| Gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed -> Monitor Keywords |
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Gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speedRelated Patent Categories: Exercise Devices, Having Specific Electrical Feature, Pace Setting IndicatorGym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20050282685, Gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
[0001] The present patent application refers to a gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed. [0002] As it is known, gym bikes have undergone deep evolution in the last few years, being converted from a rehabilitation or light training equipment (i.e. traditional stationary bicycles) to a fitness and heavy training equipment (i.e. modem spin-bikes). [0003] The new physical activity that uses this last kind of bicycles (known as "spinning") is made in groups: a certain number of athletes--each of them on his/her own bicycle--works under the strict supervision of the trainer who decides the exercises to be performed and the pedalling speed. [0004] With this view, it appears evident that group work can guarantee excellent results only if the trainer can evaluate the quality of the exercise in real time for each single athlete and, more specifically, the capability of the athletes to comply with the instructions, with special reference to pedalling frequency and consequently the speed reached by the user. [0005] The immediate control from the trainer is also-crucial to guarantee the safety of the athletes during the exercise, since it allows to check if the athletes can bear the effort requested by the activity. [0006] In particular, it would be very important for the trainer to discover immediately that the athlete cannot keep up with the pedalling rhythm to understand that physical effort is higher than his/her physical capabilities with consequent overworking with possible dangerous consequences, such as for example an abnormal increase of his/her heart rate. [0007] However, the current models of spin-bikes do not allow for this type of instantaneous and "centralised" verification from the trainer. [0008] They can show the pedalling frequency value (or the speed reached by [0009] the user) on a display associated with the handlebar. However, it appears evident that such a piece of information can be advantageously used only by the specific user of the spin-bike and not by the trainer, although he/she might be interested in checking the pedalling frequency of several athletes simultaneously. [0010] Following this critical evaluation of the current state of the art, the Invention has been devised to provide a control principle for training sessions of a group of athletes on spin-bikes, which provides the trainer with the to possibility of checking immediately whether the athletes can comply with the instructions given by the trainer. [0011] The selection of the new control principle has been conditioned by the need to avoid increasing the weight of spin-bikes with sophisticated devices, since this type of bikes must be always minimal, light and easy to use. [0012] In particular, the invention makes use of the spin-bike flywheel to acquire Information on the user's pedalling rhythm in real time, because the flywheel is very visible from a certain distance in view of the essential structure typical of modern spin-bikes. [0013] The spin-bike of the invention is charactierised in that the flywheel is suitably provided with some radial marks and receives the stroboscopic light emitted by a series of LED's located in a circle in front of the flywheel and directed onto the reflecting marks by an optical prism. [0014] The spin-bike of the invention must be equipped with an electronic control unit used to check the flywheel speed and generate the switching on frequency of the LED's to obtain the stroboscopic effect. [0015] Before using the spin-bike, the athlete must set the control unit at the desired speed, which corresponds to a certain angular speed of the flywheel. [0016] As soon as the athlete starts pedalling, the control unit starts to monitor the flywheel speed and, simultaneously, generates a switching on frequency of the LED's equal to the angular speed of the flywheel, should the athlete respect the instructions given by the trainer on the speed to be maintained. [0017] Should this condition occur (i.e. the athlete manages to maintain the predefined flywheel rotation frequency), because of a visual effect, the human eyes can discriminate the marks on the flywheel, just as if the flywheel was still. [0018] It appears evident that the trainer will be able to check the execution mode of the exercise performed by the athletes under his/her supervision in real time by simply looking at the flywheel to see if they are maintaining the predefined speed. [0019] In particular, the trainer can be sure that all the athletes are maintaining the predefined angular speed in case of "virtual immobility" of the flywheels of the spin-bikes. [0020] Should the athlete reduce the pedalling rhythm, the angular speed of the flywheel will become lower that the switching on frequency of the LED's; In this case the optical effect produced will be an inverse rotation of the reflecting marks of the flywheel with respect to pedal rotation, as if the flywheel was turning backwards. [0021] On the contrary, should the athlete maintain a pedalling rhythm higher than the predefined one, because of the optical effect produced, the reflecting marks will rotate in the same rotation direction as the pedals, just as if the entire flywheel turned forward. [0022] The trainer will be able to use these two "optical effects" to Identify the users in the group who are not able to maintain the predefined pedalling rhythm or who are pedalling at a higher rhythm. [0023] For major clarity the description of the invention continues with reference to the enclosed drawings, which are intended for purposes of illustration only and not in a limiting sense, whereby: [0024] FIG. 1 is the block diagram of the installation that provides the gym bike of the Invention with remote optical monitoring as mentioned above; Continue reading about Gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed... Full patent description for Gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Compact multimode device for low impact therapeutic exercise Next Patent Application: Static eliminator for a motorized treadmill Industry Class: Exercise devices ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Gym bike that uses the effect of stroboscopic lights for the immediate visual control of the user's flywheel revolution speed patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.29283 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Daimler Chrysler , DirecTV , Exxonmobil Chemical Company , Goodyear , Intel , Kyocera Wireless , 174 |
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