Method for controlling the operation of a treadmill, treadmill and related program product

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9974997-B2
Application number	US-201615354408-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2016
Priority date	Nov 18, 2015
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed are a treadmill and a method for controlling the operation of the treadmill. The method comprises: detecting, by at least one detecting sensor with which the treadmill is equipped, at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between a user and a physical exercise surface of the treadmill; providing at least one set reference value of a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface; modulating, by means of the data processing unit, at least one electrical control parameter of an actuation device operatively associated with at least either a first rotary element and a second rotary element with which the treadmill is equipped, on the basis of said at least a first parameter the step of modulating being carried out to keep the second parameter equal to the set reference value of said at least a second parameter.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling the operation of a treadmill, comprising the steps of:
detecting, by at least one detecting sensor with which the treadmill is equipped, at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between a user and a physical exercise surface of the treadmill;
providing, by a data processing unit with which the treadmill is equipped, at least one set reference value of a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface;
modulating, by the data processing unit, at least one electrical control parameter of an actuation device operatively associated with at least one of a first rotary element and a second rotary element with which the treadmill is equipped, on the basis of said at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface detected by said at least one sensor,
the step of modulating being carried out to keep the second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface substantially equal to the set reference value of said at least a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface is different from said at least a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein said at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface coincides with said at least a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface, the step of modulating being carried out by modulating, by the data processing unit, said at least one electrical control parameter of the actuation device on the basis of the variation from the set reference value of said at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface detected by said at least one sensor.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein:
such at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface is either the speed of forward motion of the physical exercise surface or the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element or of the actuation device, the at least one sensor being a speed sensor;
the at least a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface is the braking torque of either the actuation device or of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein:
such at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface is the braking torque of either the actuation device or of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element, the at least one sensor being a torque sensor;
the at least a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface is the braking torque of either the actuation device or of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element;
the step of modulating said at least one electrical parameter of the actuation device being carried out, by the data processing unit, on the basis of the variation of the braking torque of either the actuation device or of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element detected by said at least one sensor from said set reference value.

6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the actuation device comprises a motor, the set reference braking torque value being equal to a reference function with variable progression over time from a first reference value corresponding to a braking action exerted by the motor to a second reference value corresponding to a driving action of the motor,
the step of modulating being carried out, by the data processing unit, to keep the braking torque substantially equal to the set first reference value, so as to oppose the motion of the user on the physical exercise surface;
the step of modulating comprising a step of passing from a resistant action to a driving action of the motor for a set transient period of time,
the step of modulating further being carried out by the data processing unit, to keep the braking torque substantially equal to the set second reference value.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the set reference braking torque value is equal to a reference function with variable progression over time from a first reference value to a second reference value, the step of modulating being carried out, by the data processing unit, with respect to the first reference value for a first interval of time in which the user exerts a thrust and with respect to the second reference value in a second interval of time in which the user runs on the treadmill, the passage between the set first reference value and the set second reference value being carried out either automatically by the data processing unit as a function of the comparison of a value of a parameter representative of the push exerted by the user with a respective reference value, or manually by the user.

8. The method according to claim 3 , wherein:
both said at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface and said at least a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface are either the speed of forward motion of the physical exercise surface or the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element or of the actuation device, the at least one sensor being a speed sensor;
the step of modulating said at least one electrical control parameter of the actuation device being carried out, by the data processing unit, on the basis of the variation of either the speed of forward motion of the physical exercise surface or the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element or of the actuation device detected by said at least one sensor from said set reference value.

9. The method according to claim 2 , wherein:
such at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface is either the speed of forward motion of the physical exercise surface or the rotation speed of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element or of the actuation device, the at least one sensor being a speed sensor;
the at least a second parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface is the power of the actuation device.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the step of modulating comprises a step of obtaining, by the data processing unit, the value of said at least one electrical control parameter with which to modulate the actuation device as a function of a set reference braking torque value of the actuation device or of at least one of the first rotary element and the second rotary element, calculated from the set reference power value of the actuation device on the basis of the detected speed.

11. The method according to claim 2 , wherein:
such at least a first parameter representative of the interaction between the user and the physical exercise surface is the b

Assignees

• Technogym Spa

Inventors

• Cei Daniele

Classifications

• A63B2220/51

  Force · CPC title

• A63B21/0051

  using eddy currents induced in moved elements, e.g. by permanent magnets · CPC title

• A63B2220/30

  Speed · CPC title

• A63B22/025 Primary

  electrically, e.g. D.C. motors with variable speed control · CPC title

• A63B23/04

  for lower limbs {(training appliances for special sports A63B69/00; for the purpose of producing mechanical power F03G5/00)} · CPC title