HUMAN BODY POWER CONVERTER

• US 3,760,905 A
• Filed: 02/01/1971
• Issued: 09/25/1973
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Gordon E. Dower
• Original Assignee: Gordon E. Dower
• Inventors: Dower, Gordon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Geoghegan, Edgar W.
• Application Number:
  US05/111,519
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 185/2,10,14,37,39,4H,44
• US Class Current: 185/2
• CPC Class Codes: F03G 5/00 Devices for producing mechanical power from muscle energy driving cycles B62M

Abstract

Apparatus by means of which the muscles of the human body are used to develop energy. This may be done in order to exercise the muscles, or to use the muscles to develop useful power. The apparatus may be an exercizer only, a device for causing a patient to perform certain exercises for patient assessment, a vehicle, or a unit for developing power for some useful purpose.

Claims

1. A human body power converter comprising a rotatably mounted output shaft, a ratchet, manual or pedal operating means for the ratchet, resilient energy-storing means operatively interconnecting the shaft and ratchet, energy being applied to said energy-storing means when the ratchet is operated, and means for applying load to the shaft, whereby operation of the ratchet causes the shaft to rotate when the energy in the storing means exceeds the resistance of the load connected to the shaft, said energy storing means comprising a support mounted near the shaft for relative movement longitudinally therebetween, thread means on the shaft, and rider means mounted on the support and riding in said thread means, said energy-storing means being adapted to cause relative movement between the shaft and the support thereby to rotate the shaft.

2. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 1 including means connected to said shaft for measuring and indicating the output torque of the shaft.

3. A human body power converter comprising a rotatably mounted output shaft, a ratchet, manual or pedal operating means for the ratchet, resilient energy-storing means operatively interconnecting the shaft and ratchet, energy being applied to said energy-storing means when the ratchet is operated, and means for applying load to the shaft, whereby operation of the ratchet causes the shaft to rotate when the energy in the storing means exceeds the resistance of the load connected to the shaft, said energy-storing means comprising a support mounted near said shaft for movement longitudinally thereof, thread means on the shaft, and rider means mounted on the support and riding in said thread means, said energy-storing means being adapted to move the support relative to the shaft thereby to rotate said shaft.

4. A human body power converter comprising a common shaft, a plurality of motors connected to the shaft to rotate said shaft in the same direction, a rotatably mounted ratchet in each motor, resilient energy-storing means operatively interconnecting each ratchet and the common shaft, energy being applied to each energy-storing means when the ratchet thereof is operated, pedal operating means to be worked by the legs of a person operating the power converter and operatively connected to the ratchet of each of two of said motors, and manual operating means to be worked by the arms of said person and operatively connected to the ratchet of each of two others of said motors, operation of said motor ratchets causing power to be applied to the shaft through each of said motors when the energy in the storing means of said each motor exceeds the resistance to the turning of the shaft, whereby said person can selectively apply the same or differing amounts of energy to the shaft by means of his legs and his arms.

5. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 4 including a supporting frame for holding said person in reclined position, said pedal operating means being mounted on the frame for reciprocation longitudinally thereof, and said manual operating means comprising lever means swingably mounted on the frame.

6. A human body power converter comprising a supporting frame for holding a person in reclined position, an output shaft mounted on the frame and extending transversely thereof, a plurality of motors individually connected to the shaft to rotate said shaft in the same direction;

each of said motors comprising a ratchet, manual or pedal operating means for the ratchet, resilient energy-storing means operatively interconnecting the shaft and ratchet, energy being applied to said energy-storing means when the ratchet is operated; and

means for applying load to the shaft, whereby operation of the ratchet causes the shaft to rotate when tHe energy in the storing means exceeds the resistance of the load connected to the shaft, the ratchet operating means for at least one of said motors comprising pedal means mounted for sliding movement along the frame longitudinally thereof, and the operating means of two others of said motors comprising a common hand lever swingably mounted on the shaft between said two motors, the ratchets of said two motors operating in the same direction but alternately as the lever is swung back and forth.

7. A human body power converter comprising a rotatably mounted output shaft, a ratchet, manual or pedal operating means for the ratchet, resilient energy-storing means operatively interconnecting the shaft and ratchet, energy being applied to said energy-storing means when the ratchet is operated, and means for applying load to the shaft, whereby operation of the ratchet causes the shaft to rotate when the energy in the storing means exceeds the resistance of the load connected to the shaft, said energy-storing means comprising a first sprocket rotatable by said ratchet, a second sprocket mounted on said output shaft, a third sprocket mounted for movement towards and away from the first sprocket, a chain trained around said sprockets, and resilient energy-storing means connected to said third sprocket biasing the third sprocket away from the first sprocket.

8. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 4 in which each of said manual operating means is operatively connected to the ratchets of each of two others of said motors, the ratchets and energy storing means of said two others of the motors being arranged so that when the two ratchets are rotated in opposite directions energy is applied to rotate the common shaft in said same direction.

9. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 3 in which said support surrounds the shaft, and said rider means comprises a plurality of rollers carried by the support and riding in said thread means.

10. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 1 in which said energy-storing means comprises spring means connected to the ratchet and to said support so as to store energy when the ratchet is operated to cause relative movement between the support and the shaft to apply torque thereto through said rider means and thread means.

11. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 3 in which said energy-storing means comprises spring means connected to the ratchet and to said support so as to store energy when the ratchet is operated to move the support along the shaft to apply torque thereto through said rider means and thread means.

12. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 11 in which said support surrounds the shaft and said spring means comprises a plurality of springs connected at opposite ends to the ratchet and support.

13. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 12 in which said rider means comprises a plurality of rollers carried by the support and riding in said thread means.

14. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 1 in which said ratchet comprises a drum rotatably mounted on said shaft, said operating means being adapted to oscillate the drum on the shaft, a ratchet disc rotatably mounted on the shaft, and pawl means associated with the drum and disc to cause said disc to rotate with the drum when the latter is rotated in one direction, and means connecting the disc to said support to cause the support to rotate with the disc around the shaft;

and said energy-storing means comprises spring means connected to said disc and said support, said spring means being tensioned when the support is rotated around the shaft by said disc.

15. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 14 in which said support surrounds the shaft, and said rider means comprises a plurality of rollers carried by the support and riding in said thread means.

16. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 15 in which said spring means comprises a plurality of springs.

17. A humAn body power converter as claimed in claim 14 including means connected to said shaft for measuring and indicating the output torque of the shaft.

18. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 4 in which each ratchet comprises a drum rotatably mounted on said shaft, said pedal or manual operating means being adapted to oscillate the drum on the shaft, a ratchet disc rotatably on the shaft, and pawl means associated with the ratchet disc to cause the shaft to rotate in one direction during oscillating action of the drum.

19. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 18 in which said energy-storing means comprises a coil spring surrounding said shaft and having one end connected to said ratchet disc and an opposite end connected to the shaft.

20. A human body power converter comprising a ratchet shaft mounted for longitudinal and rotational movement and having spiral grooves extending longitudinally thereof, a first ratchet disc rotatably mounted on said shaft and having inner teeth riding in said grooves, manual or pedal operating means rotatable on the shaft adjacent said disc, pawl means on said operating means and engaging the disc when said operating means is rotated in one direction, additional pawl means engaging the disc to prevent rotation of said disc in the opposite direction, said ratchet shaft being rotated and moved longitudinally in one direction when the first disc is rotated, spring means connected to the ratchet shaft so as to store energy when the shaft is moved in said one direction, a second ratchet disc rotatably mounted on said shaft and having inner teeth riding in said grooves and being rotated when the ratchet shaft is moved in the opposite direction by said spring means, an output shaft, and driving means interconnecting said second ratchet disc and said output shaft.

21. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 20 in which said spring means comprises a coil spring on the ratchet shaft and connected at one end to the said ratchet shaft, the opposite end of said spring engaging stop means.

22. A human body power converter as claimed in claim 7 in which the third sprocket is located in the chain on one side of the second sprocket between the latter and the first sprocket, and including a forth sprocket entrained by the chain on the opposite side of said second sprocket between the first and second sprockets, and resilient means connected to the forth sprocket so as to cause said forth sprocket to take up slack in the chain.