Hardness-adjustable platform for supporting conveyor belt of treadmill

Abstract

A hardness adjustable platform for supporting a conveyor belt of a treadmill includes a platform body having internal spaces, and a plurality of elastic fillers moveably and respectively disposed in the internal spaces of the platform body for providing a cushion effect. The fillers are moveable relative to the platform body by an external force and divide the platform body into first and second regions having different hardness. As a result, the runner who uses the treadmill equipped with the aforesaid platform may adjust the positions of the fillers according to his/her physical condition and running speed to change the hardness distribution of the platform so as to enhance his/her running efficiency and reduce the risk of exercise injury.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A hardness-adjustable platform for supporting a conveyor belt of a treadmill, the hardness-adjustable platform comprising:
 a platform body having at least one internal space; and   at least one filler moveably disposed in the at least one internal space of the platform body to define the platform body a first region without the at least one filler and a second region with the at least one filler, such that the first region has a hardness smaller than that of the second region.   
     
     
         2 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said fillers disposed side by side along a longitudinal direction of the platform body in the at least one internal space and moveable relative to the platform body along a transverse direction of the platform body. 
     
     
         3 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising a plurality of said fillers disposed side by side along a transverse direction of the platform body in the at least one internal space and moveable relative to the platform body along a longitudinal direction of the platform body. 
     
     
         4 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the platform body comprises a wooden plate, a reinforcement plate above the wooden plate, and a shock-absorbing plate sandwiched between the wooden plate and the reinforcement plate to form the at least one internal space between the shock-absorbing plate and the wooden plate. 
     
     
         5 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the shock-absorbing plate comprises a plate body and a plurality of cushions protruding from the plate body in a matrix in rows and columns and stopping against the wooden plate, such that the plate body of the shock-absorbing plate, adjacent two of the rows of the cushions and the wooden plate combinedly define one said internal space. 
     
     
         6 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 5 , comprising a plurality of said fillers and an adjustor, the adjustor comprising:
 a drive mounted on the wooden plate;   a moveable bracket located beneath the wooden plate and connected with the drive in a way that the moveable bracket is drivenable by the drive to move along a longitudinal direction of the platform body;   two roller sets respectively mounted at two ends of the wooden plate and each provided with a roller; and   a plurality of lines running over one of the rollers and each having a first end connected with the moveable bracket, and a second end connected with one of the fillers;   wherein each of the fillers runs over the other one of the roller and is connected at a first end thereof with the moveable bracket.   
     
     
         7 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein each of the roller sets comprises two roller supports each mounted on the wooden plate for being rotatably mounted with an end of the roller. 
     
     
         8 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the drive comprises a pinion and the moveable bracket comprises a rack engaged with the pinion. 
     
     
         9 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 8 , wherein the wooden plate comprises two sides each provided with a downwardly extending protrusion; the moveable bracket comprises two first sides corresponding to the downwardly extending protrusions respectively, and two second sides, one of which is connected with the first ends of the lines and the other is connected with the first ends of the fillers; the rack is disposed between the two second sides of the moveable bracket; the drive comprises a motor and a driving shaft connected with the motor and rotatably extending through the downwardly extending protrusions and the two first sides of the moveable bracket; the pinion is fixedly sleeved onto the driving shaft. 
     
     
         10 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the two first sides of the moveable bracket each have an elongated through hole through which the driving shaft passes. 
     
     
         11 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein each said downwardly extending protrusion has a guide slot and each said first side of the moveable bracket has a guide block slidably disposed inside the guide slot. 
     
     
         12 . The hardness-adjustable platform as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein an area of a cross section of the filler is gradually increased from an end of the filler toward the other end of the filler.