Cable Resistance Start Height Set by User Body Dimensions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing exercise equipment, such as free weights, resistance bands, and cable machines, are often cumbersome, space-intensive, and lack sufficient control over resistance, making it challenging to perform effective full-body workouts efficiently and safely at home.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic cable-actuated resistance training device with a low-profile design, featuring brushless AC electric motors and a tubular threaded spool to provide adjustable and responsive resistance, mimicking free weights and allowing various exercises with independently operable cables for full-body training.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If free weights are used for resistance training, then the resistance is controllable and mimics real-life movements, but the equipment is potentially harmful, noisy, and requires heavy safety equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cable system with pulleys as an intermediary between the user and the weight stack. The cables transmit force smoothly and allow controlled resistance application without direct handling of free weights. This mediator enables safe resistance training by eliminating the need for heavy safety equipment while maintaining controllable resistance.
2Ease of operation
If cable machines are used for resistance training, then the resistance is controllable through cables and pulleys, but the device requires a significant amount of space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reconfigures the traditional cable machine layout by vertical integration. The weight stack is positioned vertically above the user platform, and cables run vertically through pulleys before reaching the user's hands. This vertical arrangement compresses the horizontal footprint significantly while maintaining the full cable-pulley resistance mechanism, transforming the space requirement from horizontal to vertical dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent nests multiple functional components within a compact structure. The pulley system is integrated into the vertical frame, the weight stack is positioned within the same vertical envelope, and the cable routing is optimized to pass through compact guides. This nesting of components allows the full cable machine functionality to occupy minimal floor space.
3Adaptability or versatility
If resistance stretch bands are used for exercise, then the equipment is portable and affordable, but the force increases with extension and is not freely controllable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the elastic spring mechanism of resistance bands with a gravity-based weight stack system connected through cables and pulleys. Instead of relying on elastic force that increases with extension (following Hooke's Law), the system uses constant gravitational force on the weight stack, providing linear and controllable resistance regardless of extension distance. This mechanical substitution enables precise force control while maintaining portability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If magnetic and flywheel mechanisms are used for resistance training, then the resistance can be varied, but the resistance increases with movement speed and is not sufficiently controllable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces magnetic and flywheel mechanisms with a cable-pulley-weight stack system. Magnetic and flywheel systems generate resistance through rotational inertia and magnetic fields that inherently increase with speed. The cable-pulley system with a suspended weight stack provides resistance based on gravitational force, which is independent of movement speed. This substitution allows the user to control resistance by adjusting the weight stack position or adding/removing weights, rather than being constrained by speed-dependent resistance characteristics.
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 device offers a compact, affordable, and safe solution for full-body workouts, providing consistent resistance comparable to free weights, with enhanced control and responsiveness, facilitating a variety of exercises and reducing the risk of injury.
Implementation Method 1
brushless AC electric motors
Implementation Method 2
tubular threaded spool
Implementation Method 3
cable-actuated resistance training device
Data Source
AI summary
A dynamic cable-actuated resistance training device comprises a base having first and second side pods at opposite ends of the base. First and second motors are located in the first and second sides pods respectively, and cables attached to the motors exit the side pods vertically to provide exercise resistance. Exercise-level tensions in the cables are only applied at or above a preset force-start point, which is at a certain height above the base, of the ends of the cables. The height may be based on a number of factors including the user's height, body proportions, exercise type, and may also be modified by the user.