Patent ID: 7862476
Filing Date: 2011-01-04
Classification: A63B,A63F

Abstract:
1. An exercise device for simulating a human physical activity of the type involving an application of a human input force to an object resulting in acceleration of the object in a manner that is capable of being described by an equation of motion of the type that describes the acceleration of a mass under an influence of a force generated by a human in performing the activity, the exercise device comprising: a structural support; a user input member movably connected to the structural support for movement relative to the structural support to define a measured velocity that is measured during application of an input force to the input member by a user, and wherein the user input member defines a variable resistance force tending to resist movement due to input force applied by a user; a control system that utilizes a velocity difference between the measured velocity and a virtual velocity as a control input to control the resistance force on the user input member, wherein the control system is configured to continuously and rapidly recalculate the virtual velocity while an input force is being applied to the input member by a user, and wherein the control system is configured to determine the virtual velocity, at least in part, utilizing an equation of motion of the type that describes the acceleration of a mass under an influence of a force for the human physical activity being simulated and wherein the control system is configured to continuously and rapidly recalculate the velocity difference while an input force is being applied to the input member by a user such that the resistance force varies to simulate the changes in force experienced by a user due to changes in momentum of the human physical activity that is being simulated.