Maximum muscle strengthening resistance device

Abstract

A maximum muscle strengthening resistance device provides a way of exercise that allows the exercising person to exert his/her full power throughout the whole time of exercise. When a volume of fluid is forced to pass through a small opening, it produces a resisting force. This invention uses this resistive force produced by the oil flow along with the mechanical force generated by a power unit such as a hydraulic pump or an electric power motor for the resisting force during the strengthening exercises. Most of the muscle strengthening exercise is consisted of consecutive concentric-eccentric exercise cycles. By using this invention, during the concentric exercise cycle the exercising person actively exert his/her full power to move the exercising handle toward the concentric direction against above mentioned resistive force of oil flow. During the eccentric exercise the power unit moves the exercising handle toward the eccentric direction and the exercising person attempts to stop the movement by exerting his/her full power. The amount of the force exerted by the exercising person during the concentric-eccentric cycle is displayed on the monitor screen for monitoring.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates 3-D view of the Resistance Cylinder Set.

FIG. 2 illustrates cross section view of the Resistance Cylinder Set.

FIG. 3 illustrates a general view of the hydraulic pump version of the device system.

FIG. 4 illustrates the mechanism of the device system during the concentric exercise (hydraulic pump version).

FIG. 5 illustrates the mechanism of the device system during the eccentric exercise (hydraulic pump version).

FIG. 6 illustrates a general view of the electric power motor version of the device system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ENABLING AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

For a better understanding of the invention, we turn now to the drawings.

FIG. 1 offers a visual understanding of how the resistance cylinder set that is the main part of this invention looks like.

FIG. 2 shows the cross section of the resistance cylinder set that includes cylinder 1, piston 2, automatic valve 3, oil cannel 4, hose from the hydraulic pump 5, hose to the oil tank 6, upper chamber 7, lower chamber 8, steel wire connecting loop 9, oil pressure sensor 10, lead wire to the oil pressure sensor 11, and resistance control opening 19. In the electric power motor version, both of hoses 5 and 6 go to the oil tank directly.

FIG. 3 shows the general system of hydraulic pump version that includes the resistance cylinder set previously shown in FIGS. 1 & 2, steel wire 12 that connects the resistance cylinder set and the exercising handle 13, hydraulic pump 14 that runs during the eccentric exercise, monitor 15 that is connected to the oil pressure sensor 10 and displays the amount of force the exercising person exerted during the exercise, oil tank 16, and steel wire pulleys 17 & 18 that convert the direction of exercises.

FIG. 4 shows the concentric exercise cycle in hydraulic pump version in which the hydraulic pump 14 stops and the automatic valve 3 opens the resistance control opening 19. The exercising person starts pull the exercising handle 13 downward as hard as possible that pulls the steel wire 12 and causes the upward movement of the piston 2. As the piston 2 moves upward, the oil in the upper chamber 7 passes through the resistance control opening 19 and moves to the lower chamber 8. At this time, by adjusting the size of opening 19 by means of the automatic valve 3, the resisting force for the exercise can be modified. The oil pressure sensor 10 senses the pressure of the upper chamber 7 and displays it on the monitor 15, and it enables the exercising person monitor the amount of force he is exerting for the exercise.

FIG. 5 shows the eccentric exercise cycle in hydraulic pump version. When the piston 2 reaches to the highest point at the end of the concentric cycle, it triggers the automatic valve 3 closes the opening 19, at the same time it triggers the hydraulic pump 14 starts to run. The hydraulic pump 14 pushes the piston 2 downward that pulls the exercising handle 13 upward. During the upward movement of the exercising handle 13, the exercising person attempts to stop it by pulling the handle 13 against its movement. Because the pulling force of the hydraulic pump is stronger than the exercising person's muscle force, the exercising handle still moves upward, and the exercising person exerts his full power by attempting to stop the movement. When the piston 2 reaches to the bottom point, it triggers the hydraulic pump 14 to stop and the automatic valve 3 to open the resistance control opening 19, that allows the exercising person starts to actively pull the exercising handle 13 downward that is the start of the concentric exercise procedure of the next concentric-eccentric exercise cycle.

FIG. 6 shows the general system of the electric motor version that includes the electric power motor 22 along with attached power clutch 23, instead of the hydraulic pump in the hydraulic pump version. During the concentric exercise cycle, the clutch 23 opens and frees the piston 2 from the electric power motor 22 allowing the exercising person to actively pull the exercising handle 13 downward. During the eccentric exercise cycle, the clutch 23 closes, and the electric power motor 22 runs and pulls the piston 2 downward that causes the upward movement of the exercising handle 13.

The illustrations and examples provided herein are for explanatory purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims, as those skilled in the art will make modifications to the invention for particular uses.

Claims

1. A Maximum Muscle Strengthening Resistance Device comprising, (a) A Resistance cylinder set that consist of one cylinder, one piston, one automatic valve, one oil cannel, two hoses, one steel wire connecting loop, one oil pressure sensor, one pair of lead wires to the oil pressure sensor, and one resistance control opening.(b) A power unit that is a hydraulic pump.(c) A power clutch that attached to the electric power motor in the electric power motor version.(d) A steel wire that connects the piston to the exercising handle.(e) An exercising handle that the exercising person pulls for strengthening exercises.(f) An oil tank that provides the oil for the said cylinder of resistance cylinder set and receives the back flow oil from the said cylinder.(g) A monitor that is connected to the oil pressure sensor in the resistance cylinder set and allows the exercising person monitors the amount of force he is exerting for the exercises.

2. The device of claim 1 includes 2 versions; (a) Hydraulic pump version: the pulling force for eccentric movement is provided by a hydraulic pump.(b) Electric power motor version: the pulling force for the eccentric movement is provided by an electric power motor.

3. A device of claim 1 wherein a person who exercises using this device pulls the said exercising handle actively during the concentric exercise cycle, that causes the said piston in the said resistance cylinder set moves outward forcing the oil inside the said cylinder passes through the said resistance control opening that gives the exercising person a resistant force against his pulling force.

4. A device of claim 1 wherein the said power unit (either hydraulic pump) provides the force to push the said piston inward during the eccentric exercise cycle, it causes the said exercising handle to move toward the eccentric direction, and by attempting to stop the said eccentric movement of the exercising handle against the pulling force of the said power unit, the exercising person performs eccentric exercises exerting his maximum power.

5. A device of claim 1 wherein the said automatic valve opens the said resistance adjusting opening automatically during the concentric exercises and allows the oil in the said resistance cylinder set forcefully passes through the opening to produce a resistant force against the pulling force of the said exercising person.

6. A device of claim 1 wherein the said automatic valve adjusts the size of the said resistance adjusting opening so that allows to set various levels of resistance during the concentric exercises.

7. A device of claim 1 wherein the said automatic valve closes the said resistance adjusting opening during the eccentric exercises in the said hydraulic pump version allowing the hydraulic pump pushes the said piston inward to produce the eccentric movement.

8. A device of claim 1 wherein the said clutch of the said electric power motor is opened during the concentric exercise cycle in the electric power motor version that frees the said piston from the said electric power motor and enables the said exercising person to perform the said concentric exercise.

9. A device of claim 1 wherein the said oil pressure sensor senses the amount of inside pressure of said cylinder and shows it on the said monitor.

10. A device of claim 1 wherein the location of the said pressure sensor is not limited to inside of the cylinder, and it can be installed onto any other places like between the piston and the steel wire.

11. A device of claim 1 wherein the said exercising handle in (e) clause is just one example of various exercising harnesses for explanatory purposes and is not intended to limit the application of this device to certain type of exercise, as those skilled in the art will make modifications to the invention for particular exercises.