U.S. patent application number 15/986420 was filed with the patent office on 2018-12-27 for treadmill providing constant torque at multiple inclines.
The applicant listed for this patent is YARNELL BOYD, DAVID GREEN, JARED KUEKER, SEAN LEAHY, JORDAN PAULSON, TOM RUSSO. Invention is credited to YARNELL BOYD, DAVID GREEN, JARED KUEKER, SEAN LEAHY, JORDAN PAULSON, TOM RUSSO.
Application Number | 20180369634 15/986420 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 64691330 |
Filed Date | 2018-12-27 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20180369634 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
KUEKER; JARED ; et
al. |
December 27, 2018 |
TREADMILL PROVIDING CONSTANT TORQUE AT MULTIPLE INCLINES
Abstract
Treadmills or similar exercise devices which utilize a motor
driven belt which can be used to provide a powered running surface,
but can also be used to provide a resistance to movement of the
belt to allow a user to have to manually drive the belt at a
constant resistance or torque regardless of incline. This later
mode of operation is akin to the pushing or pulling of a weight
sled and can be arranged so that a user can be required to supply a
constant torque over a range of inclines.
Inventors: |
KUEKER; JARED; (ST. CHARLES,
MO) ; PAULSON; JORDAN; (GLEN CARBON, IL) ;
GREEN; DAVID; (ST. CHARLES, MO) ; LEAHY; SEAN;
(ST. LOUIS, MO) ; RUSSO; TOM; (ST. CHARLES,
MO) ; BOYD; YARNELL; (FLORISSANT, MO) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
KUEKER; JARED
PAULSON; JORDAN
GREEN; DAVID
LEAHY; SEAN
RUSSO; TOM
BOYD; YARNELL |
ST. CHARLES
GLEN CARBON
ST. CHARLES
ST. LOUIS
ST. CHARLES
FLORISSANT |
MO
IL
MO
MO
MO
MO |
US
US
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
64691330 |
Appl. No.: |
15/986420 |
Filed: |
May 22, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62509421 |
May 22, 2017 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63B 22/0046 20130101;
A63B 22/0285 20130101; A63B 22/0023 20130101; A63B 2230/015
20130101; A63B 22/0257 20130101; A63B 2022/002 20130101; A63B
22/0017 20151001; A63B 23/047 20130101; A63B 2230/06 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63B 22/02 20060101
A63B022/02; A63B 22/00 20060101 A63B022/00 |
Claims
1. A treadmill comprising: an endless belt arranged to rotate about
at least one roller; a motor, the motor being configured to rotate
said roller so as to rotate the endless belt in either direction;
and a controller, said controller altering speed and direction of
said motor; wherein, said controller controls said motor to rotate
said endless belt at a variable speed effective to cause the amount
of force required by a user disposed on said endless belt to rotate
said endless belt is constant across a plurality of inclines of
said endless belt.
2. The treadmill of claim 1 wherein said amount of force required
by a user is a constant amount of force.
3. The treadmill of claim 1 wherein said constant relation is based
on a weight of a user.
4. The treadmill of claim 1 wherein said roller rotates said
endless belt in a direction opposing a direction a user is pushing
said belt.
5. The treadmill of claim 1 wherein said motor changes direction of
said endless belt rotation during a user exercise.
6. The treadmill of claim 1 further comprising two sets of
handgrips.
7. The treadmill of claim 6 wherein one of said two sets of
handgrips is positioned for a user standing upright and the other
of said two sets of handgrips is positioned for a user leaning
over.
8. The treadmill of claim 1 wherein said amount of force required
by a user simulates said user pushing a weight sled.
9. The treadmill of claim 1 wherein said amount of force required
by a user simulates said user pulling a weight sled.
10. A method of controlling operation of a treadmill comprising:
providing a treadmill including: a running belt arranged to rotate
about at least one roller; and a motor, the motor being configured
to rotate said roller so as to rotate the running belt a first
direction and an opposing second direction; and activating said
motor to rotate said running belt in said first direction at a
first speed when said running belt is at a first incline;
instructing a user to push said running belt in said second
direction; altering an incline of said running belt from said first
incline to a second incline; and altering a speed of said running
belt from said first speed to a second speed; wherein said
alteration of said speed from said first speed to said second speed
occurs in constant relation to said alteration of said incline from
said first incline to said second incline.
11. The method of claim 1 wherein an amount of force required by
said user to push said running belt in said second direction is the
same at said first incline and said first speed as at said second
incline and said second speed.
12. The method of claim 1 wherein said constant relation is based
on a weight of said user.
13. The method of claim 1 wherein said treadmill further includes
two sets of handgrips.
14. The method of claim 13 wherein one of said two sets of
handgrips is positioned for a user standing upright and the other
of said two sets of handgrips is positioned for a user leaning
over.
15. The method of claim 1 wherein said second speed is zero.
16. The method of claim 1 wherein said amount of force required by
a user simulates said user pulling a weight sled.
Description
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
[0001] This disclosure relates to exercise devices, such as
treadmills, which utilize both user motion and a motor in various
combinations to drive the machine. Specifically, the machines
provide for the motor to alter the torque required to move the belt
on the treadmill and allow a user to exercise both by simply
keeping up with the moving belt, and by the user moving the belt
against a constant torque over a variety of inclines.
2. Description of the Related Art
[0002] The benefits of regular exercise on individuals of any age
are well documented in fitness science. Exercise can dramatically
improve body function, lead to weight loss, increase metabolism,
and help ward off a variety of maladies, among other benefits. At
the same time, exercise has often been linked to damaging effects,
particularly to joints or similar structures, where the impact from
many exercise activities can cause injury. Further, while any form
of exercise can be beneficial, specific types of exercise are more
commonly linked to particular benefits and, therefore, it is
desirable to be able to provide users of exercise equipment with
equipment that specifically caters to their needs. This is
particularly true of exercise machines where particular machine
designs can provide exercises that may otherwise be unavailable or
difficult to perform.
[0003] Today's conventional treadmills typically operate by
employing a motor to rearwardly drive an endless belt upon which
the user runs, walks, or otherwise engages in ambulatory leg
movement, generally in a direction opposing the rotational
direction of the belt. As the user is moving in opposition to the
belt, the user therefore "moves" in order to remain in place.
Generally, a user of a conventional treadmill is able to vary the
speed of the treadmill to obtain a desired level of workout, such
as by increasing the speed at which the motor drives the belt to
accelerate the speed of the belt and increase the necessary user
movement speed. Alternatively, the user can make the workout more
difficult by increasing the incline to simulate moving uphill. More
sophisticated motorized treadmills, such as those described in U.S.
Pat. No. 5,462,504, the entire disclosure of which is herein
incorporated by reference, automatically adjust the speed and
incline of the treadmill to control the heart rate of the user
during the exercise.
[0004] Conventional treadmills of this type function to exercise
the user's cardiovascular system (cardio exercise) and, to some
extent, the skeletal muscles of the lower body. However, such
treadmills are generally not considered to provide resistance
exercises designed to tax muscles and bone and result in the body
adding muscle and bone mass. Resistance exercises, while they do
not necessarily result in the body burning fuel (calories) to the
extent that cardio exercise does during the exercise activity,
generally serve to make the body stronger and require more fuel to
operate. As such, resistance exercises can result in both weight
loss benefits and general physiological improvement.
[0005] All resistance training essentially involves strengthening
and toning muscles (as well as, to a lesser extent, bones) by
contracting the muscles against a resisting force. There are
basically two types of resistance training. Isometric resistance
involves contracting muscles against a non-moving object, such as
against the floor in a push-up and generally utilize the
individual's own mass as the resistance, while isotonic strength
training involves contracting muscles through a range of motion
utilizing an external mass, as in weight lifting.
[0006] Traditional resistance training utilizes gravity to provide
the resistive force on the mass that the muscles are used to
oppose. For example, the mass is lifted to a vertically higher
position by a particular muscle in order to train that muscle.
However, it has long been recognized that gravity (acting on a
mass) is not the only force that can be used in resistance
training. For example, in isotonic exercise, the biasing force of a
spring can be used as the resistance, as can friction,
electromagnetic, or torsional forces. These other forces are often
preferred in certain kinds of exercises as the (generally
experienced) force of gravity is in a specific direction relative
to the surface of the earth which can limit the type of exercises a
human being is physically capable of having their body perform
against gravity.
[0007] Most modern treadmills provide relatively minimal resistance
to the user. The user has to utilize muscles to propel the user's
body off the belt and "forward" to avoid being moved by the belt,
but the force required is not in the nature of overcoming a large
amount of resistance. Instead, it is of simply carrying out the
mechanical action of walking or running, carrying the individual's
unaltered weight. The limited resistance is in pushing the body
sufficiently upward to allow the leg to swing to the next step. As
walking and running are activities frequently performed by the
human body, the musculature of the average person is well adapted
to this motion. Carrying it out, even for a long time, often does
not provide a large amount of strain on the muscles compared to
even a small amount of pure resistance training. As the primary
strain is on the heart in such an exercise, these types of exercise
are good for working the cardiovascular system.
[0008] To get more resistance, treadmill users have traditionally
added inclination to the treadbase, which supports the moving belt
and/or have increased their weight by carrying dumbbells or wearing
weighted clothing. In a higher incline scenario, the user not only
needs to carry out the mechanical motion of moving the body
"forward," but is effectively having to lift the mass of the body
upward with every step. This is why activities such as mountain,
stair, or rock climbing are often more akin to resistance exercises
than cardio exercises. These exercises utilize the body as a lifted
mass to a much greater extent than running or walking on a flat
surface.
[0009] Another way to obtain some resistance in a walking or
running exercise is to utilize a simple treadmill which does not
use a motor to supply the belt's rotary motion. These types of
machines instead rely on the user of the treadmill to provide
his/her own motion, which is imparted to the belt. To allow for
continuous in-place motion, non-powered or "motorless" treadmills
traditionally are designed to support the endless belt on some
incline such that the belt rotates rearwardly as a result of the
weight and forward stride of the user overcoming belt friction. In
effect, these types of treadmills add some resistance to the
walking or running motion through the use of the internal friction
of the components which can often be altered through the inclusion
of resistive brakes and similar structures.
[0010] Self-powered treadmills have a couple of major problems,
however. Once the incline is set, these types of treadmills can
feel unnatural to the user because changes to the belt speed depend
only upon the amount of additional rearward force the user is able
to apply. A faster running movement is unlike actual running,
because the stride must be changed at the time of increasing speed
to impart sufficient force to the belt to generate the speed of the
belt necessary for the running movement, since no motion is
supplied externally by a motor. For example, without interrupting
an exercise session to adjust the incline, a user wishing to
increase the speed of a user-driven belt must push down and/or
forwardly on hand rails or arm members in order to change the
amount of rearward force applied to the belt. Such a motion is not
a natural change to a person's stride when increasing speed. This
can result in stride changes and can be damaging to those training
for specific sports.
[0011] Further, traditional motorless treadmills cannot effectively
use both incline and speed to independently alter exercise
characteristics because the weight of the user, incline, and speed
are all related. Therefore, when the incline is increased, the
speed also increases and commonly the force required to overcome
the friction of the belt components is reduced. Essentially, in a
motorless treadmill, while the user gains resistance from having to
lift the body, the force of the body being pulled back down by
gravity actually serves to counteract the force of friction of the
belt components that the body needs to overcome. While in some
cases this may be desirable, in many cases it is not.
[0012] In particular, many desirable cardiovascular workouts use
periods of walking on high inclines followed by periods of running
on low inclines. This type of exercise cannot be performed on
traditional motorless treadmills because as the incline is
increased, the user necessarily must move faster based on the
design of the machine. Further, motorless treadmills typically
produce variations in torque based on the type of exercise being
performed. For example, a user running at a high incline will
generally have to produce less force to maintain or increase
his/her speed than a user would need when running at a low incline.
Further, the torque required to start moving the belt is often
greater than the torque to maintain the belt's movement at a given
speed.
[0013] To deal with some of these problems, U.S. Pat. Nos.
5,688,209 and 5,871,421, the entire disclosures of which are herein
incorporated by reference, describe motorless treadmills which
allow the user to supplement the motion of the belt with the motion
of their arms to eliminate or reduce some of the issues of being
unable to control speed and incline separately. These treadmills
provide both an upper and lower body workout as they provide for
upper body power being transferred to the rotation of the belt.
These treadmills also help to eliminate the need to use unnatural
leg motions to produce different speeds which improves the natural
feeling of the exercise motion and helps to provide separate
control over incline and speed. If a user wishes to go faster, the
user can increase the speed of the belt by increasing the rate (or
power) applied to the arm members which accelerates the belt
without the user having to alter the user's stride in an unnatural
fashion or stop the exercise and alter the incline of the belt.
[0014] While these devices are an improvement over what was
previously available as they allow for, among other things, less
incline for similar speed which allows for a generally more normal
gait, they still have a noticeable problem. In order to prevent the
user from having to alter their stride unnaturally to accelerate
the belt beyond a speed easily obtained by a preset incline, the
user is required to pump his/her arms harder and/or faster. For
many users, this is not a problem, and provides for a natural
motion because as they increase in running speed, their arms
naturally reciprocate faster to balance. For some, particularly
those with less upper body strength, the acceleration's necessarily
increased demand on the upper body can be undesirable and
potentially feel unnatural. Because of the reliance on the limits
of propulsive force of the upper extremities and the requirements
of most users, the belt speed may again become dependent on the
user's rearward force.
[0015] This problem is still further exaggerated when the treadmill
is at a low angle of incline. In this situation, the user's weight
is pressing the belt into the platform over which it is supported
and little of the user's weight serves to help move the belt as it
would if the belt was at a higher incline. Therefore, there is a
much greater frictional and inertial component which must be
overcome to move the belt than when the belt is at a steeper
incline. Further, generally a user will wish to start exercising
with the belt at a low angle of incline and with a slower speed as
that is generally considered a less rigorous exercise and provides
for a warm-up period.
[0016] The inertial component at the start of the exercise and the
need for increased arm drive and upper body workout to increase
speed are one of the concerns with an arm-driven motorless
treadmill. Another is that the steeper the incline of the treadmill
and the heavier the user, the easier it is to move the belt. This,
sometimes, can create problems where the exercise is undesirably
fast. With a motorless treadmill, some users can actually move the
belt too easily when the platform is greatly inclined forcing the
user to have to run faster to keep up with the change in incline or
use the upper body to resist the speed increase. For a heavier
user, the belt can be acted upon by significant force just from the
weight of the user which can result in the user needing to run at
an undesirably high speed to keep from falling off the treadmill or
from having to push against the arm movement to resist the speed
increase. Therefore, at a high incline, the user may experience an
undesirable exercise motion.
[0017] A further problem with utilizing an arm drive to counter the
changing resistance needs of the exercise is that this often
produces an arm resistance exercise, not a leg resistance exercise.
For users that wish to perform an exercise which is designed to
focus on leg muscles, this does not work.
[0018] Traditional running or walking exercises that produce
greater resistance than normal walking or running often require the
user to push with the legs against the resistance as part of the
walking or running motion. In a simple case, anyone who has walked
a long distance in loose sand will understand how much more taxing
it is on the body than simple walking. It is taxing because the
sand moves under the foot as the user pushes against it and
therefore much more force is required to propel the foot off the
surface.
[0019] Another such exercise that allows for increased resistance
is to have a user run or walk while pushing or pulling an object.
One of the most well known of these exercises is pushing an object
commonly referred to as a weight sled or "blocking sled" such as
the device shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,827,690, the entire disclosure
of which is herein incorporated by reference. A weight sled is
essentially a heavy mass that a user pushes or pulls along the
ground on high friction runners as the user attempts to run or walk
with the sled. The sled is designed to have a relatively high
coefficient of friction against the surface over which it is
pushed, and a substantial mass, resulting in the user having to
push at a steep angle to the ground to move the sled.
[0020] From a resistance point of view, the pushing of a
particularly heavy blocking sled is similar to the classic
strongman competition of towing a car, train, tractor-trailer, or
other massive object. In all such resistance exercises, the user
must utilize major leg muscles to push not just the body, but the
entire mass of the object horizontally. As the mass of these
objects is typically great and they have large standing inertia,
without utilizing the largest leg muscles, the user will have no
hope of moving the object efficiently. As such, a user moving such
an object will typically lean forward. This allows the legs to
become closer aligned with the direction of travel and result in
the largest leg muscles working against the inertia and friction
related to moving the mass.
[0021] This position of leaning forward and pushing against the
ground provides for a unique form of exercise. The user cannot be
completely horizontal, as the user would then have nothing to push
against to move the object. Similarly, the more vertical the user
is, the more force from the long leg muscles that serves to simply
lift the user upward as opposed to moving the mass horizontally.
Thus, by having an angle with the ground, the user can supply a
certain amount of force in the horizontal direction from the long
leg muscles. Because of the uniqueness of the motion, a weight sled
can be a very valuable piece of exercise equipment. Lighter sleds
(less resistance) can provide for excellent endurance exercises and
running acceleration improvements while heavier sleds (greater
resistance) can provide for good strength exercises.
[0022] While weight sleds are great training tools, they have a
major weakness. They require a sled to be dragged or pushed over a
surface. This means they often have to be used outside on non-paved
surfaces. When used inside they can damage floors (particularly if
they are very heavy) and when used on hard surfaces they can be
loud and can be damaged by the surface. Many people want to
exercise inside their home for various reasons and this can make
use of a weight sled very difficult.
SUMMARY
[0023] The following is a summary of the invention in order to
provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention.
This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements
of the invention or to delineate the scope of the invention. The
sole purpose of this section is to present some concepts of the
invention in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed
description that is presented later.
[0024] Because of these and other problems in the art, discussed
herein are treadmills or similar exercise devices which utilize a
motor driven belt which can be used to provide a powered running
surface, but can also be used to provide a resistance to movement
of the belt to allow a user to have to manually drive the belt at a
constant resistance or torque regardless of incline. This later
mode of operation is akin to the pushing or pulling of a weight
sled and can be arranged so that a user can be required to supply a
constant torque over a range of incline.
[0025] There is described herein, in an embodiment, a treadmill
comprising: an endless belt arranged to rotate about at least one
roller; a motor, the motor being configured to rotate the roller so
as to rotate the endless belt in either direction; and a
controller, the controller altering speed and direction of the
motor; wherein, the controller controls the motor to rotate the
endless belt at a variable speed effective to cause the amount of
force required by a user disposed on the endless belt to rotate the
endless belt is constant across a plurality of inclines of the
endless belt.
[0026] In an embodiment of the treadmill, the amount of force
required by a user is a constant amount of force.
[0027] In an embodiment of the treadmill, the constant relation is
based on a weight of a user.
[0028] In an embodiment of the treadmill, the roller rotates the
endless belt in a direction opposing a direction a user is pushing
the belt.
[0029] In an embodiment of the treadmill, the motor changes
direction of the endless belt rotation during a user exercise.
[0030] In an embodiment, the treadmill further comprises two sets
of handgrips.
[0031] In an embodiment of the treadmill, one of the two sets of
handgrips is positioned for a user standing upright and the other
of the two sets of handgrips is positioned for a user leaning
over.
[0032] In an embodiment of the treadmill, the amount of force
required by a user simulates the user pushing a weight sled.
[0033] In an embodiment of the treadmill, the amount of force
required by a user simulates the user pulling a weight sled.
[0034] There is also described herein, in an embodiment, a method
of controlling operation of a treadmill comprising: providing a
treadmill including: a running belt arranged to rotate about at
least one roller; and a motor, the motor being configured to rotate
the roller so as to rotate the running belt a first direction and
an opposing second direction; and activating the motor to rotate
the running belt in the first direction at a first speed when the
running belt is at a first incline; instructing a user to push the
running belt in the second direction; altering an incline of the
running belt from the first incline to a second incline; and
altering a speed of the running belt from the first speed to a
second speed; wherein the alteration of the speed from the first
speed to the second speed occurs in constant relation to the
alteration of the incline from the first incline to the second
incline.
[0035] In an embodiment of the method, the amount of force required
by the user to push the running belt in the second direction is the
same at the first incline and the first speed as at the second
incline and the second speed.
[0036] In an embodiment of the method, the constant relation is
based on a weight of the user.
[0037] In an embodiment of the method, the treadmill further
includes two sets of handgrips.
[0038] In an embodiment of the method, one of the two sets of
handgrips is positioned for a user standing upright and the other
of the two sets of handgrips is positioned for a user leaning
over.
[0039] In an embodiment of the method, the second speed is
zero.
[0040] In an embodiment of the method, the amount of force required
by a user simulates the user pulling a weight sled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0041] FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view illustrating an embodiment
of a treadmill having a motor located forward of the front drive
roller.
[0042] FIG. 2 is a detail view of the embodiment of FIG. 1.
[0043] FIGS. 3A and 3B are side views of the embodiment of FIG. 1
positioned level (FIG. 3A) and at an incline (FIG. 3B).
[0044] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1
with the active resistance handgrips removed to illustrate the
running handgrips.
[0045] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1
with the running handgrips removed to illustrate the active
resistance handgrips.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)
[0046] The following detailed description and disclosure
illustrates by way of example and not by way of limitation. This
description will clearly enable a person of ordinary skill in the
art to make and use the disclosed system and method, and describes
several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives, and
uses of the disclosed subject matter. As various changes could be
made in the above construction without departing from the scope of
the disclosure, it is intended that all matter contained in the
description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be
interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
[0047] It should be recognized that the disclosure herein is
focused on treadmills which utilize a running belt formed of
individual slats (a conveyor chain) to provide the exercise as this
is the device primarily pictured in the FIGS. While this is a
valuable exemplary embodiment, one of ordinary skill in the art
would understand that such structure is by no means required and
the treadmill may use other kinds of running belts such as
continuous fabric belts. Further, the systems and method discussed
herein are also not limited to treadmills. Other types of exercise
machines such as, but not limited to, ellipicals, exercise bikes,
stairmills. Jacob's ladder systems, and other machines that utilize
the repeated motion of a user's legs and/or arms can benefit from
being able to have an alterable torque supplied to user motion
where the torque can be selected independently of user mass or
machine incline and particularly where torque can be constant
within an exercise while other variables are adjusted.
[0048] FIGS. 1 and 2 provide an embodiment of a treadmill (100)
which includes an endless belt (102) formed from a plurality of
slats or links riding upon a support surface or treadbase (not
visible) and supported by a base (105). The treadbase will
generally be a low friction support to eliminate as much friction
as possible between the belt (102) and the treadbase created by the
weight of the user (103) pressing the belt into the treadbase when
the user stands on it. The surface upon which the treadmill (100)
rests will generally be referred to as a "floor" in this document.
If desired, the base (105) may be arranged on an inclined floor,
and in an alternative embodiment, the base (105) may be designed to
place the treadbase generally parallel to the floor.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 3, the incline of the treadbase relative to
the floor is preferably variable during or before commencement of
exercise by any suitable device, such as by providing manually or
automatically adjustable feet or framing members, including
pneumatic, hydraulic, or electromagnetic actuators, or motor-driven
elevation systems. These systems may move the treadbase relative to
the base (105) or may move the base (105) and treadbase assembly
relative to the floor.
[0050] The elevation systems depicted in FIG. 3 comprise lift legs
(107) which can serve to raise the front of the base (105) by
rotating about an axis of rotation (117) to extend downward into
the floor. The rotational motion of the lift legs (107) results in
the front of the base (105) being raised relative to the floor and
therefore moving the treadbase to a position with an increased
incline such as is shown by comparing FIG. 3A to FIG. 3B. In
another embodiment, motor driven elevation systems such as those
described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,462,504, the entire disclosure of
which is herein incorporated by reference, could be used.
[0051] The depicted treadmill (100) includes two generally upright
arm supports (109a) and (109b). Right and left are arbitrarily
assigned in this description and are based on the perspective of
the user (103) when walking on the belt (102) in the preferred
exercise direction as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B. Also, for ease of
understanding, components which have a symmetrical counterpart on
an opposite side of the treadmill are numbered such that those on
the right are denoted by the lower case letter "a" and those on the
left by the lower case "b."
[0052] As best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base (105) supports the
treadbase. The belt (102) in turn is arranged so as to rotate over
the treadbase around two rollers. In this embodiment, the drive
roller (205) is generally a roller located toward the front of the
treadbase while the idle roller (209) is located toward the rear.
However, changes to the relative sizes and positions of the drive
roller (205) and idle roller (209) may be made and the location of
the two rollers (drive and idle) may also be reversed depending on
embodiment.
[0053] Because the depicted belt (102) is generally flexible so as
to be able to roll around the rollers (205) and (209), the belt
(102) is supported on the user (103) side of the treadbase by the
treadbase, which is generally rigid. The depicted belt (102) is
preferably tensioned around the two rollers (205) and (209). In an
embodiment, the specific amount of tension may vary based on
embodiment and the belt (102) will generally be tensioned so as to
move in close proximity to the treadbase. Generally, the belt (102)
will be pushed into the treadbase when the user (103) is running or
walking on the belt (102), because the user's weight will push the
belt (102) into the treadbase. Preferably, however, there is
insufficient friction between the belt (102) and treadbase to
prevent the belt's (102) motion.
[0054] As the drive roller (205) rotates, the belt (102), which is
coupled thereto in a manner so as to not slip under ordinary loads,
rotates rearwardly at the top side as the treadbase. The belt (102)
may be arranged so as to not slip on the drive roller (205) by
providing proper tensioning, by utilizing proper coefficients of
friction, by having treads in the underside of the belt (102) which
engage with counterpart treads (not shown) on the drive roller
(205), or by any other method. The idle roller (209) is provided at
the rear of the treadmill (100) to redirect the belt (102)
forwardly under the treadbase. As can be appreciated, the functions
of the rollers (205) and (209) can be reversed. For example, the
idle roller (209) can be mechanically arranged to function as the
driving roller and the drive roller (205) can be arranged to act as
an idle roller.
[0055] While the weight of the user (103) is generally not
principally used to propel the belt (102), it does have an effect
in propelling the belt (102). In particular, the effect is
determined by the weight of the user (103) in conjunction with the
incline. With sufficient incline, the belt (102) will move freely
due to force imposed by the weight of the user (103) and the
gravitational interaction on the belt (102). So long as a
sufficient component of the user's (103) weight is directed along
the movement direction of the belt (102) to overcome the frictional
force of the user's (103) weight in the direction perpendicular to
the belt (into the treadbase) which creates friction, the belt
(102) will rotate under the user's (103) weight. The effect of the
user's (103) weight on the belt (102) may be compensated for by the
motor (501) as discussed elsewhere herein.
[0056] There is also included in the depicted treadmill (100) a
motor (501). The depicted motor (501) serves to drive the belt
(102) when the treadmill (100) is being used, at least in certain
forms of exercise as discussed elsewhere herein. Generally, the
motor (501) will directly move the belt (102) or will serve to
rotate the drive cylinder (205) in a preferred direction under a
source of power not generated by the user (103). The motor (501)
may be located at any location which is able to transfer motion
generated by the motor (501) to the belt (102) or drive cylinder
(205). In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the motor (501) is
located in front of the drive roller (205) so as to be generally
hidden from view during operation. The motor (501) may utilize any
kind of transmission system known now or later discovered to
transfer motion from the motor (501) to the belt (102). For
example, the transfer of drive from the motor (501) to the belt
(102) may be accomplished by a transfer belt or friction roller.
Alternatively, the motor (501) may be incorporated into the drive
roller (205) so that the drive roller (205) is directly driven.
[0057] It is important to recognize that the motor (501) will serve
at least two specific functions in most embodiments. Firstly, the
motor (501) will provide rotation to allow a user (103) to walk or
run on the belt (102) in a standard or first mode operation.
Secondly, the motor will provide either assistance or resistance to
the user (103) in a second mode of operation where the user (103)
is forcing the belt (102) to move. This second mode of operation is
self-powering, where the belt (102) does not move in a manner that
the user (103) is walking or running to keep up, but the user (103)
is instead forcing the belt (102) to move as part of the
exercise.
[0058] In operation, the treadmill (100) will generally operate as
follows in the two principle modes of operation. In the first
(standard) mode, the treadmill (100) will generally operate under
power where the vast majority of the motion of the treadmill (100)
is provided by the motor (501) and the user (103) is primarily
performing a cardio exercise. In this operation, the user (103) is
primarily using musculature to propel the user "forward" on the
moving belt (102) at a speed to keep up with the movement generated
by the motor (501), but the user is not having to utilize leg
muscles to move the belt (102). The belt (102) is instead moved
primarily by the motor (501). In the second method of operation,
the user (103) is instead utilizing leg muscles primarily to move
the belt (102). This is more akin to the user (103) pushing or
pulling a large mass across the ground, such as when using a weight
sled, and the motor (501) is acting as a form of resistance in the
exercise.
[0059] In the first mode of operation, the principal power will be
provided by the motor (501), which will serve to rotate the belt
(102) at a speed selected by the user (103) or by a computer or
electronic controller (901) controlling the operation of the
treadmill (100). The user (103) will then walk or run at a speed to
keep from falling off the back of the belt (102) based on the
motion imparted by the motor (501) to the belt (102). This motion
is essentially the same as the operation of the vast majority of
powered treadmills currently available and well understood by those
of ordinary skill in the art.
[0060] In the second mode of operation, the treadmill (100)
provides a resistance type exercise akin to dragging a weight sled.
Specifically, the user (103) is forced to impart force to the belt
(102) to cause the belt (102) to move at a desired speed. In this
embodiment, the belt (102) motion is primarily caused by the user
(103), instead of the motor (501), and the motor (501) acts as a
form of resistance. In this second mode, the motor (501) can
operate in a number of different ways, in which the motor (501) is
effectively a form of resistance.
[0061] In one such operation, the motor (501) simply freewheels. In
this operation, the motion of the treadmill (100) is basically the
same as a traditional self-powered treadmill with no motor. The
force required to move the belt (102) is based on the mass of the
user (103) and the incline of the treadbase. The motor (501), at
most, operates as a source of internal friction or as a generator
imparting minimal modification to the belt (102) movement.
[0062] In a second operation, the motor (501) will assist the user
(103) to move the belt (102) but still require the user (103) to
push the belt (102) to go faster than the motor (501) is driving
it. Generally, the motor (501) will supply more assistance when the
incline is lower than when it is higher. As discussed above, when
the incline is high, the user's (103) weight provides additional
drive to the belt (102). The greater the incline of the belt (102),
the easier it is to move the belt (102) as the friction between the
belt (102) and the treadbase is decreased and the user's (103)
weight provides additional assistance to move the belt (102) as it
is a force directed parallel to the belt (102). Therefore, at a
higher incline the user (103) will generally be forced to run
faster than at a lower incline with the same amount of motor (501)
assist.
[0063] At lower inclines, the weight of the user (103) provides
less or no aid, and the friction is increased, therefore the user
(103) generally moves slower. Therefore, if the belt (102) is more
horizontal, additional force may be provided by the motor (501). If
the belt (102) is more inclined, the motor (501) can provide less
assistance. In this way the user (103) can actually maintain a
relatively constant speed through multiple inclines, which can
allow for the incline to alter the workout difficulty in a more
predictable fashion and can allow the user (103) to supply a preset
or constant torque to the belt (102). This is akin to using a
weight sled with a constant mass with the user moving over changing
terrain.
[0064] The exact amount of assistance provided by the motor (501)
may be chosen by a variety of different methods. In an embodiment,
the assistance is simply a value chosen by the user (103) prior to
or during the exercise and is an absolute amount of drive imparted
by the motor (501). In this way, there is effectively more
assistance at a higher incline than a lower incline as the motor
(501) provides a fixed level of assistance regardless of incline
(and at a higher incline the user's (103) weight provides
additional assistance as discussed above). This is generally not
preferred as it results in different torque requirements at
different inclines, but it may be desirable in certain forms of
exercise.
[0065] Additionally, the motor (501) may provide a level of
assistance based on the incline of the treadmill (100). This
provides more consistency in the drive force which must be provided
by the user (103) to produce any given speed of belt (102)
movement. In an embodiment, the level of assistance may be based on
both the user's (103) weight and the incline. In this type of
operation, the resistance of the belt (102) to the movement is more
akin to a weight sled of constant mass being moved while the user
(103) moves over a variety of terrain.
[0066] The user (103) may input the user's weight into a control
(such as computer controller (901)) for the treadmill (100). The
treadmill (100) may then use that value to compute the appropriate
assistance for various levels of incline and control the motor
(501) to provide that assistance. In an alternative design, the
motor assist (501) could determine the user's (103) weight
automatically, such as by powering up the motor (501) when the user
(103) is standing on the belt (102) and computing the user's weight
based on the torque required by the motor (501) to move the belt
(102).
[0067] In the above, it should be clear that the motor (501) can
lower or increase the resistance the user encounters for some, if
not all, arrangements of the speed and incline of the belt (102)
but also serves to resist the motion of the belt (102) since the
user (103) will generally want to move the belt (102) faster than
it is being moved by the motor (501). In particular, a goal of the
motor (501) will often be to make relatively constant the amount of
torque required to be exerted by the user (103) to move the belt
(102) at a particular speed across a range of inclines, while still
having the torque required to be exerted by the user (103) to be
greater than if the treadmill was in completely motorized operation
as done in the first mode. Further, a purpose of assistance is
often to provide for an exercise more akin to working out with a
relatively light weight sled.
[0068] As should be apparent, if the motor (501) is freewheeling at
a higher incline, the belt (102) motion is entirely supplied by the
user (103) and the torque required to move the belt (102) is simply
based on user mass, the incline, and internal friction and similar
losses internal to the system. As the incline is reduced, the
amount of force is increased since the user's (103) mass will
contribute less to the motion and increase the amount of friction.
This increase can be counteracted by having the motor (501) provide
additional torque to compensate. If the motor torque is correctly
selected based on the changes in the incline (with the other
variables being known and generally constant), this allows for the
treadmill (100) to provide a constant torque (resistance) for a
given speed at a variety of inclines.
[0069] The motor (501) can also serve to provide exercise
variations unavailable in traditional motorless systems or
motorized treadmill systems. In particular, in an embodiment, the
motor (501) can provide for improved characteristics even at
inclines above those where the motor (501) is no longer needed to
assist or at speeds above what the motor (501) can provide. In
particular, if the user (103) wishes to push harder without
"moving" faster (an exercise akin to pulling a large mass or
pushing a heavy weight sled), the motor (501) may reverse direction
or actively resist the belt (102) moving in the direction it is
being forced by the user (103). In this case, instead of assisting
the motion of the drive cylinder (205), it may resist it, allowing
the user (103) to have an extremely hard workout if desired and to
eliminate the need for any type of frictional resistance mechanism,
or other device to try and resist the motion of the belt (102).
Further, the motor (501) may do this in conjunction with an
assistance operation. Thus, a user (103) can effectively change the
mass on the weight sled without having to stop the exercise or
alter the incline by having the motor actually stop and reverse
direction while the user is continuing to move the belt in the same
direction through the motor reversal.
[0070] Such an active resistance will often result in the user
(103) needing to bend over the belt (102) in order to better align
the long leg muscles with the belt (102) to generate enough force
to actually move the belt (105) against the motor (501). To do
this, the treadmill (100) will commonly provide for active
resistance handgrips (601a) and (601b) which provide for a leaned
forward position and may also provide a longer treadbase than
standard to allow the user (103) to be positioned more parallel to
the belt (102) than in the other modes of operation discussed
above.
[0071] FIGS. 4 and 5 provide for individual indications of
handgrips, shown together in FIG. 1, which allow for more
comfortable body positioning with regards to the different
exercises. The running handgrips (603a) and (603b) of FIG. 4, are
generally horizontal and are primarily designed to assist with
balance while performing a cardio exercise and are generally
intended to keep the user (103) from tipping sideways. While a user
(103) can push against them to reduce the user's weight on the belt
(102), they are more designed for balance than as a resistance.
These running handgrips (603a) and (603b) are, thus, primarily
intended to be used by the user (103) when walking or running on
the belt (102) as it is turned by the motor (501) in the first mode
of operation.
[0072] The active resistance handgrips (601a) and (601b) of FIG. 5,
however, are designed to better align the hands with a preferred
position to push or pull a mass with the user's (103) body laid out
more parallel to the belt (102). These active resistance handgrips
(601a) and (601b) are much more vertical and provide for more of a
position with the user's (103) hands closer to the head than the
waist. These are designed to be used when the treadmill (100) is
providing more of a resistance exercise with the motor (501) acting
in accordance with any of the three operations of the second
mode.
[0073] It should be apparent that in the active resistance
operation, as in the assist operation, the motor (501) speed can
again be selected to provide for a constant torque regardless of
incline. Like in the motor assist case, in the motor resist case
the amount of resistance provided can alter based on the incline.
This allows for the user (103) to provide a constant amount of
torque against the treadmill (100) belt (102) regardless of the
incline of the treadmill (100) or to alter the torque required in a
particular way based on the exercise. Thus, a user (103) can
actually have an exercise that mimics, duplicates, simulates
pushing a mass uphill by requiring more torque (effectively
increasing the mass) at an incline compared with a lower torque
when the treadmill (100) is at a lower incline. Further, as should
be apparent, the resistance and assistance operations, along with
the freewheel operation, can all be combined to allow for the
treadmill (100) to provide for exercises where a constant torque
can be provided across a wide range of inclines, or the torque can
be set or controlled during the exercise as desired by a user (103)
or the controller (901).
[0074] The ability to provide constant torque resistance throughout
an exercise is not standard movement. Generally, a resistance
exercise will have points which require increase torque to be
applied and points that require less torque. For example, in a
bicep curl, generally the arm has to produce increased torque to
move the weight the first inch from the arm hanging vertically
compared to the last inch as the forearm approaches horizontal.
This exercise, therefore, does not provide a consistent torque
because the effect of the gravitational resistance compared to the
lever which is the forearm alters. This is why weightlifters will
often move their hips (engage a larger muscle) to start the weight
moving upward, but have no problem maintaining the movement once
commenced.
[0075] In a traditional non-powered treadmill, the issue of
changing torque is created at different speeds and different
inclines. Specifically, in a motorless treadmill a user will
commonly have to provide increased torque to accelerate the speed
of a belt (including overcoming resting inertia), and will have to
provide increased torque at a flatter incline than a steeper one
(due to the influence of gravity on the user's physical mass). High
torque throughout an exercise (or more often within an exercise)
can provide for a much more beneficial exercise motion as it forces
the body to engage muscle much more consistently.
[0076] Heavy weight sleds can often be used to flatten torque
requirements because the heavy mass and high coefficient of
friction means that the force required to move the sled a first
inch and a second inch are more similar than they would be if the
sled had wheels. In traditional motorless treadmills, since rollers
are required to allow for the running belt to have endless
rotation, the torque to start the rollers turning is generally more
than that required once the rollers are turning. This previously
required relationship can be eliminated with the systems and
methods of the present disclosure depending on desired
operation.
[0077] In one mode of operation, the present device is designed to
provide for a constant or near constant level of torque across an
exercise to the user where that level of torque is independent of
the incline of the treadmill. Specifically, the force required to
rotate the roller any distance is independent of the incline of the
treadmill, or the speed that the roller was previously rolling. A
user is thus forced to consistently engage large muscle groups to
generate the necessary force, and can utilize changes in incline
and speed to alter the exercise in different ways. Effectively, the
user needs to utilize a constant or near constant force with every
step even as the incline alters. This can also be done over various
speeds as well.
[0078] The torque actually supplied by the motor may change as the
incline changes, but the torque that is to be provided by the
user's muscle groups can be caused to remain essentially constant.
To illustrate, as the incline increases and the user's mass assists
in rotating the belt, the motor may provide an amount of resistance
increase equal (or proportional) to the assistance provided by the
user's mass. Thus, the torque needing to be produced by the user
remains constant. At the same time, in this scenario, the increase
in incline will require the user to lift slightly more of their
weight with each action, and can actually increase the difficulty
of the exercise for that reason. As similar relationship can be
performed but with the user altering their speed. Thus, a user may
be indicated to speed up their individual steps while each step
still provides a constant force for rotation of the belt.
[0079] It should be recognized that the ability to alter the torque
required to push the belt (102) and the two different modes of
operation (resistance and cardio) can be used in a variety of
exercises and can be controlled by the user (103) or by the
controller (901) operating in accordance with a preprogrammed
workout. For example, in an embodiment, the controller (901) can
provide for different intervals with different movement options.
For example, the user (103) may begin with a standard walking
motion with the motor powering the treadmill (100), they may then
begin a running motion as the motor (501) accelerates. As the
exercise progresses, the running may be interspersed with periods
of walking up a high incline. These intervals may correspond to
specific exercise goals and desires. This part of the exercise is
akin to a simple run or walk and is all performed using mode one of
operation.
[0080] The mode may then transition from the first to the second
mode. This will often be by slowing the motor and allowing the user
(103) to slow down and get ready to push against resistance, when
the user (103) is ready, or the controller (901) indicates that the
user (103) should commence, the user (103) will begin to try and
move the belt (102) faster than it is currently moving. The
exercise can begin with the user (103) still moving, but now
attempting to speed up the pace and accelerate the belt (102) above
the speed the motor (501) is providing. As the user (103) begins to
force the belt (102) movement above that of the motor (501),
incline may be altered to provide for an exercise akin to dragging
a lighter weight sled or speed may be altered to control the user's
speed against the sled.
[0081] As the user (103) continues, the assistance of the motor
(501) may decrease until the motor (501) begins to actively resist
the motion of the user (103). This simulates adding of mass to the
sled or may be necessary to compensate for the torque provided by
the user (depending on their strength and desired speed). As should
be apparent, all these types of exercises can be performed without
the user (103) having to stop (or only minimally stopping) forward
motion, an exercise arrangement generally not available with
traditional equipment. Still further, the user can push against the
belt and have it actively resist movement with the same torque even
as incline is increased (which now makes the movement harder) and
regardless of speed. Thus, a user moving faster is effectively
doing more reps of the resistance exercise in less time, as opposed
to having the reps become easier and decreasing their
effectiveness.
[0082] Different exercise modes may also be used in conjunction
with entertainment elements provided by the controller (901). For
example, the user (103) may see on screen that simulated terrain is
moving at the speed of the user (103) and the incline of the
treadbase corresponds to an incline indicated onscreen. The user
(103) may also see a simulated mass approaching that the user will
then slow down, adjust position, and push.
[0083] In addition to controlling the specifics of the workout, the
controller (901) may also provide instruction to direct the user
(103) on how to perform the workout. When switching from the first
cardio mode of operation to the second resistance mode, it is
generally undesirable to have the transition occur suddenly without
warning to the user (103). Specifically, if the user (103) is
running on the treadmill, it cannot suddenly and unexpectedly slow
or stop to have the begin moving the belt (102) under their own
power, the user (103) would likely fall. Thus, the controller (901)
will often allow for smooth transitions and may even control the
motor (501) in a fashion that helps the user (103) to transition.
For example, the controller (901) may instruct the user (103) to
slow down and to switch from the running handgrips (603a) and
(603b) to the active resistance handgrips (601a) and (601b) to
better position the user (103) for simulated pushing with a brief
stop of the belt (102) motion to allow the user to get ready. Once
the user (103) commences pushing the belt (102), the controller
(901) may rapidly have the motor (501) react to provide for desired
torque.
[0084] Also, although not necessary, in a still further embodiment,
a braking device, generally a frictional resistance mechanism, may
be added to further regulate the amount of force needed to be
generated to drive the belt (102), by providing an adjustable
frictional force against movement of the belt (102). Such a device
can also provide assistance to transition the motor (501) through
the assist and resist operations without having a freewheel between
them.
[0085] Throughout this disclosure, relative terms such as
"generally," "about," and "approximately" may be used, such as, but
not necessarily limited to, with respect to shapes, sizes,
dimensions, angles, and distances. One of ordinary skill will
understand that, in the context of this disclosure, these terms are
used to describe a recognizable attempt to conform a device to the
qualified term. By way of example and not limitation, components
such as surfaces described as being "generally planar" will be
recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art to not be, in a
strict geometric sense, planar, because in a real world
manufactured item a surface is generally never truly planar as a
"plane" is a purely geometric construct that does not actually
exist, and no component is truly "planer" in the geometric sense.
Thus, no two components of a real item are ever truly planar, as
they exist outside of perfect mathematical representation.
Variations from geometric descriptions are inescapable due to,
among other things; manufacturing tolerances resulting in shape
variations, defects, and imperfections; non-uniform thermal
expansion; design and manufacturing limitations; and natural wear.
There exists for every object a level of magnification at which
geometric descriptors no longer apply due to the nature of matter.
One of ordinary skill will understand how to apply relative terms
such as "generally," "about," and "approximately" to describe a
range of variations from the literal meaning of the qualified term
in view of these and other considerations.
[0086] Further, use in this description of terms such as "upward"
and "downward" do not actually require that certain surfaces or
objects be closer or further away from a surface upon which an
exercise machine is resting at any given time. Instead, they are
generally used to denote opposite directions in conjunction with
the standard arrangement of the FIGS. provided herein so as to give
relative positioning of elements. Similarly, terms such as "inward"
and "outward", "left" and "right", and "top" and "bottom" are used
to show relative directions or positions as opposed to absolute
location.
[0087] While the invention has been disclosed in conjunction with a
description of certain embodiments, including those that are
currently believed to be the preferred embodiments, the detailed
description is intended to be merely illustrative and should not be
understood to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As would
be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, embodiments
other than those described in detail herein are encompassed by the
present invention. Modifications and variations of the described
embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope
of the invention.
* * * * *