Method of Harvesting Energy from Exercise Equipment

Abstract

Electricity is generated in response to use of exercise equipment in a reciprocating motion. An energy harvester system is provided in and responsive to movement of a motion control arrangement of an exercise machine for converting kinetic and ambient light energy supplied from an environment of the exercise equipment into electrical power which is delivered to a feedback system associated with the exercise equipment in order to provide information corresponding to the user of the exercise equipment.

Description

RELATED APPLICATION[0001]This application is a divisional application of co-pending U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 13 / 282,046, filed 26 Oct. 2011, and entitled “Energy Harvester For Exercise Equipment,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61 / 409,122, filed 2 Nov. 2010, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present disclosure relates generally to exercise equipment and, more specifically, pertains to strength training equipment that functions using one or more rotating members to independently power an electrical system that is part of the equipment.[0003]Modern cardiovascular fitness equipment, such as treadmills and elliptical machines typically include a system of displaying exercise metrics and cardiovascular performance feedback to the user of the equipment. These systems have generally been called fitness feedback systems. This type of feedback is generally accomplished ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

In many gym facilities, the routing of electricity to the machines must be accomplished retroactively and can lead to costly and unsightly electrical infrastructure.

In contrast to the cardiovascular equipment described above, modern strength machines generally lack an analogous strength performance or fitness feedback display system.

Several factors have limited the adoption of such a fitness feedback display system in strength equipment.

A significant factor is related to the practical problem of routing electricity to such a system.

1. Strength training areas do not use the same or even similar type of equipment as in the card to areas. There are different types of strength equipment for each muscle group of the human body. In addition, many gyms will provide two different manufacturers of strength equipment to better meet the varied preferences of their members. Each of these machines requires a different footprint of floor area, and has a different entry access requirement, e.g. side, front, rear for the user of the equipment. As a result, it is virtually impossible to design an electrical outlet infrastructure ahead of time to conveniently support the necessary mix of strength machines in the gym.

2. As gyms adopt new and improved equipment to satisfy their customers, a previous electrical infrastructure will be very unlikely to conveniently support the new equipment types, and is not a constraint that the gym manager wants to address.

3. Strength workout areas require users of the equipment to access the equipment from multiple directions. In addition, exercisers in a strength area often walk between machines to access other areas of the gym. As a result, running electrical cords to outlets on the floor pose a significant tripping hazard to the users and / or require a highly inconvenient equipment layout to avoid such hazards.

4. Strength equipment has a tendency to move on the floor over time. This is due to the necessary reaction forces taken through the floor mounts, which arise naturally through the normal use of equipment. These slight, but persistent movements, would be problematic for ensuring that the equipment does not become unplugged, or create an electrical hazard.

Methods of eliminating the external power requirement for exercise feedback systems, i.e., strength performance feedback system, in strength equipment have not been widely adopted in modern equipment.

Batteries are problematic because the functionality of the fitness feedback system must be reduced such that the electronics require sufficiently low power to accommodate a reasonable battery life.

An additional disadvantage of batteries is the required operating cost due to the need for the batteries to be replaced and / or recharged.

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