WO1992000780A1

WO1992000780A1 - Exercising apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO1992000780A1
Application number: PCT/AU1991/000304
Authority: WO
Inventors: Roger Cargill
Original assignee: Roger Cargill
Priority date: 1990-07-09
Filing date: 1991-07-09
Publication date: 1992-01-23

Abstract

An exercising apparatus for kayak training is disclosed having a supporting frame (12), a seat (13), a foot rest (14) and an air braked flywheel (15). A pair of toothed drive belts (18, 19) are connected to a paddle (17) and are guided by a pulley (39) on to a drive pulley (38) to rotate the flywheel during operation. A retract mechanism returns the toothed drive belt at the completion of a stroke. The retract mechanism is adjustably anchored against the exterior of the supporting frame adjacent the apertures (50).

Description

"EXERCISING APPARATUS"

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to exercising apparatus.

This invention has particular but not exclusive application to exercising apparatus for the sport of kayaking. For illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application. However, it is to be understood that this invention could be used in other applications where exercising is provided by working against a load varying with the level and intensity of activity. For example, this invention may be used in exercising for swimming or rowing.

This invention furthermore has particular but not exclusive application to training apparatus such as ergometers and particularly to kayaking ergometers .

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Swimming and kayaking exercising and training machines and ergometers are known. However known machines suffer a number of disadvantages. In particular, known equipment is unable to provide accurate readings of work output or to provide comparable readings between different units.

Machines in which a load is generated by the rotation of an air braked wheel are known, but are particularly prone to discrepancies between machines located in different geographical areas because atmospheric variations can affect the work output monitored, thereby making precise comparison for scientific purposes impossible between athletes in different locations. Known equipment also does not facilitate calibration and consequently the analysis of performance characteristics of athletes using different machines is imprecise.

In the sport of kayaking it has been particularly difficult to develop training machines closely simulating the real kayak paddling action because of a number of unique requirements of the training kayaker. Known equipment has been found not to provide an "early catch", not to give a "top hand feel", nor to provide a resistance simulating the resistance of water and its effect on effort as boat speed increases.

It is possible that one reason why known training equipment does not provide a realistic simulation of kayaking is that known equipment is relatively complex with complicated linkages and return mechanisms which introduce many resistances other than the resistance of the air on the air braked flywheel.

Australian Patent 566322 to Repco Limited discloses a swimming training machine in which a pair of handgrips are grasped by an athlete lying on a bench in front of the machine. The athlete can simulate a swimming action and rope cords attached to the handgrips wrap around a cylindrical shaft providing resistance to the athlete by means of an air braked cylindrical drum mounted thereon. A similar a kayaking training machine has a series of vertical slots in the face of the device to allow for the extensive up and down displacement of the rope during the kayaking action. US Patent No 4,396,188 to Drumspackart et al discloses a simple rowing machine with a single pull connected to a simplified braking mechanism. A slidable seat is attached to a frame and a braking unit has an adjustably geared air braked wheel having a plurality of fan type blades. The rowing component includes a handle attached to a drive chain which propels the wheel. A retract mechanism returns the drive chain with the handle between strokes. The wheel of this device is made of metal and the relatively heavy chain attached to the rowing handle combined with the relatively heavy wheel results in a degree of run-on occurring after the device has been retracted. Although this run-on may cause minimal difficulties in a rowing machine being stroked at a rate of up to 45 strokes per minute, it is quite unacceptable in a kayaking machine where rates may be three times as high.

In prior art devices a degree of slack occurs at the commencement of the stroke because of this run-on effect. Consequently a kayaker does not experience the early catch effect at the stage simulating the entry of a paddle into the water. This is because the run-on introduces an undesirable amount of free play in the paddle attachments and consequently no effort is required to pull the lower hand paddle back at the catch portion of the stroke.

Prior art devices use ropes or chains for the drive system. Both arrangements have a number of disadvantages. Rope is prone to stretching, and slippage frequently occurs as power is applied. Chains on the other hand are particularly weighty and noisy. They are also inflexible in the sense of not easily accommodating the twisting and other directional changes to which they are subjected during paddling action.

A desirable characteristic for kayak training machines and ergometers is to provide what is known as "top hand feel". This describes the requirement for the top hand to push forward at the catch against resistance provided by the water acting as an anchor during the levering action of the paddle as it pivots about the lower hand during the initial part of a stroke.

The requirement for a training machine to provide accurate simulation of early catch and top hand feel is even more desirable in the initial half dozen strokes of a kayaking race when the starting rate may rise as high as 145 strokes per minute. The retract mechanisms on known kayaking machines do not provide effective top hand feel and early catch at even moderate stroking rates.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET Known systems also suffer the disadvantage of not being readily adjustable. Consequently calibration is difficult if not impossible. Furthermore the shock cords used in the retract mechanisms frequently vary in quality and as a result of different types of use. For this reason and those referred to above, known equipment is not reliable in comparing performances at a number of different sites. Such comparison is increasingly desirable because of national and international co-ordinated sports training and development programmes.

Furthermore known devices do not facilitate adjustment to enable short tests of speed and power having realistic top hand feel and an early catch to be conducted.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention aims to alleviate the above disadvantages and to provide an exercising apparatus which will be reliable and efficient in use. Other objects and advantages of this invention will be hereinafter become apparent. With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention in one aspect resides broadly in exercising apparatus includin :- interaction means whereby a user may interact cyclically with the exercising apparatus; resistance means; actuating means interconnecting the interaction means and the resistance means and being operable between a cycle start mode and a cycle end mode, and retraction means for retracting the actuating means to the cycle start mode.

The interaction means may be a pair of handles each having an actuating means connected thereto and able to be gripped by a user exercising in a swimming action. Alternatively the interaction means may be a single rod like member having a single actuating means attached thereto to be used to train or exercise for rowing, or a pair of rod like members each have an actuating means attached thereto for sculling. It is preferred however that the interaction means is a rod-like member simulating the handle of a kayak double paddle with respective ones of the actuating means being connected to the rod-like member at spaced locations. The exercising apparatus may be supported on a bench or table or may be placed on the floor or mounted to a wall.

However preferably the exercising apparatus includes a frame for supporting the resistance means and housing the retraction means, the frame including anchor means for adjustably locating the retraction means. Suitably the exercising apparatus may include adjustable seating means and an adjustable foot support means mounted on the frame. The seating means may be slidably mounted on the frame. Reality may be enhanced by surrounding the exercise apparatus with a kayak-like hull which may be attached to the frame. The frame may be supported to provide a rocking or rolling action corresponding with the roll of a kayak in the water at the catch of a stroke.

Suitably the retraction means is selectively adjustable. The adjustment may be provided by modifying the length of the retraction mechanism by a geared system or by varying a pulley train. Alternatively the adjustment could be achieved by the addition or removal of a series of weights attached to the retraction means. However preferably the retraction means is an elastic member connected to the actuating means and adapted to be restrained by the anchor means whereby the tension of the retraction means is variable. The retraction means may be an extension spring but preferably is a shock cord or bungy cord. The resistance means may be a frictional brake or it

SUBSTITUTE S could be a dead weight raised by a pulley system driven by a shaft rotated by the actuating means. However preferably the resistance means is an air braked resistance means. The air braked resistance means could be a cylindrical drum carrying a plurality of axially disposed vanes or it could be a cycle wheel having a plurality of vanes radially disposed between the spokes. However preferably the resistance means is a rotatable disc having a plurality of radially extending vanes. Preferably the ratio of vane width to disc width is selectively adjustable.

Suitably the actuating means includes a pair of actuators each interconnecting the interaction means and the resistance means and being operable between a cycle start mode and a cycle end mode. The actuating means may be a chain or rope or even a series of linkages, but preferably the actuating means is a belt drive. The belt drive may be a V belt or a flat belt but preferably the actuating means includes at least one flat toothed belt adapted to interconnect with the resistance means through a toothed drive pulley. Preferably the belt is of light weight construction. Belt types such as those used as engine timing belts are suitable.

The exercising apparatus may include guide means adapted to maintain substantially constant alignment of a portion of the actuating means adjacent the resistance means during successive cycles. The guide means may be a stationary guide having smooth contoured surfaces but preferably the guide means includes at least one pulley having a contoured inner surface adapted to maintain a flat belt in substantially planar contact therewith during successive cycles.

The exercising apparatus may include monitoring equipment adapted to provide analog, digital or computerised readouts of performance. In one preferred embodiment the exercising apparatus includes a direction sensor for indicating a change in direction of the actuating means between cycles. Preferably the direction sensor includes a magnetic idler positionable by the actuating means to activate switch means at the start of each cycle.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that this invention may be more easily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein '. - FIG 1 is a perspective view of a kayaking ergometer;

FIG 2 illustrates a kayaker exercising on the ergometer;

FIGS 3 and 4 are side and top view respectively of the kayaking ergometer; FIGS 5 and 6 are alternate end views of the kayaking ergometer;

FIG 7 is a perspective view of the air braked flywheel of the ergometer and the associated drive belt and retract mechanism; FIG 8 is a plan view corresponding to the perspective view of FIG 7; and

FIG 9 is a perspective view of a direction sensor.

As can best be seen in FIGS 1 to 6 and particularly FIGS 1 and 2 the kayaking ergometer 11 consists of longitudinal aluminium body member 12 supported at either end by a pair of inverted T-shaped aluminium supports having bases 23, 24 and legs 28, 29 respectively. The inverted T- shape supports are longitudinally braced to the body member 12 by means of struts 25 and 26. A seat 13 is adjustably positioned at one end of the body member 12 and an air resisted flywheel assembly 15 is disposed at the other end. A foot support 14 is adjustably supported midway along the body member 12. The body membei* 12 has a pair of

I T SHEET longitudinally extending box members 20 and 21 disposed on either side of a bridging channel plate 22. At the end adjacent the flywheel, box members 20 and 21 are open to receive therethrough respective ones of a pair of flat, toothed drive belts 18 and 19. As seen in FIG 2 the toothed drive belts 18 and 19 are attached to a paddle handle 17 at spaced locations. At the other end of the body member 12, the box members 20 and 21 are closed by end plates in each of which apertures 50 are formed for receiving therethrough^' the ends of a retract mechanism in the form of elastic shock cords or bungy cords or springs attached to the two drive belts 18 and 19.

As can best be seen in FIGS 3 and 4 the seat 13 is adjustably located on a pair of cross members 27 supported on the box members 20 and 21. The foot rest 14 is adjustably located along a base plate 58 containing a series of apertures 59 adapted to engage with fastening means associated with the foot rest 14.

As is best seen in FIGS 7 and 8, the air resisted flywheel assembly 15 consists of a flywheel 30 rotatably mounted in extensions 33 and 34 to the respective box frame members 20 and 21. The flywheel 30 is fixedly mounted on an axle or drive shaft 35. The axle 35 is housed in journal plates 36 attached to vertical webs of the members 33 and 34 by means of bolts or equivalent fastening means 37. The axle 35 extends on either side of the journal plates 36 and carries one of a pair of toothed drive pulleys 38 at either end. The toothed drive pulleys 38 are mounted on the axle or drive shaft 35 by a pair of one-way clutches 47. A pair of guide pulleys 39 are rotatably mounted on respective axles 40 supported by respective brackets 41 attached to the vertical webs of the members 33 and 34. Each guide pulley 39 is engaged in use by the plain back of the toothed belts 18 and 19. The guide pulleys 39 are positioned adjacent the drive pulleys 38 and towards the body member 12. A pair of

SUBSTITUTE SHEET retaining wheels 42 are each supported on a respective bracket 43 mounted on the horizontal plates of the members 33 and 34. The retaining wheels 42 are operable to prevent the toothed belts becoming disengaged from the drive pulleys during use.

As is best seen in FIGS 3, 7 and 8, each toothed drive belt 18 and 19 attached to an end of the paddle shaft 17 passes under a guide pulley 39 over and around a toothed drive pulley 38, between a guide pulley 39 and its support. bracket 41, over a direction sensor 43, and into respective box member 20 or 21.

Box members 20 and 21 contain at each end respective pulleys 48 and 49. The toothed belt drives 18 and 19 are terminated at the seat end of the box members adjacent pulleys 48 and joined to shock cords or bungy tapes 51.

The shock cords 51 pass around the pulleys 48, return to the open ends of the respective box members 20 and 21, pass around pulleys 49 and return to the seat end of the body member where the shock cords 51 are passed through the openings 50. Knots (not shown) in the shock cords 51 or other clamping means attachable to the shock cords, act as abutments against the outer faces of the end plates of the respective box members. Suitable clamping means include spring loaded clamps or split plugs adapted to frictionally engage the cord under a clamping action provided by the wedging of a taper on the plug against the edges of the opening. The shock cords are thus anchored against the end plates so that an extended drive belt 18 or 19 is retracted after the completion of a stroke or cycle. The guide pulleys 39 are suitable contoured on both reel portion 45 and outer flange 44 so that irrespective of the varying angular orientation of the toothed belt drives 18 and 19 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the machine throughout a kayaking stroke the belts 18 and 19 remain in substantially planar contact with the guide pulleys 39 throughout the stroke. This causes the angle of attack of the belts to the drive pulleys 38 to be substantially constant and an effective transmission of power to the flywheel 30 occurs. The plastic polyurethane flywheel 30 has a disc member 31 mounted on or integrally formed with a journalled hub from which a series of vanes 32 extend radially outwards to the outer periphery of the disc 31. The mass of disc 31 generates an inertia to be overcome during use of the exercising device. The vanes 32 provide air resistance and constitute an air brake. For safety reasons the flywheel 30 is surrounded by a wire cage 46 best illustrated in FIGS 4 and 8.

The air braked flywheel 30 is made from a comparatively light-weight plastic material and it has been found that the disc 31, although providing inertia, does not cause the "run-on" difficulties experienced with heavy prior art flywheels. It has also been found that variation in the ratio of disc width to vane width can produce variable characteristics. This facilitates variations in design to suit individual specialist kayakers.

This variation can be built in during manufacture, or the flywheel characteristics can be adjusted by providing replaceable vanes of different widths. Alternatively an adjusting mechanism can rotate the blades and so vary the angle of presentation whereby the air resistance is variable.

The exercising machine effectively minimises resistances other than that of the air brake by using a lightweight toothed timing belt, the return mechanism being adjusted to provide only the resistance required to effectively return the belt at completion of a stroke. Other resistances are kept to a minimum by minimising friction wherever possible i.e. the rollers 48 and 49 are journalled in ball races. A variety of readout devices can be attached to the equipment to provide outputs such as power, workout, cadence, stroke length, stroke count, acceleration over a given number of strokes and elapsed time. Other laboratory requirements can be measured by sensors which send information to a computer programme for calculation.

A pair of directional sensors 43 are provided to indicate changes in direction of the belt. As best seen in FIG 9 the directional sensors 43 consist of a housing 57 containing a rectangular recess 52 in which a magnetic cylindrical roller 53 is adapted to roll. A pair of reed switches (not shown) are positioned within the housing 57 at both sides 54 and 55 of the recess 57. The reed switches are adapted to be actuated by movement of the magnetised cylindrical roller 52 to either side. This motion provides a signal at terminals 56 indicative of the direction of motion, or the change of direction of motion, of the belt as it passes over the cylindrical roller 53, and by virtue of frictional engagement therewith rolls it to either side. The location of the direction sensors 43 on the equipment is best seen in FIG 7. The sensors 43 are affixed to the horizontal plates of the support brackets 33 and 34, between the guide pulleys 39 and the box members 20,21 and close to the former. Output of the sensor 43 can be fed to a stroke counter.

In use a kayaker 16 sits on the ergometer as illustrated in FIG 2 and commences paddling in a conventional manner. Power is uniformly transmitted to the drive shaft 35 via drive pulleys 38 because of the substantially constant alignment of the toothed drive belts 18, 19 after being guided by the guide pulleys 39. The toothed drive belts mesh with a respective toothed drive pulley 38 so no slippage occurs and the air braked flywheel 30 provides immediate resistance against the paddling action thereby simulating the effect produced by water at the catch

T part of a stroke. The toothed drive pulleys 38 transmit power to the flywheel 30 by engagement of the one-way clutches 47. The guide pulley facilitates a smooth transition and transfer of power during operation irrespective of the orientation of the belt drive as it varies throughout a stroke.

At the end of a stroke or cycle the respective toothed drive belt 18 or 19 is extended to its maximum, and shock cord or bungy cord 51 is also extended through three lengths of the body member 20 or 21 rather than a normal two. The resultant retracting force takes up the slack in the toothed belt drive 18 or 19 attached to the "out of water" paddle as the respective toothed drive pulley 38 free-wheels in reverse direction when the respective one-way clutch 47 disengages under the action of the retracting force. The retract mechanism thus provides a steady tension on the "out of the water" paddle thereby simulating actual conditions. Similarly at the catch of the following stroke, the flywheel has not run on in a manner leading to slack in the other drive belt.

The retract mechanism is extremely simple and because it is connected directly to the toothed belt drives and thus directly to the paddle ends, the device presents minimal resistance other than that provided by the air braked flywheel. The retract mechanism is easily adjusted and calibrated by drawing out the knot or clamping means at the aperture 50 and placing a calibrated strain gauge between the end plates of the body members 20 and 21 and the knot or clamping means. The knots or clamping means can then repositioned for variation in tensioning or to achieve uniform calibration between either side of the equipment or between different machines.

The ease of adjustment not only enables calibration to be varied to cater for differences in shock cords and other variations occurring with use, but also permits adjustment

SUBSTITUTE SHEET to enable speed and power tests of short duration to be conducted having both top hand feel and early catch simulation.

The exercising machine of this invention very closely simulates actual kayaking. Furthermore because seat height and foot rest height can be adjusted, the correct distancing between the kayaker and the water level can be simulated.

Reality is further enhanced by surrounding the apparatus with a kayak-like hull (not shown) and by mounting the apparatus to provide a damped rocking or rolling to correspond with the roll of a kayak in the water at the catch of a stroke (not shown) .

It will of course be realised that whilst the above has been given by way of an illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations hereto, as would be apparent to persons skilled in the art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is hereinafter claimed.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET

Claims

1. An exercising apparatus including:- interaction means whereby a user may interact cyclically with said exercising apparatus; resistance means; actuating means interconnecting said interaction means and said resistance means and being operable between a cycle start mode and a cycle end mode, and retraction means for retracting said actuating means to said cycle start mode.

2. An exercising apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said retraction means is selectively adjustable.

3. An exercising apparatus as defined in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said resistance means is an air braked resistance means.

4. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said actuating means is a belt drive.

5. An exercising apparatus as defined in claim 4, and including:- guide means adapted to maintain operative alignment of said belt drive with said resistance means.

6. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of the preceding claims, and including:- a direction sensor for indicating a change in direction of said actuating means between cycles.

7. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of the preceding claims, and including:-

SUBSTITUTE SHEET a frame for supporting said resistance means and housing said retraction means, said frame including anchor- means for adjustably locating said retraction means whereby the tension of said retraction means may be selectively varied.

8. An exercising apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said retraction means is an elastic member connected to said actuating means and adapted to be restrained by said anchor means.

9. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said actuating means includes a pair of actuators each interconnecting said interaction means and said resistance means and being operable between a cycle start mode and a cycle end mode.

10. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said actuating means includes at least one flat toothed belt adapted to interconnect with said resistance means through a toothed drive pulley.

11. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said resistance means is a rotatable disc having radially extending vanes.

12. An exercising apparatus as defined in claim 11, wherein the ratio of vane width to disc width is selectively adjustable.

13. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of claims 5 to 12, wherein said guide means includes a guide pulley positioned intermediate said resistance means and said interaction means.

14. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of the preceding claims, wherein said interaction means is a rod¬ like member and respective ones of said actuating means are connected to said rod-like member adjacent each end thereof.

15. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of claims

6 to 14, wherein said direction sensor includes a magnetic roller positionable by said actuating means to activate switch means at the start of each cycle.

16. An exercising apparatus as defined in any one of claims

7 to 15, and including seating means and an foot support means mounted on said frame.

SUBSTITUTE SHEET