Automatic Speed Control Apparatus for Treadmill and Control Method Thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides an automatic speed control apparatus for a treadmill and the control method including a deck, a track belt of endlessly rotating on the upper and the bottom face of the deck, and a driving unit for driving unit for driving the track belt comprising: at least one front load sensor located in the front part of the track belt for measuring load from a user on the track belt; at least one rear load sensor located in the rear part of the track belt for measuring load from the user on the track belt, wherein the proceeding speed of the track belt is controlled based on the user's location or movement on the track belt by comparing the measured values from the front load sensor and the rear load sensor and catching the user's location based on the comparison therebetween, whereby the proceeding speed can be automatically controlled corresponding with the user's running speed without the user's direct operation.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to an automatic speed control apparatus for a treadmill and a control method thereof, more particularly, to an automatic speed control apparatus and control method thereof for automatically controlling the proceeding speed of the track belt precisely corresponding with a user's intention without the user's direct operation for changing the speed of the track belt while running or walking on the treadmill.BACKGROUND ART[0002]A treadmill known as a running machine is widely used indoors such as at home or in a sports center as it allows users to have an effect of exercising while working or running on its endlessly rotating belt in narrow space. Recently, a demand for treadmills is drastically increasing due to the advantages of its safety and convenience because users can exercise indoors using a treadmill even in the cold winter.[0003]In general, a user on a treadmill runs or walks with directly changing the speed of running or walk...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0081]As explained above, the present invention provides a speed control apparatus for a treadmill including an endlessly rotating track belt, a driving unit for driving the track belt comprising at least one front load sensor located in the front part of the track belt for measuring a weight of a user on the track belt, at least one rear load sensor located in the rear part of the track belt for measuring a weight of the user on the track belt and a control unit for controlling the driving unit to accelerate or decelerate the speed of the track belt based on the measured values of the front load sensor and the rear load sensor.

[0082]Also, the front load sensor of the present invention is formed as at least one front strain gage and the rear load sensor is formed as at least one rear front strain gage so that an automatic speed control apparatus for a treadmill of the present invention can acquire price competitiveness.

[0083]The present invention can have more reliability as the malfunction due to misperception of the simple gesture as a sign of acceleration or deceleration has been removed by the mechanism to sense user's location measuring a load point of the user on the track.

[0084]The present invention provides a stable speed change control device avoiding drastic change of speed.

[0085]The present invention also provides comfortable exercise environment minimizing inertial force effect by the automatic speed control of a track belt.

[0086]The present invention provides stable speed control environment not to misperceive user's movement of user on a track belt for operating button on a control panel or grasping a hand purse as a sign to accelerate or decelerate a belt.

Problems solved by technology

However, the finger operation of the track belt speed while exercising on a treadmill can be bothersome and even dangerous for the user on the moving treadmill as it causes to break a balance of user.

Therefore, although the memorized program has a merit that the user does not need to directly operate the track belt speed during the exercise, the memorized program makes the user to exercise too much or insufficiently

However, as the sensor used in the automatic speed control apparatus of running machine designed by Youngjin Chae costs too much, the machine has a practical problem of losing price competitiveness in manufacturing a running machine with the sensor.

On the other hand, as an automatic speed control apparatus of a treadmill using the sensor had not avoided high manufacturing cost, there has been an attempt to use an ultrasonic sensor for sensing the location of user.

However, the calculation of the distance of user from the sensor using an ultrasonic sensor is not precise so that it causes malfunction which a treadmill accelerates a belt when the user does not get closer to the ultrasonic sensor or decelerates even when the user is not distant from the ultrasonic sensor.

Moreover, a treadmill using a sensor for automatic speed control can cause serious malfunction as sensing simple gesture of running or walking, or a movement for operating a controller located in a front part as an attempt to accelerate a belt.

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