LOWER BODY EXERCISE EQUIPMENT

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to lower body exercise equipment, and more particularly, to equipment which allows patients to easily perform lower body exercises.

BACKGROUND ART

Patients who spend long periods of time lying in bed have less physical activity, which inevitably leads to weakened upper and lower body muscles. Particularly, patients lying in bed use their upper bodies relatively freely, but use their lower bodies less frequently. Thus, muscles of the lower bodies may be easily weakened. When lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings, which are involved in raising the body, are weakened, it is difficult for patients to walk or run.

There are various types of lower body exercise equipment to aid in patients' rehabilitation, but the conventional exercise equipment commonly requires that the patients be out of bed to exercise or requires a very complicated configuration to be additionally added to the bed.

Such related art is technical information that the inventor possessed for deriving the present disclosure or acquired in the process of deriving the present disclosure and is not necessarily known art disclosed to the general public before the filing of the present application.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

To solve the aforementioned problems, the present disclosure relates to lower body exercise equipment which allows patients to easily exercise their lower bodies even while lying down on bed without adding complicated structures.

However, these problems are illustrative and the problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

Technical Solution

Lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is placed on a bed and includes a first support element disposed on an upper surface of the bed, a second support element spaced apart from the first support element in a longitudinal direction, a connection element connecting the first support element to the second support element and having a variable length, and a stand arranged at one side of the first support element and supported by a support panel of the bed.

In lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a distance between the first support element and the second support element may change as the variable length of the connection element changes.

In lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first support element and the second support element may include a plastic material slidable with respect to the upper surface of the bed.

In lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the connection element may include a deformable fabric material.

In lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the lower body exercise equipment may include a pair of guides detachably disposed on an upper surface of the first support element and arranged parallel to each other at both edges of the first support element in a width direction.

In lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the bed may include a first frame and a second frame connected to the first frame to enable angle adjustment, the first support element may be disposed on an upper surface of the first frame, and the second support element may be disposed on an upper surface of the second frame.

In lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the stand may include one or more length adjustment members on a surface of the stand in contact with the support panel.

In lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the stand may further include an angle adjustment member including a footrest, a pair of first links extending from both sides of the footrest and supporting a floor surface, a pair of second links rotating integrally with the footrest and extending diagonally toward the second support element, and a third link connecting the pair of second links to each other.

Other aspects, features, and advantages than those described above will become apparent from the detailed description, claims and drawings for carrying out the present disclosure below.

Advantageous Effects

Lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, allows a user to easily exercise even while lying down.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the user may flex and extend his or her knees using the lower body exercise equipment placed on a bed, without a separate complicated mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram of lower body exercise equipment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically show an operating state of the lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams of a stand, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows an operating state of the stand, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an operating state of the lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

BEST MODE

Lower body exercise equipment, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, is placed on a bed and includes a first support element disposed on an upper surface of the bed, a second support element spaced apart from the first support element in a longitudinal direction, a connection element connecting the first support element to the second support element and having a variable length, and a stand arranged at one side of the first support element and supported by a support panel of the bed.

Mode for Invention

Since the present disclosure can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the description of the present disclosure. However, this is not intended to limit the present disclosure to specific embodiments and shall be understood to include all transformations, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present disclosure. In describing the present disclosure, the same identification numbers are used for the same components even though they are shown in different embodiments.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. When describing with reference to the drawings, identical or corresponding components are assigned the same reference numerals and redundant descriptions thereof are omitted.

In the following embodiments, terms, such as first and second, are used not in a limiting sense but for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component.

In the following examples, singular terms include plural terms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In the following embodiments, terms, such as “include” or “have”, mean the presence of features or components described in the specification and do not exclude in advance the possibility of adding one or more other features or components.

In the drawings, the sizes of components may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of explanation. For example, since the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are shown arbitrarily for convenience of explanation, the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to what is shown.

In the following embodiments, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis are not limited to the three axes in the Cartesian coordinate system but interpreted in a broad sense including the same. For example, the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis may be orthogonal to each other but may also refer to different directions that are not orthogonal to each other.

When an embodiment can be implemented differently, a specific process sequence may be performed differently from the described sequence. For example, two processes described in succession may be performed substantially at the same time or may be performed in an order opposite to the order in which they are described.

The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this application, terms, such as “include” or “have”, are intended to designate the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification and shall be understood to not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of lower body exercise equipment 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIGS. 2 and 3 schematically show an operating state of the lower body exercise equipment 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrams of a stand 170, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, FIG. 6 shows an operating state of the stand 170, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIGS. 7 and 8 show an operating state of the lower body exercise equipment 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The lower body exercise equipment 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, may include a first support element 110, a second support element 130, a connection element 150, and the stand 170.

The first support element 110 may be placed on a support surface, such as the floor, and may support a user's body. For example, the first support element 110 may be placed on a bed 200, more specifically, on a first frame 210, which is described below. The first support element 110, which includes a flat, thin plate, may support a part of the user's body, for example, the lower body.

A shape and size of the first support element 110 are not particularly limited. The first support element 110 may have a rectangular shape with a smaller width than a width of the bed 200. In addition, the first support element 110 may include a slippery material with a low coefficient of friction, which allows the user's body to slide thereon smoothly. In an embodiment, at least an upper surface of the first support element 110 may include a plastic material with a low coefficient of friction, such as polyethylene or polytetrafluoroethylene.

Although not shown in the drawings, the first support element 110 may further include a friction member to prevent slipping of the user when placed on the floor or the bed 200. For example, one or more friction members may be disposed on a lower surface of the first support element 110, so that the user's body may slide on the upper surface of the first support element 110 but the first support element 110 itself may not slip on the support surface.

The friction members may include a material with a high coefficient of friction, e.g., non-woven fabric, PDMS, or rubber. The one or more friction members may be arranged on the first support element 110 in a longitudinal direction. In an embodiment, the friction members may be detached from the upper surface of the bed 200. For example, the friction members may include detachable members, such as Velcro.

In an embodiment, one or more guides 111 may be placed on the first support element 110. For example, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, two guides 111 may be placed on the upper surface of the first support element 110, spaced apart from each other. The pair of guides 111 may be arranged parallel to each other at both edges of the first support element 110 in a width direction.

In an embodiment, the guides 111 may have an inclined surface on one side. As shown in FIG. 1, the guides 111 may include inclined surfaces having a certain inclination with respect to the inner side of the first support element 110 in the width direction, that is, with respect to the surface of the first support element 110 facing the user's lower body while the user is lying down on the lower body exercise equipment 100. Accordingly, the guides 111 may prevent the user's lower body from performing an external rotation to prevent strain on the user's lower body during exercise.

The guides 111 may have a triangular pyramid shape with inclined surfaces on the inside. In addition, the guides 111 may be arranged to include a central portion of the first support element 110 in the longitudinal direction.

The second support element 130 may be spaced apart from the first support element 110. The second support element 130, like the first support element 110, may be placed on the support surface, such as the floor, and may support the user's body. For example, the second support element 130 may be placed on the bed 200, more specifically, a second frame 230, which is described below. The second support element 130, which includes a flat, thin plate, may support part of the user's body, for example, the upper body.

In an embodiment, a shape and material of the second support element 130 are not particularly limited and may be the same as those of the first support element 110. For example, the second support element 130 may also have a rectangular shape with a smaller width than the width of the bed 200. In addition, the first support element 110 may include a slippery material with a low coefficient of friction, for example, a plastic material with a low coefficient of friction, which allows the user's body to slide smoothly.

In an embodiment, the second support element 130 may not include the friction members. That is, the friction members may be disposed only on the lower surface of the first support element 110 and may not be disposed on the lower surface of the second support element 130. Accordingly, when the user flexes or extends his or her knees, the upper body may slide together with the second support element 130.

The connection element 150 is placed between the first support element 110 and the second support element 130 and connects the first support element 110 to the second support element 130. When the first support element 110 and/or the second support element 130 moves, the length of the connection element 150 may change accordingly. Thus, the user may perform lower body exercises by flexing or extending the knees while supporting the body on the first support element 110 and the second support element 130 without moving relative thereto.

In addition, since the connection element 150 has variable lengths and/or shapes, the connection element 150 may correspond to various shapes and sizes of the bed 200. For example, when the interval between the first frame 210 and the second frame 230 of the bed 200 is long, the length of the connection element 150 may be extended. Conversely, when the interval between the first frame 210 and the second frame 230 is short, the length of the connection element 150 may be shortened. In another embodiment, the connection element 150 may have a fixed length and the user may exercise by sliding on the first support element 110 and the second support element 130. For convenience of explanation, the following description may focus on the case where the length of the connection element 150 is variable.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, when the user lies on the first support element 110 and the second support element 130 and extends the knees, the connection element 150 may have a maximum length L1. Afterwards, as shown in FIG. 3, when the user flexes the knees, the second support element 130 approaches the first support element 110 and the connection element 150 is deformed and reduced to L2 in the longitudinal direction.

In an embodiment, the connection element 150 may include a deformable fabric material. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the connection element 150 may be folded or unfolded to change the length of the connection element 150, depending on the force applied in the longitudinal direction or the displacement between the first support element 110 and the second support element 130.

Alternatively, the connection element 150 may include an elastic member. For example, the connection element 150 may include one or more springs between the first support element 110 and the second support element 130. The connection element 150 may include a leaf spring or a coil spring. Accordingly, the user may compress or extend the connection element 150 by moving the second support element 130 toward or away from the first support element 110 while flexing or extending the knees. Accordingly, the restoring force of the connection element 150 may increase the exercise intensity.

Alternatively, the connection element 150 may include a corrugated member that may be unfolded or folded in the longitudinal direction as a plurality of bumps are formed on at least the upper surface and the lower surface of the connection element 150. That is, the connection element 150 may have a shape like a corrugated pipe. Thus, the length of the connection element 150 may change, depending on the displacement between the first support element 110 and the second support element 130.

The stand 170 placed on one side of the first support element 110 may support the user's feet. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the stand 170 may be placed at an end of the first support element 110. The user may exercise while supporting one surface of the stand 170 with his or her feet.

In an embodiment, the stand 170 supported by a support panel 250 of the bed 200 may prevent the lower body exercise equipment 100 from coming off the bed 200 when the user exercises.

In an embodiment, the stand 170 may include a body 171, length adjustment members 173, and anti-slip members 175.

The body 171 may support the user's feet and may be supported by the support panel 250 of the bed 200. In an embodiment, the body 171 may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a wide surface that contacts the user's feet.

One or more length adjustment members 173 may be arranged on one surface of the body 171. As shown in FIG. 4, one or more length adjustment members 173 may be arranged on a surface of the body 171 opposite to the surface of the body 171 supporting the user's feet. The length adjustment members 173 may be arranged on one surface of the body 171 and extend toward one side, for example, toward the support panel 250. For example, the length adjustment members 173 may operate in the same way as screws. More specifically, by rotating the length adjustment members 173 clockwise or counterclockwise, the length adjustment members 173 may move in a direction of the thickness of the body 171. Accordingly, the distance between the length adjustment members 173 and the support panel 250 may be adjusted.

The number and position of length adjustment members 173 are not particularly limited. One or two or more length adjustment members 173 may be arranged and a plurality of length adjustment members 173 may be arranged at equal or different intervals.

In an embodiment, the plurality of length adjustment members 173 may be arranged and an adjustment plate (not shown) may be arranged at ends of the length adjustment members 173. For example, the length adjustment members 173 may be disposed on one surface of the body 171 and the adjustment plate having a cross-sectional area greater than the sum of the cross-sectional areas of all length adjustment members 173 may be arranged at the ends of the length adjustment members 173. The stand 170 may be firmly supported on the support panel 250 through the adjustment plate having such a large area.

The anti-slip members 175 may be disposed on the other surface of the body 171. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the anti-slip members 175 may be arranged on a surface of the body 171 facing the user's foot, that is, on a surface opposite to the surface where the length adjustment members 173 are arranged. The anti-slip members 175 may include bumps formed on the body 171. For example, the anti-slip members 175 may protrude or may be concavely recessed on one surface of the body 171. This allows the user to prevent their feet from slipping during exercise.

The anti-slip members 175 may be formed in a line shape in the length or height direction of the body 171 or may have a wave shape.

In an embodiment, the stand 170 may include a footrest 177a, first links 177b, second links 177c, and a third link 177d, as shown in FIG. 6.

The footrest 177a may be arranged on one surface of the body 171, more specifically, on the surface of the body 171 facing the user's feet. The footrest 177a may be rotatably arranged on the body 171. When the stand 170 includes the footrest 177a, the user's feet may contact the footrest 177a rather than the body 171. In addition, the anti-slip members 175 may be formed on the footrest 177a. The footrest 177a may be rotated by the second links 177c and third link 177d, which is described below.

The first links 177b each extending from one side of the footrest 177a may support the floor. For example, the first links 177b, which include bar-shaped members extending from both sides of the footrest 177a, may contact the support surface, such as the floor, or the upper surface of the bed 200. In addition, the first links 177b may remain in parallel contact with the support surface even though the footrest 177a rotates.

The second links 177c may rotate integrally with the footrest 177a and may extend diagonally toward the second support element 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the pair of second links 177c connected to both sides of the footrest 177a may be placed between the footrest 177a and the first links 177b. When the second links 177c rotate, the footrest 177a may also rotate in the same way.

The third link 177d placed between the pair of second links 177c may be used by the user as a handle during exercise. As shown in FIG. 6, the user may adjust the angle of the footrest 177a by pulling the third link 177d inward or pushing the third link 177d outward while holding the same.

Through this configuration, the user may adjust the angle of the ankles in contact with the stand 170 by adjusting the angle of the footrest 177a. Accordingly, the user may control the exercise area and the exercise intensity.

In an embodiment, the stand 170 may further include an angle fixing member (not shown) that fixes the angle of the footrest 177a. For example, when the user pulls the third link 177d to tilt the footrest 177a, the angle fixing member may maintain the angle of the tilted footrest 177a. For example, the angle fixing member may be inserted to the fixed first links 177b or both sides of the body 171 to fix the footrest 177a and the second links 177c.

In an embodiment, the user may exercise with assistance from the strength of the upper body while holding the third link 177d when exercising the lower body.

In another embodiment, the footrest 177a may operate independently from the first links 177b, the second links 177c, and the third link 177d. For example, the footrest 177a may include a separate rotation member (not shown) that rotates the footrest 177a, and the first link 177b, the second link 177c, and the third link 177d may be used by the user to support the upper body by holding the same with the user's hand. To this end, the rotation member may include a handle and a position fixing member.

In an embodiment, the stand 170 may further include an adjustment member (not shown) that gradually adjusts the rotation angle of the footrest 177a. The rotation member arranged at a connection portion between the body 171 and the footrest 177a may adjust the rotation angle of the footrest 177a in certain angle units. For example, the adjustment member may adjust the angle between the footrest 177a and the body 171 in 5-degree, 10-degree, or 15-degree increments. In this case, the position fixing member may be integrally included in the adjustment member.

In an embodiment, the lower body exercise equipment 100 may be placed on the bed 200. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the lower body exercise equipment 100 may be placed on the upper surface of the bed 200 and the user may exercise using the lower body exercise equipment 100 while lying on the bed 200.

In an embodiment, the bed 200 may include a first frame 210, a second frame 230, and a support panel 250.

The first frame 210 and the second frame 230 may support the user's body and the second frame 230 may be rotatably connected to the first frame 210. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the second frame 230 may rotate upward with respect to the first frame 210. Accordingly, the user's lower body may be supported on the first frame 210 and the user's upper body may be supported on the second frame 230. In this state, the first support element 110 may be placed on the first frame 210, the second support element 130 may be placed on the second frame 230, and the connection element 150 may be placed between the first frame 210 and the second frame 230.

The support panel 250 may be placed at an end of the first frame 210 and may contact the stand 170.

The operation of the lower body exercise equipment 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8.

First, the lower body exercise equipment 100 is placed on the bed 200. The bed 200 may be in a state in which the second frame 200 is tilted toward the first frame 100 at a certain angle. The inclination of the second frame 200 is not particularly limited. The user may select an appropriate inclination considering the exercise intensity or posture.

In an embodiment, the first support element 110 of the lower body exercise equipment 100 may be fixed to the first frame 100 using Velcro or the like.

Next, the user lies down on the lower body exercise equipment 100. For example, the user's lower body may be placed on the first support element 110, the user's upper body may be placed on the second support element 130, and the user's feet may be placed on the stand 170.

Next, the user may perform lower body exercises by flexing and extending the knees. When the user flexes the knees, the second support element 130 slides along the upper surface of the bed 200 and moves toward the first support element 110. Accordingly, the length of the connection element 150 is reduced. When the user extends the knees, the second support element 130 slides along the upper surface of the bed 200 and moves away from the first support element 110, thereby increasing the length of the connection element 150.

In an embodiment, the user may adjust the angle of the stand 170. The user may rotate the footrest 177a inward by pulling the third link 177d while supporting the stand 170 with the foot. Accordingly, when the user performs lower body exercises while the user's ankles are bent, greater stimulation may be provided to the rear muscles. The user may perform lower body exercises by pushing or pulling the third link 177d and maintaining an appropriate angle of the stand 170.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, these are merely examples. Those skilled in the art may fully understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible from the embodiments. Therefore, the true technical protection scope of the present disclosure shall be determined based on the attached claims.

The specific technical content described with reference to the embodiments is one embodiment and does not limit the technical scope of the embodiment. To describe the present disclosure concisely and clearly, conventional general techniques and configurations may be omitted. In addition, the connection or the connection member between the components shown in the drawings illustratively represent functional connection and/or physical or circuit connections. In an actual device, the connection or the connection member may be represented by a variety of alternative or additional functional, physical, or circuit connections. In addition, when a component is not mentioned with terms, such as “essential,” and “important,” the component may not be a necessary component for the application of the present disclosure.

The term “the” or similar referents used in the description and claims may refer to both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise specified. In addition, when a range is described in an embodiment, it is the same as describing each individual value constituting the range in the present disclosure, to which individual values within the range are applied, unless otherwise specified. In addition, unless there is an explicit order or description to the contrary regarding the steps constituting the method according to an embodiment, the steps may be performed in an appropriate order. The embodiments are not necessarily limited by the order of description of the steps above. The use of any examples or exemplary terms (e.g., and the like) in the embodiments are merely for the purpose of describing the embodiments in detail. Unless limited by the claims, the scope of the embodiments is not limited by the examples or illustrative terms. In addition, those skilled in the art may understand that various modifications, combinations, and changes may be made according to design conditions and factors within the scope of the appended claims or their equivalents.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure is industrially applicable to lower body exercise equipment.