KR20080079236A - Automatic speed control apparatus for treadmill and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An automatic speed control apparatus of a treadmill and a control method for the same are provided to control the moving speed of a track belt automatically by forming front and rear load sensors by a strain gauge. In an automatic speed control apparatus of a treadmill, the treadmill is composed of: a deck(113); a track belt(111) turned in an endless track according to the plane direction of the upper and lower surfaces of the deck; and a track belt driving unit. The moving speed of the track belt is controlled according to the position of a user who stands on the track belt. If a user operates a control panel, the moving speed of the track belt controlled in operating the control panel is kept for the predetermined time.

Description

Automatic speed control device of treadmill and its control method {AUTOMATIC SPEED CONTROL APPARATUS FOR TREADMILL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF}

The present invention relates to a treadmill automatic speed adjusting device and a method of adjusting the treadmill, and more particularly, even if the user does not separately control the moving speed of the track belt while walking or running on the track belt. The present invention relates to an automatic speed adjusting device of a treadmill and a method of adjusting the treadmill for automatically adjusting the moving speed of a track belt according to the speed of walking or running movement.

The treadmill is a treadmill, which is called a treadmill, and is widely used in homes and sports centers because it can bring a walking or running effect in a narrow space by using a belt that rotates in an infinite track. Treadmills can walk or run indoors at a moderate temperature even in winter, and the running speed can be arbitrarily adjusted, so the demand is increasing day by day.

In general, a user uses a treadmill to walk or run while changing walking speed or running speed according to his / her taste in order to alleviate the boredom of the exercise, while walking or running the control panel while the user walks or runs. Since the belt speed adjustment has to be operated every day, it is not only cumbersome but also causes a problem that the balance is disturbed during exercise.

In addition, when the movement speed of the track belt of the treadmill is manipulated according to a predetermined program, the walking or running speed may not be adjusted according to the user's physical condition or condition due to the restriction of exercising according to the uniformly programmed speed. There was a problem that forced or inefficient exercise is forced.

To this end, the "automatic speed control device of the running machine" devised by Chae Young-jin and disclosed in the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2003-0069941 is an optical sensor (13, 14) consisting of a light emitting part and a light receiving part in front of the control panel of the treadmill. By detecting the position of the user on the track belt in front and rear of the track belt of the treadmill, respectively, by the optical sensor, when the user is located in front of the track belt to accelerate the movement speed of the track belt, When located behind the track belt, it is configured to decelerate the moving speed of the track belt and automatically adjust the moving speed of the track belt. However, the optical sensor used in Chae Youngjin's "Treadmill Automatic Speed Control" itself is very expensive, so if Chae Youngjin's automatic speed control device is applied to the treadmill, the manufacturing cost of the treadmill will increase significantly and the competitiveness of the product will increase. There was a problem that greatly fell.

On the other hand, the automatic speed control device of the treadmill applying the optical sensor has a limitation that can involve very high manufacturing cost, there has been an attempt to detect the user's position using the ultrasonic sensor. That is, by placing the ultrasonic sensor in front and accelerating the moving speed of the track belt when the distance from the ultrasonic sensor is closer to the user, and reducing the moving speed of the track belt when the distance from the ultrasonic sensor is farther from the user, the treadmill Will automatically adjust the movement speed of the track belt. However, when the ultrasonic sensor is used as described above, measurement accuracy is very low and it is difficult to accurately determine the position of the user. Therefore, there is a problem that the track belt is accelerated or decelerated even when the user is not located in front of the track belt. .

In addition, when a sensor for detecting a user's position is located in front of the treadmill, the user may quickly recognize that the user moves to the front part of the track belt by running the hand as a movement during walking or running or reaching for a control panel. However, there is a problem that causes a malfunction that accelerates the movement speed of the track belt even though the user is not running fast.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, even if the user does not manipulate the movement speed of the track belt while walking or running on the track belt, according to the user's intention to automatically adjust the walking or running speed It is an object of the present invention to provide a treadmill automatic speed control device for adjusting the movement speed of the track belt and a control method thereof.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to enable a cheap manufacturing of the automatic speed control device of the treadmill for automatically adjusting the moving speed of the track belt.

In addition, the present invention senses the position of the user on the track belt by using a load sensor, if the user is determined to move in front of the track belt, the running speed of the user is considered to be faster than the movement speed of the track belt track When the speed of the belt is accelerated and the user is judged to be in a position behind the track belt, the treadmill's automatic speed is reduced so that the running speed of the user is considered to be slower than the speed of the track belt. Another object is to provide a speed regulating device.

It is also an object of the present invention to prevent the acceleration or deceleration too sensitively depending on the position of the user on the track belt, to provide the user with a stable automatic running speed adjustment environment.

In addition, the present invention is to minimize the influence of the inertial force according to the automatic speed control of the track belt, to allow the user to run the running movement at a desired speed with comfort.

The present invention allows the user to move the position on the track belt only for manipulating the buttons on the control panel or catching hand pulses (hereinafter referred to simply as “operating the control panel”) without the user walking or running faster. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a comfortable automatic speed regulating environment for the user, so as not to be mistaken for accelerating the case.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a deck, a track belt that rotates in an endless track along the plate surface direction of the upper and lower surfaces of the deck, and a driving unit for driving the track belt. A treadmill that accelerates when in a state located in a front region and decelerates when a user is in a rear region of a track belt, the treadmill comprising: a sensor installed to sense a position and movement of the user on the track belt; By detecting the positional movement of the user on the track belt from the value measured by the sensor, the speed of the track belt is accelerated while the position of the user on the track belt is moving forward, regardless of the area where the user is located, A control unit for decelerating the speed of the track belt while the user's position on the track belt is moved backwards, and accelerating or decelerating the track belt according to the area where the user is located when the movement of the user's position on the track belt is completed. It provides a treadmill automatic speed control device characterized in that it comprises a and a control method thereof.

Here, the front load sensor and the rear load sensor are not limited to sensors that independently measure the load, and a sensor capable of measuring the load by a combination thereof is also included.

The control unit compares the values measured from the load sensors with each other, and grasps the position of the user who is exercising on the track belt in real time from these differences, so that regardless of the acceleration / deceleration area where the user is located, the user first tracks the track. When the user moves forward of the belt, the user considers the running speed to be faster and accelerates. When the user moves backward of the track belt, the user considers the running motion to be slower and decelerates. .

In addition, accelerating and decelerating the track belt according to the positional movement of the user means that when the user desires a simple positional movement on the track belt, the user does not accelerate any more even if the user is located in front of the user. do.

In this case, the difference measured in the front load sensor and the rear load sensor is averaged for a unit of time, and the difference is kept larger than the constant value A, but becomes smaller than the constant value A. In this case, it is assumed that the user moves on the track belt at once, and if the track belt is being accelerated, it is momentarily decelerated, and if the track belt is being decelerated, it is accelerated momentarily. Here, the set constant value A may be a value (ΔFset) set on the basis of the load value, and includes all the values (ΔVset) set on the basis of the bridge voltage difference (ΔV), and the like. It is a value that can be set. In addition, the predetermined value may be set in advance or during exercise according to the user's exercise inclination.

In other words, when the user finishes moving on the track belt, the user's body is pulled to one side by the acceleration and deceleration of the track belt. In order to prevent such a phenomenon, the acceleration and deceleration in the opposite direction to the previous acceleration and deceleration pattern are prevented. By applying the pattern instantaneously, it is possible to prevent the user from being inclined in the direction of acceleration and deceleration by the inertial force of the user body according to the acceleration and deceleration of the track belt.

As described above, the movement of the user is detected by monitoring the difference between the values measured by the load sensor in real time. That is, for each time (Δt) in which the position according to the user's center of gravity can be sufficiently detected, the values obtained by measuring the respective loads by the load sensors are compared in real time (that is, a time interval smaller than Δt). When the value exceeds a certain range, the user senses that the user has moved in one direction.

On the other hand, in order to alleviate the degree of inclination by the inertial force of the user body, by comparing the values measured by the front load sensor and the rear load sensor, respectively, the difference is maintained above a certain value and becomes smaller than the predetermined value In this case, instead of applying the reverse acceleration / deceleration pattern, it is possible to reduce the degree of acceleration momentarily when the track belt is being accelerated, and the degree of deceleration momentarily when the track belt is being decelerated.

In addition, the present invention is a treadmill having a deck, a track belt rotating in an infinite track along the plate surface direction of the upper and lower surfaces of the deck, and a drive unit for driving the track belt, if the user is biased forward of the track belt An acceleration area set in front of the track belt to accelerate the track belt; A deceleration area set at the rear of the track belt to decelerate the track belt when the user is biased to the rear of the track belt; A front load sensor and a rear load sensor installed at the front and rear of the track belt to sense a position of a user on the track belt; Including, by detecting the user's position by comparing the respective measured values in the front load sensor and the rear load sensor, and accelerates when the user is located in the acceleration area, decelerating when the user is located in the deceleration area It provides a treadmill automatic speed control device characterized in that.

This allows the acceleration area and the deceleration area to be set by the manufacturer or the user's setting, so that even if there is no user's hand operation, the user moves to the acceleration area located in front and intentionally accelerates the movement speed of the track belt, or the user It is possible to intentionally slow down the movement speed of the track belt by moving to the deceleration area located rearward.

At this time, it is configured to further include a constant velocity region formed in the center portion of the track belt so as not to accelerate or decelerate the track belt, it is possible to maintain a constant movement state of the treadmill to provide a stable exercise environment. That is, in order to prevent malfunction due to too high sensitivity in the control of the acceleration and deceleration, when the user does not bias forward or backward by a predetermined amount, the movement speed of the track belt is not accelerated or decelerated. Accelerate or decelerate the movement speed of the track belt only when the user is biased further forward or rear than the predetermined amount on the track belt.

In addition, the acceleration area and the deceleration area are respectively divided into a plurality, and it is effective that the degree of acceleration and deceleration of the track belt varies according to the partitioned acceleration area and the deceleration area. This allows the user to reach their desired speed faster by moving their position to be more biased forward or backward. Here, the division does not necessarily limit the degree of acceleration / deceleration when moving to another area on the basis of a constant boundary, but continuously the load value difference ΔF or the bridge voltage difference ΔV to be described later. It includes varying the degree of acceleration and deceleration in proportion to the difference of).

At this time, regardless of which area the user is in, the user moving forward is for accelerating the track belt, and the user moving backward is for slowing down the track belt, so even if the user is not in the acceleration area. When the user moves forward, the track belt is accelerated during the forward movement time, and when the user moves backward, the track belt is decelerated during the backward movement time even if the user is not in the deceleration area. This is based on the finding that it is more in line with the user's control intent.

Similarly, the difference measured in the front load sensor and the rear load sensor is averaged for a unit of time, and then compared, while the difference is kept larger than the constant value A and becomes smaller than the constant value A. In this case, it is assumed that the user moves on the track belt at once, and if the track belt is being accelerated, it is momentarily decelerated, and if the track belt is being decelerated, it is accelerated momentarily.

Then, when the user's position is in the acceleration region, the track belt is accelerated, and when the user's position is in the deceleration region, the track belt is decelerated. This implements a control in accordance with the user's intention to adjust the moving speed of the track belt during exercise after implementing the momentary acceleration / deceleration pattern in order to prevent the user from moving the position and tilting due to the acceleration / deceleration of the track belt. To do this.

At this time, when the user operates the control panel in the control first acceleration region, it is controlled by the control unit so that the movement speed of the track belt at the time of operation is maintained at constant speed or accelerated with gentle acceleration. In the automatic speed regulating device, the necessity of manipulating buttons or the like on the control panel is very small. However, when the control panel is operated to achieve the purpose of changing the inclination or the driving course, the user's balance is disturbed by the acceleration and deceleration of the track belt. It can prevent you from losing. At this time, not only the movement speed of the track belt but also the inclination state is preferably maintained as it is. In addition, since the time required for the operation of the control panel is sufficient, the speed and the inclination may be adjusted according to the position of the user again after 1 to 2 seconds while the input to the control panel is completed.

Acceleration and deceleration of the track belt occurs only when the difference between the measured values of the front load sensor and the rear load sensor exceeds a constant value (A). This is to avoid deviation from the user's intention as the acceleration or deceleration is excessively sensitive by the slight deviation during the exercise of the user.

The measured value of the front load sensor and the rear load sensor is calculated as an average value of the measured values for a predetermined time.

Here, the front load sensor and the rear load sensor is formed of a load cell capable of independently measuring the load value (F) at each position, it is possible to determine the position movement of the user from the difference of each load value. At this time, the front load sensor and the rear load sensor is installed between the frame and the deck supporting the deck to measure the load of the user applied to the deck.

The load cell is composed of one or more strain gauges whose electrical resistance changes in proportion to the amount of deformation or compression as they are loaded from the outside.The voltage value around the strain gauge changes as the electrical resistance of the strain gauge changes. The sensor calculates the deformation amount of the strain gauge from this, and measures the load applied from the outside in consideration of the physical properties of the material to which the strain gauge is attached. Accordingly, the front load sensor and the rear load sensor formed of a load cell output different voltage values according to the degree of the user's bias toward the front part or the rear part of the track belt, and the output voltage values are respectively converted into an amplifier and an analog-digital converter. Each load value (F1, F2) can be measured through.

For example, when the user is biased in the front part of the track belt, the load F1 measured by the front load sensor formed of the load cell becomes larger than the case where the user is located in the center part of the track belt. Since it is biased in the front part of the belt, a control command is issued to accelerate the movement speed of the track belt. Similarly, when the user is biased at the rear of the track belt, the load F2 measured by the rear load sensor formed of the load cell becomes larger than the case where the user is located at the center of the track belt, so that the user Since it is biased in the rear part, a control command is issued to slow down the movement speed of the track belt.

In contrast, the front load sensor and the rear load sensor may be formed of a strain gauge. In this case, four strain gauges may be formed in the front load sensor and the rear load sensor, respectively, and may constitute a complete Wheatstone bridge circuit like the load cell, respectively. Two strain gauges may be formed in the front load sensor and the rear load sensor. The strain gauges for the rear load sensor and the strain gauges for the rear load sensor may be combined to form a Wheatstone bridge circuit.

That is, the treadmill further includes a frame for supporting the deck and a member between the deck and the frame, wherein the front load sensor and the rear load sensor are attached to the member with two strain gauges each having the same resistance value. Being installed; The two front load sensors and the two rear measurement sensors form a Wheatstone bridge facing each other; The difference between the values measured by the front load sensor and the rear load sensor is calculated from the bridge voltage difference (ΔV) of the Wheatstone Bridge consisting of the four strain gauges.

More specifically, the front load sensor and the rear load sensor are each formed of one strain gauge at the left, right side of the front part of the track belt and the left and right side of the rear part, and they form a Wheatstone bridge facing each other. Determine the user's location with the bridge voltage difference of. Through this, it is possible to derive the change in the resistance value of the strain gauge measured in four places as one bridge voltage difference, so that even if only one relatively expensive amplifier is installed, the user's position can be accurately determined.

When the front load sensor and the rear load sensor are formed of two strain gauges, and the Wheatstone bridge is formed such that the strain gauge for the front load sensor (resistance value R2) and the strain gauge for the rear load sensor (resistance value R1) face each other. If the applied power supply is V, the bridge voltage difference ΔV is expressed by the following equation.

Therefore, when the user is biased toward the front part of the track belt, the R1 value becomes larger, and when the user is biased to the rear part of the track belt, the R2 value becomes larger, so that the sign and absolute value of the value of the bridge voltage difference ΔV are increased. By the size of the user can detect whether the user is biased forward or backward, and to what extent. Through this, by accelerating or decelerating the driving speed of the driving unit for driving the track belt, it is possible to implement an automatic speed control device that is automatically accelerated or decelerated even without user's manipulation. At this time, the resistance values (R1, R2) of the strain gauge for the front load sensor and the strain gauge for the rear load sensor have the same resistance value. Since it is converted, it is preferable in view of ease of control.

When the user runs faster on the track belt, the user is biased toward the front part on the track belt. Since the bridge voltage difference ΔV of the Wheatstone bridge increases and decreases in proportion to the degree of deviation of the user, The amount of acceleration and deceleration of the drive speed of the driver is adjusted in proportion to the bridge voltage difference ΔV of the Wheatstone bridge. The bridge voltage difference DELTA V can grasp the amount of change between the position immediately before the user and the current position by DELTA Vavg averaged for a predetermined time DELTA t.

In addition, the front load sensor and the rear load sensor are installed on the left and right sides of the track belt, respectively, to what extent the user is eccentrically forward or rearward, even if the user has a tendency to eccentrically move left and right. Whether or not it can be easily detected.

After the user starts walking or running on the track belt, the loads of the front and rear portions of the track belt are measured and averaged, respectively, without accelerating or decelerating the movement speed of the track belt for a predetermined time. It is stored as a voltage difference (ΔVref). This is because the running positions on the track belt are different for each user's inclination, so that the movement position according to the user's inclination can be accurately identified at an early stage, and the moving speed of the track belt can be effectively adjusted according to the user's inclination. For example, if a user has a tendency to move in a slightly biased position in the front part of the track belt, even if the user is somewhat inclined in the front part of the track belt, it is already in the reference bridge voltage difference ΔVref. Since the propensity is taken into account, the speed of movement of the track belt is no longer accelerated unless the user is further biased forward.

Therefore, when the reference bridge voltage difference ΔVref is not taken into consideration, the driving speed of the driving unit is accelerated or decelerated according to the sign of the averaged bridge voltage difference ΔVavg of the Wheatstone bridge, and the Wheatstone bridge The degree of acceleration and deceleration of the driving speed of the driver is adjusted according to the magnitude of the absolute value of the averaged bridge voltage difference ΔVavg.

In the case where the reference bridge voltage difference ΔVref is taken into consideration, the driving speed of the driving unit depends on the sign of the difference between the averaged bridge voltage difference ΔVavg and the reference bridge voltage difference ΔVref of the Wheatstone bridge. The acceleration and deceleration of the driving unit is adjusted according to the magnitude of the absolute value of the averaged bridge voltage difference ΔVavg and the reference bridge voltage difference ΔVref of the Wheatstone bridge.

That is, the front load sensor and the load sensor by measuring the load transmitted through the deck, these sensors are not exposed to the outside, it is possible to reliably and accurately measure reliably even if used for a long time.

On the other hand, according to another field of the invention, the present invention, a deck, a track belt rotating in an endless track along the plate surface direction of the upper and lower surfaces of the deck, and a treadmill automatic speed adjustment method having a drive unit for driving the track belt A measurement step of measuring loads (ΔF, ΔV) transmitted through the deck for supporting the load of the user exercising on the track belt in front and rear of the track belt, respectively; A position determination step of determining a user's position and movement by comparing the measured values at the front and the rear of the track belt, respectively; An acceleration / deceleration step of accelerating the track belt when the user's position moves forward and decelerating the track belt when the user's position moves backward; It provides an automatic speed control method of the treadmill, characterized in that configured to include.

Here, averaging step of averaging the measured value by measuring the load in the front and rear of the track belt for a predetermined time to determine the user's movement tendency; A region setting step of setting, by the user, a position around the position on the track belt as a constant velocity region, setting a front portion of the constant velocity region as an acceleration region, and setting a rear portion of the constant velocity region as a deceleration region during the time; It is configured to include more.

At this time, the position determination step, the load value (F1 or R1) measured from the front and the load value (F2 or R2) measured from the rear for a predetermined time (Δt), the difference is a constant value When larger than (A;? Fset or? Vset), it is determined that the user has moved forward or backward of the track belt according to the sign of the difference.

After the acceleration / deceleration step, if it is recognized that the user's position movement has been completed, the degree of acceleration is reduced for a while when the track belt is being accelerated, and the degree of deceleration is reduced for a while when the track belt is being decelerated. The pause step further includes. Through this, it is possible to fundamentally prevent the phenomenon caused by the inertia caused by the acceleration and deceleration of the track belt and the user's position movement.

If the user is located in the acceleration area while the user's position movement is completed, the track belt is accelerated again after the pause step, and if the user is located in the deceleration area when the user's position movement is completed, After the stopping step, further comprising the step of decelerating the track belt. This allows continuous track belt speed control while avoiding tipping.

When a control command is input to the control panel for manipulating the treadmill, the exercise condition when the control command is input is maintained for a predetermined time, further comprising preventing a user's posture disturbance.

Stopping the track belt if it is recognized that the user is greatly biased toward the rear portion of the track belt from the difference between the value measured at the front and the value measured at the rear; It includes more. This is for the safety of the user by automatically stopping the track belt when the user who is inexperienced in operation of the automatic speed regulating device is pushed to the rear of the track belt due to inexperience in operation.

In addition, the present invention provides a method for automatically adjusting a treadmill having a deck, a track belt rotating in an endless track along a plate surface direction of the upper and lower surfaces of the deck, and a drive unit for driving the track belt. A measurement step of measuring the load transmitted through the deck supporting the load of the user in front and rear of the track belt, respectively; A position determination step of determining a user's position and movement by comparing the measured values at the front and the rear of the track belt, respectively; Stopping the track belt when there is no load change by the user measured in the measuring step; It provides an automatic speed control method of the treadmill, characterized in that configured to include.

This means that if it is determined that there is no change in the load of the user transmitted through the deck, the user has left the treadmill without stopping during the exercise, so that the movement of the track belt is stopped and the track belt unintentionally climbs on the track belt of the treadmill. This is to prevent falls and injury.

Here, whether or not there is a load change by the user is determined by whether or not the amount of change in the measured value of the load sensor made of the strain cell constituting the load cell or the bridge circuit provided on the bottom of the deck is maintained for a predetermined time or less. . Since the constant value at this time is set in consideration of the degree of measurement error, it is much smaller than the constant values A, ΔVset, and ΔFset set to determine whether the user moves the position.

On the other hand, the present invention, the frame; A deck fixed to the frame; A track belt rotating in an infinite track along a plate surface direction of upper and lower surfaces of the deck; A front strain gauge installed in the member placed between the deck and the frame at the front of the track belt and the frame between the deck and the deck to measure the load transmitted through the deck between the frame and the deck. A bridge circuit composed of a rear strain gage installed in a member disposed between the deck and the frame of the rear portion of the track belt to measure a load applied thereto; A user's weighing position indicator displayed at a position spaced apart from the center of the front strain gauge and the rear strain gauge; A display unit for calculating and displaying a weight of a user who climbed on the weighing position display unit from the bridge voltage difference of the bridge circuit; It provides a treadmill with a weighing function, characterized in that configured to include. Through this, the user can easily measure his weight simply by climbing to the weighing position display unit of the treadmill without having a separate scale. Such a weighing method can be easily obtained from the relation between the weighing position indicator and the bridge voltage difference ΔV of the bridge circuit.

As described above, the present invention is a treadmill comprising a deck, a track belt that rotates in an endless track along the plate surface direction of the upper and lower surfaces of the deck, and a drive unit for driving the track belt, wherein the user on the track belt A front load sensor installed in front of the track belt to detect a position of the track belt; A rear load sensor mounted to the rear of the track belt to sense a user's position on the track belt; And detecting the position of the user by comparing the values measured by the front load sensor and the rear load sensor, respectively, to accelerate when the user moves forward and to decelerate when the user moves backward, thereby allowing the user to track Treadmill's automatic speed control device and method for automatically adjusting the movement speed of the track belt according to the walking or running speed of the user, even if the movement speed of the track belt is not controlled separately while walking or running on the belt. To provide.

In addition, the present invention can be implemented inexpensively implement a treadmill automatic speed control device that can automatically adjust the movement speed of the track belt by forming the front load sensor and the rear load sensor as a low-cost strain gauge.

In addition, the present invention by using the user's load on the track belt to determine the biased position on the track belt by adjusting the movement speed of the track belt, so that the signal for the user position is not distorted by the user's hand movements, etc. It provides an automatic speed control device of the treadmill to implement the acceleration or deceleration having.

In addition, the present invention senses the position of the user on the track belt by using a load sensor, if the user is determined to move in front of the track belt, the running speed of the user is considered to be faster than the movement speed of the track belt track When the speed of the belt is accelerated and the user is judged to be in a position behind the track belt, the treadmill's automatic speed is reduced so that the running speed of the user is considered to be slower than the speed of the track belt. Provide a speed regulator.

In addition, the present invention prevents acceleration or deceleration too sensitively depending on the position of the user on the track belt, thereby providing the user with a stable automatic running speed adjustment environment.

In addition, the present invention minimizes the influence of the inertia force due to the automatic speed adjustment of the track belt, so that the user can run the running motion at a desired speed with comfort.

The present invention allows a user to move a position on a track belt so that the user simply manipulates a button on the control panel or catches a hand pulse (hereinafter, these are simply referred to as “operating the control panel”) without walking or running faster. In this case, the user can realize the comfortable automatic speed control environment by not mistaken as accelerating the case.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the configuration of the automatic speed control device of the treadmill according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the treadmill 100 equipped with an automatic speed regulating device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a track configured to move the track belt 111 in an endless track for the user to walk or run. The unit 110, the control panel unit 120 for displaying the amount of calories consumed according to the operating speed or the exercise amount of the track belt 111 at the waist height of the user, and the load of the user exercising on the track belt 111 Control unit for controlling the moving speed of the track belt 111 on the basis of the load sensor module 190 for measuring the front and rear of the track belt 111, respectively, and the load value measured by the load sensor 190 ( Not shown).

The track unit 110 includes a track belt 111 moving in an infinite track, a driving roller 112 for guiding the movement of the track belt 111 at both ends of the track belt 111, and a driving roller 112. Deck 113 including a drive 113a for driving rotation, a deck 113 formed in a plate shape to support the user's weight between the upper and lower parts of the track belt 111, and the user's weight The frame 114 which contacts and supports both sides of the deck 113 to support, the anti-vibration rubber 115 provided to absorb shock between the deck 113 and the frame 114, and the frame 114 to the outside Deco cover 116 formed to cover both sides of the frame 114 with a plastic or metal material to improve the aesthetics so as not to be exposed, a support roller 117 for supporting the front of the treadmill 100, and the treadmill 100 It is configured to include a support 118 for supporting the rear portion.

Here, as shown in Figure 2, the track belt 111 is installed so as to be movable in an endless track between the drive roller 112, the deck 113 is inserted between the upper and lower surfaces of the track belt 111. . In addition, both sides of the deck 113 supporting the user's weight and exercise shock are supported by a deck support 114a protruding in a 'b' shape from the frame 114. And, between the deck support (114a) and the deck 113, the anti-vibration rubber 115 is installed, to attenuate the impact load of the user to protect the user's knees and the like.

Here, the front portion of the track belt 111 is formed with acceleration regions 151, I for accelerating the movement speed of the track belt 111 when the user moves, and the center of the track belt 111 is the track belt 111. The constant velocity regions 152 and II which operate at a constant speed are formed, and the deceleration regions 153 and III which decelerate the moving speed of the track belt 111 are formed in the rear part of the track belt 111.

As shown in Fig. 8, the acceleration region 151 is located at the forefront of the track belt 111 and is controlled with a predetermined acceleration region 151a for the user to operate the control panel. A third acceleration region 151b positioned immediately behind the acceleration region 151a and accelerated with a high acceleration, and formed between the second acceleration region 151b and the constant velocity region 152 and accelerated to the lowest acceleration region. It consists of an acceleration area 151c.

As shown in FIG. 8, the deceleration area 153 is located immediately behind the constant speed area 152 to reduce the first deceleration area 153a and the first deceleration area 153a. A second deceleration area 153b located just behind and decelerated at a higher deceleration, and a stop area 153c located at the rear of the track belt 111 to stop the track belt 111 for the safety of the user. Is done.

The control panel unit 120 includes a control panel 121 which displays a moving speed, a running moving distance, calories burned, etc. of the track belt 111, and a button for instructing start and stop of a walking or running exercise, and the like; The handle 122 which extends from the lower end of the control panel 121 and protrudes so that the user can hold it during exercise or emergency, and the control panel 121 is vertically fixed upright from the track 110 so that the control panel 121 is installed at the waist level of the user. And a horizontal support 123 formed with a hand pulse capable of connecting between the member 124 and the connecting member 124 to reinforce the lateral rigidity of the connecting member 124 and measuring the user's pulse.

The load sensor module 190 is respectively installed in the front and rear portions of the deck 113 to measure the load transmitted to the deck 113, the coupling member 191 protruding laterally from the frame 114 And an elastic region attached to the bottom surface of the bending member 192 and the bending member 192 formed to a suitable thickness so as to be coupled with the coupling member 191 to cause an appropriate amount of bending deformation by the load from the deck 113. Strain gauges 193a, 193b, 194a, and 194b are formed to be bent and deformed together with the bending member 192 to change the resistance thereof.

Here, the coupling member 191 and the bending member 192 are firmly fixed to be integrally deformed by a fastening means such as a bolt in a state where the four fastening holes 191a and 192a overlap each other. Further, another through hole 192b of the bending member 192 communicates with a through hole formed in the center of the anti-vibration rubber 115 and is used to fix the anti-vibration rubber 115.

As shown in Fig. 7, the control unit comprises a pair of strain gauges 194a and 194b having a value of the resistance value R2 so as to measure the load of the front portion of the track belt 111 and the rear portion of the track belt 111. A pair of strain gages 193a and 193b having a value of resistance R1 facing each other to measure the load, the front strain gauges 194a and 194b and the rear strain gages 193a and 194b of the Wheatstone bridge. An amplifier for amplifying the bridge voltage difference ΔV between the first contact 181 and the second contact 182 between 193b) and an analog-to-digital converter for converting the amplified signal into a digital signal. . Then, the digital signal converted through the analog-to-digital converter is transmitted to the controller, and the moving speed of the track belt 111 is adjusted by adjusting the driving speed of the driving unit 112a.

At this time, when a power supply (POWER SUPPLY) is applied to the Wheatstone bridge, V between the first contact 181 and the second contact 182 between the front strain gauge 194a and the rear strain gauge 193a. The bridge voltage difference ΔV is expressed by Equation 1 described above.

Therefore, when the user is biased toward the front part or the rear part of the track belt 111, the strain gauge provided on the biased side becomes larger than the resistance value of the strain gauge on the unbiased side, so that the sign of ΔV is Depends on the direction of eccentricity. In addition, the greater the bias toward either side, the larger the resistance value of the strain gauge on the biased side, while the resistance value of the non-biased strain gauge becomes relatively smaller, so that the absolute value of ΔV in proportion to the bias Will change. Therefore, the automatic speed adjusting device of the treadmill according to the embodiment of the present invention is configured to accelerate or decelerate the moving speed of the track belt 111 based on the sign of ΔV and the magnitude of the absolute value.

At this time, since ΔV is a shape similar to a sine wave when converted into an analog signal, an error of the magnitude occurs depending on the time of measurement. Therefore, the averaged bridge voltage difference (ΔVavg) obtained by averaging the bridge voltage difference (ΔV) measured during the time (Δt) to the extent that the position according to the user's center of gravity can be sufficiently sensed is compared for each time. Detect user's location movement.

The front strain gauges 194a and 194b and the rear strain gauges 193a and 193b are preferably formed to have the same resistance value. However, it may have any resistance value such as 120Ω or 350Ω.

Hereinafter, with reference to Figure 9 will be described the operation principle of the automatic speed regulating device of another treadmill 100 in an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above.

When the position on the user's track belt 111 is out of position, the acceleration / deceleration is regarded as the movement of the user and converted into a bridge voltage difference ΔV and input to the controller as an initial setting value ΔVset.

Then, when the user goes up the track belt 111 and presses the exercise start button and starts a walking or running exercise, the movement speed of the track belt 111 is not automatically accelerated or decelerated for a predetermined time of about 15 seconds after the start of the exercise. The load is measured by the load sensor module 190 at the front and rear portions of the track belt 111. Through this, the user who is currently running on the track belt 111 determines which position on the track belt 111 has a tendency to run. Specifically, the average value of the bridge voltage difference DELTA V of the Wheatstone bridge circuit shown in Fig. 7 is obtained for about one minute after the start of the exercise, and the average value is stored as the acceleration / deceleration reference bridge voltage difference DELTA Vref.

Then, when the user runs faster and the user's body moves to the front of the track belt 111, the load sensor is applied to the load sensor for a time (Δt) in which the position according to the user's center of gravity can be sufficiently detected. Each load is measured, and the average value (ΔVavg) is periodically calculated.

Therefore, as the user moves forward or backward on the track belt 111, ΔVavg constantly changes. Similarly, the difference (ΔVavg − ΔVref) between the averaged bridge voltage difference and the reference bridge voltage difference also changes continuously. At this time, acceleration and deceleration of the track belt 111 in response to a change in the difference between the averaged bridge voltage difference and the reference bridge voltage difference (ΔVavg −ΔVref) results in an unstable movement state. The track belt 111 is accelerated and decelerated only when the absolute value of the difference DELTA Vavg-DELTA Vref is greater than the absolute value of the set values A, DELTA Fset and DELTA Vset. That is, whether or not acceleration / deceleration is determined according to the sign of? Vavg-? Vref, and the degree of acceleration / deceleration is determined according to the magnitude of the absolute value of? Vavg-? Vref.

Therefore, when the absolute value of (ΔVavg − ΔVref) is larger than the initial set value (ΔVset), it is sensed that the user on the track belt is moving, and when the user moves forward of the track belt 111, the track belt Accelerate the 111 and decelerate the track belt 111 when the user moves to the rear of the track belt 111.

Looking at the case in which the user moves forward by a predetermined amount or more, since the bending member 192 installed in front of the user is more bending deformation than the bending member 192 installed in the rear, the strain gauge 194a of the front portion While the resistance value R2 of 194b becomes large, since the bending member 192 provided in the rear hardly undergoes bending deformation, the resistance values R1 of the rear strain gauges 193a and 193b hardly change. Accordingly, ΔVavg has a negative sign according to Equation 1, and the absolute value of the ΔVavg increases as the user moves to the front part of the track belt 111. At this time, when the absolute value of (ΔVavg−ΔVref) exceeds the absolute value of the initial setting value (ΔVset), the degree to which the user is biased toward the front part is set through the initial setting value (ΔVset). Since it is biased, the command for accelerating the movement speed of the track belt 111 in proportion to the magnitude of the absolute value of (ΔVavg-ΔVref) is transmitted to the control unit, so that the user's track belt ( The movement of the track belt 111 is accelerated by detecting the position movement on the 111.

Similarly, when the user moves backwards by a predetermined amount or more, the bending member 192 installed at the rear of the user has more bending deformation than the bending member 192 installed at the front, so that the strain gauge 193a at the rear portion thereof. The resistance value R1 of 193b becomes large, whereas the bending member 192 provided in the front hardly causes bending deformation, so that the resistance values R1 of the front strain gauges 194a and 194b hardly change. Accordingly, ΔVavg has a sign of (+) according to Equation 1, and the absolute value of the ΔVavg increases as the user moves to the rear portion of the track belt 111. At this time, when the absolute value of (ΔVavg−ΔVref) exceeds the absolute value of the initial set value (ΔVset or A), the degree to which the user is biased toward the rear portion may be equal to the initial set value (ΔVset or A). Since the setting is biased, a command to reduce the moving speed of the track belt 111 in proportion to the magnitude of the absolute value of (ΔVavg-ΔVref) is transmitted to the control unit, so that the user's The movement speed of the track belt 111 is reduced by detecting the position movement on the track belt 111. However, the user's location controls the @@

On the other hand, when the absolute value of (ΔVavg−ΔVref) is smaller than the initial set value (ΔVset), it is sensed that the user on the track belt is not moving. In this case, if the user is located in the acceleration area 151 set in the front part of the track belt 111, the track belt 111 is accelerated, and the user is in the constant velocity area 152 set in the center part of the track belt 111. If it is located, the track belt 111 is not accelerated or decelerated. If the user is located in the deceleration area 153 set at the rear of the track belt 111, the track belt 111 is decelerated.

At this time, whether the user is in the acceleration region 151, the constant velocity region 152, or the deceleration region 153 can be determined from the values of? Vavg-? Vref.

Here, when the user moves from the constant velocity region on the track belt 111 to the acceleration region or moves from the acceleration region to the deceleration region, the track belt 111 is accelerated and decelerated according to the movement of the user, and the user also moves in the direction. Since it moves, the phenomenon in which the user is inclined by the inertial force by the combination thereof is generated. In addition, the moment of inertia acts the most when the user moves and stops, and thus the user's acceleration / decrease at the time when the user's movement is terminated (the time when the absolute value of ΔVavg − ΔVref becomes smaller than the initial set value (ΔVset)). By applying the acceleration / deceleration pattern in the opposite direction to the speed direction or by applying the relaxed acceleration / deceleration pattern, the phenomenon in which the user is inclined to one side to adjust the acceleration / deceleration of the track belt 111 can be essentially eliminated.

In addition, when the user moves forward of the track belt 111 to operate the control panel 120 or the like, the user is generally positioned in the acceleration region 151. In this case, the user has not moved to the front of the track belt 111 in order to run at a higher speed, so accelerating the track belt 111 adds a burden to the user. Therefore, while a predetermined control signal is input through the control panel 120 or the like, the speed and the slope of the track belt 111 are kept constant for a predetermined time. That is, while operating the control panel, the acceleration / deceleration control according to the movement of the user is exceptionally excluded.

In addition, when the user is excessively hit by the rear of the track belt 111 due to the immature operation or excessive movement of the user, the track belt 111 is stopped for the user's safety. Again, the acceleration / deceleration control in accordance with the movement of the user is exceptionally excluded in the region 153c that is drastically backward.

The adjustment of the movement speed of the track belt is continued until the user's running movement ends.

10 and 11, a first operation example controlled by the automatic speed regulating device of the treadmill will be described in detail. The first operation example is to eliminate the phenomenon that the user is inclined to one side by applying an acceleration / deceleration pattern in a direction opposite to the acceleration / deceleration direction of the user when the user moves to complete the position movement.

FIG. 10 shows a speed change diagram (left vertical coordinate) 301 of the track belt 111 according to the user's position change according to the user's position change diagram (right vertical coordinate) 201 over time.

While the user stays at a constant position of the constant velocity region 152 (~ t1), the track belt 111 also maintains constant velocity. If the user starts moving from the constant velocity region 152 to the acceleration region 151 (t1-t2), the user intends to accelerate the track belt 111, so that the user can stay in the constant velocity region 152 even while The track belt 111 is accelerated with a gentle acceleration while the user moves forward of the track belt 111. Then, when the user moves to the acceleration area 151 (t2 to t3), the track belt 111 is accelerated with higher acceleration.

When the user starts to stay at a constant position in the acceleration area 151 (t3 to t4), the track belt 111 is momentarily decelerated to prevent the user from forwarding. Then, since the user is located in the acceleration area 151, the user accelerates the track belt 111 at a predetermined acceleration in accordance with the acceleration areas 151a, 151b, and 151c.

When the user starts to move backward in the acceleration area 151 (t4 to t5), the user intends to decelerate the track belt 111, so that the track belt 111 is gently decelerated even in the acceleration area 151. Even if the constant velocity area | region 152 is reached (t5-t6), it will continue to decelerate with a similar deceleration. Then, when the user is in a constant position of the constant velocity region 153, the track belt 111 is momentarily accelerated to prevent the inertial force, which is pulled backward, from acting on the user. Then, since the user is located in the constant velocity region 152, it is maintained at a constant speed.

Here, the magnitudes of the instantaneous deceleration and the instantaneous acceleration at t3 and t6 are determined in proportion to the degree of the immediately preceding acceleration and deceleration, so that the user can be effectively prevented from being pulled to one side by the inertia force or the like.

Fig. 11 shows a speed change diagram (left ordinate) 302 of the track belt 111 according to the user's position change according to the user's position change diagram (right ordinate) 201 over time.

While the user stays at a constant position of the constant velocity region 152 (~ t1), the track belt 111 also maintains constant velocity. If the user starts moving from the constant velocity region 152 to the deceleration region 153 (t1-t2), the user intends to decelerate the track belt 111, so that the user can stay in the constant velocity region 152 even while The track belt 111 is decelerated at a gentle deceleration while the user moves to the rear of the track belt 111. Then, when the user moves to the deceleration area 153 (t2 to t3), the track belt 111 is decelerated at a higher deceleration.

When the user starts to stay at a constant position in the deceleration area 153 (t3 to t4), the track belt 111 is momentarily accelerated in order to prevent the user from leaning backward. Then, since the user is located in the deceleration area 153, the user accelerates the track belt 111 at a predetermined acceleration in accordance with the deceleration areas 153a and 153b. At this time, if the user is located in the stop area 153c located at the rearmost of the deceleration area 153, the track belt 111 stops.

When the user starts to move forward in the deceleration area 153 (t4 to t5), the user intends to accelerate the track belt 111, so that the track belt 111 is gently accelerated even in the deceleration area 153. Even if the constant velocity area | region 152 is reached (t5-t6), it continues to accelerate with a similar acceleration. Then, when the user is in a constant position of the constant velocity region 153, the track belt 111 is momentarily decelerated to prevent the inertial force exerted on the user from acting on the user. Then, since the user is located in the constant velocity region 152, it is maintained at a constant speed.

Here, the magnitudes of the instantaneous deceleration and the instantaneous acceleration at t3 and t6 are determined in proportion to the degree of the immediately preceding acceleration and deceleration, so that the user can be effectively prevented from being pulled to one side by the inertia force or the like.

12 and 13, a second operation example of another type controlled by the automatic speed regulating device of the treadmill will be described in detail. The second operation example is for eliminating the phenomenon that the user is inclined to one side by applying a gentle acceleration / deceleration pattern which is the same as the acceleration / deceleration direction of the user at the time when the user moves to complete the position movement.

Fig. 12 shows a speed change diagram (left ordinate) 401 of the track belt 111 according to the user's position change according to the position change diagram (right ordinate) 201 of the user over time.

The same as the first operation example described above with reference to FIG. 10 from the time the user stays at a constant position of the constant velocity region 152 (~ t1) until the user stays for a predetermined time (t4-t3) in the acceleration region 151. Do.

However, in the second operation example, when the user starts to move backward in the acceleration area 151 (t4 to t5), in order to alleviate the shock due to the opposite acceleration / deceleration pattern when the user is in a certain position (t4 to t5). Since is located in the acceleration region 151, the track belt 111 is accelerated slowly, and when the constant velocity region 152 is reached (t5 to t6), the degree of acceleration is further reduced. Then, if the user is detected to be in a constant position of the constant velocity region 153, the track belt 111 is momentarily accelerated to prevent the inertial force, which is pulled backward, from acting on the user. At this time, the degree of acceleration at a moment is controlled to be smaller than the degree of acceleration at t6 in FIG. Then, since the user is located in the constant velocity region 152, it is maintained at a constant speed.

Fig. 13 shows a speed change diagram (left ordinate) 402 of the track belt 111 according to the user's position change according to the user's position change diagram (right ordinate) 202 over time.

Similarly, the first operation example described above with reference to FIG. 11 from the time the user stays at a constant position of the constant velocity region 152 (~ t1) to the time the user stays for a predetermined time (t4-t3) in the deceleration region 153. Is the same as

However, in the second operation example, when the user starts to move forward in the deceleration area 151 (t4 to t5), in order to alleviate the shock due to the opposite acceleration / deceleration pattern when the user is in a certain position (t4 to t5). Is still located in the deceleration area 153, so that the track belt 111 is slowly decelerated, and when the constant speed area 152 is reached (t5 to t6), the degree of deceleration is further reduced. Then, if the user is detected to be in a constant position of the constant velocity region 153, the track belt 111 is momentarily decelerated to prevent the inertial force exerted on the user from acting on the user. At this time, the degree of deceleration momentarily at t6 is smaller than the degree of acceleration at t6 in FIG. Then, since the user is located in the constant velocity region 152, it is maintained at a constant speed.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above by way of example, the scope of the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments, and may be appropriately changed within the scope described in the claims.

And, in the embodiment of the present invention, the load sensor module 190 has been described as an example installed between the deck 113 and the frame 114, the deck support portion (a) of the '114' shape of the frame 114 It is also within the scope of the present invention to determine the position of the user by attaching strain gauges to invert the load from the deformation amount of the frame 114 itself.

In addition, in identifying the position of the user on the track belt 111, it has been described with an example including the step of identifying which position on the track belt 111 according to the user's inclination, as an example, except that the track belt 111 Can be controlled immediately in accordance with the sign and magnitude of the bridge voltage difference ΔV. And in order to suppress the sensitivity which detects acceleration / deceleration too much, the initial setting which does not perform the acceleration / deceleration adjustment of the track belt 111 when the absolute value of the bridge voltage difference (DELTA) V is smaller than a predetermined value. Although the value? Vset has been illustrated to be set, this may be selectively applied. In this case, since the moving speed of the track belt 111 is accelerated and decelerated in the absence of the initial set values of ΔVref and ΔV, the moving speed of the track belt is adjusted only by the absolute value and the sign of ΔV.

1 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a treadmill according to an embodiment of the present invention

Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the track portion of Figure 1

3 is an enlarged view of portion 'A' of FIG.

4 is an exploded perspective view of the load sensor module of FIG.

5 is a perspective view of the track portion from which the track belt of FIG. 1 is removed from the bottom;

6 is an enlarged view of a portion 'B' of FIG.

7 is a control circuit diagram using the load sensor of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a view showing partitioned acceleration zones, constant velocity zones, and partitioned deceleration zones of the track portion of FIG.

9 is a flow chart for explaining the principle of operation of FIG.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the speed change of the track belt as the user moves to the constant velocity region-acceleration region-constant velocity region on the track belt.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the speed change of the track belt as the user moves to the constant velocity region-deceleration region-constant velocity region on the track belt.

Fig. 12 shows another speed change of the track belt as the user moves to the constant velocity area-acceleration area-constant speed area on the track belt.

FIG. 13 shows another speed change of the track belt as the user moves to the constant velocity region-deceleration region-constant velocity region on the track belt. FIG.

** Description of symbols for the main parts of the drawing **

100: treadmill 110: track portion

111: track belt 112: drive roller

113: Deck 114: Frame

114a: Deck support 115: Dustproof rubber

116: deco cover 117: support roller

118: support 120: control panel

121: control panel 122: handle

123: horizontal support 124: connecting member

151a: first acceleration region 151b: second acceleration region

151c: third acceleration region 152: constant velocity region

153a: first deceleration area 153b: second deceleration area

153c: stop area 190: load sensor module

191: engaging member 192: bending member

193a, 193b: rear load sensor 194a, 194b: front load sensor

R1: Rear load sensor resistance value R2: Front load sensor resistance value

181: first contact 182: second contact

ΔV: bridge voltage difference ΔVavg: averaged bridge voltage difference

ΔVref: Reference bridge voltage difference △ Vset: Set bridge voltage difference

201: User's position change diagram for acceleration

202: user position change diagram for deceleration

301,401: track belt speed change according to user's position change for acceleration

302, 402: speed change diagram of track belt according to user's position change for deceleration

Claims (3)

A treadmill in which the movement speed of the track belt is adjusted according to the deck, a track belt rotating in an infinite track along the plate surface direction of the upper and lower surfaces of the deck, a drive unit for driving the track belt, and a user's position on the track belt. To When the user operates the control panel, the movement speed of the track belt at the time of operation is maintained for a predetermined time, characterized in that the automatic speed control device of the treadmill. An automatic speed control method of a treadmill having a deck, a track belt rotating in an endless track along a plate surface direction of the upper and lower surfaces of the deck, and a drive unit for driving the track belt, A position determination step of determining a position and movement of the user through a value measured from a load sensor installed in the track belt; Stopping the track belt when there is no load change of the user measured in the measuring step; Automatic speed control method of the treadmill, characterized in that configured to include. A frame; A deck fixed to the frame; A track belt rotating in an infinite track along a plate surface direction of upper and lower surfaces of the deck; A front strain gauge installed in the member placed between the deck and the frame at the front of the track belt and the frame between the deck and the deck to measure the load transmitted through the deck between the frame and the deck. A bridge circuit composed of a rear strain gauge installed in a member disposed between the deck and the frame of the front portion of the track belt so as to measure the load applied thereto; A user's weighing position display unit displayed at a position spaced apart from a center of the front strain gauge and the rear strain gauge; A display unit for calculating and displaying a weight of a user who climbed on the weighing position display unit from the bridge voltage difference of the bridge circuit; Treadmill with a weighing function, characterized in that configured to include.

Images