TREADMILL WITH SAFETY MONITORING FUNCTION AND SAFETY MONITORING METHOD FOR TREADMIL

A treadmill with a safety warning function includes a miming unit, a driving unit, a detection unit and a control unit. The running unit includes a driving roller and a running belt provided for a runner to stand thereon. The detection unit includes a camera arranged at a predefined height range on top of the running belt for photographing images. The control unit determines a height of the runner based on the images photographed. The safety monitoring method for the treadmill includes obtaining an image above the running belt and determining whether the height of the runner is greater than the predefined height. By determining whether the height of the runner is greater than the predefined height, it is able to determine whether the driving roller can be driven by the driving unit to rotate, thereby preventing the hazard of accidental activation by a child of insufficient height.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention is related to an exercise equipment, and in particular, to a treadmill with a safety monitoring function and a safety monitoring method for a treadmill.

2. Description of Related Art

As people value heath more seriously nowadays, a lot of people install a treadmill at their own homes, such that they are able to use the treadmill to perform exercise at home regardless of the outdoor weather condition.

However, in comparison to gym, the home environment is relatively more complicated to ensure safe operation of the equipment. For example, in the event that a child at home activates the treadmill without adult supervision, or the treadmill is accidentally activated, injury may occur under such a situation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an objective of the present invention is to provide a treadmill with a safety monitoring function capable of preventing accidental activation by a child.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide a safety monitoring method for a treadmill capable of preventing accidental activation by a child.

To achieve the objectives, the present invention provides a treadmill with a safety monitoring function, allowing a runner to stand and run thereon. The treadmill with a safety monitoring function comprises a running unit, a driving unit, a detection unit, and a control unit.

The running unit comprises a base, two side rails arranged spaced apart from each other and extending rearward from the base, a driving roller and a driven roller pivotally installed between the side rails, and a running belt arranged between the side rails and mounted on the driving roller and the driven roller and provided for the runner to stand and run thereon. A front-rear direction is defined along an extension direction of each one of the side rails.

The driving unit is arranged on the base and is configured to drive the driving roller to rotate in order to drive the running belt to rotate around the driving roller and the driven roller, thereby allowing the runner to run forward along the front-rear direction on the running belt.

The detection unit comprises a camera. The camera is arranged at a predefined height range on top of the running belt for photographing, and is configured to photograph an image of the runner.

The control unit is electrically connected to the driving unit and the detection unit for transmitting signals. The control unit is able to analyze a height of the runner based on the image photographed by the camera. When the height of the runner is greater than a predefined height, the control unit controls the driving roller to be driven by the driving unit.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a safety monitoring method for a treadmill, applicable to a treadmill and a runner standing on the treadmill. The treadmill includes a running belt. The safety monitoring method for a treadmill comprises an image photographing step and an activation analysis step.

The image photographing step is to obtain an image of a predefined height range on top of the running belt of the treadmill.

The activation analysis step is to analyze whether the image obtained at the image photographing step contains the runner, and to analyze whether a height of the runner is greater than a predefined height. If the height of the runner is greater than the predefined height, and a first monitoring output is generated.

The technical effects of the present invention are as follows. Through the image photographed at the predefined height on top of the running belt, the image may be analyzed to determine whether the image contains the runner, and to determine whether the height of the runner is greater than the predefined height. Accordingly, a determination standard may be applied for determining whether the driving roller can be driven by the driving unit to rotate, thereby preventing the hazard due to accidental activation by a child of insufficient height.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Please refer toFIG.1toFIG.3, showing a treadmill with a safety monitoring function according to an embodiment of the present invention, allowing a runner9to stand and run thereon. The treadmill with a safety monitoring function comprises a running unit1, a driving unit2, a detection unit3, an input unit4and a control unit5. The input unit4can be operated to input a command. The command is related to an activation information.

The running unit1comprises a base11, two side rails12arranged spaced apart from each other and extending rearward from the base11, a driving roller13and a driven roller14pivotally installed between the side rails12, and a running belt15pivotally installed between the side rails12and mounted on the driving roller13and the driven roller14and provided for the runner9to stand thereon, two handrails16extended upward from the side rails12, and a front base17connected between the handrails16and located on top of a front end of the running belt15. A front-rear direction X is defined along an extension direction of each one of the side rails12.

In this embodiment, the driving roller13is located at the front side, and the driven roller14is located at the rear side. However, the present invention is not limited to such configuration.

The driving unit2is arranged on the base11and is configured to drive the driving roller13to rotate in order to drive the running belt15to rotate around the driving roller13and the driven roller14, thereby allowing the runner9to run forward along the front-rear direction X on the running belt15.

The detection unit3comprises a camera31. The camera31is arranged at a predefined height range above the running belt15for photographing, and is configured to photograph an image of the runner9. In this embodiment, the camera31is arranged on the front base17and is configured to photograph rearward in order to photograph the image of the runner9. In this embodiment, the predefined height range is between 140 cm and 190 cm; however, the present invention is not limited to such range.

The control unit5is electrically connected to the driving unit2, the input unit4and the detection unit3for transmitting signals.

The control unit5is able to analyze a height of the runner9based on the image photographed by the camera31. In this embodiment, the control unit5is able to analyze a head position of the runner9based on the image photographed by the camera31and to analyze the height of the runner9based on the head position of the runner9.

When the height of the runner9is greater than a predefined height, the control unit5controls the driving roller13to be driven by the driving unit2. In addition, when the height of the runner9is not greater than the predefined height, it is able to control the driving roller13to prevent it from being driven by the driving unit2. In this embodiment, the predefined height range is 150 cm, however the present invention is not limited to such height.

The control unit5is configured to continuously analyze a change of the height of the runner9based on the image photographed by the camera, and to control the driving unit2and to control a rotational speed of the driving roller13when a maximum height change of the runner9within a predefined time is greater than a predefined height difference. In this embodiment, the predefined time is 5 seconds, and the predefined height difference is 30 cm, however the present invention is not limited to such height.

Please refer toFIG.1,FIG.4andFIG.5, during the actual application, the treadmill with a safety monitoring function can cooperate with a safety monitoring method for a treadmill to perform monitoring. The safety monitoring method for a treadmill comprises an image photographing step S1, an activation analysis step S2and a falling analysis step S3.

The image photographing step S1is to obtain an image within the predefined height range on top of the running belt of the treadmill15.

The activation analysis step S2is to analyze whether the image obtained at the image photographing step S1containing the runner9, and to analyze whether a height of the runner9is greater than the predefined height. If the height of the runner9is greater than the predefined height, a first monitoring output is generated.

In this embodiment, the activation analysis step S2is to analyze whether the image obtained contains an object, and then to analyze whether a head portion of the object in the image can be identified. Next, the head position of the runner9is determined, following which the height of the runner9is determined based on the head position of the runner9.

The falling analysis step S3is to continuously analyze a height change of the runner9based on the image obtained in the image photographing step S1, and to generate a second monitoring output when a maximum height change of the runner9within the predefined time is greater than the predefined height difference.

When the runner9uses the treadmill with a safety monitoring function and inputs the command via the input unit4such that the running belt15is expected to be activated for rotation, the control unit5executes the image photographing step S1and the activation analysis step S2first.

When the first monitoring output is generated in the activation analysis step S2(meaning that the height of the runner9is greater than the predefined height), the control unit5is able to control the driving roller13to be driven by the driving unit2(such as: allowing the driving unit2to be electrically conducted), thereby allowing the running belt15to rotate.

When no first monitoring output is generated in the activation analysis step S2(meaning that the height of the runner9is not greater than the predefined height), the control unit5is able to control the driving roller13to prevent it from being driven by the driving unit2(such as preventing electrical conduction of the driving unit2), such that even the runner9has inputted the command via the input unit4, the running belt15still cannot be driven to rotate. Accordingly, it is able to prevent accidental activation of the treadmill with a safety monitoring function by a child of insufficient height.

In addition, during the rotation of the running belt15, the control unit5is able to execute the image photographing step S1and the falling analysis step S3.

When the falling analysis step S3generates the second monitoring output (meaning that the maximum height change of the runner9within the predefined time is greater than the predefined height difference), it means that the runner9might have fallen down. Accordingly, the control unit5is able to control the driving unit2to control the rotational speed of the driving roller13, in order to reduce the rotational speed of the driving roller13and to stop it gradually, or allow the driving roller13to stop immediately, thereby preventing the runner9from being caught in the gap between the running belt15and one of the side rails12due to continuous movement of the running belt15.

Accordingly, through the image photographed at the predefined height on top of the running belt15, the image can be analyzed to determine whether the image contains the runner9, and to determine whether the height of the runner9is greater than the predefined height. As a result, it can be used as a determination standard for determining whether the driving roller13can be driven by the driving unit2to rotate, thereby preventing the hazard due to accidental activation by a child of insufficient height.

It shall be noted that in this embodiment, the camera31is arranged at the front base17, and is configured to photograph rearward in order to photograph the image of the runner9. However, the present invention is not limited to such configuration only, In another embodiment, the camera31can also be arranged at other locations, such as the arrangement on a wall8as shown inFIG.6, and as long as the camera31is able to photograph image of the predefined height on top of the running belt15for providing the image for analyzing whether the height of the runner9is greater than the predefined height in order to achieve the same purpose, such arrangement is considered acceptable and within the scope of the present invention.

In view of the above, for the treadmill with a safety monitoring function and the safety monitoring method for a treadmill of the present invention, through the image photographed at the predefined height above the running belt15, the image can be analyzed to determine whether the image contains the runner9, and to determine whether the height of the runner9is greater than the predefined height. Accordingly, it can be used a determination standard for determining whether the driving roller13can be driven by the driving unit2to rotate, thereby preventing the hazard due to accidental activation by a child of insufficient height. As a result, it is able to achieve the objectives of the present invention.

It shall be understood that the above description is provided to illustrate the possible embodiments of the present invention only, and it shall not be treated as limitation to the implementation scope of the present invention. All mere and equivalent changes and modifications made based on the scope of the claims and the content of the specification of the present invention shall be considered to be within the scope of the claims of the present invention.