WO2014115994A1

WO2014115994A1 - Chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2014115994A1
Application number: PCT/KR2014/000469
Authority: WO
Inventors: Duke BAE
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-01-24
Filing date: 2014-01-16
Publication date: 2014-07-31
Anticipated expiration: 2015-07-24
Also published as: KR101287134B1

Abstract

There is provided a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus. The a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus includes: a body that is a frame; a seat combined with the body; a bed hinged by the seat or the body and having an adjustable angle which is made with the seat; a swing arm swingably hinged to the body; a first actuator combined with the body and swinging the swing arm; and at least one support roller fixed and being movable along the swing arm. The chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus has the effect of efficiently improving the strength of paraspinal muscles of various users by adjusting the front-rear position and up-down movement of the foot rollers and the bed with movement angle actuators to fit the body sizes of the users.

Description

CHIROPRACTIC AND PARASPINAL MUSCLE STRENGTHENING EXERCISE APPARATUS

The present invention relates to a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus, and more particularly, to a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus that can efficiently strengthen and correct paraspinal muscles and the muscles of legs, shoulders, and arms of users who need relatively scrupulous care, including weak people such as the old, obese people, or patients with spinal problems, without straining their bodies.

Spinal deformation due to lack of exercise and incorrect postures with convenience in the modern life become an issue frequently in daily life. Spinal disorders have been common diseases for moderns and constant exercise is a way that has been proposed as one of basic methods of treating the spinal disorders. However, moderns have difficulty in taking constant exercise in busy life and it was difficult to keep taking indoor exercise for a long period of time due to limits in weather or place.

‘Backbone sporting equipment’(Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0711555) has been proposed in the related art in order to solve the problems. The equipment, an exercise device for strengthening the paraspinal muscles, enables users to correct and treat the spine and strengthen the paraspinal muscles by actively moving with their bodies down.

However, the sporting equipment has problem in that it is suitable only for people with appropriate physical strength and weight and not suitable for weak people or obese people who have difficulty in actively exercising.

Further, the sporting equipment has another problem in that various users cannot effectively strengthen their muscles because various body sizes of users were not considered.

Therefore, there is a demand for exercise apparatuses that can efficiently strengthen muscles of people who need relatively scrupulous care, including weak people such as the old, obese people, or patients with spinal problems, without straining their bodies. Further, those exercise apparatuses require a structure that can be adjusted for users with various body conditions and sizes.

[Prior Art Document]

[Patent Document]

(Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0711555 (2007, 04, 27, FIG. 1)

The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus that can efficiently strengthen and correct paraspinal muscles and the muscles of legs, shoulders, and arms of users who need relatively scrupulous care, including weak people such as the old, obese people, or patients with spinal problems, without straining their bodies.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to those described above and other objects not stated herein may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

The present invention has been made in an effort to provide a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus including: a body; a seat combined with the body; a bed hinged by the seat or the body and having an adjustable angle which is made with the seat; a swing arm swingably hinged to the body; a first actuator combined with the body and swinging the swing arm; and at least one support roller fixed and being movable along the swing arm.

The support roller may include a first support roller and a second support roller that are independently fixed to the swing arm and the swing arm may have a first slit along which the first support roller moves and a second slit along which the second support roller moves.

The first slit and the second slit may at least partially overlap each other.

The swing arm may have a scale marked along at least one of the first slit and the second slit.

The support roller may be rotatably coupled to the swing arm.

The apparatus may further include a second actuator disposed between the body and the bed and adjusting the angle of the bed and the second actuator may include: a screw bar hinged to any one of the body and the bed and having a thread around the outer side; a nut member hinged to the other one, which is not combined with the screw bar, of the body and the bed, and thread-fastened to the screw bar; and a driving motor rotating the screw bar.

The apparatus may further include an operation panel hinged to the bed and controlling the first actuator and the second actuator.

The apparatus may further include a handle bar fixed along the bottom edge of the bed.

The apparatus may further include a step protruding at a side on the top of the seat.

According to the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus of an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently improve the strength of paraspinal muscles of various users such as weak people and obese people, because the apparatus can be adjusted to fit the bodies of the users.

Further, it is possible to stimulate and strength calf muscles and thigh muscles by appropriately adjusting the angle of the bed and the positions of the support roller and to strength the muscles of arms and shoulders, depending on the positions of the hands of a user holding the handle bar when the apparatus operates.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are partial side views illustrating a second actuator in the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a swing arm in the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an example that a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, lying on his/her face;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an example that a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, lying on his/her back; and

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example that a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, with the back against the bed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. The present invention may be modified in various ways and implemented by various embodiments, so that specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail. However, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions included in the spirit and the scope of the present invention. Like reference numerals are given to like components in the description of the drawings. The sizes of the structures illustrated in the drawings are enlarged or reduced relatively to the real sizes to make the present invention clear.

Terms used herein are used only in order to describe specific embodiments rather than limiting the present invention. Singular forms are intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" or "have" used in herein, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numerals, steps, operations, components, parts, or a combination thereof.

Unless indicated otherwise, it is to be understood that all the terms used in the specification including technical and scientific terms has the same meaning as those that are understood by those who skilled in the art. It must be understood that the terms defined by the dictionary are identical with the meanings within the context of the related art, and they should not be ideally or excessively formally defined unless the context clearly dictates otherwise herein.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 2 is a side view of the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus that can efficiently strengthen muscles of users who need relatively scrupulous care such as weak people, obese people, and patients with spinal problems, without straining their bodies. The chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus 1 includes a body 100, a second actuator 200, a seat 300, a bed 400, a handle bar 500, an operation panel 600, a first actuator 700, and a swing arm 800.

The body 100 is a frame making the entire structure of the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus 1 and with which the seat 300, the bed 400, the first actuator 700, and the swing arm 800 are combined. The body 100 is equipped with wheels 101 on the bottom, so it can move.

The seat 300 is coupled to a side of the body 100 and the bed 400 is hinged to at least one of the seat 300 and the body 100. Accordingly, the bed 400 is adjusted in angle from the seat 300. The bed 400 is coupled to at least one of the body 100 and the seat 300 by a third hinge shaft 310 and the angle can be automatically or manually adjusted. The bed 400 can be adjusted in angle to fit the posture of a user lying or sitting. That is, the angle of the bed 400 can be variously adjusted, depending on the exercise purposes. The detailed structure of automatically adjusting the angle of the bed 400 is described below.

On the other hand, the seat 300, where the hip of a user sitting or lying is positioned and the femoral region of a user with face down is positioned, is made of leather or synthetic leather to make a user feel comfortable and may include a cushion therein. A step 320 protrudes at a side on the top of the seat 300.

The step 320 is a part for preventing a user taking exercise on the seat 300 from being injured due to sliding out of the hip from the seat 300. The step 320 may be made of the same material as the seat 300 or may be detachably attached to the end portion of the seat 300.

The swing arm 800 is swingably hinged to the body 100 and assists a user to be able to exercise. The swing arm 800 helps a user stretch or strengthen muscles with the feet, legs, and arms thereon. The swing arm 800 can be automatically swung by a first actuator 700 or manually operated by a user.

Two

support rollers

810 and 820 are combined with the swing arm 800 so that a user can put the feet, legs, and arms thereon in various ways. The

support rollers

810 and 820 are fixed to be movable along the swing arm 800.

The first actuator 700 is combined with the body 100 and swings the swing arm 800. The first actuator 700 may include a motor (not illustrated) which generates a driving force and a power transmission member (though not illustrated, for example, a gear, a chain, or a belt) which transmits the driving force to the swing arm 800.

The first actuator 700 can variously control the operation angle, speed, number of times, driving torque, and swing pattern etc. of the swing arm 800 in response to control signals from the operation panel 600.

The handle bar 500 is fixed along the bottom edge of the bed 400. The handle bar 500 is the part that a user sitting or lying on the bed 400 holds with both hands, when exercising. The handle bar 500 not only prevents a user who is exercising from falling off the seat 300 or the bed 400, but also helps the user strengthen the muscles of the shoulders because he/she tenses up the shoulders.

The handle bar 500, a circular bar, is fixed by fixing links 510 along the edge of the bed 400 and may be fixed to the sides or the bottom of the bed 400.

The operation panel 600 controls the operation of the swing arm 800 and the bed 400 by controlling the first actuator 700 and the second actuator 200. The operation panel 600 may be rotatably hinged to the body 100 or the bed 400 and may include various operation buttons and a display for controlling the first actuator 700 and the second actuator 200.

The operation of the second actuator and the bed is described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2, 3A, and 3B.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are partial side views illustrating the second actuator in the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 2 to 3B, the second actuator 200 includes a driving motor 214, a screw bar 212, and a nut member 211.

The screw bar 212 is hinged to the body 100 by a first hinge shaft 213, with the other end coupled to the bed 400 by the nut member 211. The screw bar 212 is rotated by the driving motor 214 and rotatable about the first hinge shaft 213. The driving motor 214 and the screw bar 212 may be combined by a power transmission member such as a gear, a chain, and a belt. The screw bar 212 has a thread around the outer side and the nut member 211 is fitted on the screw bar 212.

The nut member 211 has a thread around the inner side and is thread-fastened to the screw bar 212. The nut member 211 can move along the screw bar 212 with the rotation of the screw bar 212 and may include steel balls to reduce friction force between the screw bar 212 and the nut member 211. Since the nut member 211 moves along the screw bar 212 with the rotation of the screw bar 212, this structure is called a ball screw assembly. Although various elements may be provided to reduce friction force between the screw bar 212 and the nut member 211, they should be construed as being included in the ball screw assembly, including the shape of the threads of them.

The driving motor 214 rotates the screw bar 212 and is hinged to the body 100 by the first hinge shaft 213. The driving motor 214 is controlled by control signals from the operation panel 600 and moves the nut member 211 by rotating the screw bar 212 clockwise or counterclockwise. As the nut member 211 moves along the screw bar 212, the fixing angle of the bed 400 fixed to the nut member 211 is adjusted. The force applied to a second hinge shaft 215 of the bed 400 while the nut member 212 reciprocates straight on the screw bar 212 may be explained by the a-directional force and the b-directional force illustrated in the drawings.

The a-directional force is force that is generated when the nut member 211 is moved toward the free end of the screw bar 212 by the driving motor 214 and the b-directional force is force that comes from the a-directional force applied to the second hinge shaft 215 and that can lift the bed 400.

FIG. 3A illustrates in a state where the seat 300 and the bed 400 are horizontally formed. There is no a-directional force and b-directional force in the nut member 211 in the initial state without the driving motor 214 operating. Accordingly, the bed 400 is fixed in the horizontal position. The screw bar 212 is positioned at an inclination angle of θ1 from the surface of the bed 400 and the driving motor 214 and the nut member 211 are spaced at a distance d1 from each other.

FIG. 3b shows the bed 400 that has been moved with the fixing angle adjusted. The nut member 211 is spaced at a distance d2 from the driving motor 214 and the screw bar 212 is positioned at an inclination angle of θ2 from the surface of the bed 400.

As the driving motor 214 rotates the screw bar 212, the nut member 211 moves along the screw bar 212. The force exerted in the nut member 211 is the a-directional force, which can be divided into horizontal force and vertical force. The b-directional force, the vertical force, is the force lifting the bed 400. Accordingly, as the nut member 211 moves, the bed 400 moves in the direction A or B. FIG. 3B illustrates the bed 400 that has been lifted in the direction A by the nut member 211.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, the larger the distance d between the driving motor 214 and the nut member 211, the larger the b-directional force applied to the bed 400 by the nut member 211 becomes and the inclination angle θ increases, such that the bed 400 moves in the direction A, whereas the smaller the distance d between the driving motor 214 and the nut member 211, the smaller the b-directional force applied to the bed 400 by the nut member 211 becomes and the inclination angle θ of the screw bar 212 from the surface of the bed 400 decreases, such that the bed 400 moves in the direction B.

Therefore, the distance d between the driving motor 214 and the nut member 211 and the b-directional force of the nut member 211 transmitted to the second hinge shaft 215 of the bed 400 are in proportion to the inclination angle θ of the screw bar 212 inclined from the surface of the bed 400.

The structure and operation of the swing arm are described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a swing arm in the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The swing arm 800 has a first slit 801 and a second slit 802 to which first support roller 810 and a second support roller 820 are coupled, respectively. The first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 are movably coupled to the first slit 801 and the second slit 802, which are long holes formed along the swing arm 800. That is, the positions of the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 can be changed in accordance with the exercise type.

The first slit 801 and the second slit 802 are elongated in the directions X1-X2 and may partially overlap each other. For example, the first slit 801 may be positioned close to the second slit 802, slightly off-center from the second slit 802. Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 4, the second slit 802 protrudes in the direction X1 further than the first slit 801 and the first slit 801 may protrude in the direction X2 further than the second slit 802.

A scale may be marked along at least one of the first slit 801 and the second slit 802. The scale illustrates the accurate positions of the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820. For example, several users exercise in turn, they can adjust the positions of the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 to fit themselves. Accordingly, user can accurately adjust the positions of the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 at a time, if they remember the positions fitting themselves.

The first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 are fixed to the swing arm 800 by a first roller retainer 803 and a second roller retainer 804. The first roller retainer 803 and the second roller retainer 804 may be on the side with the scale, while the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 may be on the opposite side of the scale.

The first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820, which are rollers that can rotate by themselves, can reduce friction with the body of a user, even though the swing arm 800 swings. That is, it is possible to prevent a user from falling off the seat 300 by being pushed up or pulled due to swing of the swing arm 800.

The first roller retainer 803 and the second roller retainer 804 can restrict rotation of the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820, in addition to fixing them to the swing arm 800.

The first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 can regulate the exercise types of users, depending on the fixing positions on the swing arm 800.

The use of the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus is described hereafter with reference to FIGS. 5 to 7.

FIG. 5 is a view illustrating an example that a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, with face down, FIG. 6 is a view illustrating an example that a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, with body down, and FIG. 7 is a view illustrating an example that a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, with back against the bed.

With reference to FIG. 5, the state in which a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus, lying on his/her face is described.

For example, when a user takes exercise of bending and unbending the knee joints, lying on his/her face, the user fixes the second support roller 820 at a position where the user can place the ankles. The user may move the first support roller 810 to the end of the swing arm 800 to prevent unnecessary interference.

The user can input the swing range, speed, and pattern of the swing arm 800, using the operation panel 600. The swing conditions of the swing arm 800 can be appropriately adjusted in accordance with the user’s condition. For example, in order to do knee joint exercise, lying with on his/her face, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the user can adjust the swing angle of the swing arm 800 up to the angle by which the knee joints can be bent from the horizon.

An old person or a patient with weak knees can adjust the movable angle of the swing arm 800 small and the swing speed very low too. In contrast, a user who wants a little more stimulation on the knees can adjust the movement angle of the swing arm 800 large and the swing speed high.

In general, the seat 300 and the bed 400 can keep parallel, when a user lies on his/her face. The user can comfortably lie on his/her face on the seat 300 and the bed 400, and if necessary, he/she may hold the handle bar 500.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the user can simultaneously take ankle exercise and knee exercise by putting the ankles in between the first support roller and the second support roller, which are fixed, with the heels in contact with portions of the first support roller and the insteps in contact with portions of the second support roller.

When a user lying on his/her face, as described above, takes exercise by automatic swing or manual swing of the swing arm 800, with the ankle on the swing arm 800, the effect of strengthening muscles may be different, but the user’s musculus quadriceps femoris, gluteus muscle, and patella can be strengthened in the same way.

With reference to FIG. 6, the state in which a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus, lying on his/her back is described.

For example, in order to do exercise of stimulating the coxa, the spine, and the paraspinal muscles, lying on his/her back with the keens fully stretched, a user fixes the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 at positions where the legs can be placed. The user can fix the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 such that the heels can be positioned between them. The user appropriately regulates the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 to fit the length of the legs.

Further, the user can adjust the swing angle of the swing arm 800, using the operation panel 600. For example, the swing angle may be adjusted such that the angle made by the swing arm 800 and the bed 400 is an acute angle. In this case, the user can achieve a stretching effect on the knees and the waist and can take exercise of the knee joints and the coxa too.

In particular, when the user is a patient who has undergone an operation on the knees or the coxa, rehabilitation of the knees and the coxa is possible. Since the swing range, time, and pattern can be variously adjusted, depending on the condition of users, the swing arm 800 has a large effect on rehabilitation of users too.

Further, when holding the handle bar 500 with the body laid down on the bed 400, a user can achieve an effect of strengthening the muscles of the shoulders and the arms, because there is an effect of relaxing and tensing the muscles of the shoulders and the arms.

From this exercise, a user can achieve an effect of exercise on the abdominal muscles, the back muscles, and the calf muscles.

With reference to FIG. 7, the state in which a user uses the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus, with the back against the bed is described.

For example, in order to take exercise of bending and unbending the coax, with the back against the bed 400, a user fixes the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 at positions where the ankles can be placed. The user moves the first support roller 810 and the second support roller 820 in the direction X1 to be able to put the legs thereon with the knees bent.

The bed 400 can be adjusted in angle to maintain a predetermined angle with the bed 300. A patient with weak coxa or weak knees may exercise with the knees comfortably bent such that the bending angle of the coxa is small. In this position, the user can hold the handle bar 500 with both arms up, sitting with the back against the bed 400. The user can stimulate the muscles of the arms and the shoulders by standing against his/her weight with both arms, with the body inclined.

The swing arm 800 and the bed 400 can be controlled through the operation panel 600, and the operation panel 600 is hinged to the bed, so it can be rotated in the direction Y1-Y2. Therefore, a user can adjust the position of the operation panel 600 in the direction comfortable to operate it.

The exercise types illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7 are only exemplary use of the chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and may be changed in various ways in accordance with the purpose of exercise and treatment of a user and the user’s conditions.

An optimum embodiment was described above with reference to the drawings. Specific terms were used herein, but they were used to describe the present invention and not to limit the scope of the present invention which is described in claims. Accordingly, it should be understood that various modifications and other equivalent embodiments may be made by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the technical protection range of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the present invention described the accompanying claims.

Claims

A chiropractic and paraspinal muscle strengthening exercise apparatus comprising:

a body;

a seat combined with the body;

a bed hinged by the seat or the body and having an adjustable angle which is made with the seat;

a swing arm swingably hinged to the body;

a first actuator combined with the body and swinging the swing arm; and

at least one support roller fixed and being movable along the swing arm.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support roller includes a first support roller and a second support roller that are independently fixed to the swing arm, and

the swing arm has a first slit along which the first support roller moves and a second slit along which the second support roller moves.
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first slit and the second slit at least partially overlap each other.
The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the swing arm has a scale marked along at least one of the first slit and the second slit.
The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the support roller is rotatably coupled to the swing arm.
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second actuator disposed between the body and the bed and adjusting the angle of the bed,

wherein the second actuator includes:

a screw bar hinged to any one of the body and the bed and having a thread around the outer side;

a nut member hinged to the other one, which is not combined with the screw bar, of the body and the bed, and thread-fastened to the screw bar; and

a driving motor rotating the screw bar.
The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising an operation panel hinged to the bed and controlling the first actuator and the second actuator.
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a handle bar fixed along the bottom edge of the bed.
The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a step protruding at a side on the top of the seat.