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US 4,047,715 AGranted
Friction type ergometer apparatus
OwnerEinar Tandberg Gjessinginventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ergometer rowing apparatus having a friction brake system. The rowing apparatus also includes a varying diameter worm pulley providing a variable speed pattern of the pulley in accord with the desired speed pattern set by the user. A free wheel gear permits rotational movement of a fly wheel in only one direction during movement of a user in only one direction when acting upon the apparatus.
Claims6
An ergometer apparatus comprising:
- a flywheel;
- means operatively connected to said flywheel for rotating said flywheel in one direction, said means being actuated by muscle power;
- a peripheral surface operatively associated with said flywheel for simultaneous rotation therewith;
- and,
- brake means for braking the rotation of said flywheel while a user is applying a force in order to resist rotation of said flywheel, said brake means including:
- a substantially stationary brake string extending in the peripheral direction of said peripheral surface and in frictional engagement therewith;
- means for providing in the rear end of said brake string, with regard to the direction of rotation of said peripheral surface, a load force S that is sufficiently large to prevent the string from rotating with the peripheral surface;
- and means for automatically providing a varying load force s on the forward end of said string in response to changes in coefficient of friction of said peripheral surface, said force s equals the value S .multidot. e.sup.-.mu..alpha. where .mu. is the coefficient of friction between the peripheral surface and the string and .alpha. is the arc of contact therebetween, so that the rotation of said peripheral surface is braked by a frictional braking force F = S - s where F has a substantially constant value, during a user's exertion on said means operatively connected to said flywheel, regardless of any variance in the coefficient of friction.
5 more elements
Ergometer apparatus comprising:
- a flywheel;
- a reciprocating actuating means reciprocated by muscle power of a user in a forward direction and a return direction;
- a force transmission means operatively coupling said actuating means during movement in its forward direction, the direction in which the flywheel rotates, to said flywheel for rotating said flywheel only in the forward direction;
- and
- brake means for applying a constant braking force to the rotation of said flywheel;
- said transmission means including a rotatable wheel coupled to said flywheel by a free wheel gear, said rotatable wheel having a peripheral engagement surface in engagement with said actuating means, said peripheral engagement surface extending in several adjacent turns, said turns successively receiving the actuating means during reciprocation of said reciprocating actuating means, said turns being arranged at varying radial distances from the rotational axis of said rotatable wheel, such distances being selected in accordance with a desired speed pattern, representative of a series of desired speeds, for each forward stroke of said reciprocating actuating means so that when said actuating means is moved in accordance with such desired speed pattern then said rotatable wheel rotates with an approximately uniform rotational movement, and said free wheel gear permitting movement of said actuating means in its return direction without affecting the rotation of said flywheel.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.