Patent Publication Number: US-10328302-B2

Title: Rock climbing machine

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED U.S. APPLICATIONS 
     Not applicable. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     NAMES OF PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     REFERENCE TO AN APPENDIX SUBMITTED ON COMPACT DISC 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates generally to an exercise equipment, and more particularly to an innovative structural design with the exercise effects of a stair stepper and a rock climbing machine. 
     2. Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 And 37 CFR 1.98 
     In the stair stepper structural design, the left and right pedal levers and the drag wheel must be connected by a transmission mechanism, so that the left and right pedal levers drive the drag wheel to rotate as the left and right pedals are actuated up and down, with the default drag device (e.g. magnetic control) to implement an appropriate drag effect. 
     In terms of the common stair stepper structure on the present market, the transmission mechanism between the left and right pedal levers and the drag wheel is rope transmission. However, this known design still has the following problems in practical application. The rope transmission form is limited to its gravity drive structure form, it must be set as two-stage transmission form to reach the expected gravity state, but there will be some defects and problems, such as high cost and difficult assembly, and the belt is likely to slip, drop, escape, break and turn over. 
     Furthermore, since the early simple stair steppers are usually free of hand grip structure, the center of gravity is often unstable. Therefore, some suppliers mount a vertical member on the conventional stair steppers, and mount structures for hands to grip and for supporting the forearms on both sides of the vertical member. However, this design does not conform with human engineering, like walking, both hands must swing alternately with both feet, so as to obtain the optimum equilibrium state during movement or traveling. Some suppliers developed oscillating levers, such a structure may remedy the deficiencies in said stair steppers. However, the movement track of the oscillating lever free end part of general exercise equipments is an upward projecting arc line, mismatching the hand movement track of human engineering. 
     In addition, the existing rock climbing machines usually use strong gravity load to exercise muscles as primary exercise objective, so they are not suitable for young and old people. Furthermore, some exercise equipment is placed in the department of rehabilitation of hospitals for the wounded to rehabilitate muscle strength or muscles, if the gravity load is too heavy, there may be sports injuries before the rehabilitation takes effect. Therefore, how to adjust the gravity load of exercise equipment most effectively to provide different functions in appropriate environment, such as muscle exercise or physical rehabilitation, to expand the range of use (application) of exercise equipment, is actually the objective and direction to be thought about and broken through by related circles. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides dual functions of stair stepper and rock climbing machine simultaneously, it can increase the sport efficiency, and it can be preliminary training before formal rock climbing, reducing the threshold of rock climbing. The operating angle of the first connecting bar and the second connecting bar of transmission mechanism is changed, the tilt angle of the second connecting bar of the transmission mechanism does not exceed the backward inclination angle of vertical angle, so as to evade driving dead point, the operation is smoother, the sport efficiency is increased. It works as preliminary exercise equipment for rock climbing, and provides better transmission efficiency. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a three-dimensional outside view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a partial three-dimensional outside view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a partial three-dimensional exploded diagram of rock climbing simulator of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram of actuation of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4  show the preferred embodiments of rock climbing machine of the present invention, but the embodiments are for illustration only, the patent application is not limited to this structure. Said rock climbing machine comprises a base  10  placed flat on a bearing surface, a damping device  20  mounted on base  10 , a pedal structure  30  is connected to both sides of the damping device  20  respectively, two rock climbing simulators  40  upright fixed to base  10 . The two rock climbing simulators  40  are mounted on both sides of the damping device  20  respectively, a slide grip device  41  is located at the top of each rock climbing simulator  40 , and each grip device  41  is connected to a corresponding pedal structure  30 . When the two pedal structures  30  are pedaled alternately, driving the corresponding grip device  41  to move up and down, so as to simulate rock climbing actions. 
     The damping device  20  comprises a mounting rack  21  fixed to base  10  and a counterweight flywheel  23  screwed in mounting rack  21  by shaft  22 . 
     Each pedal structure  30  comprises an oscillating arm  31  with front end pivoted on mounting rack  21 , the oscillating arm  31  is a connecting lever structure, and its free end is provided with a pedal  32  for the user to step on. The oscillating arm  31  is connected to damping device  20  by a transmission mechanism  33 . The transmission mechanism  33  comprises a first connecting bar  331  with end pivoted on oscillating arm  31  and a second connecting bar  332  with end radially fixed to a corresponding end of shaft  22 . The free ends of the first connecting bar  331  and the second connecting bar  332  are pivoted on each other. 
     Each rock climbing simulator  40  comprises a rail  42  upright or inclining forward fixed to base  10 , the rail  42  contains a longitudinal slideway  43  with opening outward, as shown in  FIG. 3 . The rock climbing simulator  40  comprises a driving mechanism  44  connected to oscillating arm  31 . The driving mechanism  44  comprises a first connecting bar  441  and a second connecting bar  442 . The first connecting bar  441  is held in the slideway  43  and reciprocates against rail  42 . The first end of the second connecting bar  442  is pivoted on the bottom of the first connecting bar  441  and the second end is pivoted on oscillating arm  31 . The grip device  41  is laterally fixed to the top of the first connecting bar  441 . There are plural rollers  443  on the underside of the first connecting bar  441 , so as to reduce the friction between the first connecting bar  441  and rail  42 , and to guarantee that the first connecting bar  441  and grip device  41  can perform straight reciprocating movement against rail  42 . In addition, the grip device  41  of each rock climbing simulator  40  is located between damping device  20  and pedal  32 . 
     According to said structural composition design, the actuation of the present invention is described below.  FIGS. 4 and 5  are the schematic diagrams of up-and-down rotary oscillation actuation of two pedal structures  30  of the rock climbing machine. The pedal  32  on one side is trodden downward, so that the pedal  32  on the opposite side rises upward. In this process, the two pedal structures  30  are interlocked to the damping device  20  by the transmission mechanism  33  respectively, the counterweight flywheel  23  of damping device  20  provides appropriate drag, this repeated actuation attains the effect of step exercise. The oscillating arm  31  swinging downward draws the first connecting bar  441  downward via the second connecting bar  442 , so that the first connecting bar  441  and grip device  41  move down along the slideway  43  in rail  42 . The oscillating arm  31  swinging upward on the opposite side underprops the first connecting bar  441  upward via the second connecting bar  442 , so that the first connecting bar  441  and grip device  41  move up along the slideway  43  in rail  42 . When the user treads pedal  32  and both hands grip the grip device  41  on both sides respectively, the grip devices  41  moving up and down alternately simulate the rock climbing action, so that the user attains the effect of step exercise and the effect of rock climbing simultaneously, not only providing double exercise effect, but also further coordinating the user&#39;s limbs, and it can be the preliminary training before formal rock climbing. 
     In addition, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , when the oscillating arm  31  swings upward to the preset maximum tilt angle, forming the minimum included angle between the first connecting bar  331  and the second connecting bar  332  of transmission mechanism  33 , the tilt angle of the second connecting bar  332  does not exceed the backward inclination angle of vertical angle, so as to evade driving dead point, the transmission mechanism  33  of the present invention can be interlocked to counterweight flywheel  23  most smoothly. 
     It is noteworthy that the present invention can rehabilitate limbs. By means of reducing the damping effect provided by damping device  20 , the damping effect provided by the global entity is adjusted to the patient&#39;s or senior&#39;s demand or limit according to the rehabilitation doctor&#39;s advice, the patient&#39;s or senior&#39;s demand for rehabilitation is met by moderate motion, so as to expand the range of use and added value of exercise equipments.