USER-DEFINED ENVIRONMENTS FOR EXERCISE MACHINE TRAINING

• US 20090209393A1
• Filed: 02/14/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rau, Benjamin T., Crater, Bradley A., Mericle, Grant S., Lopez, Todd J.
• Application Number:
  US12/031,505
• Publication Number:
  US 20090209393A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/9
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0638 Displaying moving images of recorded environment, e.g. virtual environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0644 with display speed of moving landscape controlled by the user's performance
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/065 Visualisation of specific exercise parameters
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0691 Maps, e.g. yardage maps or electronic maps
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0023 the inclination of the main axis of the movement path being adjustable, e.g. the inclination of an endless band
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0056 the pivoting movement being in a vertical plane, e.g. steppers with a horizontal axis platforms for rocking motion about a horizontal axis A63B22/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0076 Rowing machines for conditioning the cardio-vascular system seats moving during exercise A63B22/0087; training appliances for rowing or sculling on boats A63B69/06
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/02 with movable endless bands , e.g. treadmills other training appliances for running on the spot A63B69/0028
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0242 with speed variation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0605 performing a circular movement, e.g. ergometers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0664 performing an elliptic movement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2213/002 Infrared
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/12 Absolute positions, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/14 Geo-tagging, e.g. for correlating route or track location data with specific information related to that specific location
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/18 Inclination, slope or curvature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/22 Stride length
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/70 Measuring or simulating ambient conditions, e.g. weather, terrain or surface conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/72 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/75 Humidity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/76 : Wind conditions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/801 : Contact switches
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 : Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/20 : with means for remote communication, e.g. internet or the like
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2225/64 : Heated
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 : heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/207 : P-O2, i.e. partial O2 value
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 24/0084 : Exercising apparatus with means for competitions, e.g. virtual races
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 : Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 : Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 20/30 : relating to physical therapies or activities, e.g. physiotherapy, acupressure or exercising

Abstract

A method of implementing a user-defined environment for exercise includes specifying a course route with a course development tool, and designating additional parameters associated with the course route. The course route and additional parameters support simulation of exercise on a course corresponding to the specified court route and additional parameters.

Claims

1. A method of implementing a user-defined environment for exercise in which environmental parameters are simulated with exercise equipment, said method comprising:

specifying a course route with a course development tool,

designating time dependent environmental parameters and spatial environmental parameters associated with said course route, in which said time dependent environmental parameters comprise at least one of air temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, sun position, and solar heat flux, and

simulating said course route with said exercise equipment, said time dependent environmental parameters being varied as time progresses and said spatial environmental parameters being varied according to a user'"'"'s simulated position on said course route.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

exporting data corresponding to said course route and said time dependent environmental parameters and said spatial environmental parameters to an exercise machine; and

simulating exercise on said course using said exercise machine.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising designating a historical date which said user-defined environment will recreate.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising retrieving said time dependent environmental parameters over said course route for said historical date.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising designating a future date which said user-defined environment will create, said course development tool using predicted values of said time dependent environmental parameters.

25. The method of claim 1, in which said time dependent environmental parameters comprise air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction.

26. The method of claim 25, in which said time dependent environmental parameters further comprise sun position and solar heat flux.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a velocity vector of a user exercising within said user-defined environment, said velocity vector being used to calculate wind velocity, wind direction, and solar flux relative to said user.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising monitoring biological parameters which measure a user'"'"'s physical performance during said simulation over said specified course route, said biological parameters including at least one of:

percent of VO2 Max, Lactic acid, and blood oxygen.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising displaying said biological parameters on a graph against at least one of:

elapsed time or elapsed distance.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising recording said biological parameters and storing said biological parameters for later comparison.

31. The method of claim 1, in which said spatial environmental parameters include side-to-side inclination of said specified course route.

32. The method of claim 1, in which said spatial environmental parameters include elevation over said course, said elevation being displayed on a graph which shows elevation as a function of distance over said specified course route, in which said user'"'"'s progress through said specified course route is configured to be marked on said elevation graph.

3-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A system for creating and utilizing user-defined environments for exercise machine training comprising:

a course development software tool stored on a computer-readable medium, said course development software tool configured to allow a user to define a course to be simulated with course parameters;

said course parameters comprising time dependent environmental parameters and spatial environmental parameters, in which said time dependent environmental parameters comprise at least one of air temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, sun position, and solar heat flux, said course development software tool being configured to export said course parameters, and

an exercise machine configured to receive said course parameters, said exercise machine being configured to simulate said course using said course parameters;

in which said time dependent environmental parameters are varied as time progresses and said spatial environmental parameters are varied according to a user'"'"'s simulated position on said course route.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said course development software tool further comprises a mapping module and an elevation profile.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said mapping module is configured to receive waypoint data defining said course.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein said waypoint data includes metadata describing characteristics or actions to occur at said waypoint.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said exercise machine is further configured to take action based on said metadata associated with a waypoint as said user passes said waypoint.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein said course development software tool further comprises a weather module configured to retrieve at least a portion of said time dependent environmental parameters from an external weather database.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein said weather module is configured to obtain historical or current weather parameters associated with said course.

19-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A system for creating and utilizing user-defined environments for exercise machine training comprising:

a course development software tool stored on a computer-readable medium, said course development software tool configured to allow a user to define a course by entering or importing waypoint data, said waypoint data defining said course, said software tool being configured to allow said user to associate metadata with a waypoint, said metadata comprising course information, identification of physical facilities along said course, image data, video data, or audio data;

wherein said course development software tool further comprises a mapping module, an elevation profile, and a weather module;

said weather module configured to allow the retrieval of historical or current weather data, said weather data comprising one or more of;

temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, precipitation, and pressure.

wherein said course development software tool is further configured to export course data, said course data comprising said waypoint data, said metadata, and said weather data;

an exercise machine configured to receive said course data, said exercise machine being configured to simulate said course using said course data.