Exercise circuit system and method

Abstract

A system and method for providing an automatic identification, or a combination of automatic identification and automatic or manual programmed training, for more than one user on at least one exercise machine. The exercise machine is equipped with a user identification device that is in data communication with a system having an identification system and a storage database. The method includes automatically identifying, monitoring and interfacing exercise machine information and database information for at least one user by detecting automatically the presence or absence of a user identification tag and using a default profile or a specific user profile load predetermined difficulty settings or user defined difficulty settings into the programmable exercise machine, which includes resistance or repetition settings.

1 . A system for providing identification, or identification together with programmed training, for a particular user out of multiple users, the system comprising: 
 at least one exercise machine equipped with a user identification device;    an identification system; and    a storage database;    wherein,    the identification of the particular user is accomplished automatically;    the programmed training is accomplished automatically or manually; and    the identification system is in communication with the storage data base, whereby settings of the particular user can be transmitted to, and retrieved from, the storage database.    
   
   
       2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the identification system is a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) system.  
   
   
       3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the RFID system comprises an RFID tag and an RFID antenna.  
   
   
       4 . The system of  claim 2 , further comprising a communication network to facilitate communication between the RFID system and the storage database.  
   
   
       5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the settings of the particular user retrieved from the storage database are used to alter a state of the exercise machine.  
   
   
       6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein settings of the particular user retrieved from the storage database are displayed visually.  
   
   
       7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the exercise machine is an adjustable-resistance machine and the settings of the particular user retrieved from the storage database are used to adjust resistance of the adjustable-resistance machine.  
   
   
       8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the exercise machine has a display with a pacing bar and the settings of the particular user retrieved from the storage database are used to prompt the user to move a particular component of the exercise machine so that a sensed motion matches the display with the pacing bar.  
   
   
       9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is used in a circuit training.  
   
   
       10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the user identification device is a tag reader.  
   
   
       11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the exercise machine is adapted to include a microcomputer to facilitate communication, processing, data storage, and retrieval needs of the system.  
   
   
       12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the exercise machine is equipped with a caches memory for storing profile of the particular user.  
   
   
       13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the storage database is in communication with the exercise machine through a network.  
   
   
       14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the network is a local area network (“LAN”) or a wide-area network (“WAN”).  
   
   
       15 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the exercise machine has at least one sensor from which measurements from the particular user can be collected and transmitted to the storage database.  
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the measurements comprise angular or linear displacement of a moving part of the exercise machine, the force with which the particular user exercises, the velocity with the particular user exercises, the number of repetitions preformed by the particular user, heart rate of the particular user, number of calories burned by the particular user, or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       17 . An exercise system capable of obtaining and updating a particular user's workout profile during the particular user's workout, the exercise system comprising: 
 a real-time controller;    an identification system;    a resistance-producing device; and    a displacement sensor, attached to the resistance-producing device, for measuring total amount of motion recorded at the resistance-producing device, the displacement sensor being connected to the real-time controller through a first communication channel;    wherein, the real-time controller is adapted to approximate a force with which the particular user is actuating the resistance-producing device.    
   
   
       18 . The exercise system of  claim 17 , where the identification system is a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) system communicating with the real-time controller through a second communicating channel.  
   
   
       19 . The exercise system of  claim 17 , wherein the resistance-producing device is an adjustable resistance-producing device connected to the real-time controller through a third communication channel.  
   
   
       20 . The exercise system of  claim 17 , wherein the resistance-producing device is an exercise machine of a hydraulic cylinder, a weight machine, a spring, or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       21 . The exercise system of  claim 17 , wherein the displacement sensor is a linear displacement sensor and the total amount of motion recorded at the resistance-producing device is a linear motion.  
   
   
       22 . A method for automatically identifying, monitoring, and interfacing exercise machine information and database information for at least a first user and a second user having at least a programmable exercise machine equipped with a user identification device and a database comprising: 
 (a) configuring a first user ID number into the programmable exercise machine, wherein the first user ID number is a default profile having a predetermined difficulty setting for the programmable exercise machine;    (b) automatically detecting a presence or absence of a user identification tag with the user identification device, wherein the absence of the user identification tag automatically designates the user as having a first user ID number; and the presence of the user identification tag automatically designates the user as having the second user ID number;    (c) repeating step (b) if the first user ID number is determined, or continuing to step (d) if the second user ID number is determined;    (d) querying the database information to determine if at least a second profile exists for at least the second user ID number;    (e) repeating step (a) if the second user ID profile does not exist; or continuing to step (f) if the second user profile exists;    (f) configuring a second user ID setting obtained from at least the second user profile into the programmable exercise machine, wherein the second user ID settings are an editable profile having a second difficulty setting determined by at least the second user;    (g) repeating step (b); and    wherein, the exercise machine is in data communication with a database.    
   
   
       23 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising, tracking usage data of the programmable exercise machine after step (f) to be transmitted to the database as an updated second user ID setting when the second user is no longer exercising.  
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising determining if the second user no longer exercising by calculating a probability function comprising:  
         P   new =(1−α) P   old   +αU    wherein, U=A or (B and [C 1  or C 2  or . . . or C n ]); A=1 if a repeated step (b) determines the presence of the second user; and A=0 if repeated step (b) determines the presence of the first user; B=1 if the user of the initial step (b) equals the user of the repeated step (b); and B=0 if the user of the initial step (b) does not equal the user of the repeated step (b); C n =1 if a machine operating variable exceeds a predetermined threshold, and C n =0 if the machine operating variable does not exceed the predetermined threshold; α=a number between 0 and 1.    
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , further comprising selecting the machine operating variable as resistance or repetition.  
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising, selecting the programmable exercise machine having cache memory for loading the second user settings and tracking usage data of the programmable exercise machine after step (f); wherein the usage data is transmitted to the database as an updated second user ID setting when at least the second user is no longer exercising.  
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 26 , further comprising, updating the second user profile with the updated second user ID setting forming an updated second user profile, and wherein the updated user profile comprises statistics related number of repetitions, average/peak forces and velocities, maximum displacement of a moving part, total energy expended, or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising, providing the user identification tag as a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag in a ring shape that is worn by the user, and wherein the user identification device comprises a proximity RFID tag detector that interrogates a presence or absence of the ring.  
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising, providing the exercise machine in data communication with a database having a local area network (“LAN”) or a wide-area network (“WAN”) data communication connection and a site computer or an off-site computer.  
   
   
       30 . The method of  claim 22 , further comprising, providing the exercise machine comprising elliptical machines, stationary bicycles, electronic weight resistance machines, treadmills, stair-step machines, and hydraulic resistance machines.  
   
   
       31 . A system for providing identification, or identification together with programmed training, for a particular user out of multiple users, the system comprising: 
 on at least one exercise machine equipped with a tag reader and a sensor;    a radio frequency (“RFID”) system comprising an RFID tag and an RFID antenna; and    a storage database;    wherein,    the identification of the particular user is accomplished automatically;    the programmed training is accomplished automatically or manually;    the sensor can collect measurements for the particular user and transmit the measurements to the storage database,    the identification system is in communication with the storage data base, whereby settings of the particular user can be transmitted to, and retrieved from, the storage database; and    the settings of the particular user retrieved from the storage database are used to alter a state of the exercise machine.    
   
   
       32 . An exercise system capable of obtaining and updating a particular user's workout profile during the particular user's workout, the exercise system comprising: 
 a real-time controller;    a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) system comprising an RFID tag and an RFID antenna,    a resistance-producing device comprising a hydraulic cylinder, a weight machine, a spring, or a combination thereof; and    a linear displacement sensor, attached to the resistance-producing device, for measuring total amount of linear motion recorded at the resistance-producing device, the linear displacement sensor being connected to the real-time controller through a first communication channel;    wherein,    the real-time controller is adapted to approximate a force with which the particular user is actuating the resistance-producing device; and    the RFID system is in communication with the real-time controller through a second communication channel.