Patent Document

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 20-2012-0002124 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Mar. 16, 2012, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     (a) Field 
     An exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a running machine. 
     (b) Description of the Related Art 
     In general, a running machine is a device for enabling exercise in the form of walking or running in an in-door environment, and is designed for a user to walk or run on a belt that rotates due to a force provided by a motor. 
     Such a running machine requires that the speed of the belt be controlled in a manner corresponding to the physical condition and/or a desired exercise amount of the user. When the speed of the machine is manually controlled, the user manually controls the speed by running and controlling the speed at which the user runs. However, when the speed of the machine is automatically controlled/driven, a keypad is provided on a control panel of the machine to control the speed of the motor, thereby controlling the speed of the belt, and hence, the running speed. 
     However, aerobic exercise such as walking or running using a conventional running machine is performed by walking or running in place in an indoor space, and thus, the user may experience boredom before achieving an effective aerobic exercise, and accordingly, the user may be prone to prematurely quitting the exercise. 
     The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention, and therefore may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     SUMMARY 
     An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a running machine that can improve an exercise experience. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a running machine including a hollow cylinder-shaped rotator having a diameter and including a wall having a constant thickness, a hollow cylinder-shaped display unit having a diameter greater than that of the rotator and encircling the rotator, and a support for supporting the rotator and the display unit in an upright state and for enabling rotation of the rotator about an axis of the rotator. 
     The rotator and the display unit may be integrally formed. 
     The rotator may include a transparent material, and the display unit and the rotator may be separated from each other. 
     The running machine may further include a pair of support rings respectively coupled to edges of a wall of the display unit to support the display unit, and the support rings may be configured to rotatably support the rotator. 
     The display unit may be configured to display an image on an interior of the display unit. 
     The display unit may include an organic light emitting element. 
     The support may be configured to rotate the rotator. 
     The rotator may include a transparent material, and the display unit and the rotator may be separated from each other. 
     The support may be at sides of the rotator while the rotator is in the upright state. 
     The support may include two triangularly-shaped sides and three rectangularly-shaped sides coupling the two triangularly-shaped sides to each other, one of the triangularly-shaped sides may contact the rotator, and one of the rectangularly-shaped sides may function as a base. 
     The running machine may further include at least one of an information display unit and a control panel at one of the rectangularly-shaped sides other than the base. 
     The control panel may be configured to control a rotation speed of the rotator or may be configured to control images displayed on the interior of the display unit. 
     The rotator may include a transparent material, and the display unit and the rotator may be separated from each other. 
     According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the running machine can improve the exercise experience of the user. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a running machine according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the running machine of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a partial cross-sectional view of the running machine of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of the running machine of the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  and legs of a user operating the running machine. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. 
     It shall be noted that the drawings are schematic and do not necessarily depict exact dimensions. The relative proportions and ratios of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated or diminished in size for the sake of clarity and/or convenience, and such arbitrary proportions are intended only to be illustrative, and are not intended to be limiting in any way. Like reference numerals are used for like structures, elements, or parts shown in two or more drawings to show similar characteristics. When one part is said to be “over” or “on” another part, the one part may be directly over the other part or may be accompanied by one or more other parts interposed therebetween. 
     The drawings specifically show exemplary embodiments of the present invention. As a result, various modifications of the drawings in accordance with the present invention are anticipated. Accordingly, exemplary embodiments are not limited to certain forms of the regions illustrated, but may include forms that are modified due to manufacturing, for example. 
     Hereinafter, a running machine  101  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 1  to  FIG. 4 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the running machine  101  according to the present exemplary embodiment includes a rotator  200 , a display unit  100 , and a support  500 , which may include two or more individual supports. 
     The rotator  200  is in the shape of a hollow cylinder, which is set on the side of the cylinder when the rotator  200  is upright, and has a diameter that is greater than the height of an intended user, and also has a constant thickness (e.g., a width, or a geometric height of the cylinder). A user may walk or run on the running machine  101  by stepping on an interior of the rotator  200  with his foot (e.g., at a point higher than the lowest point of the rotator  200 ). 
     The rotator  200  of the present embodiment is formed of a transparent material. For example, the rotator  200  may be formed of glass or plastic. 
     The display unit  100  is formed in the shape of a hollow cylinder corresponding to the shape of the rotator  200  (e.g., the display unit  100  may have a slightly larger inner diameter than an outer diameter of the rotator  200 ). In addition, the display unit  100  is arranged to overlap (e.g., encircle) the rotator  200  and to be positioned on an exterior of the rotator  200 . That is, the interior circumference of the display unit  100  is located outside of the external circumference of the rotator  200 . In addition, as shown in  FIG. 3 , the display unit  100  and the rotator  200  are spaced from each other. 
     The display unit  100  displays an image in a direction toward an interior of the cylinder that is the display unit  100 . Further, the display unit  100  includes an organic light emitting element (e.g., a plurality of organic light emitting elements). That is, the display unit  100  may be a flexible organic light emitting diode display formed in the shape of a cylinder. The flexible organic light emitting diode display forming the display unit  100  may employ various known organic light emitting diode displays. 
     In addition, the running machine  101  may further include a pair of support rings  300  located at both edges of the rotator  200  and the display unit  100  to support the rotator  200  and the display unit  100 . In the present embodiment, the pair of support rings  300  supports the rotator  200  to be rotatable (e.g., the rotator  200  is able to move with respect to the rings  300 ). In addition, the display unit  100  may be fixed by the pair of support rings  300  (e.g., fixed with respect to the support  500 , in a non-rotatable state) rather than rotating along, or along with, the rotator  200 . 
     Thus, the rotator  200  rotates according to motion (i.e., walking or running) of the user, and the display unit  100  may provide an image and/or image information to the user walking or running along the interior of the rotator  200 . Furthermore, the rotator  200  functions as a surface for supporting the user, and also functions as a protection window to protect the display unit  100 . 
     In further detail, the display unit  100  of the present embodiment can provide exercise information of the user such as, for example, walking or running speed, calories burned, distance traveled, etc. In addition, the display unit  100  can provide an image of a user-desired environment. That is, the display unit  100  may provide images selected by the user such as, for example, a forest park, an exotic street landscape, and/or other scenes found in nature, such that exercise experience of the user can be improved. 
     In  FIG. 3 , the running machine  101  of the present embodiment has a structure in which the rotator  200  and the display unit  100  are separated from each other, but the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. Thus, the rotator  200  and the display unit  100  may be integrally formed. In this case, the display unit  100  rotates together with the rotator  200 . In addition, the display unit  100  is driven to display an image in consideration of a rotation speed (e.g., the images displayed on the display unit  100  may be adjusted to produce an image that appears to be steady or stable with respect to the user despite the rotation of the display unit  100 ). 
     For rotation of the rotator  200 , the support  500  supports the rotator  200  and the display unit  100  while putting them in an erected (e.g., upright) state. The support  500  may be at opposite sides of the rotator  200 , and may be offset in a thickness or width direction of the rotator  200 , or may be aligned on opposite sides of the rotator  200  in a rotation direction of the rotator  200 . In addition, the support  500  may rotatably drive the rotator  200 , and may do so using various devices and/or methods known to a person skilled in the art. For example, the support  500  can rotate the rotator with a motor roller. 
     The support  500  of the present embodiment is provided at both sides of the rotator  200  while the rotator  200  is in the erected (e.g., upright) state. The support  500  may be formed in the shape of a triangle or a triangular pyramid including two triangle-shaped sides and three square-shaped, or rectangularly-shaped, sides coupling the two triangle-shaped sides. In this case, one of the two triangular-shaped sides contacts the rotator  200 , and one of the three squared-shaped sides may be a bottom side, or a base. 
     In addition, at least one of an information display unit and a control panel may be provided at another side of the third square-shaped sides in the support  500 . The user may control a rotation speed of the rotator  200  through the control panel  550  of the support  500 , and/or may select the type of image displayed in the display unit  100 . 
     With such a configuration, the running machine  101  according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can improve the exercise experience of the user. 
     Hereinafter, operation of the running machine  101  provided on a table according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to  FIG. 4 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the user stamps on, or steps on, the interior of the rotator  200  to walk or run. In this case, the user controls a rotation speed of the rotator  200  through the control panel  550  located in or on the support  500 , and selects an image displayed in the display unit  100 . 
     The display unit  100  provides images such as, for example, a forest park, an exotic street landscape, and/or other scenes in nature in accordance with a rotation speed of the rotator  200  to provide the user walking or running on the rotator  200  with a visual effect of walking or running outside. Accordingly, the user can expect an improved exercise experience. 
     While embodiments of the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and their equivalents. 
     Description of Some of the Reference Characters 
     
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 100: display unit 
                 101: running machine 
               
               
                   
                 200: rotator 
                 300: support ring 
               
               
                   
                 500: support 
                 550: control panel

Technology Category: 1