EXERCISE APPARATUS WITH AUTOMATICALLY ADJUSTABLE FOOT MOTION
First Claim
1. An exercise apparatus comprising:
- a frame;
a footpad for supporting a user'"'"'s foot;
a linkage for coupling the footpad to the frame and for guiding the footpad in a closed path in response to a force applied to the footpad by the user'"'"'s foot, the linkage including a rotatable member having an angular position indicative of a position of the footpad within the closed path, wherein the linkage adjusts a dimension of the closed path in response to an electrical control signal supplied as input to the linkage; and
a control system for monitoring the angular position of the rotatable member, for monitoring the force applied to the footpad, and for generating the control signal such that the linkage adjusts the dimension as a function of the monitored force on the footpad and of the angular position of the rotatable member.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An elliptical exercise apparatus includes a frame, a pair of footpads, and a linkage coupling the footpads to the frame and for guiding the footpads in closed paths when a user'"'"'s feet apply forces to the footpads. The linkage, which includes a rotatable member having an angular position indicative of the positions of the footpads within their closed paths, responds to input control signals by adjusting length and height dimensions of the closed paths. A control system senses the angular position of the rotatable member, senses the forces the user applies to the footpads, and generates the control signals to increase or decrease the path dimensions when it senses particular combinations of angular position and user forces, thereby permitting the user to control the path dimensions by controlling the forces applied to the footpads.
94 Citations
34 Claims
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1. An exercise apparatus comprising:
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a frame; a footpad for supporting a user'"'"'s foot; a linkage for coupling the footpad to the frame and for guiding the footpad in a closed path in response to a force applied to the footpad by the user'"'"'s foot, the linkage including a rotatable member having an angular position indicative of a position of the footpad within the closed path, wherein the linkage adjusts a dimension of the closed path in response to an electrical control signal supplied as input to the linkage; and a control system for monitoring the angular position of the rotatable member, for monitoring the force applied to the footpad, and for generating the control signal such that the linkage adjusts the dimension as a function of the monitored force on the footpad and of the angular position of the rotatable member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 33, 34)
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9. An exercise apparatus comprising
a frame; -
a footpad for supporting a user'"'"'s foot; a linkage for coupling the footpad to the frame and for guiding the footpad in a closed path in response to first and second forces applied in first and second directions, respectively, to the footpad by the user'"'"'s foot, wherein the linkage includes a rotatable member having an angular position that changes with a position of the footpad within the closed path, and wherein the linkage adjusts first and second dimensions of the closed path in response to electrical control signals supplied as inputs to the linkage; and a control system for monitoring the angular position of the rotatable member, for monitoring magnitudes of first and second forces, and for generating the control signals such that the linkage adjusts the first and second dimensions as functions of the monitored first and second forces and of the monitored angular position of the rotatable member. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method for controlling an exercise apparatus having a frame, a footpad for supporting a user'"'"'s foot, and a linkage for coupling the footpad to the frame and for guiding the footpad in a closed path in response to a force applied to the footpad by the user'"'"'s foot, wherein the linkage includes a rotatable member having an angular position that changes with a position of the footpad within the closed path, and wherein the linkage adjusts a dimension of the closed path in response to an electrical control signal supplied as input to the linkage, the method comprising the steps of
a. monitoring the angular position of the rotatable member, b. monitoring a magnitude of the force, and c. controlling the control signal such that the linkage adjusts the dimension as a function of the monitored force on the footpad and of the monitored angular position of the rotatable member.
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22. A method for controlling an exercise apparatus having a frame, a footpad for supporting a user'"'"'s foot, and a linkage for coupling the footpad to the frame and for guiding the footpad in a closed path in response to first and second forces applied in differing directions to the footpad by the user'"'"'s foot, wherein the linkage includes a rotatable member having an angular position that changes with a position of the footpad within the closed path, and wherein the linkage adjusts first and second dimensions of the closed path in response to a plurality of electrical control signals supplied as inputs to the linkage, the method comprising the steps of
a. monitoring the angular position of the rotatable member, b. monitoring magnitudes of first and second forces, and c. controlling the control signals such that the linkage adjusts the first and second dimensions as functions of the monitored first and second forces and the monitored angular position of the rotatable member.
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29. An exercise apparatus comprising:
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a frame, a right footpad for supporting a user'"'"'s right foot, a left footpad for supporting the users left foot, a linkage for coupling the right and left footpads to the frame and for guiding the right and left footpads in a closed pats in response to forces applied to the right and left footpads by the user'"'"'s right and left feet, the linkage including a rotatable member having an angular position indicative of positions of the right and left footpads within their closed paths, wherein the linkage adjusts dimensions of the closed paths of the right and left footpads in response to electrical control signals supplied as inputs to the linkage, and a control system for monitoring the angular position of the rotatable member, for monitoring the forces applied to the right and left footpads, and for generating the control signals such that the linkage adjusts at least one dimension of the right footpad as a function of monitored force on the right footpad and of the angular position of the rotatable member, and independently adjusts at least one dimension of the left foot pad as a function of monitored force on the left footpad and of the angular position of the rotatable member. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31)
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32. A method for controlling an exercise apparatus having
a frame, a right footpad for supporting a user'"'"'s right foot, a left footpad for supporting the users left foot, and a linkage for coupling the right and left footpads to the frame and for guiding the right and left footpads in a closed pats in response to forces applied to the right and left footpads by the user'"'"'s right and left feet, the linkage including a rotatable member having an angular position indicative of positions of the right and left footpads within their closed paths, wherein the linkage adjusts dimensions of the closed paths of the right and left footpads in response to electrical control signals supplied as inputs to the linkage, the method comprising the steps of a. monitoring the angular position of the rotatable member, b. monitoring the forces applied to the right and left footpads, and c. generating the control signals such that the linkage adjusts at least one dimension of the right footpad as a function of monitored force on the right footpad and of the angular position of the rotatable member, and independently adjusts at least one dimension of the left foot pad as a function of monitored force on the left footpad and of the angular position of the rotatable member.
Specification