DEVICE INTENDED IN PARTICULAR FOR ATHLETIC TRAINING
The invention relates to a device particularly intended for sports training, for example for cycling competitions. The device comprises an exercise system with which a sportsman engages so as to generate a fictitious movement at a certain speed, according to a certain positioning angle. A database is provided in the form of an optical record concerning said movement. Said database contains images of the landscape surrounding the movement and also stores positioning information (climbing/downhill) for determining said positioning along the entire movement.
The present invention relates to a device intended in particular for athletic training, the device comprising an exercise system on which an athlete acts in order to generate fictitious movement at a certain speed and with a certain positioning.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis type of device finds major applications in facilitating the training of athletes and more particularly bicycle training for which the exercise system is based on a set of pedals driving a flywheel.
Naturally, the invention may be applied to any other sort of training, such as for example running races, where the exercise system then consists in an endless belt running at a speed that is a function of the movements of the runner. Another application lies in training rowers for a boat. Under such circumstances, the moving system consists in handles simulating oars that a rower needs to operate in order to move the boat.
Such a device is described in EP patent no. 1 813 313.
In that device, the athlete sees a landscape in which the athlete is moving. Nevertheless, that patent document does not present all of the conditions of realism that are desirable for good training.
OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention proposes a device of the kind mentioned in the introduction that provides additional conditions for making training effective.
In accordance with the invention, the device specified in the introduction is remarkable in that it includes a database relating to said movement, and in which there is inserted positioning data for determining said positioning.
Thus, the invention enables the athlete to take up different positions that are to be encountered in reality and thus enables the athlete to exercise muscles in different ways.
The following description and the accompanying drawings, given by way of non-limiting example, make it understood how the invention can be implemented. In the drawings:
In the figures, elements in common are all given the same references in all of the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONIn
In accordance with an aspect of the invention, it is proposed to modify the position of the frame. There can be seen a so-called “tilted” or “elevated” position for simulating a sloping path; as happens when the athlete is going up or down a hill, or even is pedaling on a level road.
To achieve this, a first ball joint mechanism 30 is provided that is situated at a junction point between the tubes 18 and 16, and a second ball joint mechanism 32 is provided that is situated at a junction point between the tubes 17 and 18. A raising and lowering mechanism 35 acts on the ball joint 32 to move it vertically. In
A control system 55 governs the operation of the device 1 of the invention. This system uses as input parameters:
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- a previously-filmed film of a landscape in which the athlete is supposed to be traveling. The film is recorded on an optically-etched medium that is read in a reader 57. Data about slopes and/or constraints is also recorded on this medium; and
- an indication of speed or an indication of distance supplied by a speed/distance meter 60 that serves to control the movement of the landscape.
In return, on the basis of this data, the system delivers:
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- commands to the device 35 for simulating a slope;
- commands to the constraint device 50 either for simulating slopes or for graduating the forces that the athlete seeks to deliver; and
- commands for moving the landscape on the display screen 25 as a function of the virtual movement of the bike.
The system 55 also contains an interrupt generator 115 that provides interrupt pulses to the processor 100 so as to enable it to run the same program each time an interrupt occurs. The program accesses the data contained in the optical medium of the reader 57 in order to act on the behavior of the device of the invention. It needs to be executed at a frequency that is greater than or equal to the frequency of the filmed images of the landscape.
The operation of the device is shown diagrammatically by the flowchart of
The program starts, in box0, as soon as an interrupt signal appears. The first task, in box2, consists in analyzing the content of the speed meter. The value of the speed is used to deduce the distance DST (box K4) traveled since the preceding interrupt. This distance as calculated in this way serves to increment, in box6, a distance meter for use in determining the indexing counter of the AVI file. Thus, in box8, it is possible to take the image from the optical media reader 57 together with the other data that is associated therewith. Box K10 represents the processing of this data and delivery of commands to the various components of the device. Although some data does not require any particular processing, slope data must be processed in order to act on the brake 50 and on the raising and lowering mechanism 35. In particular, a zero slope corresponds to a certain position and a certain level of constraint, such that when going downhill all the constraint is released and the position is lowered. When going uphill, the level of constraint is therefore increased and the position is raised. The program is then stopped, in box12.
The content of the constraint data contained in CSTR may provide additional conditions, e.g. for representing soft ground that requires greater effort on the part of the athlete.
The AVI files are recorded using a high definition camera and at a fast rate so that when traveling slowly the images do not appear jerkily. The soundtrack is advantageously used for recording other data and in particular altitude data that is taken from a GPS device or more simply from a pressure-type altimeter.
Claims
1. A device intended in particular for athletic training, the device comprising an exercise system on which an athlete acts in order to generate fictional movement at a certain speed and with a certain positioning, wherein the device includes a database relating to said movement, and in which there is inserted positioning data for determining said positioning along the movement.
2. The A device intended in particular for athletic training according to claim 1, wherein characterized in that said positioning is an elevation angle.
3. The device intended in particular for athletic training according to claim 1, wherein in that said exercise system can vary under the efforts of the athlete depending on positioning in terms of lean angle.
4. The device intended in particular for athletic training according to claim 1, wherein the device includes a display screen for showing landscape images illustrating said movement, and a circuit for measuring said speed, wherein the database contains landscape images relating to said positioning data, and wherein the device further includes a landscape movement circuit for taking these images in order to cause them to move on said display screen at a rate that is a function of measurements provided by said speed measurement circuit.
5. The device intended in particular for athletic training according to claim 4, wherein the databank includes effort data associated with said images for controlling a constraint mechanism acting on the exercise system.
6. The device intended in particular for athletic training according to claim 5, wherein the constraint mechanism consists in a brake.
7. The device intended in particular for athletic training according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the exercise system consists in an endless belt.
8. The device intended in particular for athletic training according to claim 1, wherein the exercise system consists in a training bike having a set of pedals acting on a flywheel.
9. The device intended in particular for athletic training according to claim 8, wherein a constraint mechanism acts like a brake on said flywheel.
10. A method of establishing landscape movements implemented in the device according to claim 4, which method involves:
- taking images along the itinerary from which the landscape is seen;
- inserting effort data at least for some of the images of said moving landscape; and
- inserting positioning data.
11. The method according to claim 10, wherein t the images are taken at a fast rate.
Type: Application
Filed: Oct 18, 2010
Publication Date: Nov 29, 2012
Inventor: Felix Touret (Vincennes)
Application Number: 13/503,318