Home trainer with biofeedback

• US 5,492,514 A
• Filed: 04/25/1994
• Issued: 02/20/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Daum GmbH & Co. KG.
• Original Assignee: Daum Electronic GmbH
• Inventors: Daum, Wilhelm
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Richman, Glenn E.
• Application Number:
  US08/232,770
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 482/1-8, 482/9, 482/900-902, 482/57-65, 128/725
• US Class Current: 482/8
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0532 specially adapted for acupuncture or moxibustion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/221 Ergometry, e.g. by using bicycle type apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0625 Emitting sound, noise or music
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/063 Spoken or verbal instructions
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 22/0605 performing a circular movement, e.g. ergometers
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2230/65 skin conductivity
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/0476 by rotating cycling movement arrangements on or for real bicycles A63B69/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0622 Visual, audio or audio-visual systems for entertaining, instructing or motivating the user
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/901 having computer circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/902 Employing specific graphic or video display

Abstract

In a home trainer, in particular in the form of a stationary bicycle, a microprocessor and a device for collecting the performance of a person exercising as well as a sensor for detecting the physical condition in dependence on the time during the exercise and after the exercise, provision is made, with a view to achieving an increased psychological stimulus of use even for prolonged periods of time, for sensors being used to measure the electrical resistance of the skin surface, which are connected with a microprocessor, the microprocessor on its part triggering acoustic and/or optical indicator instruments in dependence on the signal received from the sensors.

Claims

1. A stationary bicycle home trainer, said trainer comprising:

a sensor means, responsive to a physical condition of a person, which detects an electrical resistance of a skin surface of said person, said electrical resistance being dependent on an amount of time during which said person exercises on said trainer and on an amount of time elapsed after which said person stops exercising on said trainer;

a device for collecting, measuring and transmitting data relating to pedaling movements of said trainer;

a microprocessor means connected to said sensor means and said device;

at least one acoustic indicator instrument connected to said microprocessor means wherein said microprocessor triggers said at least one acoustic indicator instrument in response to a signal received from said sensor means, and wherein said at least one acoustic indicator is a reproducer of a medium, said medium being from a group consisting of a cassette, a compact disk, and a mini disk, said medium having a plurality of stored training programs; and

a selected training program which gives spoken instructions on the behavior of exercising, said training program being selected from said medium by said microprocessor means in dependence on a training condition of said person exercising, in accordance with fitness characteristics stored from a latest exercise and in dependance on a signal received from said sensors, said sensors checking a physical condition of said person.

3. A home trainer according to claims 1 or 2 having at least one synthesizer connected to said microprocessor means wherein said microprocessor triggers said synthesizer in response to a signal received from said sensor means, wherein said synthesizer generates a melody which slows down or gets deeper in pitch in dependance on a subsiding of a state of excitement detected by the sensors (15).

4. A home trainer according to claims 1 or 2, wherein at least one reference key is provided for calling training characteristics stored from the latest training exercise and for comparison with stored characteristics of a training cycle actually performed.

5. A stationary bicycle home trainer according to claim 1 or 2 wherein said trainer includes

at least one optical indicator instrument being connected to said microprocessor means wherein said microprocessor triggers said at least one optical indicator instrument in response to a signal received from said sensor means.

2. A stationary bicycle home trainer, said trainer comprising:

a sensor means, responsive to a physical condition of a person, which detects an electrical resistance of a skin surface of said person, said electrical resistance being dependent on an amount of time during which said person exercises on said trainer and on an amount of time elapsed after which said person stops exercising on said trainer;

a device for collecting, measuring and transmitting data relating to pedaling movements of said trainer;

a microprocessor means connected to said sensor means and said device;

at least one acoustic indicator instrument connected to said microprocessor means wherein said microprocessor triggers said at least one acoustic indicator instrument in response to a signal received from said sensor means, and wherein said at least one acoustic indicator is a reproducer of a medium, said medium being from a group consisting of a cassette, a compact disk, and a mini disk, said medium having a plurality of stored training programs, which give spoken instructions on the behavior of exercising;

an interrupt circuit connected to said microprocessor being provided to interrupt a selected training program whenever the microprocessor means detects an exercise condition, said exercise condition being from a group consisting of the following exercise conditions;

an exercise condition in which an actual pulse rate of said person is above a first predetermined pulse rate, an exercise condition in which said actual pulse rate of said person is below a second predetermined pulse rate, an exercise condition in which an actual amount of cyclical pedaling motions occurring during a training session exceed a predetermined total amount of cyclical pedaling motions, an exercise condition in which an actual frequency of cyclical pedaling motions occurring during a training session exceed a first predetermined frequency of cyclical pedaling motions, an exercise condition in which the actual frequency of cyclical pedaling motions occurring during a training session is less than a second predetermined frequency of cyclical pedaling motions.