EXERCISE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

• US 20090227424A1
• Filed: 03/26/2007
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Hirata, Takashi, Shimada, Kei, Yasuhara, Ken
• Granted Patent: US 7,758,470 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 482/7
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1038 Measuring plantar pressure during gait
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/112 Gait analysis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1124 Determining motor skills
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/0237 for the lower limbs
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 1/0262 Walking movement; Appliances for aiding disabled persons to walk A61H3/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1215 Rotary drive
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/163 holding means therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/1676 Pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5069 Angle sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 2201/5097 wireless
• CPC Class Codes: A61H 3/00 Appliances for aiding patients or disabled persons to walk about apparatus for helping babies to walk A47D13/04; orthopaedic devices for correcting deformities of, or supporting, limbs A61F5/0102; exercising apparatus for the feet or toes A63B23/10; stairways or ramps E04F11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00181 comprising additional means assisting the user to overcome part of the resisting force, i.e. assisted-active exercising
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0235 driven by a motor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0242 with speed variation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/14 specially adapted for animals
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/16 Angular positions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/17 Counting, e.g. counting periodical movements, revolutions or cycles, or including further data processing to determine distances or speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/30 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/54 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/56 : Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/803 : Motion sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/06 : heartbeat rate only
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/30 : blood pressure A63B2230/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/42 : rate
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/75 : calorie expenditure
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 69/0028 : for running, jogging or speed-walking movable endless bands A63B22/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0686 : Timers, rhythm indicators or pacing apparatus using electric or electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/901 : having computer circuitry

Abstract

A system for managing exercise of an animal such as a human being so that the animal can be trained to move with an appropriate scale and rhythm while harmonizing the motion of the animal with the operations of two devices which induce the motion of the animal in different manners, is provided. According to the exercise management system (1) of the present invention, the speed of the walking motion of the user is adjusted by an operation of a treadmill (first motion induction device) (10). The user'"'"'s walking motion is induced with the motion scale being adjusted with a rhythm harmonized with the motion rhythm of the animal by an operation of a walking motion induction device (second motion induction device) (20). At this time, the operation of the walking motion induction device (20) is controlled based on the walking speed v (walking rate p, as required). Accordingly, it is possible to train the user so that the user walks with an appropriate scale and rhythm, while realizing harmonization between the walking motion of the user, the operation of the treadmill (10), and the operation of the walking motion induction device (20).

Claims

1. An exercise management system for managing exercise of an animal, comprising:

a motion variable measuring unit which measures a motion variable representing one or both of a motion scale and a motion rhythm of the animal based on an operating speed of a first motion induction device, motion of the animal being induced by an operation of the first motion induction device; and

a control unit which controls an operation of a second motion induction device based on the motion variable measured by the motion variable measuring unit, the second motion induction device inducing the motion of the animal while adjusting the motion scale of the animal with a rhythm harmonized with the motion rhythm of the animal.

2. The exercise management system according to claim 1, wherein the motion variable measuring unit includes a first motion variable measuring unit which measures a first motion variable based on a speed of circular movement of a circular motion body provided in the first motion induction device, the first motion variable being the motion variable which represents a speed of the motion of the animal, the motion of the animal being induced in a direction opposite from a direction of the circular movement of the circular motion body as the animal is in contact with the circular motion body.

3. The exercise management system according to claim 2, wherein the first motion variable measuring unit measures a speed of walking or running motion of the animal as the first motion variable, based on a driven speed of an endless belt serving as the circular motion body looped over a plurality of rollers provided in a treadmill serving as the first motion induction device, the walking or running motion of the animal being induced in a direction opposite from a direction of circular movement of the endless belt as the animal is in contact with the endless belt.

4. The exercise management system according to claim 1, wherein

the motion variable measuring unit includes a second motion variable measuring unit which measures a second motion variable based on a pattern of change of a force of interaction between the animal and the first motion induction device, the second motion variable being the motion variable which represents one or both of amplitude and period of periodic motion of the animal, the periodic motion of the animal being induced by the operation of the first motion induction device and the animal, and

the control unit controls the operation of the second motion induction device based on the second motion variable measured by the motion variable measuring unit.

5. The exercise management system according to claim 4, wherein the second motion variable measuring unit measures a walking rate of the animal as the second motion variable, based on a pattern of change over time of a pressure that is applied by the animal to a footplate which supports an endless belt looped over a plurality of rollers provided in a treadmill serving as the first motion induction device.

6. The exercise management system according to claim 1, wherein

the motion variable measuring unit includes a first motion variable measuring unit which measures a first motion variable as the motion variable and a second motion variable measuring unit which measures a second motion variable as the motion variable, the first motion variable corresponding to a moving speed of the animal, the second motion variable corresponding to a step width or walking rate of the animal, and

the control unit controls the operation of the second motion induction device so that a walking ratio matches a target walking ratio, the walking ratio being either a ratio of a square of the step width as the second motion variable with respect to the moving speed as the first motion variable, or a ratio of the speed as the first motion variable with respect to a square of the walking rate as the second motion variable.

7. The exercise management system according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit includes:

a motion oscillator measuring unit which measures first and second motion oscillators as parameters that periodically change in accordance with the motion of the animal;

a first oscillator generating unit which inputs the first motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring means as an input oscillation signal to a first model which generates an output oscillation signal that charges over time at an angular velocity determined based on a natural angular velocity by mutual entrainment with the input oscillation signal, to generate a first oscillator as the output oscillation signal;

a natural angular velocity setting unit which sets a new natural angular velocity based on a phase difference between the motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring unit and the first oscillator generated by the first oscillator generating unit;

a second oscillator generating unit which inputs the second motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring means as an input oscillation signal to a second model which generates, based on the input oscillation signal, an output oscillation signal that changes over time at an angular velocity determined based on the natural angular velocity set by the natural angular velocity setting means, to generate a second oscillator as the output oscillation signal; and

an induction oscillator generating unit which generates an induction oscillator specifying a scale and rhythm of the operation of the second motion induction device, based on the motion variable measured by the motion variable measuring unit in addition to the second oscillator generated by the second oscillator generating unit.

8. The exercise management system according to claim 7, wherein

the motion oscillator measuring unit measures a third motion oscillator representing a motion scale of the animal, and

the induction oscillator generating unit generates an induction oscillator including a first induction oscillator which represents an elastic force of a virtual elastic element for inducing the motion of the animal to cause the third motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring unit to approach a target value set in accordance with a target motion scale of the animal, based on a motion variable measured by the motion variable measuring unit in addition to the second oscillator generated by the second oscillator generating unit and the natural angular velocity newly set by the natural angular velocity setting unit.

9. The exercise management system according to claim 8, wherein the motion oscillator measuring unit measures the second motion oscillator as the third motion oscillator.

10. The exercise management system according to claim 8, wherein the motion oscillator measuring unit measures a motion rhythm of the animal as a fourth motion oscillator, and the induction oscillator generating unit generates the induction oscillator including a second induction oscillator which represents a damping force of a virtual damping element for inducing the motion of the animal to suppress an increase in absolute value of the third motion oscillator, based on a motion variable measured by the motion variable measuring unit, in addition to the second oscillator generated by the second oscillator generating unit, the natural angular velocity set by the natural angular velocity setting unit, and the fourth motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring unit.

11. The exercise management system according to claim 10, wherein the motion oscillator measuring unit measures the first motion oscillator as the fourth motion oscillator.

12. The exercise management system according to claim 7, wherein in the case where a magnitude of periodical change of the first or second motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring unit exceeds a threshold value, the second oscillator generating unit generates the second oscillator which oscillates at an angular velocity determined based on one or both of an angular velocity of the first or second motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring unit and an angular velocity of the first oscillator generated by the first oscillator generating unit, instead of the natural angular velocity set by the natural angular velocity setting unit.

13. The exercise management system according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit includes:

a motion oscillator measuring unit which measures the motion oscillators according to movements of two different body parts of the animal as the first and second motion oscillators;

a first oscillator generating unit which inputs the first motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring means as an input oscillation signal to a first model which generates an output oscillation signal that changes over time at an angular velocity determined based on a natural angular velocity by mutual entrainment with the input oscillation signal, to generate a first oscillator as the output oscillation signal;

a natural angular velocity setting unit which newly sets the natural angular velocity based on a phase difference between the first motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring unit and the first oscillator generated by the first oscillator generating unit;

a second oscillator generating unit which inputs the second motion oscillator measured by the motion oscillator measuring means as an input oscillation signal to a second model which generates an output oscillation signal that changes over time at an angular velocity determined based on the natural angular velocity newly set by the natural angular velocity setting means, to generate a second oscillator as the output oscillation signal; and

an induction oscillator generating unit which generates an induction oscillator specifying a scale and rhythm of the operation of the second motion induction device, based on the motion variable measured by the motion variable measuring unit in addition to the second oscillator generated by the second oscillator generating unit.

14. An exercise management method for managing exercise of an animal, comprising the steps of:

measuring a motion variable representing one or both of a motion scale and a motion rhythm of the animal based on an operating speed of a first motion induction device, the motion of the animal being induced by an operation of the first motion induction device; and

controlling an operation of a second motion induction device based on the measured motion variable, the second motion induction device inducing the motion of the animal while adjusting the motion scale of the animal with a rhythm harmonized with the motion rhythm of the animal.

15. An exercise management program for causing a computer to function as a system for managing exercise of an animal, the program causing the computer to function as the system including:

a motion variable measuring unit which measures a motion variable representing one or both of a motion scale and a motion rhythm of the animal based on an operating speed of a first motion induction device, motion of the animal being induced by an operation of the first motion induction device; and

a control unit which controls an operation of a second motion induction device based on the motion variable measured by the motion variable measuring unit, the second motion induction device inducing the motion of the animal while adjusting the motion scale of the animal with a rhythm harmonized with the motion rhythm of the animal.