JPH045471B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a pedal exerciser,
In particular, it relates to a pedal exerciser equipped with a device for measuring workload.

[Prior Art] German Patent No. 1961488 discloses a bicycle-type exercise machine related to the present invention. In the bicycle-type exercise machine disclosed above, the brake disc of the disc brake is the handwheel rotated by the crank, and the braking force (load) is generated by sandwiching one part of the brake disc from both the left and right sides by the brake shoe. has been adjusted.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, with this configuration, the load is applied at one place on the flywheel, which causes the rotation of the flywheel to become unbalanced, resulting in a poor usability. Ta.

Therefore, the main object of this invention is to provide a pedal motion that applies a well-balanced load to the flywheel rotated by a pedal crank, allows smooth rotation of the flywheel, is comfortable to use, and allows the user to easily recognize the correct amount of work. To provide a type exerciser.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The present invention provides a load device that is rotatably provided coaxially with the axis of the flywheel and applies a load by sandwiching the outer peripheral surface of the flywheel from both sides in the diametrical direction. We are prepared.

In addition, in a preferred embodiment, an elastic member that expands and contracts in accordance with the movement of a load device that is moved as the flywheel rotates, and the amount of elastic deformation (amount of expansion and contraction) of the elastic member is determined by electrical impedance (for example, resistance value or reactance). and a device that changes the oscillation frequency based on the change in the oscillation frequency and digitally measures the amount of work at the oscillation frequency.

[Operation] Since the load device pinches the circumferential surface of the flywheel from both sides in the diametrical direction, the load applied to the flywheel is
Apply evenly to the axis of the flywheel.

The elastic deformation of the elastic member stops when it is balanced with the rotational force of the load device. The amount of elastic deformation of the elastic member is converted into a change in electrical impedance. The oscillation means oscillates at a predetermined frequency based on the change in impedance. This oscillation frequency or period is measured and the amount of work imparted to the pedal rank is measured digitally.

[Embodiment of the Invention] An embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, a pedal exerciser 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a frame 12 that is placed stationary on a floor. The frame 12 is provided with a handle 14 and a saddle 16, and a drive wheel 20 driven by a pedal 18;
A flywheel 2 connected to this by a chain 22 etc.
4 are provided. The flywheel 24 is associated with a load mechanism 26 for applying a predetermined load to the flywheel 24 and a load detector 28 for measuring the load. Further, in relation to the pedal 18, a rotation speed detector 30 for detecting the rotation speed of the pedal 18 is attached.
And load detector 28 and rotation speed detector 30
Based on the output, the amount of work etc. is displayed on a display device 32 attached to the handle 14.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the configuration of the load mechanism 26, which is one of the features of this embodiment. Second
Referring to the figure, the load mechanism 26 includes a flywheel 24
An arm 3 rotatably supported on a rotation axis 34 of
Contains 6. The arm 36 is a rod-shaped member that extends in the diametrical direction of the flywheel 24 about the rotation axis 34 and has approximately the same length as the diameter. At both ends of the arm 36,
The brake lever 3 is arranged so as to protrude from each end in the direction of rotation of the flywheel 24 (in the direction of arrow A).
8,40 are installed. The arm 36 and each brake lever 38, 40 are connected to each other by the arm 36.
so that the brake levers 38, 40 are individually swingable in the radial direction of the flip wheel 24.
They are connected by connecting pins 42 and 44, respectively. A brake shoe 46, 48 is attached to each brake lever 38, 40 for contacting the outer peripheral surface of the flywheel 24. The brake shoes 46 and 48 are made of a material with a high coefficient of friction, such as synthetic rubber or felt, and generate a load due to friction between them and the flywheel 24. The brake shoes 46, 48 are the brake lever 38,
40, or more preferably, the brake shoes 46, 48 are swingably attached to the brake levers 38, 40 so that the brake shoes 46, 48 can make good contact with the outer peripheral surface of the flywheel 24. It may be. In addition, in FIG. 2, the brake shoes 46, 48 are different from the brake levers 38, 4.
For example, the part of the brake lever where the brake shoe is attached is shaped so as to protrude above the outer circumference of the flywheel 24, and the inner surface of the brake lever, that is, the part of the flywheel 24, is attached to the opposite side of the brake lever. A brake shoe may be attached to the surface facing the outer peripheral surface.

In this embodiment, the brake levers 38, 40
Although the brake levers 38 and 40 are configured to protrude from the arm 36 in the rotational direction of the flywheel 24, the present invention is not limited to this. You can leave it there.

Further, in this embodiment, in order to simplify the structure, the arm 36 is a rod-like member that does not extend or contract, and the load generated can be changed by swinging the brake levers 38 and 40 attached to both ends of the arm 36. However, the arm 36 itself is flipped and the wheel 2
4 may be extendable and retractable in the diametrical direction, and a brake lever and a brake shoe attached to both ends of the extendable arm may sandwich the flip wheel 24 from the outer peripheral surface in the diametrical direction.

Brake levers 38 and 40 are connected by a rod 50, a coil spring 52, and a wire 54. One end of the rod 50 passes through the brake lever 38 and is inserted into the nut 51 from the outside of the brake lever 38.
installed by. The other end of the rod 50 is connected to one end of a wire 54 via a coil spring 52. The wire 54 is connected to the brake lever 40
and extends to the outside of the brake lever 40. Wire 5 extending outside the brake lever 40
4 is covered with an outer tube 56, the tip of which is attached to a load regulator 58. A portion of the load adjuster 58 slidably passes through an opening 59 of a mounting portion 57 attached to the frame 12. The outer tube 56 is a flexible tube that does not expand or contract, and is arranged between the brake lever 40 and the load adjuster 58 with some margin in length. The load adjuster 58 includes an adjustment knob 60 and a housing 62, and adjusts the tension of the wire 54 by adjusting the screw of the adjustment knob 60. Although the casing 62 is slidable in the axial direction of the casing 62 with respect to the mounting member 57, it has a detent function (not shown) to prevent rotation about the wire 54. That is, by rotating the adjustment knob 60, the housing 62 moves vertically in the drawing within the opening 59 of the mounting member 57 without rotating.

In this embodiment, the load adjuster 58 is connected to the tip of the wire 54 protruding through the outer tube 56, but the load adjuster 58 is directly mounted on the brake lever 40, eliminating the need for the outer tube 56. It is also possible to have a configuration in which

A load detector 28 is connected to the rear end of one brake lever 40 via a relay member 64.
Here, as the flywheel 24 rotates in the A direction, the brake shoe 48 tries to move in the same direction.
That is, in order to sensitively and optimally distinguish the movement of the brake lever 40, the relay member 64 is extended in the tangential direction of the point of contact with the brake shoe 48 of the flywheel 24, and its rear end is attached to the frame 12 on the extension. A coil spring 66 fixed to is stretched across the coil spring 66 in a tensioned state (somewhat tense state).
In parallel with the coil spring 66, there is a buffer 68 for absorbing vibrations of the coil spring 66.
is attached, and is also provided with a converter 70 that detects the amount of expansion of the coil spring 66 and converts it into a change in electrical impedance.

3 and 4 are diagrams showing an example of the configuration of the load detector 28, which includes the coil spring 66, buffer 68, and converter 70.

In FIG. 3, a converter 70 that converts into a resistance value is shown. That is, referring to Fig. 3, there are multiple (many) resistors R ₀ to R ₉ connected in series (the number of resistors is not limited to 10, but as a general rule, a larger number is preferable) and their Contact points P ₀ to _{P 9} arranged in the length direction of the coil spring 66 connected to each resistor, and an electric rubber contact that moves on each of the contacts P ₀ to P ₉ as the coil spring 66 expands and contracts. a sliding contact 72, such as a roller. Then, resistor R, contact P, conductive rubber roller 7
2. The support member 74, the coil spring 66, and the variable resistance circuit of the support member 76 constitute a part (resistance portion) of an RC oscillation circuit to be described later.

Note that the converter 70 described above includes a plurality of fixed resistors.
Although R ₀ to R ₉ are combined, a sliding resistor whose resistance value changes continuously may be used.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a converter that converts changes in the amount of expansion and contraction of the coil spring 66 into changes in inductance. In the load detector 28 of FIG.
The converter 71 is comprised of a coil 78 made of copper wire or the like, and a rod of magnetic material such as ferrite that moves within the coil 78 as the coil spring 66 expands and contracts.

Next, the operation will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

When the adjustment knob 60 of the load regulator 58 is rotated and the wire 54 is pulled, the coil spring 52 is expanded and tension is applied to the wire 54. This tension tends to pull the adjustment knob 60 downward, so that force is transmitted to the housing 62. Since the housing 62 is slidable relative to the mounting member 57, the lower surface of the housing 62 pushes against the outer tube 56. The lower surface of the outer tube 56 is connected to the brake lever 4.
0, the brake lever 40 is rotated inward around the connecting pin 44. That is, the force corresponding to the tension generated in the wire 54 is transmitted to the upper surface of the brake lever 40, and the brake shoe 48 is flipped and pressed against the wheel 24 by this force. On the other hand, the tension generated in the wire 54 stretches the coil spring 52, and since one end of the coil spring 52 is connected to the wire 50, the same tension as the tension generated in the wire 54 is applied to the wire due to the action of the coil spring 52. 5
0 will also occur. Therefore, with the same force with which the brake shoe 48 is pressed against the flip wheel 24, the brake shoe 46 is likewise pressed against the flip wheel 24. The brake shoes 46, 48 and the flywheel 24
Frictional resistance is generated between the flywheel 2 and the outer peripheral surface of the flywheel 2.
Brake torque (load) is added to 4.

In this way, the flip wheel 24 is subjected to an equal load from both outer circumferential surfaces in the diametrical direction, so that the rotation is extremely smooth even when a load is applied.

Further, in this embodiment, the amount of protrusion of the rod 50 that protrudes from the brake lever 38 can be adjusted by a nut 51. In this case, the load adjustment amount range by the load adjuster 58 can be adjusted.

When the brake shoes 46, 48 are pressed against the flywheel 24 rotating in the direction A, each brake shoe 46, 48 also tries to move in the direction of the arrow A, following the rotation of the flywheel 24 in the A direction.
The coil spring 66 is pulled through the brake lever 40 and the relay member 64 against its tension. Then, when the coil spring 66 is extended to a certain state, it is balanced. The amount of expansion of the coil spring 66 at this time is the amount that the flywheel 24
is proportional to the circumferential force F applied to the outer peripheral surface of The product F·r of this force F and the radius r of the flywheel is the torque about the axis of the flywheel 24. If the rotational speed ratio of the flywheel 24 and the drive wheel 20, that is, the speed increase ratio, is G, then if force transmission loss is ignored, the rotation speed around the axis of the drive wheel 20, that is, the pedal 18
The torque T around the axis applied to is determined by T=G・F・r. In the above equation, since the speed increasing ratio G and the radius r of the flywheel 24 are constant, the torque T is the force F in the circumferential direction applied to the outer periphery of the flywheel 24, in other words, the amount of extension of the coil spring 66. It will be proportional to. The amount of expansion of the coil spring 66 is converted into an amount of electrical resistance by the load detector 28 described above.

Next, a circuit for calculating torque T based on the amount of electrical resistance obtained by converting the amount of extension of the coil spring 66 will be explained. FIG. 5 shows the display device 32
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical circuitry built into the device (see FIG. 1). Figure 5 shows the case where the change in electrical resistance value as shown in Figure 3 is used.
An RC oscillation circuit 82 and an LC oscillation circuit 8 that utilizes changes in inductance as shown in Figure 4.
Although 4 is also written, in reality, either the RC oscillation circuit 82 or the LC oscillation circuit 84 is used.

In the RC oscillation circuit 82, a resistor R (this resistor R is
The oscillation frequency f changes due to a change in the variable resistor (the variable resistor shown in FIG. 3). The voltage signal having the oscillation frequency f is then given to the CPU 86.
If we use an oscillator circuit and treat changes in electrical impedance as changes in oscillation frequency, we get
This has the advantage that a signal can be directly given to the CPU 86, eliminating the need for an analog/digital converter, etc., and simplifying the circuit configuration. Further, the rotation speed signal of the pedal 18 detected by the rotation speed detector 30 is also given to the CPU 86 . The CPU 86 measures the period t of the voltage signal with the frequency f, and
The torque T around the rotation axis of is calculated by T=f(t). In addition, the function f(t) at this time
is the coil spring 6 of the exerciser of the embodiment
This is a function that can be obtained experimentally from the characteristics of No. 6 and the characteristics of the oscillation circuit. Therefore, it is sufficient to find this function at the prototype stage and set the found function in the CPU 86.

Furthermore, instead of measuring the period t as described above, it is also possible to measure the frequency n and calculate as follows: T=f'(n).

Furthermore, the torque value T is based on the rotation speed of the pedal 18 given from the rotation speed detector 30.
It can also be converted into power such as WATT value.

The torque T and power around the pedal rotation axis determined by the CPU 86 are displayed on a known liquid crystal display 88 included in the display device 32 so that the user can easily read them.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a pedal motion type exerciser in which a load is applied to the flywheel in a well-balanced manner, the rotation of the flywheel is smooth, and the user can perform a comfortable exercise. can.

Further, the load is not an electrical load but a mechanical load, such as an electromagnet, and the device can have a simple structure.

Furthermore, since the load detection and conversion to an electric signal can be performed with a simple structure, the device can be manufactured at low cost and with fewer failures.

Furthermore, since the load is detected based on how much the coil spring 66 expands and contracts from its initial state, the device is accurate and does not require the user to adjust the load detector's zero point. I can do it.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view for explaining the load mechanism. FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are diagrams showing the configuration of the load detector. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric circuit for load detection and display. In the figure, 10 is a pedal exerciser, 12 is a frame, 18 is a pedal, 24 is a flywheel, 26 is a load mechanism, 28 is a load detector, 3
0 is a rotation speed detector, 36 is an arm, 38 and 40 are brake levers, 46 and 48 are brake shoes,
52 is a coil spring, 54 is a wire, 56 is an outer tube, 58 is a load adjuster, 64 is a relay member, 66 is a coil spring, 68 is a buffer, and 70 is a converter.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A pedal exerciser comprising a flywheel attached to a part of a frame and a pedal crank for driving the flywheel, the pedal crank rotating coaxially with the axis of the flywheel. an arm that is movably attached and extends in the diametrical direction of the flywheel; load generating means that is swingably attached to each of both ends of the arm and that comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the flywheel to generate a load due to friction; a connecting means that includes a stretchable elastic part and extends between the two load generating means and pulls the load generating means together in the axial direction of the flywheel; adjusting the tension of the connecting means; load adjusting means for adjusting the magnitude of the load generated by the load generating means, one end of which is attached to either one of the load generating means, the other end of which is fixed to another part of the frame, and the flywheel; an elastic member that expands and contracts in accordance with the movement of a load generating means that moves with the rotation of the elastic member; a conversion means that converts changes in the amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic member into changes in electrical impedance; A pedal exerciser comprising: oscillation means for oscillating at a varying frequency; and work measurement means for converting the oscillation frequency into work. 2. The load generating means includes a brake lever that is swingably attached to the arm, and a brake shoe that contacts the outer peripheral surface of a flywheel that is fixed to the inside of the brake lever. The pedal motion type exerciser according to item 1. 3. The pedal exerciser according to claim 2, wherein the brake lever is attached so as to protrude from the end of the arm in the rotating direction of the flywheel. 4. The pedal exerciser according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the connecting means includes a wire and a coil spring connected to the wire. 5. One end of the wire constituting the connecting means extends outside through the one loading means, and the load adjusting means is a flexible wire through which the wire extending outside the one loading means is inserted. 5. The pedal motion type exerciser according to claim 4, further comprising an outer tube that does not extend or contract, and a wire tensioning means provided at the tip of the outer tube. 6. The pedal exerciser according to claim 1 or 5, wherein a relay member extending in a tangential direction of the flywheel is inserted between the load generating means and the elastic member. 7. The pedal exerciser according to claim 6, wherein the relay member extends in a tangential direction opposite to the rotating direction of the flywheel, and the elastic member is a coil spring. 8. The pedal exerciser according to claim 1 or 7, wherein the elastic member is provided with buffers in parallel to absorb rapid expansion and contraction. 9. The pedal exerciser according to claim 1, wherein the change in electrical impedance is a change in resistance value or reactance. 10 The means for converting a change in the amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic member into a change in electric resistance value includes a plurality of contacts having different fixed electric resistance values arranged on a printed circuit board, and a means for converting a change in the amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic member into a change in electric resistance value by moving over the contact points. 10. The pedal exerciser according to claim 9, further comprising a conductive slider for selecting an electrical resistance value of the pedal. 11. The pedal according to claim 9, wherein the means for replacing the change in the amount of expansion and contraction of the elastic member with a change in electrical resistance value is a sliding resistance device that slides in response to the expansion and contraction of the elastic member. Exercise type exerciser. 12. The pedal crank is equipped with a rotation speed detection sensor for detecting the rotation speed of the pedal crank, and the output of the sensor is provided to the work amount measuring means. 12. The pedal exerciser according to any one of Item 11.