Patent Grant
7341542
This invention relates generally to exercise equipment, and in particular to stationary elliptical motion striding equipment.
A variety of exercise apparatus exists which allow the user to exercise by simulating a striding motion. Some exercise devices allow a stepping motion. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,343, entitled “Stationary Exercise Device,” illustrates an exercise device that includes a pair of foot-engaging links for a striding motion. One end of each foot link is supported for rotational motion about a pivot access, and a second end of each foot link is guided in a reciprocal path of travel. The combination of these two foot link motions permits the user's foot to travel in an inclined, generally oval path of travel. The resulting foot action exercises a large number of muscles through a wide range of motion. The exercise device includes a pair of bell cranks, similar to the bell cranks used with bicycle pedals, traveling in identical circular paths 180 degrees apart. The circular paths each have a fixed diameter, which is a function of the fixed length of the bell crank web. The first end of each foot link is pinned to the outer end of one of the bell cranks, and thus also travels in a circular path of a fixed diameter. The second ends of the foot links are either slidingly or rollingly engaged with a linear track, or suspended by a swinging link arm, such that the rotary motion of the first ends of the foot links and the reciprocating motion of the second ends of the foot links, in combination, result in a reciprocating, pseudo-elliptical foot path for the foot pad positioned between the first and second ends of each foot link and on which a user stands. The fixed resulting foot path is a predetermined, machine-defined path that is variable only by manually changing physical parameters of the equipment. Thus, while the exercise device may provide a foot action that exercises a large number of muscles through a wide range of motion, it confines the range of motion by limiting the path traveled by the first ends of the foot links to the circular path of the bell cranks.
One embodiment of the exercise device of the present invention is distinguished from the known so-called “elliptical” motion exercise machines by providing a fore and aft horizontal component of striding motion that is dynamically user-defined, while providing a vertical component of the motion that is maintained on a predetermined vertically reciprocating path. While the user's foot motion is guided in a generally elliptical path, the present invention provides a dynamically variable stride length, which allows the user to move with a natural stride length, within the range of the manufactured product. Thus, a tall or short user is able to extend or curtail the stride length to match his or her natural stride length, and the stride length desired for the level of exercise being performed. The length of the reciprocating path is dynamically adjusted during the exercise operation without equipment adjustments or stopping the exercise being performed by changes in the length of the stride input by the user at a pair of laterally spaced apart foot engagement members. As the user's legs move with a longer striding motion or a shorter striding motion during exercise, the equipment automatically compensates by similarly increasing or decreasing the relative length-wise displacement of the two foot engagement members. Thus, in contrast to prior art devices, the length and shape of the reciprocating path followed by the user's feet is dynamically variable as a function of the user's input, without changing physical parameters or settings of the exercise machine.
The operation of the two foot engagement members is either dependent or independent depending on the construction of the embodiment of the invention. In other words, the two foot engagement members are either operatively interconnected by an interconnection member, or operatively disconnected from one another for independent fore-aft movement.
Furthermore, one aspect of the invention uses a cam/cam follower arrangement to minimize or soften the jolting accelerations and decelerations associated with known fixed stride-length exercise machines. The cams react in response to the extended or shortened length of a user's stride.
In several embodiments, a transmission utilizing a speed-up drive mode of resistance and flywheel for inertia is coupled to the reciprocating foot engagement members to further smooth the operation, especially the vertical component of the motion. A resistance to the striding motion may be input under user control to enhance the exercise experience by resisting one or both of the vertical and horizontal components of motion.
According to another aspect of the invention, a first foot engagement member is supported for first and second reciprocating motions within a first substantially vertical plane, and a second foot engagement member is supported for first and second reciprocating motions within a second substantially vertical plane laterally spaced away from the first plane at a convenient distance to accommodate a human user.
In some embodiments of the invention, one of the first and second reciprocating motions of the first foot engagement member is interdependent with respective first and second reciprocating motions of the second foot engagement member with both of its vertical and horizontal components. In other embodiments, interdependency is only with respect to the vertical component. In other words, the length component of the striding motion practiced by one of the user's legs is independent of the corresponding length component practiced by the user's other leg during exercise. In other embodiments of the invention, the striding motion practiced is the same with respect to the length component as a result of the two foot engagement members being tied together through an interconnection between the foot engagement members, such that a cooperation or “dependency” is maintained between the reciprocating motions of the user's two feet during exercise in the horizontal component.
According to one aspect of the invention, the first horizontal component of the reciprocal foot motion is dynamically user-defined by varying the length of the stride input by the user at the respective foot engagement member, without accompanying changes to the physical parameters of the exercise machine. According to the invention, the variation in the length of the stride is infinite, within the physical bounds of the exercise machine as manufactured.
In one embodiment of the invention, the height of the vertical component of the reciprocal foot motion is also dynamically user-defined by varying the height of the stride input by the user at the respective foot engagement members, also without accompanying changes to the physical parameters of the exercise machine. Accordingly, the variation in the height of the stride is also infinite, within the physical bounds of the specific embodiment of exercise machine.
As shown in the drawings for purposes of illustration, the present invention is embodied in an exercise apparatus, indicated generally by reference numeral 2. The apparatus 2 primarily provides a lower body exercise while the user stands on the exercise apparatus and moves the user's legs and feet in a variety of pseudo-elliptical striding paths simulating the motion of running, jogging and walking, and the motion of stepping in place, all referred to herein as “striding” with varying amounts of stride horizontal length. The pseudo-elliptical striding paths have both height (vertical) and length (horizontal) components of movement. The exercise machine 2 accommodates a variety of stride lengths of the user and allows the user to change the length of stride while an exercise is in progress, without requiring any adjustment by the user of equipment settings. The exercise machine 2 allows an infinite variety of stride length throughout the exercise and, by virtue of the freedom of the mechanism, immediately adjusts in response to the changing stride length of the user. As used herein, stride length refers to the distance between rearward and forward end extents of travel of the user's foot during an exercise repetition.
In one embodiment shown in
The exercise machine 2 allows the user to vary the stride length independent of the stride height, thereby allowing the user to engage in a natural stride length which can be varied during the exercise without being constrained to a particular stride length and height selected by the manufacturer to be used by all users without variation. The exercise machine 2 in some embodiments has right and left foot dependency in the rearward and forward directions.
The result is an exercise apparatus with improved construction and user feel, and greater flexibility and ease of operation that can simulate all striding-type motions and be comfortably used by users with different natural stride lengths. The exercise machine 2 can simulate striding-type motions from running with large stride lengths to stepping in place with little or no stride length, with stride length movements that match the natural movements for a user of any size. The exercise machine 2 automatically follows the stride length input by the user while the exercise is in progress and automatically responds to any changes in stride length input by the user.
The swing arms 10 and 12 are elongated structures, each having the bearing journal 18 at an upper end, and a respective one of right and left pivotal foot link connections 20 and 22 at a lower end. The right and left pivotal foot link connections 20 and 22 each provide a pivot connected to the forward end portion of a respective one of the foot links 4 and 6. Pivotal connections 20 and 22 are devices attached to the foot link, with a pivot pin extending through the bearing journal, but can have any other suitable hinge or pivot configuration. The swing arms 10 and 12 are rigid links, such as metal tubes, rods, or plates. Optionally, the swing arms 10 and 12 can be formed from flexible links, for example, made of cables, chains, straps or another suitable flexible material.
The swing arms 10 and 12 guide the front end portions of foot links 4 and 6, at respective pivotal connections 20 and 22, in a pendulous swinging motion through an arcuate path “A” indicated on
A pair of laterally spaced-apart upright stanchions 24 extend upward from the base 14 in a fixed, longitudinally spaced-apart relationship with the pedestal 8. The stanchions 24 rotatably support a bell crank assembly 26, which includes right and left crank arms 28 and 30 rigidly attached to opposite ends of a transverse axle 32. The crank arms 28 and 30 travel along identical repeating unidirectional circular paths, but 180 degrees out of phase with one another. The crank arms 28 and 30 are in fixed relationship to one another, spaced-apart on the opposite, laterally outward sides of the stanchions 24. The axle 32 is rotatably supported in a fixed location on the stanchions 24 for rotation about a transverse pivot axis by two rotary bearings or bushings 34, one secured to each of the stanchions 24.
The rearward end portion of each of the foot links 4 and 6 is supported by a distal end 33 of a corresponding one of the crank arms 28 and 30, at a free end of the crank arm spaced apart from the axle 32 to move down and up with the crank arm. In the embodiment of the exercise machine 2 illustrated in
A pulley 42 is rotatably mounted to and between the stanchions 24 for rotation about the axle 32 and rotationally fixed relative to crank arms 28 and 30 to rotate therewith. The pulley 42 is rotatably attached to a transmission 58 containing a flywheel that has a sufficiently heavy perimeter weight and is indirectly coupled to crank arms 28 and 30 so as to help turn the crank arms smoothly even when the user momentarily is not supplying a turning force and promote a smooth reversal of foot link directions during the exercise.
As noted above, the foot engagement pads 44 and 46 are provided on the foot link members 4 and 6, respectively. Each of the foot engagement pads 44 and 46 is sized to receive the user's corresponding foot thereon during exercise. It is noted that alternatively the foot links 4 and 6 can be constructed without the foot engagement pads 44 and 46, with the user standing directly on the upper surface of the foot links.
The exercise machine 2 is operated when the user's right and left feet are placed in operative contact with the foot engagement pads 44 and 46, respectively. The user exercises by striding forwardly toward the pedestal 8. Each striding motion of the user's foot, while engaging one of the right and left foot engagement pads 44 and 46, pushes a corresponding one of the right or left foot link 4,6 rearward away from the pedestal 8. As the one foot link is pushed rearward by the user exercising, the other foot link 4,6 tends to be carried forward toward the pedestal by the combined force resulting from the crank arm supporting the other foot link rotating applying a forward force on the foot link, from the swing arms 10,12 supporting the foot link tending to pull the foot link forward as it seeks a position hanging straight downward, and from the user's other foot applying a forward force on the foot link as it is moved forward in preparation for the next stride. However, the user naturally keeps enough weight on the forward moving foot link that the forward moving foot link will be moved no farther or less forward than the user moves the foot on that foot link forward. Thus, the forward moving foot link moves forward with the foot thereon.
The operation of the exercise machine 2 can be started with the foot links 4 and 6 in any position. For example, with the exercise machine in the position illustrated in
Through the rotation of the crank arms 28 and 30 about the axle 32, the downward movement of the left foot link 6 and the resulting clockwise rotation of the left crank arm 30, causes the right crank arm 28 to rotate clockwise and move upward. The supporting engagement of the right crank arm 28 with the right foot link 4, through the roller 36 thereof, lifts the right foot link 4 upward away from base 14 as the left foot link 6 moves downward toward the base. The inertia of the transmission 58 as well as the continued downward and rearward pushing by the user's left foot on the left foot engagement pad 46, rotates the left crank arm 30 clockwise past its bottom dead center position pointing directly downward (i.e., the 6 o'clock position), where the left foot link 4 is at its lowest position, and rotates the right crank arm 28 clockwise past its top dead center position pointing directly upward (i.e., the 12 o'clock position), where the right foot link 6 is at its highest position.
While this describes the motion of the left foot link 6 downward and rearward, starting from the position shown in
When the user does stop pushing rearward with the left foot, the user's weight will be predominantly transferred to the right foot and thrust the right foot engagement pad 44 and the right foot link 4. When this occurs, the right crank arm 28 will have been rotated clockwise from the position shown in
As noted, the actions of the two interconnected crank arms 28 and 30 are exchanged, usually some time after the opposite crank arm moves clockwise past the 12 o'clock position and starts rotating downwardly toward base 14. The user's weight is then transferred to the now sinking foot link supported by this crank arm. The crank arm rotation causes the foot link supported by the other crank arm to rise upwardly away from base 14. When the foot link supported by this other crank arm reaches the position where the user decides to transfer his weight thereto, the process starts over with respect to the now newly weighted foot link. The now substantially unweighted foot link is moved forward, as described above in part by the movement of the crank arm supporting it and by the forward moving foot of the user in a natural striding motion. It is noted that the forces are transferred to the foot links 4 and 6 via the foot engagement pads 44 and 46, in the illustrated embodiment of
When the motion of the foot links 4 and 6 occurs, as described above, the forward end portion of each foot link also moves, but with a very different motion. Each time one of the foot links 4 and 6 moves forwardly toward the pedestal 8 or rearwardly away from the pedestal, the forward end portion of the foot link experiences a swinging motion forward or rearward by its connection to a corresponding one of the swing arms 10 and 12. As a result, the forward end portions of the foot links 4 and 6 travel along the arcuate path “A” shown in
Each user stride thus moves one of the foot links 4 and 6 rearward and the other is moved forward to position it for the next stride. The shifting of the user's weight between the foot links 4 and 6 causes the interconnected crank arms 28 and 30 to responsively rotate clockwise, and alternately moves the foot links downward toward and upward from the base 14, with the movements of the foot links being 180 degrees out of phase with one another. The resulting combined downward and upward motions of the foot links as the crank arms 28 and 30 rotate, and the rearward and forward movement of the foot links, result in the movement of the foot engagement pads 44 and 46 of the foot links 4 and 6 in a cyclical pseudo-elliptical motion path with the actual path shape dependent on how the user chooses to perform his striding exercise.
A handle bar 54 is provided at a predetermined height above the foot links 4 and 6 to assist the user in keeping his balance during operation of the exercise machine 2.
As noted, the interaction of the crank arms 28 and 30 with the transmission 58 which supplies inertia, tends to smooth the user's striding motion. A resistance device 56 can be utilized if desired to allow the user to selectively increase the effort required by the user to perform a striding motion exercise while on the foot links 4 and 6 and hence control the user energy required for the exercise. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in
The exercise machine 2 may be alternatively fitted with any one of a variety of known brake mechanisms, or even operated without a brake. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in
An electrical control panel 60 is mounted on the exercise machine 2, atop the pedestal 8. The control panel 60 is electrically coupled to control operation of the resistance device 56, thereby providing remote adjustment thereof, that is accessible to the user during the exercise. The control panel 60 also provides other exercise related information as is conventional with exercise equipment.
In contrast to prior art exercise devices, the exercise machine 2 of the present invention provides a variable stride length that is dynamically user adjustable while an exercise is in progress without changing any machine settings, and without the machine changing its own settings, by the simple act of the user stretching the user leg movement into a longer stride or shortening the leg movement into a shorter stride (or stepping motion). Furthermore, the exercise machine 2 is infinitely adjustable within the physical limitations of the machine, and is therefore naturally variable to complement the different natural stride lengths of taller and shorter users, and even the different stride lengths of users with the same height, and even the different stride lengths a user wishes to use during the course of an exercise. The exercise machine 2 produces a pseudo-elliptical stride path that is infinitely variable in response to the user input through the movement of his feet when performing an exercise.
As noted above, the rearward and forward motion of the foot links 4 and 6 is responsive to the left and right rearward and forward feet movements of the user, and operates substantially independent of the vertically reciprocating motion of the foot links produced by the rotation of the crank arms 28 and 30. For purposes of more clearly illustrating the construction and operation of the exercise machine 2, it is noted that if the user's weight was evenly balanced between foot engagement pads 44 and 46, the respective foot links 4 and 6 would be in parallel arrangement, each positioned at the same distance above the base 14. The crank arms 28 and 30 would be rotated to the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions, halfway between the top dead center and bottom dead center positions (i.e., the 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock positions). If the user's weight could remain so balanced between the foot engagement pads 44 and 46, a user's striding motion would move one of the foot links 4 and 6 rearwardly away from pedestal 8 and the other forward toward the pedestal, each foot link being rollingly supported on a respective one of the rollers 36 mounted at the free distal end 33 of one of the crank arms 28 and 30. The distance of the foot links above the base 14 would not change. While not practical, and more like a shuffle than a stride, this exercise presents a useful illustration. As can be understood, the forward-rearward motion of the foot engagement pads 44 and 46, and hence the foot links 4 and 6, is independent of any downward-upward motion of the foot links produced by rotation of the crank arms 28 and 30, and of the downward and upward motion of the user's feet that does occur during a normal exercise.
Still assuming that the user's weight remains equally balanced between the foot engagement pads 44 and 46, it can be understood that while exercising the stride length of the user's feet and hence the rearward-forward movement of the foot engagement pads is adjustable between a minimum of no-length and the maximum motion of the foot links 4 and 6 defined by the physical parameters of exercise machine 2 as manufactured. While there is always a maximum stride length defined by the physical parameters of a particular configuration for the manufactured exercise machine 2, the exercise machine is preferably configured to accommodate even the longest stride of the tallest intended user.
It is noted that as the user applies a rearwardly pushing foot motion to one of foot engagement pads 44 and 46, and simultaneously the other of foot engagement pads 44 and 46 moves forward, each of the foot links 4 and 6 have their forward ends displaced along the arcuate path “A,” via the pivotal connection of the foot links to the swing arms 10 and 12 described above. As the length of the stride is increased, the displacement of foot links 4 and 6 on respective swing arms 10 and 12 forces the forward ends of the foot links farther rearwardly and forwardly of the pedestal 8 along the arcuate path “A,” which tends to progressively lift the forward ends upwardly farther away from base 14. The longer the stride, the more lifting that must occur.
The user's striding movement when engaging the foot engagement pads 44 and 46 inputs energy to the exercise machine 2 which causes the rearward-forward movement of the foot links 4 and 6, the angular displacement of swing arms 10 and 12, and the rotation of the crank arms 28 and 30 and the flywheel 42. As described above, during an exercise using the exercise machine 2, the user inputs energy to the machine by performing a repetitive left-right striding motion, with the user selected striding length, which may be changed in length by the user at any time during the exercise. The resulting rearward and forward movement of the foot links 4 and 6 combines with the downward and upward movement of the foot links resulting from the rotation of the crank arms 28 and 30, to produce a pseudo-elliptical stride path for the feet of the user to follow at each of the respective foot engagement pads 44 and 46. The pseudo-elliptical stride path is illustrated for an alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 in
In the illustrated embodiments of the exercise machine 2, the length of the crank arms 28 and 30 is sized at about one-half the normal stride length of adult persons at the lower end of the range of normal stride lengths when exercising. That is, the combined lengths of the diametrically opposed crank arms 28 and 30 is approximately a normal short stride length. In the illustrated embodiment, the crank arms are each 7.5 inches in length, for a combined length of 15 inches. The length of the foot links 4 and 6 is sized to be long enough to accommodate even much longer normal stride lengths without the rearward ends thereof being moved forward past the rollers 36 on which supported as the foot links move through their pseudo-elliptical stride paths. As already discussed, throughout the exercise, the foot links 4 and 6 are maintained in rolling engagement with the rollers 36 rotatably mounted on the distal ends 33 of the crank arms 28 and 30, and are free to move rearward and forward relative to the rollers, as required to respond to the length of the stride of the user.
It is to be recognized that if the user selects a stride length that closely matches the combined lengths of the crank arms 28 and 30, and also moves his feet throughout the pseudo-elliptical stride path coincident with the forward and rearward movement of the rollers 36 as the crank arms rotate about the axle 32, there would be no rearward-forward movement of the foot links relative to the rollers. In the event that the rearward-forward foot movement of the user's feet and hence the foot links 4 and 6 does not match the rearward-forward movement of the respective roller 36, relative rearward-forward movement occurs between each foot link and the roller supporting it. The amount and timing of this relative rearward-forward movement affects the shape of the pseudo-elliptical stride path experienced during the exercise. A shorter stride tends to produce a more circular or ovate path than the longer, flatter path produced by a longer stride. A stepping or jogging in place movement produces a generally vertically oriented path with little or no rearward-forward separation between the up and down halves of the path.
It is noted that while a forward striding exercise movement by the user has been described, the user can also exercise on the exercise machine 2 by performing a rearward striding movement (i.e., running backwards while still facing forward toward the pedestal 8). The user need only apply his weight to the appropriate foot link to cause the initial rotational movement of the crank arms 28 and 30 to be counterclockwise as viewed from the right side in
It is noted that the shape of the pseudo-elliptical stride path can also be affected by the size components selected when manufacturing the exercise machine 2, for example by selecting shorter or longer crank arms 28 and 30, or swing arms 10 and 12. Additionally, changes in design can be made to select different placement of the pivotal foot link connections 20 and 22 along the length of the swing arms.
A first alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is illustrated in
The linear bearings 70 and 72 may alternatively have other bearing constructions, such as being lined with a low-friction material, such as Teflon®. or Nylon, formed with a cylindrical channel sized to slidingly receive the rearward end portions of the foot links 4 and 6 or use roller bearings. Other forms of reduced friction engagement can also be used or the foot links can simply slidably rest upon a pin or other engagement member attached to the crank arms 28 and 30.
The embodiment of
A second alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is illustrated in
When the foot links 4 and 6 are moved sufficiently to engage the stop 84 thereof with one of springs 80, the user's continued foot movement in the same direction starts to compress the spring 80 engaged. The user starts to experience resistance once this contact is made between the stop 84 and the spring 80. The resistance increases as a function of the compression of spring 80. The amount of resistance and the rate at which it is applied are functions of the specific spring design. The increased resistance serves as a subtle reminder to the user to shift his weight and change direction of his feet movement. If this does not occur, eventually the effort required of the user to further compress the spring 8 to lengthen his stride becomes so great that no further lengthening of the stride is possible and the user shifts his weight and changes his foot movement direction to begin another stride. As noted, this is accomplished with the springs 80 serving as shock absorbers to relieve the jolts that could accompany the reversal of direction of the foot links 4 and 6 if fixed stops were used. Other resistance devices may also be used to provide increasing resistance to continued movement of the foot links 4 and 6 relative to the distal ends 33 of respective crank arms 28 and 30. For example, the compression springs 80 may be replaced with pneumatic or hydraulic springs or dampers, all generally well known in the applicable arts.
A third alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is shown in
If the roller 36 is not already located at the central portion 89 of the surface 90, it will be forward or rearward thereof and when the user steps onto the foot engagement pads 44 and 46 of the foot links 4 and 6, the weight of the user will cause the foot link to move forward or rearward as necessary for the roller 36 rollingly engaging the cam 88 of the foot link to move to the central portion 89 of the surface 90. In general, this will occur even before the user steps onto the foot links as a result of the weight of the foot links themselves. The roller 36 tends to seek the peaked central portion 89 of the surface 90 since the surface rearward and forward thereof essentially is a downwardly ramping surface in both directions away from the central portion 89. The roller 36 not only tends to roll to this peaked central portion 89 of the surface 90, but even tends to stay there during an exercise unless the user applies enough rearward or forward force to the respective foot engagement pad 44, 46 to move the roller rearward or forward along the surface 90.
Moving the roller 36 away from the peaked central portion 89 along the ramped surface 90 requires energy (essentially like rolling the roller up an upwardly ramping surface). The curvature of the surface 90 as it extends away from the central portion 89 is selected so that during normal exercise when using an extended stride length, or as will be described, a reduced stride length, it is initially relatively easy to move the foot links 4 and 6 rearward and forward relative to the rollers 36, but that the energy the user must apply to do so progressively increases as the foot links move farther rearward or forward away from the central portion 89. The radius of curvature of the surface 90 in a central range extending about halfway forward from the peaked central portion 89 and about halfway rearward from the peaked central portion is selected to be sufficiently large relative to the roller 36 so that movement of the foot links 4 and 6 relative to the roller over this central range occurs easily with little horizontal resistance noticeable to the user while exercising. The length of this central range accommodates the length of most users normal strides as they normally vary during exercise. While the horizontal resistance experienced by the user over this central range when moving the foot link rearward or forward relative to the roller 36 from the peaked central portion 89 is initially almost imperceptible, it does gradually increase along this central range, and when moving rearward or forward beyond this central range, the horizontal resistance becomes appreciably more noticeable to the user and the rate of change in resistance increases.
A user striding with an unusually long stride will tend to move the foot links 4 and 6 beyond the central range. When the roller 36 approaches the stops 92, the curvature of the surface 90 transitions quickly to a radius of curvature closer to the radius of the roller 36 to prevent further movement beyond the stop. A typical complete cycle of one of the foot links 4 and 6 for a long stride length is illustrated in
The increasing difficulty realized by the user when the roller 36 rolls along the surface 90 toward the forward stop 92 is especially great since it is reached at the end of the user's rearward pushing stride, with the foot link still supporting most of the user's weight, as will be described more below. Similarly, when the roller 36 supporting the forward moving foot link approaches the rearward stop 92, the user is nearing the end of the forward movement of the foot before the user shifts his weight to this now forward foot. When the legs of the user are reaching the end positions of a striding movement, not only has the resistance significantly increased as a result of the decreased radius of curvature of the surface 90 compared to the central range, but it also becomes harder for the user to apply as much energy as at an earlier time in the stride when the legs are not stretched out so far. The length and curvature of the surface 90 rearward and forward of the central portion 89 are selected so that rarely will a user be able to or desire to apply enough force to cause the roller 36 to actually reach the stops 92 whereat no further movement therebeyond is possible. This avoids slamming into the stops 92 at the end limits of a stride and experiencing a shock load.
A striding motion applied by the user to the foot engagement pads 44 and 46 normally drives the respective foot links 4 and 6 rearwardly and forwardly relative to the rollers 36. However, if the forces applied by the legs of the user are not sufficient to move the foot links 4 and 6 rearwardly and forwardly relative to the rollers 36, the rollers maintain their position nested in the peaked central portion 89 of the surface 90 and the foot links move with the crank arms 28 and 30, both in the rearward-forward direction and in the downward-upward direction. In such case, the stride length experienced would be twice the length of the cam arms 28 and 30.
Should the user apply more force via his legs to the foot engagement pads 44 and 46 to lengthen his stride, one of the foot links 4 and 6 is moved rearward relative to the roller 36 engaging the cam 88 of that foot link and the roller rolls forward along the surface 90 toward the forward stop 92 thereof. The amount of force applied with a rearward-horizontal component determines how far forward the roller 36 moves since increasing energy is required as the roller moves forward along the downwardly curving surface 90 since it results in lifting the body weight of the user on the foot link. The amount of lifting required is determined by the curvature of the surface 90 along which the roller is rolling. The smaller the radius of curvature, the greater the amount of the rearward-horizontal component of force required since the farther the weight of the user must be lifted up. It is noted that the rearward moving foot link has the user applying the rearward pushing force thereto and tends to carry most of the user's weight.
Generally, when the user is lengthening his stride by pushing farther rearward with one foot, the user moves the other foot forward by a similar increased amount and causes the foot link that foot is engaging to move forward relative to the roller 36 engaging the cam 88 of that foot link and the roller rolls rearward along the surface 90 toward the rearward stop 92 thereof. The amount of force applied with a forward-horizontal component to accomplish this relative movement between the forward moving foot link and the roller is significantly less than with the rearwardly moving foot link described immediately above. This is because the forward moving foot link is almost completely unweighted and the force needed to lift the foot link is mostly related to the weight of the foot link itself, which is not very large. Additionally, the momentum of the crank arm engaging the forward moving foot link and its direction of rotation tend to drive the foot link forward even without much, if any, help of the forward moving foot of the user. In use, the user will tend to shift his weight and begin the next stride due to the sensation felt with the rearward pushing leg, rather than because of any sensation felt with the forward moving leg which mostly just moves forward along with the forwardly moving foot link. It is noted that in another embodiment of the exercise machine 2 illustrated in
In the event the user does apply enough horizontal force to move one of the cams 88 relative to the roller 36 so that the roller engages one of the stop 92, further movement in that direction is prevented. The stop 92 essentially presents a wall to the roller beyond which it cannot pass due to its radius of curvature relative to the radius of the roller.
Since the radius of curvature of the surface 90 progressively decreases (i.e., the curvature increases) toward the stops 92, the increased energy the user must input dissuades moving the foot links 4 and 6 relative to the rollers 36 so far as to engage the stops. In fact, after several striding cycles by a user on the exercise machine 2, the progressively increasing nature of the force encountered when reaching the end of a long stride tends to train the user to sense and respond to the increasing in force to know when to shift his weight and avoid using overly long stride lengths that might drive the rollers 36 into the stops 92. The user tends to respond to this increase in force subconsciously and it stimulates a weight shift to begin a new stride while well within the physical parameters of the exercise machine 2 as manufactured. The additional resistance supplied by the resistance device 56, if operating, also tends to discourage overly long stride lengths. Generally, the more resistance the user selects for the resistance device 56 to supply, the shorter the stride used.
It is noted that if a user wishes to exercise allowing the rollers 36 to remain nested in the peaked central portions 89 of the surfaces 90 of the cams 88, no rearward pushing force is required by the one leg of the user to move the one foot link rearward, and no forward force is required by the other leg of the user to move the other foot link forward since the rotation of the crank arms 28 and 30 will move the foot links rearward and forward. The user generally must just shift his weight to keep up with the foot link movement resulting from the rotation of the crank arms. The speed at which the weight must be shifted depends, in part, on the resistance selected by the user to be applied by the resistance device 56 previously described. In this mode of operation, the length of the crank arms 28 and 30 determine the stride length as noted above.
When a user wishes to stride with a stride length shorter than that resulting from allowing the cams 88 to travel with the rollers 36 nested into the peaked central portion 89 of the surface 90, this is accomplished by the user somewhat resisting the tendency of the cams to be carried with the rollers 36 as the crank arms 28 and 30 rotate during an exercise. Effectively, the user must apply a forward moving force on the rearward moving foot link to which he would normally apply a rearward pushing force when desiring a long stride so as to drive the foot link forward relative to the roller 36 engaging it. Similarly, the user must apply a rearward moving force on the forward moving foot link to which he would normally apply a forward force so as to drive the foot link rearward relative to the roller 36 engaging it. This is not very difficult with a little practice, and produces a shortened stride length or even a jogging or stepping in place stride path that stimulates substantially different muscle involvement than for the exercises first described.
Use of the stops 92 ensures that the cam 88 securely captures, between its forward and rearward stops 92, the roller 36 of the one of the crank arms 28 and 30 supporting the foot link 4, 6 to which the cam is secured. The stops 92 are spaced longitudinally apart sufficient to allow significant relative rearward and forward motion between the foot link and the roller for the longest stride to be accommodated.
The foot links 4 and 6 of the embodiment of the exercise machine 2 shown in
A fourth alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is shown in
In the embodiment of
A fifth alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is shown in
A sixth alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is shown in
By the interconnection of the left and right reciprocating members 131 using the flexible member 128, when the one reciprocating member moves downward toward the base 14 under the weight of the user on the foot link supported by the roller 36 attached to that reciprocating member, the other reciprocating member moves upward and carries upward the roller attached thereto and the foot link supported by that roller. Thus, the same downward-upward movement produced by the crank arms 28 and 30 used in other described embodiments is achieved. The interconnection of the reciprocating members 131 through the flexible member 128 forces the left and right reciprocating members to move downward and upward in equal and opposite reciprocating motions (i.e., left-right dependency exists for the vertical component of movement). Other mechanisms can be used to create substantially the same left-right vertical dependency described herein.
In operation, the shifting of the user's body weight applied to the foot engagement pads 44 and 46 is transmitted through the corresponding cams 88 at the rearward end of the corresponding foot links 4 and 6 to the corresponding reciprocating members 131 through the rollers 36 attached thereto to produce reciprocating downward and upward movement of the rearward end portions of the foot links 4 and 6. The rearward-forward movement of the foot links 4 and 6 responds to the rearward-forward movement of the user's feet as described above for other embodiments. With the embodiment of
An eighth embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is shown in
This produces left-right “dependency” of the rearward-forward motions of the swing arms 10 and 12, and also of the foot links 4 and 6 to which the swing arms are connected. Thus, while the user dynamically controls the effective length of stride input at each of foot engagement pads 44 and 46, the crank assembly 132 coordinates or “matches” the rearward-forward movements of the foot engagement pads 44 and 46. In the embodiment of
The angle of incline of tracks 154 is adjustable relative to base 14 about a hinge 158. The inclination angle θ between the tracks 154 and the base 14 is adjustable in response to a user command input at control panel 60 which controls a drive motor 160 connected to raise and lower the tracks 154 via a connector member 162. Varying the inclination of the tracks 154 (angle θ) increases and decreases the effort required by the user performing the exercise and changes the shape of the pseudo-elliptical stride path produced at the foot engagement pads 44 and 46.
The angular inclination φ of the curved tracks 174 is adjustable relative to base 14 in the embodiment of
An eleventh alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is shown in
A twelfth alternative embodiment of the exercise machine 2 is shown in
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/823,362, filed Mar. 30, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,689,019 which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully disclosed herein.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 09823362 | Mar 2001 | US |
| Child | 10742702 | US |
