Electronic running exercise machine with a bidirectional supersonic detector

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention

[0002] The present invention relates to an electronic running exercise machine with a bidirectional supersonic detector, wherein the supersonic detector has a control portion and a reflecting portion. The control portion is installed on a control panel of the electronic running exercise machine and the reflecting portion is installed on the user. The control portion measures the time required at the two ends precisely and then the time is converted into a distance so as to be transferred to the control panel. Therefore, the rotary speed of the running belt is controlled precisely.

[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0004] A prior art electronic running exercise machine with a bidirectional supersonic detector is disclosed in Taiwan Patent No. 461330, electronic running exercise machine with a bidirectional supersonic detector. In the prior art, a platform is installed with a running belt. One end of the platform has a driving device for driving a running belt. Two sides of the platform adjacent to the driving device have respective supporting frame.

[0005] The feature of the present invention is that a cross bar runs across two sides of the supporting frame of the electronic running exercise machine. The cross bar has an opening on the control device facing the running belt. The control device has a transmitting portion which includes a pulse generator and a transmitter. The pulse generator will cause supersonic waves to oscillate and thus high frequency supersonic waves are generated. The supersonic wave is emitted toward the runner through the transmitter. A receiving portion serves for receiving the reflected supersonic wave. The receiving portion has a receiver for sensing supersonic waves reflected from the runner. A timer serves for sensing time interval from the timing of transmitting a supersonic wave to the timing of receiving wave by the receiving portion. Thereby, the timing for the round path of the supersonic wave is calculated so as to match the sound speed of the supersonic wave to calculate out the round path of the supersonic wave. Then the result is transmitted to the control panel of the electronic running exercise machine so as to control the speed of the electronic running belt.

[0006] In this prior art, at a predetermined position of the electronic running exercise machine, a supersonic distance measuring control device is installed for transmitting high frequency supersonic wave to the runner by the transmitting portion of the control device. Then by reflecting principle, a receiver serves to receive the reflected supersonic pulse from the runner. Then the distance between the transmitting end and receiving end is calculated by using the time difference therebetween so as to adjust the speed of the running belt. The above said device only connects a commercial supersonic distance measures to an electronic running exercise machine. Although it has a simple structure and has a lower cost, when it is installed to an electronic running exercise machine, it has only little effect. The reasons will be described here.

[0007] 1. A large scale reflector is necessary (for example, a wall, a large scale panel, etc. ) for reflecting the emitted supersonic signal. If the object to be measured is uneven, or it is only a rod, a tree, or even it is movable, then no object can be as a reflector. Therefore, above mentioned prior art is useless.

[0008] 2. Since reflected supersonic wave will decay dramatically so that the measured distance is reduced greatly and a large error is induced.

[0009] 3. Supersonic distance measurement is greatly affected by the environment factors, such as temperature, light intensity, material, colors and hues of cloth. These will induce the inconsistency of the reading numbers and thus a great error is induced.

[0010] In the prior structure, the control device is installed on the cross bar between supporting frames of the front end of the electronic running exercise machine. From the prior art (referring to FIG. 1 and the specification of above cited prior art), it is known that it is at a position about the legs of the runner. Therefore, if one leg of the runner (now the runner is a reflector) has a slightly deviation from the transmitter of the control device, the device can not calculate a precise distance. Even the calculator will made a fault, that is, the calculator will consider that the runner has moved away from the transmitting portion so as to cut off the power of the driving device of the running belt. Thereby, the runner is easily hurt from exercising. Furthermore, despite that the control device is installed at a position higher than the legs or lower than the legs of the runner, the reflected supersonic wave will decay dramatically so that the measured distance is reduced and even a great error is induced. Moreover, in measuring a distance by supersonic wave, the transmitter, receiver and reflector must be in a perpendicular relation. Otherwise, the measured distance has a dramatic error.

[0011] Furthermore, since the prior transmitting portion of the prior supersonic detector is aimed at the leg of the runner, when supersonic wave is emitted to the leg of the runner, since a lifted leg is inclined to the ground, or the trousers have wrinkles so that the direction of returning supersonic wave is changed. Moreover, the receiver used in the prior art is an amplifier so that multi-path reflected supersonic wave will be received by the receiver. In practical operation, the device can not present a predetermined effect, while it is possible that the device makes a fault that the runner has moved away from the control device. As a result, the control panel cuts off the power of the driving device of the running belt immediately.

[0012] Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to provide an electronic running exercise machine with a bidirectional supersonic detector having a running belt. A front end of the running belt has a driving device for driving the running belt. Two sides of a front end of the electronic running exercise machine have respective U-like handle rods. A control panel is installed between the two handle rods. The supersonic detector has a control portion and a reflecting portion. The control portion is installed in a control panel of the electronic running exercise machine. The reflecting portion is worn on the runner. The reflecting portion emits supersonic wave to the control portion. The control portion measures the time required at the two ends precisely and then the time is converted into a distance so as to be transferred to the control panel. Therefore, the rotary speed of the running belt is controlled precisely.

[0013] The various objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the appended drawing.

[0014] FIG. 1 is a perspective view the present invention.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the supersonic detector of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 3 shows one embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] At first, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the electronic running exercise machine with a bidirectional supersonic detector of the present invention is illustrated. The electronic running exercise machine 10 of the present invention has a general structure known in the prior art and thus herein it is roughly described. The electronic running exercise machine 10 has a running belt 11. A front end of the running belt 11 has a driving device 12 for driving the running belt 11. Two sides of a front end of the electronic running exercise machine 10 have respective U-like handle rods 13. A control panel 14 is installed between the two handle rods 13.

[0018] A supersonic detector 20 has a control portion 21 and a reflecting portion 22. The control portion 21 is installed in a predetermined portion at a front end of the electronic running exercise machine 10 and about a middle position of the handle rods 13, which is aligned to an upper half of the runner or the control portion 21 can be directly installed on the control panel 14. The reflecting portion 22 can be worn on the runner. The reflecting portion 22 may emit supersonic wave to the control portion 21. Thereby, no object is necessary to be as a reflector as in the prior art structure. As a result, the control portion 21 can measure the time interval required at the two ends precisely and then the measure time interval is converted into a distance so that the value of the distance is transferred to a control panel 14 of the electronic running exercise machine 10. Therefore, the rotary speed of the running belt 11 can be controlled precisely. In use, when the control portion 21 of the supersonic detector 20 is installed in the control panel 14 of the electronic running exercise machine 10. A transceiver panel 141 is formed on the control panel 14 at a side facing toward the running belt 11.

[0019] The control portion 21 has an infrared transmitter 211, a supersonic receiver 212, noise filters 213, a numeric calculator 214, and an actuator 215.

[0020] The reflecting portion 22 has an infrared receiver 221, and a supersonic transmitter 222.

[0021] By above mentioned components, when the actuator 215 of the control portion 21 is actuated, the control portion 21 will emit a set of infrared signals to the infrared receiver 221 of the reflecting portion 22 through the infrared transmitter 211. The infrared transmitter 211 and infrared receiver 221 cause the instruments of the control portion 21 and the reflecting portion 22 to operate synchronously. In the present invention, by the principle that the light speed is quicker than sound speed, it is assumed that the speed of the infrared is unlimited, and thus the signals of the infrared transmitter 211 and infrared receiver 221 can be used as base signals. When the infrared receiver 221 of the reflecting portion 22 has received infrared, the supersonic transmitter 222 transmits a set of supersonic wave to return to the supersonic receiver 212 of the control portion 21. As comparing with the speed of the supersonic wave, the time interval of the infrared transmitted to the reflecting portion 22 from the control portion 21 is almost zero. Thus, by the time difference between the time transmitting the infrared and the time receiving the supersonic wave, the control portion 21 can calculate the distance between the two ends and then the distance is transferred to the control panel 14 of the electronic running exercise machine 10. Thereby, the operation speed of the running belt 11 can be controlled precisely.

[0022] Moreover, since the electronic running exercise machine 10 is an indoor exercise machine, many objects in the periphery of the machine, such as human bodies, fluorescent lamps, electric devices possibly emit infrared wave and then the infrared is received by the infrared receiver 221. As a result, the supersonic transmitter 222 of the reflecting portion 22 will emit supersonic wave at an improper timing. Therefore, the control portion 21 is installed with a noise filter 213 for determining whether the supersonic wave from the reflecting portion 22 is noise so as to increase the precise of the measurement. With reference to FIG. 3, when the runner 30 wears the reflecting portion 22 on the body, and then stands on the running belt 11 of the electronic running exercise machine 10. The driving device 12 of the electronic running exercise machine 10 and the actuator 215 of the control portion 21 are actuated at the same time. When the actuator 215 of the control portion 21 is actuated, the infrared transmitter 211 of the control portion 21 will emit infrared signals to the infrared receiver 221 of the reflecting portion 22 of the runner 30 as base signals to instruct the supersonic transmitter 222 of the reflecting portion 22 to emit a set of the supersonic wave to the supersonic receiver 212 of the control portion 21. Then the numeric calculator 214 of the control portion 21 calculates the distance between the runner 30 standing on the running belt 11 and the control portion 21 by using the time difference between the timing of transmitting infrared and timing of receiving supersonic wave. Then the result is transferred to the control panel 14 for adjusting the rotation speed of the driving device 12 of the running belt 11. The position of the runner 30 is near the control portion 21. Then the control panel 14 will instruct the driving device 12 to increase speed. On the contrary, when the running speed of the runner 30 is slower than the running belt 11. The distance between the runner 30 and the control portion 21 will increase. Then the control panel 14 will reduce the rotary speed of the driving device 12 real time. When the control portion 21 senses that the position of the runner 30 has been over a predetermined distance, the control panel 14 will instruct to automatically switch the power of the driving device 12. Thereby, it is assured that the electronic running exercise machine 10 of the present invention is an intelligent device. Thereby, the runner 30 may exercise in a safety environment.

[0023] The electronic running exercise machine with a bidirectional supersonic detector of the present invention will be described hereinabove. In the following, the effect and characteristics of the present invention will be described.

[0024] In the present invention, the supersonic transmitter and supersonic receiver are separated without needing any reflector to reflect supersonic wave. Thereby, the error between the results of the numeric calculator and the practical distance is below 0.5%. Thereby, after connecting the electronic running exercise machine with a bidirectional supersonic detector of the present invention, a predetermined effect can be achieved. Referring to FIG. 1, the comparison of the test data and the practical distances is presented. It is known that from the present invention, the error is very small. Moreover, in the same distance, the error from many measurements is within 0.1. It is very near a correct value.

[0025] The present invention is thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims.