Search

EP-4736961-A2 - FOOT-OPERATED HANDRAIL ADJUSTING MECHANISM AND PILATES REFORMER USING SAME

EP4736961A2EP 4736961 A2EP4736961 A2EP 4736961A2EP-4736961-A2

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism and a Pilates reformer using the same. The foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism includes a handrail body, adjusting wheels, wheel mounting seats and a pedal assembly. The handrail body has a U-shaped structure as a whole. Two ends of the handrail body are each provided with an adjusting wheel, and the adjusting wheel is mounted to the Pilates reformer through a wheel mounting seat, so that the handrail body is capable of driving the adjusting wheel to rotate relative to the wheel mounting seat. The adjusting wheel is provided with a plurality of positioning slots. The pedal assembly is hinged between the two wheel mounting seats, and pressing a pedal body of the pedal assembly enables two positioning pin bodies of the pedal assembly to be locked with the positioning slots of the two adjusting wheels. Through linkage design between the pedal assembly and the positioning slots of the adjusting wheels, locking and release of a handrail can be operated with feet, making angle adjustment of the handrail more efficient and safer. Moreover, methods of adjusting and fixing components such as a headrest and hand and foot straps are optimized, thereby improving the overall performance of the Pilates reformer.

Inventors

  • LI, Zhonglu

Assignees

  • Dezhou Deren Fitness Equipment Co., Ltd.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251125

Claims (10)

  1. A foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism, comprising a handrail body, adjusting wheels, wheel mounting seats and a pedal assembly; wherein the handrail body has a U-shaped structure as a whole, two ends of the handrail body are each provided with one adjusting wheel, and the adjusting wheels each is mounted to a Pilates reformer through one wheel mounting seat, so that the handrail body is capable of driving the adjusting wheels to rotate relative to the wheel mounting seats; the adjusting wheels each is provided with a plurality of positioning slots; and the pedal assembly is hinged between the two wheel mounting seats, and the pedal assembly comprises a pedal body configured to be pedaled to enable two positioning pin bodies of the pedal assembly to be locked with the positioning slots of the two adjusting wheels, thereby locking the handrail body.
  2. The foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a middle of the adjusting wheel is provided with a square hole for connecting to the handrail body; and a side of the adjusting wheel away from the handrail body is provided with the plurality of positioning slots, and the positioning slots are provided in an upper part of the adjusting wheel, wherein the positioning slots are provided within a range of 0°-180°.
  3. The foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism according to claim 2, wherein the wheel mounting seats each comprises a first mounting shell and a second mounting shell, and the first mounting shell and the second mounting shell are connected through bolts to mount the adjusting wheel; an inner side of the second mounting shell is provided with a rotating shaft, an end portion of the handrail body is provided with a rotating hole, the end portion of the handrail body passes through the square hole of the adjusting wheel, and the rotating shaft is inserted into the rotating hole; an outer side of the second mounting shell is provided with a through hole, a hinge seat and a spring mounting seat from top to bottom; the through hole is configured for the positioning pin body to pass through; and the hinge seat is configured to mount the pedal assembly; and the spring mounting seat is configured to mount a spring body.
  4. The foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the second mounting shell is further provided with a limit rod, and a guide slideway is formed between the limit rod and the second mounting shell.
  5. The foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism according to claim 4, wherein the pedal assembly comprises the pedal body, a first hinge arm, a second hinge arm, a first positioning pin and a second positioning pin; the first hinge arm and the second hinge arm are structurally identical and symmetrically arranged, and the first positioning pin and the second positioning pin are structurally identical and symmetrically arranged; a first end of the pedal body is hinged with the hinge seat of one of the wheel mounting seats through the first hinge arm; an end portion of the first hinge arm is provided with the first positioning pin; a second end of the pedal body is hinged with the hinge seat of the other wheel mounting seat through the second hinge arm; and an end portion of the second hinge arm is provided with the second positioning pin.
  6. The foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism according to claim 5, wherein the first hinge arm is boomerang-shaped and is provided with a first oblong hole and a second oblong hole; the pedal body is connected to the first oblong hole through a bolt, and the first positioning pin is connected to the second oblong hole through a bolt; a middle of the first hinge arm is hinged with the hinge seat through a bolt; a side of the first hinge arm close to the first oblong hole is provided with a boss, and the boss is configured to be fitted with the spring body; and two sides of the pedal body are each further provided with a limit roller, the two limit rollers are respectively fitted with the two limit rods, and the pedal body is fitted with the guide slideway such that the pedal body is guided to move along a straight line.
  7. The foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism according to claim 6, wherein the spring mounting seat is cylindrical in shape, the spring body is mounted in the spring mounting seat, two side walls of the spring mounting seat are each provided with a groove, and the two grooves form sliding slots for limiting movement of the first hinge arm; and the first positioning pin comprises the positioning pin body and a connecting piece, the positioning pin body is mounted to the connecting piece, and the connecting piece has a U-shaped structure and is hinged with the second oblong hole through a bolt.
  8. A Pilates reformer, comprising the foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, a frame, a carriage, a headrest body, shoulder rest bodies, hand and foot straps, winding rollers, a first cushion and a second cushion; wherein the foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism is mounted on an end side of the frame; a bottom surface of the carriage is provided with a sliding plate, and the sliding plate is provided with a plurality of sliding rollers that form a sliding fit with the frame; the sliding plate is connected to the frame through a plurality of tension springs; a bottom surface of the sliding plate is provided with the winding rollers, an end of an upper surface of the carriage away from the foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism is provided with the headrest body and the shoulder rest bodies, one end of the hand and foot strap is connected to the winding roller, and the other end passes over a support rod arranged on the frame and is connected to a storage rod of a shoulder rest; and the first cushion and the second cushion are respectively arranged at two ends of the frame.
  9. The Pilates reformer according to claim 8, wherein a lower surface of the carriage is provided with a headrest adjusting assembly comprising a headrest support plate, a headrest fixing pin and a headrest adjusting rod; the carriage is provided with a recess, the headrest support plate is mounted to the recess on the lower surface of the carriage, and the headrest body is mounted to the recess through a hinge; a lower surface of the headrest body is hinged with the headrest adjusting rod, the headrest support plate is provided with a through hole for the headrest adjusting rod to pass through, and a side of the through hole of the headrest support plate is provided with the headrest fixing pin; and the headrest adjusting rod is provided with a plurality of adjusting holes, and inserting the headrest fixing pin into the adjusting holes allows for height adjustment of the headrest body.
  10. The Pilates reformer according to claim 9, wherein the headrest support plate is further provided with two pressing assemblies for fixing the hand and foot straps; and the two pressing assemblies each comprise a pressing seat and a pressing wheel, and the pressing seat is mounted to the headrest support plate for the hand and foot strap to pass through; and the pressing wheel is rotatably connected to the pressing seat, the pressing wheel is a cam structure, a circumferential surface of the pressing wheel is provided with tooth grooves, the pressing wheel is provided with a lever, and turning the lever enables the hand and foot strap to be fixed between the tooth groove and the pressing seat, thereby fixing the hand and foot strap.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to the field of fitness equipment, and in particular to a foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism and a Pilates reformer using the same. BACKGROUND A Pilates reformer is a professional apparatus widely used in rehabilitation training, physical enhancement and body sculpting, and its functionality and precision of ergonomics directly impact training effectiveness and user experience. Among numerous components of a Pilates reformer, the handrail is a critical component for users to push, pull, support and change positions, and its flexible adjustment capabilities for angle and height are very important. Handrails of conventional reformers are typically fixed by manual knobs or pins. On one hand, to adjust the handrail, the user has to bend over or operate with bare hand, which is cumbersome and inefficient. Moreover, interrupting movements to make adjustments during training disrupts the exercise rhythm and affects the consistency of training. In addition, existing adjusting mechanisms lack precision and stability in multi-angle locking, leading to unreliable locking, loosening, or limited adjustment ranges. On the other hand, the Pilates reformer typically integrates function modules such as a headrest, shoulder rests, hand and foot straps and a sliding platform. Further optimization is required for the coordination and operability of these functional modules as a whole. For example, height adjustment of the headrest mostly relies on a simple insertion structure, which lacks the capability of rapid fine adjustment. Storage and tension control of the hand and foot straps are implemented at different locations, making operation inconvenient. SUMMARY OF PRESENT INVENTION In view of this, the present disclosure aims to provide a foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism and a Pilates reformer using the same. Through linkage design between the pedal assembly and the positioning slots of the adjusting wheels, locking and release of a handrail can be operated with feet, making angle adjustment of the handrail more efficient and safer. Moreover, methods of adjusting and fixing components such as a headrest and hand and foot straps are optimized, thereby improving the overall performance of the Pilates reformer. To achieve the above objective, the present disclosure adopts the following technical solution. A foot-operated handrail adjusting mechanism includes a handrail body, adjusting wheels, wheel mounting seats and a pedal assembly; the handrail body has a U-shaped structure as a whole; two ends of the handrail body are each provided with one adjusting wheel, and the adjusting wheels each is mounted to a Pilates reformer through one wheel mounting seat, so that the handrail body is capable of driving the adjusting wheels to rotate relative to the wheel mounting seats; the adjusting wheel is provided with a plurality of positioning slots; the pedal assembly is hinged between the two wheel mounting seats, and the pedal assembly comprises a pedal body configured to be pedaled to enable two positioning pin bodies of the pedal assembly to be locked with the positioning slots of the two adjusting wheels, thereby locking the handrail body. Further, a middle of the adjusting wheel is provided with a square hole for connecting to the handrail body. A side of the adjusting wheel away from the handrail body is provided with the plurality of positioning slots, and the positioning slots are provided in an upper part of the adjusting wheel, where the positioning slots are provided within a range of 0°-180°. Further, the wheel mounting seat includes a first mounting shell and a second mounting shell. The first mounting shell and the second mounting shell are connected through bolts to mount the adjusting wheel. An inner side of the second mounting shell is provided with a rotating shaft. An end portion of the handrail body is provided with a rotating hole. The end portion of the handrail body passes through the square hole of the adjusting wheel, and the rotating shaft is inserted into the rotating hole. An outer side of the second mounting shell is provided with a through hole, a hinge seat and a spring mounting seat from top to bottom. The through hole is configured for the positioning pin body to pass through. The hinge seat is configured to mount the pedal assembly. The spring mounting seat is configured to mount a spring body. Further, the second mounting shell is further provided with a limit rod, and a guide slideway is formed between the limit rod and the second mounting shell. Further, the pedal assembly includes the pedal body, a first hinge arm, a second hinge arm, a first positioning pin and a second positioning pin. The first hinge arm and the second hinge arm are structurally identical and symmetrically arranged, and the first positioning pin and the second positioning pin are structurally identical and symmetrically arranged. A first end of the pedal body is hinge