Variable resistance exercise device
First Claim
1. An exercise device for providing a variable resistance against a user supplied force resulting from an exercise range of motion, characterized by:
- a rotatable member rotatable by the user supplied force;
containing means having a hollow interior for containing the rotatable member;
a variable resisting material disposed in said gap for variably resisting rotation of the rotatable member depending on an applied field;
applying means for applying a variable applied field to the variable resisting material to provide a variable resistance to the user supplied force; and
one-way rotating means for receiving a first user supplied force having a first linear direction and a second user supplied force having a second linear direction, and for applying the first and the second user supplied forces as a one-way rotationally applied driving force having only a one-way driving rotating direction for rotating the rotatable member so that a two directional user supplied force is variably resisted in only the one-way driving rotating direction;
including the rotatable member having a first electrode surface;
the containing means having a second electrode surface disposed relative to the first electrode surface to define a gap therebetween;
the variable resisting material comprising an electro-rheological fluid disposed in said gap; and
the applying means for applying an electric potential to the first and the second electrode surface to vary the viscosity of the electro-rheological fluid.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A variable resistance exercise device provides a variable resisting force in response to a user applied force. The variable resistance exercise device includes at least one rotating force transmitting means for inputting a user applied force as a rotational force to be resisted, and at least one force transmission member for transmitting the user applied force. The user applied force is resisted by varying the viscosity of a viscosity variable fluid which surround plates rotated by the user applied force. Thus a braking force is applied to actively resist the user applied force. In accordance with the invention, a multi-configurable multi-programmable exercise device is provided which may be used in a variety of exercise modes to provide a resistive force to a user-applied force during a range of motion of a particular exercise. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a variable resistor resists a user-supplied force in one rotational direction only. A gear and clutch system translates a reciprocating user-supplied force, corresponding to a reciprocating range of motion, into the one rotational direction.
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Citations
10 Claims
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1. An exercise device for providing a variable resistance against a user supplied force resulting from an exercise range of motion, characterized by:
- a rotatable member rotatable by the user supplied force;
containing means having a hollow interior for containing the rotatable member;
a variable resisting material disposed in said gap for variably resisting rotation of the rotatable member depending on an applied field;
applying means for applying a variable applied field to the variable resisting material to provide a variable resistance to the user supplied force; and
one-way rotating means for receiving a first user supplied force having a first linear direction and a second user supplied force having a second linear direction, and for applying the first and the second user supplied forces as a one-way rotationally applied driving force having only a one-way driving rotating direction for rotating the rotatable member so that a two directional user supplied force is variably resisted in only the one-way driving rotating direction;
including the rotatable member having a first electrode surface;
the containing means having a second electrode surface disposed relative to the first electrode surface to define a gap therebetween;
the variable resisting material comprising an electro-rheological fluid disposed in said gap; and
the applying means for applying an electric potential to the first and the second electrode surface to vary the viscosity of the electro-rheological fluid. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
- a rotatable member rotatable by the user supplied force;
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10. An exercise device for providing a variable resistance against a user supplied force resulting from an exercise range of motion, characterized by:
- a rotatable member having a first electrode surface rotatable by the user supplied force;
containing means having a hollow interior for containing the rotatable member and having a second electrode surface disposed relative to the first electrode surface to define a gap therebetween;
a variable resisting material comprising an electro-theological fluid disposed in said gap for variably resisting rotation of the rotatable member depending on an applied field;
applying means for applying an electric potential to the first and the second electrode surface to vary the viscosity of the electro-theological fluid to provide a variable resistance to the user supplied force;
detecting means for detecting at least one of a velocity dependent on the user supplied force, and a force dependent on the user supplied force and producing a detection signal in response thereto;
controlling means for controlling the applying means depending on the detection signal to variably apply the electric potential to variably resist the user supplied force; and
one-way rotating means for receiving a first user supplied force having a first rotating direction and a second user supplied force having a second rotating direction, and for applying the first and the second user supplied force as a one-way rotationally applied driving force having only a one-way driving rotating direction for rotating the rotatable member so that a two directional user supplied force is variably resisted in only the one-way driving rotating direction.
- a rotatable member having a first electrode surface rotatable by the user supplied force;
Specification