Collapsible Core Exerciser Using Gas Spring Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a lack of compact, portable, and affordable exercise equipment that effectively targets core muscles, such as the transverse abdominal, internal obliques, external obliques, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae, which are essential for posture and back health, but often overlooked in home exercise setups.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible exercise machine using a gas spring for consistent resistance, adjustable to target different muscle groups, with features like adjustable vertical bar angles, height settings, and a seat position that mimics natural biomechanics, allowing for safe and versatile progressive resistance training.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If weights or traditional resistance machines are used, then resistance force is provided, but the equipment becomes heavy, expensive, and difficult to move
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a gas spring mechanism to provide resistance force instead of traditional weights. The gas spring contains compressed gas that expands to generate resistive force during exercise movements, eliminating the need for heavy weight stacks while maintaining effective resistance training capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces the traditional mechanical weight-based resistance system with a pneumatic gas spring system. This substitution transforms the resistance generation mechanism from gravity-dependent weights to gas pressure-based springs, achieving lighter equipment weight while preserving force output.
2Weight of moving object
If rubber bands are used for resistance, then equipment becomes lighter, but resistance increases greatly as the band stretches and they tend to dry out and break
Solution Approach 1:
The gas spring provides consistent resistance throughout the range of motion by utilizing the compressible nature of gas. Unlike rubber bands that exponentially increase resistance when stretched, the gas spring maintains more linear and predictable resistance characteristics, improving reliability and safety.
3Adaptability or versatility
If versatile machines with multiple exercises are provided, then exercise variety increases, but device complexity and adjustment requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The gas spring exercise machine is designed to perform multiple core exercises including sit-ups, crunches, and back extensions using a single resistance mechanism. The adjustable seat and lever arm configurations allow different exercises without requiring complex mechanical changes, achieving versatility through simple geometric adjustments rather than mechanical complexity.
4Force
If traditional gas springs are used, then resistance is provided, but the piston rod inside the cylinder takes up space and creates pressure differential
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the piston rod from the gas spring cylinder, using only the gas expansion force without the mechanical rod component. This extraction eliminates the space occupation issue and pressure differential problems associated with traditional piston rod designs, allowing for a more compact and efficient resistance mechanism.
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 machine provides a safe, portable, and adjustable means for effective core muscle training, offering consistent resistance without the drawbacks of weight machines, rubber bands, or hydraulic systems, ensuring user safety and ease of use while being space-efficient and affordable.
Implementation Method 1
Gas springs are known as well which have a piston/cylinder arrangement. Gas inside the cylinder flows through or around the piston from one side to the other as it moves back and forth in various designs
Implementation Method 2
The whole cylinder is completely sealed, and when the piston rod is inside the cylinder, it takes up room that the gas previously occupied. In other words, when a gas spring is fully pushed in, the gas inside compresses by an amount equal to the volume of the piston rod
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible exercise machine for strengthening the core muscles (transverse abdominal, internal obliques, external obliques, rectus abdominis, and erector spinae) includes a frame mounted on a base on which a user sits and manipulates an upstanding lever arm. A seat is convertible between two differently-angled positions for back extension or abdominal exercises. The lever arm rotates a curved tube having a plurality of force adjustment holes. The tube passes through a frame at the upper end of a gas spring, and engaging an adjustment pin on the frame with different adjustment holes changes the amount of resistance. The entire frame above the base can be vertically adjusted to accommodate different sizes of user without altering the relative position between the seat (and user's hips) and the axis of rotation of the lever arm thus not affecting/changing the designated resistance between users of different heights (resistance is affected when the lever arm is lengthened). The connection between the frame and the base enables the unit to be collapsed to a profile small enough to fit under a bed.