Position sensor on a treadmill
View Patent ↗A treadmill system includes a deck, an endless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck, a position sensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on the tread belt, and a control module that adjusts a speed of the tread belt in response to an output of the position sensor.
1. A treadmill system, comprising:
a deck;
an endless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck;
a position sensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on the tread belt; and
a control module that adjusts a speed of the tread belt in response to an output of the position sensor, wherein the control module determines whether the user is on foot or on a bicycle in response to the output of the position sensor.
2. The treadmill system of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor comprises a tether attachable to the user or a bicycle.
3. The treadmill system of claim 2 , wherein the tether is wound in a reel.
4. The treadmill system of claim 2 , wherein the position sensor detects a displacement of the tether.
5. The treadmill system of claim 2 , wherein the position sensor detects a tension on the tether.
6. The treadmill system of claim 5 , wherein the control module adjusts the speed of the tread belt in response to the tension.
7. The treadmill system of claim 1 , wherein the position sensor comprises a wireless transceiver that receives a wireless signal when the user or a bicycle is on the tread belt, wherein the control module determines the position of the user or the bicycle relative to the tread belt in response to a signal received with the wireless transceiver.
8. The treadmill system of claim 7 , wherein the wireless signal comprises the position of the user or the bicycle.
9. The treadmill system of claim 7 , wherein the wireless signal comprises a gear setting of the bicycle.
10. The treadmill system of claim 1 , wherein the control module determines a type of exercise performed on the tread belt in response to a vertical position of the user sensed with the position sensor.
11. The treadmill system of claim 1 , wherein the control module determines an amount of work performed by the user based at least in part on a type of exercise performed by the user.
12. The treadmill system of claim 1 , wherein the control module adjusts the speed of the tread belt more slowly when the user is performing a cycling exercise than when the user is performing a foot exercise.
13. A treadmill system, comprising:
a deck;
an endless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck;
a position sensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on the tread belt; and
a processor and memory, wherein the memory comprises programmed instructions executable by the processor to:
adjust a speed of the tread belt based on an output of the position sensor;
determine whether the user is on foot or on a bicycle based on the output of the position sensor; and
determine an amount of work performed by the user based at least in part on whether the user is on foot or on a bicycle.
14. The treadmill system of claim 13 , wherein the programmed instructions are executable by the processor to adjust the speed of the tread belt more slowly when the user is performing a cycling exercise than when the user is performing foot exercise.
15. The treadmill system of claim 13 , wherein the position sensor comprises a tether attachable to the user or the bicycle.
16. The treadmill system of claim 15 , wherein the tether wound in a reel.
17. The treadmill system of claim 15 , wherein the position sensor detects a displacement of the tether.
18. A treadmill system, comprising:
a deck;
an endless tread belt covering at least a portion of the deck;
a position sensor that senses a position of a user when the user is on the tread belt;
wherein the position sensor includes a tether attachable to the user or a bicycle that is wound in a reel, and the position sensor detects a displacement of the tether; and
a processor and memory, wherein the memory comprises programmed instructions executable by the processor to:
adjust a speed of the tread belt based on an output of the position sensor;
determine whether the user is on foot or on the bicycle based on the output of the position sensor;
determine the work performed by the user based at least in part on whether the user is on foot or on a bicycle; and
adjust the speed of the tread belt more slowly when the user is performing a cycling exercise than when the user is performing foot exercise.