Adjustable Exercise Mass Assembly for Weight Lifting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional free weights require frequent adjustments of weight plates between exercises, posing a time-consuming and frustrating task, and carry a risk of injury due to the lack of safety mechanisms when the user becomes fatigued and unable to lift the weight.
Innovation Solution
An exercise machine with a power cage and adjustable exercise mass assembly, utilizing a cable and pulley system to connect the bar to a separate exercise mass assembly, allowing users to select and adjust the exercise weight easily and ensuring safety by preventing the weight from being unloaded during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If weight plates are adjusted on the bar between exercises, then the exercise weight can be changed, but the adjustment process is time-consuming and frustrating
Solution Approach 1:
The weight system is segmented into a fixed bar portion and a separate adjustable mass assembly. The mass assembly can be independently adjusted to different weight positions along the bar, eliminating the need to add or remove weight plates for each exercise. This segmentation allows quick weight changes by simply repositioning the mass assembly rather than manually adjusting multiple plates.
Solution Approach 2:
The mass assembly is designed to be dynamically adjustable along the bar length, allowing users to quickly change exercise weights by moving the mass to different positions. This dynamic adjustment mechanism replaces the static process of adding/removing plates, enabling seamless transitions between different weight requirements for various exercises.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If weight plates are directly loaded on the bar, then the exercise weight is provided, but there is no safety mechanism to prevent injury when the user drops the bar
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates safety bars positioned below the bar that act as a cushioning mechanism before the user can be injured. If the user drops the bar or fails to complete a repetition, the safety bars catch the bar and prevent it from falling onto the user's body. This beforehand cushioning eliminates the need for complex active safety systems while providing effective protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The safety bars serve as an intermediary element between the bar and the user's body. Rather than directly connecting the bar to the user, the safety bars intervene to absorb and redirect the force if the bar is dropped, preventing direct contact between the heavy bar and the user's vulnerable areas.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a spotter is used to catch and support the bar, then the risk of injury is lessened, but a second person is required which may not be available
Solution Approach 1:
The safety bars provide self-service protection that does not require a spotter. The system automatically catches and supports the bar if the user fails or drops it, eliminating the need for a second person to monitor and assist. This self-service safety mechanism makes weight training accessible to users who train alone or in environments without available spotters.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables quick and efficient adjustment of exercise weights and minimizes the risk of injury by maintaining the weight load on the bar even when the user is fatigued, as the exercise machine ensures the weight is never fully unloaded until it reaches a safe position.
Implementation Method 1
A cable and pulley system comprising a plurality of pulleys and at least one flexible cable routed around the pulleys operatively connects the bar to the exercise mass assembly
Data Source
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AI summary
An exercise machine for performing barbell type free weight lifting exercises has a power cage or Smith press type frame, an elongated bar held on the frame in a substantially horizontal resting position, and an adjustable exercise mass assembly that allows a user to select an exercise weight from among a plurality of choices of different exercise weights provided by the exercise mass assembly. The exercise mass assembly is separate from the bar and any auxiliary weight plates carried on the bar. A cable and pulley system operatively connects the bar to a movable portion of the exercise mass assembly that provides the selected exercise weight. A powered actuator sets up the bar for performing a weight lifting exercise by lifting the movable portion of the exercise mass assembly up above a second portion of the exercise mass assembly that remains stationary during the particular weight lifting exercise.