Multi-Mode Treadmill Control for Gait-Adaptive Training
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing treadmills lack the ability to adapt to individual user needs and provide personalized training protocols, gait analysis, and injury prevention, leading to increased gait variability and asymmetry.
Innovation Solution
A treadmill with multiple operating modes, including set pace, freewheel, sled push, protocol, and adaptive protocol modes, equipped with a controller for user data collection and analysis, and a gait sensing arrangement using optical emitters and receivers to provide personalized training and injury prevention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a treadmill provides only basic speed control, then the device complexity is low, but the adaptability to individual user needs and training protocols is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The treadmill system is segmented into multiple independent operating modes (set pace mode, freewheel mode, sled push mode, protocol mode, adaptive protocol mode), each designed to address specific training needs. This segmentation allows the system to provide specialized functionality for different user requirements without requiring complete redesign of the entire system, thereby improving adaptability while managing complexity through modular functional divisions.
Solution Approach 2:
The treadmill is designed with multi-functionality to perform diverse training tasks across different modes. The single device can provide both motorized belt-driven operation and friction-driven freewheel operation, as well as resistance training through sled push mode, and adaptive training through protocol modes. This universality allows one device to replace multiple specialized equipment pieces, improving adaptability without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Reliability
If traditional treadmills are used without gait analysis, then the device complexity is low, but gait variability and asymmetry increase leading to injury risk
Solution Approach 1:
The treadmill incorporates gait sensing arrangements that continuously monitor user gait patterns and provide feedback to the control system. The optical emitters and receivers detect gait variability and asymmetry in real-time, allowing the system to identify potential injury risks. This feedback mechanism enables early detection of gait abnormalities without requiring complex manual analysis, thereby improving reliability for injury prevention while managing complexity through automated sensing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual gait analysis with an automated optical sensing system. Instead of requiring trainers to visually assess gait patterns, the system uses optical emitters and receivers to automatically detect and analyze gait variability and asymmetry. This substitution of mechanical/optical sensing for manual analysis improves injury detection reliability while keeping the added complexity manageable through non-intrusive sensing technology.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple operating modes are implemented, then the training versatility is improved, but the ease of operation decreases due to mode selection complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The treadmill incorporates adaptive protocol modes that automatically adjust training parameters based on user performance and gait analysis, reducing the need for manual mode selection and parameter adjustment. The system serves itself by autonomously managing training protocols, allowing users to benefit from multiple operating modes without needing to understand or manually configure each mode's settings, thereby maintaining ease of operation while preserving training versatility.
Solution Approach 2:
The treadmill employs dynamic mode transitions and adaptive protocols that automatically adjust operating parameters based on real-time user feedback. Rather than requiring users to statically select and manually adjust each mode, the system dynamically adapts between modes and within modes based on user performance and gait characteristics. This dynamic approach simplifies operation by removing manual configuration steps while maintaining the versatility of multiple training modes.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances user experience by providing personalized training protocols, improving gait symmetry, and detecting potential injuries in real-time, thereby optimizing training efficiency and reducing the risk of injury.
Implementation Method 1
a first series of optical emitters carried by the deck along a first side of the belt, and a second series of optical receivers carried by the deck along a second side of the belt
Data Source
AI summary
A treadmill may include a frame, a deck carried by the frame, and a belt movable over the deck to provide a moving contact surface for feet of a user. The treadmill may also include a handrail carried by the frame to be grasped by the user, and a belt drive arrangement carried by the frame and coupled to the belt. The belt drive arrangement may be operable in a selected operating mode. The operating mode may include a set pace mode with the speed of the belt set to a fixed pace, and a freewheel mode with the belt operationally decoupled from the belt drive arrangement. The operating mode may also include a sled push mode with selectable resistance provided to the belt as the user pushes against the handrail.