Apparatus for determining the effective force applied by an oarsman
First Claim
1. Apparatus for determining the effective force generated by an athlete acting upon a rowing apparatus comprising:
- a flexural member attached to the rowing apparatus;
a footboard having an upper end and a lower end, the footboard being hingably attached to the flexural member at its upper end and slidably attached to the rowing apparatus at its lower end; and
strain gauge means for producing a signal indicative of the strain in the flexural member.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for determining the effective force generated by an athlete acting upon a rowing apparatus are disclosed. A flexural member attached to the rowing apparatus and a footboard hingably attached to the flexural member at its upper end and slidably attached to the rowing apparatus at its lower end are provided. The flexural member is fitted with strain gauges which produce a signal indicative of the strain in the flexural member, this signal can then be converted to a measure of the effective force applied to the oars. Most preferably, apparatus of the present invention substantially eliminates the effects of residual torque friction, thermal deformation and the like by isolating the flexural member from which strain data is taken.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. Apparatus for determining the effective force generated by an athlete acting upon a rowing apparatus comprising:
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a flexural member attached to the rowing apparatus; a footboard having an upper end and a lower end, the footboard being hingably attached to the flexural member at its upper end and slidably attached to the rowing apparatus at its lower end; and strain gauge means for producing a signal indicative of the strain in the flexural member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. Apparatus for determining the effective force generated by an athlete acting upon a rowing apparatus comprising:
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a tubular flexural member having two ends, each attached to the rowing apparatus by an end plug; a footboard having an upper end and a lower end, the footboard being hingably attached to the flexural member at its upper end and slidably attached to the rowing apparatus at its lower end; strain gauge means for producing a signal indicative of the strain in a horizontal plane of the flexural member; and processor means for converting the signal indicative of the strain in the flexural member to a signal indicative of the effective force, whereby the end plugs attached to each end of the tubular flexural member substantially eliminate the torque created by the force applied to the footboard and define a predetermined length over which the flexural member deflects. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A method of determining the effective force generated by an athlete acting upon a rowing apparatus comprising the steps of:
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providing a footboard having an upper end and a lower end, the footboard being hingably attached at its upper end to a flexural member attached to the rowing apparatus and slidably attached at its lower end to the rowing apparatus; determining the strain in the flexural member; producing a signal indicative of the strain in the flexural member; and converting the signal indicative of the strain in the flexural member to a signal indicative of the effective force. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification