WO1992004221A1

WO1992004221A1 - Training sulky

Info

Publication number: WO1992004221A1
Application number: PCT/SE1991/000258
Authority: WO
Inventors: Lennart JÄRLEBRO
Original assignee: Jaerlebro Lennart
Priority date: 1990-09-04
Filing date: 1991-04-09
Publication date: 1992-03-19

Abstract

The invention relates to a training sulky for a trotting horse. The sulky comprises a control gear for loading the wheels of the sulky. The novelty in this invention is that the control gear is constructed to, during a stepless variating time-interval (B), load (KP) the wheels (4, 5) during exact adjustment of said load and that the control gear is constructed to, with a fixed second time-delay (F2) break off the load. Through this construction of the sulky the horse is protected against injuries. Dynamic effect is also achieved.

Description

Training sulky

The invention concerns an improvement of a training sulky for a trotting horse. Such a sulky is provided with a con¬ trolling device for applying a load on the sulky wheels.

Training trotting with a horse, hitched to a training sulky provided with a controlling device cooperating with a com¬ puter, by which means a load is applied on the wheels dur¬ ing a steplessly varied time interval, and thereafter dis- enσaged from the wheels by means of the computer, has prov- ed to protect the horse against injuries. A dynamic effect is also achieved.

An example on how the load can be varied during a time in¬ terval is shown graphically in Fig. 1 in a system of coor- dinates with the horizontal axis T indicating the time in hours and the vertical axis KP indicating the load between 0% and 100%.

The shown load is 20%. It is activated during a load time B. Applying of the load is made with a first delay F_η , preferably 15 seconds. Disengaging of the load is shown done with a second delay F„, preferably 15 seconds. In Fig. 1 is also shown a time period Ob during which no load is applied.

Training a trotting horse with such a training sulky pro¬ vided with a controlling device cooperating with a comput¬ er, even more lenient to the horse, if the load is automatically disengaged by means of the computer when a preset, upper value of the number of pulse beats is exceed¬ ed. If, by such training, the load is applied some time after it has been disengaged, a lenient interval training of the horse is possible. The horse is protected from pos¬ sible injuries caused by too hard training.

One example of how the horse's pulse beats P per minute va- ries with time T during trotting training is in Fig. 2 shown graphically in a diagram with time T in hours on the X-axis and the horse ' s pulse beats P per minute on the Y-axis. The slowly elevated straight line between a lower value of 120 pulse beats per minute in the beginning of the training and a higher value of 170 pulse beats per minute in the end of the training, indicates the pressure on the horse. At the value of 170 pulse beats per minute the load is disengaged from the sulky wheels.

In Fig. 2 is also shown by stems W how the load on the whe¬ els can be increased, kept constant and decreased in a si¬ milar way during several subsequent time intervals. If the horse's pulse beats exceeds 170 beats per minute the load is disengaged automatically by means of the computer.

When training trotting with a horse, hitched to a training sulky provided with a controlling device cooperating with a computer, it has also proved beneficial to apply a nega¬ tive load on the wheels. In this way is, in a artificial way, downhill slopes produced on a general surface.

An example on how the load on the wheels in this case can be varied from a positive load posP to a negativ load Pneg during time T is graphically shown in Fig. 3 where time T in hours is represented on the X-axis. The positive load

Ppos in kP is represented on the positive part of the Y-ax¬ is and the negative load Pneg is represented on the nega¬ tive part of the Y-axis. In trotting training the negative load on the wheels can be effected by a first hydraulic pump in the controlling devi¬ ce in the training sulky. This negative load is transferred to a second and third pump at the wheels. The first pump is driven by a motor.

Summary of the invention

By experience from in the described way executed trotting training of a horse, has, according to the invention, the training sulky mainly been constructed in such a way that the controlling device is adapted to, during a steplessly varied time interval, apply a load on the wheels with ex¬ act adjustment of the load, and in such a way that the con- trolling device is adapted to, after a second time inter¬ val, disengage the load.

In this way the horse is protected against injuries when training trotting using the training sulky according to the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

The examples of trotting training described above and a ex- ample of one embodiment of the invention is shown on the attached drawings, where Fig. 1 graphically shows the rela¬ tion between time and load on the wheels during trotting training.

Fig. 2 graphically shows the relation between time and the horse's pulse beats during trotting training.

Fig. 3 graphically shows the relation between time and pos¬ itive and negative load respectively on the wheels during trotting training. Fig. 4 shows the underbody of the training sulky.

Fig. 5 shows the hydraulic system in the controlling device during braking of the wheels and the cooperation between the controlling device and a computer, and

Fig. 6 shows the hydraulic system when a negative load is applied on the wheels.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the in¬ vention

Below will one embodiment of the invention be described in more detail referring mainly to Fig. 4,5 and Fig. 6.

As shown in Fig. 4 the training sulky consists of an under¬ body 1 made up from preferably pipe-formed parts fixed to¬ gether. On the rear part 2 of the underbody is fixed a seat 3 for the driver of the training sulky. On each side of the rear part 2 is the first wheel 4 and the second wheel 5 of the training sulky attached.

Centrally on the underbody 1 between its rear part 2 and its front part 6 is arranged a computer 7, forming a part of the controlling device for applying a load on the two wheels 4,5 of the training sulky.

On the front part 6 of the underbody is attached two paral- lell coupling rods 8 and 9 , each extending into guiding sleeves 10 and 11 on a lateral beam 12 for fastening of the shafts 13 and 14 of the training sulky. In order to avoid mud, soil and similar hindering the movement between the coupling rods 8 and 9 in their guiding sleeves 10, 11 there is attached a first muff 15 between the first coupling rod 8 and its guiding sleeve 10 and a second muff 16 between the second coupling rod 9 and its guiding sleeve 11. Centrally between the fastening beam 12 and the front part 6 of the underbody of the training sulky is fixed a trac¬ tion force gauge 17. This is connected to, and form a part of the controlling device for applying the load on the whe- els 4, 5 of the training sulky.

The traction force gauge 17 could for instance be arranged to, at a traction force of 20 kP, create a reference value of 1,2 volts for indicating and controlling the load by means of the controlling device.

By adjustment of the controlling device by means of the traction force gauge 17 it is possible to, independant of season, adjust the traction force to circa 24 kP, which corresponds to the winter value of the traction force in snow, or to circa 18 kP, which corresponds to the summer value of the traction force on a dry track.

In Fig. 4 is also shown that the wheel axles 18, 19 of the training sulky is carried by a first and a second axle box 20, 21 respectively, on outer parts of the rear part 2 of the underbody 1.

In Fig. 5 is shown how, to each of the two axle boxes 20, 21, is attached a conduit 22 and 23 respectively connected to a not shown second hydraulic pump in the axle box 20, and a not shown third hydraulic pump in the axle box 21. The rotor of the second hydraulic pump is connected to the wheel axle 18 of the first wheel 4. The rotor of the third hydraulic pump is connected to the wheel axle 19 of the se¬ cond wheel 5.

Both hydraulic conduits 22 and 23 are through a common hyd¬ raulic conduit 24 connected to a control part 25. Through a change-over valve 26 the control part is connectable to the inlet or outlet of a first hydraulic pump 27. This fir- st hydraulic pump has its rotor coupled to an electric mot¬ or 29 and has its outlet connectable to a conduit 30 to a hydraulic reservoir 31 through the control part 25.

The electric motor 29 is adapted to, by means of the com¬ puter 7, cooperate with the controlling device to control the operation of the first hydraulic pump 27. This is achi¬ eved by effecting the rotor of the first hydraulic pump in various ways depending on if a braking positive load or a driving negative load is to be applied on the wheels 4,5 by means of the first hydraulic pump 27 cooperating with the second and the third hydraulic pump.

When a positive, braking load is to be applied on the whe- els 4,5 is, as is shown in Fig. 5, hydraulic oil pumped from the second and the third hydraulic pump through the common conduit 24 via the control part 25 to inlet 28 to the first hydraulic pump 27 by means of the chang-over val¬ ve 26. From the first hydraulic pump 27 hydraulic oil is discharged through the control part 25 to the hydraulic reservoir 21.

The first hydraulic pump 27 is in this way acting as an ad¬ justable throttle device for the hydraulic flow from the second and the third hydraulic pump, so that intended brak¬ ing, positive load on the wheels 4,5 is effected.

The second hydraulic pump in the first axle box 20 is con¬ nected to the hydraulic reservoir through a first conduit 32. The third hydraulic pump in the second axle box 21 is connected to the hydraulic reservoir through a second con¬ duit 33.

By means of the controlling device and the cooperating com- puter 7 a braking load is applyable on the wheels 4,5 with exact adjustment of the load. The load is adapted to be disengaged with a fixed second time delay F_ . In this way a lenient and well controlla¬ ble trotting training with the training sulky is achieved.

Through cooperation between the controlling device and the connected computer 7, which is adjustable by means of its key pad and which has a data dispaly 36, the braking load on the wheels 4,5 also can be applied with a fixed first time delay F- . This further decreased unnecessary pres- sure on the horse.

For this purpose the controlling device is connected to a traction force gauge 17, which senses the traction force with which the horse pulls the training sulky. The control- ling device is also adapted to cooperate with a speed sen¬ sor 34, which is adapted to sense the speed of the wheel 5.

To make possible a still more lenient trotting training with the training sulky according to the invention its con- trolling device is adapted to, by means of a sensing device 35 for the horse's pulse beats, automatically disengage the load kP at a fixed value of the horse ' s pulse beats per time unit. Such a sensing device 35 could for instance con¬ sist of a microphone attached to the horse's neck.

To make possible interval training of the horse with the training sulky according to the invention the controlling device is adapted to reapply the load some time after hav¬ ing disengaged the load, for instance as a consequence of too high a value of the horse's pulse beats.

It is also possible to, with the controlling device for the training sulky according to the invention, apply a negative load on the wheels 4,5. Its controlling device is in this case also arranged with the first hydraulic pump 12, coop- erating with the second and the third hydraulic pump on each of the wheels 4 and 5.

In order to produce a negative load the change-over valve is set to the position shown in Fig. 6. The rotor of the first hydraulic pump 27 is driven by the electric motor 29. The hydraulic oil is then flowing from the first hydraulic pump 27 through the outlet conduit 30 via the common hyd¬ raulic conduit 24 and the second and the third hydraulic conduit 22,23 to the second and the third hydraulic pump respectively in the axle boxes 19,20 of the wheels 4,5. The second and the third hydraulic pump then have to be ar¬ ranged in such a way that they work as hydraulic motors on reversed flow direction.

The second and the third hydraulic pump does not in this way exercise any braking load on the wheels 4 and 5 but in¬ stead increase their rotation. Thus such increased rotation of the wheels 4 and 5 is effected, as when rolling down- hill. An artifical downhill slope is created in this way with the training sulky according to the invention.

By arranging the controlling device with the control part 25 and the change-over valve 26 it is possible to use the same hydralic conduits, both when applying a negative load and when applying a positive load.

Claims

1) Training sulky for a horse, the sulky beeing provided with a controlling device for applying a load on the wheels of the sulky, characterized in that the controlling dev¬ ice is adapted to, during a steplessly varied time inter- val (B) , apply the load (KP) on the wheels with exact ad¬ justment of the applied load, and that the controlling device is adapted to, with a fixed second time interval (F_) , disengage the load.

2) Training sulky according to claim 1, characterized in that the controlling device is adapted to, with a fix¬ ed first time interval (F. ) , apply the load.

3) Training sulky according to claim 1 or 2, character- ized in that the controlling device is adapted to, by me¬ ans of a sensing device for the horse's pulse beats, auto¬ matically disengage the load (KP) at a fixed value of the horse's pulse beats (P) per time unit.

4) Training sulky according to claim 3, characterized in that the sensing device consists of a microphone attached to the horse's neck.

5) Training device according to the claims 2-4, charac- terized in that the controlling device is adapted to reap- ply the load some time after having disengaged the load, in order to make possible interval training of the horse.

6) Training sulky according to any of the claims 1-5, characterized in that the controlling device is provided with a second hydraulic pump, which is driven by the first wheel (4) of the training sulky, and a third hydraulic pump, which is driven by the second wheel (5) of the train¬ ing sulky, the hydraulic pumps having outlets which, by means of a common conduit (24) , are connectable to the in¬ let conduit (28) to a first hydraulic pump (27) having a outlet, which is connectable to a hydraulic reservoir (31) , by what means a positive load is applyable on the wheels (4,5) .

7) Training sulky according to claim 6, characterized in that the common hydraulic conduit (24) from the out¬ lets from the second and the third hydraulic pumps by means of a change-over valve (26) is connectable to the outlet conduit (30) from the first hydraulic pump (27) , by what means a negative load is applyable on the wheels (4,5) .

8) Training sulky according to any of the claims 1-7, characterized in that the controlling device is connect¬ ed to a traction force gauge (17) , which is arranged to sense the traction force exercised by the horse pulling the training sulky and which is arranged bwetween a later¬ al beam (12) for fastening of the shafts (13,14) of the training sulky and its underbody.

9) Training sulky according to claim 8, characterized in that the fastening beam (12) , by means of two guiding sleeves (10,11) , is slidable on two parallell coupling rods (8,9) , attached to the front part (6) of the underbody (1) of the training sulky.

10) Training sulky according to the claims 6-9, charact¬ erized in that the controlling device is adapted to ad- just the magnitude of the load applied to the wheels (4,5) by adjusting the rotation speed of an electric motor (29) , which is fixedly coupled to the rotor of the first hydrau¬ lic pump (27) .

11) Training sulky according to any of the previous claims, characterized in that the controlling device is adapted to cooperate with a sensor (34) of speed, adapted to sense the speed of a wheel (5) .

12) Training sulky according to any of the claims 1-11 characterized in that the controlling device is adapted to cooperate with a computer for adjusting the load applied on the wheels (4,5) .

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