U.S. patent application number 14/673006 was filed with the patent office on 2015-10-01 for resistance device.
The applicant listed for this patent is Soteria Industries, Inc.. Invention is credited to Ian K. Lo, Ken Muldrew, Paul Sciore.
Application Number | 20150273266 14/673006 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54188901 |
Filed Date | 2015-10-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150273266 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lo; Ian K. ; et al. |
October 1, 2015 |
RESISTANCE DEVICE
Abstract
A resistance device includes an impeller rotatably mounted on an
impeller shaft and housed in an impeller housing, the impeller
configured to act on an working fluid, a one-way drive assembly
connected to the impeller shaft and configured to drive the
impeller in one direction, the one-way drive assembly including a
driving shaft connected thereto, a variable moment arm drive
operatively connected to the driving shaft and configured to modify
a distance between the driving shaft and a cable force vector
applied to the variable moment arm drive, the variable moment arm
drive including a cable connection portion, and a cable connected
to the cable connection portion of the variable moment arm drive
via a return spring, the cable configured to be pulled by a
user.
Inventors: |
Lo; Ian K.; (Calgary,
CA) ; Sciore; Paul; (Calgary, CA) ; Muldrew;
Ken; (Calgary, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Soteria Industries, Inc. |
Calgary |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
54188901 |
Appl. No.: |
14/673006 |
Filed: |
March 30, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61972650 |
Mar 31, 2014 |
|
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|
Current U.S.
Class: |
482/114 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 21/4035 20151001;
A63B 21/157 20130101; A63B 21/0084 20130101; A63B 21/154 20130101;
A63B 21/22 20130101; A63B 2022/0079 20130101; A63B 21/153
20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63B 21/22 20060101
A63B021/22; A63B 21/00 20060101 A63B021/00 |
Claims
1. A resistance device, comprising: an impeller rotatably mounted
on an impeller shaft and housed in an impeller housing, the
impeller configured to act on an working fluid; a one-way drive
assembly connected to the impeller shaft and configured to drive
the impeller in one direction, the one-way drive assembly including
a driving shaft connected thereto; a variable moment arm drive
operatively connected to the driving shaft and configured to modify
a distance between the driving shaft and a cable force vector
applied to the variable moment arm drive, the variable moment arm
drive including a cable connection portion; and a cable connected
to the cable connection portion of the variable moment arm drive
via a return spring, the cable configured to be pulled by a
user.
2. The resistance device of claim 1, wherein the one-way drive
assembly includes a ratchet and pawl.
3. The resistance device of claim 1, wherein the impeller includes
a plurality of variable pitch blades.
4. The resistance device of claim 3, wherein the resistance device
includes an impeller blade pitch control.
5. The resistance device of claim 4, wherein the pitch control
includes a setting for at least a maximum resistance and a minimum
resistance.
6. The resistance device of claim 1, further comprising a stator
mounted inside the impeller housing adjacent to the impeller and
configured to remove momentum from the working fluid.
7. The resistance device of claim 1, wherein the variable moment
arm drive includes a cable wrapping surface having a cycloidial
shape such that the moment arm changes as a function of a length of
a cable pull to require a constant force input by a user.
8. The resistance device of claim 1, wherein the variable moment
arm drive includes a mechanical moment arm operatively connected to
a controller, wherein the controller is configured to determine the
distance between the driving shaft and the cable force vector and
to set the mechanical moment arm to the determined distance to
require a constant force input by a user.
9. A resistance device, comprising: an impeller rotatably mounted
on an impeller shaft and housed in an impeller housing, the
impeller configured to act on an working fluid, wherein the
impeller includes a plurality of variable pitch blades to modify a
resistance; a one-way drive assembly connected to the impeller
shaft and configured to drive the impeller in one direction, the
one-way drive assembly including a driving shaft connected thereto;
and a cable connected to the driving shaft, the cable configured to
be pulled by a user.
10. The exercise machine of claim 9, wherein the one-way drive
assembly includes a ratchet and pawl.
11. The exercise machine of claim 9, further including a variable
moment arm drive operatively connected to the driving shaft and
configured to modify a distance between the driving shaft and a
cable force vector applied to the variable moment arm drive, the
variable moment arm drive including a cable connection portion.
12. The resistance device of claim 9, further including a pitch
control including a setting for at least a maximum resistance and a
minimum resistance.
13. The resistance device of claim 9, further comprising a stator
mounted inside the impeller housing adjacent to the impeller and
configured to remove momentum from the working fluid.
14. The resistance device of claim 11, wherein the variable moment
arm drive includes a cable wrapping surface having a cycloidial
shape such that the moment arm changes as a function of a length of
a cable pull to require a constant force input by a user.
15. The resistance device of claim 11, wherein the variable moment
arm drive includes a mechanical moment arm operatively connected to
a controller, wherein the controller is configured to determine the
distance between the driving shaft and the cable force vector and
to set the mechanical moment arm to the determined distance to
require a constant force input by a user.
16. The resistance device of claim 9, further including an
automatic pitch control configured to determine a suitable pitch of
the variable pitch blades to require a user to apply a constant
force over a range of motion, the automatic pitch control
configured to modify the pitch to the suitable pitch.
17. A exercise machine, comprising: an impeller system connected to
a drive shaft; a pull cable connected to the drive shaft; and a
constant force system operatively connected to the cable and the
impeller system such that the pull cable can be pulled at a
constant force while maintaining a constant pull rate.
18. The exercise machine of claim 17, wherein the impeller system
includes an impeller and a stator, the impeller configured to
impart momentum on working fluid and the stator configured to
absorb momentum from the working fluid.
19. The exercise machine of claim 17, wherein the constant force
system includes a variable moment arm drive that varies the moment
arm as a function of cable pull to account for impeller or working
fluid momentum.
20. The exercise machine of claim 17, wherein the constant force
system includes a plurality of variable pitch blades connected to
the impeller to modify dynamically generated forces on the impeller
to account for impeller or working fluid momentum.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Under 35 U.S.C. .sctn.119(e) this application claims the
benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/972,650 filed Mar.
31, 2014, of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] The present disclosure relates to devices for producing
resistance against a user's motion, more specifically to devices
for working out without the use of weights.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] In exercise machines, when weights are lifted vertically
(e.g., using cable and pulleys to translate vertical motion into
some other vector), the force of gravity is constant, thus, the
resisting force is also constant over the complete range of motion.
However, this requires a plurality of weights which take up space
and which have to be displaced from one location to another in
order to provide a resistance. Such displacement can require a
distance equal to the desired range of motion in order for the
device to function, and/or a complex pulley or gearing system.
[0006] Rotary resistance devices (e.g., a rowing machine with a
fan) cannot produce a constant force when the cable is pulled by a
user at a constant rate since the resistance is a function of how
quickly the blades of the fan turn and how much momentum the blades
and/or working fluid have.
[0007] Such conventional methods and systems have generally been
considered satisfactory for their intended purpose. However, there
is still a need in the art for a resistance device that can produce
a desired and/or constant force when a cable is pulled at a
constant rate. There also remains a need in the art for such a
device that is easy to make and use. The present disclosure
provides a solution for this problem.
SUMMARY
[0008] In at least one aspect of this disclosure, a resistance
device includes an impeller rotatably mounted on an impeller shaft
and housed in an impeller housing, the impeller configured to act
on an working fluid, a one-way drive assembly connected to the
impeller shaft and configured to drive the impeller in one
direction, the one-way drive assembly including a driving shaft
connected thereto, a variable moment arm drive operatively
connected to the driving shaft and configured to modify a distance
between the driving shaft and a cable force vector applied to the
variable moment arm drive, the variable moment arm drive including
a cable connection portion, and a cable connected to the cable
connection portion of the variable moment arm drive via a return
spring, the cable configured to be pulled by a user.
[0009] In some embodiments, the one-way drive assembly can include
a ratchet and pawl. The impeller can include a plurality of
variable pitch blades. The resistance device can further include an
impeller blade pitch control. The pitch control can have a setting
for at least a maximum resistance and a minimum resistance.
[0010] The resistance device can further include a stator mounted
inside the impeller housing adjacent to the impeller and configured
to remove momentum from the working fluid.
[0011] The variable moment arm drive can include a cable wrapping
surface having a cycloidial shape such that the moment arm changes
as a function of a length of a cable pull to require a constant
force input by a user. The variable moment arm drive can have a
mechanical moment arm operatively connected to a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to determine the distance
between the driving shaft and the cable force vector and to set the
mechanical moment arm to the determined distance to require a
constant force input by a user.
[0012] In at least one aspect of this disclosure, a resistance
device includes an impeller rotatably mounted on an impeller shaft
and housed in an impeller housing, the impeller configured to act
on an working fluid, wherein the impeller includes a plurality of
variable pitch blades to modify a resistance, a one-way drive
assembly connected to the impeller shaft and configured to drive
the impeller in one direction, the one-way drive assembly including
a driving shaft connected thereto, and a cable connected to the
driving shaft, the cable configured to be pulled by a user. The
one-way drive assembly can include a ratchet and pawl.
[0013] The resistance device can include a variable moment arm
drive operatively connected to the driving shaft and configured to
modify a distance between the driving shaft and a cable force
vector applied to the variable moment arm drive, the variable
moment arm drive including a cable connection portion. The
resistance device can also include a pitch control including a
setting for at least a maximum resistance and a minimum resistance.
In some embodiments, the variable moment arm drive can include a
cable wrapping surface having a cycloidial shape such that the
moment arm changes as a function of a length of a cable pull to
require a constant force input by a user. The variable moment arm
drive can include a mechanical moment arm operatively connected to
a controller, wherein the controller is configured to determine the
distance between the driving shaft and the cable force vector and
to set the mechanical moment arm to the determined distance to
require a constant force input by a user.
[0014] In some embodiments, the resistance device can include a
stator mounted inside the impeller housing adjacent to the impeller
and configured to remove momentum from the working fluid.
[0015] The resistance device can include an automatic pitch control
configured to determine a suitable pitch of the variable pitch
blades to require a user to apply a constant force over a range of
motion, the automatic pitch control configured to modify the pitch
to the suitable pitch.
[0016] In at least one aspect of this disclosure, a exercise
machine includes an impeller system connected to a drive shaft, a
pull cable connected to the drive shaft, and a constant force
system operatively connected to the cable and the impeller system
such that the pull cable can be pulled at a constant force while
maintaining a constant pull rate. The impeller system can include
an impeller and a stator, the impeller configured to impart
momentum on working fluid and the stator configured to absorb
momentum from the working fluid.
[0017] In some embodiments, the constant force system can include a
variable moment arm drive that varies the moment arm as a function
of cable pull to account for impeller or working fluid momentum.
The constant force system can include a plurality of variable pitch
blades connected to the impeller to modify dynamically generated
forces on the impeller to account for impeller or working fluid
momentum.
[0018] These and other features of the systems and methods of the
subject disclosure will become more readily apparent to those
skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in
conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] So that those skilled in the art to which the subject
disclosure appertains will readily understand how to make and use
the devices and methods of the subject disclosure without undue
experimentation, embodiments thereof will be described in detail
herein below with reference to certain figures, wherein:
[0020] FIG. 1 is side view of an embodiment of a resistance device
in accordance with this disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a partial, split perspective view of an embodiment
of an impeller system in accordance with this disclosure; and
[0022] FIG. 3 is a partial, split perspective view of another
embodiment of an impeller system in accordance with this
disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Reference will now be made to the drawings wherein like
reference numerals identify similar structural features or aspects
of the subject disclosure. The systems and methods disclosed herein
can be used for providing constant force resistance against a
constant velocity cable pull for exercise and/or any other suitable
use.
[0024] In at least one aspect of this disclosure, referring to
FIGS. 1-3, a resistance device 100 can include an impeller system
101, a one-way drive assembly 105 connected to the impeller system
101, a variable moment arm drive 107 connected to the one-way drive
mechanism, and a cable 109 connected to the variable moment arm
drive 107.
[0025] The impeller system 100 can include an impeller 213
rotatably mounted on an impeller shaft (not shown in detail) and
housed in an impeller housing 103, the impeller 213 configured to
act on a working fluid using a plurality of fixed blades 215 of any
suitable design. The working fluid can be any suitable fluid (e.g.,
air, water, oil) or any suitable viscosity. The working fluid can
be a highly viscous fluid in some embodiments. In some embodiments,
the working fluid can be sealed within the impeller housing
103.
[0026] The one-way drive assembly 105 is configured to drive the
impeller 213 in one direction (e.g., counter clockwise or
clockwise) and can include a driving shaft (not shown in detail)
connected thereto that extends away from the impeller system 101.
In some embodiments, the one-way drive assembly 105 can include a
ratchet and pawl.
[0027] The variable moment arm drive 107 can be operatively
connected to and/or disposed on the driving shaft. The variable
moment arm drive 107 can include a cable connection portion where
an end of the cable 109 connects to the variable moment arm drive
107. The cable connection portion of the variable moment arm drive
can include a return spring attached to the cable 109 that is
configured to retract the cable back to the variable moment arm
drive 107 after being pulled out by a user. The cable 109 can
include a handle 111 dispose on a proximal end thereof for a user
to grasp and can be made of any suitable material (e.g., rope,
wire, windings, chain).
[0028] The variable moment arm drive 107 is configured to modify a
distance between the driving shaft and a cable force vector applied
to the variable moment arm drive 107 when the cable 109 is pulled.
In some embodiments, the variable moment arm drive 107 can include
a cable wrapping surface with a variable shape (e.g., a cycloidial
and/or frustoconical shape as shown) such that the moment arm
changes as a function of a length of a cable pull to require a
constant force input by a user. In this respect, as a user pulls on
handle 111 (and the cable 109) away from the resistance device 100,
the cable 109 will unravel on the variable moment arm drive 107
from a larger radius (right side) to a smaller radius (left side).
Doing so will increase the force required to produce the same
amount of torque on the impeller 213, however, the working fluid
and/or the impeller 213 will have built up momentum requiring less
force to be applied. In this manner, the decrease in force required
to keep the impeller 213 operating at a given speed can be offset
by the increase in required force due to the reduction in moment
arm around the variable moment arm drive 107.
[0029] In some embodiments, the variable moment arm drive 107 can
have a mechanical moment arm operatively connected to a controller,
wherein the controller is configured to determine the distance
between the driving shaft and the cable force vector and to set the
mechanical moment arm to the determined distance to require a
constant force input by a user.
[0030] In some embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 3, the impeller
213 can include one or more variable pitch blades 321 that are
configured to change pitch relative to the direction of rotation
such that the fluid dynamic forces applied to the working fluid can
be modified. In such embodiments, the resistance device 100 can
further include an impeller blade pitch control for manually or
automatically controlling the pitch of the variable pitch blades
321. The pitch control can have a setting for at least a maximum
resistance and a minimum resistance. In some embodiments, maximum
drag (and thus maximum resistance felt by the user) may be achieved
by setting the blades in a perpendicular manner to the direction of
rotation. Certain blade configurations may require a different
orientation for maximum resistance.
[0031] The resistance device 100 can further include a stator 217
mounted inside the impeller housing adjacent to the impeller 213
and configured to remove momentum from the working fluid to reduce
the amount of momentum the working fluid can build up. The stator
217 may have stationary stator blades 219 of any suitable design
and/or one or more blades may be variable pitch.
[0032] In at least one aspect of this disclosure, a resistance
device can be similar as described above except having variable
pitch blades 321 on the impeller 213 but no variable moment arm
device 107 such that the variable pitch blades 321 change pitch
during a pull of the cable 109 to keep the pull force constant at a
constant rate of pull.
[0033] In at least one aspect of this disclosure, the resistance
device 100 as disclosed herein can be used as an exercise machine.
The exercise machine includes an impeller system 101 as disclosed
herein connected to a drive shaft, a cable 109 as disclosed herein
connected to the drive shaft, and a constant force system (e.g., a
variable moment arm drive 107, variable pitch blades 321, or any
other suitable system) that is operatively connected to the cable
109 and the impeller system 100 such that the cable 109 can be
pulled at a constant force while maintaining a constant pull
rate/speed. As disclosed herein, the impeller system 100 can
include an impeller 213 and optionally a stator 217, wherein the
impeller 213 is configured to impart momentum on a working fluid
and the stator is configured to absorb momentum from the working
fluid.
[0034] The apparatuses, systems, and methods of the present
disclosure, as disclosed herein, provide for a constant force
resistance device without the use of weights. While the apparatus,
systems, and methods of the subject disclosure have been shown and
described with reference to embodiments, those skilled in the art
will readily appreciate that changes and/or modifications may be
made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the
subject disclosure.
* * * * *