Running machine

• US 7,022,051 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2004
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Othake Root Kogyo Co.,Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Othake Root Kogyo Co.,Ltd.
• Inventors: Ota, Yoshitake
• Primary Examiner(s): Crow, Stephen R.
• Application Number:
  US10/872,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20050202936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 652 Days
• Field of Search: 482/51, 482/54
• US Class Current: 482/54
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0235 driven by a motor

Abstract

Even if the tension of the endless belt against the sliding contact member is reduced, the slip of the endless belt out of the rotary roller is prevented and the endless belt is smoothly moved. Also, since frictional resistance of the endless belt against the sliding contact member is reduced, durability of the endless belt can be substantially improved.

The present running machine comprises a rotary roller 23 for circulatingly move an endless belt 20 mounted to the bedplate 10 and supported at a supporting plate 22 by a driving unit 26, a sliding contact member 25 for guiding the sliding-contact movement of the endless belt 20, a tension roller 30 for depressing the upper portion of the endless belt toward the lower portion, thereby making a distance of the upper portion and the lower portion smaller than the diameter of the rotary roller 23, and a tension/contact roller 40 depressing and contacting the endless belt 20 to the rotary roller 23. Further, the tension/contact roller 40 constitutes the tension roller 30, a tension/contact force-regulating unit 43 is provided to regulate the tension/contact force of tension/contact roller 40, and a position-adjusting unit 50 for adjusting the fore and rear positions of the sliding contact member 25 is provided.

Claims

1. A running machine comprising,

a bedplate having side frames mounted at an interval and being contacted to a ground surface;

an endless belt mounted between the side frames of the bedplate, bent down at its ends and provided with an upper portion externally positioned and having an outer surface as a running/walking surface on which a runner/walker runs or walks and a lower portion internally positioned;

a supporting plate bridged between the side frames of the bedplate, inserted between the upper portion and the lower portion of the endless belt and coming into a sliding-contact with the upper portion of the endless belt for supporting the same;

a rotary roller provided in an inner portion of one bent part of the endless belt for circulatingly moving the endless belt;

a sliding contact member mounted in an inner portion of the other bent part of the endless belt and guiding the sliding-contact movement of the endless belt;

a driving unit for rotating and driving the rotary roller; and

a tension roller for depressing the upper portion of the endless belt toward the lower portion, thereby making a distance between the upper portion and the lower portion smaller than a diameter of the rotary roller; and

a tension/contact roller adapted to depress and contact the endless belt to the rotary roller.

2. The running machine according to claim 1, wherein the tension/contact roller constitutes the tension roller.

3. The running machine according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a tension/contact force-regulating unit for regulating tension contact force of the tension/contact roller.

4. The running machine according to claim 3, further comprising a position-adjusting unit for adjusting front and rear positions of the sliding contact member.

5. The running machine according to claim 4, wherein the sliding contact member constitutes an end of the supporting plate, and the position-adjusting unit is structured such that it can change a mounting position of the supporting plate relative to the bedplate, thereby adjusting front and rear positions of the sliding contact member.

6. The running machine according to claim 4, wherein the sliding contact member is mounted to an end of the supporting plate and made of a member different from the supporting plate, and the position-adjusting unit is structured such that it can change a mounting position of the sliding contact member relative to the supporting plate, thereby adjusting front and rear positions of the sliding contact member.

7. The running machine according to claim 5, wherein the sliding contact member is formed to protrude from a general plane of the supporting plate.

8. The running machine according to claim 7, wherein the height from a ground surface to the running/walking surface of the endless belt is 40 mm or less.

9. The running machine according to claim 6, wherein the sliding contact member is formed to protrude from a general plane of the supporting plate.

10. The running machine according to claim 9, wherein the height from a ground surface to the running/walking surface of the endless belt is 40 mm or less.