OMNIDIRECTIONAL TREADMILL

Abstract

Disclosed is an omnidirectional treadmill which has several connected belt units with supporting frames and endless belts which are moved revolving in the first spatial direction. In the second spatial direction, the endless belts of the belt units are moved. The endless belts are driven in the second spatial direction preferably by gear wheels mounted on rolls and by a toothed shaft. The movement of all endless belts is synchronized by coupling with special tooth form crown gears arranged between the belt units.

Claims

1. Device with a surface movable in two spatial directions, wherein belt units (1) movable in the first spatial direction, each of which is provided with a supporting frame (4), each supporting frame (4) of a belt unit (1) being pivotal connected with the supporting frame (4) of the adjacent belt unit (1) via one or more an axis (6) forming rotary connections at a fixed distance, can be driven by at least one driving means (9), the belt units (1) being provided for movement in the second spatial direction with rolls (3) and endless belts (2) which are coupled to a drive, wherein the rotary movement of a roll (3) with the roll (3) of the adjoining belt unit (1) being coupled by means of a crown gear (15) with a tooth profile with which variable rotary movements of the driving roll (3) can be continuously transmitted to the driven roll (3) when the angle (27) between the axis of rotation of the rolls (3) changes, with an axis (6) lying in the area of the engagement profile and outside the point of intersection of the axes of rotation of the rolls (3).

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the crown gear (15) is provided with a tooth profile (16) in the form of a part of a rotary body with an axis of rotation parallel to the axis of rotation (18) of the crown gear wheel and with cross-sections right-angled to the axis of rotation in the form of segments of a circle.

3. Device according to claim 1, wherein the crown gear (15) is furnished with a tooth profile (16) in the form of a truncated cone which is optionally composed of two partial truncated cones and whose cone axes are aligned parallel to the rotation axis (18) of the crown gear wheel.

4. Device according to claim 2, wherein the partial cones or partial truncated cones are formed by a straight generatrix which has a taper angle (25) to the cone axis of between 8.5 and 13.

5. Device according to claim 2, wherein the crown gear (15) is furnished with a tooth profile (16) in the form of a rotary body or part of a rotary body formed by two straight generatrices, of which the first generatrix has an taper angle (25) to the cone axis of between 5 and 13, and the second generatrix has a taper angle (29) to the cone axis of between 8 and 15.

6. Device according to claim 5, wherein the crown gear (15) is furnished with a tooth profile (16) in the form of a rotary body.

7. Device according to claim 1, wherein the rollers (7) rotatable connected to the belt units (1) run on rails (8) in the first spatial direction, the axis of rotation of a roller (7) coinciding with the axis (6) of the pivotal connection of a belt unit (1) with the adjacent belt unit (1).

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the rolls (3) are driven by a gear wheel (12) connected to the roller (3).

9. Device according to claim 1, wherein at least one crown gear (15) is connected to a gearwheel (12) which, at the position at an angle (27) of 0, engages at least one toothed shaft (13) arranged parallel to the first spatial direction.

10. Device according to claim 8, wherein the crown gear (15) is located partially or completely within the gearwheel (12) at the position of an angle (27) of 0.

11. A device according to claim 1, wherein the drive in the first spatial direction is by means of the driving means (9) on which cams (10) are mounted which engage in the first spatial direction with the belt units (10) and drive the belt units (1) in the first spatial direction.

12. Device according to claim 11, wherein the driving means (9) comprise of at least one driven toothed belt or at least one driven chain on which the cams (10) are mounted.

13. Device according to claim 1, wherein the crown gear (15) is furnished with a tooth profile (16) in the form of a truncated cone composed of two partial truncated cones and whose cone axes are aligned parallel to the rotation axis (18) of the crown gear wheel.

14. Device according to claim 2, wherein the partial cones or partial truncated cones are formed by a straight generatrix which has a taper angle (25) to the cone axis of between 8.5 and 10.5.

15. Device according to claim 2, wherein the crown gear (15) is furnished with a tooth profile (16) in the form of a rotary body or part of a rotary body formed by two straight generatrices, of which the first generatrix has an taper angle (25) to the cone axis between 8.5 and 10.5, and the second generatrix has a taper angle (29) to the cone axis of between 8 and 15, and of which the connection from the first cone to the second cone is made with a round line generatrix to form the central part of the rotary body, whereby the taper angles of the round line have values in the course of the round line between the taper angles of the cones.

16. Device according to claim 5, wherein the crown gear (15) is furnished with a tooth profile (16) in the form of a rotary body which is composed of two partial rotary bodies and whose axes of rotation are aligned parallel to the axis of rotation (18) of the crown gear wheel.

17. Device according to claim 11, wherein the driving means (9) comprise of at least one driven toothed belt or at least one driven fine-linked chain on which the cams (10) are mounted.

18. Device according to claim 2, wherein the rollers (7) rotatable connected to the belt units (1) run on rails (8) in the first spatial direction, the axis of rotation of a roller (7) coinciding with the axis (6) of the pivotal connection of a belt unit (1) with the adjacent belt unit (1).

19. Device according to claim 3, wherein the rollers (7) rotatable connected to the belt units (1) run on rails (8) in the first spatial direction, the axis of rotation of a roller (7) coinciding with the axis (6) of the pivotal connection of a belt unit (1) with the adjacent belt unit (1).

20. Device according to claim 4, wherein the rollers (7) rotatable connected to the belt units (1) run on rails (8) in the first spatial direction, the axis of rotation of a roller (7) coinciding with the axis (6) of the pivotal connection of a belt unit (1) with the adjacent belt unit (1).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Drawing Description

[0017] FIG. 1 is a side view of a circulating belt unit in a possible embodiment of the present invention,

[0018] FIG. 2 shows rolls of belt units of an embodiment of the present invention in various positions of the circulation in a side view,

[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view with the main functions of the device in an embodiment of the present invention,

[0020] FIG. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of the present invention,

[0021] FIG. 5 is a design of teeth of a crown gear of the present invention

[0022] FIG. 6 is another design of teeth of a crown gear of the present invention,

[0023] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a version of a crown gear with integrated drive gear wheel

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0024] FIG. 1 shows in side view a possible embodiment of a belt unit 1 with a continuous endless main belt 2 circulating in the second spatial direction on roll 3 and roll 21. The rolls 3 and 21 are rotatable mounted on a support frame 4 of the belt unit 1. A bracket 5 is attached to the support frame 4. The bracket 5 is swivel-mounted at an axis 6 on to another bracket 5 which is attached to the support frame of the adjacent belt unit 1.

[0025] The adjacent belt unit 1 is in turn connected to the following belt unit 1 via a bracket 5 which can be swiveled, and so on, so that all belt units 1 form a continuous chain.

[0026] On the same axis 6 which is defined by the connection of adjacent belt units 1 is a roller 7 arranged, which runs on a spatially fixed rail 8.

[0027] The rail 8 is provided with semi-circular rails at the ends (FIG. 2) so that a complete circulation of the belt units 1 can be carried out in the first spatial direction.

[0028] FIG. 2 shows several rolls 3 of belt units 1 in a part of the circulation connected to one another. In circulation, the belt units are guided by rollers 7 on the fixed rail 8. The rotational movement of a roll 3 around its axis is coupled by a crown gear 15 described in the following with the rotational movement of the roll 3 of the adjacent belt unit 1. The angle 27 between the rotation axes of adjacent rolls 3 is changed at center 6 over a wide range. One crown wheel of the crown gear 15 is each fixed to the associated roll 3 and forms a fixed turning unit with the roll 3. The coupling of the rotational movement of adjacent rolls 3 can be done with crown gears by direct contact in vicinity of axis 6 requiring no further elements, such as sliding elements for length compensation.

[0029] The axis 6 for angle change 27 of rotation axes of adjacent rolls 3 is formed by the swivel connection. The axis 6 has the same position as the axis of rotation of the roller 7, which runs on the rail 8.

[0030] FIG. 3 shows in a simplified overview the main functions of a device according to the invention. The belt units 1 which are lying in the upper, walkable part are arranged side by side in such a way that the belt units 1 form a level with their endless belts 2. The belt units 1 roll with rollers 7 along fixed rails 8 (FIG. 2), whereby the movement takes place in the first spatial direction. By moving the endless belts 2 of the belt units 1, the movement in the second spatial direction takes place. In the combination of the two main directions of movement (symbolized by the double arrows in FIG. 3) any direction of movement in the plane is executable.

[0031] The drive in the first spatial direction is caused by the drive wheel 11, which moves the driving means 9, which in turn moves the belt units 1 in the first spatial direction.

[0032] The drive in the second spatial direction in the embodiment shown is by gear wheels 12, each connected to a roll 3 of the belt unit 1. The gear wheels 12 can be driven by a toothed shaft 13 parallel to the first main axis. The toothed shaft 13 can be driven via a drive wheel 14. By rotating the gear wheels 12, the plane formed by the endless belts 2 is moved in the second spatial direction.

[0033] FIG. 4 shows in side view multiple belt units 1, which are located by the rollers 7 on the rail 8 in circulation in the first spatial direction. At the end of the straight rail 8, the belt units 1 are guided by a curved rail and further joined to form an endless chain. It can be seen from the diagram that the distance between the rollers 7, due to the width of a belt unit 1, is large in relation to the radius of the semicircular rail at the end of the straight rail 8. In the curve, a strong polygon effect would occur in case of a drive with a chain wheel. This is avoided in the preferred embodiment by using the endless driving means 9 to drive the first spatial direction. The driving means 9 consists of a flexible belt, preferably designed as a toothed belt. The driving means 9 have its own oval orbit and is equipped with cams 10, which come into contact with the belt units 1 in the straight part of the orbit and effectuate the movement of the belt units 1 in the first spatial direction.

[0034] FIG. 5 shows in a detail view a design of the teeth of the crown gear of the subject invention.

[0035] A crown gear 15 is advantageous for the invention, which transfers the rotational movement of a roll 3 of one belt unit 1 to the roll 3 of the adjacent belt unit 1 under the following conditions: [0036] (i) For a small overall height of the construction, the transfer should take place over a wide angle range 27 of the rotation axes of the rolls 3, for example between 0 and 60. [0037] (ii) The rotational movement around axis 18 of the driving crown wheel shall be transferred to the driven crown wheel around axis 19 continuously and without noticeable time delay under all operating conditions. This applies in particular to changes in rotational speed and change of direction of rotation. [0038] (iii) The axis 6 of the change of angle 27 of the rotation axes of the rolls 3 should be located far outside the point of intersection of the rotation axes 18 and 19 so that a collision of the belt units at maximum angle 27 is avoided.

[0039] The above conditions for transfer are carried out, according to the invention, by means of a crown gear, of which the crown gear wheels have tooth forms shaped like parts of cones, the driving and the driven crown gear wheel preferably having the same tooth form. A tooth 16, 17 can consist of a complete rotational symmetrical truncated cone (FIG. 5) or of two partial cones (FIG. 6). The partial cone or truncated cone has a cone axis parallel to the rotation axis of the crown wheel. The conical surfaces are preferably created by rotating a generatrix line around the cone axis, so that cuts orthogonal to the cone axis result in circular or circular-segment-shaped cross-sections.

[0040] FIG. 5 describes an embodiment of a complete rotational symmetrical truncated cone produced by a straight line generatrix. The cone 16 of the driving wheel touches the cone of the driven wheel at the contact point 20. Using axis 6, the gear wheels with rotation axes 18 and 19 are swiveled to a swivel angle 27. The rotation axis 24 of the cone generating line is parallel to the rotation axis 18 of the driving crown wheel.

[0041] The straight line generatrix is inclined at a taper angle 25 to the rotary axis 24. The taper angle is between 8.5 and 13, preferably between 8.5 and 10.5. The preferred taper angle range provides particularly favorable solutions to the requirements (i) and (ii), but requires short tooth heights to avoid undercutting. The undercut can be avoided without tooth height reduction by applying a chamfer 28 to the edge of the truncated cone. The second cone generatrix for the chamfer 28 is a straight line with a taper angle 29.

[0042] The connection from the cone with taper angle 25 to the cone with taper angle 29 is preferably made by roundness. The thereby resulting rotation body preferentially has an arc as generatrix with taper angles, which progress from first to the second taper angle of the two straight line generatrices.

[0043] The length of at least one of the straight line generatrix can be reduced to zero in a possible embodiment whereby only the final angle of the arc is fixed and the chamfer 28 show up as simple rounding.

[0044] FIG. 6 shows an example of how two partial cones can be assembled together to form the crown gear wheel teeth 16 and 17. The crown gear wheel tooth 16 consists of a partial cone 22 and a mirror-symmetry arranged partial cone 23. The mirror-symmetry arranged partial cone 23 takes over the drive contact after change of the direction of rotation along rotation axis 18. For the partial cone 22, the cone generating axis 24 and the taper angle 25 are marked. The cone generating axis 24 is parallel to the rotation axis 18 of the driving crown wheel. The surface of the partial cone is generated by rotation of a straight line which has a taper angle 25 to the axis of rotation 24. The same taper angle ranges as described under FIG. 5 for the complete truncated cone also apply for the partial cones under FIG. 6.

[0045] FIG. 7 shows a preferred embodiment of the crown gear, in which one crown gear wheel of the crown gear 15 is combined with the drive gear 12. When the endless belts 2 of the belt units 1 are located in the straight walkable part of the device, they form a plane surface. The plane surface formed by the endless belts 2 has partly gaps due to the design requirements of arranging crown gear wheels, drive and/or support structures. An advantageous embodiment is the combination of a crown gear within the drive gear 12. Belt units 1, which are located in the upper straight part of the circulation, align their axes of rotation of the rolls 3. As the preferred embodiment the crown gear 15 is completely housed in this position within the drive gear 12. Thereby the design gap between the belts 2 is narrow and only determined by the width of the drive gear 12.

[0046] The treadmill according to the invention provides to the runner a plane surface that can be moved in all directions. Between the endless belts 2 of band units 1 narrow surfaces remain in fact, which only take over the movements of the first spatial direction. However, these narrow surfaces do not interfere in the practical operation because they are lower by the thickness of the endless belt and are therefore not reached when the user step on it.

[0047] In summary, the invention is directed to an omnidirectional treadmill which has several connected belt units 1 with supporting frames 4 and endless belts 2 which are moved revolving in the first spatial direction. In the second spatial direction, the endless belts 2 of the belt units 1 are moved. The endless belts 2 are driven in the second spatial direction preferably by gear wheels 12 mounted on rolls 3 and by a toothed shaft 13. The movement of all endless belts 2 is synchronized by coupling with special tooth form crown gears 15 arranged between the belt units 1.