ADJUSTABLE WIND RESISTANCE DEVICE AND ROWING MACHINE

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202423039314.0, filed on Dec. 10, 2024, and Chinese Patent Application No. 202411808855.7, filed on Dec. 10, 2024. Both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to the field of rowing machine technologies, and in particular, to an adjustable wind resistance device and a rowing machine.

BACKGROUND

In traditional rowing machine design, the wind resistance device usually adopts a fixed structure and cannot adjust the resistance size according to the user's exercise needs and preferences. This fixed wind resistance design limits the applicability and user experience of rowing machines, as different users may require different levels of resistance to achieve optimal exercise results.

SUMMARY

The purpose of the present disclosure is to provide an adjustable wind resistance device and a rowing machine to meet the needs of users, in response to the deficiencies of the existing technologies mentioned above.

To achieve the above objectives, the present disclosure provides an adjustable wind resistance device, including a wind wheel, a housing component, and a driving device; the housing component includes a wind chamber, an air inlet, and an air outlet; the wind wheel is provided in the wind chamber; the housing component includes a fixing wind disc and a movable wind disc that are arranged coaxially; the fixing wind disc is provided with a first air inlet, and the movable wind disc is provided with a second air inlet; an overlapping area between the first air inlet and the second air inlet forms the air inlet; the driving device is fixedly connected to the fixing wind disc and drives the movable wind disc to rotate to adjust an area of the air inlet.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixing wind disc includes a plurality of first air inlets arranged symmetrically in a rotation manner, and the movable air disc includes a plurality of second air inlets arranged symmetrically in a rotation manner; when the first air inlets are aligned with the second air inlets, the area of the air inlet is equal to an area of the first air inlets and/or the second air inlets.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, one of the first air inlets and/or the second air inlets is crescent shaped or comma shaped.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixing wind disc further includes a plurality of first auxiliary air inlets arranged symmetrically in a rotation manner and the movable wind disc includes a plurality of second auxiliary air inlets arranged symmetrically in a rotation manner.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first air inlet and the second air inlet can completely overlap, and the first air inlet includes a contraction end and an expansion end. The contraction end and the expansion end are connected by an arc line, and the arc line is provided along a rotation direction of the wind wheel. When the wind wheel is rotated, the contraction end can first “capture” the air, and then the air gradually enters a fan along the arc line, rendering an intake process smoother and reducing intake resistance and noise to a certain extent.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a first opening chamber configured to install the driving device is formed in a center of the fixing wind disc, and a second opening chamber is provided in a center of the movable wind disc, the second opening chamber includes a second chamber bottom, and the driving device is connected to the second chamber bottom for transmission.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second opening chamber is configured to cover the first opening chamber, or the first opening chamber is configured to cover the second opening chamber.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the fixing wind disc includes a fixing air inlet area and an outer extension ring area surrounding the fixing air inlet area. A partition ring is arranged along an axial direction of the fixing wind disc between the fixing air inlet area and the outer extension ring area, which can increase the structural strength of the fixing wind disc. The partition ring is suitable for enclosing an area that accommodates the movable wind disc. The movable wind disc is coaxially arranged in the fixing air inlet area. The movable wind disc includes a movable disc surface, a second opening chamber protruding from a center of the movable disc surface, a guide ring arranged around an outer periphery of the movable disc surface and a plurality of guide vanes extending from the second opening chamber to the guide ring. The guide vanes are uniformly arranged radially, and one single guide vane has a bending tendency, a bending direction of the guide vanes is the same as a rotation direction of an impeller, guiding the airflow to enter the impeller more smoothly, reducing the turbulence and backflow of the airflow inside the impeller, and also increasing the structural strength and preventing deformation of the movable wind disc.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the second auxiliary air inlet is arranged along an extension direction of the guide vanes, which can increase the air intake and make the air intake more uniform.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, further including a control component, where the control component includes a control unit and a sensing unit, where the sensing unit is configured to monitor a real-time position of the movable wind disc, the control unit is configured to receive real-time position information of the movable wind disc and process it into wind resistance information, and the control unit is further configured to send an instruction to the driving device to adjust the wind resistance.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the sensing unit includes a variable resistor, the driving device includes a motor, the motor is connected to the variable resistor through a first gear assembly, a real-time resistance value of the variable resistor is changed with a rotation of the motor, and the real-time resistance value is transmitted to the control unit.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first gear assembly and the motor are integrated and assembled in a motor box, the motor box includes a first box surface and a second box surface that are arranged opposite to each other, the variable resistor is provided on the first box surface, the first box surface is assembled in a central area of the fixing wind disc, the variable resistor includes a first rotating shaft, the first rotating shaft extends from the second box surface, the first rotating shaft is connected to a second rotating shaft through the second gear assembly, and one end of the second rotating shaft is configured to connect to the movable wind disc, and the motor box is configured to support another end of the second rotating shaft.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the variable resistor includes a resistor body and a sliding contact, where the sliding contact is connected to the first rotating shaft, and the motor drives the sliding contact to rotate and move on the resistor body to change the resistance of the resistor body connected to a circuit, thereby changing the real-time resistance value of the variable resistor.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the variable resistor includes a plurality of resistance coils and a switching mechanism, where the switching mechanism is connected to a first switching mechanism, and the motor drives the switching mechanism to rotate to change the number of turns of the resistance coil connected to the circuit, thereby changing the real-time resistance value of the variable resistor. This type of variable resistor can achieve more precise resistance value adjustment, and the change in resistance value is discrete and graded, which can achieve gear adjustment of wind resistance.

The present disclosure further provides a rowing machine, including the adjustable wind resistance device and an operating component, where the operating component includes a handle and a transmission component configured to connect the handle and the wind wheel, where the housing component includes a bracket plate that separates the wind chamber and a transmission chamber inside the housing component, where the fixing wind disc is provided to the bracket plate, and the transmission chamber is configured to accommodate the transmission component.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the wind wheel includes a wind wheel shaft, the air inlet is provided at one end of an axial direction of the wind wheel, and the air outlet is provided along a circumferential direction of the wind wheel.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a generator is provided on one side of the bracket plate, and the generator is connected to the wind wheel shaft for transmission, and the generator generates electricity as the wind wheel is rotated.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the housing component includes a first side shell, a second side shell, a first ring shell, and a second ring shell. The first side shell, the first ring shell, and the bracket plate are enclosed to form the air chamber. The air outlet is provided on the first ring shell, and the second side shell, the second ring shell, and the bracket plate are enclosed to form the transmission chamber. The transmission component includes a pull rope and a pulley assembly, where the pulley assembly is connected to the wind wheel shaft, and the second ring shell includes an operating port for the pull rope to enter and exit.

The beneficial effects of the present disclosure are:

• • (1) By adjusting the area of the air inlet through providing the movable wind disc, the system impedance of the wind resistance device is adjusted, achieving dynamic adjustment of wind resistance. Different impedances can be adaptively provided according to the user's exercise needs, thereby improving the applicability and user experience of the rowing machine.
  • (2) By the controlling component, which includes a control unit and a sensing unit, real-time monitoring of the position of the movable wind disc and intelligent adjustment of wind resistance have been achieved, thereby improving the convenience and accuracy of operation.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a rowing machine provided by the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a partial schematic diagram of the rowing machine provided by the present disclosure (excluding a first side shell, a first ring shell, and a second ring shell).

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a wind resistance device provided by the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a bracket plate provided by the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a fixing wind disc provided by the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the fixing wind disc and a movable wind disc provided by the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of the movable wind disc provided by the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is an exploded schematic diagram of a motor box provided by the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another fixing wind disc provided by the present disclosure.

Numeral reference: wind wheel 101; bracket plate 102; wind chamber 103; transmission chamber 104; fixing wind disc 105; movable wind disc 106; first air inlet 107; second air inlet 108; outer extension ring area 109; fixing air inlet area 110; partition ring 111; first opening chamber 112; movable disc surface 113; second opening chamber 114; guide ring 115; guide vanes 116; second chamber bottom 117; variable resistor 118; first rotating shaft 119; second rotating shaft 120; motor 121; first gear assembly 122; second gear assembly 123; motor box 124; support column 125; wind wheel shaft 126; circular disc 127; generator 128; first box surface 129; second box surface 130; contraction end 131; expansion end 132; air outlet 133; first side plate 134; second side plate 135; first ring shell 136; second ring shell 137; handle 138; pull rope 139; first auxiliary air inlet 141; second auxiliary air inlet 142.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

In order to clarify the purpose, technical solution, and advantages of the present disclosure, a detailed description of the present disclosure will be provided below in combination with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

Here, it should be noted that in order to avoid blurring the present disclosure due to unnecessary details, only the structures and/or processing steps closely related to the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, and other details that are not closely related to the present disclosure are omitted.

Additionally, it should be noted that terms “including”, “containing”, or any other variation thereof are intended to encompass non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, item, or device that includes a series of elements not only includes those elements, but also includes other elements that are not explicitly listed or are inherent to such a process, method, item, or device.

As shown in FIGS. 1-9, an adjustable wind resistance device includes a wind wheel 101, a housing component, a driving device, and a control component. The housing component includes a wind chamber 103, an air inlet, and an air outlet 133. The wind wheel 101 is provided in the wind chamber 103. The housing component includes a fixing wind disc 105 and a movable wind disc 106 that are arranged coaxially. The fixing wind disc 105 includes two first air inlets 107 arranged symmetrically in a rotation manner, and the movable wind disc 106 includes two second air inlets 108 arranged symmetrically in a rotation manner. An overlapping area between the first air inlets 107 and the second air inlets 108 forms the air inlet. The driving device drives the movable wind disc 106 to rotate to adjust an area of the air inlet, and an adjustment range of the movable wind disc 106 is 0-90°. When the first air inlets 107 are aligned with the second air inlets 108, the first air inlets 107 completely overlaps with the second air inlets 108, and the area of the air inlet is an area of either the first air inlets 107 or the second air inlets 108. The control component includes a control unit and a sensing unit. The sensing unit is configured to monitor a real-time position of the movable wind disc 106, the control unit is configured to receive real-time position information of the movable wind disc 106 and process it into wind resistance information, and the control unit is further configured to send an instruction to the driving device to adjust the wind resistance.

In an implementation mode, a variable resistor 118 may be replaced with other devices such as a photoelectric encoder, a mechanical encoder, etc. that can indicate the position of the movable wind disc 106.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5-7, the first air inlets 107 and the second air inlets 108 are comma shaped. The first air inlets 107 includes a contraction end 131 and an expansion end 132, and the contraction end 131 and the expansion end 132 are connected by an arc line provided along a rotation direction of the wind wheel 101. When the wind wheel 101 is rotated, the contraction end 131 can first “capture” the air, and then the air gradually enters a fan along the curvature of the arc, rendering an intake process smoother and reducing intake resistance and noise to a certain extent.

In an implementation mode, as shown in FIG. 9, the first air inlets 107 and a second air inlets 102 are crescent shaped with a large rotation angle, contracting from a middle to two ends, which not only conforms to fluid dynamics for smooth air intake, but also facilitates the preset of up to 10 sets of gears, fully meeting the exercise needs of users.

In this embodiment, the fixing wind disc 105 is provided on an outer side of the movable wind disc 106, that is, on one side away from an impeller. The fixing wind disc 105 includes a fixing air inlet area 110 and an outer extension ring area 109 arranged around the fixing air inlet area 110. A partition ring 111 is arranged along an axial direction of the fixing wind disc 105 between the fixing air inlet area 110 and the outer extension ring area 109. A first opening chamber 112 configured to install the driving device is provided in a center of the fixing air inlet area 110. The movable wind disc 106 is coaxially disposed in the fixing air inlet area 110. The movable wind disc 106 includes a movable disc surface 113, a second opening chamber 114 protruding from a center of the movable disc surface 113, a guide ring 115 arranged around an outer periphery of the movable disc surface 113, and a plurality of guide vanes 116 extended from the second opening chamber 114 to the guide ring 115, and the guide vanes 116 are uniformly arranged radially. One single guide vane 116 has a bending tendency, and a bending direction of the guide vane 116 is the same as a rotation direction of the impeller, guiding the airflow to enter the impeller more smoothly and reducing the turbulence and backflow of the airflow inside the impeller. The second opening chamber 114 is configured to cover the first opening chamber 112, and the second opening chamber 114 includes a second chamber bottom 117. The driving device is connected to the second chamber bottom 117 for transmission.

In this embodiment, the fixing wind disc 105 further includes a plurality of first auxiliary air inlets 141 that are symmetrically arranged, and the movable wind disc 106 includes an equal number and shape of second auxiliary air inlets 142 that are symmetrically arranged. The second auxiliary air inlets 142 are provided along extension directions of the guide vanes 116, which can increase the air intake and make the air intake more uniform.

In this embodiment, the sensing unit includes a variable resistor 118, and the variable resistor 118 includes a first rotating shaft 119, a resistor body, and a sliding contact. The sliding contact is connected to the first rotating shaft 119, and the driving device includes a motor 121. The motor 121 includes a motor shaft, and the motor shaft is connected to the first rotating shaft 119 through a first gear assembly 122. The motor drives the sliding contact to rotate and move on the resistor body to change a resistance of the resistor connected to a circuit, thereby changing a real-time resistance value of the variable resistor 118. The real-time resistance value is transmitted to the control unit, and the control unit is configured to convert the real-time resistance value into a rotation angle of the motor 121, thereby obtaining the real-time position information of the movable wind disc 106 and further converting it into wind resistance information. The first rotating shaft 119 is also connected to a second rotating shaft 120 through a second gear assembly 123, and the second rotating shaft 120 is fixedly connected to the second chamber bottom 117.

In this embodiment, the first gear assembly 122 and the motor 121 are integrated and assembled in a motor box 124. The motor box 124 includes a first box surface 129 and a second box surface 130 that are arranged opposite to each other. The variable resistor 118 is provided on the first box surface 129, and the first box surface 129 is assembled on the first opening chamber 112. The variable resistor 118 includes the first rotating shaft 119. The first rotating shaft 119, the second rotating shaft 120, and the second gear assembly 123 extend from the second box surface 130. One end of the second rotating shaft 120 is connected to the movable wind disc 106. The motor box 124 is configured to support the other end of the second rotating shaft 120.

In an implementation mode, the variable resistor 118 includes a plurality of resistance coils and a switching mechanism, the switching mechanism is connected to a first switching mechanism. The motor 121 drives the switching mechanism to rotate to change the number of turns of the resistance coil connected to the circuit, thereby changing the real-time resistance value of the variable resistor 118. This type of variable resistor 118 can achieve more precise resistance value adjustment, and the change in resistance value is discrete and graded, which can achieve gear adjustment of wind resistance.

As shown in FIGS. 1-8, a rowing machine includes the adjustable wind resistance device and an operating component. The operating component includes a handle and a transmission component configured to connect the handle and a wind wheel 101. The housing component includes a bracket plate 102, and the bracket plate 102 separates the wind chamber 103 and a transmission chamber 104 inside the housing component. The fixing wind disc 105 is provided to the bracket plate 102 through a plurality of support columns 125 arranged along an axis of the bracket plate 102, and the transmission chamber 104 is configured to accommodate the transmission component. The wind wheel 101 includes a wind wheel shaft 126, and the wind wheel shaft 126 is horizontally arranged and perpendicular to a length direction of the rowing machine. The air inlet is provided at one end of an axial direction of the wind wheel 101, and a circular disc 127 is provided at one end of the wind wheel 101 away from the air inlet, and the circular disc 127 is parallel to the bracket plate 102. The air outlet 133 is provided along a circumference of the wind wheel 101. A generator 128 is provided on the bracket plate 102, and the generator 128 and the wind wheel shaft 126 are driven by a belt. The generator generates electricity as the wind wheel is rotated.

In this embodiment, the housing assembly includes a first side shell, a second side shell, a first ring shell 136, and a second ring shell 137. The first side shell, the first ring shell 136, and the bracket plate 102 are enclosed to form the wind chamber 103, and the air outlet 133 is provided on the first ring shell 136. The second side shell, the second ring shell 137, and the bracket plate 102 are enclosed to form the transmission chamber 104. The transmission component includes a pull rope 139 and a pulley assembly. The pulley assembly is connected to the wind wheel shaft 126, and the pull rope 139 is configured to connect the handle 138 and the pulley assembly. The second ring shell 137 includes an operating port for the pull rope 139 to enter and exit.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present disclosure and not to limit it. Although the present disclosure has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solution of the present disclosure can be modified or equivalently replaced without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present disclosure.