Exercise treadmill with selectable running surface
An exercise treadmill includes a frame, an endless belt, and a motor assembly for guiding the belt between front and rear ends of the frame while a user walks or runs on the belt. An impact absorbing assembly is supported beneath a region of the treadmill belt impacted by the user's feet when the user walks or runs on the belt. The assembly has physical properties that serve to define degrees of damping or springiness of the belt in the region impacted by the user. A control system including a user interface is coupled to the absorbing assembly, and the system is configured and operative to vary the physical properties of the assembly in response to an output from the user interface. The region of treadmill belt impacted by the user's feet then simulates a desired one of a number of different surfaces entered by the user on the interface.
1. An exercise treadmill, comprising:
an elongated frame;
a treadmill belt;
a motor assembly supported by the frame and operative to guide the treadmill belt to travel between front and rear ends of the frame while a user's feet impact a certain region of the belt when the user walks or runs on the belt;
an impact absorbing assembly supported by the frame beneath the region of the treadmill belt impacted by the user's feet when the user walks or runs on the belt, and the assembly has physical properties that serve to define degrees of damping or springiness of the belt in said region; and
a control system coupled to the impact absorbing assembly and including a user interface, wherein the control system is configured and operative to vary the physical properties of the impact absorbing assembly in response to an output from the user interface, and the region of the treadmill belt impacted by the user's feet simulates a desired one of a number of different surfaces entered by the user on the interface;
the impact absorbing assembly comprises a number of elongated air springs or cylinders, a top plate and a base plate, and the top plate is suspended above the base plate at each corner of the top plate by a pair of the air springs or cylinders; and
wherein each pair of air springs or cylinders are angularly offset from perpendicular to either the base plate or the top plate, so that sides of the top plate absorb impact forces transmitted to the top plate from the treadmill belt in both vertical and horizontal directions.
2. The exercise treadmill according to claim 1 , wherein the impact absorbing assembly comprises a flexible sheet of a relatively low friction material supported beneath the treadmill belt for direct contact with the belt as the belt runs over the assembly.
3. The exercise treadmill according to claim 1 , wherein the impact absorbing assembly comprises at least one air pressure regulator.