Abstract:
A balance trainer on which a user can perform various modes of movement that make it possible for the actual environment to simulate an imagined environment, providing an enhanced training effect. The balance trainer comprises a trainer board that has a top surface on which the user stands, and a bottom surface facing the floor, and rollbar that supports the trainer board while allowing the trainer board to yaw, pitch and roll with respect to the floor surface. By changing the position of his center of gravity, the user can perform many types of movement with the balance trainer.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     This invention relates to a balance trainer used in balance training that simulates balance sensations in the three dimensions of yawing, pitching and rolling encountered in sports with the aim of improving physical capabilities and concentration, stimulating the brain, and for rehabilitation and the like.  
         [0003]     2. Description of the Prior Art  
         [0004]     FIGS.  7  ( a ), ( b ) and ( c ) show the plan view, front view and right-end view, respectively, of a conventional balance trainer  2 . As shown, the balance trainer  2  comprises a trainer board  10 , and a separate round bar  50 . The round bar  50  is placed horizontally on a floor surface F, the trainer board  10  is placed on the round bar  50 , and a user mounts the top surface  10   a  of the trainer board  10 . The trainer board  10  can be rocked up and down with respect to a reference constituted by a tangent S 1  between the trainer board  10  and the round bar  50 , and a tangent S 2  between the round bar  50  and the floor surface F moves from side to side based on the rolling movement of the round bar  50  in the side-to-side direction indicated by the arrow in  FIG. 7  ( b ), enabling side-to-side balance training by users.  
         [0005]     FIGS.  8  ( a ), ( b ) and ( c ) show the plan view, front view and right-end view, respectively, of a conventional balance trainer  3  disclosed by Unexamined Patent Application No. 2004-305442. As shown, the balance trainer  3  comprises a trainer board  10 , and a support member  40  that rockably supports the trainer board  10 . A user mounts the top surface  10   a  with his (or her) left foot L 1  on one side of a line m and his right foot L 2  on the other side of the line m. The balance trainer  3  can rock up and down about a center in the vicinity of the line m, enabling the user to use that rocking motion for balance training.  
         [0006]     The configuration of each of the above balance trainers  2  and  3  limits a user to the relatively-simple, standardized patterns of movements, which are a vertical rocking motion and side-to-side movement. As a result, when the user responds to his actual environment by attempting to move his center of gravity in accordance with an imagined environment, there is a dissociation between the physical and imagined sensations that makes it impossible for the user to effectively attain his objective. Moreover, a user who practices assiduously and becomes used to those limited movements can lose interest in practicing balance training at a higher level, so does not enjoy the benefits of further training.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     This invention was accomplished in light of these circumstances and has as its object the provision of a balance trainer that can provide an improved balance training effect that makes it safe and interesting for all levels of users, from novices to top athletes, to continue with their balance training.  
         [0008]     The present invention attains the object by providing a balance trainer, comprising a trainer board having a top surface mounted by a user, and a bottom surface facing a floor surface; and a rollbar disposed between a guide channel on the bottom surface and the floor surface that supports the trainer board so that the trainer board can yaw, pitch and roll with respect to the floor surface, the trainer board having the guide channel formed to extend longitudinally on each side from the center of the bottom surface, and a plurality of stops that are detachably attached at a plurality of attachment locations in the guide channel of the bottom surface.  
         [0009]     In the above-described balance trainer, the rollbar is provided as a part that is separate from the trainer board and is laid between the trainer board and the floor surface, the rollbar comprising a flange-shaped center portion and flange-shaped end portions, the center portion and end portions each having the same diameter, with the rollbar being formed with a taper that tapers from the flange-shaped center portion to each of the flange-shaped end portions.  
         [0010]     By means of the guide channel provided on the bottom surface of the trainer board, the center portion of the rollbar can be positioned at a desired location along the guide channel.  
         [0011]     Preferably, two of the plurality of attachment locations are disposed on a line passing through the center of the bottom surface on opposite sides of the center attachment location of said plurality of attachment locations.  
         [0012]     The plurality of attachment locations may each have a female thread, and the plurality of stops may each have a male thread that can be screwed into engagement with the female thread.  
         [0013]     In accordance with the balance trainer of the present invention, a user can perform various modes of movement that make it possible for the actual environment to simulate an imagined environment. As a result, everyone from novices to top athletes can continue to train with the balance trainer without losing interest, and the effect of the training is enhanced. The balance trainer also helps to improve balance, provide well-balanced strength, increase the ability to concentrate, move correctly and focus the mind, and can also be applied to vision training, mental training, rehabilitation and nursing care. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]      FIG. 1  ( a ) shows a top view,  FIG. 1  ( b ) a front view and  FIG. 1  ( c ) a bottom view of an example of the trainer board used in the balance trainer of the invention.  
         [0015]      FIG. 2  ( a ) shows a front view and  FIG. 2  ( b ) a right-side view of the rollbar of the balance trainer.  
         [0016]      FIG. 3  ( a ) shows a front view and  FIG. 3  ( b ) a top view of a stop used in the balance trainer of the invention.  
         [0017]      FIG. 4  ( a ) shows a front view, and  FIG. 4  ( b ) a bottom view, of an embodiment of the balance trainer of the invention.  
         [0018]      FIG. 5  ( a ) shows a right-side view of the embodiment, and  FIG. 5  ( b ) illustrates the rolling motion of the top surface of the balance board of the embodiment.  
         [0019]      FIG. 6  ( a ) is an enlarged sectional view along line A-A of  FIG. 4  ( a ), and  FIG. 6  ( b ) is an enlarged sectional view along line B-B of  FIG. 5  ( a ).  
         [0020]      FIG. 7  ( a ) shows a top view,  FIG. 7  ( b ) a front view and  FIG. 7  ( c ) a right-side view of a conventional balance trainer.  
         [0021]      FIG. 8  ( a ) shows a top view,  FIG. 8  ( b ) a front view and  FIG. 8  ( c ) a right-side view of a conventional balance trainer. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0022]     Embodiments of the invention will now be explained with reference to the drawings, in which  FIG. 4  ( a ) shows a front view, and  FIG. 4  ( b ) a bottom view, of a balance trainer  1  according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the illustrated embodiment, the balance trainer  1  comprises a trainer board  10  that has a guide channel  11  formed to extend longitudinally on each side from the center of its bottom surface  10   b , a rollbar  20  having a flange-shaped center portion  20   b  that can be positioned at a desired location along the guide channel  11 , and stops  30  that are detachably attached at attachment locations h 2  and h 4  out of a plurality of attachment locations h 1  to h 5  provided along the longitudinal center line of the guide channel  11 . The rollbar  20  supports the trainer board  10  so that the trainer board  10  is capable of yawing (Y), pitching (Y) and rolling (Z) motions.  
         [0023]     As shown in  FIG. 1 , the trainer board  10  is a member having a rectangular shape, formed of wood or FRP, for example. The top surface  10   a  of the trainer board  10  is the surface on which the user stands, for which the surface is made non-slip. On the bottom surface  10   b,  there is formed guide channel  11 , which extends longitudinally on each side from the center of the bottom surface  10   b.  In the guide channel  11 , there are formed a plurality of attachment locations; in the case of this example, there are five attachment locations, h 1  to h 5 , arranged in a row longitudinally along the center line of the bottom surface  10   b.  Each attachment location has a female thread to allow a stop  20  to be screwed into the location. The attachment locations h 1  to h 5  are formed directly in the bottom surface  10   b,  into which they are recessed. When the rollbar  20  is used as shown in  FIG. 4 , described below, the stops  30  provide safety by ensuring that the flange-shaped center portion  20   b  of the rollbar  20  does not come out of the guide channel  11 .  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  ( a ) is an enlarged sectional view along line A-A of  FIG. 4  ( a ), and  FIG. 6  ( b ) is an enlarged sectional view along line B-B of  FIG. 5  ( a ). In the trainer board  10  shown in these drawings, the guide channel  11  is provided on the bottom surface  10   b  of the trainer board  10 , in opposition to the floor surface F, and the flange-shaped center portion  20   b  of the rollbar  20  is inserted into the guide channel  11 , allowing it to move freely in the direction of the tangent S 1  with the point of contact S 1  with the bottom surface  10   b  as the fulcrum. This enables more lively yawing Y, pitching X and rolling Z of the trainer board  10 .  
         [0025]     With respect to the sectional view along line B-B of  FIG. 5  ( a ), by shifting his center of gravity, a user can cause the ends of the trainer board  10  to pitch relative to the flange-shaped center portion  20   b.  The configuration is such that movement of the ends of the trainer board  10  caused by the user shifting his center of gravity is contained within the flange-shaped end portions  20   a  of the rollbar  20 .  
         [0026]      FIG. 2  ( a ) is a front view of the rollbar  20 , and  FIG. 2  ( b ) a right-side view. As described, the rollbar  20  is formed with a flange-shaped center portion  20   b  and flange-shaped end portions  20   a.  While all of these flange-shaped portions have the same diameter, the rollbar itself has a taper t from the flange-shaped center portion  20   b  to each of the flange-shaped end portions  20   a.    
         [0027]     The sides of the trainer board  10  are contained within the stepped portions formed between the flange-shaped center portion  20   b  and the flange-shaped end portions  20   a  at the end of each taper t.  
         [0028]      FIG. 3  ( a ) shows a front view of a stop  30 , and  FIG. 3  ( b ) a top view. Each stop  30  comprises a more or less hemispherical lower portion  30   b , a round columnar portion  30   a  that extends up from the hemispherical lower portion  30   b.  A male threaded portion  30   c  projects up from the top end  31  of the columnar portion  30   a  to enable the stops  30  to be screwed into a desired two of the attachment locations h 1  to h 5  with which the bottom surface  10   b  is provided. The stoppers  30  can be readily removed from the trainer board  10  by unscrewing them. Wood, for example, can be used for the columnar portion  30   a,  and a resilient rubber material for the hemispherical lower portion  30   b.    
         [0029]     As shown in  FIG. 4  ( b ), in this embodiment, the guide channel  11  provided on the bottom surface  10   b  opens downwards. The inside surface of the guide channel  11  is treated to reduce friction.  
         [0030]     In the balance trainer  1  thus configured, with the line connecting the two stops  30  inserted into the desired two of the attachment locations h 1  to h 5  provided in the guide channel  11  on the bottom surface  10   b  of the trainer board  10  constituting the range of movement as shown in  FIG. 1  ( b ), the rollbar  20  rollingly supported in the guide channel  11  makes it possible for the trainer board  10  to yaw, pitch and roll.  
         [0031]     Therefore, when a user standing on the top surface  10   a  of the trainer board  10  moves his center of gravity in a desired direction, the balance trainer  1  rolls about a center constituted by the flange-shaped center portion  20   b  of the rollbar  20 , producing weight displacement that makes it possible to perform yawing Y, pitching X and rolling Z movements. The user can therefore perform balance training by correcting for these motions by adjusting the position of his center of gravity to maintain his balance.  
         [0032]     In this embodiment, the stepped portions formed between the tapers t and the flange-shaped end portions  20   a  increase the depth of vertical movement that can be experienced in the transverse direction.  
         [0033]     The center of the rocking motion from the rolling of the rollbar  20  can be changed to various positions, enabling various movement modes by the balance trainer  1 . With reference to  FIG. 4  ( a ), for example, the range of rocking motion by the rollbar  20  is decreased by the two stops  30  being inserted in the attachment locations h 2  and h 4 , making the motions of the balance trainer  1  mainly rolling Z (Z 1  and Z 2 ) and pitching X (X 1  and X 2 ), a reduced range of operation that is suitable for novices to medium-level users.  
         [0034]     Inserting the stops  30  in h 1  and h 5  adds yawing Y (Y 1  and Y 2 ) to the range of motion, enabling various combinations of lively motions with steeper up-and-down angles, such as the combinations X 1 , Z 1  and Y 2 , or X 1 , Z 2  and Y 2 , and so forth, making it more difficult for a user to keep his balance by moving his weight, making this configuration more suitable for top athletes who can maintain their posture to the front or rear, even at steep board angles. The balance trainer can also be used without any stops  30 , in which case the degree of movement and rocking would become even greater, making this a mode suitable for top athletes.  
         [0035]     Thus, in accordance with this embodiment, yawing Y (Y 1 , Y′ 1 , Y′ 2 ) can be added to the rolling Z (Z 1 , Z 2 , Z′ 1 , Z′ 2 ) and pitching X (X 1 , X 2 ) of the trainer board  10  produced in the area of contact between the guide channel  11  and the flange-shaped center portion  20   b  of the rollbar  20 , enabling various combinations of lively motions with steeper up-and-down angles, such as X 1 , Z 1  and Y 2 , or X 1 , Z 2  and Y 2  and the like. Also, the to-and-fro movement of the rollbar  20  can be changed by appropriately selecting which of the attachment locations h 1  to h 5  the two stops  30  are inserted into, thereby setting the center of the rocking motion. Thus, the balance trainer  1  is capable of a wide range of settings for safer movement modes.