 48.

The pedal attachment portion 80 includes a center arm 80a and two side arms 80b, 80 c. Similarly, the pedal attachment portion 82 includes a center arm 82a and two side arms 82b, 82 c. Side arms 80b and 82b are connected to side arms 70c and 72b of U-bends 70 and 72, respectively. The side arms 70c and 72b of the elbows 80 and 82, respectively, are interconnected near the centerline 50 of the drive crankshaft 48.

A key aspect of the present invention relates to the location of the arms 80a and 82a of the support portions 80 and 82 and their relative centerline 50. That is, arms 80a and 82a are disposed at angles b and a, respectively, relative to centerline 50. Preferably, angles a and b are the same so that arms 80a and 82a are parallel to each other. Preferably, angles a and b are about 5-25 degrees, more preferably 10-20 degrees. Additionally, arms 80a and 82a are opposed 180 degrees from each other and rotate about centerline 50. The positions of the arms 80a and 82a, as described in greater detail below, position the pedals 28 and 30 at an angle corresponding to the centerline 50 that is of great benefit to the operator of the apparatus. Each pedal 28, 30 is secured to the crankshaft 48 at arms 80a and 82a by bushings 86, 88. In fig. 3, only one pedal (28) is shown; the other step (30, see fig. 2) is omitted for clarity of illustration. The other pedal (30) is similar in construction to the pedal shown, with a similar sleeve disposed. The bushings 86, 88 have a cylindrical bore extending therethrough for receiving the crankshaft 48 to allow the pedals 28 and 30 to rotate freely about the respective arms 80a and 82a of the pedal attachment portions 80 and 82, respectively. Alternatively, the bushings 86, 88 may be constructed of multiple components that are secured together in any desired manner that ensures that they are easily secured to the crankshaft 48 or easily removed from the crankshaft 48, as desired.

In operation, the crankshaft 48 is rotated by the motor drive 52 at any desired speed to impart a cyclic rotational movement to the pedals about the centerline 50. Due to the angle at which the foot plates 28, 30 are disposed with respect to the center line of rotation 50, the patient's foot secured to the foot plates will move back and forth while the foot and ankle joint will also move rotationally due to the angles a and b, which are the angles at which the foot plates 28, 30 are disposed with respect to the center line of rotation 50.

Referring to fig. 3, when the active crankshaft 48 is rotated (about centerline 50) such that the foot board 28 is in its rearmost position (relative to the front of the rail 18), the foot board 28 is positioned more rearward on its right side than on its left side. However, when the crankshaft 48 is rotated 180 degrees about the centerline 50 to its forwardmost position, the foot board 28 is positioned with its right side more forward than its left side. The foot pedal 30 (not shown in fig. 3) experiences the same movement. Thus, when the active crankshaft 48 rotates about its centerline 50, rotation of the foot and ankle joint (of the patient whose foot is secured to the foot pedals 28, 30) occurs.

The advantage of this synchronized motion in combination with the arm exercising member mimics the walking of a synchronized motion, thus improving flexibility, muscle condition and maintaining a range of motion of the limb. In addition, this function helps people with spinal cord and traumatic head injuries retrain the brain to gain new neural pathways. Other advantages of the machine are that it helps to eliminate poor circulation, cramps, joint stiffness, muscle atrophy and ankle swelling. This is important for eliminating contractures and providing more freedom of movement to a person sitting in a wheelchair for a long period of time.

In an alternative arrangement shown in fig. 4 and 5, a foot pedal 90 (corresponding to foot pedal 28) is pivotally mounted on a sleeve 92 (corresponding to sleeve 86) so that it can rotate relative to the upper surface of sleeve 92. For example, the pin 94 may be provided through the foot plate, thereby obtaining additional rotational movement in the plane of the surface of the foot plate 90 to help further increase the range of motion of the person's foot and ankle.

Although the invention has been shown and described with respect to one or more particular preferred embodiments, certain equivalent alterations and modifications will occur to others skilled in the art upon the reading and understanding of this specification and the annexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (devices, apparatus, circuits, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a "means") used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention. In addition, while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be useful and advantageous for any given or particular application.

Claims (20)

1. An apparatus (10) for exercising the legs and feet of a person, characterized by:

an elongated rotating crankshaft (48) having an axis of rotation (50), first and second foot pedals (28, 30) rotatably secured to first and second spaced-apart supports (80, 82); each support portion having an arm (80a, 82a) disposed at an angle to the axis of rotation (50), whereby the arms of each support portion are parallel to each other but not parallel to the axis of rotation (50) of the rotating crankshaft (48); and

a foot pedal rotatably fixed to each arm, the arm moving the human foot forward and backward when the rotating crankshaft (48) rotates about the rotation axis (50), and simultaneously generating a rotational motion of the foot and the ankle joint due to the angle of the arm with respect to the rotation axis (50).

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the pedals (28, 30) are respectively pivoted on corresponding sleeves (74, 76), and the sleeves (74, 76) are sequentially and rotatably arranged on corresponding support arms.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the arms are opposed to each other at 180 DEG and revolve about the axis of rotation (50) of the rotating crankshaft (48).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the angle between the arms (80a, 82a) and the axis of rotation (50) is between 5 and 25 degrees.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein:

the angle between the arms (80a, 82a) and the axis of rotation (50) is between 10 and 20 degrees.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the feature of:

a frame (12) including a platform (14, 16) for supporting a wheelchair.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the feature of:

a pair of arm exercising members (32, 34) and a frame (12), the arm exercising members (32, 34) each being pivotally mounted to a portion of the frame of the apparatus and connected to a rotating crankshaft (48) to synchronize movement of the arm exercising members with rotation of the shaft.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising the feature of:

a motor drive device (52) for rotating the rotating crankshaft (48) about its axis of rotation (50).

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the footrests (28, 30) are pivotally mounted on respective sleeves (86, 88), the sleeves (86, 88) in turn being rotatably mounted on respective arms.

10. An exercise device, characterized by:

a frame (12) including a platform portion (14, 16);

a drive crankshaft (48) having an axis of rotation (50), a pair of spaced-apart support arms (80a, 82a) disposed offset from the axis of rotation (50) and oriented at an angle relative to the axis of rotation (50), and a pair of connecting arms (44, 46) spaced-apart from the axis of rotation (50);

a pair of arm exercising members (32, 34) pivotally connected to the frame and connected to the connecting arms such that rotational movement of the drive crankshaft about its axis of rotation produces oscillatory rotational movement of the arm exercising members; and

pedals (28, 30) rotatably mounted on each arm, the arms moving the human foot forward and backward as the drive crankshaft rotates about the axis of rotation and simultaneously imparting rotational motion to the foot and ankle joint due to the angle of the arms relative to the axis of rotation.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein:

each arm is oriented at an angle of 5 to 25 degrees relative to the axis of rotation.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the support arms are parallel to each other.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

each arm (80a, 82a) is oriented at an angle of 10 to 20 degrees relative to the axis of rotation.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein:

the arms (80a, 82a) are parallel to each other.

15. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising the feature of:

a motor drive (52) for rotating the drive crankshaft about its axis of rotation (50).

16. An exercise device (10) characterized by:

a frame (12) including a platform portion (14, 16);

a drive crankshaft (48) having an axis of rotation (50), a pair of spaced-apart support arms (80a, 82a) disposed offset from and oriented at an angle to the axis of rotation, and a pair of connecting arms (44, 46) disposed spaced apart from the axis of rotation;

a motor drive (52) for rotating the drive crankshaft about its axis of rotation;

a pair of arm exercising members (32, 34) pivotally connected to the frame and connected to the connecting arms such that rotational movement of the drive crankshaft about its axis of rotation produces oscillatory rotational movement of the arm exercising members; and

pedals (28, 30) rotatably fixed to the arms, the arms moving the human foot forward and backward when the driving crankshaft rotates about the rotation axis and simultaneously generating rotational motion of the foot and the ankle joint due to the angle of the arms with respect to the rotation axis; wherein:

all the support arms are parallel to each other;

the support arms are opposite to each other at an interval of 180 degrees and rotate around the rotation axis; and

each arm is oriented at an angle of 5 to 25 degrees relative to the axis of rotation.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

each arm is oriented at an angle of 10 to 20 degrees relative to the axis of rotation.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

the footrests (28, 30) are pivotally mounted on respective sleeves (86, 88), the sleeves (86, 88) in turn being rotatably mounted on respective arms.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein:

each arm is oriented at an angle of 10 to 20 degrees with respect to the axis of rotation; and

the pedals (28, 30) are respectively pivoted on corresponding sleeves which are in turn rotatably mounted on corresponding support arms.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein:

each foot plate (28, 30) has a foot strap (24, 26) for fixing a shoe.