U.S. patent application number 11/113308 was filed with the patent office on 2006-01-05 for independent and separately actuated combination fitness machine.
Invention is credited to Andrew David Houghton, Eric Albert Keen.
Application Number | 20060003871 11/113308 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35514733 |
Filed Date | 2006-01-05 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060003871 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Houghton; Andrew David ; et
al. |
January 5, 2006 |
Independent and separately actuated combination fitness machine
Abstract
An exercise apparatus combining a stationary bike and upper body
extremity hand cycle, includes an upper hand crank assembly
rotatable under a resistance load for upper body conditioning and a
lower foot crank assembly rotatable under a resistance load for
lower body conditioning. The upper hand crank assembly and lower
foot crank assembly are independently connected to the resistance
load through respective upper and lower driving belts. Either an
upper clutch or lower clutch, communicating with the upper or lower
crank assemblies respectively, selectively engages the driving
belts to drive the resistance load. The upper and lower crank
assemblies are independent of each other, and each is operable to
separately engage the resistance load to transfer the resistance
load to the respective upper hand crank assembly or lower foot
crank assembly.
Inventors: |
Houghton; Andrew David;
(Hollywood, FL) ; Keen; Eric Albert; (Manhattan,
KS) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Raymond Jones;IP Law Global, P.C.
Suite 550- PMB 5537
11921 Freedom Drive
Reston
VA
20190
US
|
Family ID: |
35514733 |
Appl. No.: |
11/113308 |
Filed: |
April 25, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
60565547 |
Apr 27, 2004 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/57 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 22/0605 20130101;
A63B 22/001 20130101; A63B 22/0012 20130101; A63B 22/0005 20151001;
A63B 2022/0652 20130101; A63B 2022/0038 20130101; A63B 2022/0033
20130101; A63B 2022/0041 20130101; A63B 21/0054 20151001 |
Class at
Publication: |
482/057 |
International
Class: |
A63B 22/06 20060101
A63B022/06 |
Claims
1. An exercise apparatus combining a stationary bike and upper body
extremity hand cycle, comprising: an upper hand crank assembly
rotatable under a resistance load for upper body conditioning; a
lower foot crank assembly rotatable under the resistance load for
lower body conditioning; a resistance means for providing the
resistance load, wherein the upper hand crank assembly and lower
foot crank assembly are independently connected to the resistance
means through respective upper and lower driving belts; an upper
clutch selectively engaging with the upper hand crank assembly upon
rotation of the upper hand crank assembly, whereby the selective
engagement of the upper clutch provides a first driving force to
the resistance means via the upper driving belt; and a lower clutch
selectively engaging with the lower foot crank assembly upon
rotation of the lower foot crank assembly, whereby the selective
engagement of the lower clutch provides a second driving force to
the resistance means via the lower driving belt, whereby the first
and second driving forces are independent of each other, and
wherein each is operable to separately engage the resistance means
to transfer the resistance load to the respective upper hand crank
assembly or lower foot crank assembly.
2. The exercise apparatus of claim 1, wherein the upper hand crank
assembly and lower foot crank assembly are rotatable in either a
clockwise or counter-clockwise direction to selectively engage the
resistance means.
3. The exercise apparatus of claim 2, wherein the upper and lower
clutches are mechanical clutches that engage the resistance means
by centrifugal force caused by rotation of the upper hand crank
assembly or lower foot crank assembly, respectively.
4. The exercise apparatus of claim 3, wherein the resistance means
comprises a permanent magnet alternator.
5. The exercise apparatus of claim 2, wherein the upper hand crank
assembly comprises, a cam having a central axis; an axle
penetrating the cam through a point that is offset a designated
distance from the central axis; first and second adjustable
elongated arms connected at a first end to each respective distal
end of the axle; a follower roller positioned at a second end of
each rotating arm, the follower roller contacting an outer
circumference of the cam; a pedal means connected at the second end
of the respective rotating arms, the pedal means following an
elliptical path upon rotation while the follower roller follows a
circumferential path around the cam.
6. The exercise apparatus of claim 2, wherein the lower foot crank
assembly comprises, a cam having a central axis; an axle
penetrating the cam through a point that is offset a designated
distance from the central axis; first and second adjustable
elongated arms connected at a first end to each respective distal
end of the axle; a follower roller positioned at a second end of
each rotating arm, the follower roller contacting an outer
circumference of the cam; a pedal means connected at the second end
of the respective rotating arms, the pedal means following an
elliptical path upon rotation while the follower roller follows a
circumferential path around the cam.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application No. 60/565,547 filed Apr. 27, 2004, entitled
"Independent and Separately Actuated Combination Fitness Machine",
which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to cardiovascular fitness
equipment, and more particularly, to a combination stationary upper
body extremity exercise hand cycle and stationary bicycle where the
rotation of the upper and lower cranks is independent of each
other, and where each crank is capable of separately and
independently driving a resistance load.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Americans.
More so than others, the millions of people with mobility
impairments are at a higher risk due to lack of access to
cardiovascular exercise. Historically, people with disabilities
have fewer opportunities for cardiovascular workouts in a local or
national fitness chain due to the lack of availability of proper
equipment, especially for combination stationary bikes and upper
body extremity (UBE) hand cycles.
[0006] While most fitness centers have stationary bikes, very few
have UBE hand cycles, or combination stationary bikes and UBE hand
cycles. These are mostly found at rehabilitation centers. For the
person with lower body immobility, the stationary bike is useless
and access to a hand cycle is limited. For the person with upper
body immobility, the stationary bike is usable, but there is no way
to exercise the upper body.
[0007] While combination UBE and stationary bikes exist, they do
have certain drawbacks. First, they are generally more expensive
pieces of exercise equipment. Many mobility-impaired persons cannot
afford a combination stationary bike/UBE home model because of the
prohibitive cost. As more data confirms the link between heart
disease and chronic immobility due to disability, affordable
accessible in-home workout equipment is critical to the health and
quality of life of the disabled population.
[0008] Another drawback for existing combination UBE/stationary
bikes is the crankshafts for the upper UBE handgrips and the lower
foot pedals spin in unison. Therefore, a person who merely wants to
exercise the lower body using the stationary bike portion is
confronted with a spinning hand cycle at eye level during the
exercise. Conversely, a person who merely wants to exercise the
upper body using the hand cycle portion is confronted with spinning
foot pedals that may inadvertently contact the lower body and cause
injury.
[0009] Therefore, a need exists for a combination stationary upper
body extremity exercise hand cycle and stationary bicycle that is
suitable for distribution to private and commercial customers, and
has independently actuated upper and lower cranks to drive a single
resistance load.
[0010] While people with disabilities are the primary beneficiary,
it is designed to meet the needs of people with and without
disabilities. Its multifunctional use as an upper and lower body
strengthening and cardiovascular machine provides other advantages
described herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] To overcome these and other disadvantages of the prior art,
it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise
apparatus combining a stationary bike and upper body extremity hand
cycle, comprising an upper hand crank assembly rotatable under a
resistance load for upper body conditioning and a lower foot crank
assembly rotatable under a resistance load for lower body
conditioning. The upper hand crank assembly and lower foot crank
assembly are independently connected to a resistance means through
respective upper and lower driving belts. Upper and lower clutch
assemblies provide the driving force from the respective crank
assemblies to the resistance means. The first and second driving
forces are independent of each other, and each is operable to
separately engage the resistance means to provide the resistance
load to the respective upper hand crank assembly or lower foot
crank assembly.
[0012] The invention will allow people with mobility impairments
such as spinal cord injury, temporary disabilities and stroke to
achieve a cardiovascular workout either from their wheelchair, via
a wheelchair tie down feature, or via a prefabricated adjustable
level seat.
[0013] Since the foot cranks work independently of the hand cranks,
this feature enables industries such as hotels with in-house gyms
to purchase one piece of equipment that meets the needs of
customers with and without disabilities. The invention is designed
for economical manufacturing, while satisfying the dual purpose of
both an upper body extremity (UBE) machine and that of a stationary
bicycle.
[0014] The upper hand crank assembly and lower foot crank assembly
are rotatable in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction
to selectively engage the resistance means.
[0015] The invention will change the way consumers view the upper
body extremity machine; from being solely used by or for people
with disabilities to a valuable exercise tool that can be used by
all to maintain and improve upper and lower body strength and
cardiovascular fitness. The invention may be manufactured with
Braille features for the sight impaired and custom knobs for those
with limited hand function.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0016] The above objects and other advantages of the present
invention will become more apparent by describing in detail the
preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the attached
drawings in which:
[0017] FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a
pedal assembly of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a completed perspective view of the pedal assembly
of FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 3 is side view, cut away, of an embodiment of the main
mechanical components of the present invention, including the upper
and lower cranks, belts, resistance means, and their
interconnections;
[0020] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a
mechanical clutch assembly at each of the upper and lower cranks;
and
[0021] FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of
the entire combination UBE/stationary bike.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] The present invention will now be described more fully with
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred
embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however,
be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as
being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these
embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough
and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to
those skilled in the art.
[0023] Referring to FIG. 1, there is provided an exploded
perspective view of the pedal assembly 10 usable with the hand
pedals or foot pedals of the disclosed embodiments. FIG. 2 is the
perspective view of the configured pedal assembly of FIG. 1.
[0024] In FIGS. 1 and 2, the large disk acts as a cam 12 and the
smaller disk, acting as a follower roller 14, is connected to each
rotating arm 16, and follows a path defined by the outer
circumference of the cam 12. Note that the follower roller 14 does
not follow a path defined by an inside or integral channel formed
within the cam 12, resulting in a more efficient manufacturing
process.
[0025] The follower roller 14 is free to turn with respect to each
rotating arm 16. The center of the cam 12 is offset from the axle
22, defining the pivot point of the rotating arms 16, by an offset
amount 18 required by good human ergonomics. This offset amount 18
results in the pedals 20 following an elliptical path, as described
further below, considered optimum for human ergonomics. One or
ordinary skill in the art could readily configure this offset
amount 18 to ensure good human ergonomics.
[0026] The pedal post and cylindrical outer portion 17 of the
rotating arm 16 are rigidly connected but the pedal 20 is free to
rotate relative to the arm 16. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the pedal 20 is
depicted as a typical foot pedal, which would be usable to exercise
the lower body. One of ordinary skill in the art will realize the
pedal 20 could be configured as a handgrip that would be typical of
a hand cycle grip and usable to exercise the upper body.
[0027] The cylindrical outer portion 17 of the rotating arm 16
slides within the rectangular inner portion 19 of the rotating arm
16, and the follower roller 14 is held in contact with the cam 12
via an internal coiled extension spring 21. The internal coiled
spring 21 supplies sufficient force to maintain contact between the
follower roller 14 and the cam 12 when the operator is applying
force to the pedals 20.
[0028] The rectangular inner portion 19 of the rotating arm 16
contains a square hole 23 that indexes onto a square shoulder 24 on
each end of the axle 22 and thus the pedals 20 can be offset from
each other in increments of 90 degrees, although more or less
angular offset is contemplated by changing the configuration of the
hole 23 and shoulder 24 accordingly. In FIGS. 1 and 2, a pedal
offset of 90 degrees is shown.
[0029] While the resulting motion of the pedals 20 is circular
about the axle 22, the overall motion experienced by the operator
is elliptical since the radial length of the rotating arm 16 varies
due to the spring-loaded 21 sliding interaction between the
rotating arm 16, follower roller 14, and the circumference of the
cam 12. Therefore, the amount of force exerted by the operator is
varied throughout the arc of rotation and results in a more
ergonomic motion. However, as shown in FIG. 4, the pedal assembly
axis of rotation may be co-extensive with the cam axis to provide
purely circular motion.
[0030] As shown in FIG. 3, exercise machine users can begin the
exercise by turning either the upper 40 or a lower 10 set of
cranks. In this embodiment, the rotation of the cranks 10 and 40 is
independent of each other as described further below. Therefore,
the machine can be started, and complete operation of the machine
is possible with either set of cranks 10 and 40 turning in either a
clockwise or counter-clockwise direction.
[0031] When either crank 10 or 40 is rotated in either direction,
the rotating crank turns a resistance means, for example, a
permanent magnet alternator 50, through connections of a series of
one of two belts 70a or 70b (one for each crank 10 or 40), and a
third belt 70c between an idler shaft 60 and the alternator 50. The
invention is not limited to a specific resistance means, and other
equivalent resistance means are contemplated within the scope of
this invention. The belt drives increase the operator's pedal speed
by a ratio of 49 times, although other ratios are contemplated
within the scope of this invention. All three belts 70a, 70b and
70c spin when the operator is pedaling either the upper crank 40 or
lower crank 10, however, two centrifugal mechanical clutches 80 as
shown in FIG. 4 (one at each upper and lower pedal shaft) prevent
both sets of pedals from spinning together. The clutches 80
automatically engage, through centrifugal force, upon the user
beginning rotation in either direction on either set of cranks.
Other conventional clutches are contemplated within the scope of
the present invention, so long as independent operation and
actuation is maintained. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the entire
exercise apparatus 200, and is incorporated to depict the
interaction of the constituent parts and to provide greater
orientation clarity.
[0032] The alternator 50 begins generating a quantity of
electricity exactly regulated electronically (with various modes
described further below) to match the resistance the operator has
requested through the input panel 90 as shown in FIG. 3. Thus, no
additional power needs to be dissipated through heat, thereby
generating the right amount of power at all times. The quantity of
electricity is generated regardless of the direction of pedal
rotation--either clockwise or counter-clockwise. The bidirectional
electromagnetic resistance is capable of variable resistance in the
range of about 0-3000 watts power resistance.
[0033] The resistance is supplied through an electromagnet that
transfers force directly to the spinning flywheel containing the
permanent magnets of the alternator. User-created programs are
stored for a period of time via a rechargeable battery contained
within the unit. Memory retention will be dependant on available
power. If the exercise machine is unused for an extended period of
time, the battery may drain causing a loss of programmed values.
Otherwise memory retention will be indefinite. This battery
supplies enough power to supply the electronics memory and not the
unit itself. However, the generative power operation allows
operation independent of a power source, since the battery power
can be used to start the machine, and the user will provide the
operating power through regeneration. Normally turning either of
the cranks in either direction as described previously starts the
machine.
[0034] Electronically, the "resistance-power produced" ratio is
varied to supply several different kinds of workouts to the user.
The invention may incorporate an easy-to-read display, which
includes a heart rate control program and computer controlled
isokinetic modes. A Braille front display may also be incorporated
and may include user-friendly button entry to simplify its use.
[0035] The exercise machine is capable of several operating modes,
including (i) Manual--manual operation of resistance level; (ii)
Heart Rate--manual setting of target heart rate and the control
unit will adjust resistance level to maintain targeted heart rate;
(iii) Workload Control--manual setting of resistance level in watts
and the control unit will maintain a constant resistance load
independent of speed; (iv) Isokinetic--manual setting of maximum
RPM and the control until will adjust resistance level to prevent
user from exceeding maximum RPM setting; (v) Random--control unit
randomly varies resistance and length of time at each level; or
(vi) Geographic Profiles--control unit varies resistance and length
of time at each level in multiple pre-programmed profiles with
multiple levels of intensity at each to simulate various
geographical profiles (hill climb/descent, etc.)
[0036] Embodiments of the present invention may also include the
following features, attributes, and capabilities to appeal to all
users: (i) step through seating makes getting on and off the
exercise machine quick and easy. As shown in FIG. 3, the installed
seating system 100 adjusts vertically 102, and slides horizontally
along a track 104 on the base of the machine with reclining seats
as well; (ii) bi-directional resistance allows a user to exercise
reciprocal muscle groups, which is ideal for overall balance of
exercise and therapy settings; (iii) isokinetic mode for resistance
and strength training; (iv) workout dependent or independent of
pedal speed; (v) electromagnetic brake provides resistance for
quiet operation, 0-3000 watts; (vi) adjustable crank arms provide
the ability to add or reduce range of motion. Range settings are at
6'', 7'' and 8'' for example, although other ranges are
contemplated. Either side crank can be reversed so the unit's crank
arms work in unison. Similar to a rotary rowing motion, both
forward and reverse motions are accommodated. This is ideal for
medical situations where torso rotation is undesirable. It is also
more natural for wheelchair racers or hand cyclists. The multiple
position angles of the crank arms allow 180-degree radial-opposed
orientation, or zero-degree radial-opposed alignment; (vii) height
adjustable and reclining seat is ideal for therapy protocol and
maintaining balance; (viii) no minimum RPM, making it ideal for
rehabilitation and deconditioned users; (ix) wheelchair tie downs
are adjustable straps with clips on each end. They attach to the
wheelchair and the front and rear of the exercise cycle. The
wheelchair straps secure the front and rear of a chair at four
points, for example, on the base of the machine that will be
fastened by nylon adjustable straps. The machine is designed to
accommodate this securing mechanism by adding this as an optional
feature without making additional modifications aftermarket. Any
number of wheelchair tie-downs is contemplated; (x) assist gloves
in a variety of sizes with a Velcro looping system to keep the
hands fixed to the crank arms; and (xi) a heart rate transmitter
w/chest strap used as an option for monitoring the heart rate.
[0037] While the present invention has been described in detail
with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, it should be
understood to those skilled in the art that various changes,
substitutions and alterations can be made hereto without departing
from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended
claims.
* * * * *