Patent Application
20240245947
The present invention relates generally to exercise equipment, and more particularly to portable strength training devices.
Isometric strength training is a popular form of exercise that involves loading muscles and or tendons in a static position to improve strength and endurance. In order to track their progress, many strength trainers and athletes use apps on their mobile devices to record the force applied by muscles and or tendons. However, these apps rely on the user to manually enter the force applied, which can be inconvenient and may lead to errors. Additionally, effective training involves stimulating muscles and tendons with specific loads for specific durations. This requires the user to have the ability to control the load they are placing on their muscles and tendons. Current solutions for controlling loads, such as using bodyweight or weights, are either cumbersome or require significant training knowledge. Using one's strength to isometrically load a device to a target load, for example, a specified load in a training plan, requires weights or real-time load data.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a strength training device comprising:
When used in combination with said separate electronic device, preferably said separate electronic device comprises a mobile communications device executing a software application through which the user interfaces with both devices.
Preferably said handheld unit further comprises a wireless receiver carried by the handle, connected to the microcontroller and operable to receive incoming wireless signals from the separate device, including parameter data for an exercise routine to be performed.
Said wireless transmitter and wireless receiver of the handheld unit are typically embodied together in a transceiver.
Preferably said one or more parameters include at least one of a targeted load force value and one or more targeted load tolerance values.
Preferably the microcontroller and the wireless transmitter are configured to transmit said at least some of the load force measurement data, to said separate electronic device, in real-time.
Preferably the software application is configured to update a real-time exercise feedback display of a graphical user interface of the software application based on said at least some of the load force measurement data.
Preferably, the handheld device lacks an onboard display thereon, and relies on the separate electronic device for display capability.
Preferably the handheld unit further comprises a feedback indicator carried by the handle and operably coupled to the microcontroller for actuation thereby.
Preferably the microcontroller is configured to, during at least part of an exercise rep, compare load force measurements against a starting threshold, and activate said feedback indicator when said load force measurements exceed said starting threshold.
Preferably the microcontroller is configured to modify an operating parameter of the activated feedback indicator in response to change in the load force measurements during an exercise rep.
Preferably the feedback indicator is a vibratory feedback indicator, and said operating parameter of the activated feedback indicator is a vibrational intensity thereof.
Preferably said feedback indicator is a vibration motor, and said operating parameter of the activated feedback indicator is a speed of said vibration motor by which a vibrational intensity of said feedback indicator is varied.
Preferably the microcontroller is configured to, during at least part of an exercise rep, compare the load force measurements against the targeted load force, maintain the feedback indicator one operational state as the load force measurements approach the targeted load force, and switch the feedback indicator into a different second operational state once said targeted load force is reached.
The first and second operational states are preferably an activated state during said approach of the targeted load force, and a deactivated state once said targeted load force is reached.
Preferably the microcontroller is configured to, during at least part of an exercise rep, monitor for fluctuation of the load force measurements outside a tolerance range of the targeted load force, and trigger one or more alarm signals upon detection of said fluctuation outside the tolerance range.
Preferably said one or more alarm signals comprise an over-target alarm signal triggered by increase of the load force measurements beyond an upper limit of the tolerance range, and an under-target alarm signal that is distinct from the overstrength alarm and triggered by drop of the load force measurements below a lower limit of the tolerance range.
Preferably the alarm signals cause actuation of the feedback indicator to convey over-target and under-target status of the exerted force use to the user through said feedback indicator.
Preferably the microcontroller is configured to trigger a rep-completed signal, notifying the user of completion of the exercise rep, in response to expiration of a hold-duration timer or receipt of a rep-completed signal.
Preferably the microcontroller is configured trigger a starting signal, notifying the user of start of another exercise rep, in response to expiration of a subsequent rest duration timer or a subsequent next-rep start signal that follows said expiration of the hold-duration timer or the rep-completed signal.
Preferably said attachment point comprises a ring, hook or clip.
Preferably said handle comprises a finger slot into which the user's fingers are insertable to grip said handle.
Preferably said handheld unit measures no more than 12-inches in a width dimension of orthogonally transverse relation to a load direction in which the load force is measured by the load sensor.
Preferably said the handheld unit measures no more than 12-inches in any dimension thereof.
Preferably said handle is a singular and only handle of said device.
Preferably said the handle comprises an adjustable grip that is user-adjustable to vary at least one physical characteristic of said adjustable grip.
Preferably said at least one physical characteristic comprises a degree to which a grip surface of the adjustable grip is exposed and therefore accessible for a user's finger placement onto said grip surface.
Preferably said at least one physical characteristic comprise a slot depth of a finger slot into which the user's fingers are insertable to grip the handle.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention overcome the drawbacks of existing strength training apps by providing a handheld device with a load sensor that can measure the force applied by the user in real-time. The preferably adjustable grip of the handle is adjustable to fit a variety of grip positions, for example featuring a slidable component usable to adjust the depth of the gripping surface, whereby increasing the depth of the gripping surface reduces the difficulty for the user to grip the handle and apply a targeted load. Conversely, reducing the depth of the gripping surface increases the difficulty for the user to apply a specified load. The load sensor is configured to measure the force applied by the user, and to transmit the data to the mobile application in real-time. The vibratory feedback mechanism is configured to provide haptic feedback to the user, for example when they apply force that reaches a pre-set threshold, to signal when the user should initiate the application of force, and/or to signal where the user is currently at in relation to alternating reps and rests of an exercise routine exercise or training plan. The mobile application is configured to receive the data from the load cell sensor and to provide real-time visual and/or audible feedback to the user on their strength training performance during the exercise routine.
One or more preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
The finger-strength trainer 10 of the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings is a portable device constituted in a singular handheld unit 12 carriable and useable in single-handed fashion by its user. A bulk of the handheld unit's exterior shape is constituted by a handle body 14, at least a portion of which is hollow so as double as a housing inside of which a plurality of internal components are protectively housed. The handle body 14 of the illustrated embodiment may be interpreted as having a grip portion 16 intended for gripping thereof by one of the user's hands, both during use of the trainer 10 and during manually carried transport thereof, and a housing portion 18 in which the aforementioned internal components are housed. The grip portion is characterized by a finger slot 20 recessed into the handle body 14 at a front wall 22 thereof. The finger slot 20 of the illustrated embodiment has an open front 20A bordered all four sides thereof by the front wall 22 of the handle body, but is closed at an opposing rear boundary wall 20B of the finger slot 20, whereby the finger slot is accessible to the finger's of the user's hand at a front of the handle body 14, but not at an opposing rear thereof.
The finger slot 20 is closed at two opposing end walls thereof that reside oppositely of one another in the slot's direction of elongation. The finger slot 20 has a top wall 24 that runs between the two ends walls thereof in the slot's direction of elongation, and a bottom wall 26 that likewise does the same in a position residing oppositely of the slot's top wall 24. The terms top and bottom are used in relation to the illustrated orientation of the trainer 10 in the drawings, in which the trainer 10 will typically be used. The slot's top wall 24 denotes a gripping surface against which pads of the user's fingers are applied during using of the trainer 10, as shown in
As viewed in front or rear elevation of the handle body 14, a width of the housing portion 18 may taper downwardly away from the finger slot of the gripping portion 16, as seen in
The width of the handle body 14 at the widest slot-occupied area thereof, may be the greatest of the handle body's dimensions, followed by the overall height of the handle body 14 measured between the top and bottom ends 28, 30 thereof, and finally followed by the thickness or depth of the housing at its area of greatest thickness or depth. In the illustrated embodiment, this greatest thickness/depth of the handle body 14 resides at the bottom end 28 thereof, owing to a downwardly broadening of the housing thickness/depth at the housing portion 18, for example achieved by an oblique angling of a lower fraction of the handle body's front wall 22, as seen in
The handle body 14 is preferably made of a lightweight and durable material, such as wood, plastic, composites or suitably lightweight metal. The handle of the illustrated embodiment is adjustable to fit a variety of hand sizes and enable placement of the user's finger pads in a plurality of different possible grip positions. More specifically, the geometry of the finger slot 22 is adjustable in the illustrated embodiment by means of a slidable adjustment mechanism that allows the user to easily adjust the amount of exposed grip surface area at the top wall 24 of the finger slot 20 to a user-desired size to suit the user's finger anatomy, desired degree of challenge, or a particular finger position in which to test or improve their finger grip. The slidable adjustment mechanism in the illustrated example is embodied by a displaceable adjustment wall 32 that lies parallel to the closed rear boundary wall 20B of the finger slot 20 and is slidable back and forth toward and away therefrom, and stoppable in various selectable locations between the rear boundary wall 20B of the finger slot 20 and the opposing open front 20A of the finger slot 20 in order to set a user-adjustable working depth of the finger slot 20, as measured from the open front 20A thereof to the adjustment wall 32.
Increase of the working depth of the finger slot 20, by displacement of the adjustment wall 32 toward the rear boundary wall 20B of the finger slot 20 and away from the open front 20A thereof, increases the exposed amount of grip surface area at the top wall 24 of the finger slot 20, while decrease of the working depth of the finger slot 20, by displacement of the adjustment wall 32 away from the rear boundary wall 20B of the finger slot 20 toward the open front 20A thereof, decreases the exposed amount of grip surface area at the top wall of the finger slot 20. A rotatable adjustment screw 34 is engaged in a threaded bore in a rear wall 35 of the handle body, which threaded bore is embodied by a T-nut 34A in the illustrated example. The adjustment screw 34 is rotatable therein in two opposing directions, each of which corresponds to displacement of the adjustment wall 32, which is attached to a working end of the adjustment screw 34 inside the finger slot 20, in a respective one of its two displaceable directions toward and away from the open front 20A of the finger slot 20. A driving end of the adjustment screw 34 resides outside the slot at a rear wall 38 of the handle body 14 for actuation of the adjustment screw at the exterior of the handle body 14.
In the illustrated embodiment, the internal and electrical components hosted by the housing portion 18 of the handle body 14 include a battery 36, a microcontroller 38, a wireless transceiver (e.g. Bluetooth transceiver) 40, a vibration motor 42, a load sensor (e.g. a full bridge strain gauge load cell 44, accompanied by a cooperating load cell amplifier 46), of which all but the load cell 44, and optionally the battery 36, may be commonly mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) 48, as shown in schematic
Finally, the trainer 10 features an attachment point 54 by which the trainer 10 is selectively and removably couplable to a static anchor point 58 on any suitably stable structure. In the illustrated example, the attachment point 54 is embodied by a permanently enclosed ring of an eye-bolt 56 whose shaft 56A is secured to the load cell 44, though instead of a closed ring, the attachment point 54 may be embodied by a hook or an openable/closeable clip. With reference to
The load cell 44 is connected to the microcontroller 38, via the load cell amplifier 46, whereby the microcontroller 38 can derive, in real-time, load force measurement data based on incoming measurement signals from the load cell 44. In the illustrated embodiment, the trainer 10 lacks its own on-board display for visual communication of measurement values to the user, and instead makes use of the wireless transceiver 40 to wirelessly communicate, in real-time, the load force measurement data, or at least some thereof, to a separate display-equipped electronic device 62 of physically unconnected relation to the trainer 10, as schematically shown in
The communicated load force measurement data received in real-time by the software application of the electronic device 62 via the wireless transceiver thereof is converted into a real-time visual display of such data in the GUI, whereby the user has visual feedback of the finger-exerted load force they are applying, at any given moment during an exercise routine, to the handle 14 of the trainer 10.
The exercise routine starts with a targeting phase in which the goal of the user is to achieve the targeted load force value. In this targeting phase, illustrated in
So that the user is not dependent, or at least not solely dependent, on visual readout out of the GUI, the vibration motor 42 of the trainer 10 is used to generate haptic feedback to the user on their performance during the exercise routine through vibration of the handle body 14. In order to minimize lag in the control of the vibration motor 42 in response to variations in the exerted load force, real-time analysis of the load force measurement data is preferably performed locally by the onboard microprocessor 38 of the trainer 10, rather than by the software application of smartphone 62. That is, during the exercise routine, it is the microcontroller 38 that performs the comparison of the real-time exerted load force value against the targeted load force value during the targeting phase, and then against the upper and lower tolerance limits in the holding phase, and assesses a state of the exerted load based thereon. The data wirelessly streamed to the smartphone 62 may contain a combination of the real-time exerted load force values (for use in numerical and graphical display thereof), and for each such load force value, the assessed state of the exerted load. Meanwhile, control over the selection or customization of different exercise routines, and initiation of any given exercise routine is preferably implemented via the GUI of the software application of the smartphone, thus avoiding the need to implement a user-interface on the trainer 10 itself, which can therefore be kept relatively simple and affordable in its design and construction, with no display screen and no control buttons or other user-operated inputs to the microcontroller 38.
Variable parameters of the exercise routines preferably include the targeted load force value that the user is intended to reach in the targeting phase, and a hold-duration value for which the user is intended to exert to the targeted load force on the trainer 10 in the holding phase, and optionally may include a number of repetitions (reps, for short) to be performed in a given routine. For any routine in which the number of reps is more than one, the routine also includes one or more rests, whose quantity is one less than the number of reps, and of which each rest denotes a period of inactive time between two reps. During each rest, the user is not tasked with exerting any targeted load force, and thus may relax their fingers until the next rep, and the trainer 10 need not take any load force measurements, nor stream load force measurement data to the smart phone, though it may optionally continue to do so. The software application of the smartphone 62 preferably stores, in computer readable memory, a plurality of exercise routines parameter data sets, at least some of which may denote preset exercise routines whose variable parameters are preset from the factory, others of which may be user-customized routines whose variable parameters are inputted by the user through the GUI, and others of which may be software-customized routines whose variable parameters are derived using historical performance data stored from prior exercise routines completed by the user as part of a dynamically updated, user-specific training plan.
When a user-selected or automatically-selected routine is loaded in the software application, the respective parameter set for that routine is retrieved from memory, and at least part of the respective parameter set is communicated from the smartphone 62 to the trainer 10 as part of a routine initiation signal, for example in response to user selection of a “start” option in the GUI to initiate that selected exercise routine. The initiation signal includes at least the target load force value and the upper and lower limit values of the threshold range. Executable programming embodied in non-transitory computer readable memory of the microprocessor 38, on receipt of the initiation signal, assigns these values to corresponding variables to be used in the targeting and tolerance phases of the exercise routine being cooperatively executed by the smartphone and the trainer 10. To signify the start of the exercise routine to the user, the microcontroller 38 initially triggers a vibrational start signal, by momentarily actuating the vibration motor 42 in some distinctive pattern, for example two short pulses followed by a singular long pulse, in response to which the user knows to exert a load force on the grip area of the handle body's finger slot 20, and may also be prompted to do so by the smartphone's software application, for example with a visual and/or audible “pull” or “go” command (see
Initially, during the targeting phase, the microcontroller 38 compares the real-time exerted load force values against an initial minimum threshold, which may be a fixed value separate from the transmitted parameter set values received from the smartphone 62. Once the microcontroller 38 detects crossing of the real-time exerted load force values beyond this minimum threshold, the microcontroller activates the vibration motor 42. In response to increase of the real-time exerted load force values, the microcontroller varies the speed of the vibration motor to change the vibration intensity imparted to the handle 14 as haptic feedback to the user that their exerted load force is increasing. In one preferred embodiment, the microcontroller 38 initially runs the vibration motor 42 at a high (e.g. maximum) speed, imparting relatively intense vibration to the handle 14, and decreases the motor speed to decrease the vibration intensity as the exerted load force increases. In other embodiments, a reverse scheme may instead be implemented where the vibration intensity is increased with increasing load force. In response to the same detected crossover of the minimum threshold, and during this ongoing variation of vibration strength according to the exerted load force, the microcontroller 38 begins comparing the real-time exerted load force values against the targeted load force value.
Once the microcontroller 38 detects that the real-time exerted load force value has reached the targeted load force value, the microcontroller deactivates the vibration motor 42, thus terminating the vibration of the handle 14, which serves as haptic feedback to the user that the targeted load force value has been reached. This same detected achievement of the targeted load force value occurs at the smartphone, which triggers switching of the exercise routine into the holding phase, at which point the smartphone's software application activates a hold-duration countdown timer, whose value is determined by the hold-duration time of the given exercise routine's parameter set. In the presently detailed embodiment, the smartphone's software application and the trainer's microcontroller are both analyzing the real-time load force measurement data, and so the smartphone application triggers activation of its hold-duration countdown timer based on a local determination that the targeting phase is complete, but in other embodiments, for example where the phone doesn't perform any redundant data analysis to that being done on the trainer for vibration control purposes, this transition from the targeting phase to the holding phase could instead be based on a status-change signal from the trainer 10 in response to its determination that the targeted load force value was met.
Either way, in response to this same determination that the targeted load force was reached, and in association with the start of the holding phase of the rep, the software application switches the GUI from the zoomed out targeting mode of
Once expiration of the hold-duration timer has been detected on the smartphone, denoting completion of the holding phase, and thus completion of the entire rep, the smartphone transmits a rep-termination signal to the trainer's microcontroller 38. In response to this, the microcontroller 38 triggers another vibrational signal, but one that is distinct from each of the two alarm signals, and serves as a rep-completed signal informing the user that the current rep has been completed. The vibration pattern of the rep-completed signal may for example be two short pulses followed by a singular long pulse. At this point, with the holding phase now complete, the microcontroller 38 and the smartphone's software application both terminate their respective ongoing comparisons of the load force measurement data against the upper and lower tolerance limit values, and the microcontroller 38 can optionally terminate streaming of the real-time load force measurement data to the smartphone.
In the scenario where the exercise routine includes multiple reps, the expiration of the hold-duration timer at the end of the first rep denotes the start of a subsequent rest, in response to which a rest duration countdown timer is started, at a value determined by a rest duration value of the respective parameter set for the given exercise routine. As with the hold-duration timer, this rest-duration timer may be executed by the smartphone's software application, rather than by the trainer's microcontroller, in which case, expiration of the rest-duration timer triggers the smartphone to send a next-rep start signal to the microcontroller of the trainer 10, and the above described executional details of a rep are repeated, followed by optional repetition of a second rest and third rep, if applicable, then third rest and fourth rep, if applicable, etc. In the above description, the vibrational signals denoting the start of a rep, the end of a rep, the start of a rest, and the end of a rest, are all the same, though this need not necessarily be the case. That said, the end of a rest will typically always coincide with the start of a next rep, and so only a singular signal is needed at the transition from a rest to a next rep. Using the same vibrational signal for stop and start notifications to the user reduces the number of distinct vibrational patterns the user needs to be able to recall the meaning of, for the sake of user simplicity. After the end of any given rep, the user can always visually look at the GUI of the smartphone's software application to see if a rest is currently indicated, which serves to inform the user than another rep will subsequently begin. The colour of one or more onscreen display elements (e.g. the line chart), may be changed by the smartphone's software application as part of the transition from the rep to the rest (for example from the green, red, yellow scheme of the rep to a distinctive blue or purple). The software application may also trigger an audible “rest” announcement from the speaker 64 of the smartphone at the start of any rest, and/or trigger an audible “set finished” announcement at the end of a final rep to notify that the user that the overall routine (set of reps and rests) is complete, whereby the user need not rely on visual cues to know whether they are in a rest period leading up to another rest, or whether the final rep was completed, denoting the end of the overall routine. During any rep or rest, the software application may display the running timer value of the respective countdown timer on the screen as shown at 80 in
From the forgoing description, it will be understood that the preferred embodiment distributes various data processing tasks of a cooperatively executed exercise routine between the microcontroller 38 of the trainer 10 and the processor(s) of the smartphone 62, conducting local processing of the load force measurement data on the trainer's microcontroller for the purpose of force-responsive control of the vibration motor 42 with minimal lag, and streaming the load force measurement data onward to the smartphone for use thereon to perform real-time display of load force information (through one or both of numerical display and graphical representation) and redundant local processing of the load force measurement data on the smartphone for the purpose of controlling the timing of the reps and rests, and changing the display accordingly. Instead of performing data processing on the smartphone that is redundant of data processing being done on the trainer to avoid notable lag in control of the vibrational feedback during load force variation, target load achievement and tolerance limit crossover, the smartphone could instead rely on status signals from the trainer 10 to control display changes, timer operations and audible notifications on the smartphone. The streamed real-time data from the trainer 10 may include, for each data point of the real-time load force measurement data, a status indicator, with the smartphone's software application monitoring for changes of status indicator that would warrant taking of a display, timer or audio related action. Inclusion of a status indicator with each load force data point is also useful for testing and debugging purposes.
It will therefore be appreciated that the detailed example of task distribution in the preceding embodiment is just one possible implementation of the manner in which the various electronically automated tasks involved in the exercise routine may be distributed among the trainer 10 and the smartphone 62 for execution by the respective processors thereof based on stored executed statements and instructions in their respective non-transitory computer readable memories, and the present invention encompasses all possible distribution of the described tasks therebetween in any manner capable of all or any subset of the described actions, including switching between targeting and holding phases of a rep, switching between reps and rests, and operating the vibrational motor for the purpose of haptic signalling of the start and end of reps and rests, and/or the purpose of providing haptic feedback on the magnitude of the exerted load force and/or the attainment of targeted load force values and/or crossover of tolerance limits.
Use of a vibration motor or other vibratory mechanism, which may be generalized simply as a vibrator for short, is preferred because haptic-based feedback and signalling doesn't require a maintained sightline to the trainer 10 during use, as would be required of a visual indicator. However, in other embodiments, one or more visual indicators (e.g. one or more light emitting diodes, or other illumination sources) capable of emitting distinct alarms, signals and force-dependent feedback, for example through varying illumination colour, illumination intensity or continuous vs. pulsing/blinking illumination patterns could be employed in alternative or supplemental fashion for similar purpose. Another option includes use of audible indicators on the trainer 10 that are capable of such distinctive alarm, signal and feedback functions, though the haptic vibratory feedback is again preferable, as it is less disruptive to other occupants of a shared environment, and doesn't suffer from interference from other noise sources. The preferred embodiment incorporates audible feedback capability through the smartphone 62, but with the benefit that such audio functions may be muted, for example when using the trainer 10 in an environment shared by other occupants, or in a noisy environment where the user can't fully rely on audible cues.
In addition to providing real-time feedback to their performance during the strength training exercise routines, the software application can beneficially be configured to allow the user to input their strength training goals and to track their progress over time, with stored results and feedback on the user's historical performance, such as the amount of force applied, the number of reps and sets completed, and the amount of progress made towards their goals. Additionally, the software application may have the ability to use the stored performance data to create user-specific software-customized training plans. The mobile software application may include conveyance of audible feedback to the user that takes into account historical performance and/or the user's training goals.
Since various modifications can be made in the invention as herein above described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.
This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/480,602, filed Jan. 19, 2023, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63480602 | Jan 2023 | US |
