Linear-response resistance system for exercise equipment

Abstract

A system for adjusting the resistance sensed by a user of a piece of exercise equipment. A pivotally mounted arm has at least one resistance magnet mounted thereto, and an adjustment actuator varies the proximity of the at least one resistance magnet to a resistance member of the piece of exercise equipment. The system provides a substantially linear relationship between the positional adjustment of the adjustment actuator and the resistance sensed by the user.

1 . A system for adjusting the resistance sensed by a user of a piece of exercise equipment, said system comprising: 
 a magnetically permeable resistance member and at least one magnet separated by a magnetic distance;    an adjustment actuator having a plurality of resistance settings comprising at least a high-resistance setting, a medium-resistance setting, and a low-resistance setting; and    means for changing the magnetic distance a greater amount upon shifting the adjustment actuator between the low-resistance setting and the medium-resistance setting, and changing the magnetic distance a lesser amount upon shifting the adjustment actuator between the medium-resistance setting and the high-resistance setting.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the means for changing the magnetic distance comprises a pivotal carrier arm and at least one cable coupled to said pivotal carrier arm.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the means for changing the magnetic distance comprises a motor and a controller for generating a greater number of revolutions of said motor upon shifting the adjustment actuator between the low-resistance setting and the medium-resistance setting, and a lesser number of revolutions of said motor upon shifting the adjustment actuator between the medium-resistance setting and the high-resistance setting.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the adjustment actuator and the means for changing the magnetic distance comprise a manual knob having indexed positions corresponding to the high-resistance setting, the medium-resistance setting, and the low-resistance setting.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the magnetically permeable resistance member comprises a flywheel having at least an outer surface with a high degree of magnetic permeability.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one magnet is carried on a pivotally mounted arm.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one magnet comprises a plurality of permanent magnets positioned along the pivotally mounted arm.  
     
     
         8 . An exercise apparatus comprising at least one energy input mechanism for activation by a user, and a resistance system for varying a user-perceived degree of resistance to activation of the at least one energy input mechanism, the resistance system comprising an actuation mechanism having a plurality of resistance settings, each of said plurality of resistance settings corresponding to one of a plurality of resistance levels, and wherein the user-perceived degree of resistance to activation of the at least one energy input mechanism varies in substantially equal increments between each sequential resistance setting of the actuation mechanism.  
     
     
         9 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said resistance system further comprises at least one magnet and at least one magnetically attracted member, and wherein the at least one magnet moves relative to the at least one magnetically attracted member in response to a change in the resistance setting of the actuation mechanism.  
     
     
         10 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein a spacing between the at least one magnet and the at least one magnetically attracted member varies non-linearly between sequential resistance settings of the actuation mechanism.  
     
     
         11 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said actuation mechanism comprises a controller for varying a number of rotations of a motor generated by a change between each sequential resistance setting.  
     
     
         12 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said actuation mechanism is coupled to a variable intermediate linkage for non-linearly varying an output of said resistance system.  
     
     
         13 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 11 , wherein the variable intermediate linkage comprises a pivotal carrier arm coupled to a cable.  
     
     
         14 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein said actuation mechanism is coupled to a variable intermediate linkage for non-linearly varying an output of said resistance system in response to a change of resistance settings, and means for applying a non-linear variation to an input to the variable intermediate linkage between each sequential resistance setting.  
     
     
         15 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein said means for applying a non-linear variation to the input comprises a motor controller for varying a number of rotations of a motor in response to a change between each sequential resistance setting.  
     
     
         16 . The exercise apparatus of  claim 14 , wherein said means for applying a non-linear variation to the input comprises a manual adjustor having non-linear spacing between each sequential resistance setting.  
     
     
         17 . A method of varying resistance to user activation of an exercise apparatus, said method comprising generating a substantially equal variation in a level of resistance generated by said exercise apparatus between each of a plurality of sequential resistance settings.  
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the exercise apparatus comprises a magnetic resistance system having first and second magnetically-attracted members separated a distance from one another, and wherein the level of resistance generated by the magnetic resistance system varies relative to the distance of separation between the first and second magnetically-attracted members according to a first non-linear relationship, said method comprising generating variation of the distance of separation between the first and second magnetically-attracted members between sequential resistance settings according to a second non-linear relationship that is substantially inverse to the first non-linear relationship.  
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the substantially equal variation in the level of resistance generated by said exercise apparatus between each of the plurality of sequential resistance settings is generated by non-linear variation of an input to a resistance-adjustment mechanism.  
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the non-linear variation of the input to the resistance-adjustment mechanism comprises actuation of a motor to generate a varying number of motor revolutions upon shifting the apparatus between each sequential resistance setting.  
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the non-linear variation of the input to the resistance-adjustment mechanism comprises actuation of a manual adjustor having non-linear spacing between each sequential resistance setting.  
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the substantially equal variation in the level of resistance generated by said exercise apparatus between each of the plurality of sequential resistance settings is generated by non-linear variation of an output of a resistance-adjustment mechanism.  
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 22 , wherein the non-linear variation of the output of the resistance-adjustment mechanism is generated by actuation of a variable intermediate linkage portion of the resistance-adjustment mechanism.  
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the variable intermediate linkage portion of the resistance-adjustment mechanism comprises a pivotal carrier arm coupled to a bowden cable.