Improvements in or relating to resistance trainers

Abstract

A self-braking reel module of or for a resistance trainer, the self-braking reel module comprising a reel on which a wound cable can be arranged when rotated in a first direction of rotation. The reel housing has a sleeve surrounding the coiled cable. When the reel rotates in a second rotational direction to unwind the cable from the reel and cause the reel to exceed the limit, the cable spirals outwardly out of the reel and contacts the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, the reel and the cable, therefore, the rotating speed of the winding wheel in the second rotating direction is reduced.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to resistance training devices. Specifically, but not exclusively, the present invention may be a resistance training device for fitness training or exercise. In alternative embodiments, the present invention may be specifically, but not exclusively, a resistance mechanism that may be incorporated into many different types of resistance training devices. Background Art

[0002] There are many resistance training machines available. These are generally used to perform a variety of exercises for fitness and training purposes. Typically, these resistance training machines use weights and rely on gravity to provide load resistance for the user. These devices are known by many names. Examples include cable trainers, Smith machines, or power racks. These devices may include a set of selectively engageable weight plates and a cable that typically passes through a pulley system that is capable of lifting the selected weight plate. Handles at the ends of the cables allow the user to apply a load to the cable to lift the selected weight plate. Weight-based resistance training machines are inexpensive to produce, but are cumbersome to transport and carry, and lack features to help guide the user to ensure proper use of the device. Users unfamiliar with the use of these resistance training machines often rely on instructions or guidance from a personal trainer.

[0003] Such traditional weight-based resistance trainers have been modified to provide more portable solutions. Resistance trainers that utilize a person's own body weight or resistance bands are examples of lightweight trainers.

[0004] Resistance trainers have recently been improved to provide real-time usage feedback to the user to provide guidance during use of the device. Examples of such devices are described in our PCT patent applications WO2022 / 103278 and WO2022 / 075864.

[0005] WO'278 describes a resistance trainer that relies on an electrically driven resistance mechanism utilizing a motor, a reel connected to the motor, and a cable. The cable has a handle at one end that the user can grip to apply a load to the cable. The other end of the cable is wound onto the reel, but can be unwound when the user applies a load to the cable. As the cable winds and unwinds from the reel, the motor can be controlled to apply resistance to the load applied by the user via the cable. This allows the user to experience the same load as a weight-based resistance trainer, but without relying on heavier weight plates to provide the load. Motor-based resistance trainers such as those described in WO'278 can offer numerous additional advantages, such as providing performance feedback to the user. Load, movement, and posture feedback can be provided to the user in real time, as described in WO'278.

[0006] The nature of the resistance mechanism that applies resistance during resistance training can affect the performance of a resistance exerciser, including the comfort and safety experienced by a user of the exerciser.

[0007] In motor-based resistance trainers, the rotational inertia of the resistance mechanism can be a cause of poor performance, user discomfort, or injury. This is because as the cable extends and retracts during operation, inertia can cause the cable reel to overrun. This overrun during cable unwinding can cause the cable to temporarily slack, which in turn causes the user to experience a sudden jerk when the cable is tightened again. In such motor-based resistance trainers that provide real-time user feedback, overruns and jerk reactions can lead to inaccurate feedback.

[0008] The potential rotational inertia can be significant. For motor-based resistance trainers, the mass of the rotor and magnets can be significant to ensure sufficient resistance is applied to the cable for an effective workout. The speed at which the cable can be wound onto the reel is also a factor in the motor design.

[0009] Users may also experience cable tangles and snags as the cable extends and retracts from the reel. Reel overrun and jerking can be a contributing factor, but there are other possible causes. For example, if the resistance trainer loses power, users may try to manually rewind the cable, causing it to tangle and snag.

[0010] For an example of reel overrun, see Figures 1A to 1C , these figures show a series of states of a motor-based resistance trainer of the prior art. H indicates a handle that a user can grasp. C is a cable. The resistance mechanism in this prior art example includes a reel S and a motor M coupled to the reel using a belt drive B. This is similar to the prior art of WO'278. Figure 2 The configuration shown in B. T indicates the motor torque, and R1 and R2 are the motor output shaft and reel rotation directions, respectively. D indicates the direction of travel of the handle, and F is the load force applied to the handle by the user.

[0011] Figure 1A The diagram shows a state during a load stroke, where the user pulls the handle upward in direction D1 to unwind the cable from the reel. The motor's torque T resists this motion. As the cable unwinds from the reel, force F overcomes the resistance applied by the resistance mechanism. The user pulls upward in direction D1, causing the motor rotor and reel to rotate against the motor's resistance. The cable remains taut.

[0012] Figure 1B The state is shown when the user has reduced or completely released the load F and the cable may have become slack. This may occur, for example, when the direction of movement of the handle changes.

[0013] Figure 1C The state is shown where the resistance mechanism takes up slack in the cable as the cable travels downward in direction D2.

[0014] In all states, the motor torque T is applied in the same direction to help ensure that the user experiences a constant (but optionally variable) resistance and to help ensure that the cable can be wound onto the reel. Figure 1B It can be understood that at the moment after the force F is released, the rotational inertia of the resistance mechanism may cause the reel to continue to rotate with the Figure 1A This rotational momentum is quickly reduced by the motor, but is not instantaneous when the force F is released, and can cause the reel to overrun, which in turn causes the cable to slack. As the momentum of the rotor and reel is released, the motor force again dominates, restoring the cable to a taut state, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 1C shown.

[0015] Reel overrun can prevent the cable from being properly rewound onto the reel. This can have an undesirable impact on the performance of the motor-based resistance exercise device. It can cause the cable to become stuck. It can also affect sensing accuracy, potentially providing inaccurate feedback to the user. Reel overrun can also cause a sudden, jerking force to be applied to the cable, and therefore the user, as the motor takes up slack in the cable. The harder and faster the user pulls on the cable to unwind it from the reel, the greater the rotational inertia generated in the resistance mechanism, and the more pronounced the undesirable overrun effect may be.

[0016] Where reference is made in this specification to external sources of information (including patent specifications and other literature), this is generally for the purpose of providing a context for discussing features of the invention. Unless otherwise stated, reference to such sources of information is not to be construed as an admission, in any jurisdiction, that such sources of information are prior art or form part of the common general knowledge in the art.

[0017] For the purposes of this specification, the term "cable" should be understood as a general term referring to a wide range of flexible elongated members, such as wire ropes, synthetic fiber ropes, monofilaments, chains, webbings, and belts (as examples).

[0018] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description of the claims, the term "handle" is intended to refer to a component to be grasped by a user and / or otherwise engage the user's hand, foot, or body, such as a stick, handle, hoop, strap, or any other suitable piece of equipment that enables a person to apply tension to a cable attached to the component or "handle" via the user's hand, foot, or body. Thus, such a handle or component may be described as a "user interface."

[0019] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, the term "vertically extending" (or similar terms such as vertically extending) is intended to mean that a cable extends in a direction having a significant or predominant vertical component (and may include a horizontal component).

[0020] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the specification and claims, where more than one controller (such as a motor controller and a system controller) is described, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that more than one controller may be implemented by a single controller (such as a single electronic processor). Conversely, where a controller such as a system controller is described, such a controller may be implemented by one or more controllers (such as two or more electronic processors in electrical communication). One or more controllers may be provided remotely.

[0021] Throughout the specification and claims, where one or more sensors provide one or more outputs from which a value or parameter (such as an angle or position) can be determined, the one or more outputs are expressed as being indicative of that value or parameter.

[0022] Throughout the specification and claims, terms such as "above" and "below" are used in a relative sense and are not intended to be limiting. Those skilled in the art will understand that arrangements or components described using such relative terms can be reversed so that "above" becomes "below" and vice versa.

[0023] For the purposes of this specification, where method steps are described in a sequence, that order does not necessarily imply that the steps will be arranged chronologically in that order unless there is no other logical way of explaining that order.

[0024] It is an object of the present invention to provide an improvement in or relating to exercise devices which overcomes or at least partially ameliorates at least some of the above-mentioned disadvantages or which at least provides the public with a useful choice. Summary of the Invention

[0025] In a first aspect, the present invention may be broadly described as comprising a resistance exerciser comprising:

[0026] a housing having a substantially horizontal platform on which a user stands when using the resistance trainer,

[0027] b. A resistance mechanism mounted as a unit below the platform inside the housing and comprising:

[0028] a motor having a rotating output shaft,

[0029] a spinning reel mounted for rotation relative to the housing about a reel axis coaxial with the output shaft and drivable by the motor in a first rotational direction,

[0030] c. a user interface that is presented on the exterior of the housing and that is adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use,

[0031] d. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto and unwound from the reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface,

[0032] The motor is capable of generating a force to (i) apply resistance to the user via the cable and the reel to resist the movement, and (ii) drive the reel to rotate in the first rotational direction of the reel to wind the cable onto the reel.

[0033] In another aspect, the invention may be broadly described as comprising a resistance exerciser comprising:

[0034] a. Shell,

[0035] b. A resistance mechanism mounted as a unit below the platform inside the housing and comprising:

[0036] a motor having a rotating output shaft,

[0037] a spinning reel mounted for rotation relative to the housing about a reel axis coaxial with the output shaft and drivable by the motor in a first rotational direction,

[0038] c. a user interface that is presented on the exterior of the housing and that is adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use,

[0039] d. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto and unwound from the reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface,

[0040] The motor is capable of generating a force to (i) apply resistance to the user via the cable and the reel to resist the movement, and (ii) drive the reel to rotate in the first rotational direction of the reel to wind the cable onto the reel.

[0041] In a second aspect, the present invention may be formulated as a resistance exerciser comprising:

[0042] a. Shell,

[0043] b. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising:

[0044] a motor having a rotating output shaft,

[0045] a spinning reel mounted for rotation about the reel axis and coupled directly or indirectly to the motor and drivable by the motor in a first rotational direction about the reel axis,

[0046] a sleeve positioned about the reel to define a restricted clearance about the reel and within which the reel is rotatable about the reel axis,

[0047] c. a user interface that is presented on the exterior of the housing and that is adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use,

[0048] d. a cable extending between the user interface and the take-up reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the take-up reel in a conical or spiral coil configuration to be positioned in the confined gap and can be unwound from the take-up reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface,

[0049] wherein the user is able to apply a pulling force to the cable to overcome the motor force, thereby rotating the reel in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction, so as to unwind the cable from the reel, and

[0050] When the reel exceeds the limit, able to The coiled cable on the reel begins to spiral outward in the restricted gap to contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, reel and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0051] In another aspect, the present invention can be expressed as a method of passively braking a winding reel having a cable wound thereon in a coiled configuration and capable of winding the cable onto the reel in a first rotational direction of the reel, the method for reducing reel overrun caused when the cable is pulled hard enough to rotate the reel in a second rotational direction to unwind the cable from the reel, the method comprising causing the cable wound on the reel to spiral outward from its coiled configuration within a confined gap between the reel and a sleeve surrounding the reel to contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, reel and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0052] In yet another aspect, the invention may be formulated as a self-braking reel module comprising:

[0053] a. a reel capable of having a cable wound thereon in a coiled configuration and biased to rotate in a first rotational direction to wind the cable onto the reel,

[0054] and a second rotational direction in which the cable is unwound from the reel and the cable is unwound from the reel, the cable being pulled against the reel and causing the reel to overrun, thereby causing the cable wound on the reel to spiral outwardly off the reel and into contact with the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by friction between the sleeve, the reel, and the cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0055] In another aspect, the present invention can be expressed as a self-braking reel module comprising a reel capable of having a wound cable thereon, the reel being configured to cause the cable to be wound onto the reel when rotated in a first rotational direction. Preferably, the reel housing is configured to mount the reel for rotation relative to the reel and has a sleeve surrounding the coiled cable, the sleeve being spaced outwardly from the coiled cable by a sufficient distance so as not to contact the cable unless the cable is pulled sufficiently hard to overcome a biasing force, causing the reel to rotate in a second rotational direction to unwind the cable from the reel and causing the reel to overrun, causing the cable wound on the reel to spiral outwardly off the reel into and contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by friction between the sleeve, reel, and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0056] In yet another aspect, the invention may be formulated as a self-braking reel module comprising:

[0057] a. a reel having a cable wound in a coiled configuration, the coiled configuration being determined by a spiral groove of the reel, in which the cable can be placed,

[0058] b. a housing for mounting the reel for rotation relative to the reel and having a sleeve surrounding the coiled cable, the sleeve being spaced outwardly from the coiled cable a sufficient distance so as not to contact the coiled cable but capable of contacting the cable as the cable is spiraled outwardly from its coiled configuration.

[0059] In another aspect, the present invention may be broadly described as consisting in a resistance exerciser comprising:

[0060] a. Shell,

[0061] b. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising:

[0062] a motor having a rotating output shaft,

[0063] a spinning reel mounted for rotation about a reel axle and relative to the housing,

[0064] c. a user interface that is presented on the exterior of the housing and that is adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use,

[0065] d. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface,

[0066] wherein the resistance mechanism further comprises a coupling located between the motor and the reel, adapted and configured to couple the motor and the reel for common rotation in the same rotational direction while allowing the motor and the reel to be rotationally decoupled for rotation in relatively opposite directions; and

[0067] The resistance mechanism is further configured to generate a driving force for the motor, the driving force being used for the following two purposes:

[0068] a) driving the reel to rotate about the reel axis in a first rotational direction to wind the cable onto the reel, and

[0069] b) resisting user-driven rotation of the reel about the reel axis in a second rotational direction via the reel and the cable.

[0070] In another aspect, the present invention may be broadly described as consisting in a resistance exerciser comprising:

[0071] a. Shell,

[0072] b. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising:

[0073] a motor having a rotating output shaft,

[0074] a spinning reel mounted for rotation about a reel axle and relative to the housing, and

[0075] a coupling, which is located between the motor and the reel,

[0076] c. a user interface that is presented on the exterior of the housing and that is adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use,

[0077] d. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the reel in a coiled configuration; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface,

[0078] The resistance mechanism is configured to generate a driving force for the motor, the driving force being used for both:

[0079] a) driving the reel to rotate about the reel axis in a first rotational direction to wind the cable onto the reel, and

[0080] b) resisting user-driven rotation of the reel about the reel axis in a second rotational direction via the reel and the cable;

[0081] and wherein the user is able to apply a pulling force to the cable to overcome the resistive driving force of the motor, causing both the reel and the motor to rotate in the second rotational direction and the cable to unwind from the reel, and

[0082] Wherein the coupling is adapted and configured to allow the reel and motor to rotationally decouple once both are rotated in the second rotational direction, such that rotation of the motor (due to inertia) can continue independently of rotation (if any) of the reel.

[0083] In another aspect, the invention may be formulated as a resistance exerciser comprising:

[0084] a. Shell,

[0085] b. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising:

[0086] a motor having a rotating output shaft,

[0087] the self-braking reel module as described above, wherein the reel is mounted for rotation about the reel axis and is directly or indirectly coupled to the motor and drivable by the motor in a first rotational direction about the reel axis, and

[0088] c. a user interface that is presented on the exterior of the housing and that is adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use,

[0089] d. a cable extending between the user interface and the take-up reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the take-up reel in a conical or spiral coil to be positioned in the confined gap and can be unwound from the take-up reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface,

[0090] wherein the motor is capable of generating a motor force to (i) apply resistance to the user via the cable and the reel to resist the user's movement, and (ii) drive the reel to rotate about the reel axis in the first rotational direction of the reel to wind the cable onto the reel, and

[0091] The user can apply a pulling force to the cable to overcome the motor force, thereby rotating the reel in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction to unwind the cable from the reel.

[0092] In yet another aspect, the present invention may be formulated as a reel module as described herein when used with a resistance exerciser as described herein.

[0093] In another aspect, the present invention may be broadly described as a resistance exerciser comprising:

[0094] a. Shell,

[0095] b. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising:

[0096] a motor having a rotating output shaft,

[0097] a spinning reel mounted for rotation about a reel axle and relative to the housing,

[0098] c. a user interface that is presented on the exterior of the housing and that is adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use,

[0099] d. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface,

[0100] The resistance mechanism further comprises a coupling, the coupling being located between the motor and the winding wheel and being adapted and configured to:

[0101] (a) allowing the reel and motor to be coupled together whereby the motor can drive the reel and rotate the reel about the reel axis in a first rotational direction corresponding to a first rotational direction of the motor to wind a cable onto the reel and apply resistance to the user via the cable and the reel to resist said movement of the user,

[0102] as well as

[0103] (b) allowing the reel and motor to be disengaged, whereby the motor can rotate in a second rotational direction of the motor independent of the rotational direction (if any) of the reel.

[0104] In another aspect, the invention may be formulated as a resistance exerciser comprising:

[0105] a. Shell,

[0106] b. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising:

[0107] a motor having a rotating output shaft and capable of generating a rotational force,

[0108] a spinning reel mounted for rotation about a reel axle and relative to the housing, and

[0109] a coupling, which is located between the motor and the reel,

[0110] c. a user interface that is presented on the exterior of the housing and that is adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use,

[0111] d. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the reel in a coiled configuration; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface,

[0112] wherein the rotational force of the motor, via the coupling, is capable of (i) applying resistance to the user via the reel and the cable to resist the user's movement, and (ii) driving the reel to rotate about the reel axis in the first rotational direction of the reel corresponding to the first rotational direction of the motor to wind the cable onto the reel,

[0113] and wherein the user is able to apply a pulling force to the cable to overcome the motor force, thereby rotating the reel in a second rotational direction, and rotating the motor via the coupling in the second rotational direction of the motor to unspool the cable from the reel,

[0114] Wherein the coupling is adapted and configured to allow the reel and motor to be disengaged so that the motor can continue to rotate in the second rotational direction of the motor independently of the rotation (if any) of the reel when the motor rotates in the second rotational direction of the motor.

[0115] In another aspect, the invention may be formulated as a resistance mechanism for use in or with a resistance exerciser utilizing a user interface capable of undergoing motion by a user and a cable acting between the user interface and the resistance mechanism to provide resistance to the motion, the resistance exerciser comprising:

[0116] a motor having a rotating output shaft,

[0117] a spinning reel mounted for rotation about a reel axis and drivable by the motor in a first rotational direction,

[0118] The motor is capable of generating a force to (i) apply resistance to the user via the cable and the reel to resist the movement, and (ii) drive the reel to rotate in the first rotational direction of the reel to wind the cable onto the reel.

[0119] Preferably, the resistance exerciser includes a housing having a substantially horizontal platform on which a user stands when using the resistance exerciser, and the resistance mechanism is mounted as a unit below the platform within the housing.

[0120] In another aspect, the invention may be expressed as a resistance mechanism for a resistance exerciser, as defined herein.

[0121] Preferably, the resistance mechanism is mounted as a unit within the housing, with the reel axle and rotary output shaft oriented substantially vertically when the trainer is in use.

[0122] Preferably, the spinning reel is mounted by the reel housing in a manner allowing the reel to rotate about the reel axis, and the motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the rotor being rotatable relative to the stator about the rotational output axis, wherein the stator is fixedly secured to the reel housing to allow the rotor and reel to rotate coaxially with each other and relative to the housing and the reel housing.

[0123] Preferably, the stator is fixedly secured to the reel housing, and at least one of the stator and the reel housing is fixedly secured to the housing to mount the resistance mechanism as a unit to the housing.

[0124] Preferably, the reel is drivable by the motor to rotate in the first rotational direction so as to co-rotate with the motor about the reel shaft which is coaxial with the rotational output shaft.

[0125] Preferably, the motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the rotor being rotatable relative to the stator about the rotational output shaft, and the reel being drivable by the rotor to rotate in the first rotational direction so as to rotate together with the rotor about the reel shaft coaxial with the rotational output shaft.

[0126] Preferably, the shaft is operatively arranged between the motor and the winding reel to rotate the winding reel together with the motor in the first rotational direction.

[0127] Preferably, the spindle is mounted for rotation about the reel axle.

[0128] Preferably, the motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the rotor being rotatable relative to the stator about the rotary output shaft, and the rotating shaft being: fixed to the stator for common rotation with the rotor; and fixed to the reel for common rotation with the reel.

[0129] Preferably, the shaft is connected to the rotor at one end of the shaft and to the reel at the other end of the shaft.

[0130] Preferably, a cable guide is provided intermediate the user interface and the cable reel.

[0131] Preferably, the cable guide is fixed to the housing.

[0132] Preferably, the cable guide is secured to the housing at an opening through the platform.

[0133] Preferably, the cable passes from the housing to the user interface via an opening in the platform, and the cable is capable of extending from and retracting towards the housing via the opening when the user interface is subjected to said movement, and wherein a cable guide is provided at the opening to guide a change in the trajectory of the cable as it extends from and retracts towards the housing, the change in trajectory between a first trajectory between the cable guide and the reel to a variable trajectory determined by the position of the user interface relative to the platform.

[0134] Preferably, the first trajectory is a direct linear trajectory of the cable between the cable guide and the reel.

[0135] Preferably, the first trajectory is a trajectory in which a trajectory of the cable from the cable guide toward the winding reel coincides with a trajectory of the cable from the winding reel toward the cable guide.

[0136] Preferably, the trajectory of the cable from the reel is substantially horizontal.

[0137] Preferably, the cable guide comprises a main pulley mounted by the housing with an axis of rotation perpendicular to an imaginary plane in which the first trajectory of the cable lies.

[0138] Preferably, the imaginary plane coincides with a tangent line of the winding wheel.

[0139] Preferably, the trajectory of the cable from the reel to the cable guide is linear.

[0140] Preferably, the housing has a generally rectangular bottom profile.

[0141] Preferably, the cable guide may be located on the long axis of symmetry of the rectangular bottom profile.

[0142] Preferably, the cable guide is located adjacent a short side of the rectangular base profile.

[0143] Preferably, the main pulley may have an axis of rotation perpendicular to the long axis of symmetry, so that the natural trajectory of the cable from the main pulley lies in a vertical plane extending along the long axis of symmetry.

[0144] Preferably, there are two of the resistance mechanisms, each mounted below the platform inside the housing, and there are two of the user interfaces and two of the cables, the cables being for each respective resistance mechanism and user interface, a first of the cables extending from an opening in the platform at a first position, and a second of the cables extending from an opening in the platform at a second position, the second position being spaced apart from the first position, and wherein the resistance mechanism is located intermediate the first and second positions.

[0145] Preferably, the trajectory of the cable from one of the two resistance mechanisms to its corresponding cable guide extends in an imaginary plane, and the trajectory of the cable from the other resistance mechanism to its corresponding cable guide also extends in the imaginary plane.

[0146] Preferably, the trajectory of the cable from one of the two resistance mechanisms extends in an imaginary plane, and the trajectory of the cable from the other of the two resistance mechanisms also extends in the imaginary plane.

[0147] Preferably, the rotation axis of the first main pulley among the main pulleys is located in an imaginary plane, and the imaginary plane is parallel to the imaginary plane where the second main pulley among the main pulleys is located.

[0148] Preferably, the user can apply a pulling force to the cable to overcome the force of the motor, thereby rotating the reel in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction, to unspool the cable from the reel.

[0149] Preferably, the motor is capable of generating a motor force to (i) apply resistance to the user via the cable and the reel to resist the user's movement, and (ii) drive the reel to rotate about the reel axis in the first rotational direction of the reel to wind the cable onto the reel.

[0150] Preferably, wherein the reel overrun occurs when the tension is sufficient to rotate the reel in the second rotational direction to cause the reel to overrun.

[0151] Preferably, reel overrun may occur due to a reduction or cessation of pulling force after the cable has been pulled with sufficient force to rotate the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0152] Preferably, the cable is made of a material having sufficient rigidity to facilitate outward coiling of the cable in the event of reel overrun.

[0153] Preferably, the sleeve is provided by or as part of a reel housing having a slotted guide through which the cable passes during winding and unwinding, the resistance exerciser being configured to provide sufficient resistance to the cable passing through the slot during reel overrun to cause the cable to spiral outwardly on the reel.

[0154] Preferably, the restricted gap is shaped and configured to ensure that the cable, wound on the reel and in the coiled configuration, does not contact the sleeve until reel overrun occurs.

[0155] Preferably, the shape and configuration of the restricted gap ensures that the cable, which is wound on the reel and in the coiled configuration, does not contact the sleeve until it is released from its coiled configuration by spiraling outwards and contacts the sleeve.

[0156] Preferably, the sleeve is shaped and configured to define a restricted gap around the reel, the restricted gap being of sufficient size to ensure that a cable wound on the reel does not contact the sleeve prior to reel overrun.

[0157] Preferably, the reel is cylindrical in shape and the cable is wound onto the reel in a spiral configuration.

[0158] Preferably, the reel is cylindrical in shape and has a spiral groove to accommodate the cable wound onto the reel so that the cable is wound onto the reel in a spiral configuration.

[0159] Preferably, when reel overrun has occurred, the cable spanning between the reel and the sleeve acts in a non-buckling compression manner.

[0160] Preferably, the biasing force is provided by a motor which is directly or indirectly coupled to the reel to apply a rotational biasing force and is capable of driving the reel in the first rotational direction, the braking force also directly or indirectly reducing the rotational speed of the motor in a direction commensurate with the second rotational direction.

[0161] Preferably, the reel can have the cable wound thereon in a coiled configuration, the coiled configuration being determined by a helical groove of the reel in which the cable can be seated.

[0162] Preferably, the depth of the groove in which the coiled cable is located is greater than the distance between the sleeve and the outer diameter of the coiled configuration of the cable.

[0163] Preferably, the depth of the groove in which the coiled cable is located is greater than the distance between the sleeve and the outer diameter of the coiled configuration of the cable.

[0164] Preferably, the reel is biased to rotate in a first rotational direction.

[0165] Preferably, the cable remains coiled unless the following occurs: the cable is pulled hard enough to overcome the biasing force, causing the reel to rotate in the second rotational direction to unwind the cable from the reel and causing the reel to overrun, causing the cable wound on the reel to spiral outwardly out of the reel in the restricted gap and into contact with the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, reel and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0166] Preferably, the pitch of the grooves of the reel is substantially equal to the diameter of the cable.

[0167] Preferably, the groove allows the cable to rest therein and prevents the coiled cable from migrating along the reel in a direction parallel to the reel axis.

[0168] Preferably, the depth of the groove is greater than the distance between the outer diameter of the coil of the cable and the sleeve.

[0169] Preferably, the depth of the groove is greater than the distance between the outer diameter of the coil of cable and the sleeve to help constrain the cable to remain located in the groove even though the cable is not fully seated in the groove when the cable spirals outwardly during braking.

[0170] Preferably, the depth of the groove is greater than the distance between the outer diameter of the coil of cable and the sleeve to help prevent the cable from self-crossing in the confined gap as the cable spirals outward during braking.

[0171] Preferably, the cable is capable of being wound onto the reel in a single turn helical configuration.

[0172] Preferably, the cable cannot be wound onto the reel in a self-overlapping manner.

[0173] Preferably, the reel is capable of being actively or passively braked to reduce its rotation and / or to stop its rotation in the second rotational direction.

[0174] Preferably, the resistance exerciser utilizes the self-braking reel module as described herein.

[0175] Preferably, the coupling is adapted and configured to decouple the spinning reel from the motor when the pulling force is sufficient to rotate the spinning reel in the second rotational direction and cause the spinning reel to overrun.

[0176] Preferably, the coupling is adapted and configured to decouple the reel from the motor to relieve reel overrun when tension is reduced or stopped.

[0177] Preferably, a sleeve is positioned around the reel to define a restricted gap around the reel, and within the sleeve, the reel is rotatable about the reel axis, and wherein the coupling is adapted and configured to, when the pulling force is sufficient to rotate the reel in the second rotational direction to cause the reel to overrun, decouple the reel from the motor, causing the coiled cable on the reel to begin spiraling outwardly in the restricted gap to contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, reel and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0178] Preferably, the coupling comprises a sprag clutch or a sprag bearing for facilitating the decoupling of the motor and the reel.

[0179] Preferably, the coupling comprises a torsion spring for facilitating the disengagement of the motor and the reel.

[0180] Preferably, the torsion spring is constrained from radial contraction and is free to radially expand.

[0181] Preferably, the torsion spring is constrained from radial expansion and is free to radially contract.

[0182] Preferably, the coupling comprises a shaft comprising two coaxially positioned shaft portions, wherein the torsion spring is mounted around the shaft and coaxial with the shaft.

[0183] Preferably, each of the shaft portions is associated with one of the motor and the reel, respectively, and wherein the shaft portions are rotatable relative to each other.

[0184] Preferably, the torsion spring is tightly mounted around the rotating shaft and is coaxial with the rotating shaft.

[0185] Preferably, the torsion spring is mounted closely around the shaft and coaxially with the shaft, and at or near one end of the spring, the spring is fixed to a first of the shaft portions, and at or near the other end of the spring, the spring is fixed to a second of the shaft portions.

[0186] Preferably, the electric motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the stator being mounted in a fixed manner relative to the housing, the rotor being mounted for rotation relative to the stator and the housing about the output shaft.

[0187] Preferably, the resistance mechanism is mounted inside the housing.

[0188] Preferably, the reel is drivable by the motor without involving an intermediate drive train (which may for example involve gears or a belt drive) so as to rotate jointly with the motor about a reel shaft which is coaxial with the output shaft.

[0189] Preferably, the reel can be driven by the motor direct The reel is driven to rotate in the first rotational direction so as to rotate together with the motor about the reel shaft which is coaxial with the rotational output shaft.

[0190] Preferably, the motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the rotor being rotatable relative to the stator about the rotation output shaft, and the reel being rotatable by the rotor directThe reel is driven to rotate in the first rotational direction so as to rotate together with the rotor about the reel axle which is coaxial with the rotational output shaft.

[0191] Preferably, the shaft is operatively arranged between the motor and the winding reel to rotate the winding reel together with the motor in the first rotational direction.

[0192] Preferably, the spinning reel is mounted inside the reel housing in a manner allowing the spinning reel to rotate about the reel axle.

[0193] Preferably, the spinning reel is mounted inside the reel housing in a manner allowing the spinning reel to rotate about the reel axle and relative to the housing.

[0194] Preferably, at least one of the stator and the reel housing is fixedly secured to the housing to mount the resistance mechanism as a unit to the housing.

[0195] Preferably, the motor is capable of generating a motor force to (i) apply resistance to the user via the cable and the reel to resist the user's movement, and (ii) drive the reel to rotate about the reel axis in the first rotational direction of the reel to wind the cable onto the reel, and wherein the user is capable of applying a pulling force to the cable to overcome the motor force, thereby rotating the reel in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction to unwind the cable from the reel, and wherein when the pulling force is sufficient to rotate the reel in the second rotational direction to cause the reel to overrun, the cable in the coiled configuration on the reel is capable of beginning to spiral outward in the restricted gap to contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, the reel and the cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0196] Preferably, the reel is mounted for rotation about the reel axle and is directly or indirectly coupled to the motor and drivable by the motor in a first rotational direction about the reel axle.

[0197] Preferably, the sleeve is positioned about the spinning reel to define a restricted clearance about the spinning reel, and within the sleeve, the spinning reel is rotatable about the reel axis.

[0198] Preferably, a user can apply a pulling force to the cable to overcome the force of the motor, thereby rotating the reel in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction, to unspool the cable from the reel.

[0199] Preferably, the reel is biased to rotate in a first rotational direction to cause the cable to be wound onto the reel by the motor.

[0200] Preferably, the sleeve is disposed around the coiled cable and is spaced outwardly from the coiled cable a sufficient distance so as not to contact the cable unless the following occurs: the cable is pulled sufficiently hard to overcome the biasing force, causing the reel to rotate in the second rotational direction to unwind the cable from the reel and cause the reel to overrun, causing the cable wound on the reel to spiral outwardly out of the reel in the restricted gap and into contact with the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, reel and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0201] Preferably, when the pulling force causes the reel to rotate in the second rotational direction to cause the reel to overrun, the cable will begin to spiral outward from its coiled state and will contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, reel and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

[0202] Preferably, the cable is a metal cable.

[0203] Preferably, the cable as its first end region is made of metal.

[0204] Preferably, the cable is a steel cable.

[0205] Preferably, the minimum bending radius of the steel cable is 25 mm.

[0206] Preferably, the diameter of the cable is between 3.8 mm and 4.5 mm, and preferably 4.2 mm.

[0207] Preferably, there is a spacing of approximately 0.5 mm between the outer diameter of the coiled cable and the sleeve.

[0208] Preferably, the restricted gap is approximately 4.7 mm.

[0209] Preferably, the sensor is optionally pre-assembled inside the resistance mechanism.

[0210] Preferably, the resistance mechanism may include an encoder or other rotational position sensor.

[0211] Preferably, the encoder or other rotational position sensor can, for example, determine the direction of rotation of the reel (i.e., whether the cable is being extended or retracted) and the length of cable that has been wound onto or unwound from the reel (i.e., the distance and speed at which the user's body has traveled at the user interface).

[0212] Preferably, the encoder or other rotational position sensor may be located, for example, in the reel housing or on the stator of the motor.

[0213] Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description which is given by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0214] As used herein, the term "and / or" means "and", or "or", or both.

[0215] As used herein, "plurality" preceding a noun refers to the plural and / or singular form of the noun.

[0216] As used in this specification [and claims], the term "comprising" means "consisting at least in part of." When interpreting statements in this specification [and claims] that include this term, all of the features preceded by this term in each statement need to be present, but additional features may also be present. Related terms such as "comprises" and "includes" are to be interpreted in the same manner.

[0217] The entire disclosures of all applications, patents, and publications cited above and below, if any, are hereby incorporated herein by reference.

[0218] The invention may also be broadly described as including, individually or collectively, the parts, elements and features mentioned or indicated in the specification of this application, and any or all combinations of any two or more of said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein having known equivalents in the art to which the invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0219] The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0220] Figures 1A to 1C The sequence of the prior art exercise device is illustrated,

[0221] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a resistance training device of the present invention,

[0222] Figure 3 The resistance trainer of the present invention is shown with the platform removed.

[0223] Figure 4 is an exploded cross-sectional view of a preferred form of the resistance mechanism of the present invention,

[0224] Figure 5 is a bottom perspective view of a preferred form of resistance mechanism of the present invention,

[0225] Figure 6 This is a plan view of the resistance trainer with the platform removed.

[0226] Figure 7is a cross-sectional view of a preferred form of the resistance mechanism,

[0227] Figure 8 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the resistance mechanism,

[0228] Figure 9 is a perspective cross-sectional view of the resistance mechanism with certain components removed for clarity,

[0229] FIG. 10A to FIG. 10B is a cross section of a plan view of a reel arrangement to illustrate the cable reel braking effect,

[0230] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative configuration of the resistance mechanism of the present invention,

[0231] 12A to 12C shows the sequence of the resistance trainer of the present invention in use,

[0232] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative configuration of the resistance mechanism of the present invention,

[0233] Figure 14 The resistance mechanism of the present invention is illustrated in use as a resistance trainer.

[0234] Figure 15 is a partial perspective view of an alternative drive train arrangement that may be used in embodiments of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0235] The present invention relates to improvements in or relating to resistance training devices that can be used by a person, for example, for exercise or training, such as for sports, fitness, or rehabilitation training. The invention can be a resistance training device itself, or can be used as or in such a device, or can be used in or with a resistance training device, and methods related thereto.

[0236] An example of a resistance trainer 1 according to or utilizing an embodiment of the present invention is Figure 2 In some embodiments, the present invention can be embodied in a variety of different configurations. The "exercise platform" type resistance training device shown in FIG. 1 will be used herein as the primary example for describing various aspects of the present invention.

[0237] The resistance exerciser 1 may include a frame or housing 2 (hereinafter referred to as the "housing"). The housing 2 may be configured to house or allow for the installation of some or all of the components of the resistance exerciser 1.

[0238] Housing 2 may have a platform or stand 3 (hereinafter referred to as "platform") that may be supported at a height above a floor or ground capable of supporting resistance exerciser 1. Resistance exerciser 1 may be supported on the floor by a plurality of legs 300 to stably support resistance exerciser 1. The height of the legs may be adjustable.

[0239] In the example shown, the platform 3 has a substantially rectangular planar shape. The platform is configured to allow a user to stand on the resistance trainer 1 to perform an exercise or training movement.

[0240] like Figure 2 The resistance trainer 1 shown may include two user interfaces 4. Each user interface 4 may be, for example, a handle. Each handle 4 is connected to a corresponding flexible, elongated member 5. The flexible, elongated member is preferably a cable, such as a metal cable, but alternative flexible, elongated members are contemplated. For example, the cable may comprise, in part, a wire segment and, in part, a chain segment connected to the wire segment.

[0241] Each handle 4 is engaged at the distal end of a corresponding cable 5. The handle can be moved by the user relative to the housing 2 in a manner controlled by the cable to overcome a controlled resistance, as will be described below. Figure 2 The resistance trainer 1 shown allows a user to stand on a platform 3, grasp a handle 4 with each hand, and repeatedly lift the handles off the platform and lower them back onto the platform. A resistance mechanism 301 is configured to provide resistance against such user motion. As the user lifts the handles to extend the cables from the housing 2 and lowers the handles 4 toward the housing 2, the mechanism 301 provides resistance to the user via the cables.

[0242] In one form, the resistance trainer has two handles, each with a dedicated resistance mechanism 301 . Figure 3 The resistance trainer shown in FIG has two resistance mechanisms 301a and 301b, one for each handle and corresponding cable. However, it is contemplated that a single handle or user interface may be present for use, thus requiring only one resistance mechanism 301.

[0243] The resistance mechanism 301 includes a motor 6 and a winding reel 7. The cable is attached to the winding reel at a first end region. The cable is directly or indirectly attached to the handle 4 at its second end region. At this first end region, the cable can be wound onto and unwound from the winding reel 7. Only a portion of the cable can be wound onto and unwound from the cable. When referring to the cable being wound onto and unwound from the winding reel, it should be understood that this refers only to a portion of the cable, namely the portion at the first end region.

[0244] A power supply 12 for the motor is preferably contained within the housing 2. This power supply can be plugged into a mains power source. Alternatively, batteries within the housing can power the motor. The motor controller 13 and system controller 14, along with associated power and control components, can also be contained within the housing and powered by the power supply. These details will not be repeated here, as they are described in detail in WO 2022 / 075864, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0245] Motor 6 is coupled to the reel to drive the reel to rotate, thereby helping to wind the cable onto the reel. Motor 6 is used to generate a rotational force (torque) and apply this rotational force to the reel 7, so that when the cable is unwound from the reel, resistance is applied to the user via cable 5. When the user applies a force greater than the force provided to the cable by the resistance mechanism 301 to the cable 5, the user will lift the handle 4 and leave the platform 3, and unwind the cable 5 from the reel 7 when extending from the housing 2. When the force applied to the cable 5 by the resistance mechanism 301 is greater than the force applied to the cable 5 by the user, the resistance mechanism can retract the cable into the housing and reel the cable onto the reel. Control software can be used to control the motor so that the cable is kept under controlled (such as uniform) tension when the cable is retracted. The mode of controlling the motor can depend on the speed at which the user moves the handle back toward the platform, rather than having to try to overcome the user's resistance.

[0246] During use of the resistance trainer, the cable can be guided by the cable guide 302 to extend from the platform. The cable guide can be positioned intermediate the handle and the resistance mechanism. It can be positioned at an opening through the platform where the cable can pass from the housing to the handle. The cable guide preferably includes a main pulley 101 that guides the cable from a first trajectory, preferably a substantially horizontal trajectory from the resistance mechanism 301, to or toward a variable trajectory (when in use), which can be a more substantially vertical trajectory extending from the platform 3 to the handle 4. The first trajectory can be a fixed trajectory.

[0247] Sensors can be used to allow sensing of the position of the handle 4 relative to the platform in space. Guiding the cable through the cable guide 301 and sensing the position of the handle 4 relative to the platform 3 in space using a sensor arrangement and related components are described in detail in the published patent specification of PCT application WO2022 / 075864. Therefore, these details are not elaborated in this detailed description. The embodiment of the exercise device shown in WO2022 / 075864 shows an example of various features, which, in all intents and purposes, may be the same or similar to the embodiments described herein at the cable exit area from the platform 3.

[0248] In some examples of the resistance exerciser of the present invention, full sensing capabilities for determining 3-dimensional user motion may be provided within a component that serves dually as both a position sensor and a platform for a cable guide.

[0249] In some embodiments, some or all of the desired sensing capabilities are located within the resistance mechanism. The resistance mechanism described herein can be configured as a module or unit. Before the resistance mechanism is assembled onto the rest of the platform, sensing capabilities can optionally be pre-assembled inside the resistance mechanism. In this case, the cable guide can only guide the cable through the opening in the platform, but does not need to be used for sensing. For example, the resistance mechanism can include an encoder or other rotational position sensor, and the data from this encoder or other rotational position sensor can be used to determine information about the user's motion. This encoder or other rotational position sensor can, for example, determine the direction of rotation of the reel (that is, whether the cable is extended or retracted) and the length of the cable that has been wound onto or unwound from the reel (that is, the distance and speed of travel of the user's body at the user interface). This encoder or other rotational position sensor can, for example, be located in the reel housing or on the stator of the motor.

[0250] The resistance mechanism 301 includes a motor 6 and a winding wheel 7. Figure 4 As shown in the exploded view in FIG. A motor is coupled to the reel to induce rotation and provide resistance to the reel's rotation. When a user pulls on the cable to unwind the cable from the reel, the reel rotates in a first direction, and the motor operates in a generator or brake mode to resist unwinding. When the motor winds the cable onto the reel, the motor operates in a motor or drive mode, and the reel rotates in a direction opposite to the first direction.

[0251] The motor and the winding wheel are arranged in a coaxial manner.

[0252] The motor includes a rotor 303 and a stator 304. The motor is preferably a permanent magnet motor with an outer rotor configuration. In some embodiments, the stator may include a metal core. The stator may also include a series of energized coils wound around the core, and an insulator located between the coils and the core.

[0253] The stator 304 remains stationary relative to the housing 2, while the rotor 303 is capable of rotating about axis XX. The reel 7 is also mounted for rotation about axis XX. The reel 7 can be mounted relative to the housing 2 via a reel housing 307, preferably within the reel housing. The reel housing 307 is preferably fixed to the housing 2 so as to remain stationary relative to the housing 2. A shaft 305, mounted to the reel housing via bearings 306A and 306B, can be mounted for rotation about axis XX. The shaft can be coupled to the rotor 303 at its end 308 to connect the reel 7 to the motor 6. In this manner, the rotor 303, positioned concentrically with the stator 304, can be coupled to the end 308 of the shaft 305, so that rotation of the rotor 303 applies torque to the reel 7 and drives its rotation. For example, a nut and washer can be screwed down onto the threaded end 308 of the shaft 305, which extends through the central hole of the rotor 303, to couple the rotor 303 and the shaft.

[0254] The stator 304 is preferably fixed to the reel housing 307 to allow the motor and reel to remain coaxial and as a unit. The stator 304 may include a mounting portion 314 extending inwardly from the metal core. The mounting portion 314 may provide features for positioning with and mounting to the reel housing 307. For example, the mounting portion 314 may be part of an at least partially polymer overmold of the metal core, which in some embodiments may also serve as an insulator for the stator core. The mounting portion 314 may include a hole 315 for positioning with a corresponding boss 316 on the sleeve portion 312 of the reel housing 307. Screws may then be used to secure the stator 304 in place.

[0255] As in Figure 3 and Figure 6 As can be seen in FIG, the motor and the reel are mounted to the housing 2 so that the axis XX is substantially vertical. The axis XX is substantially perpendicular to the overall plane P of the platform 3.

[0256] The reel housing 307 may include two parts: a base 311 and a sleeve portion 312 that fits over the reel. The reel 7 and the reel housing 307 may define at least a portion of what is described herein as a reel module 318. The reel module may be a self-braking reel module. The braking mechanism is preferably a passive braking mechanism and will be described below.

[0257] The base 311 may include a fastening area for fastening the reel module 318 to the housing 2. Bearing 306B may be located at the base 311 of the reel housing 307 to support the shaft below the reel, and bearing 306A may be located at the sleeve portion 312 of the reel housing 307 to support the shaft 305 above the reel. The sleeve or sleeve portion 312 preferably provides an inner surface that is concentric with the reel. In some forms, the sleeve may provide multiple or discontinuous surfaces presented for the purposes described herein.

[0258] Then, the use of a permanent magnet motor of outer rotor construction provides a low-profile motor that can be mounted in a housing in a low-profile manner by allowing a low-profile housing to be provided. The lack of an intermediate pulley or other intermediate drive train component between the motor and the reel also means that this does not contribute to inertial energy, which in some cases using a resistance trainer may need to be quickly absorbed by the motor (acting in braking mode) to help prevent the reel from overrunning, a problem previously described herein. The described construction of the reel and motor means that no intermediate pulley (such as the pulley 8 shown in WO2022 / 103278) is needed to redirect and guide the cable between the reel and the cable guide 302.

[0259] The cable preferably has a straight or linear trajectory between the cable guide 302 and the resistance mechanism 301. This may be referred to as the first trajectory of the cable. The cable preferably has a direct trajectory between the reel and the cable guide. Figure 6 As shown, the cable 5 spans in a straight line between the cable guide 302 and the resistance mechanism 301. The resistance mechanism can be positioned below the platform 3 in a position that helps align the trajectory of the cable from the reel with the trajectory of the cable from the main pulley 101 of the cable guide.

[0260] In a preferred form, the resistance exerciser can have a generally rectangular bottom profile. Cable guides 302 can be located on the major axis of symmetry MA, at each short side of the rectangular shape. The main pulley 101 can have an axis of rotation perpendicular to the major axis of symmetry MA, such that the natural trajectory of the cable from the main pulley lies in a vertical plane extending along the major axis of symmetry.

[0261] Preferably, two resistance mechanisms are provided, one for each cable. Each resistance mechanism is positioned so that its axis of rotation XX is at or close to the minor axis of symmetry MI, but offset from the major axis of symmetry MA by an amount equal to the radius of the reel. This helps to ensure that an imaginary plane tangential to the reel coincides with the aforementioned vertical plane. This helps to ensure that the cable has a natural trajectory from the reel toward the cable guide that is aligned with the natural trajectory of the cable from the cable guide toward the reel. The natural trajectory of the cable from the cable guide toward the reel is defined by the peripheral groove of the main pulley 101, through which the cable is guided around the main pulley. No intermediate pulley or other cable guide is required to align the two natural trajectories. Preferably, the cable extends parallel to the major axis of symmetry.

[0262] Alternative bottom profile configurations for the resistance trainer are also contemplated. Preferably, the axis of rotation of pulley 101 lies in a plane whose normal lies in a plane tangential to the reel diameter. Desirably, the peripheral groove in the main pulley that guides the cable around the pulley lies in a plane tangential to the reel diameter to ensure that the two natural trajectories described above coincide.

[0263] exist Figure 6 In the illustrated form, two resistance mechanisms 301 are located adjacent to and intermediate each of the two cable guides 302. In a preferred form, the path of the cable from one of the two resistance mechanisms to its corresponding cable guide extends in an imaginary plane, as does the path of the cable from the other resistance mechanism to its corresponding cable guide.

[0264] In some embodiments, a single motor can be provided to simultaneously control two reels, each with a corresponding cable connected. In this example, and if the reels have the same diameter, the speed at which the cable is wound onto and unwound from the reels will be equal. The reels and motor can be coaxially aligned, for example, with the motor located between two reels stacked one on top of the other. This can allow for matching movements of each of the user's arms, which may be desirable in some applications of the present invention.

[0265] The reel is preferably cylindrical in shape with a constant diameter. It is contemplated that the reel may alternatively have a varying diameter and may, for example, be frusto-conical in shape. This may be desirable in certain circumstances where, for a given rotational speed of the reel, different rates of cable winding or unwinding are desired.

[0266] The reel may include a spiral or tapered winding guide surface, such as grooves 319, so that the cable takes on a spiral or tapered winding shape when it is wound onto the reel. Such grooves can help prevent the cable from self-crossing and possibly getting stuck. In addition, it is desirable to avoid the cable from crossing on the reel to help ensure that the cable maintains a constant or known diameter on the reel. If the cable were to self-overlap or cross one or more times, the effective diameter at which the cable is operable on the reel changes. This may have an undesirable effect on the sensing and / or cable force and / or control of the motor, especially when the overlap or crossing is unpredictable. Therefore, a single-turn spiral configuration of the cable wound on a cylindrical reel is desirable. In some embodiments, the ratio of the diameter of the reel to the diameter of the rotor is approximately 1:2.

[0267] The reel housing 308 may include a guide 309 defining a slot 310 through which the cable can enter and exit the reel 7. The slot is preferably high enough to accommodate the vertical travel of the cable as it is helically wound onto and unwound from the reel.

[0268] As described above, the reel housing 307 preferably includes a sleeve that fits over the reel. In the case of a cylindrical reel, the sleeve preferably defines a complementary cylindrical inner wall 320 concentric with the reel to define a restricted gap 313 between the diameter of the reel and the inner wall 320 of the sleeve 312. The restricted gap can help guide the cable around the reel. The restricted gap can help keep the cable in place around the reel 7 and help prevent the cable from crossing to reduce the possibility of tangling.

[0269] The restricted gap 313 between the reel and the sleeve of the cable also allows the cable to act as a brake on the reel in certain circumstances, helping to avoid the reel overrun problem described above. This will now be explained.

[0270] As described above, the reel module 318 may include a reel housing 307, which defines a sleeve portion 314 having an inner wall 320 that surrounds the outer diameter of the reel 7. A limited gap 313 is defined between the inner wall 320 and the reel, and in this limited gap, the cable maintains a coiled configuration around the reel 7 in a spiral manner. The reel 7 may have a spiral guide surface to position the cable and ensure that the same coiled configuration is always present on the reel. This may be limited by a spiral groove 319. The spiral groove may have a pitch commensurate with the diameter of the cable so that the cable can present a compact spiral shape on the reel. The inner wall may be continuous or include segmentation or parts. The inner wall may, for example, include a series of equally spaced rods that extend parallel to the reel shaft and are closely formed around the reel to present an effective inner wall.

[0271] The reel housing 307 and therefore the sleeve portion 312 preferably remain stationary while the spinning reel 7 is able to rotate inside the reel housing 307 , ie the reel housing and its sleeve portion 312 do not rotate together with the reel 7 .

[0272] One end of the cable 5 is secured to the reel. It can be secured, fastened, restrained, tied, or locked to the reel 7, for example, at the end 312 of the spiral groove 319. The other end of the cable (the end attached to the handle 4) exits the reel module through a hole, such as that defined by the slot 310 of the reel housing 307. By being secured to the reel at one end, the cable remains operatively connected to the reel and can be wound onto the reel 7 by the motor. If it were not secured in this way, the cable could slip off the reel.

[0273] refer to Figure 10A As a person pulls the cable in the direction of force F (and overcomes the resistance provided by the motor on the reel) to unwind the cable from the reel, the cable will naturally wind onto the diameter D1 of the reel 7. As the cable is unwound in this manner, the reel will rotate in the direction OR.

[0274] The tension F may be large enough to generate rotational inertia in the reel and motor that will cause the reel 7 to continue rotating in the cable unwinding direction for some time after the tension F decreases or stops suddenly. This may occur in the following situations:

[0275] (a) The user begins to move the handle back toward the platform; the pulling force will suddenly stop, or

[0276] (b) The user suddenly reduces the pulling force but continues to move the handle away from the platform.

[0277] The cessation or significant reduction in tension may be referred to herein as the "tension change" phase, and is when the above-mentioned reel overrun may occur. Figure 10B As shown, unwinding the cable in direction OR of the reel will cause the diameter of at least some portion of the cable wound on the reel to increase until it reaches diameter D2 and the cable begins to contact inner wall 320. This contact dampens the effects of inertia. Rather than the cable becoming slack during the "tension change" phase and then being suddenly pulled by the motor to wind the cable back onto the reel, the expanded diameter of the cable causes a braking effect between the reel and the reel housing. When the rotor / reel temporarily rotates in direction OR due to rotational inertia and continues to unwind the cable from the reel, this also causes a portion of the wound cable to spiral outward and engage the inner wall 310 of the sleeve portion 312.

[0278] Once the cable engages the inner wall, (a) friction between the cable and the inner wall and (b) friction between the cable and the reel (or due to the cable acting on the reel at the reel-fixed end of the reel) will cause the sleeve and reel to begin to bind together via the cable. This will produce a rapid braking effect on the reel. The friction forces F1 and F2 will produce a compressive force in the segment 322 of the cable that spans between the reel 7 and the inner surface 320. The cable needs to be strong enough to handle the compressive forces and not bend.

[0279] The cable can have a sufficient degree of bending motion stiffness that can be biased to assume a larger diameter than the reel diameter to help the cable spiral outward during tension changes, rather than remaining tightly wound onto the reel at diameter D1. This can help the cable "pop" or unscrew toward the inner wall 320 when the force F decreases sufficiently to cause an overrun. Alternatively or in addition, the cable can experience slight resistance to exiting the housing, such as at the slot 310. For example, a drag force can be applied to the cable. This can help increase the cable diameter inside the reel housing in the event of an overrun so that it can begin to act as a brake against the inner wall 320.

[0280] In the case of providing a reel with a groove (to accommodate the cable), the friction between the reel and the cable can be increased. The groove or channel or groove increases the contact surface area between the cable and the reel.

[0281] In this way, during the "tension change" phase, the friction between the cable, reel and sleeve will brake the rotation of the reel and avoid the cable slack and subsequent jerk that the user would otherwise experience.

[0282] Similarly, when the cable is pushed back into the cover through the hole, the cable wrapped around the reel is caused to expand outward and engage the inner wall to "brake" or prevent the cable from going further in. This prevents the reel from becoming tangled and jammed by the user attempting to manually put the extended cable back inside the reel housing instead of allowing the motor to properly retract the cable.

[0283] Both of these effects / functions rely on the cable material being sufficiently rigid; for example, a steel cable can be used. A highly flexible cable (e.g., made of braided nylon rope) will not work. A steel cable with a minimum bend radius of 25 mm will work effectively. There can be a small gap (i.e., as allowed by gap 313) between the outer diameter of the cable (once positioned on the reel) and the inner wall. This small gap helps reduce the span 322 between the inner wall of the cable and the reel, ensuring sufficient buckling strength over this span. The small gap also helps to guide the wound cable, preventing it from "jumping" out of the groove 319 and becoming tangled on the reel. For example, using a 4.2 mm diameter cable, the inner wall 320 can allow for 0.5 mm of clearance on the outside of the cable. (Thus, the total clearance between the reel and the inner wall can be approximately 4.2 mm + 0.5 mm.) Preferably, the depth of the groove is greater than the distance between the outer diameter of the cable coil and the sleeve to help constrain the cable to remain in the groove, even if the cable is not fully seated in the groove when it spirals outward during braking.

[0284] Preferably, the depth of the groove is greater than the distance between the outer diameter of the coil of cable and the sleeve to help prevent the cable from self-crossing in the confined gap as it spirals outwardly during said braking.

[0285] As described above, when the diameter of the cable expands inside the confined space, and because the cable can act in a rigid manner under compression, this will cause braking of the resistance mechanism at the reel. The sleeve and the reel will effectively be coupled to each other due to the cable. This will help to quickly stop the rotation of the reel, and preferably also quickly stop the rotation of the motor, thereby helping to reduce the amount of cable overrun. Braking will help to absorb the inertia of the reel and rotor. Therefore, braking occurs in a passive manner without the need for an active braking system that may involve a controller and sensing of cable tension, cable movement, or the direction of rotation of the reel. Under the currently described configuration, the braking effect is an inherent result of initiating a reel overrun.

[0286] However, if the rotor's inertia is large, the ability for this reel cable braking to occur may be insufficient. When braking the reel in this manner, the rotor's momentum may cause the cable to buckle or otherwise damage. Therefore, additional means of reducing the inertial forces acting on the reel may be required.

[0287] Using a cable to achieve reel braking allows the resistance mechanism to self-brake in a passive manner. When conditions such as those that cause the reel to overrun arise, the invention described herein passively causes a braking effect to brake the reel and prevent the reel from overrunning.

[0288] In order to provide additional or alternative means to reduce the overrun of the reel, the present invention can provide the ability of the motor to be disengaged from the reel. In this way, the rotation of the reel can be stopped separately (for example, by using the cable reel braking method described above or some other braking of the reel) without absorbing the inertia of the rotor at the same time during such braking. In addition, the direction of rotation of the motor can be reversed faster in the direction of winding the cable onto the reel, without the need for the motor to absorb the inertia of the reel at the same time. The reel can be braked (for example, using the cable reel braking method described above), and the direction of rotation of the motor can be reversed independently of the rotation and rotation direction and inertia of the reel. Several examples of disengagement will now be described. Disengagement can occur and be used as a means to reduce the overrun of the reel together with the preferred reel braking mechanism described above. However, the alternative means of reel braking can be used in combination with disengagement. Other means of braking the reel can be adopted. The disengagement embodiment described below relies on the relative speed difference between the rotor and the reel, and this relates to the braking of the reel to obtain this speed difference. The advantage of using a cable for braking is that the reel is automatically braked at the correct time; otherwise it may be necessary to use sensors or the like to determine the correct time to apply the brake.

[0289] In one approach, disengagement can be achieved by a sprag clutch or sprag bearing 323. Examples of such approaches will now be described. Figure 11 As shown by way of example in FIG, in some embodiments, the resistance mechanism 301 may include a mechanism to decouple the rotor and the reel so that the rotation of the reel can be braked during the "tension change" phase (e.g., using the cable reel brake described) while allowing the rotor to continue to rotate independently to release momentum.

[0290] In one embodiment, this is achieved by a sprag clutch 323 operable between the reel and the rotor. The sprag clutch 323 connects the reel 7 to the rotor 303. The sprag clutch allows relative rotation between the two components in a first direction and locks the two components together in the opposite direction so that the two components rotate synchronously in an opposite second direction.

[0291] like Figure 11 As shown, the sprag clutch 323 is operably located between the reel 7 and the shaft 305. The outer race 324 of the sprag clutch / bearing 323 is connected to the reel. A splined or press-fit relationship can be used to ensure that the outer race rotates with the reel. The inner race 325 is connected to the shaft, which in turn is connected to the rotor. A splined or press-fit relationship can be used to ensure that the inner race rotates with the shaft and rotor. The relative rotation between the inner and outer races is what locks the clutch / bearing in one rotational direction and allows independent rotation in the opposite direction, thereby disengaging the rotor from the reel.

[0292] As shown in Figure 12a, the user can pull the cable 5 with a force F to rotate the rotor 303 and the reel 7 against the resistance of the motor 6. T represents the motor torque, and RSR is the direction of rotation of the rotor and reel.

[0293] The motor force will attempt to pull the rotor 303 in the opposite direction to the direction the user is pulling on the reel 7. The cable will be tightened and the reel applies torque to the rotor via the sprag clutch 323. In this mode of operation, the sprag clutch or bearing is locked so that the rotor and reel are coupled to rotate together.

[0294] If the user overcomes the motor force during the upstroke (e.g., by pulling quickly, such as at a speed faster than 2 m / s), the reel and rotor gain additional momentum in the direction of rotation opposite to the motor force, which may cause the reel to overrun. In such a case, and when the user stops pulling, the sprag clutch will disengage the reel from the rotor, allowing the rotor to rotate independently of the reel. The reel can be braked (e.g., by the cable reel brake described or other rotational brake). Since the braking force does not have to brake the rotor at the same time, braking to stop the reel can occur quickly. The rotor is disengaged from the reel at this stage.

[0295] In Figure 12b, the motor torque T remains in the same direction, the reel has stopped rotating, and the rotor is still rotating in direction RR. While the reel is stationary, the rotor now moves in the relative rotational direction (relative to the reel) in which the sprag bearing allows free rotation. This momentarily disengages the reel, allowing continued overrun.

[0296] Preventing the reel from overrunning helps ensure that the cable within the reel does not become stuck due to unwinding to an extent that could create a "bird's nest" of tangles inside the reel housing. When the cable is engaged for braking (in embodiments that rely on the cable for reel braking), the inertia of the rotor also does not act on the cable. Therefore, the load on the cable to achieve braking is smaller, and the likelihood of the cable / reel being bent or stuck due to braking is reduced. Due to the disengagement of the rotor and reel, the degree and / or duration of slack in the cable that may be experienced by the user is greatly reduced.

[0297] When the rotor's momentum is released due to the motor torque applied to the rotor, the motor force once again dominates and reestablishes the rotational coupling between the rotor and the reel. This can happen, for example, during the "direction change" phase when the rotor's rotational direction changes (assuming the reel remains stationary). It can also happen if the user begins to pull the cable and the reel's rotational speed catches up with the rotor's rotational speed.

[0298] The release of the rotor momentum is not affected by the momentum of the reel, as the reel is already disengaged at this stage and does not add to the inertial mass of the rotor. This makes the motor more effective in self-braking.

[0299] like Figure 12C As shown, the motor causes the rotor and reel to rotate against the user's resistance to retract the cable.

[0300] The motor force pulls the rotor in the direction opposite to the direction in which the user resists reel retraction (and in a preferred embodiment, the motor is controlled to maintain a uniform force on the user as the handle is lowered). In this relative rotational direction of the rotor / reel, the sprag bearing is locked so that the rotor and reel are coupled to rotate together. The rotor and reel again rotate in direction RSR.

[0301] In an alternative embodiment of the sprag clutch described above, Figure 13 3 shows a reel 7 and a rotor 303, which can be rotationally coupled / disconnected by a torsion spring (such as a coil spring). In this embodiment, the shaft 305 is a two-part shaft. The first (upper) shaft part 327 is connected to the rotor, and the second (lower) shaft part 328 is connected to the reel.

[0302] The two parts of the shaft are coaxially aligned and can rotate relative to each other, for example on bushings at their interface 329.

[0303] A helical coil spring 326 is arranged coaxially with and around the shaft, with the length of the spring extending through the interface 329. Opposite ends of the spring are connected to the first and second portions of the shaft, respectively.

[0304] The spring provides torsional resistance to relative rotation between the first and second shafts (and therefore between the rotor and the reel).

[0305] In the first rotational direction, the diameter of the spring coil decreases or contracts inward until it is constrained, such as when the coil clamps the shaft. When clamped, the torsional elastic effect in the spring disappears. Consequently, relative rotation between the two shaft sections is resisted, and the rotor and reel are coupled for joint rotation. For example, the rotor and reel are coupled for synchronous rotation in this direction.

[0306] In a second, opposite, rotational direction, the spring's resilience allows a certain degree of free relative rotation between the rotor and the reel. In this direction, the spring coils can expand or enlarge in diameter (e.g., when the relative momentum between the reel and rotor is sufficient) and release from the shaft. The rotor's momentum in this direction can be released. This can occur somewhat independently of the reel. While rotationally independent, a certain degree of torsional force still exists due to the presence of the spring.

[0307] In the embodiment that rotor and reel become disengagement for rotation, it may be necessary to add encoder 330 (or other rotational position sensor) to track the rotational position of reel separately, so as to track the rotational position of rotor (first encoder, not shown). For example, as shown in the figure, encoder 330 can be located in the base of reel housing. Encoder / rotational position sensor can be used for example to determine the length of cable unwound in a given time period. In some embodiments, data from motor module can be used to carry out this determination, so as to measure and analyze the user motion on resistance training device.

[0308] In some forms of the invention, an active braking arrangement may be provided. This may apply resistance or drag to the movement of the cable, and may act on the cable and / or the reel. This active nature may be reflected in the presence of sensors to control when such braking occurs. In some forms of the invention, rather than the passive cable braking arrangement described above, an active braking arrangement may be provided to reduce reel overrun, but in which a coupling arrangement, such as one utilizing a sprag clutch, is used to allow the reel to disengage from the rotor.

[0309] In some forms of the invention, cable braking as described above may be used with or without providing rotational decoupling of the rotor and reel.

[0310] In some forms of the invention, the provision of decoupling of the rotor and reel rotation as described above may or may not occur with a reel cable brake as described, and may occur with different kinds of reel brakes.

[0311] In some embodiments of the present invention, the motor's rotary output shaft may not coincide with the reel axis, but a coupling may exist between the rotor and reel. This allows the motor to drive the reel's rotation while also allowing the motor and reel to disengage. Some drivetrain mechanisms may be located between the reel and the rotor, spacing the reel axis and the motor's rotary output shaft apart. These two axes preferably remain parallel. The drivetrain may be, for example, a belt or chain drive. The drivetrain may be such that, when viewed from the same direction, the rotor rotates in a direction opposite to the reel's direction of rotation. The reel can rotate in a first direction, allowing the cable to be wound onto the reel via a motor that rotates in the opposite direction and is connected to the reel via, for example, a gear or belt drive. Disengagement capability may be provided somewhere within the drivetrain. For example, a sprag clutch / bearing may be located at the motor, or, if a chain drive is used, at the reel drive sprocket. Alternatively, if a belt drive is used as the drivetrain, the clutch / bearing may be located at the motor or at the reel belt pulley.

[0312] For example, in Figure 15, below shows how a belt 500 can be configured to engage with the reel 7 to drive via a series of teeth 501 around a vertical / axial lower belt pulley 502. The cable can be wound around the spiral guide of the reel. The reel 7 and the belt pulley 502 can rotate around a common axis. A sprag bearing can connect the reel and the belt pulley so that the reel and the belt pulley rotate together in a first direction and can rotate independently in another (second) direction. The rotor of the motor can drive the reel via a belt to extend and retract the cable (in this case, the relative rotation between the reels is locked in the first direction). However, if an overrun occurs, the reel may be braked, and the belt pulley (in the second direction relative to the braking area of ​​the reel) continues to rotate to release the momentum of the rotor, belt and reel.

[0313] The resistance mechanism 301 described herein can be used in other types of training or exercise equipment. Although the resistance mechanism 301 is described above for use with a platform-type resistance trainer, the resistance mechanism can be incorporated into equipment such as other cable training machines similar to a Smith machine and other platform-type devices such as a power rack. The resistance mechanism can also be used in rowing machines, elliptical trainers, and other fitness or training equipment. The resistance mechanism 301 can be provided in the equipment as an alternative form of weight-based resistance training. Such equipment can be, for example, a fly machine, a quadriceps training machine, and a vertical cable trainer. Some such equipment can also use cable guides and associated sensors for the purposes described above.

[0314] A cable guide acting intermediate the handle and the resistance mechanism may also be optional. Figure 14 As shown, cables 5 may extend directly from resistance mechanism 301 to handles 4 without an intermediate cable guide. The resistance mechanism may be mounted to frame 2, which may be rotationally fixed to a surface of a strength training rack, for example using bearings. Figure 14 It helps to illustrate that the present invention can be used in several other ways, not just as part of a platform-based device.The present invention can also be used as or in a training device, which can be used, for example, for therapeutic and / or rehabilitation purposes.

[0315] Where in the foregoing description, reference is made to elements or integers having known equivalents, such equivalents are included as if individually set forth.

[0316] Although the invention has been described by way of example and with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood that modifications and / or improvements may be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

[0317] In addition, where features or aspects of the invention are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

Claims

1. A resistance training device, comprising: a. Shell, b. A resistance mechanism, the resistance mechanism being mounted as a unit inside the housing and comprising: an electric motor having a rotating output shaft, a spinning reel mounted for rotation relative to the housing about a reel axis coaxial with the output shaft and drivable by the motor in a first rotational direction, c. a user interface present on the exterior of the housing, the user interface being adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use, d. a cable extending between the user interface and the take-up reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto and unwound from the take-up reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface, The motor is capable of generating a force to (i) apply resistance to the user via the cable and the reel to resist the movement, and (ii) drive the reel to rotate in the first rotational direction of the reel to wind the cable onto the reel.

2. The resistance exerciser of claim 1 , wherein the housing has a substantially horizontal platform on which a user stands when using the resistance exerciser, and wherein the resistance mechanism is mounted as a unit below the platform within the housing.

3. A resistance exerciser according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the resistance mechanism is mounted as a unit within the housing, the reel shaft and rotary output shaft being oriented substantially vertically when the exerciser is in use.

4. The resistance exerciser according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the reel is mounted through the reel housing in a manner allowing the reel to rotate about the reel axis, and the motor includes a stator and a rotor, the rotor being rotatable relative to the stator about the rotational output axis, wherein the stator is fixedly secured to the reel housing to allow the rotor and reel to rotate coaxially with each other and relative to the housing and the reel housing.

5. The resistance exerciser of claim 4, wherein the stator is fixedly secured to the reel housing, and at least one of the stator and the reel housing is fixedly secured to the housing to mount the resistance mechanism to the housing as a unit.

6. The resistance exerciser according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the reel is drivable by the motor to rotate in the first rotational direction so as to rotate together with the motor about the reel shaft coaxial with the rotational output shaft.

7. The resistance exerciser of claim 6 , wherein the motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the rotor being rotatable relative to the stator about the rotational output shaft, and the reel being drivable by the rotor to rotate in the first rotational direction so as to rotate together with the rotor about the reel shaft coaxial with the rotational output shaft.

8. The resistance exerciser according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a rotating shaft is operatively disposed between the motor and the winding wheel to rotate the winding wheel together with the motor in the first rotational direction.

9. The resistance exerciser of claim 8, wherein the shaft is mounted for rotation about the reel axis.

10. The resistance trainer according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the motor comprises a stator and a rotor, the rotor being rotatable relative to the stator about the rotational output shaft, and the rotating shaft: being fixed to the stator for rotation together with the rotor; and being fixed to the winding reel for rotation together with the winding reel.

11. The resistance exerciser according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the rotating shaft is connected to the rotor at one end of the rotating shaft and is connected to the reel at the other end of the rotating shaft.

12. A resistance trainer according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the cable passes from the housing to the user interface via an opening in the platform, and when the user interface undergoes the movement, the cable is capable of extending from and retracting toward the housing via the opening, and wherein a cable guide is provided at the opening to guide a change in the trajectory of the cable as the cable extends from and retracts toward the housing, the change in trajectory between a first trajectory between the cable guide and the take-up reel to a variable trajectory determined by the position of the user interface relative to the platform.

13. The resistance exerciser of claim 12, wherein the first trajectory is a direct linear trajectory of the cable between the cable guide and the cable reel. 14 . The resistance exerciser of claim 12 , wherein the first trajectory is a trajectory in which a trajectory of the cable from the cable guide toward the take-up reel coincides with a trajectory of the cable from the take-up reel toward the cable guide.

15. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the trajectory of the cable from the take-up reel is substantially horizontal.

16. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the cable guide includes a main pulley mounted through the housing with an axis of rotation perpendicular to an imaginary plane in which the first trajectory of the cable lies.

17. The resistance exerciser of claim 16, wherein the imaginary plane coincides with a tangent line of the spinning reel.

18. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 12 to 17, wherein the trajectory of the cable from the take-up reel to the cable guide is linear.

19. The resistance trainer of claim 1 , wherein there are two resistance mechanisms, each mounted below the platform inside the housing, and wherein there are two user interfaces and two cables, the cables being used for each corresponding resistance mechanism and user interface, a first of the cables extending from an opening in the platform at a first location, and a second of the cables extending from an opening in the platform at a second location, the second location being spaced apart from the first location, and wherein the resistance mechanism is located intermediate the first and second locations.

20. The resistance mechanism of claim 19, wherein the trajectory of the cable from one of the two resistance mechanisms extends in an imaginary plane, and the trajectory of the cable from the other of the two resistance mechanisms also extends in the imaginary plane.

21. A resistance training device, comprising: a. Shell, b. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising: an electric motor having a rotating output shaft, a spinning reel mounted for rotation about a reel axis and coupled directly or indirectly to the motor and drivable by the motor in a first rotational direction about the reel axis, a sleeve positioned about the spinning reel to define a restricted gap about the spinning reel and within which the spinning reel is rotatable about the reel axis, c. a user interface present on the exterior of the housing, the user interface being adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use, d. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the reel in a conical or spiral coil configuration to be positioned in the confined gap and can be unwound from the reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface, wherein the user can apply a pulling force to the cable to overcome the force of the motor to rotate the reel in a second rotational direction opposite to the first rotational direction to unwind the cable from the reel, and When the reel overrun occurs, the cable in the coiled structure on the reel begins to spiral outward in the restricted gap to contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, the reel and the cable, so as to reduce the rotation speed of the reel in the second rotation direction.

22. The resistance exerciser of claim 21, wherein the cable is made of a material having sufficient rigidity to facilitate outward coiling of the cable in the event of a reel overrun.

23. The resistance exerciser of claim 21 or 22, wherein the sleeve is provided by or as part of a reel housing having a slotted guide through which the cable passes during winding and unwinding, the resistance exerciser being configured to provide sufficient resistance to the cable passing through the slot during reel overrun to cause the cable to spiral outwardly on the reel.

24. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the shape and configuration of the restricted gap ensures that the cable wound on the reel and in the coiled configuration does not contact the sleeve until reel overrun occurs.

25. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the shape and configuration of the restricted gap ensures that the cable wound on the reel and in the coiled configuration does not contact the sleeve until it is released from its coiled configuration by spiraling outwardly and contacts the sleeve.

26. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 21 to 25, wherein the cable reel is cylindrical in shape and the cable is wound onto the cable reel in a spiral configuration.

27. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 21 to 26, wherein the cable reel is cylindrical in shape and has a spiral groove to accommodate the cable wound onto the cable reel, so that the cable is wound onto the cable reel in a spiral configuration.

28. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 21 to 27, wherein when a reel overrun has occurred, the cable spanning between the reel and the sleeve acts in a non-buckling compression manner.

29. A method of passively braking a fishing reel having a cable wound in a coiled configuration thereon and capable of winding the cable onto the reel in a first rotational direction of the reel, the method for reducing overrun of the fishing reel caused by a reduction or cessation of tension after the cable has been pulled hard enough to rotate the reel in a second rotational direction to unwind the cable from the reel, the method comprising causing the cable wound on the reel to spiral outward from its coiled configuration in a confined gap between the reel and a sleeve surrounding the reel to contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the reel by means of friction between the sleeve, reel and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the reel in the second rotational direction.

30. A self-braking reel module, comprising: a. a reel capable of having a cable wound thereon in a coiled configuration, and wherein the reel is biased to rotate in a first rotational direction so that the cable is wound onto the reel, The spooling wheel further comprises a spool having a first end and a second end, and the spooling wheel further comprises a first end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, and a second end, 31. The self-braking reel module of claim 30 , wherein the biasing force is provided by a motor that is directly or indirectly coupled to the reel to apply a rotational biasing force and is capable of driving the reel in the first rotational direction, the braking force also directly or indirectly reducing the rotational speed of the motor in a direction commensurate with the second rotational direction.

32. A self-braking reel module, comprising: a reel, the reel can have a cable wound in a coiled configuration, the coiled configuration is determined by the spiral groove of the reel, the cable can be placed in the spiral groove, b. a housing for mounting the reel for rotation relative to the reel and having a sleeve surrounding the coiled cable, the sleeve being spaced outwardly from the coiled cable a sufficient distance so as not to contact the coiled cable but capable of contacting the cable when the cable is spiraled outwardly from its coiled configuration.

33. The self-braking reel of claim 32, wherein a depth of the groove in which the coiled cable is positioned is greater than a distance between the sleeve and an outer diameter of the coiled configuration of the cable.

34. A resistance training device, comprising: e. housing, f. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising: an electric motor having a rotating output shaft, a spinning reel mounted for rotation about a reel axis and relative to the housing, g. a user interface present on the exterior of the housing, the user interface being adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use, h. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the reel; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface, wherein the resistance mechanism further comprises a coupling located between the motor and the reel, adapted and configured to couple the motor and the reel for common rotation in the same rotational direction while allowing the motor and the reel to be rotationally decoupled for rotation in relatively opposite directions; and The resistance mechanism is further configured to generate a driving force for the motor, the driving force being used for both: c) driving the reel to rotate about the reel axis in a first rotational direction to wind the cable onto the reel, and d) resisting user-driven rotation of the reel about the reel axis in a second rotational direction via the reel and the cable.

35. A resistance training device, comprising: a. Shell, b. A resistance mechanism mounted to the housing and comprising: an electric motor having a rotating output shaft, a spinning reel mounted for rotation about a reel axle and relative to the housing, and a coupling located between the motor and the reel, c. a user interface present on the exterior of the housing, the user interface being adapted to withstand movement of the user relative to the housing when the trainer is in use, d. a cable extending between the user interface and the reel and having: (i) a first end region at which the cable can be wound onto the reel in a coiled configuration; and (ii) a second end region at which the cable is directly or indirectly coupled to the user interface, The resistance mechanism is configured to generate a driving force for the motor, the driving force being used for both: a) driving the reel to rotate about the reel axis in a first rotational direction to wind a cable onto the reel, and b) resisting user-driven rotation of the reel about the reel axis in a second rotational direction via the reel and the cable; and wherein the user is able to apply a pulling force to the cable to overcome the resistive driving force of the motor, causing both the reel and the motor to rotate in the second rotational direction and the cable to unwind from the reel, and wherein the coupling is adapted and configured to allow the reel and motor to rotationally decouple once both are rotated in the second rotational direction, such that rotation of the motor (due to inertia) can continue independently of rotation (if any) of the reel.

36. The resistance exerciser of claim 34 or 35, wherein the reel can be actively or passively braked to reduce its rotation and / or stop its rotation in the second rotational direction.

37. The resistance exerciser of claim 34, wherein the coupling is adapted and configured to decouple the reel from the motor to relieve reel overrun when tension is reduced or stopped.

38. A resistance exerciser according to claim 36 or 37, wherein a sleeve is positioned around the spool to define a restricted gap around the spool, and within the sleeve, the spool is rotatable about the spool axis, and wherein the coupling is adapted and configured to, after applying a tension sufficient to rotate the spool in the second rotational direction, disengage the spool from the motor during a spool overrun caused by a reduction or cessation of the tension, so that the coiled cable on the spool begins to spiral outward in the restricted gap to contact the sleeve, thereby applying a braking force to the spool by means of friction between the sleeve, spool and cable to reduce the rotational speed of the spool in the second rotational direction.

39. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 34 to 38, wherein the coupling comprises a sprag clutch or a sprag bearing for facilitating the disengagement of the motor and the reel.

40. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 34 to 39, wherein the coupling includes a torsion spring for facilitating the disengagement of the motor and reel.

41. The resistance exerciser of claim 40, wherein the torsion spring is constrained from radial contraction and is free to radially expand.

42. The resistance exerciser of claim 40, wherein the torsion spring is constrained from radial expansion and free to radially contract.

43. The resistance exerciser of any one of claims 40 to 42, wherein the coupler comprises a shaft comprising two coaxially positioned shaft portions, wherein the torsion spring is mounted about and coaxial with the shaft.

44. The resistance exerciser of claim 43, wherein each of the shaft portions is associated with one of the motor and the reel, respectively, and wherein the shaft portions are rotatable relative to each other.

45. The resistance exerciser of claim 43 or 44, wherein the torsion spring is tightly mounted about the rotating shaft and is coaxial with the rotating shaft.

46. ​​A resistance trainer according to any one of claims 43 to 45, wherein the torsion spring is tightly mounted around the shaft and coaxial with the shaft, and at or near one end of the spring, the spring is fixed to a first shaft portion of the shaft portions, and at or near the other end of the spring, the spring is fixed to a second shaft portion of the shaft portions.

47. The resistance exerciser of claim 21 or any one of claims 34 to 46, wherein the resistance mechanism is the resistance mechanism of any one of claims 1 to 20.

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