User-defined environments for exercise machine training

Abstract

A method of implementing a user-defined environment for exercise includes specifying a course route with a course development tool, and designating additional parameters associated with the course route. The course route and additional parameters support simulation of exercise on a course corresponding to the specified court route and additional parameters.

1 . A method of implementing a user-defined environment for exercise in which environmental parameters are simulated with exercise equipment, said method comprising:
 specifying a course route with a course development tool,   designating time dependent environmental parameters and spatial environmental parameters associated with said course route, in which said time dependent environmental parameters comprise at least one of air temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, sun position, and solar heat flux, and   simulating said course route with said exercise equipment, said time dependent environmental parameters being varied as time progresses and said spatial environmental parameters being varied according to a user's simulated position on said course route.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 exporting data corresponding to said course route and said time dependent environmental parameters and said spatial environmental parameters to an exercise machine; and   simulating exercise on said course using said exercise machine.   
   
   
       3 - 11 . (canceled) 
   
   
       12 . A system for creating and utilizing user-defined environments for exercise machine training comprising:
 a course development software tool stored on a computer-readable medium, said course development software tool configured to allow a user to define a course to be simulated with course parameters; said course parameters comprising time dependent environmental parameters and spatial environmental parameters, in which said time dependent environmental parameters comprise at least one of air temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, atmospheric pressure, sun position, and solar heat flux, said course development software tool being configured to export said course parameters, and   an exercise machine configured to receive said course parameters, said exercise machine being configured to simulate said course using said course parameters;   in which said time dependent environmental parameters are varied as time progresses and said spatial environmental parameters are varied according to a user's simulated position on said course route.   
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein said course development software tool further comprises a mapping module and an elevation profile. 
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein said mapping module is configured to receive waypoint data defining said course. 
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein said waypoint data includes metadata describing characteristics or actions to occur at said waypoint. 
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein said exercise machine is further configured to take action based on said metadata associated with a waypoint as said user passes said waypoint. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein said course development software tool further comprises a weather module configured to retrieve at least a portion of said time dependent environmental parameters from an external weather database. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein said weather module is configured to obtain historical or current weather parameters associated with said course. 
   
   
       19 - 20 . (canceled) 
   
   
       21 . A system for creating and utilizing user-defined environments for exercise machine training comprising:
 a course development software tool stored on a computer-readable medium, said course development software tool configured to allow a user to define a course by entering or importing waypoint data, said waypoint data defining said course, said software tool being configured to allow said user to associate metadata with a waypoint, said metadata comprising course information, identification of physical facilities along said course, image data, video data, or audio data;   wherein said course development software tool further comprises a mapping module, an elevation profile, and a weather module; said weather module configured to allow the retrieval of historical or current weather data, said weather data comprising one or more of: temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, precipitation, and pressure.   wherein said course development software tool is further configured to export course data, said course data comprising said waypoint data, said metadata, and said weather data;   an exercise machine configured to receive said course data, said exercise machine being configured to simulate said course using said course data.   
   
   
       22 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising designating a historical date which said user-defined environment will recreate. 
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising retrieving said time dependent environmental parameters over said course route for said historical date. 
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising designating a future date which said user-defined environment will create, said course development tool using predicted values of said time dependent environmental parameters. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 1 , in which said time dependent environmental parameters comprise air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and wind direction. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , in which said time dependent environmental parameters further comprise sun position and solar heat flux. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising calculating a velocity vector of a user exercising within said user-defined environment, said velocity vector being used to calculate wind velocity, wind direction, and solar flux relative to said user. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising monitoring biological parameters which measure a user's physical performance during said simulation over said specified course route, said biological parameters including at least one of: percent of VO2 Max, Lactic acid, and blood oxygen. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising displaying said biological parameters on a graph against at least one of: elapsed time or elapsed distance. 
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 28 , further comprising recording said biological parameters and storing said biological parameters for later comparison. 
   
   
       31 . The method of  claim 1 , in which said spatial environmental parameters include side-to-side inclination of said specified course route. 
   
   
       32 . The method of  claim 1 , in which said spatial environmental parameters include elevation over said course, said elevation being displayed on a graph which shows elevation as a function of distance over said specified course route, in which said user's progress through said specified course route is configured to be marked on said elevation graph.