JP2009172137A - Balance exercise apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To allow a user to do an effective balance exercise by applying complicated balance exercises to the player. <P>SOLUTION: This balance exercise apparatus includes a seat part 4 where a user M can sit and whose upper face is forward tilted, a first connecting member 8 downward extending from the base front side of the seat part 4 to the front, a second connecting member 9 provided at the front side end of the first connecting member 8 and extending in the left/right direction, lower limb support parts 5 provided at the left/right ends of the second connecting member 9 and having a rearward-tilt lower limb support faces 10, and a rocking mechanism integrally rocking the seat part 4 and the lower limb support parts 5 to the front/rear/left/right. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a balance exercise device that imparts a balance exercise to a user sitting on a seat.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-151867 discloses a sitting type balance exercise device that swings a seat while the user is seated on the seat and imparts a balance exercise to the user.
JP 2004-344684 A

  As shown in FIG. 5 of Patent Document 1, the balance exercise device has a structure in which the user can freely move his / her legs separately from the upper body. The user uses the upper body and legs to balance against swinging, such as stretching the legs. Therefore, such a balance exercise device has a small amount of exercise given to the user for its swing. Also, by balancing with the legs, it is not only the movement that the user can expect, but the balance exercise given to the user is relatively simple, and the user can continue for a long time without getting tired. Is not possible.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a balance exercise device that allows a user to feel a new swing that cannot be predicted without the user having to balance with his / her legs.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention takes the following technical means.
That is, the balance exercise device according to the present invention includes a seat portion on which a user can be seated, a lower limb support portion that is connected to the front side of the seat portion and supports a user's lower limb seated on the seat portion, and the seat portion. And a swing mechanism that swings the lower limb support portion integrally in the front-rear and left-right directions.
Thereby, the user can experience a new movement that cannot be predicted by swinging the upper body and legs of the user integrally.

Preferably, the upper surface of the seat portion is inclined forward, and the lower limb support portion is positioned forward and downward of the seat portion.
More preferably, the lower limb support portion may be a pair of left and right plate-like bodies having a lower limb support surface inclined backward.
Further, a first connecting member extending downward from the front side of the bottom surface of the seat portion is provided, and a second connecting member extending in the left-right direction is provided at a front end portion of the first connecting member, and the seat The lower limb support portions may be provided at the left and right tip portions of the second connecting member so that the portions and the lower limb support portions swing integrally.

The lower limb support part may be provided on the second connecting member such that a relative position with respect to the seat part is variable.
Thereby, compared with the case where the lower limb support portion and the second connecting member are fixed, for example, when the seat portion is tilted to the right, the lower limb support portion can protrude further rightward, so that the user can You can step further on your knees. Therefore, the user can experience a greater swing width than the movement of the seat.
Furthermore, it is good for the said seat part to be provided with the holding part which a user holds.

Thereby, it can prevent that a user slips off from a seat part because a user grasps a grasping part firmly.
The seat is supported by a support leg provided under the seat, and the support leg is erected on a base body, and the base body is substantially the same as the projected area of the seat and the lower limb support part in plan view. It is good to have an area.
This improves the stability of the balance exercise device.
Preferably, the swing mechanism swings the seat portion back and forth, and a wobble swing mechanism that imparts a wavy motion combining left and right reciprocal swing and front and rear reciprocal swing to the seat portion. It is preferable to have a back-and-forth swing mechanism for driving, and a drive mechanism for driving the swell swing mechanism and the front-back swing mechanism at the same time.

  The sitting type balance exercise apparatus according to the present invention can give a complicated balance exercise to the user, and the user can perform an effective balance exercise.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 10 show a balance exercise device 1 according to the present invention. This balance exercise device 1 is a seating type in which a user M sits down with his knees bent.
In the description, the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction of the balance exercise device 1 as viewed from the seated user M are the front-rear direction, the left-right direction (width direction), and the up-down direction in the present embodiment. This coincides with the front-rear and left-right directions shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the sitting type balance exercise apparatus 1 includes a base body 2 disposed on a floor surface F and support legs 3 erected on the base body 2 so as to be inclined forward. Have. Further, the balance exercise device 1 is disposed above the support leg 3 and is seated on the seat part 4 connected to the front side of the seat part 4 and a seat part 4 on which the user M sits with his knees bent. It has a pair of left and right leg support portions 5 that support the leg of the user M. Further, on the upper side of the support leg 3 and inside thereof, a swing mechanism 6 for swinging the seat portion 4 and both lower limb support portions 5 integrally in the front-rear and left-right directions is stored.

The base body 2 has an elliptical plate shape in plan view, and the area in the plan view has substantially the same area as the projected areas of the seat portion 4 and both lower limb support portions 5.
That is, in plan view, the front end of the base body 2 and the front ends of the lower limb support portions 5 substantially overlap. Moreover, the left end of the base body 2 and the left end of the left leg support part 5 on the left side substantially overlap. Furthermore, the right end of the base body 2 and the right end of the right leg support portion 5 on the right side substantially overlap. And the rear end of the base body 2 and the rear end of the seat part 4 substantially overlap.
Thereby, for example, even if the center of gravity of the user M greatly moves in the forward direction due to the swinging of the seat portion 4, the center of gravity of the user M and the balance exercise device 1 as a whole is within the planar view range of the base body 2. The stability of the balance exercise device 1 is improved.

The seat part 4 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and the upper surface of the seat part 4 is lower on the front side than on the rear side. Specifically, the upper half of the upper surface of the seat portion 4 is substantially horizontal, and the upper half of the upper surface of the seat portion 4 is inclined so as to be uniformly lowered from the rear end to the center of the seat portion 4. Moreover, the upper surface and outer peripheral surface of the seat part 4 are covered with an elastic body, and have a cushion shape. Furthermore, the bottom center portion of the seat portion 4 is connected to a first boss portion 17 described later. In addition, it is preferable that the angle | corner which the upper surface back side half of the seat part 4 and a horizontal surface make is 20-40 degree | times.
An operation panel portion 7 is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the seat portion 4. The operation panel unit 7 is provided with a switch for performing start, stop, mode switching, and the like.

  A first connecting member 8 is provided on the bottom surface of the seat portion 4 and extends forward and downward from the center in the width direction on the front side. The first connecting member 8 has an elongated flat plate shape that is slightly bent downward. Moreover, the width | variety of the 1st connection member 8 is a width | variety of the grade which the 1st connection member 8 itself fits between the user M who seated, and it is good to set it as 20 cm, for example. Further, the front end of the first connecting member 8 extends substantially vertically above the front end of the base body 2. On the other hand, the rear half of the first connecting member 8 is sandwiched between the bottom center portion of the seat portion 4 and a first boss portion 17 described later. In addition, it is preferable that the angle | corner which the upper surface of the 1st connection member 8 and the horizontal surface make is 20-40 degrees.

A second connecting member 9 extending in the horizontal direction is provided at the front end portion of the first connecting member 8. That is, the 1st connection member 8 and the 2nd connection member 9 are joined so that it may become T shape in planar view. The second connecting member 9 is composed of a rod-shaped L-shaped material. The length of the second connecting member 9 is substantially the same as the distance from the left side of the left thigh of the seated user M to the right side of the right thigh, for example, 80 to 90 cm.
Note that the lower surface of the front end portion of the first connecting member 8 and the surface that is the central portion in the longitudinal direction of the second connecting member 9 and that is farther from the seat portion 4 are joined by screws. At this time, the connecting members 8 and 9 are orthogonal to each other. Further, the first connecting member 8 and the second connecting member 9 may be joined by fitting, welding, or the like.

The left and right tip portions of the second connecting member 9 are fixedly provided with lower limb support portions 5 that support the lower limbs in contact with the knees, lower leg portions, and the like of the user M, respectively. Thereby, the seat part 4 and the both lower limb support parts 5 are integrated via the connecting members 8 and 9. Therefore, the seat part 4 and the both lower limb support parts 5 swing together. The lower limb support 5 is a pair of left and right plates that are long in the front-rear direction (substantially rectangular parallelepiped), and is positioned on the left and right front and below the seat 4.
Furthermore, the length of each leg support portion 5 in the front-rear direction is substantially the same as the length of the lower leg portion of the user M, and may be 50 cm, for example. And the width | variety (length of the left-right direction) of each leg support part 5 is substantially the same as the width | variety of the user M who seated, for example, it is good to set it as 20 cm. The distance between the left and right lower limb support parts 5 is substantially the same as the width of the seat part 4, and is preferably 45 cm, for example.

In addition, the surface on the side close to the seat portion 4 that is the left and right tip portions of the second connecting member 9 and the back surface that is a substantially central portion of each lower limb support portion 5 and is on the far side from the seat portion 4 are: They are joined by screws. At this time, each lower limb support part 5 and the second connecting member 9 are substantially orthogonal to each other. In addition, joining of each leg support part 5 and the 2nd connection member 9 may be based on fitting, welding, etc.
A lower limb support surface 10 that is inclined so that the rear side is uniformly lower than the front side is formed on the upper surface of each lower limb support portion 5 (the surface closest to and widest the seat portion 4). Further, the outer peripheral surfaces of the lower limb support surfaces 10 and the lower limb support portions 5 are covered with an elastic body, and serve as cushions for the user's M knees and lower leg portions. Furthermore, it is preferable that the angle formed by the upper half of the upper surface of the seat portion 4 and the lower limb support surface 10 is 60 to 80 degrees.

As embodiment of this invention, you may have the holding part 11 for the user M to hold. For example, the grip portion 11 may be a generally U-shaped handle in a plan view, or a recess provided on the side surface of the seat portion 4 and into which the user M's fingertip can be inserted. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the user M from slipping off the seat portion 4 by firmly holding the grip portion 11 by the user M.
Further, when the grip portion 11 is provided on the rear side of the left and right side surfaces of the seat portion 4, it is expected that the user M will balance the center of gravity with respect to the integral swinging of the upper body and the lower body later. The user M can experience a new movement that cannot be obtained.

Further, an elastic member such as a spring may be provided between the bottom surface of each lower limb support portion 5 and the flat plate forming the second connecting member 9. Alternatively, a mechanism for sliding each leg support portion 5 along the longitudinal direction of the second connecting member 9 may be provided.
As a result, the relative position of each lower limb support portion 5 with respect to the seat portion 4 is variable, and the seat portion 4 is tilted to the right, for example, compared to the case where each lower limb support portion 5 and the second connecting member 9 are fixed. At this time, since the right leg support part 5 can protrude further rightward, the user M can further step on the right knee. Therefore, the user M can experience a greater swing width than the movement of the seat portion 4.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the swing mechanism 6 includes a wobble swing mechanism 12, a front / rear swing mechanism 13, a waviness swing mechanism 12, and a drive mechanism 14 that moves the front / rear swing mechanism 13. ing.
The swell rocking mechanism 12 imparts to the seat portion 4 a swell motion combining left and right reciprocating rocking and front and back reciprocating rocking. Further, the swell swing mechanism 12 is constructed so as to be directed in the left-right direction and is driven to rotate by the drive mechanism 14, and the first rotation shaft 15 is fixed to a middle portion in the axial direction of the first rotation shaft 15. The cam member 16, a cylindrical cam surface 16A (shown in FIG. 9) formed on the outer periphery of the first cam member 16 and inclined with respect to the first rotation shaft 15, and a cylindrical cam surface 16A are slidably fitted. The first boss part 17 and a steadying mechanism 18 that is provided at the lower part of the first boss part 17 and restricts the first boss part 17 from being rotated along with the first rotating shaft 15 are provided. A seat 4 is provided on the top of the first boss 17.

The steady rest mechanism 18 has a crankshaft 19 disposed below the first boss portion 17 so as to face in the front-rear direction.
Further, the steady rest mechanism 18 includes a universal joint portion 20 that connects the rear end portion of the crankshaft 19 and the lower end portion of the first boss portion 17. Specifically, a sphere portion 21 is formed at the lower portion of the first boss portion 17, and a sphere receiving portion 22 into which the sphere portion 21 is slidably fitted in a pivot shape is formed at the rear end portion of the crankshaft 19. In addition, the above-described ball portion 21 is fitted into the ball receiving portion 22 from above, whereby the universal joint portion 20 is configured.

The front / rear swing mechanism 13 swings the seat portion 4 back and forth, and is a second rotation shaft that is disposed at a position lower than the first rotation shaft 15 on the front side of the first rotation shaft 15 in the left-right direction. 23.
A second cam member 24 is provided in the middle of the second rotation shaft 23 in the axial direction so as to be eccentric with respect to the second rotation shaft 23. A second boss portion 25 that is slidably fitted is provided on the outer periphery of the second cam member 24, and a crankshaft 19 protrudes rearwardly from the rear portion of the second boss portion 25. That is, the front end portion of the crankshaft 19 is connected to the rear portion of the second boss portion 25.

As described above, the ball receiving portion 22 is formed at the rear end portion of the crankshaft 19, and the ball portion 21 is fitted from above and engaged with the first boss portion 17.
The drive mechanism 14 drives the swell swing mechanism 12 and the front / rear swing mechanism 13 simultaneously. In addition, the drive mechanism 14 includes a speed reducer 26 provided on the outside (right side) of the swell rocking mechanism 12 and an electric motor 27. The rotation of the electric motor 27 is decelerated through the speed reducer 26 and is transmitted to the first rotating shaft 15 and the second rotating shaft 23 so that the shafts 15 and 23 rotate.
The rotation speed ratio between the second rotation shaft 23 and the first rotation shaft 15 is preferably 1: 4, and may be another rotation ratio, for example, 1: 2.

The operation mode of the sitting type balance exercise apparatus 1 having the above-described configuration is as follows.
The user M first straddles the seat 4 of the balance exercise device 1. Next, the user M places his / her left and right knees and lower leg parts on the lower leg support surface 10 of the left and right lower leg support parts 5. At this time, as shown in FIG. 1, the user M is in a state where both legs are floated while the knee is bent and the seat 4 is seated. Further, the user M turns on the start switch using the operation panel unit 7 on the upper surface of the seat unit 4. Thereby, the electric motor 27 of the swing mechanism 6 starts to rotate.

In the swing mechanism 6 having the above-described configuration, when the electric motor 27 of the drive mechanism 14 is rotated, the first cam member 16 attached to the first rotating shaft 15 and the second rotating shaft 23 and The second cam member 24 rotates.
As shown in FIG. 9, when the first cam member 16 rotates, the first boss portion 17 tries to rotate together, but the accompanying rotation is restricted by the steadying mechanism 18. In addition, since the cylindrical cam surface 16A formed on the first cam member 16 is inclined with respect to the first rotating shaft 15, as the inclined cylindrical cam surface 16A rotates, The first boss portion 17 to be connected has a top surface that lowers to the left when the front portion is swung to the left, and a top surface that has a bottom to the right when the front portion is swung to the right. "Swelling exercise".

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, when the second rotating shaft 23 rotates, the second boss portion 25 fitted on the second cam member 24 rotates eccentrically and is connected to the rear portion of the second boss portion 25. The crankshaft 19 is cranked in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the crankshaft 19 connects the first boss portion 17 connected to the seat portion 4 to the shaft of the first rotating shaft 15 via the ball receiving portion 22 provided at the rear portion of the crankshaft 19 and the ball portion 21 fitted therein. It will come to rotate repeatedly around the center.
Such large forward and backward repetitive rotations and undulations in the horizontal direction are transmitted to the seat portion 4 at the same time, and the seat portion 4 performs complicated three-dimensional movements in the front, rear, left, and right directions.

The swing of the seat portion 4 breaks the balance of the seated user M. Originally, the user M balances the swing of the seat 4 by using the upper body and legs, but because the user M is sitting on the seat 4 with the knee bent, Can't balance using upper body and legs separately. Therefore, the user M has to balance only by swinging the trunk part of the upper body around the waist largely back and forth and right and left, and the amount of exercise given to the user M with respect to the swing of the seat portion 4 is extremely high. Become bigger.
In addition, the user M has never experienced the movement of swinging the upper body and legs integrally with the knee bent, and the balance exercise to be applied is very fresh for the user M. , You can continue for a long time without getting bored.

Furthermore, by performing this balance exercise, the muscles of each part of the body and the sense of balance can be strengthened, and as a result, health promotion such as dieting can be achieved.
The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.
The swing mechanism 6 may be configured to swing the seat portion 4 back and forth, right and left and up and down by a plurality of hydraulic cylinders.
In addition, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-029462 by the applicant of the present application, the second support shaft that pivotally supports the front end portion of the seat portion 4 and the rear end portion of the seat portion 4 that can be eccentrically moved. You may use the rocking | fluctuation mechanism 6 provided with the 1st spindle to support and the long hole which is fixed to the rear-end part of the seat part 4, and penetrates a 1st spindle.

It is a whole perspective view of a balance exercise device (sitting type). It is a whole side view of a balance exercise device. It is a whole front view of a balance exercise device. It is a whole top view of a balance exercise device. It is a front perspective view of the rocking | fluctuation mechanism of a balance exercise apparatus. It is a rear perspective view of a rocking mechanism. It is a side view of a rocking mechanism. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A ′ of the swing mechanism in FIG. 7. It is sectional drawing of a wave | undulation rocking | fluctuation mechanism. It is a schematic diagram of the right side surface of a back-and-forth swing mechanism.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Balance exercise apparatus 2 Base body 3 Support leg 4 Seat part 5 Lower limb support part 6 Oscillation mechanism 8 1st connection member 9 2nd connection member 10 Lower limb support surface 11 Grip part 12 Swelling oscillation mechanism 13 Back and forth oscillation mechanism 14 Drive Mechanism M User F Floor

Claims (8)

  A seat that can be seated by the user, a lower limb support that is connected to the front side of the seat and supports the lower limb of the user seated on the seat, and the seat and the lower limb support are integrated in the front, rear, left, and right A balance exercise device provided with a rocking mechanism for rocking.   The balance exercise device according to claim 1, wherein an upper surface of the seat portion is inclined forward, and the lower limb support portion is positioned in front of and below the seat portion.   The balance exercise device according to claim 1, wherein the lower limb support portion is a pair of left and right plate-like bodies having a lower limb support surface inclined backward.   A first connecting member extending downward from the front side of the bottom surface of the seat is provided, and a second connecting member extending in the left-right direction is provided at a front end portion of the first connecting member. The balance exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the lower limb support portions are respectively provided at left and right tip portions of the second connecting member so that the lower limb support portions swing integrally.   The balance exercise device according to claim 4, wherein the lower limb support part is provided on the second connecting member so that a relative position with respect to the seat part is variable.   The balance exercise device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a grip portion that a user grips is provided on the seat portion.   The seat is supported by a support leg provided under the seat, and the support leg is erected on a base body, and the base body is substantially the same as the projected area of the seat and the lower limb support part in plan view. The balance exercise apparatus according to claim 1, which has an area.   The swing mechanism includes a sway swing mechanism that imparts a swell motion combining left and right reciprocal swing and front and rear reciprocal swing to the seat portion, and a forward and backward swing that swings the seat portion back and forth. The balance exercise apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a moving mechanism; and a driving mechanism that drives the swell oscillating mechanism and the front and rear oscillating mechanism simultaneously.

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