Motorized fitness wheel
Systems and methods disclosed herein concern a motorized fitness wheel. The fitness wheel includes a wheel that rotates about an axle with two handles that extend outward from respective sides of the wheel along the rotational axis. In use, the user grasps the handles with their hands and rolls the wheel back and forth along the floor. A motor is configured to apply a torque to the wheel in either forward or backward direction to apply resistance or assistance and enhance the exercise. A position sensor feeds positional information of the motor to a microcontroller. Based on the positional information, the microcontroller dynamically controls the output torque of the motor as a function of one or more torque trajectories. The torque trajectories define the output torque of the motor over a cycle of the exercise as a function a spatial variable (e.g., wheel position) and/or time.
1 . A motorized exercise wheel for performing an exercise having at least one cycle in which a user rolls the wheel along a surface in a forward direction from an approximate resting position to an extended position and then rolls the wheel along the surface in a backward direction from the extended position toward the resting position thus forming the cycle, the motorized exercise wheel comprising:
a wheel assembly including a surface-contacting element, the surface-contacting element being configured to contact the surface and rotate about an axle in either a forward rotational direction or a backward rotational direction and thereby roll along the surface in either the forward or backward direction, the wheel assembly comprising a first hubcap on a first side of the wheel assembly and a second hubcap on a second side of the wheel assembly opposite the first side;
a first and second handle configured to receive each hand of a user, the first and second handle extending outward from the sides of the wheel assembly, wherein the first handle extends outward from the first hubcap and on the first side of the wheel and wherein the second handle extends outward from the second hubcap and on the second side of the wheel;
a motor coupled to the wheel assembly and configured to apply an output torque to the surface-contacting element in either the forward rotational direction or the backward rotational direction;
a microcontroller comprising one or more processors and being configured to control the output torque of the motor;
a first sensor in communication with the microcontroller and usable by the microcontroller to determine a movement variable of the exercise wheel; and
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium accessible by the microcontroller, wherein the microcontroller is further configured to control the output torque of the motor over the exercise cycle as a function of the determined movement variable; and
a user interface in operative communication with the microcontroller and configured to receive a user input indicative of one or more of a plurality of exercise parameters, the user interface comprising a rotational selector dial that is mounted to the first handle or first hubcap and disposed adjacent to the first hubcap and that is rotatable about the first handle between a plurality of rotational positions that correspond respectively to the plurality of exercise parameters,
wherein the microcontroller is configured to control the output torque of the motor based on the received user input indicating the one or more exercise parameters.
2 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , further comprising a second sensor in operative communication with the microcontroller, the second sensor being configured to measure information representing the output torque of the motor, wherein the second sensor is arranged to feed back the measured information to the microcontroller, and wherein the microcontroller is configured to control the output torque of the motor as a function of the measured output torque of the motor.
3 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 2 , wherein the second sensor comprises a current sensor or a voltage sensor.
4 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is configured to monitor the movement variable to detect an occurrence of a prescribed condition and, in response to detecting the occurrence, control the output torque of the motor over a portion of the exercise cycle based on a torque profile in combination with a supplemental torque event, wherein the supplemental torque event defines the target output torque for the portion of the exercise cycle as a function of the movement variable.
5 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor comprises a plurality of hall effect sensors.
6 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of exercise parameters includes an exercise mode and a difficulty level, the exercise mode including a resistance mode or an assistance mode,
wherein in the assistance mode the microcontroller controls the output torque of the motor so as to make the exercise easier for the user, and
wherein in the resistance mode the microcontroller controls the output torque of the motor so as to make the exercise more difficult for the user.
7 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is configured to generate a first torque trajectory in the forward direction and a second torque trajectory in the backward direction, wherein the first and second torque trajectories are different.
8 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is configured to generate a boost in the output torque at a point in the exercise.
9 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is configured to generate haptic feedback to the user.
10 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein LED lights are used to provide visual feedback to the user before, during, or after the exercise.
11 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein the first and second handles are in a fixed relation to the axle.
12 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , further comprising:
a wrist support assembly including:
an inner member having a first end thereof joined in a fixed relation to a portion of the first handle proximate to the first hubcap, wherein the inner member extends in a radial direction away from the first handle to a free end thereof,
an outer member having a first end thereof joined in a fixed relation to a portion of the first handle proximate to a free end of the first handle, wherein the outer member extends in the radial direction away from the first handle to a free end thereof, and
a wrist support member fixed to and extending transversely between the free end of the inner member and the free of the outer member, wherein the wrist support member is formed to define a central opening through which the user can insert their hand and arm to grasp the first handle.
13 . The motorized exercise wheel of claim 1 , wherein the motor includes a stator and a rotor, and wherein the first and second handles and the stator have a rotary inertia that is smaller than a rotary inertia of the rotor and the wheel assembly such that upon release of the first and second handles by the user during the exercise, the first and second handles spin while the wheel assembly remains substantially in place.
14 . A method of operating a motorized exercise wheel for performing an exercise having at least one cycle in which a user rolls the wheel along a surface in a forward direction from an approximate resting position to an extended position and then rolls the wheel along the surface in a backward direction from the extended position toward the resting position, thus forming the cycle, the wheel having a wheel assembly including a surface contacting element, an electric motor coupled to the wheel assembly, first and second handles extending from the wheel assembly for handling by the user wherein the first handle extends outward from a first hubcap and on a first side of the wheel and the second handle extends outward from a second hubcap on a second side of the wheel, a microcontroller and a user interface in operative communication with the microcontroller, the method, performed by the microcontroller, comprising:
determining, using a first sensor, a movement variable concerning movement of the exercise wheel during the exercise cycle, the movement variable being determined with the first sensor throughout the at least one exercise cycle,
receiving, by the microcontroller from the user interface, a user input indicative of one or more of a plurality of exercise parameters, wherein the user interface includes a rotational selector dial that is mounted to the first handle or first hubcap and disposed adjacent to the first hubcap and that is rotatable about the first handle between a plurality of rotational positions that correspond respectively to the plurality of exercise parameters;
determining; a target output torque for the motor based at least in part on the determined movement variable and based on the received user input indicating the one or more exercise parameters; and
controlling an output torque of the motor over the exercise cycle as a function of the target output torque.