CN101801468A - Damping systems for fitness equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The damping system of body-building equipment comprises spring, pouring weight, cylinder or the hydraulic cylinder of frame, damping source such as elastic threads, disc spring or any other type.Damping source is installed in the damping block that load is supported.The installing support disc is installed in it movingly frame and is fit to and can support optionally engagement with load.Drive disk assembly is connected to damping source, and drive disk assembly comprises flexible parts such as cable, belt or miscellaneous part.The motion of support disc can selectivity engagement damping source.In this way, by other transmission mechanisms that drive control panel or handle by the user, can the selectivity engagement or break away from one or more single damping source so that change damping to the user.

Description

Damping systems for fitness equipment

Cross-reference of related application materials

Priority is claimed under 35 United States Code (U.S.C) § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/929,990, filed July 20, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference; this application was filed June 25, 2008 A continuation-in-part of application serial number 12/146,068, also entitled "Damping Systems for Exercise Equipment."

technical field

The present invention relates generally to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to a system for varying damping in an exercise device.

Background technique

Increased convenience and efficiency are a reflection of the value of many products. Fitness equipment is no exception. Damped exercise equipment has been repeatedly shown to provide a number of benefits including increased bone density, increased muscle tissue mass and also certain cardiovascular benefits. One desirable aspect of exercise equipment is the ability to vary damping. As the user progresses during the exercise they need to increase the damping so the machine must be able to provide variability in the damping setpoint. Ease of use and the ability to quickly change damping are important as some exercise programs require minimal pause times for damping changes. Overall ease of operation is always desired, and in fitness equipment and special damping or strength equipment, this is highly desirable.

It will thus be appreciated that there is a need for an adjustable damping setpoint device which allows simple, easy and reliable actuation of a control dial or other actuation system to change the damping setpoint in an exercise device. The present invention fulfills this need and others.

Contents of the invention

The present invention provides a damping system for exercise equipment. This includes a frame, a damping source connected to the damping mass, a support plate movably mounted to the frame and adapted to selectively engage the damping mass. A carriage may be provided, which is movably mounted on the frame and connected to the damping source and to the transmission part, the transmission part being connected to the carriage with a 1st end and a 2nd end adapted to be in contact with the user. The transmission member may be a rigid or flexible member and in one embodiment it may be attached to the lower portion of the carriage. End 2 of the transmission component may be in direct contact with the user, as with a handle mounted on the end of the transmission component, or indirectly, as would be the case when mounting the transmission component to a subsystem such as a gearbox or other transmission, between the user and the sub- system contacts. In another embodiment of the invention the carriage may include a handle or other user interface for direct movement of the carriage by the user.

The damping source of the damping system may be a device selected from the group consisting of weights, elastic cords, springs, air cylinders or hydraulic cylinders. A damping source can be a single element or include many damping files. The plurality of damping elements may include at least one element having twice the damping capacity of another damping element. The plurality of damping elements may include an element having twice the damping capacity of the least damping capacity element and each damping element having twice the damping capacity of the next lower capacity damping element.

The damping mass of the damping system for exercise exercises may include a load support adapted to be received by the pan concave edge onto the support pan. Additionally, the damping system may also include a number of support discs on a common shaft, which is rotatably mounted to the frame.

In another form of the invention, a method of exercise training is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing the apparatus described above and moving the support plate to engage a damping mass with the support plate and then actuating the carriage relative to the frame to move a portion of the damping source. This provides resistance to carriage movement at the user interface.

To summarize the invention and the advantages it achieves over the prior art, some of the advantages of the invention have been described here. It should of course be understood that not necessarily all such advantages may be achieved in accordance with any particular embodiment of the invention. For example, one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains will recognize that the present invention can be practiced or carried out in a manner to obtain or optimize an advantage or group of advantages taught herein, but not necessarily to obtain any of the possible teachings or effects herein. Other advantages suggested.

All such embodiments are intended to be within the scope of the invention disclosed herein. These and other embodiments of the invention will quickly become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings to those of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains, and the invention is not limited to any particular preferred embodiments disclosed. Example.

Description of drawings

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric front view of the base of an exercise device incorporating a damping system according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detail view of the upper portion of the base of the exercise device of Figure 1 along line 2-2.

FIG. 3 is a front view of the base of the exercise device of FIG. 1 .

Figure 4 is a detail view of the upper portion of the device shown in Figure 3 along line 4-4.

Figure 5 is an isometric front view of the device of Figure 1 shown with the cover removed.

Figure 6 is a detail view of the central portion of the device shown in Figure 5 along line 6-6.

Fig. 7 is a top view of the exercise device of Fig. 1 .

8 is a cross-sectional view of the exercise device of FIG. 7 taken along line 8-8.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the exercise device support pan assembly of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 10 is an isometric diagram of the damping block of the exercise training device of FIG. 1 .

Figure 11 is a detail view of the upper portion of the damper mass of Figure 10 along line 11-11.

Fig. 12 is a front view of the control dial knob of Fig. 1, with an example of the damping setpoint indicated on the dial face of the control dial.

Figure 13 is an isometric front view of a variation of the exercise device of Figure 1 with the elastic cords removed and replaced with a weight system.

FIG. 14 is an isometric rear view of the exercise device of FIG. 13 .

Figure 15 is an isometric front view showing the exercise training device of Figure 13 in use when the system is activated.

Figure 16 is an isometric rear view of the exercise device shown in Figure 15 with the rear block cover.

17 is an isometric front view of a variation of the exercise device shown in FIG. 1 with a pin-in-pan system.

Figure 18 is a detail view of the pin-in-disk system shown in Figure 17 along line 18-18.

Figure 19 is a detail view of a single disc and modified damper mass as shown in Figure 18 along line 19-19.

FIG. 20 is an isometric view of the pin-in-pan assembly shown in FIG. 17. FIG.

Figure 21 is a detail view of a portion of the disk shown in Figure 20 along line 21-21.

22 is an isometric front view of a modified damper mass suitable for use with the pin-in-panel system of FIG. 17. FIG.

23 is a detail view of the upper portion of the damper mass of FIG. 22 along line 23-23.

Figure 24 is an open isometric view of one embodiment of the present invention with the disc assembly mounted on a movable carriage.

Detailed ways

Referring to the drawings, and in particular Figures 1-12, there is shown a first embodiment of the base of the exercise device 20. In this embodiment, the device 20 includes a frame 22 and two rails 24 . The rails 24 enable the carriage 26 to track properly relative to the frame 22 . In this embodiment this is accomplished by four carriage rollers 28 mounted on the four corners of the carriage 26 and rolling on the rails 24 . The nature of this track-following system is not believed to be critical to the novelty of the present invention. It should be understood that this is one embodiment of such a device but other methods such as linear bearings, linear slides and sliding sleeves could be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The two bearings 30 are supported on the frame 22 and are shown more clearly in FIGS. 2 and 4 . These bearings 30 provide the mechanism for movable support of the tray assembly 32 on the frame 22 . In this embodiment the support disc assembly 32 includes five support discs each having at least one disc bezel 34 . The first disc 36 includes a plurality of disc bezels 34 spaced about the outer periphery of the disc 36 . The purpose of each disc bezel 34 is to engage a portion of a damping mass 38 . Damping mass 38 is supported by frame 22 by support pan assembly 32 when pan chime 34 is engaged with mass lip 40 . Carriage 26 is moved downwardly by applying tension to cable 42 . Damping of this movement is provided by a damper cord 44 secured to the damper block 38 wherein the pan lip 34 engages the block lip 40 . Any damping blocks 38 whose respective disc chimes 34 do not engage the block lip 40 will allow them to move freely downward with the carriage 26 when tension is applied to the cable 42 . The cord 44 which is not supported by the dish lip 34 will not be elongated and will not exert any tension on the cable 42, as can also be seen in FIGS. 5 and 6 .

A front view of this machine is shown in FIG. 3 . The support disc assembly 32 includes five discs, each with a corresponding damping mass 38 and string. In this embodiment, the damping rope 44 is constructed according to the formula: T _N =(T _N-1 )*2. As an example, if T ₁ =F, then T ₂ =T ₁ *2 and T ₃ =T ₂ *2 and so on, where T ₁ to T _N are the tension forces generated by the elastic properties of the connected string 44 . The minimum pulling force (F) is represented by _T1 . Each greater pulling force is represented by a subsequent greater number, in this example _T2 , _T3 to _T5 . Each larger damping cord (T ₂ , T _{3 ,} etc.) provides twice the pulling force of the preceding smaller cord (ie T ₃ =T ₂ *2). This provides the system with 2 ^N number of increments or (2 ^N -1) number of increments not counting zero damping, where N is the number of ropes and the value of the increment is the value of T ₁ (or F). For example, a 4 rope system with a 10 lb first rope would have 15 increments (2 ⁴ -1 = 15) or 16 increments counting zeros. An example of rope and load is listed in Table 1.

T ₁ (10 lbs) T ₂ (20 lbs) T ₃ (40 lbs) T ₄ (80 lbs) total force - - - - 0 10 - - - 10 - 20 - - 20 10 20 - - 30 - - 40 - 40 10 - 40 - 50 - 20 40 - 60

T ₁ (10 lbs) T ₂ (20 lbs) T ₃ (40 lbs) T ₄ (80 lbs) total force 10 20 40 - 70 - - - 80 80 10 - - 80 90 - 20 - 80 100 10 20 - 80 110 - - 40 80 120 10 - 40 80 130 - 20 40 80 140 10 20 40 80 150

Table 1

With each increase in the number of ropes, the total number of load combinations (including zero pull) doubles. With 5 ropes there are 2 ⁵ or 32 combinations. There are 2 ⁶ or 64 combinations for counting 6 ropes of zero. No matter what increment value is chosen to start with, (T ₁ ) will be the pull or force increment. For example, if _T1 = 5 lbs, then the range would be 0 to 75 lbs with 4 ropes in this configuration. If T ₁ =20 lbs then 16 increments of damping would be 0 to 300 lbs. Adding a 160 lb rope as a fifth rope (T ₅ ) to the previously described 4 rope system in 10 lb increments, the range would be 0 to 310 lb in 32 different 10 lb increments given value of . A large variation and range of damping can be achieved with a relatively small number of damping cords in the described system. Such a system is only disclosed with damping cords, but the same system can use many sources of damping including weights, springs, air or hydraulic cylinders, or any spring material and configuration as long as they allow Deformation stores mechanical energy.

The disks of the assembly 32 of FIGS. This is desirable because it minimizes the load on the carriage 26's tracking system, but is not mandatory for the function of the invention. The fifth disc 48 has a common shaft 50 with the first disc 36 . Likewise the second disc 52 , the third disc 54 and the fourth disc 56 are also continuous with the shaft 50 . Shaft gear 58 is also continuous with shaft 50 so that movement of shaft gear 58 causes rotation of shaft 50 and all disks (36, 48, 52, 54 and 56). In this embodiment a knob gear 60 is provided which drives the shaft gear 58 . This is arranged so that the knob 82 on the front of the device 20 is accessible. This location and that manner, the presence of shaft gear 58 and knob gear 60 are not mandatory but are provided here as an embodiment of the invention. Another embodiment eliminates the shaft gear 58 and the knob gear 60 and may place a knob 82 on one or both ends of the shaft 50 so that the user can turn the shaft 50 directly. In a comparable manner, a drive system such as an electric motor could be directly connected to the shaft 50 or to either gear 58 . In this way the shaft 50 can be rotated by pressing a button somewhere on the machine or even the shaft 50 can be remotely controlled via a wired or wireless connection including radio frequency (RF), infrared or any other communication known in the art. Selection of the desired damping can be accomplished using any method of turning the discs (36, 48, 52, 54 and 56).

Damping mass 38 is structurally identical in this embodiment and adjacent to each disc (36, 48, 52, 54 and 56) in each location. Each damping block 38 is connected with a damping rope. The heaviest cord 46 is connected to the fifth disc 48 as previously indicated. The lightest ropes, ropes 1,62 are connected to the first disk 36, ropes 2,64 are connected to the second disk 52, ropes 3,66 are connected to the third disk 54 and ropes 4,68 are connected to the fourth disk 56. Each cord ( 46 , 62 , 64 , 66 and 68 ) is secured to carriage 26 on lower rail 70 . The orientation of the support pan assembly 32 provides the option of passing any or all of the damper blocks 38 and associated damper cords (46, 62, 64, 66, and 68) through the pans (36, 48, 52, 54, and 56) to the frame. meshing. Physical force is transmitted to the carriage 26 by the user via the cable 42 . In this embodiment the damper mass cover 72 provides additional movable support for the damper mass 38 as the damper mass is guided in motion by the slot 74 . This is one of any number of structural elements that may be used to guide the mass 38 as it moves relative to the frame 22 .

Further details of the device 20 are shown in Figures 5 and 6, where the covers (front and rear) of the damping mass 72 have been removed. In this view, carriage 26 is shown with recoil rod 76 disposed below mass guide rail 78 or any other component of damping mass 38 . When damping mass 38 is not engaged with an associated disc (36, 48, 52, 54 or 56), damping mass 38 will move downward with carriage 26 due to actuation of cable 42. These disengaged damping blocks 38 will be supported by the carriage recoil rod 76 so that these blocks also move back to the disc assembly 32 as the tension from the cable 42 decreases and the carriage moves back to its original or unstressed position. . An optional recoil rope (not shown in this figure) can be used to pull the carriage back up (starting position as shown here) if the ropes are not used.

The engagement of the fifth disc 48 with the associated damping mass 38 is illustrated in FIG. 6 . Each disc ( 36 , 48 , 52 , 45 and 56 ) includes a disc lip 34 selectively engageable with a block lip 40 of damper mass 38 . The disks ( 48 , 56 , etc.) are moved in this embodiment by actuating a knob 82 mounted on knob gear 60 . Knob gear 60 in this embodiment is a bevel gear and mates with coaxial 50 continuous shaft gear 58 . Movement of the knob 82 in a clockwise direction 84 thus causes rotation of the support pan assembly 32 in a clockwise direction 86 as indicated by arrows (84 and 86) when viewed from the right side of the machine 20. Rotation of the shaft 50, and thus the combination of disks (36, 48, 52, 54 and 56), causes any associated disk concave edge 34 to engage the block lip 40 of their corresponding damping block 38, and the block 38 (or multiple combination of blocks 38) will have one end of the cord 44 secured to that particular block 38 secured to the frame 22 through the pan assembly 32. The cable 42 is connected to the carriage 26 at the opposite end from the block 38 in this embodiment. The opposite end of the end of the cord 44 connecting the block 38 is also secured to this end of the carriage 26 . The damping of the movement of the carriage 26 by the cables 42 is proportional to the masses 38 , and thus the cords 44 , of their masses 38 held by engagement with the disc assembly 32 .

A top view of device 20 is shown in FIG. 7 illustrating the location of section line 8-8. This partial sectional view is shown in FIG. 8 with the damper block cover 72 removed for clarity. From this figure it can be seen that the damping blocks 38 are selectively engaged with the discs (36, 52, 48, 56 and 54) which are positioned adjacent to each block 38. The blocks 38 are mounted on suitable cords (62, 64, 46, 68 and 66) with crimps 88 and the crimps can be set through holes in block brackets 90. The mass bracket 90 is secured to the damping mass 38 by pins 92 or similar fastening means. The opposite end of each cord ( 62 , 64 , 46 , 68 and 66 ) is secured to the terminal end of the lower rail 70 of the carriage 26 by a second crimp 94 . The cable 42 is also mounted on the lower rail 70 by the cable bead 96 so that the carriage 26 can be moved from the support pan assembly 32 by a pulling force applied to the cable 42 . Any damping block 38 fixed to the adjacent disk of the support disk assembly 32 will maintain the upper position of the connected rope (62, 64, 46, 68 and 66) relative to the frame 22, while the lower end of that rope will be pulled from the support disk assembly. 32 moves away, stretching those ropes and providing damping to carriage 26 movement. It should be understood that the apparatus of the present invention may be arranged in any number of orientations relative to the user. Block 38 movement in the vertical plane and initial placement near the upper portion of frame 22 is just one pattern. Changes in the combination of ropes (62, 64, 46, 68 and 66) as each of their selected engagements with their corresponding discs (36, 52, 48, 56 and 54) will change the forces in the cables 42 similar to those in the table The data listed in 1 here only means that 5 ropes have twice the number of changes or 32 given values instead of 16 given values for 4 ropes as indicated above.

The support tray assembly 32 of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 9 . Each disc has at least one disc bezel 34 in this embodiment. The first disc 36 has 16 disc bezels 34 , the second disc 52 has 8 disc bezels 34 , the third disc 54 has 4 bezels and the fourth disc 56 has 2 bezels 34 . The fifth disc 48 is shown having a disc bezel 34 which occupies substantially half of the outer periphery of the disc 48 . Each disc is connected to a shaft 50 for rotation therewith. This could be a molded part of this or other material or a series of metal parts welded or assembled to produce this assembly 32 . Shaft gear 58 may also be securely mounted to shaft 50 by any means known in the art.

A variation of the invention as represented in FIG. 9 is to provide a series of disks that are similar in size and general configuration of the disk bezels 34, but have different phases and initial gaps 98 arranged in a given sequence. By doing so, a set of rotational displacements of the support pan assembly 32 can be sequentially applied to the damper cord. In this variation and all forms of the invention, the damper cords (62, 64, 46, 68 and 66) may be of one tension or provide different tensions. Also the portion of the dish can be a half dish, 1/4 dish or any other part of the whole dish. Alternatively, instead of a disc, a wheel structure could be used to support the rim with a hub and spokes. And, the rim can be annular or segmented, with a portion of the rim at the end of each spoke.

Damping mass 38 is shown in FIG. 10 and in greater detail in FIG. 11 . In this embodiment, the block 38 may include block guides 78 that are protrusions or other structural features that communicate with slots 74 ( FIG. 3 ) in the damper block cover 72 for guidance. This optional structure 78 can have many variations in size, configuration and orientation to block 38 . Block lip 40 on top of block 38 is adapted to receive disc chimes 34 to provide support for damping mass 38 or to allow damping mass 38 to pass through gap 98 between disc chimes 34 . In this embodiment the pan chime 34 includes a pan flange 100 disposed adjacent a wall 102 of the damper mass 38 . The block lugs 104 may be used to provide stable support of the damping mass 38 under load when supported on the disc of the support disc assembly 32 . It should be understood that many variations can be made to the pan chime 34 and block lip 40 . Plugs and detents can be added to the disc assembly 32 to provide more secure shifting of the components and when one or more of the cords (62, 64, 46, 68 and 66) are stretched so that the system is under load When reducing the possible accidental movement between each other.

A typical application of display 106 is shown in FIG. 12 . Set the knob 82 in the center of the indicator disc 108 . The indicator disc 108 includes a set of scales such as markings 110 and numbers 112 marking some, if not all, of the load increments. Move knob 82 indicated by indicia 110 to any position. That actuation rotates the shaft 50 that supports the disc assembly 32 to change the engagement between the discs (36, 52, 48, 56 and 54) and the damping mass 38 and associated strings (62, 64, 46, 68 and 66). , thereby changing the tension in the cable 42 that the user has to overcome.

As previously indicated, the knob 82 may be mounted directly on one or both ends of the shaft 50 of the support disc assembly 32 in an alternative embodiment. This eliminates the need for gears (58 and 60) and in some cases this may be desirable while maintaining the functionality described herein.

There are many ways in which the indexing of the knob 82 and thus the proper setting of the support disc assembly 32 can be achieved. A spring-loaded backing plate notched for each position (32 positions in this embodiment) can be placed under the knob 82 or anywhere in the support disc assembly 32 . In this embodiment the gears (58 and 60) have 32 teeth and thus can be provided with flexible elements such as leaf springs which provide intervention to allow assembly 32 to move. But guide it to stop at any one of 32 given points, rather than stop at two given points (mark 110). It should be understood that the details of the load increments, the scale and the method of graphic design may be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Referring to Figures 13 and 14, the device 20' is shown employing an alternative damping system. In this embodiment a weight 114 has been used in place of the damper cord. The carriage 26', which has been slightly modified, includes a series of pulleys 116 mounted at the lower end. A weight cable 118 connects each weight 114 to the carriage 26' via a corresponding pulley 116. The recoil spring 120 connects the bottom of the carriage 26' to a spring bracket 122 at the top of the frame. This spring 120 provides lift to the carriage 26' to bias the carriage toward the illustrated raised position to properly configure the upper portion of the modified damper mass 38' for selective engagement with the support disc assembly 32 as previously described. In this illustrated position, the system is at rest with no tension in the cable 42 .

An example of the device 20' of the previous figures is shown in Figures 15 and 16 in an actuated state where tension has been applied to the cable 42 causing the carriage 26' to move downwardly towards the bottom of the frame 22. This action increases the engagement between the pulley 116 on the lower portion of the modified damper block 38" and the lower frame member 124 of the carriage 26' only for those engaged damper blocks 38" that are attached to their corresponding discs in the disc assembly 32. distance between. The non-engaging modified damping blocks 38' are not attached to their respective disks of the disk assembly 32, and the non-engaging blocks follow it when the carriage 26' moves away from the disk assembly 32 because they can be removed by the lower frame member 124. support. This lower frame member 124 functions similarly to the carriage recoil rod 76 (FIG. 5) which supports the disengaged damping mass 38'. When the carriage 26' is pulled downward by the tension on the cables 42, any one of the pulleys 116 that remain elevated moves the corresponding weight 114 upwards through the respective tight weight cables 118. The slack weight cable 118' attached to the non-rising weight 114 is slack during this process. The orientation of the pan assembly 32 selects which damper mass 38' remains elevated and which moves with the carriage, thus changing the combination between the weights 114 that are raised and those that are not when the carriage 26' moves. The combination of masses 114 lifted at any time determines the tension in the cable 42 .

In these figures, the weights 114 are shown with different sizes. This allows for different amounts of damping setpoints. For example, if Weight 1 No. 126 has a maximum mass twice that of Weight No. 2 No. 128, No. 2 has twice the mass of Weight No. 3, and this continues so that Weight No. 4 No. 132 weighs as much as Weight No. 5 No. 134 Twice, the order of the damping combination recorded with the rope can also be obtained with this weight 114 combination. This is not mandatory to the function of the device 20', but in some cases it may be desirable to provide the maximum number of damping combinations in equal increments with a minimum number of weights.

Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in Figures 17-19. The device 20" shown here has cord damping when compared to a weight, but in this embodiment both forms of damping can be used. The change is in a modified disc assembly 32'. The modified disc is shown in Figure 18 Details of the assembly 32' and the details of the interaction of the disc 136 of the pin-in-disk system are illustrated in Figure 19. Referring to the Figures, the disc assembly 32' has been modified to include a substantially flat plate 138 with one or more The pins 140 protrude from one or both sides of the plate 138. In this embodiment the pins 140 extend on both sides of the plate 138, as this is more desirable from the load carrying characteristics as opposed to cantilevered loads on only one side. Form. In some cases it may be desirable for clearance or fit reasons to have the pin 140 extend from only one side of the plate 138. That would be considered an understandable variation of the disclosed invention.

The pins 140 are similar to the disc bezel 34 of the previous embodiment 20 of the present invention. In this case the pin 140 provides the support surface required to engage the groove in the block lip 40'. The curved surface of the pin 140 can provide a buried "self-centering" or angled feature, which also helps prevent inadvertent removal of the pin 140 from the block lip 40'. The details of this engagement are shown in the following figures.

20-23, the disc assembly 32' and damping mass 38"' of the pin-in-disk system are shown in detail. The disc assembly 32' includes one or more plates 138 each mounted on the shaft 50. Each plate 138 includes one or more pins 140 protruding from the surface of the plate 138. As a versatile and economical form of manufacture, the plates 138 may be constructed of steel, aluminum, plastic or similar material and have the shaft 50 and the pins 140. A hole through which the shaft 50, the pin 140, or any combination can be press-fitted or tacked and welded or otherwise fastened into a suitable configuration, or they can be molded or cast into one part. As previously stated, Shaft gear 58 may also be disposed on shaft 50 to enable rotational actuation of disk assembly 32'. In all embodiments, shaft gear is only used when the orientation of shaft 50 is desired to be different from the orientation of the knob 82 axis. 58. The gear 58 can also be eliminated by placing the knob 82 on one or both ends of the shaft 50.

Damping block 38'' is similar in construction to the previously described embodiments of the invention, in this embodiment with modifications to the upper portion including block lip 40'. In this embodiment, block lip 40' includes a suitable receiving disc 138 and the adjacent central groove 142 through which the pin 140 passes. If the pin 140 is set in the central groove 142 and the block 38"' is moved, the upper structure of the block lip 40' will receive the pin 140 and be driven by the pin 140. The block is secured to the disc assembly 32'.

The shape of the contact area 144 of the shown block lip 40' is concave. This provides a self-centering feature for the pin 140 as it engages the block lip 40'. The dimensions of block lip 40' in many respects are subject to design variations. The offset of the center of the contact area 144 relative to the outer edge of the adjacent block lip 40' hinders separation of the pin 140 from the block 38"' when a load is applied to the block 38"', and thus also prevents the disc assembly 32' from the block 38. "' separation. This feature helps to "lock" the position of the disc assembly 32' under load conditions (rope tension, weight lift, or engagement with any other tension system), thus helping to reduce Possibility of the weight 38"' (for example) falling under load. Such a system may be incorporated in some form in all embodiments of the invention.

Another variant of the invention is shown in FIG. 24 . In this form, the carriage 26" moves slightly when the cable 42 is slightly tensioned. As noted earlier, the orientation of the carriage 26" can be changed in all embodiments of the invention. As shown here, when using the damping ropes (62, 64, 46, 68 and 66) as the damping source or any other non-gravity damping source, the orientation relative to gravity does not make any difference, although the shown carriage 26" is actuation in the vertical plane, it should be understood that this is not essential to the function of the invention and that shown here is only an example of that embodiment.

In this embodiment, it is known that the aforementioned carriage 26" is guided by four carriage rollers 28 which are hinged to the rounded edges of the vertical members 146 of the frame 22'. The rounded edges of the vertical members 146 are similar to those of FIG. Guide rails 24, via carriage rollers 28 which provide a guided support surface for the carriage 26". In this figure, the implementation relative to the previous embodiments is that the disc assembly 32 is rotatably mounted on the carriage 26". Assembly 32 moves vertically. The cords ( 62 , 64 , 46 , 68 and 66 ) are secured at one end to the slider 38 and at the other end to the lower frame member 152 by the crimp 94 as previously disclosed. The broken lower frame member 152 shows the bead 94 on the heaviest damper cord 46 . The remaining cords (62, 64, 68 and 66) will have the same fastening system in order to keep one end stationary relative to the frame 22'.

This will be the case when all 5 sliders 38 are supported by the discs connected by the disc assembly 32 and the cable 42 is tensioned by pulling the handle 148, i.e. slightly actuating the carriage 26" thus slightly tensioning the cables (62, 64 , 46, 68 and 66). Cables 42 are secured to the cross bar 154 of the carriage 26". Slide block 38 is supported by recoil rod 76' when slackening tension in cable 42 and lowering carriage 26". In this embodiment recoil rod 76' is mounted on frame 22' when the system is at rest (No tension in the cables 42) still provides support to the sliders 38, as well as any sliders 38 and associated strings (62, 64) that are not engaged with the associated disks of the disk assembly 32 when the carriage 26" is actuated. , 46, 68 and 66) are also supported. As before, the recoil bar 76' provides a bearing location for the slider 38 that is not engaged during the movement of the carriage 26" and by doing so allows the next selective engagement when the carriage 26" returns to its rest position.

In all embodiments of the invention described and shown herein, a rotationally mounted engagement mechanism (disc assembly 32) is used to selectively engage one or more blocks 38 and their corresponding damping forms, including cords 44 (Fig. 1- 8) or other elastic elements or weights 114 (Figs. 13-16). The engagement mechanism (disk assembly 32) is rotatably mounted on the frame (FIGS. 1-8 and 13-17) or rotatably mounted to the carriage (FIG. 24). In either case the disc assembly 32 enables "direct" engagement and disengagement of the blocks 38 in a non-sequential manner. The term "sequence" is defined for the purposes of this publication as "sequence from end 1 to end 2". Thus the "direct" or "non-sequential" engagement of the block 38 mounted on the heaviest cord 46 (in the middle position) with the fifth disc 48 in FIG. Adjacent block 38. This direct engagement is thus "non-sequential" in that no portion of the disc assembly 32 must first pass or engage an adjacent block 38 before the block 38 achieves connection with the desired string 46 . This direct engagement reduces the probability that a portion of the engagement mechanism will inadvertently engage a block 38 that does not need to be engaged when a sequential engagement mechanism is used. The disc assembly 32 can be actuated as a structure, thus providing all combinations of damping mentioned herein by movement of one element. This provides efficient and convenient use.

The foregoing detailed description of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the particular embodiments shown. Depending on the configuration used to implement key components of the invention, various embodiments may provide different capabilities and benefits.

Claims (40)

1. A damping system for fitness equipment, comprising: frame; Multiple damping blocks; a plurality of damping devices connected to a plurality of damping blocks; An engagement mechanism rotatably mounted for selective direct engagement with a particular damping mass of a plurality of damping masses; connecting a plurality of damping devices and carriages movable relative to the frame; and A user-linked member connected to the carriage such that movement of the carriage is resisted by damping means selectively and non-sequentially engaged by an engaging mechanism. 2. The damping system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of damping means comprises a device selected from the group consisting of weights, elastic cords, springs, air cylinders, and hydraulic cylinders. 3. The damping system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of damping means includes a means having twice the damping capacity of another damping means. 4. The damping system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of damping devices includes one device having twice the damping capacity of another device, wherein each device has a greater damping capacity than the device having the smallest damping capacity. 5. The damping system of claim 1 wherein the engaging mechanism includes a set of support discs on a common shaft rotatably mounted to the frame. 6. The damping system of claim 1 wherein the engaging mechanism includes a set of support discs on a common shaft rotatably mounted to the carriage. 7. The damping system according to claim 1, wherein the user interface member is a transmission member connected to the carriage. 8. Damping system according to claim 7, characterized in that the transmission part is a pliable part. 9. Damping system according to claim 7, characterized in that the transmission member is connected to a secondary transmission adapted to be contacted by the user, whereby the user contacts the transmission member indirectly. 10. The damping system of claim 7, wherein the second end of the transmission member includes a handle for direct user contact. 11. The damping system of claim 1, wherein the carriage is directly connected to a plurality of damping devices. 12. The damping system of claim 1, wherein the carriage selectively connects the plurality of damping devices by means of an engaging mechanism. 13. A damping system comprising: frame; Multiple damping devices; a plurality of damping blocks connected to a plurality of damping devices; Engagement mechanisms rotatably mounted for selective direct engagement with specific damping blocks; and A plurality of damping means is coupled to a carriage movable relative to the frame, the carriage including user linkage means such that movement of the carriage is resisted by the selectively and non-sequentially engaged damping means by an engaging mechanism. 14. The damping system of claim 13, wherein the user interface comprises a transmission member. 15. The damping system of claim 14, wherein the transmission member includes a first end connected to the carriage. 16. Damping system according to claim 14, characterized in that the transmission part is a pliable part. 17. Damping system according to claim 14, characterized in that the second end of the transmission member is connected to the secondary transmission system, whereby the user is in indirect contact with the second end of the transmission member. 18. The damping system of claim 14, wherein the second end of the transmission member includes a handle for direct user access. 19. The damping system of claim 13, wherein the user interface is a handle. 20. The damping system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of damping means is selected from the group consisting of weights, elastic cords, springs, air cylinders, and hydraulic cylinders. 21. The damping system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of damping means includes a means having twice the damping capacity of another damping means. 22. The damping system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of damping means includes a system having twice the damping capacity of another means, wherein each means has a greater damping capacity than the means having the least damping capacity. 23. The damper system of claim 13, wherein the engaging mechanism includes a set of support discs on a common shaft, the shaft being rotatably mounted on the frame. 24. The damper system of claim 13, wherein the engaging mechanism includes a set of support discs on a common shaft, the shaft being rotatably mounted on the carriage. 25. The damping system of claim 13, wherein the carriage is directly connected to a plurality of damping devices. 26. The damping system of claim 13, wherein the carriage is selectively coupled to the plurality of damping means by means of an engaging mechanism. 27. A damping system comprising: frame; meshing mechanism; a damping mechanism adapted for selective engagement with the engagement mechanism; and A carriage is attached to the damping mechanism, the carriage is movable relative to the frame and includes user interface means. 28. A damper system according to claim 27, wherein the engaging means comprises a set of support discs on a common shaft, the shaft being rotatably mounted on the frame. 29. The damper system of claim 27, wherein the engagement means includes a set of support discs on a common shaft, the shaft being rotatably mounted on the carriage. 30. The damping system of claim 27, wherein the user interface is a transmission member connected to the carriage. 31. The damping coefficient according to claim 30, characterized in that the transmission member is connected to a secondary transmission system suitable for user contact, whereby the user contacts the transmission member indirectly. 32. A method of providing damping for an exercise exercise device of the type comprising a frame, a plurality of damping devices, a plurality of damping blocks connected to the damping devices, rotatably mounted for selective direct engagement with specific damping blocks A method of engaging a carriage with a mechanical and user interface movable relative to the frame, the method comprising the steps of: Move the engagement mechanism to engage the selected damping mass; The carriage is actuated relative to the frame to move a portion of the damping source, thereby damping the movement of the carriage at the user interface. 33. Damping systems for exercise equipment, comprising: a carriage constrained to move relative to the support frame; a damping mechanism for damping the movement of the carriage by introducing a force opposing the movement of the carriage, the damping mechanism comprising a plurality of damping devices; and a selection mechanism comprising a plurality of engagement means each associated with a corresponding damping means for engagement therewith such that rotation of the selection mechanism causes the desired engagement means to selectively engage its corresponding damping means and thereby select against carriage movement The magnitude of the force. 34. The damping system of claim 33, wherein the carriage moves along a track connected to the frame. 35. The damping system of claim 33, wherein the plurality of damping devices are elastic cords. 36. The damping system of claim 33, wherein the plurality of damping means is a mass suspended from a portion of the carriage. 37. The damping system of claim 33, wherein the plurality of damping means is a member having elastic properties of damping deformation when a force is applied and substantially returning to an undeformed state after the force is removed. 38. The damping system of claim 33, wherein the damping means has a connector thereon and the selective mechanical engagement means engages the connector. 39. The damping system of claim 33, wherein the plurality of damping means includes a first elastic cord having a first force per unit elongation, a second elastic cord having a second force per unit elongation, and a selector mechanism The operation is to selectively resist the movement of the carriage by selectively engaging the engagement means connected to the first elastic cord, the engagement means connected to the second elastic cord, or both the engagement means connected to the first elastic cord and the second elastic cord The magnitude of the force. 40. The damping system of claim 33, wherein the plurality of damping means comprises connectors and the engagement means comprises discs having engaging members connected to the discs for simultaneous rotation, whereby rotation of the discs moves the engaging members into contact with each other. engagement of the specified connector such that a first orientation of the disc engages a first desired one of the plurality of damping means to introduce a first force against movement of the carriage and a second orientation of the disc engages a second one of the plurality of damping means The desired device engages to introduce a 2nd force against the movement of the carriage, and the 1st force is not equal to the 2nd force.

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