Patent Application
20190344115
Not applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention pertains to the field of exercise equipment. More specifically, the invention comprises a cable-actuated force application system that can be used to mimic traditional free weights and provide other functionality as well.
Many different types of exercise devices are known. The use of free weights for strength and cardiovascular training is particularly beneficial because the user must generally control six degrees of freedom for the weight being lifted. This fact means that many smaller muscles must be used to stabilize the position of the weight in addition to the muscles the particular exercise is designed to employ. Free weights also present risk, however. A user may accidentally drop a free weight. Worse, the free weight may create a situation where the user's balance is lost and the descent to the ground is exacerbated by the accelerating weight.
It would be desirable to provide a free weight for exercise where the presence of the weight could be eliminated when a dangerous situation is detected (such as a loss of balance). Of course, one cannot simply switch off the mass of a free weight. One advantage of the present invention is its ability to mimic the forces created by moving a free weight while largely eliminating the risk a free weight creates. The present invention provides other advantages as well.
The present invention comprises a cable-based exercise system. A chassis is provided to house the actuators. A force plate sits on top of this chassis. A bar configured for gripping by a user is provided. The bar has a first end and a second end. Two or more cables are connected to each end of the bar. Each cable connect, an end of the bat to a drive motor. Each drive motor can be independently controlled. A central processor is preferably provided to receive sensory inputs and control the drive motors.
In use, a user stands on the force plate and applies force to the bar (such as curling the bar or lifting the bar). The reactive forces of the user's feet on the force plate are preferably measured and sent to the processor. The angular position of each drive motor is preferably also measured and sent to the processor. The processor controls the torque and position for each drive motor in order to create a desired exercise configuration for the bar (via tensile forces applied through the cables). This control can be provided in a dynamic situation where the bar is moving. The processor is also preferably configured to detect abnormal situations such as a loss of the user's balance. In such a situation the controller can remove the forces applied to the bar.
10 cable driven exercise device
12 chassis
14 force plate
16 user
18 bar
20 cable anchor
21 anchor plate
22 left front cable
24 left rear table
26 left lateral cable
28 right front cable
30 right lateral cable
32 right rear cable
34 left front motor
36 left lateral motor
38 left rear motor
40 right front motor
42 right lateral motor
44 right rear motor
46 load cell
48 processor
50 controller
52 power supply
54 defined force object
The various components will now be described with respect to the orientation of the user shown in
Bar 18 has a left end and a right end. An anchor plate 21 is provided on both ends. This optional anchor plate is provided for the convenient attachment of cable anchors 20. As an example, the upper end of left front cable 22 is attached to the left anchor plate. The lower end of the same left front cable is attached to a drum connected to left front motor 34. The drum on left front motor 34 is preferably able to precisely control the tension on left front cable 22 and to precisely control the distance from the point where the cable departs the drum to the left anchor plate 21 (the linear extension of left front cable 22). As depicted in
Left rear cable 24 connects between the left anchor plate 21 and a drum mounted on left rear motor 38. As for the left front motor, left rear motor 38 is preferably able to precisely control both the tension on left rear cable 24 and the linear extension of left rear cable 24.
Similar cable and drive systems are present on the right end of bar 18. Right front cable 28 connects between the right anchor plate 21 and a drum mounted on right front motor 40. Right rear cable 32 connects between the right anchor plate and a drum mounted on right rear motor 44.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the presence of cables 22, 24, 28, 32 and motors 34, 38, 42, 44 allow a stable and controlled application of force to bar 18. However, those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the application of lateral forces (again, “lateral” being understood from the perspective of the user 16) is limited in this scenario. In order to address this potential concern, another preferred embodiment of the present invention includes two lateral cables.
In this six-cable embodiment, left lateral cable 26 connects the left anchor plate 21 to a drum attached to left lateral motor 36. Similarly, right lateral cable 30 connects the right anchor plate 21 to a drum attached to right lateral motor 42. The addition of these two lateral cables increases the directions in which the inventive system can apply force to bar 18.
Each cable is connected to a drum on a motor. Bach motor is controllable in terms of its angular position and the amount of torque it applies. As an example, each motor may be a digitally controlled stepper motor. Each drum may include a helical groove that precisely guides the cable into position as the cable unwinds and rewinds with the motion of the bar and the motor. In other embodiments each drum may include a ball mechanism which precisely guides the cable onto the drum. Each motor can be precisely controlled in terms of its angular position from a fixed starting point and the amount of torque it applies. As long as the cable is precisely guided on and off the drum, the angular position of the drum can be translated into a precise amount of linear extension for the cable.
Each motor 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44 is provided with its own motor controller 50. The motor controller drives the motor to a desired position, velocity, and torque. Each motor controller also receives positional information from an encoder on the motor itself. Processor 48 sends data to each controller 50 giving desired position, velocity, and torque. Each motor controller then provides local control of its associated motor to achieve those results.
The four load cells 46 also provide information to processor 48. Power supply 52 is configured to provide power to the processor, the load cells, and the motor controllers. A separate (higher current) power supply may be used for the motors themselves.
The processor runs software configured to provide desired exercise functionality for the inventive device. Returning to
The inventive system may also incorporate a counterweight arm configured to hold the bar at a convenient height (such as 100 cm) without the addition of any force. Such a device eliminates the need to lift the bar from the top of force plate 14.
Using software running on the processor, the inventive device can do more than simply mimic the dynamics of free weights. The software can define an arbitrary unloaded path which the user intuitively learns to guide the bar along. This unloaded path can aid in various therapies.
The reactive forces measured by force plate 14 can be used in many ways. As an example, the processor can compute an instantaneous center of pressure and compare its location to the user's boundary of balance stability (generally a polygon defining the geometric boundary of where the center of pressure can be without causing a loss of balance). If the center of pressure moves outside this polygon the processor can immediately remove tension on all the cables so the user will not fall.
The invention preferably incorporates one or more of the following features:
1. The force plate can be a single plate or two separate foot plates. The data collected includes center of pressure and total force. This can be presented to the user on a display.
2. For the embodiments having three cables per side, the invention can apply force in three dimensions.
3. Some embodiments may not include the sensing of force applied in each cable. Rather, they can just sense the reactive forces on the force plate and use this information to adjust the torque applied by each motor.
4. The invention can include a motion capture system configured to capture the user's motion in real time. The user's motion can then be displayed to the user or a trainer.
5. A camera system can be included to record and play back video of the user.
6. The invention can include a graphical user interface designed to allow the user to easily control and monitor the operation of the components (such as on a standalone tablet).
7. The device can include interchangeable bars configured for use in specific exercises. For example, the device might include one type of bar for squats and another type of bar for curls. The device could even include two separate grips rather than a single bar.
8. The device can provide an aerobic mode in which more rapid motion with lighter loads is implemented.
9. The device can record precise data as to the position of the bar at all points during an exercise cycle.
10. The processor performs calculations to determine the precise position and torque for each drive motor many times per second.
11. The inventive system can provide a constant force over a very wide range of motion.
12. The inventive system can accurately mimic free weights while greatly reducing the risk of injury.
13. The inventive system can mimic the action of eccentric overloading exercise machines. The load can be varied in a much more complex fashion than is possible using devices such as mechanical cams.
14. An additional resistive force can be added to limit speed of motion if desired.
15. Perturbation loading can be applied to create random or pseudo random force disturbances.
16. Perturbation can be added to regular loads to assess the user's balance capabilities or to enhance them over time.
17. The processor can be configured to sense user fatigue and reduce load complexity as the exercise cycles continue.
18. Emergency release of all cable tension can be created by a user pressing a button or pulling a cord. Emergency release can also be produced automatically—such as by detecting a loss of balance.
The preceding description contains significant detail regarding the novel aspects of the present invention. It is should not be construed, however, as limiting the scope of the invention but rather as providing illustrations of the preferred embodiments of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be fixed by the claims ultimately presented, rather than by the examples given.
This non-provisional patent application claims benefit of an earlier-filed provisional application. The provisional application listed the same inventor. It was assigned application Ser. No. 62/670,903.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62670903 | May 2018 | US |
