CN106994224A - Sports machine - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a motion machine, which comprises one or more image capture units, two recognition backgrounds, and a processing unit. The one or more image capture units continuously capture images of a user shielding the recognition background. The processing unit analyzes the images in real time to control the motion machine. The technical solution provided by the present invention has the advantages of improving the accuracy and reliability of analysis, increasing the variation of operation, and reducing the production cost.

Description

exercise machine

technical field

The invention relates to an exercise machine, in particular to an automatically controllable treadmill.

Background technique

Due to the busy life, modern people generally lack exercise. Because of its simplicity and efficiency, running has become the sport of choice for many people.

Existing known treadmills, such as Taiwan patent I468200, disclose a kind of rehabilitation treadmill, which mainly arranges a plurality of pace sensors on both sides of the running belt. When the patient performs rehabilitation exercises by running the running belt, the pace The sensor will sense the patient's footsteps and generate a start signal and a stop signal to the console, and the console will control the running belt to start and stop according to the start signal and stop signal, so that repeated operations can effectively achieve rehabilitation. effect.

However, in order to detect the position of the user's feet, multiple groups of infrared sensors must be installed on both sides of the running belt. To obtain the precise position of the user's feet, the number of infrared sensors must be sufficient. Installing multiple sets of infrared sensors is not easy and expensive. In addition, the user may accidentally step on the infrared sensor, or the infrared sensor may be damaged by vibration caused by running.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention relates to an exercise machine, in particular to an automatically controllable treadmill. The technical problem to be solved is to improve the analysis accuracy and reliability of the motion machine, increase the variation of operation, and reduce the production cost, so that it is more suitable for practical use.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an exercise machine includes a running belt, two recognition backgrounds, at least one image capturing unit, and at least one processing unit. The running belt is for the user to walk or run on. The two identification backgrounds are respectively arranged on two sides of the running belt. The at least one image capture unit is corresponding to the running belt and is set on the exercise machine together with the identification background, and is used for capturing images of the user covering each identification background. The processing unit is connected to the image capture unit for analyzing the image captured by the image capture unit to obtain the user's position change, and controls the treadmill according to the user's position change.

In one embodiment, the processing unit obtains the position and change of the user's feet according to the change of the gray scale value of the pixel of the image captured by the image capture unit.

In one embodiment, each of the identifying backgrounds is one or more light sources.

In one embodiment, each of the identification backgrounds is a reflective strip.

In one embodiment, the exercise machine further includes at least two light sources, and the two light sources are respectively corresponding to one of the reflective strips, so as to respectively emit light to the corresponding reflective strips.

In one embodiment, the two recognition backgrounds are respectively located on the edges of the two sides of the running belt.

In one embodiment, two decorative strips are respectively arranged on two sides of the running belt, and the two identification backgrounds are respectively located on the sides of the two decorative strips.

In one embodiment, two standpipes are respectively located on both sides of the front of the running belt, the number of the at least one image capture unit is two, and the two image capture units are respectively arranged on the two standpipes , to respectively capture images of the corresponding recognition backgrounds.

In one embodiment, if there are two occluded areas in the captured image for identifying the background, the occluded area nearer to the front of the running belt is mainly used for analysis.

In one embodiment, the number of the at least one image capture unit is two, and the two image capture units are respectively arranged in the central area in front of the running belt to capture images of the recognition background on opposite sides respectively.

In one embodiment, the number of the at least one image capture unit is one, and the image capture unit is arranged on the front cover of the treadmill to simultaneously capture the two images whose identification backgrounds are blocked by the user.

In one embodiment, the part of the running belt for the user to run or walk includes an acceleration zone, a constant zone, and a deceleration zone. If the user's feet are in the acceleration zone over a fixed period of time, the running belt will be increased. If the user's feet exceed the proportion in the constant area within a fixed time, the speed of the running belt remains unchanged; if the user's feet exceed the proportion in the deceleration area within a fixed time, then reduce the running belt speed.

In one embodiment, the part of the running belt for the user to run or walk includes a slope increase area and a slope decrease area; if the user's feet are located in the slope increase area over a fixed period of time, then increase the slope of the running belt ; If the user's feet exceed the proportion in the slope reduction area within a fixed period of time, then reduce the slope of the running belt.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, an exercise machine includes a running belt, an identification background, at least one image capturing unit, and a processing unit. The running belt is for the user to walk or run on. The recognition background is set on the running belt. The at least one image capture unit corresponds to the running belt and is set on the exercise machine together with the identification background to capture an image in which the user covers the identification background. The processing unit is connected to the image capture unit for analyzing the image captured by the image capture unit to obtain the user's position change, and controls the treadmill according to the user's position change.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention has obvious advantages and beneficial effects. With the above technical solution, the exercise machine of the present invention has at least the following advantages: the present invention improves the analysis accuracy and reliability, increases the variation of operation, and reduces the manufacturing cost.

The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to better understand the technical means of the present invention, it can be implemented according to the contents of the description, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable , the following preferred embodiments are specifically cited below, and are described in detail as follows in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing an exercise machine according to a first (preferred) embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing an exercise machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an exercise machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing an exercise machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

5 to 7 show photos captured by the image capturing unit of the exercise machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing an exercise machine according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing an operation example of the exercise machine shown in FIG. 8 .

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an exercise machine according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an exercise machine according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an exercise machine according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Description of main component symbols]

1: Exercise machine/treadmill 2: Exercise machine/treadmill

3: Exercise machine/treadmill 4: Exercise machine/treadmill

10: Running belt 12: Identification background/reflective strip/light source

13: Riser 14: Image capture unit

15: decorative strip 16: light source

17: Cover A: Area/Acceleration Area

B: Area/Invariant area C: Area/Deceleration area

R: Area/Slope increasing area L: Area/Slope decreasing area

detailed description

Various embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below, and the accompanying drawings are used as examples. In some embodiments, the examples shown in the figures may be to scale, but in other embodiments, not necessarily to scale. In some embodiments, the same or similar reference numerals may represent the same, similar, or analogous elements and/or elements, but in some embodiments, may also represent different elements. In some embodiments, nouns describing directions, such as up, down, left, right, up, down, over, above, below, behind, in front, etc., can be interpreted literally, but in other embodiments, also Can not be interpreted literally. In addition, in order to clearly show certain elements of the present invention, some elements may be omitted in the illustrations. In the description of the specification, many specific details are provided in order to enable readers to have a more complete understanding of the present invention; however, the present invention may still be practiced under the premise of omitting some or all of these specific details.

The present invention proposes a brand new detection structure and method. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the present invention provides an exercise machine, which includes one or more image capture units, wherein each image capture unit can continuously capture multiple images including the user, and analyze the obtained images in real time. The image is used to obtain information about the user's body parts, such as the position of the feet and their changes. And according to the analyzed information, the exercise machine is controlled, and/or one or more parameters of the user are obtained.

1 and 2 are perspective views showing an exercise machine 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this preferred embodiment, the exercise machine 1 is a treadmill 1 .

1 and 2, a treadmill 1 has a running belt 10 for a user to walk or run on. At appropriate positions of the treadmill 1 , such as on the running belt 10 or on both sides of the running belt 10 , identification backgrounds 12 are respectively provided. In this embodiment, the two decorative strips 15 are respectively located on two sides of the running belt 10 , and the identification background 12 is disposed on the side of the decorative strips 15 facing the running belt 10 , but it is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, two identification backgrounds 12 are respectively arranged on the edges of the two long sides of the running belt 10 . In addition, at an appropriate position of the treadmill 1, for example, at the appropriate position of the two standpipes 13, an image capture unit 14 is respectively provided, wherein each image capture unit 14 can receive the recognition background from the opposite side (the other side) 12 light rays, and continuously capture images containing the identified background 12, such as multiple photos.

In this preferred embodiment, the image capture unit 14 includes a Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS, Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) image sensor. In another embodiment of the present invention, the image capture unit 14 includes a charge-coupled device (CCD, Charge-coupled Device).

In this preferred embodiment, the identification background 12 is a reflective strip 12 that can reflect light such as indoor light or natural light (sunlight) to the image capture unit 14 on the opposite side.

In another embodiment of the present invention, each identification background 12 may be one or more light sources 12, for example, each identification background 12 may include one or more light emitting diodes.

Fig. 3 shows an exercise machine 1, such as a treadmill 1, according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3 , in this embodiment, the treadmill 1 further includes at least two light sources 16 respectively disposed near each image capture unit 14 . The two light sources 16 can respectively emit light to the corresponding reflective strips 12 on opposite sides, and the corresponding reflective strips 12 reflect the light to the corresponding image capture unit 14 . In one embodiment, activation of the two light sources 16 is initiated by the user. In another embodiment of the present invention, the treadmill 1 has a photosensitive element (not shown) for detecting the brightness of the environment in which the treadmill is used. When the brightness of the environment in which the treadmill 1 is used is insufficient, the two light sources 16 are automatically activated. It should be noted that the two light sources 16 can also be arranged at other positions of the treadmill.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the two image capture units 14 can continuously capture images, for example, each image capture unit 14 can capture 200 pictures per second. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the captured images are sent to a processing unit (not shown) for analysis.

Wherein, each captured image or photo is composed of many pixels. The positions of the recognition background 12 and the image capturing unit 14 are fixed. The user's feet will block the light from the recognition background 12 from entering the image capture unit 14 , so that the captured continuous photos produce different changes, for example, changes in pixel grayscale values. The treadmill 1 has a processing unit (not shown), and the processing unit analyzes these photos to know the precise position and change of the user's feet.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the running belt 10 is divided into several areas, and the processing unit of the treadmill 1 analyzes the photos captured by the two image capture units 14 to determine which area the user's left and right feet are located in.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an exercise machine 1 such as a treadmill 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the part of the running belt 10 for the user to operate is divided into three areas: A, B, and C. The processing unit analyzes the photos captured by the two image capturing units 14 within a fixed time period, for example, within two seconds, to determine which area the user's feet are located. And can automatically control the treadmill 1 according to the judgment result.

5, 6, and 7 are photos, showing photos captured by an image capture unit 14 of the treadmill 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Wherein, FIG. 5 shows that the user is not standing on the running belt 10 , so the complete strip identification background 12 can be seen in the photo. FIG. 6 shows the situation when a certain foot of the user stands in area B, where the light passing through the area B is blocked by the recognition background 12, resulting in the properties of the pixels corresponding to area B in the photo, such as the gray scale value Was changed. Fig. 7 shows the situation when a certain foot of the user stands in area C, wherein the light of the recognition background 12 passing through area C is blocked by the user's feet, resulting in the properties of the pixels corresponding to area C in the photo, such as the grayscale value Was changed. Therefore, according to the photos captured by the two image capture units 14 , the processing unit can determine which area the user's two feet are mostly (eg more than 50%) located within a fixed period of time. In addition, in this embodiment, if a certain recognition background 12 is simultaneously covered by the left and right feet of the user, so that two covered blocks are displayed on the photo, the covered block near the front of the treadmill is the main one during analysis. , ignoring shadowed blocks near the back of the treadmill. In another embodiment, if a certain identification background 12 is simultaneously covered by the left and right feet of the user, so that two covered blocks are displayed on the photo, when analyzing, the covered block near the back of the treadmill is the main one. The shadowed blocks near the front of the treadmill are ignored.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the processing unit can control the motion machine according to the analysis result. For example, if the user's feet are mostly located in area A within a fixed period of time, the processing unit may increase the rotational speed of the running belt. If the user's feet are mostly located in the B area within a fixed time, no adjustment is made. If the user's feet are mostly located in the C area within a fixed time, the processing unit can reduce the rotation speed of the running belt. The adjustment of the rotational speed is carried out by a driving device (not shown). According to the embodiment of the present invention, the regions A, B and C can be respectively defined as an acceleration region, a constant region, and a deceleration region. In another embodiment of the present invention, the number of regions is not limited to three.

Referring to FIG. 4 , according to an embodiment of the present invention, the ranges of the three areas A, B, and C may be predetermined, but may also be input by the user. For example, if the length of the running belt 10 for the user to operate is 120 cm, the lengths of the three areas A, B, and C can be predetermined to be 30 cm, 50 cm, and 40 cm, respectively. Alternatively, the user can change the settings to change the length of each area, for example, change the three areas A, B, and C to 35 cm, 50 cm, and 35 cm, respectively.

FIG. 8 shows an exercise machine 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The exercise machine 1 of this embodiment, such as a treadmill 1 , further includes a lifting device (not shown), which can adjust the slope of the running belt 10 . In addition, the portion of the running belt 10 for the user to operate includes a slope increasing area and a slope decreasing area, such as the R and L areas in the figure. In one embodiment, if the user's feet exceed the ratio (such as 50%) in the slope increase area R within a fixed time, the slope of the running belt is increased; if the user's feet exceed the ratio (such as 50%) %) is located in the slope reduction area L, then reduce the slope of the running belt. As the user moves to the right or left, the angle of the blocked light will be changed, so that it can be determined which area the user's feet are located in. FIG. 9 shows an example of the operation of the treadmill 1 of FIG. 8 . For example, if the user moves to the area R, the image captured by the right image capture unit 14, the area where the recognition background 12 is covered by the user will be larger than the recognized background 12 of the image captured by the left image capture unit 14. The area covered by the user comes further back. Similarly, if the user moves towards the area L, the image captured by the right image capture unit 14 will identify the area where the background 12 is hidden by the user, compared to the image captured by the left image capture unit 14 . Areas shaded by the user come further forward. Therefore, if for a period of time, such as within 5 seconds, the difference between the front and rear positions of the masked area of the image captured by the left and right image capture unit 14 reaches a ratio of more than the length of the background 12, such as more than 10%, or 5% to 40%, it is determined that the user is moving to the area R or area L. In another embodiment of the present invention, the positions of the slope increasing region R and the slope decreasing region L can be interchanged.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an exercise machine 2 such as a treadmill 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiments lies in the location of the image capture unit 14 . In this embodiment, two identification backgrounds 12, such as reflective strips 12 or light sources 12, are respectively arranged on both sides of the running belt 10, and two image capture units 14 can be arranged in the middle near the front of the running belt 10. An area, such as around the center of the trim cover 17, is used to capture an image of the opposite side identifying the background 12. The figure also shows schematic images captured by the two image capturing units 14 . According to this embodiment, in the image captured by the image capture unit 14 , only one shielded area formed by the user's left foot or right foot will appear in the reflective strip 12 , and no two shielded areas will appear.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing an exercise machine 3 such as a treadmill 3 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiments is that there is only one image capturing unit 14 . In this embodiment, two identification backgrounds 12, such as reflective strips 12 or light sources 12, are respectively arranged on both sides of the running belt 10, and a centered image capture unit 14 can be arranged near the front decoration of the treadmill 1. cover 17 to simultaneously capture two images for identifying the background 12 . The schematic image captured by the image capturing unit 14 is also shown in the figure. According to the configuration of this embodiment, in the image captured by the image capture unit 14 , only one shielded area formed by the user's left or right foot will appear in the reflective strips 12 on both sides, and no two shielded areas will appear.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an exercise machine 4 such as a treadmill 4 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiments is that the number of recognition backgrounds 12 is only one. In this embodiment, an identification background 12, such as a reflective strip 12 or a light source 12, is arranged in the middle area of the running belt, and two image capture units 14 can be arranged on the left and right sides near the front of the treadmill 1. , to capture images for identifying the background 12 respectively. The figure also shows schematic images captured by the two image capturing units 14 . According to the configuration of this embodiment, in the image captured by the image capture unit 14 , only one shielded area formed by the user's left or right foot will appear in the reflective strips 12 on both sides, and no two shielded areas will appear.

Compared with the prior art, the exercise machine provided by the present invention, such as a treadmill, improves the analysis accuracy and reliability, increases the variation of operation, and reduces the production cost.

For each/all of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, those skilled in the art can make various modifications, changes, combinations, exchanges, omissions, substitutions, and equivalent changes, as long as they are not mutually exclusive, they all belong to the present invention concepts, which belong to the scope of the present invention. Structures or methods that may correspond to or be related to the features of the embodiments described in this application, and/or any pending, abandoned, or approved applications of the inventors or assignees are incorporated herein and regarded as a part of the description of this application. The incorporated parts, including their corresponding, related and modified parts or all, (1) are operable and/or configurable (2) are modified to be operable and/or configurable according to those skilled in the art (3) Implementation/manufacture/use or combination of this case specification, this case related application, and any part based on the common sense and judgment of those skilled in the art.

Unless otherwise specified, some conditional sentences or words, such as "can (can)", "maybe (could)", "maybe (might)", or "may" are usually intended to express that the embodiments of the present case have, However, it may also be interpreted as a feature, element, or step that may not be required. In other embodiments, these features, elements, or steps may not be required.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention in any form. Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with this field Those skilled in the art, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, may use the technical content disclosed above to make some changes or modify them into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes. Technical Essence of the Invention Any simple modifications, equivalent changes and modifications made to the above embodiments still fall within the scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims (14)

1. A sports machine, characterized in that it comprises: a running belt for the user to walk or run on; Two identification backgrounds are respectively arranged on both sides of the running belt; At least one image capture unit is set on the exercise machine corresponding to the running belt and the identification background, and is used to capture images in which the user blocks each identification background; and The processing unit is connected to the image capture unit, and is used for analyzing the image captured by the image capture unit to obtain the user's position change, and control the treadmill according to the user's position change. 2. The exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the processing unit changes the gray scale value of the pixel of the image captured by the image capturing unit to obtain the user's feet. location changes. 3. The sports machine according to claim 1, wherein each of the identification backgrounds is one or more light sources. 4. The exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein each of the identification backgrounds is a reflective strip. 5 . The exercise machine according to claim 4 , further comprising at least two light sources, the two light sources respectively corresponding to one of the reflective strips, so as to respectively emit light to the corresponding reflective strips. 6 . 6. The exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the two identification backgrounds are respectively located on the edges of the long sides of the running belt. 7 . The exercise machine as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising two decorative strips respectively disposed on both sides of the running belt, and the two identification backgrounds are respectively located on the sides of the two decorative strips. 8 . 8. The exercise machine according to claim 1, further comprising two standpipes respectively located on both sides of the front of the running belt, the number of the at least one image capture unit is two, and the two image capture units The capture units are respectively arranged on the two standpipes to respectively capture images of the corresponding recognition backgrounds. 9. The exercise machine according to claim 8, wherein if there are two occluded areas in the captured image for identifying the background, the occluded area closer to the front of the running belt is used as the analysis. host. 10. The exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the number of the at least one image capture unit is two, and the two image capture units are respectively arranged in the central area in front of the running belt, so as to Images of the recognition background on opposite sides are respectively captured. 11. The exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the number of the at least one image capture unit is one, and the image capture unit is arranged on the decorative cover in front of the treadmill to simultaneously capture The two identify images whose background is covered by the user. 12. The exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the part of the running belt for the user to run or walk includes an acceleration zone, a constant zone, and a deceleration zone. If the foot exceeds the ratio and is in the acceleration area, then increase the rotation speed of the running belt; if the user's feet exceed the ratio and are in the constant area within a fixed period of time, the rotation speed of the running belt remains unchanged; If both feet are located in the deceleration area beyond the ratio, the speed of the running belt will be reduced. 13. The exercise machine according to claim 1, wherein the part of the running belt for the user to run or walk includes a slope increase area and a slope decrease area; if the user's feet exceed the ratio within a fixed period of time If the user's feet are located in the slope increasing area, the slope of the running belt is increased; if the user's feet are located in the slope decreasing area within a certain period of time, the slope of the running belt is decreased. 14. An exercise machine, characterized in that it comprises: a running belt for the user to walk or run on; Identify the background and set it at the center of the running belt; at least two image capture units, which are set on the exercise machine corresponding to the running belt and the identification background, for capturing images in which the user covers the identification background; and The processing unit is connected to the image capture unit, and is used for analyzing the image captured by the image capture unit to obtain the user's position change, and control the treadmill according to the user's position change.