Power cooperation system for exercise apparatuses

• US 10,050,492 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2016
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Johnson Health Tech Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Johnson Health Tech Company Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Cheng Kun
• Primary Examiner(s): Ganesan, Sundhara
• Application Number:
  US15/170,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20170288503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0055 the produced electric power used as a source for other equipment, e.g. for TVs
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/15 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/1861 driven by animals or vehicles H02K7/1853 takes precedence

Abstract

A power cooperation system among exerciser apparatuses includes at least two exercise apparatuses. The exercise apparatuses have a wireless communication channel therebetween, and each has a motion module, a power generation module, a power storage module and at least one power consuming module. At least one of the exercise apparatuses has a power transmitting module connected to the power generation module and/or the power storage module and being able to transmit an energy wave. The other exercise apparatus has a power receiving module connected to the power storage module for being able to receive the energy wave. Under this arrangement, the power cooperation system is configured to achieve power sharing among exercise apparatuses and ensure that every exercise apparatus has enough power to keep available, and using the excess power by the respective exercise apparatuses efficiently.

Claims

1. A first exercise apparatus for wirelessly sharing electric power with a second exercise apparatus, the first exercise apparatus comprising:

a motion module configured to generate mechanical energy when a user performs an exercise thereon;

a power generation module coupled to the motion module and configured for converting the mechanical energy from the motion module into electrical energy;

a power storage module coupled to the power generation module and configured for storing the electrical energy generated by the power generation module;

a power consuming module electrically connected to the power storage module and configured for consuming the electrical energy stored in the power storage module;

a communication device configured to communicate with the second exercise apparatus and defining a wireless communication channel between the first exercise apparatus and the second exercise apparatus for obtaining electrical quantity information of the second exercise apparatus;

a power transmitting module electrically connected to the power storage module and configured for converting the electrical energy of the power storage module into an energy wave and wirelessly transmitting to the second exercise apparatus; and

a control unit electrically connected to the power storage module, the communication device and the power transmitting module for controlling the energy wave transmitted from the power transmitting module of the first exercise apparatus to the second exercise apparatus according to the electrical quantity information of the second exercise apparatus.

2. The first exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a power receiving module connected to the control unit and the power storage module for receiving the energy wave transmitted from the second exercise apparatus;

wherein when the electrical quantity of the power storage module is higher than a first preset value, the control unit controls the power transmitting module to transmit the energy wave to other exercise apparatus;

when the electrical quantity of the power storage module is lower than a second preset value, the control unit controls the power receiving module to receive the energy wave from other exercise apparatus.

3. The first exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first exercise apparatus and the second exercise apparatus are the same type of exercise apparatus, when the electrical quantity of the power storage module of the first exercise apparatus is higher than that of the second exercise apparatus, the control unit of the first exercise apparatus controls the power transmitting module to transmit the energy wave to the second exercise apparatus and the second exercise apparatus has a control unit control a power receiving module to receive the energy wave transmitted by the first exercise apparatus.

4. The first exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication device has an information transmission module and an information receiving module, the information transmission module configured to transmit the electrical quantity information of the power storage module, and the information receiving module configured to receive the electrical quantity information of other exercise apparatus.

5. The first exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a power distribution device wirelessly connected between the exercise apparatuses and defining the wireless communication channel for receiving the electrical quantity information of the power storage modules of the respective exercise apparatuses, the power distribution device configured to transfer a command to the first exercise apparatus to make the control unit of the first exercise apparatus to control the energy wave transmitted from the power transmitting module.

6. The first exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy wave is electromagnetic waves.

7. The first exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the energy wave is ultrasonic waves.

8. The first exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the power transmitting module of each exercise apparatus transmits the energy wave by beams.

9. A power cooperation system for exerciser apparatuses, comprising:

at least two exercise apparatuses at the same location, each exercise apparatus having a motion module, a power generation module, a power storage module and at least one power consuming module, the motion module provided for a user to perform a specific exercise and driven by motion of the user to generate mechanical energy, the power generation module connected to the motion module for converting the mechanical energy of the motion module into electrical energy, the power storage module connected to the power generation module for storing the electrical energy generated by the power generation module, the power consuming module electrically connected to the power storage module for consuming the electrical energy stored in the power storage module;

at least one exercise apparatus having a power transmitting module, other exercise apparatus having a power receiving module, the power transmitting module connected to the power generation module and/or the power storage module of the exercise apparatus with the power transmitting module and configured to convert the electrical energy of the power generation module and /or the power storage module into electromagnetic or ultrasonic waves and transmitting to other exercise apparatus, the power receiving module connected to the power storage module of the exercise apparatus with the power receiving module and configured to receive the electromagnetic or ultrasonic waves from the power transmitting module of other exercise apparatus and converting the electromagnetic or ultrasonic waves into electrical energy and stored in the power storage module;

the exercise apparatus with the power transmitting module and the exercise apparatus with power receiving module having a wireless communication channel therebetween for transmitting electrical quantity information of the power storage modules of the respective exercise apparatuses; and

each exercise apparatus having a control unit configured to control the power transmitting module to transmit the electromagnetic or ultrasonic waves and the power receiving module to receive the electromagnetic or ultrasonic waves according to the electrical quantity information of the power storage modules of the respective exercise apparatuses.

10. A method for sharing electric power among exercise apparatuses, the method comprising:

providing at least two exercise apparatuses, each exercise apparatus having a motion module configured to generate mechanical energy as a user performs an exercise thereon, a power generation module configured for converting the mechanical energy from the motion module into electrical energy, a power storage module configured for storing the electrical energy generated by the power generation module;

making the at least two exercise apparatuses communicate with each other;

obtaining electrical quantity information of the power storage module of each exercise apparatus;

determine whether the electrical quantity of the power storage module of each exercise apparatus is higher than a first preset value or not;

determine whether the electrical quantity of the power storage module of each exercise apparatus is lower than a second preset value or not;

wirelessly transmitting the electric power from one exercise apparatus with the electrical quantity of the power storage module higher than the first preset value to the other exercise apparatus with the electrical quantity of the power storage module lower than the second preset value.