Elliptic motion exercise machine

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates generally to an exercise machine, and more particularly to an elliptic motion exercise machine. In the path of motion, user's toe and heel have the same speed.

[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0004] Exercise machines provide various paths of motion that user may exercise various portions muscles thereon. For example, stepper provides vertical reciprocating motion, bike provides circular motion, air walker provides horizontal reciprocating motion, and elliptical trainer provides elliptical motion.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,343, issued to Miller, disclosed an elliptical trainer, which includes a frame, on which a rotational motion mechanism, a reciprocating motion mechanism and a pair of foot engaging links connected to the rotational motion mechanism and the reciprocating motion mechanism are provided. The rotational motion mechanism generates a circular motion, and the reciprocating motion mechanism generates a linear or curved reciprocating motion. User stands on the foot engaging links may exercise along an elliptic motion. When user takes exercise on Miller's trainer, the speeds of user's heels are greater than that of toes.

[0006] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a exercise machine, when user take exercise on it, the speeds of user's heels are substantially identical to that of toes.

[0007] According to the objective of the present invention, an elliptic motion exercise machine includes a frame, on which a reciprocating motion mechanism, a circular motion mechanism and two linking members are provided. Two foot panels are provided to be moved by the linking members. The present invention provides means for keeping the foot panels in fixed slops in the entire motion, such that when an user stands feet on the foot panels and exerts the foot panels, toes of user's feet moves in a speed that is substantially identical to that of user's heels.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an elliptic motion exercise machine 1 of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a frame 10, a reciprocating motion mechanism 26, a circular motion mechanism 32, two linking members 40, two parallelogram linkage mechanisms 42 and an extension frame 16.

[0016] The frame 10 has a base 12 and an upright shaft 14 fixed on a front side of the base 12. The extension frame 16 is fixed at a rear end of the base 12. The extension frame 16 has a seat 18. The base 12 is provided with two pairs of axles 20, each of which is pivoted with a roller 22 on opposite ends respectively. Each of the rollers 22 has a slot 24 on a circumference thereof.

[0017] The reciprocating motion mechanism 26 includes two handles 28 with a middle portion pivoted on the upright shaft 14 of the frame 10, by which user may hold the up sections of the handles 28, and the bottom ends of the handles 28 may generates curved reciprocating motions.

[0018] The circular motion mechanism 32 includes a wheel 34 and a flywheel 36 pivoted on the base 12 of the frame 10. A belt 38 connects the flywheel 36 and the wheel 34.

[0019] The linking members 40 have opposite ends pivoted on the bottom ends of the handle 28 of the reciprocating motion mechanism 26 and opposite sides of the wheel 34 of the circular motion mechanism 32. The linking members 40 move along an elliptic path under the co-action of the reciprocating motion mechanism 26 and the circular motion mechanism 32 like Miller's invention.

[0020] Each of the parallelogram linkage mechanisms 42 includes a first linkage 44, a second linkage 46, a third linkage 48 and a fourth linkage 50, wherein the first linkage 44 is parallel to the third linkage 48, and the second linkage 46 is parallel to the fourth linkage 50. The second and fourth linkages 46, 50 have opposite ends pivoted on the first and third linkages 44, 48 respectively to form a four-linkage mechanism. A foot panel 52 is provided on each of the first linkage 44. The first linkages 44 are pivoted on the linking members 40 respectively. Two guiding shafts 54 are connected to the third linkages 48 and received in the slots 24 of the rollers 22 respectively, such that the parallelogram linkage mechanisms 42 may reciprocate relative to the base 12 of the frame 10.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, when user stands on the foot panels 52 and exerts, the feet move along an elliptic path under the co-action of the reciprocating motion mechanism 26, the circular motion mechanism 32 and the linking members 40. The parallelogram linkage mechanisms 42 move in a horizontal direction, and the first linkages 44 moves up-and-down along with the linking members 40. No matter what motion of the parallelogram linkage mechanisms 42, the first linkages 44 will be always parallel to the third linkages 48. In our invention, the third linkages 48 only move horizontally without any angle change. As a result, the slopes of the foot panels 52 do not change at all, and user's feet stood on the foot panels 52 have speeds of toes substantially identical to that of heels in the entire motion.

[0022] In addition, user may sit on the seat 18 of the extension frame 16 and step on the ends of the linking members 40 pivoted on the wheel 34 of the circular motion mechanism 32 to exercise like ride a bike.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 7, an exercise machine 2 of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a frame 56, a reciprocating motion mechanism 58, a circular motion mechanism 60, two linking members 62, two parallelogram linkage mechanisms 64 and two handles 66.

[0024] The reciprocating motion mechanism 58 includes two rails 68 at a rear of the frame 56 and two sliding members 70 reciprocating on the rails 68. The circular motion mechanism 60 includes a wheel 72 and a flywheel 74. The linking members 62 have opposite ends pivoted on opposite sides of the wheel 72 of the circular motion mechanism 60 and the sliding members 70 of the reciprocating motion mechanism 58. The handles 66 are pivoted on the frame 58 and connected to the linking members 62 through two bars 76, such that the linking members 62 will take the handles 66 moving along with them.

[0025] Each of the parallelogram linkage mechanisms 64 includes a first linkage 78, a second linkage 80, a third linkage 82 and a fourth linkage 84 to form a four-linkage mechanism. The second linkage 80 is a section of the linking member 62, such that the first linkage 78 is pivoted both of the linking member 62 and the second linkage 80. The third linkage 82 is projected from the sliding member 70, on a top of which the second linkage 80 (the linking member 62) is pivoted. The fourth linkage 84, under the second linkage 80, has opposite ends pivoted on a bottom of the third linkage 82 and the first linkage 78 respectively. A foot panel 86 is fixed on a top of the first linkage 78.

[0026] With the same principle, as shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, when a user stands the feet on the foot panels 86 and exerts, the feet move along an elliptic path, and the parallelogram linkage mechanisms 64 keep the foot panels 86 in a fixed slops in the entire elliptic motion, as shown in FIG. 10. As a result, toes of user's feet have a speed substantially as same as that of heels in the entire motion.

[0027] It is noted that the drawings of the present invention show that the foot panels have horizontal tops. It also may make the foot panels with a predetermined slope that may be made by making the foot panels with sloping top or leaning the first or third linkages of the parallelogram linkage mechanisms. No matter what angle the foot panels have, use's toes move in a speed substantially identical to that of hells.