JPH0245465B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a training device, and more particularly to a training device having means for proportionally controlling a load in response to changes in an input signal (eg, pulse rate).

Currently, various devices are provided on the market under various names such as health exercise machines, ergometers, and training devices.

One of these has a built-in microcomputer, and based on its commands, physical conditions (age, weight, gender, pulse rate, etc.) are input, and calculations are processed in relation to the pulse rate of the exerciser during exercise. A device for calculating a person's optimal load value and a management pulse rate below that value is known, for example, from Patent Application No. 123172 of 1981. In addition, there is a device that inputs the optimum load value, controlled pulse rate, etc. obtained by this device, and allows the user to execute a suitable training by exercising according to a program programmed in the microcomputer. It is known from Patent Application No. 123173 filed in 1988. In this device, a value obtained by subtracting a fixed value from the maximum pulse rate or a value obtained by increasing or decreasing a fixed value from the pulse rate under the optimal load value is set as the upper limit and lower limit pulse rate for management, and training is started. Then, the load value is gradually increased in steps from the set initial load value, and when the pulse rate reaches the control lower limit pulse rate, the load value at that point is maintained and the control upper limit pulse rate is reached. The load was controlled using so-called "step control" in which the load value was decreased when the lower limit pulse rate was reached, and the load value was increased when the lower limit pulse rate was reached again.

However, in this method, the load value is controlled in stages within the managed pulse rate range, and the intervals (load change amount per step) are large, and
The load change stage within the control pulse rate is one step of on/off, or at most two steps of on/off, and the change in pulse rate is expressed with a time delay relative to the load value change, so it is easy to manage. Even if the load is lowered by one step (or more) at the upper limit of the pulse rate, the pulse rate does not drop suddenly but increases gradually, and only decreases after a certain period of time. Similarly, even if the load is increased by one step or more at the lower limit of the controlled pulse rate, the pulse rate will only increase after a certain period of time has elapsed. Therefore, even if a control pulse rate range is determined, the current pulse rate often deviates from this range, making it impossible to maintain exercise within the control pulse rate range. In addition, since the value at the time of load step switching is large (for example, a step of about 10 W), it also gives a shock to the exerciser.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a training device that can maintain input signal values within a desired control range more favorably than conventional devices.

The purpose is to provide a means for periodically sampling the pulse rate, a means for calculating the pulse rate based on this sampling, and a means for comparing the pulse rate with a preset target pulse value and determining the difference as well as the magnitude relationship between them. a comparison calculation circuit that generates a corresponding signal;
In the training device, the training device includes a load control circuit that controls the load device in response to the output of the comparison calculation circuit, a timer means that manages the load application time of the load device, and a means that sets an initial load value. a first setting means for providing a dead zone above and below a target pulse value in the comparison calculation circuit;
a second setting means for providing a proportional band of a constant width above and below the dead zone; and when the calculated pulse rate is within the proportional band area, the second setting means corresponds to the magnitude relationship and difference between the pulse rate and the target pulse value. a deviation calculating circuit for generating a signal for proportionally increasing or decreasing the load; and a dead band which is supplied with the pulse rate and the output of the first setting means and can determine that the pulse rate is within the dead band. a pulse rate discrimination circuit, a proportional band pulse discrimination circuit that is supplied with the pulse rate and the output of the second setting means and can determine that the pulse rate is within the proportional band; and a proportional band pulse discrimination circuit that prohibits increase or decrease of the load amount for a predetermined time. A load prohibition circuit to which the output of the upper and lower proportional control time timers is connected, a proportional band load increase/decrease rate setting circuit for setting the load increase/decrease rate within the proportional band, the outputs of the deviation calculation circuit and the load prohibition circuit are connected. connected,
This can be achieved by a training device comprising a load calculation circuit that generates a control signal necessary for the load control circuit.

The present invention will be explained below using one embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a training device 10 having a proportional control means according to the present invention, in which a user rides on a saddle 1 of the training device and uses a pulse sensor 3 extending from an input/output box 2 to detect pulses in the ear or the like. Attach it to a measurable location and operate the keys according to the training operation procedure on the front panel (not shown) of the input/output box. For example, inputting physical conditions (age, gender, target pulse value), selecting a training program (general, weight loss, etc.),
Input the training time, set the dead band width, the proportional band width above and below the dead band, and the load increase/decrease rate within the proportional band (these can be set automatically from the data stored in the memory if the selection switch is set to automatic). ).

Moreover, when starting training after previously measuring physical fitness using a training device, various data obtained as a result of physical fitness measurement can be used. For example, the initial load setting value (proportional control starting load value) for the exercise target value (pulse rate) is set as a value that is obtained by multiplying the load value corresponding to the maximum pulse rate of the exerciser by a certain constant (0.5 to 0.8). Alternatively, the exercise optimal pulse rate can be used as the exercise target value.

Once these initial settings are completed, the user presses the start button on the input/output box, places his/her feet on the pedals 5 while grasping the handle 4, and continuously bends and stretches the feet. Training is started by driving a load device connected to the pedals. Reference numerals 6 and 7 in the figure represent a control circuit 6 of a training device, which will be described later, and a load control circuit 7 that controls a load device in response to the control circuit.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the control device 6 in detail. The control device 6 basically consists of a microcomputer, and the data input from the input/output box 2 is stored in the RAM via the I/O of the microcomputer 6, and is also stored in the ROM by pressing the start switch. By transferring the program stored in the internal memory to the RAM and calling the data as necessary, the CPU reads the pulse rate input from the pulse sensor 3 via the I/O and the data stored in the RAM or ROM according to the program. It compares it with the data and outputs a desired control signal to the load control device 7 via I/O. As mentioned above, training programs such as general and weight loss, input data, and data obtained from physical fitness measurements are stored in the ROM, and based on these, target values and dead zones are automatically calculated. Calculate all the data necessary for training, such as width, proportional band width above and below the dead band, load increase/decrease rate within the proportional band, initial load setting value, and number of step-type applications from the load at the start of exercise to the initial load value. .

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a microcomputer which is a control circuit for the training device according to the present invention.

The output signal from the pulse sensor 3, for example, a sensor that includes a light emitting element and a light receiving element and detects the pulse by grasping the ear, is shaped by a suitable waveform shaping circuit 20, and then counted by a known pulse counter.
The pulse rate is displayed on the pulse display unit 22 on the input/output panel 2. The current pulse rate of the exerciser is input to the waveform shaping circuit 20, which samples the pulse rate at a fixed period, for example, every 3 seconds for 3 seconds, and smooths the pulse.
After being counted by the counter 21, the pulse rate is converted into a pulse rate per minute by a conversion circuit (not shown), and then displayed on the pulse rate display unit 22.

This waveform shaping circuit can also be constructed using, for example, a film using a known CR element.
In addition, by combining with a moving average calculation circuit and averaging the pulse rate, it is possible to reduce the difference between sampling periods when the sampling period is short.

However, the configuration of the present invention only uses a normal waveform shaping circuit or CR element to align the pulses, and even if the pulse rate matches the averaged pulse rate or there is some error in the pulse rate, it will not respond to it. As will be described later, since the amount of load change is not as large as in step control and proportional control is used, a moving average calculation circuit does not need to be provided.

The output of the pulse counter 21 is also supplied to one input terminal of a proportional band pulse determination circuit 23, a dead zone pulse determination circuit 24, and a deviation calculation circuit 25 from the dead zone in the comparison calculation circuit.

Training time setting device 2 is on the input/output panel.
6. Along with the initial load value setter 27, there are provided a proportional band width setting switch, a proportional band load increase/decrease rate setting switch, and a dead band setting switch, which are the features of the present invention, and these operations can be controlled on the front panel. It is possible to switch between automatic and manual settings. If these values are not entered, they will be automatically set by the built-in microcomputer. In the case of manual settings, these switches are set to manual and settings are made using the numeric keys (not shown) on the input/output panel. In the case of automatic setting, as shown in the flowchart described later, according to the program stored in the ROM in the comparison/arithmetic circuit,
For example, the width of the lower sensitive zone is set to ±5 beats from the target value, the width of the proportional zone is set to ±15 beats from the upper and lower limits of the dead zone, and the rate of increase/decrease in load in the proportional zone is set to 1 beat/1W. Therefore, in FIG. 3, the configuration for manually or automatically setting values is represented by a dead band setting circuit 29, a proportional band width setting circuit 28, and a proportional band width increase/decrease rate setting circuit 30, respectively. These outputs are respectively sent to a dead zone pulse discrimination circuit 24 and a deviation calculation circuit 2 from the dead zone.
5, the other input terminal of the proportional band pulse discrimination circuit 23, and one input terminal of the load calculation circuit 32.

Therefore, the proportional band inside determination circuit compares the current pulse rate supplied from the pulse counter with the pulse rate range set by the proportional band width setting circuit, determines whether the current pulse rate is within the set range, and determines whether or not the current pulse rate is within the set range. A signal corresponding to the result is supplied to one input of the load control inhibition circuit 31. In addition, the dead zone pulse determination circuit 24 compares the current pulse rate with the setting range of the dead zone width setting circuit 29,
It is determined whether the current pulse rate is within the set range or not, and a signal corresponding to the result is supplied to the other input of the load control prohibition circuit.

The output of the dead band width setting circuit 29 is also supplied to the deviation calculation circuit 25 from the dead band, and when the current pulse rate is within the upper or lower proportional band, the calculation circuit 25 calculates the current pulse rate and the proportion to which it belongs. The difference between the critical value of the zone and the dead zone is supplied to the load calculation circuit 32 along with the magnitude relationship thereof.

When training starts, the load calculation circuit sets the load value at the start of training to the initial set load value at the start of proportional control in several stages (six stages in Figs. 6 and 8, which will be described later). , the load value is increased by one step every time a certain period of time elapses.
If the dead band pulse rate is reached before reaching the initial set load value, the load value is lowered to a certain extent at that point and proportional control is started. On the other hand, if the current pulse rate does not reach the dead zone even after exceeding the initial setting value (after maintaining this state for a certain period of time), step control is switched to proportional control. When switching from step control to proportional control, the load calculation circuit compares the sampled pulse rate with the dead zone critical value if the current pulse rate is within the proportional band, and calculates the deviation from the dead zone from the calculation circuit. Setting a new load value in response to the signal. In addition, when the current pulse rate enters the dead zone from the lower proportional band, the pulse rate sampled immediately after entering the dead zone is compared with the dead zone lower limit value, and an output signal from the dead zone pulse determination circuit is used to control the load control prohibition circuit. operates and outputs a control prohibition signal to the load calculation circuit. When the load calculation circuit receives this signal, it stops calculation for setting a new load value and maintains the load value at the time of receiving the signal.

Next, the proportional control method used in the present invention will be explained.

When the current pulse rate changes from the dead band to the upper proportional band, the pulse rate based on the sampling immediately after the pulse rate change is compared with the dead band upper limit value, and responds to a signal from the deviation calculation circuit that outputs the difference. The load calculation circuit then sets a new load value. Immediately thereafter, the load prohibition circuit outputs a prohibition signal for a load prohibition period (for example, 15 seconds) set by the proportional band control time timer, and prohibits changes in the load value based on new sampling of the load calculation circuit. When the prohibited time by the proportional band control time timer is released, the load calculation circuit sets a new load value in response to a signal from the deviation calculation circuit corresponding to the difference from the pulse rate based on the sampling immediately after. , calculation of a new load value is prohibited for a certain period of time by the load prohibition circuit.

On the other hand, when the current pulse rate enters the lower proportional band from the dead zone, proportional control is started by comparing the pulse rate sampled immediately after entering the dead zone lower limit value. In this case, the output maintenance time of the load prohibition circuit by the proportional band control time timer in the lower proportional band is longer than that in the upper proportional band, and is set to, for example, one minute.

Further, when the current pulse rate changes from either the upper or lower proportional band to the dead band, the proportional control is immediately stopped and the load immediately before changing into the dead band is maintained.

Next, the circuit operation of the embodiment of the present invention will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG.

Start after the exerciser inputs various physical conditions or optimal exercise pulse rate and training time: When the switch is pressed, the microcomputer will adjust the dead zone width and pulse rate based on these values according to the program stored in the ROM. The upper and lower proportional band widths, upper and lower load change rate constants, and initial setting load values are calculated (and displayed on the input/output panel). For example, if a pulse rate of 140 beats/min is entered as the target value,
First, ±5 beats of this value, that is, 135 to 145 beats, is set as a dead band, and then these values are set as upper and lower limits, respectively, and ±15 beats, that is, 120 to 135 and 145 to 160 beats, are set as proportional bands. Then, a value obtained by multiplying the load value 140W corresponding to the maximum pulse rate by a certain coefficient (for example, 0.5) is set as the initial setting load value 70W. Next, it is determined whether the training time has been set, and whether or not it is possible to start is determined. If all of the above judgments are YES, an OK lamp will blink on the input/output panel, for example. The exerciser then starts training by depressing the pedals.

When training is started, the load calculation circuit gradually increases the load value stepwise in six steps until the current pulse rate reaches the lower limit of the dead band according to the program. When the current pulse rate reaches the lower limit of the dead band, the load calculation circuit supplies a signal to the load control circuit to reduce the load by some degree (for example, 10W). Subsequently, this load value is maintained for a certain period of time, and the pulse rate proportional control, which is a feature of the present invention described above, is started.

That is, with respect to the input of the current pulse rate based on sampling at regular intervals, it is first determined whether the value is within the proportional band, and if NO, load control is prohibited. If YES, then it is determined whether or not it is within the dead zone, and if YES, load control is prohibited. If NO, then it is determined whether the pulse is within the upper proportional band, and if NO, it is determined whether the pulse is within the lower proportional band. If YES, upper proportional control is started, the upper proportional band timer is started, the deviation between the dead band upper limit pulse rate and the current pulse rate is calculated, and a preset increase/decrease rate constant is calculated for this deviation. is multiplied (in this case, by a negative value), and the load amount corresponding to the result is subtracted from the previous load amount.

On the other hand, if the current pulse rate mentioned above is not within the upper proportional band, it is determined whether it is within the lower proportional band,
In the case of NO, it is determined whether the training time is over, and in the case of YES, the load is gradually reduced according to the program, and the training is ended smoothly. In the case of NO, it is determined whether the training stop condition is met, and in the case of YES, the training is immediately stopped. If NO, the process returns to the flow to determine whether the pulse is within the upper or lower proportional bands or not. If the pulse is within the lower limit proportional band, the lower proportional control timer starts and it is determined whether the timer has timed up or not. If YES, the deviation from the lower limit of the dead band is measured and the value is adjusted to this value. Based on this, the deviation pulse rate is multiplied by a preset increase/decrease rate constant (in this case, a positive value), and the load amount corresponding to the result is added to the immediately preceding load amount.

In the explanation using the flowchart mentioned above,
The target value is set as the central value of the control pulse rate, and proportional bands of the same width are used above and below this value. You can also make it different.

In addition, although the setting times of the upper and lower proportional control timers mentioned above have been explained as 15 seconds and 1 minute, respectively, it is possible to make the sampling period shorter or longer as the minimum time, but in actual use Changes in pulse rate appear later than the time of load application, so they are naturally limited. As a result of actual training for employees, it was found that it is relatively desirable to take a longer load control time in the lower proportional band than in the upper proportional band.

FIGS. 5 to 8 are diagrams showing training performed using the conventional apparatus and the apparatus of the present invention. Figures 5 and 6 are diagrams of a 42-year-old man training using the conventional device and the device of the present invention, and Figures 7 and 8 are similar diagrams of a 26-year-old woman. .
As can be easily understood from the figure, the device of the present invention has less change in pulse rate after reaching the target value ± a certain width (corresponding to the dead zone in the present invention and the controlled pulse rate band in the conventional example) compared to the conventional device. In addition, even if the pulse rate deviates from a certain range, it is smoothly returned to within that range, so the exerciser does not experience load changes that are accompanied by sudden increases or decreases in pulse rate. Moreover, training can be performed without giving mechanical shocks.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a training device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the training device, FIG. 3 is a block diagram functionally representing an arithmetic circuit, and FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the training device. The control according to the invention is shown in a flowchart, and FIGS. 5 to 8 are diagrams showing changes in pulse rate of an exerciser with respect to training time. Symbols in the figure: 1... Saddle, 2... Input/output box, 3... Pulse sensor, 4... Handle, 5...
... Pedal, 6 ... Control circuit, 7 ... Load control circuit, 10 ... Training device, 20 ... Waveform shaping circuit, 21 ... Pulse counter, 22 ... Waveform display unit, 23 ... Proportional band pulse discrimination circuit,
24... Dead zone pulse discrimination circuit, 25... Deviation calculation circuit from the dead zone, 26... Training time setter, 27... Initial load value setter, 28...
Proportional band width setting circuit, 29...Dead band width setting circuit,
30...Proportional band load increase/decrease rate setting circuit, 31...Load control prohibition circuit, 32...Load control prohibition circuit, 3
3... Upper and lower proportional control time timer, 34... Load control circuit.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 means for periodically sampling pulse rate;
A means for calculating the pulse rate based on this sampling, a comparison calculation circuit that compares this pulse rate with a preset target pulse rate and generates a signal according to the difference as well as the magnitude relationship between them, and this comparison calculation circuit. A training device comprising: a load control circuit that controls a load device in response to the output of the load device; a timer means for managing the load application time of the load device; and a means for setting an initial load value; , a first setting means for providing a dead zone above and below the target pulse value; a second setting means for providing a proportional band of a constant width above and below the dead zone; If the pulse rate is within the band region, a deviation calculating circuit for generating a signal for proportionally increasing or decreasing the load in accordance with the magnitude relationship and difference between the pulse rate and the target pulse value; a dead band pulse determination circuit that is supplied with the output of the setting means and can determine that the pulse rate is within the dead band; and a dead band pulse determination circuit that is supplied with the pulse rate and the output of the second setting means so that the pulse rate is within the proportional band; A half-separate proportional band pulse rate circuit, a load prohibition circuit connected to the output of an upper and lower proportional control timer that prohibits the increase or decrease of the load amount for a predetermined period of time, and a load prohibition circuit connected to the output of the upper and lower proportional control timers that prohibit the increase or decrease of the load amount within the proportional band. It is characterized by comprising a proportional band load increase/decrease rate setting circuit to be set, a load calculation circuit to which the outputs of the deviation calculation circuit and the load prohibition circuit are connected, and which generates a control signal necessary for the load control circuit. training equipment.