Ski exercising and rehabilitation apparatus

• US 7,462,139 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Elektroniczny Zaklad Innowacyjno-Wdrozeniowy Hybres SP. Z o.o.
• Original Assignee: Ireneusz Rabczak
• Inventors: Stafiej, Andrzej, Kozdraś, Jan, Rabczak, Ireneusz, Szostak, Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Richman; Glenn E.
• Application Number:
  US10/478,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20040152567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,374 Days
• Field of Search: 482/51, 482/54, 482/70, 482/71, 482/91, 482/110
• US Class Current: 482/70
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0638 Displaying moving images of recorded environment, e.g. virtual environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0023 the inclination of the main axis of the movement path being adjustable, e.g. the inclination of an endless band
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/02 with movable endless bands , e.g. treadmills other training appliances for running on the spot A63B69/0028
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0207 having shock absorbing means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0285 Physical characteristics of the belt, e.g. material, surface, indicia
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/30 blood pressure A63B2230/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/18 for skiing

Abstract

A ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus of the invention wherein the down-hill-run unit (22), has a system of rotatable rolls (25) mounted with bearings in external clamping beams (20) and (21) and in the central beam (26) so that their rotation axes lie in one arched plane, whereas said central beam (26) is supported on its ends with shock absorbers (27), whereas the ends of external clamping beams (20 and 21) are jointed at one end with the shorter articulated connecting rods (18 and 19) of variable lengths and at the other end with the longer articulated connecting rods (23 and 24) of variable lengths, the other ends of which are rotatably connected with respective discs of the gear wheels (13, 14, 15 and 16) mounted on the front drive shaft (11) and rear drive shaft (12), said external clamping beams (20 and 21) being also jointed to rocking levers (34 and 35) which are connected to actuators (36) mounted in the frame base (1) of the apparatus, whereas the light signs (54), imitating the positions of slalom poles, are located on the track mat (30) of said downhill-run unit (22) in form of bristled track mat banding arcwise the upper drive roll (32) and lower drive roll (31).

Claims

1. A ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus comprising:

(a) frame having a substantially rectilinear base having two sides, a forward end and a rearward end, and two side members attached to the base at first and second attachment points proximate to the forward and rearward ends of the base respectively, the side members each defining a convex arcuate upper profile from the forward and rearward ends to an apex;

(b) a downhill-run unit supported by the frame and comprising;

(i) a first and a second external clamping beam substantially longitudinally parallel and each having first and second ends;

(ii) an upper drive roll connected to the first and second external clamping beams at their respective first ends;

(iii) a lower drive roll connected to the first and second external clamping beams at their second ends;

(iv) a central beam located between and substantially parallel to the first and second external clamping beams, the central beam having a first central beam end and a second central beam end, the central beam ends being supportably connected to respective first and second shock absorbers;

(v) a plurality of rotatable rolls each mounted in bearings in the central beam and one of the first and second external clamping beams;

(vi) a drive means comprising at least one motor;

(vii) rocking means operatively connecting each of the external clamping beams to the drive means;

(viii) actuator means operatively connecting each of the external clamping beams to the frame; and

(ix) a track mat having a bristled upper surface and being supported by the upper and lower drive rolls and at least some of the rotatable rolls, and having light sign means provided to the bristled upper surface.

2. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive means further comprises:

(a) four gear wheels, each one being operatively connected to a selected one end of each of the upper and lower drive rolls;

(b) a first pair of articulated connecting rods each attached to one of the first ends of the external clamping beams and to an adjacent one of the gear wheels;

(c) a second pair of articulated connecting rods each longer than the first pair, and each attached to one of the second ends of the external clamping beams and to an adjacent one of the gear wheels; and

the actuator means is further selectively operatively connected to the rocker means.

3. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the downhill-run unit further comprises:

(x) a refrigeration unit located below the track mat;

(xi) a damping nozzle and a cooling nozzle each operatively coupled to the refrigeration unit.

4. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a monitoring unit and a pair of support poles each having a handle, the monitoring unit and the pair of support poles being mounted on the frame proximate the forward end of the frame, one of the support poles comprising a control panel having a diagnostic apparatus operatively coupled to the drive means, the refrigeration unit, the light sign means, the monitoring unit, and the actuating means.

5. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the support poles are connected to each other and to a bow with a safety belt having at least one safety-cutout switch on an inner surface thereof.

6. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bristles of the track mat have a height of 5 cm.

7. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive means comprises:

a frequency converter electrically interconnected with the at least one motor;

a transmission means operatively coupled to the frequency converter and to at least one of the upper drive roll and the lower drive roll.

8. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the forward and rearward end of the frame each comprise at least one wheel.

9. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 8, wherein each of the side members of the frame comprises a flange extending transversely to the side member proximate the rearward end of the frame.

10. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the upper and the lower drive rolls is an electro-drum and the upper and lower drive rolls are operatively banded together by the mat.

11. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the drive means comprises:

(a) a frequency converter electrically interconnected with the at least one motor;

(b) a transmission means operatively coupled to the frequency converter and to at least one of the upper drive roll and the lower drive roll.

12. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the downhill-run unit further comprises

(a) a slide plate located between the first and second external clamping beams and the upper and lower drive rolls, the slide plate being substantially rectangular and having an upper surface configured to correspond to the profile of an upper surface of the first and second external clamping beams;

and

(b) a plurality of shock absorbers constructed and arranged to support a lower surface of the slide plate proximate corners of the slide plate.

13. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the slide plate is made of chromium nickel steel.

14. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the upper surface of the slide plate is polished.

15. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a lower surface of the track mat comprises a pair of rims each having a guiding element, wherein the upper and lower drive rolls each comprise a circumferential groove having a profile that corresponds to the profile of each guiding element.

16. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the guiding elements are substantially trapezoidal in cross-section.

17. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

(a) a lower surface of the track mat comprise a pair of rims, and

(b) an inner surface of the first and second external clamping beams each have a slot guide of arcwise contour constructed and arranged to engage with each of the rims.

18. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the downhill-run unit further comprises:

(a) a secondary upper drive roll connected to the first and second external clamping beams at their respective first ends, substantially parallel to the upper drive rolls;

(b) a secondary lower drive roll connected to the first and second external clamping beams at their respective second ends, substantially parallel to the lower drive rolls; and

(c) an endless carrier belt supported by the secondary upper drive roll and the secondary lower drive roll;

wherein the upper and lower drive rolls are each closer than the respective secondary upper and lower drive rolls to a midpoint of the first and second external clamping beams and the secondary upper drive roll and the secondary lower drive roll each have a diameter less than a diameter of each of the upper and lower rolls.

19. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the upper and lower drive rolls are of cylindrical shape.

20. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the upper and lower drive rolls are of cylindrical shape.

21. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the upper drive roll, the lower drive rolls, the secondary upper drive roll and the secondary lower drive roll are of cylindrical shape.

22. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each end of each of the upper drive roll and the lower drive roll has a truncated cone shape.

23. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 17, wherein each end of each of the secondary upper drive roll and the secondary lower drive roll has a truncated cone shape.

24. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of skis having a lower slide surface made of antistatic material with high resistant to frictional wear and high temperatures.

25. The ski-exercising and rehabilitation apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the lower slide surface of the skis is made of carbon fibre of Ni—

Cr steel.