Quick Folding Agility Ladder with Segmented Rung Sleeves
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional agility ladders are cumbersome to unravel and fold, wasting time for athletes and trainers and increasing the risk of tangling or knotting, which reduces their appeal for busy users.
Innovation Solution
A quick folding agility ladder design featuring rectangular frames connected by synthetic fabric rung sleeves, allowing for a quadrifolium configuration that facilitates easy stacking and unfolding without tangling, utilizing flexible wire frames and fabric sleeves for stability and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional agility ladders are used, then the ladder structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the ladder tends to get tied up or twisted into knots and takes several minutes to unravel or fold
Solution Approach 1:
The agility ladder is divided into multiple individual rungs that can move independently relative to each other. Each rung is connected to adjacent rungs through sleeves that allow independent movement, enabling the ladder to be quickly folded and unfolded without the entire structure becoming tangled together as a single unit.
Solution Approach 2:
The ladder transitions from a static, rigid structure to a dynamic, flexible structure where rungs can move independently within sleeves. This dynamic design allows the ladder to adapt its configuration during folding and unfolding operations, preventing it from getting stuck in tangled positions and enabling rapid setup and collapse.
2Ease of operation
If traditional agility ladders are used, then the structure is simple, but the ladder requires meticulous folding to avoid introducing hard to untangle knots or twists
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the ladder into independently movable rungs connected through sleeves, the complex folding process is broken down into simple individual rung movements. Each rung can be folded independently without affecting the others, eliminating the need for meticulous coordinated folding of the entire structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rungs are nested within sleeves that guide their movement during folding. Each rung fits within a sleeve structure that provides a defined path for insertion and removal, allowing rungs to be quickly nested within each other during folding without creating complex tangles or requiring precise alignment.
3Reliability
If traditional agility ladders are used, then the materials are simple and cost-effective, but the ladder gets tied up or twisted into knots that are hard to unravel
Solution Approach 1:
The ladder is segmented into discrete rungs and sleeves that function as separate components. This segmentation prevents the entire ladder from becoming a single tangled mass, as each rung can move independently within its sleeve without getting twisted with adjacent rungs, significantly reducing knotting and tangling issues.
Solution Approach 2:
Sleeves are introduced as intermediary components between adjacent rungs. These sleeves act as mediators that guide and constrain rung movement, preventing direct contact and potential tangling between rungs while still allowing the necessary flexibility for folding and unfolding operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A quick folding agility ladder and methods of folding and opening the agility ladder are disclosed. In one embodiment, the quick folding agility ladder can comprise a plurality of rectangular ladder frames and a plurality of ladder rung sleeves connecting the rectangular ladder frames. The plurality of ladder rung sleeves can comprise a first rung sleeve and a second rung sleeve. The agility ladder can be folded into a quadrifolium configuration comprising four petal-shaped portions including a first petal-shaped portion, a second petal-shaped portion, a third petal-shaped portion, and a fourth petal-shaped portion. The first rung sleeve can form at least part of the first petal-shaped portion and the fourth petal-shaped portion and the second rung sleeve can form at least part of the second petal-shaped portion and the third petal-shaped portion.


