FR2623407A1 - ELECTROHYDRAULIC STRENGTHENING APPARATUS WITH PROGRAMMABLE PROPORTIONAL CONTROL - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for developing muscles comprises a bar (4) operated by means of an electronically controlled hydraulic force jack (7) which can move said bar downward, from left to right, without any form of chain, transmission or guiding. The base of the force jack (7) is attached to the support (2) at the appropriate height and its head is attached to the appropriate part of the muscle developing bar (4). Said bar forms a telescopic lever arm (4) and is actuated by a geometry jack or correction jack (10). The transmission energy is hydraulic and electronic; the two constitute the programmable electrohydraulic control. The invention is applicable to muscle developing appliances.

Description

 The present invention relates to an electrohydraulic weight training device with proportional programmable control allowing the following muscular developments: pectorals, triceps, shoulders, thighs, divided into different training modes.

 The current state of the art describes more rudimentary devices as described in European patent NO EP0139.346 A which mainly consists of a weight training device comprising a frame, a set of handles structured so as to simulate lifting exercises. weight.

 A piston and hydraulic cylinder system is connected between the handle assembly and the frame so that, during the rise of the handle assembly, a piston moves inside the cylinder in a certain direction, while during lowering the handle assembly, the piston moves in the opposite direction. The cylinder is filled with hydraulic fluid and the piston has through holes through which the fluid flows from side to side of the piston, during its movements, as well as a valve system on which one can act to reduce the total cross section of said orifices when the piston moves in said first direction, in order to increase the force necessary to lift the handles by overcoming the resistance to fluid flow and completely clearing said orifices when the piston moves in the opposite direction, in order to reduce to zero or to a low value the force necessary to lower handles.

 The piston is made in two parts, one of which can be turned relative to the other, in order to thus modify the total section of the passage orifices to adjust the resistance opposed by the liquid to the upward movement of the handles. The device can be dismantled for storage or transport.

Patent FR-A-2,575,658
This invention relates to a mechanical assembly, composed of a base and a frame, movable around an axis.

 The freedom of the frame rotation relative to the axis, allows the operator to determine his work plan according to his morphology or preferences. An exercise bar moves horizontally in the plane determined by the uprights of the frame.

 This frame structure allows the return of the loads from the exercise bar, in one or two parallel planes, perpendicular to the drive shaft (constancy of the moment of forces).

 Additional devices (jacks or positioning springs, motorization) complete this frame and make it a high-performance system.

 Patent FR-A-2,578,431 describes a fixed gantry, which acts as a support for an oscillating guide plane for a maneuvering bar, the oscillating guide plane is an oscillating gantry, the upper ends of the vertical bars of which are mounted at ends of the crosspieces placed at right angles to the vertical uprights of the lateral brackets which make up the fixed gantry and therefore the lower ends are pivotally mounted on the axis of articulation of the oscillating gantry, a maneuvering bar is slidably mounted along said vertical bars; the weight bench is made up of a fixed gantry, formed by two lateral brackets, connected to each other by a horizontal beam; the lateral brackets are each formed of a vertical upright, of a cross-member placed at right angles; the end part of each cross member receives the upper ends of the vertical bars of an oscillating gantry and comprises an end-of-travel stop to limit the angular movement of the oscillating guide plane; on said articulation axis of the oscillating gantry, are mounted coaxially, one or more drum pulleys, so as to transmit the load to the rotary operating bar slidably mounted along the vertical bars of said oscillating gantry.

 The devices described above are oscillating gantries with a rigid guide frame. These devices use chains, cables, driven by one or more electric motors, the response time is too long. These oscillating frames are limited to certain movements - bench press - bending on the legs - neck development.

 Patent EP.0139.346A comprises a jack which only brings the bar back to the center. There is no management in terms of bending the legs.

 In fact, it appears that the current state of the art does not make it possible to obtain a device which allows the natural movement of the user while allowing him to carry out almost all of the movements of physical culture or bodybuilding with a single device.

 The invention tends to eliminate all of these problems.

 The invention makes it possible in fact to use a weight bar without any constraint.

 The apparatus according to the invention makes it possible to carry out an ideal movement without load with a mechanical zero. The movements of the weight bar are stored in memory with this basic movement, then the user works with the weight bar using loads.

 A first advantage of this invention relates to the possibility of obtaining several training modes.

 The device is therefore composed of a weight bar articulated in rotation on a bracket, a force cylinder is disposed between the bracket and said weight bar which is telescopic and driven by another cylinder of geometry. These hydraulic cylinders are managed electronically.

 The device allows, without too long response time, to avoid "water hammer" during the loading whose sudden loading would exceed the value of the theoretical load requested, but on the contrary, there is a progressive loading time thanks to the force cylinder and the user is also not surprised by the load. The charging time is, of course, adjustable.

 The apparatus allows a saving of current compared to the abovementioned apparatuses which are only electric; in fact, control is carried out at the level of the force and geometry cylinders by means of a hydraulic power station.

 The power cylinder has great advantages - it avoids the brutal load at the start of the movement, - it eliminates any system of guide frame or oscillating frame driven by any mechanical force or electric motor and manages by the electronics all movements in complete freedom , - it allows you to use a weight bar without constraint with great freedom of movement while being corrected by a sliding forward-backward direction managed electronically and this, so as to allow a perfect movement for all exercises.

 The electronic management allows to release the force during the effort and especially at the precise moment when the joint is in maximum compression.

There are therefore far fewer joint constraints for the skeleton.

 To this end, the apparatus according to the invention is composed of a support which rests on the ground and on which a bracket is mounted. At the upper end of said bracket, a weight bar is mounted, articulated in rotation, the end of which can end with a removable handlebar.

 Said bar operates by means of an electronically managed hydraulic force cylinder. Said power cylinder can drive said weight bar in a movement from bottom to top, from left to right, without chains, nor transmission, nor any guidance. Said force cylinder is fixed at its base on the appropriate height of the bracket and at head level on the appropriate part of the weight bar.

 Said weight bar forms a lever arm. This lever arm is telescopic and is actuated by a geometry cylinder or take-up cylinder.

 The transmission energy is hydraulic and electronic. The two means form the electrohydraulics with programmable control.

 The support of the jib can receive at its base a hydraulic unit and its hydraulic motor.

 Each cylinder has a hydraulic circuit.

 For the power cylinder, it is supplied by the hydraulic unit whose pressure is supplied by the electric motor and whose pressure is regulated by a pressure regulator provided with a non-return valve, an electro-distributor distributes the pressure .

 The pressure regulator is proportional control and allows, by an electronic supply, to regulate the pressure continuously.

 The non-return valve prevents pressure from passing through the return port of the hydraulic circuit.

 The assembly operating on the principle of the back pressure exerted by the user.

 The flow regulator is proportional flow and allows electronic adjustment of the working speed.

 The electric distributor allows the start of the scheduled work and the emergency stop.

 For the take-up geometry cylinder, which controls the length of the telescopic bodybuilding bar, its hydraulic circuit is supplied by the hydraulic unit and its electric motor. Said hydraulic circuit includes a pressure regulator and a solenoid valve.

 Said cylinders of geometry and force are managed electronically.

 A pressure regulator allows any pressure to be delivered smoothly and two other regulators allow variable working speeds.

 A means acting as a servocontrol allows both the pressure adjustment and the force display. This servo control can be associated with a microprocessor, which allows the programming of any training mode, the storage of a basic movement without load and the execution of the same movement by the same user with the load he wants.

 The correction of the geometry cylinder is managed by a double electronic comparator which makes it possible to correct the position of the body.

 The servo control consists of a synchronous dual direction micromotor mounted on a double angle gear allowing the control of two precision multi-turn potentiometers.

 There are three electronic regulators, two for speed, one for force.

 An up-down counter enables the servo drive to be controlled.

 At least two pulse counters count the pulses produced by a transceiver connected to a pulse generator amplifier. The electronic management of the weight bar is managed by a double threshold detector controlled by at least two sensors - a sensor on the articulation of the lever arm or weight bar gives a signal which varies according to the angle of it. ci, - a sensor on the geometry cylinder gives a signal which varies according to the position of the cylinder.

A control unit makes it possible to control the force or the load and the programs. It includes - two pushers to increase or decrease the force - a multi-touch keyboard to increase or decrease the load of X kg in
X Kg, - an on-off switch - a button for the choice of movements - an inverter: manual or program - a programming keyboard.

- a table of displays
The attached drawings are given as indicative and non-limiting examples. They represent a preferred embodiment according to the invention. They will allow the invention to be easily understood.

 Figure 1 is a schematic view seen from the side of the device.

The end of the weight bar at the level of the handlebars highlights, by double lines and mixed lines, the kinetics of said bar.

 Figure 2 is a view of the apparatus according to Figure 1 with a user in use and this, so as to highlight the action of the two cylinders on the weight bar.

 Figure-3 is a schematic view, seen from above of the weight bar with its geometry cylinder.

 Figure 4 is a schematic view, seen from above of the servo control.

 Figure 5 is a schematic view of the hydraulic circuit of the geometry or take-up cylinder.

 Figure 6 is a schematic view of the hydraulic circuit of the power cylinder.

 Figure 7 is a block diagram of the various electronic elements.

 Figure 8 is a schematic view of the control unit or console.

 The apparatus according to the invention is composed of a support 1 which rests on the ground and on which is mounted a bracket 2. At the upper end 3 of said bracket 2, is mounted, articulated in rotation on bearings 5, a weight bar 4, the end of which can end with a removable handlebar 6.

 Said bar 4 operates by means of an electronically managed hydraulic force cylinder. Said force cylinder 7 can drive said weight bar 4 in a movement from bottom to top, from left to right, without chains, or transmission, or any guidance. Said force cylinder 7 is fixed at its base 8 to the appropriate height of the stem 2, and at its head 9, to the appropriate part of the weight bar 4.

 Said weight bar 4 forms a lever arm. This lever arm 4 is telescopic and is actuated by a geometry cylinder or take-up cylinder 10. The telescopic weight bar 4 will be described in detail below, with reference to FIG. 3.

 The transmission energy is hydraulic and electronic. the two means form the electrohydraulics with programmable control.

 The support 1 of the bracket 2 can receive at its base a hydraulic unit 11 and its hydraulic motor 12.

 Each hydraulic cylinder 7 or 10 has a hydraulic circuit, see Figures 5 or 6.

 For the force cylinder 7, see FIG. 6, this is supplied by the hydraulic unit 11 with its filter 55 whose pressure is supplied by an electric motor 12 and its pump 54 and whose pressure is regulated by a regulator of pressure 16 provided with a non-return valve 17, an electro-distributor 15 distributes the pressure.

 The pressure regulator 16 is with proportional control and allows, by an electronic supply, to regulate the pressure continuously.

 The non-return valve 17 prevents pressure from passing through the return port of the hydraulic circuit, the assembly operating on the principle of the back pressure exerted by the user. It is obvious that this back pressure passes through the reservoir of the hydraulic unit 11 and tends to pressurize the return, which would block the force cylinder 7.

 The 18.19 flow regulators are proportional flow and allow electronic adjustment of the working speed.

 The electric distributor 20 allows the start of the scheduled work and the emergency stop.

 For the take-up geometry cylinder 10 (see FIG. 6) which controls the length of the telescopic bodybuilding bar 4, its hydraulic circuit is supplied by the hydraulic unit 1I and its electric motor 12 and its pump 54. Said hydraulic circuit mainly comprises a pressure regulator 21 and a solenoid valve 22.

 Said cylinders of geometry 10 and force are managed electronically.

 A pressure regulator 16 allows any pressure to be delivered without blows and two other regulators allow variable working speeds.

 A means serving as a servo control 23 allows both the pressure adjustment and the force display on a display panel 36. This servo control 23 can be associated with a microprocessor (not shown), which allows programming of any training mode, the storage of a basic movement without load and the execution of the same movement by the same user with the load he wishes.

 The correction of the geometry cylinder 10 is managed by a double electronic comparator which makes it possible to correct the position of the body.

 The servo control 23 consists of a synchronous micromotor 26 double direction of travel mounted on a double angle gear 24 with frustoconical pinions 25 thus allowing the control of two precision multiturn potentiometers - a potentiometer serving as an intermediary for the reference signal of the regulator - a second potentiometer serving as an intermediary for the reference signal of the counter, down counter.

 The axis 27 of the synchronous motor 26 is connected, by a coupling sleeve 28, to the pilot axis 29, which, by the play of the pinions in truncated cones 25, drives two axes 30, 31 rotating opposite each other. On the axis 31 is arranged a force sensor, on the other axis 30 a counting sensor.

 There are three electronic regulators, two 18.19 for speed, one 16 for force.

 These regulators 16, 18, 19, are provided for the control of proportional valves with coils operating with open loops. These regulators provide a high frequency pulsed current which varies in proportion to the reference signal. A ramp circuit is incorporated allowing a minimum time (for example 0.02 seconds) and a maximum time (for example 15 seconds) for a complete variation of the current in the coil thus avoiding "water hammer" during the first rehearsal. An up-down counter 32 is coupled to a double threshold detector 33 and thus allows the piloting of the servo-control 23 by a microprocessor which authorizes any kind of training program.

 The pulse counters add up said pulses. These pulses are transmitted by an infrared radiation transceiver connected to a pulse amplifier generator.

 A power supply unit 34 distributes all the electrical voltages necessary for the electrical and electronic components such as the power supply to the motor of the hydraulic unit 11, the power supply to the coils of the electro-reducers 35, the general display 36, logic circuits 37 and the sensors 38, 39, sensors 38 of the geometry cylinder 10 and sensors 39 of the force cylinder 10 (see FIG. 7).

 The electronic management of the weight bar 4 is managed by a double threshold detector 33 controlled by at least two sensors: - an angular sensor 39 on the articulation of the lever arm or weight bar 4 gives a signal which varies according to the angle of this, a sensor 38 on the geometry cylinder 10 gives a signal which varies as a function of the position of the cylinder 10.

 A control unit 40 makes it possible to control the force or the load and the programs. It includes - two push buttons 41,42 to increase or decrease the force - a multi-touch keyboard to 43 increase or decrease the load in 3 kg jumps into 3 kg, - an on-off switch 44 - a button 45 for the choice of movements - an inverter: manual or program 46 - a programming keyboard 47.

- buttons to program series 48 and repetitions 49.

- a table for displays 36.

 The weight bar 4 is telescopic. It is made up of a sheath 50 in which the rod 51 of the geometry cylinder 10 slides and the fixing clip 52 of the handlebar 6 which is articulated on a hinge 53.

The weight bar 4, which acts as a lever arm, is studied so that its end, on the handlebar side 6, reduces the force of the jack 7 twice
Example
the minimum hydraulic operating pressure is eight bars or thirty nine kilograms two hundred on the rod of the jack 7.

 Due to the length of the lever arm, this achieves a minimum force of nineteen six kilograms six hundred.

 The entire telescopic lever arm opposes a resistance to the jack 7, this resistance is thirty kilograms, so we are in the presence of a back pressure of 10 kilograms four hundred for eight bars.

 The search for the point of equilibrium at mechanical zero will be obtained by increasing the pressure to achieve the cancellation of all these mechanical constraints.

 In the present invention, we obtain a mechanical zero at 10.25 bars with 0.5% error.

 So the minimum usable load is one kilogram progressing more or less quickly on demand, depending on the programmed order up to the maximum of 411 kilograms.

 REFERENCE LIST 1. support 2. stem 3. upper end of stem 4. weight bar 5. bearing 6. removable handlebar 7. power cylinder 8. base 9. stem head 10. geometry cylinder or cylinder make-up 11. hydraulic control unit 12. hydraulic motor 16. pressure regulator 17. non-return valve 18. flow regulator 19. flow regulator 20. electrical distributor 21. pressure regulator 22. solenoid valve 23. servo control 24. return angle 25. frustoconical pinions 26. synchronous motor 27. axis 28. coupling sleeve 29. pilot axis 30. rotating axis for the counting sensor 31. rotating axis for the force sensor 32. counter counter 33. detector double threshold 34. power supply 35. electric reducers 36. general display 37. logic circuits 38. geometry cylinder sensor 39. angular force cylinder sensor 40. control unit 41. 42 push buttons 43. multi-touch keyboard 44. on-off switch 45. button 46 reverser 47. programming keyboard 48. series 49. repetitions 50. sheath 51. rod 52. fixing clip 53. hinge 54. pump 55. filter

Claims (10)

 1. Electrohydraulic weight training machine with proportional control of the type provided by a support (1) which rests on the ground and on which is mounted a bracket (2), at the upper end (3) of which is mounted articulated in rotation on bearings (5) a weight bar (4) the end of which can end in a handlebar characterized by the fact  that said bar (4) operates by means of an electronically managed hydraulic force cylinder; said force cylinder (7) can drive said weight bar (4) in a movement from bottom to top, from left to right, without chains, or transmission, or any guidance; said force cylinder (7) is fixed at its base (8) on the appropriate height of the bracket (2) and at its head (9) on the appropriate part of the weight bar (4); said weight bar (4) forms a lever arm; the lever arm (4) is telescopic and is actuated by a geometry cylinder or take-up cylinder (10) 1 .transmission energy is hydraulic and electronic; the two means form electrohydraulics with programmable control.  2. Bodybuilding apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that  that the handlebar (6) is removable.  3. Bodybuilding apparatus according to claim 1 characterized in that  that the power cylinder (7) is supplied by the hydraulic unit (11) with its filter (55) whose pressure is supplied by an electric motor (12) and its pump (54) and whose pressure is regulated by a regulator pressure (16) provided with a non-return valve (17), an electro-distributor (20) distributes the pressure.  4. Bodybuilding apparatus according to claim 3 characterized in that  that the pressure regulator (16) is proportional control and allows, by an electronic supply, to regulate the pressure continuously.  5. weight training device according to claim 3 characterized in that  that the non-return valve (17) prevents pressure from passing through the return port of the hydraulic circuit.  6. weight training device according to claim 3 characterized in that  that the flow regulators (18,19) is proportional flow and allows the electronic adjustment of the working speed.  7. weight training device according to claim 1 characterized in that  that the take-up geometry cylinder (10) controls the length of the telescopic bodybuilding bar (4), its hydraulic circuit is supplied by the hydraulic unit (11) and its electric motor (12) and its pump (54); said hydraulic circuit mainly comprises a pressure regulator (21) and a solenoid valve (22).  8. weight training device according to any one of claims 1, 3 or 7 characterized in that  that said cylinders of geometry (10) and force are managed electronically; servo means (23) allow both pressure adjustment and force display (36); this servo control (23) can be associated with a microprocessor.  9. weight training device according to any one of claims 1 or 8 characterized in that  that the servo control (23) consists of a synchronous micromotor (26) double direction of travel mounted on a double angle gear (24) with frustoconical gears (25) thus allowing the control of two precision multi-turn potentiometers - a potentiometer serving as an intermediary for the regulator reference signal - a second potentiometer serving as an intermediary for the reference signal from the counter, down-counter - the axis (27) of the synchronous motor (26) is connected by a coupling sleeve (28 ) to the pilot axis (29), which, by the play of the pinions in truncated cones (25), drives two axes (30,31) rotating opposite one another; on the axis (31) is placed a force sensor, on the other axis (30) a counting sensor.  10. Weight training machine according to any one of claims 1 or 8 characterized in that  that the electronic management of the weight bar (4) is managed by a double threshold detector (33) controlled by at least two sensors - an angular sensor (39) on the articulation of the lever arm or weight bar gives a signal which varies as a function of the angle thereof, - a sensor (38) on the geometry cylinder (10) gives a signal which varies as a function of the position of the cylinder (10).