SPEED-MEASURING DEVICE

• US 3,580,083 A
• Filed: 12/18/1968
• Issued: 05/25/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Frederick S. Zipser
• Original Assignee: Frederick S. Zipser
• Inventors: Zipser, Frederick S.
• Application Number:
  US04/784,859
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• US Class Current: 73/865.4
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/22 Ergometry; Measuring muscular strength or the force of a muscular blow exercising apparatus A63B21/00 ; measuring of work or force in general G01L
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 3/54 by measuring frequency of generated current or voltage

Abstract

A device for measuring the rate of speed or distance covered by a person moving or running in place including a generator producing an electrical pulse each time a football is made, a device for calculating the rate at which the pulses occur, and a device for indicating the calculated rate. For distance measurements, a preset distance-factoring device can be adjusted so as to provide an indication of the distance covered between successive electrical pulses in accordance with the characteristic of the moving individual, and a counting device for counting up the number of electrical pulses in accordance with the factor. In an alternative embodiment, high-frequency generators can be used along with a counting device for digitally accumulating electrical pulses in accordance with the interval between footfalls; and a device for producing an electrical pulse amplitude in accordance with the number of pulses representing the intrafootfall spacing, and indicating the rate and distance covered thereby.

Claims

1. A foot-operable work rate indicator comprising a source of energy, a foot-operated switch connected to said source and responsive to the repetitive application of foot pressure applied to said switch for generating a series of pulses from said source, said series of pulses providing a signal having a dual characteristic of duration and frequency corresponding to the energy expended by said repetitive application of foot pressure, means coupled to said switch and responsive to said dual characteristic signal for generating a work rate signal having a magnitude representative of work rate corresponding to said energy expended during said repetitive application of foot pressure, and means for indicating said work rate signal.

2. A foot-operated work rate indicator comprising a pressure operable switching means adapted to change from a conductive to a nonconductive condition in direct response to the repetitive application of foot pressure, a source of potential, means serially connecting said source to said switching means, said source and said switching means together producing a series of pulses each having a durAtion representative of the length of time said foot pressure is not incident upon said switching means and having an interpulse spacing indicative of the time duration of incident foot pressure, said series of pulses providing a signal having a dual characteristic of duration and frequency corresponding to the energy expended by said repetitive application of foot pressure, converting means coupled to said switching means and responsive to said series of pulses for converting said dual characteristic signal into a signal having an amplitude corresponding to said energy expended, and indicating means connected to said converter and responsive to said signal amplitude for providing an indication of the rate of application of said repetitive application of foot pressure.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said converting means includes a storage circuit and a discharge path, said storage circuit responsive to the interpulse spacing for building up a charge level corresponding with said interpulse spacing, said discharge path including therein means for developing a signal thereacross representative of said charge level, and means connecting said developed signal to said indicating means. A foot-operable work rate indicator for measuring the work effort expended by the running effort of a subject in accordance with the repetitive characteristic of each step, comprising a source of relatively high-frequency pulses, a foot-pressure-operated switch connected to said source and having first and second positions passing an envelope of said pulses in response to a nonpressure and pressure on said switch respectively, a counter having forward and backward counting terminals and operable to count forward or backward at a rate in accordance with pulses of said envelope applied to either said forward terminal or said backward terminal thereof, said counter having said forward counting terminal connected to said first switch position for receiving the envelope of pulses when said switch is in its first position and said backward counting terminal connected to said second switch position for receiving the envelope of pulses when said switch is in its second position, delay means for delaying application of said first position pulses to said counter for a delay period, said counter accumulating a digital accumulation in accordance with the total of the first position pulses reduced by the second position pulses, a network means responsive to the digital accumulation in said counter for producing a signal amplitude corresponding to said digital accumulation at the end of said second position pulses, a coincident gate having a first input responsive to said network means signal, a first pulse producing means for producing a pulse during said delay period for energizing the remaining input of said coincident gate, a second pulse producing means responsive to the end of the pulse from said first pulse-producing means for producing a second pulse during said delay period for clearing said counter and means responsive to the magnitude of the output signal from said gate for providing an indication thereof, said signal constituting a measurement of said work rate.

5. A foot-operable rate indicating device comprising a source of energy, first means responsive to the repetitive application of foot pressure for repetitively switching said source of energy on and off in correspondence with said foot pressure, thereby generating a series of pulses, said series of pulses providing a signal having a dual characteristic of duration and frequency corresponding to the energy expended by said repetitive application of foot pressure, said frequency represented by an interpulse spacing characteristic, second means connected to said first means and responsive to said pulse duration characteristic and to said interpulse spacing characteristic for providing a rate representative signal having a magnitude representative of the effect of both of said characteristics, and third means connected To said second means and responsive to said rate representative signal magnitude for providing an indication of said signal magnitude.

6. A foot-operable rate indicator for equating work energy exerted with an equivalent velocity rate, comprising a source of energy, switching means coupled to said source of energy and responsive to repetitive application of foot pressure thereon created by running in place, said switching means thereby operable to produce a series of pulses from said source having a duration factor and a frequency factor, said factors together corresponding to the energy exerted by said repetitive application of foot pressure, averaging means coupled to said switching means for combining said factors and averaging said series of pulses to a signal having a magnitude corresponding to the combined effect of both said duration and said frequency, said magnitude thereby providing a representation of the effort exerted corresponding to a predetermined equivalent velocity rate, and indicating means connected to said averaging means for providing a visual indication of said velocity rate.