Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02503386 2000-09-07
t
TREADMILL CONTROL SYSTEM
The present application is a division of Canadian Patent Application Serial
No.
2,317,842, filed September 7, 2000.
Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to exercise equipment and in particular to
exercise
treadmills having control systems utilzing microprocessors.
Back,e~round of the Invention
Exercise treadmills are widely used for performing walking or running aerobic-
type
exercise while the user remains in a relatively stationary position. In
addition exercise
treadmills are used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Generally, for
all of these
purposes, the person on the treadmill performs an exercise routine at a
relatively steady and
continuous level of physical activity. One example of such a treadmill is
provided in U.S.
Patent No. 5,752, 897.
Although exercise treadmills that operate using a microprocessor based control
system have reached a relatively high state of development, there are a number
of
significant improvements in the program software that can improve the user's
exercise
experience.
Summary of the Invention
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an exercise treadmill
having
improved user programs.
A further object of the invention is to provide a treadmill having a control
panel that
includes a standard set of user controls with a second set of quick start user
controls that
permits the user to select certain predetermined treadmill operating
parameters such as
speed to initiate a workout or to change to one of the predetermined speeds
during a
workout.
Another object of the invention is to provide a treadmill having a control
panel that
includes user controls that permit the user to program custom user workouts
which have
certain operating parameters such as speed and inclination where the custom
workouts have
greater flexibility than the standard workouts normally programed in a
treadmill.
An additional object of the invention is to permit the user to switch programs
while
the treadmill is operating by merely pressing a particular program button
without having to
. . CA 02503386 2000-09-07
stop the treadmill and start a new program.
A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic cooldown feature
that
automatically begins upon conclusion of the user's workout where the duration
of the
cooldown is determined by the length of time of the user's workout and where
the
treadmill includes a heart rate management system, the cooldown can be
terminated by
the user's heart rate reaching 60% of maximal.
Another object of the invention is to increase the frequency of display
information on the user display that is relevant to the manner in which the
treadmill is
being used and to decrease the frequency of the display information that is
not relevant.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a user detect feature
that can
use a detector such as an IR receiver/transmitter to stop the operation of the
treadmill in
order to overcome the problem of users leaving treadmills before the end of
their
programs which can result in treadmills continuing to run for a period of
time.
Yet an additional object of the invention is to provide a frame tag module
secured
to the frame of the treadmill and that includes a nonvolatile electrically
erasable
programmable memory chip and a real time clock.
It is also an object of the invention to provide a treadmill with a quick
start
feature.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an exercise treadmill,
comprising: a
frame structure including two rotatable pulleys, said pulleys being positioned
substantially parallel to each other, and a pair of spaced apart longitudinal
frame
members for providing longitudinal structural support for said frame
structure; a motor
for rotating a first one of said pulleys; a belt secured over said pulleys so
as to move in a
longitudinal direction when said first pulley is rotated; an inclination
mechanism secured
to a first end of said frame structure effective to permit selective
inclination of said frame
structure by a user; a control system operatively connected to said motor and
said
inclination mechanism; and a control panel secured to said frame structure and
operatively connected to said control system wherein said control panel
includes at least
one display and a first set of user controls for controlling the treadmill
including said belt
speed and said inclination mechanism wherein said control panel includes a
second set of
user controls for causing said belt to move at a predetermined speed.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an exercise treadmill,
comprising: a frame structure including two rotatable pulleys, said pulleys
being
positioned substantially parallel to each other, and a pair of spaced apart
longitudinal
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
.
r ~ ~ r
frame members for providing longitudinal structural support for said frame
structure: a
motor for rotating a first one of said pulleys; a belt secured over said
pulleys so as to
move in a longitudinal direction when said first pulley is rotated; an
inclination
mechanism secured to a first end of said frame structure effective to permit
selective
inclination of said frame structure by a user; a control system operatively
connected to
said motor and said inclination mechanism; a control panel secured to said
frame
structure and operatively connected to said control system wherein said
control panel
includes at least one display and a set of user controls for controlling the
treadmill
including said belt speed and said inclination mechanism; and programing means
I O associated with said control system and said control panel for permitting
the user to
program via said user controls a custom workout having predetermined
parameters
including belt speed and inclination of said frame structure and wherein said
treadmill
includes a heart rate management system and wherein said parameters include
maintaining the user's heart rate at varying predetermined rates for
predetermined time
intervals.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an exercise treadmill,
comprising: a frame structure including two rotatable pulleys, said pulleys
being
positioned substantially parallel to each other, and a pair of spaced apart
longitudinal
frame members for providing longitudinal structural support for said frame
structure; a
motor for rotating a first one of said pulleys; a belt secured over said
pulleys so as to
move in a longitudinal direction when said first pulley is rotated; an
inclination
mechanism secured to a first end of said frame structure effective to permit
selective
inclination of said frame structure by a user; a control system operatively
connected to
said motor and said inclination mechanism; a control panel secured to said
frame
structure and operatively connected to said control system wherein said
control panel
includes at least one display and a set of user controls for controlling the
treadmill,
including said belt speed and said inclination mechanism, to operate a
plurality of
predetermined workout programs; and program selection means associated with
said
control system and said control panel for permitting the user to select a
first of said
workout programs having a set of predetermined parameters including said belt
speed
and said inclination of said frame structure by said inclination mechanism via
said user
controls while said treadmill is operating in a second of said workout
programs.
In another aspect, the present invention provides and exercise treadmill,
comprising: a frame structure including two rotatable pulleys, said pulleys
being
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
,,5 r
positioned substantially parallel to each other, and a pair of spaced apart
longitudinal
frame members for providing longitudinal structural support for said frame
structure; a
motor for rotating a first one of said pulleys; a belt secured over said
pulleys so as to
move in a longitudinal direction when said first pulley is rotated; an
inclination
S mechanism secured to a first end of said frame structure effective to permit
selective
inclination of said frame structure by a user; a control system operatively
connected to
said motor and said inclination mechanism; a control panel secured to said
frame
structure and operatively connected to said control system wherein said
control panel
includes at least one display and a set of user controls for controlling the
treadmill
including said belt speed and said inclination mechanism, to permit a user to
operate the
treadmill for a workout; and cooldown program means associated with said
control
system for generating a cooldown operation of the treadmill wherein the
duration of said
cooldown operation is a function of the duration of said workout wherein said
duration
of said cooldown operation increases with said duration of said workout.
More preferably, the user controls additionally can be used by the user to
increase
or decrease the rate of said cooldown operation.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an exercise treadmill,
comprising: a frame structure including two rotatable pulleys, said pulleys
being
positioned substantially parallel to each other, and a pair of spaced apart
longitudinal
frame members for providing longitudinal structural support for said frame
structure; a
motor for rotating a first one of said pulleys; a belt secured over said
pulleys so as to
move in a longitudinal direction when said first pulley is rotated; an
inclination
mechanism secured to a first end of said frame structure effective to permit
selective
inclination of said frame structure by a user; a control system operatively
connected to
said motor and said inclination mechanism; a control panel secured to said
frame
structure and operatively connected to said control system wherein said
control panel
includes at least one display and a set of user controls for controlling the
treadmill
including said belt speed and said inclination mechanism, to permit a user to
operate the
treadmill for a workout; a heart rate management system operatively connected
to said
control system and; cooldown program means associated with said control system
for
generating a cooldown operation of the treadmill wherein the duration of said
cooldown
operation is a function of the user's heart rate.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an exercise treadmill,
comprising: a frame structure including two rotatable pulleys, said pulleys
being
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
. i
positioned substantially parallel to each other, and a pair of spaced apart
Longitudinal
frame members for providing longitudinal structural support for said frame
structure; a
motor for rotating a first one of said pulleys; a belt secured over said
pulleys so as to
move in a longitudinal direction when said first pulley is rotated; an
inclination
mechanism secured to a first end of said frame structure effective to permit
selective
inclination of said frame structure by a user; a control system operatively
connected to
said motor and said inclination mechanism; a control panel secured to said
frame
structure and operatively connected to said control system wherein said
control panel
includes at least one display for displaying a set of workout parameters and a
set of user
controls for controlling the treadmill including said belt speed and said
inclination
mechanism, to permit a user to operate the treadmill for a workout; and a
display control
program means operatively associated with said control system for decreasing
the
frequency of a first of said workout parameters on said display as a function
of said
workout.
In another aspect, the present invention provides an exercise treadmill,
comprising: a frame structure including two rotatable pulleys, said pulleys
being
positioned substantially parallel to each other, and a pair of spaced apart
longitudinal
frame members for providing longitudinal structural support for said frame
structure; a
motor for rotating a first one of said pulleys; a belt secured over said
pulleys so as to
move in a longitudinal direction when said first pulley is rotated; an
inclination
mechanism secured to a first end of said frame structure effective to permit
selective
inclination of said frame structure by a user; a control system operatively
connected to
said motor and said inclination mechanism; a control panel secured to said
frame
structure and operatively connected to said control system wherein said
control panel
includes at least one display and a set of user controls for controlling the
treadmill
including said belt speed and said inclination mechanism, to permit a user to
operate the
treadmill for a workout; a detector operatively connected to said control
system for
detecting the presence of a user on said belt; and a stop program operatively
associated
with said control system and responsive to said detector for stopping the
movement of
said belt when no user is detected on said belt for a first predetermined
amount of time.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides an exercise treadmill,
comprising: a frame structure including two rotatable pulleys, said pulleys
being
positioned substantially parallel to each other, and a pair of spaced apart
longitudinal
frame members for providing longitudinal structural support for said frame
structure; a
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
motor for rotating a first one of said pulleys; a belt secured over said
pulleys so as to
move in a longitudinal direction when said first pulley is rotated; an
inclination
mechanism secured to a first end of said frame structure effective to permit
selective
inclination of said frame structure by a user; a control system operatively
connected to
said motor and said inclination mechanism; a control panel secured to said
frame
structure and operatively connected to said control system wherein said
control panel
includes at least one display and a set of user controls for controlling the
treadmill
including said belt speed and said inclination mechanism, to permit a user to
operate the
treadmill for a workout; and a frame tag module including a nonvolatile memory
and a
clock operatively connected to said control system and secured to said frame
structure
wherein said memory contains treadmill configuration data and treadmill
operational
data.
In a further aspect, the present invention provides an exercise treadmill
comprising: a frame; a pair of pulleys rotatably mounted on said frame in a
spaced
parallel relation one to another; a belt extending in contact with surfaces of
said pulleys;
a motor for rotating at least one of said pulleys; a control system
operatively connected
to said motor; a control panel secured to said frame and operatively connected
to said
control system wherein said control panel includes at least one display and a
first set of
speed controls for permitting a user to control the speed of said belt; a
second set of
speed controls operatively connected to said control system wherein said
second set of
speed controls includes a plurality of speed control buttons for permitting
the user to
cause said belt to move at a preset speed corresponding to each of said speed
control
buttons.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled exercise treadmill according to
the
invention;
Fig. 2 is a block diagram of the control system for the treadmill of Fig. 1;
Fig. 3 is a plan view quick start/quick speed control including a set of user
switches for a quick start feature for use with the control system of Fig. 1;
Figs. 4 and 5 are flow charts illustrating the operation of the quick
start/quick
speed control of Fig. 3;
Figs. 6 and 7 are flow charts illustrating the operation of a custom workout
feature for use with the control system of Fig. 2;
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the control system of
Fig. 2 to
implement a feature whereby the user can select a new workout program while
the
treadmill of Fig. 1 is operating in another workout program;
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
Figs. 9 and l0A-B are flow charts illustrating the operation of an automatic
cooldown
feature for use with the control system of Fig. 2; and
Figs. 11 and 12 are flow charts of a user detect feature for use with the
treadmill with
the control system of Fig. 2.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Fig. 1 shows the general outer configuration of an exercise treadmill 10,
according to
the invention. The treadmill includes a control panel 12 having a set of
displays 14; a set of
workout program control buttons 16; a set of operational controls 18-22
including a pair of
time control buttons 18, a pair of incline control buttons 20 and a pair of
speed control
buttons 22; a numerical keypad 24; and a stop button 2b. In addition, the
treadmill 10
includes such conventional treadmill elements such as a belt 28, a deck 30 and
an inclination
mechanism 32 of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 6,095,951.
Fig. 2 is a representative block diagram of a control system 34 for the
treadmill 10.
l5 The control system 34 is generally similar to the treadmill control systems
of the type shown
in Fig. 16 of U.S. Patent No.6,095,951 and controls an AC motor 38 having a
motor
controller 36 to propel the belt 28. The control system 34 uses a
microprocessor based
system controller 40 to control the control panel displays 14 including a
message display 14,
the user controls 16-22 and 26 along with the keypad 24, an optional remote
display 42 and a
remote keypad 44. In addition, the control system 34 serves to control a heart
rate monitoring
system of the type described in U.S. Patent No. 5,3 i 3,487 utilizing a set of
pulse sensors 46
and a deck or belt lubrication system 48 of the type shown in U.S. Patent No.
5,433,679 along
with the inclination mechanism 32. The control system also controls a user
detect or sense
system S0.
Figs 3-5 illustrate a quick start feature that can be implemented in the
control system
34. In particular, a quick start keypad 52 can be attached to the control
panel 12 or some
other part of the treadmill 10. The keypad 52 is provided with a set of three
buttons: a walk
button 54, a jog button 56 and a run button 58 that can be used by the user to
immediately
initiate a workout or change a workout having preferably a predetermined
speed, for example
corresponding to walk, jog or run. The operational controls 18-22 can also be
used to set
other predetermine workout parameters such as inclination, time, distance or
calories. User
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
operation is described in Fig. 4 and operation of the program is described in
the flow chart of
Fig. 5. Along with a quick start, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, the keypad 52
can be used by
the user to immediately implement the predetermined speeds or other workout
parameters
while another workout is in progress. In addition, it is also possible to use
a single quick start
button 59 on the control panel 12 in combination with the operational controls
18-22 to
initiate the quick start feature.
Figs. 6 and 7 are flow charts describing the logic of a preferred embodiment
of a
custom workout program that can be implemented in the control system 34.
Generally, this
feature permits a user or his trainer to use the control keys 18-22, the
keypad 24 and the
displays 14 to design and program into the control system 34 a custom workout
having
greater flexibility than the standard workouts normally programed in a
treadmill. For
example as described in Figs. 6 and 7, the trainer can define a heart rate
workout utilizing the
pulse sensors and heart rate management system 46 consisting of a series of
segments, up to
30, of a fxed duration in seconds, each segment containing a predetermined
target heart rate.
1 S As indicated at a block 60 in the flow charts of Figs. 6 and 7, the user
can select the custom
program mode by pressing a custom button 62 which is one of the program
buttons I 6 on the
control panel 12. In this case the heart rate management program can be used
to control the
inclination mechanism 32 of the treadmill 10 thereby regulating the user's
heart rate for each
interval or segment of the program. Also, custom interval hill workouts can be
designed
where each segment of the workout represents a different incline of the
treadmill I 0.
Similarly, custom interval speed workouts can be designed by the trainer where
each segment
of the workout utilizes a different speed. Here, it is desirable to provide
the user with an
aural warning over a speaker 64 shown in Fig. 2 of speed changes to prevent
surprise
transitions. Thus, it is possible to provide a wide variety of custom workouts
where the user
or trainer can define a number of workout parameters such as the initial
speed, duration of the
workout, distance and calories burned.
Fig. 8 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of the control system 34 to
execute
workout programs where, as indicated a pair of blocks 66 and 68, the control
system 34 also
permits the user to switch workout programs on the fly by merely pressing one
of the
program buttons 16 without having to stop the treadmill 10 and start a new
workout program.
Specifically, the user can select a new workout program having different
parameters
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
including, for example, speed, incline, intervals and heart rate while in the
midst of a first
workout program.
Figs. 9 and l0A-B show in flow chart form the logic of an automatic cooldown
feature that can be implemented in the control system 34. In the protocol
described in Figs. 9
and l0A-B, cooldown will begin automatically upon conclusion of the user's
workout. Here,
the duration of the cooldown is determined by the length of time of the user's
workout or can
also be terminated by the user's heart rate reaching 60% of maximal if a heart
rate
management program of the type identified above is being used. In addition,
cooldown can
be initiated by the user at any time by pressing a cooldown button 70 located
on the control
panel 12. In the system described in Figs. 9 and l0A-B, the cooldown sequence
will
normally automatically progress each minute except that the user can advance
the cooldown
by pressing the cooldown button 70 or extend the cooldown by using arrow keys
on the
keypad 24.
Another feature of the treadmill 10 is the provision in the system controller
34 to only
display information on the user displays 14 that is relevant to the manner in
which the
treadmill 10 is being used. Because the number of discrete displays on the
user displays 14 is
limited and non-relevant information can be annoying to a user, it is
desirable to provide only
that information to the user that is most useful for the particular workout
that he is performing
at the moment. For example, the treadmill 10 having its incline mechanism 32
set at
something other than zero will accumulate and can display on one the displays
14 the total
vertical distance the user has climbed during the workout. However, if the
treadmill 10 is set
at zero inclination, the user might become annoyed with a message on the
displays 14 always
having a zero reading. Thus, in the preferred embodiment of the invention the
system
controller 40 of the control system of 34 will be programed to only generate a
total climb
figure on one of the displays 14 at periodic intervals such as 5 minutes. By
the same token,
generally only runners are interested in their pace such as minutes per mile,
so this
information will not be displayed by the system controller 40 on the displays
14 for walkers.
Also, calories per hour, watts and mets will only be displayed on one of the
displays 14 upon
a workload change such as a significant speed or incline change so as to
eliminate the same
message from being displayed on the displays 14 over and over.
Figs. 11 and 12 are flow chart illustrating the logic applied by the system
controller 40
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
to implement a user detect feature for use with the treadmill 10. In order to
overcome the
problem of users leaving treadmills before the end of workout programs which
can result in
treadmills continuing to run for a period of time, the treadmill 10 can be
provided with an
auto belt stop mechanism that utilizes a detector such as the infrared
receiver/transmitter 72
shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the preferred embodiment, a receiver/transmitter 72
transmits an
infrared beam which is amplitude modulated at 40Khz for SOO~tsecs every 500
msec. If a
user is on the treadmill, some portion of the light will be reflected back to
the
receiver/transmitter 72 which is sensitive not only to the frequency of the
beam but also to the
40Khz modulation. Thus, the control system 34 can determine if a user is on
the treadmill
belt 28. When, for example, the user leaves the treadmill 10 with the belt 28
still moving, the
system controller 40 will cause the treadmill 10 to wait a predetermined time,
such as 6
seconds, and then switch to a pause mode. In the pause mode the belt 28 is
stopped and a
"pause" message is displayed on one of the displays 14. If there is no user
input for another
predetermined time to the control system 34, such as 1 minute, the pause mode
will time out
and the system 34 will reset. Also, the system controller 40 will cause the
treadmill
inclination mechanism 32 to return the inclination of the treadmill 10 to a
zero. It should also
be noted that the function of the receiver/transmitter 72 to detect the
presence of a user on the
belt 28 can be performed by a number of other techniques including a weight
sensor 74 as
shown in Fig. 2.
Another feature of the treadmill 10 is a frame tag module 76 as shown in Fig.
2 which
is preferably secured to one of the side frames of the treadmill 10 and is
adapted to
communicate with the system controller 40. In the preferred embodiment, the
frame tag
module 76 includes a nonvolatile electrically erasable programmable memory
chip
(EEPROM) 78 and a real time clock 80. Included with the EEPROM 78 is a 10 year
battery
(not shown). Preferably, the clock 80 will be initialized to GMT at the time
of manufacture
of the treadmill 10 and then set to local time when the treadmill 10 is
installed at a customer
location and each entry into the EEPROM 78 will be date stamped by the clock
80. In
normal operation, each time the treadmill 10 is powered up, the system
controller 40 wi I1
retrieve treadmill configuration information from the frame tag module 76.
Included in this
information can be such data items as English or metric units for display on
the displays 14,
maximum and minimum treadmill belt speeds, language selection as well as
accumulated
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CA 02503386 2000-09-07
treadmill operational data such as the total time, the total miles, the belt
time, the belt miles
and the number of program selections. Preferably, when the treadmill 10 is in
operation, the
system controller 40 will cause data relating to each user workout and
operation of the
treadmill 10 to be stored in the EEPROM 78 along with all information relating
to system
S errors that might occur. In addition, all information relating to any
service procedure is
stored in the EEPROM 78. This information stored in the EEPROM 78 including
set up,
operational and service data can be displayed on the displays 14 by the system
controller 40
so that the history of the treadmill 10 can be read by service personnel. One
of the
advantages of the frame tag module 76 is if any of the major electrical or
mechanical
components of the treadmill 10 is replaced, the operational history of the
treadmill 10 is not
lost. For example, if the control panel 12 containing the system controller
40, is replaced the
treadmill's history will not be lost. The frame tag module 76 can also be
replaced without
losing the machine's history. In this case, because when the treadmill 10 is
powered up, this
information is transmitted from the old frame tag module 76 to the system
controller 40, this
information can then be transmitted back to the new frame tag module 76 after
it has been
installed on the treadmill 10 thereby maintaining the treadmill's history with
the treadmill 10.
It should be noted that the various features described above have been
described in
terms of their preferred embodiments in the context of the particular
treadmill 10 and control
system 34 disclosed herein. The manner in which these features can be
implemented will
depend upon a number of factors including the nature of the treadmill and
control system.
With respect to programing, there are many different types of hardware and
programing
languages and techniques that would be suitable for implementing these
features that would
be within the scope of this invention.
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