Adaptive exercise machine

• US 5,919,115 A
• Filed: 10/28/1994
• Issued: 07/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Original Assignee: Regents of the University of California (University of California)
• Inventors: Lehman, Steven L., Shields, Joel, Li, Perry, Horowitz, Roberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Apley, Richard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RICHMAN, GLENN E
• Application Number:
  US08/330,758
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 482/1-9, 482/900-902, 73/379.01-379.09
• US Class Current: 482/6
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/00181 comprising additional means assisting the user to overcome part of the resisting force, i.e. assisted-active exercising
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 21/0058 using motors
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/54 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/58 Measurement of force related parameters by electric or magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 482/901 having computer circuitry

Abstract

An apparatus and method for controlling the torque of an exercise machine acting on a user is disclosed. The invention determines the torque which the user is able to exert at different positions and velocities, and develops a strength model of the user. Based on the strength model of the user, the invention determines a desired velocity profile for the user'"'"'s exercise. The velocity profile may be chosen to maximize the amount of power output by the user or to provide whatever other type of exercise specified. The invention then controls the torque acting on the user so that the exercise is accomplished according to the desired velocity profile.

Claims

1. A method of providing a resistance force to a user of an exercise machine which includes a member which is movable along a path and which is configured to engage a part of the user'"'"'s body to execute an exercise motion in which the member has a position and a velocity, comprising:

sensing the position and the velocity of the member during the exercise motion,

determining a user force exerted by the user along the path from a parameterized function of the position and the velocity,

determining a velocity profile as a varying function of the position, and

providing the resistance force in a manner to cause the velocity to follow the velocity profile.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the velocity profile is based on parameters of the parameterized function.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the parameters are identified by periodically changing the resistance force in a manner such that the user moves the member at at least two velocities at each position along the exercise path, measuring the velocity, position and resistance force, and determining the parameters from these measurements.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the velocity profile includes:

determining a velocity profile according to a criteria which maximizes the amount of power produced by the user.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the exercise machine has a rotating axis and the user force includes only a force applied by the user'"'"'s muscles to the rotating axis.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the user force does not include a force due to inertia of the user'"'"'s body or the exercise machine.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the user force does not include a Corliois force associated with the user'"'"'s body or the exercise machine.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein data used to determine the user force consists essentially of the resistance forces the position and the velocity.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein providing the resistance force in a manner to cause the velocity to follow the velocity provide includes predicting future values of the user force as a function of position and velocity.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the velocity profile is based on parameters of the parameterized function.

11. An exercise machine, comprising:

a member which is movable along a path and which is configured to engage a part of a user'"'"'s body,

a resistive device connected to the member to provide a resistance force to the user who executes an exercise motion in which the member has a position and a velocity,

a sensor to measure the position and the velocity of the member during the exercise motion,

a processor coupled to the sensor and configured to determine a user force exerted by the user along the path from a parameterized function of the position and the velocity, the processor further configured to determine a velocity profile as a varying function of the position, and

a controller coupled to the resistance device and configured to adjust the resistance force to cause the velocity to follow the velocity profile.

12. The machine of claim 11 wherein the velocity profile maximizes the amount of power produced by the user.

13. The machine of claim 11 wherein the controller includes a static damper.

14. The machine of claim 11 wherein the controller includes a dynamic damper.

15. The machine of claim 11 wherein the processor is configured to iteratively evaluate parameters of the parameterized function.

16. The machine of claim 15 wherein the user force, T, is determined by a strength function T=a(x)+b(x)x, where x is the position, x is the velocity, and a(x) and b(x) are the parameters of the parameterized function.

17. The machine of claim 15 wherein the processor is configured to determine the momentum of the exercise motion, p=M(x)x, the Coriolis and centripetal force, C(x,x)x, the gravity force G(x), and the resistance force, τ

, and the processor is further configured to determine a filtered force Q, according to the equation, Q=a·

p- a/(s+a)! a·

p+C(x,x)x² +τ

!, where a is a filtering constant and s is a filtering variable.

18. The machine of claim 17 wherein the parameters are updated using a linear combination of a velocity error signal and a force error signal, wherein the velocity error signal is the difference between the velocity profile and the velocity and the force error signal is the difference between the filtered force and an estimate of the filtered force determined from the estimated model parameters from a prior iteration.

19. The machine of claim 13 wherein the controller is configured to store and dissipate energy provided by the user but not generate energy.

20. The machine of claim 19 wherein the controller is configured to recursively update a variable representing energy stored by the controller.

21. The machine of claim 20 wherein the resistive device is selected from the group consisting of electromagnetic actuators, electromagnetic brakes, magnetically sensitive fluid dampers, and variable orifice hydraulic dampers.

22. The machine of claim 19 wherein the resistive device includes a spring and first, second, third and fourth tunable dampers.

23. The machine of claim 22 wherein the member is connected to a first terminal of each of the first and second dampers, a first terminal of the spring is connected to a second terminal of the first damper, a second terminal of the spring is connected to a second terminal of the second damper, a first terminal of each of the third and fourth dampers is connected to a stationary point, a second terminal of the third damper is connected to the second terminal of the spring, and the second terminal of the fourth damper is connected to the first terminal of the spring.

24. The machine of claim 14 wherein the controller is configured to dissipate energy provided by the user but not store or generate energy.