Ice Skate Rolling Chassis Pivot Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional ice skates lack the ability to pivot efficiently without a fixed point of rotation, limiting maneuverability, speed, and comfort, especially in sports like ice hockey and figure skating, where precise adjustment of spring back force and reduced weight are desirable.
Innovation Solution
An ice skate design featuring an upper chassis section that pivots by rolling contact motion relative to a lower chassis section, with a spring back means arranged to urge the momentary contact region to a neutral position at the front end, allowing for increased power efficiency, control, and reduced weight, while maintaining stability and ease of blade exchange.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the boot is allowed to pivot by a rolling contact motion relative to the blade, then maneuverability and comfort are enhanced, but the device complexity increases due to the coupling means and spring back means
Solution Approach 1:
The skate is divided into an upper chassis section and a lower chassis section that can pivot relative to each other. The coupling means connects these sections while allowing controlled rolling motion, and the spring back means provides automatic return to neutral position, creating a segmented system that enhances maneuverability without requiring complete redesign of the entire skate structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot coupling allows the upper and lower chassis sections to dynamically adjust their relative position through rolling contact motion. This dynamic adjustment enables the skate to adapt to different skating maneuvers and ice conditions, improving ease of operation while maintaining a relatively simple structural framework.
2Power
If the spring back means is arranged to urge the momentary contact region to a neutral position at the front end, then power efficiency and control are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spring back means is pre-positioned to automatically urge the momentary contact region toward the neutral position at the front end. This preliminary action ensures that power is efficiently transferred to the blade during each skating stroke without requiring active control mechanisms, improving power efficiency while adding minimal complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring back means provides self-service by automatically returning the pivot coupling to its neutral position after each skating stroke. This self-regulating mechanism eliminates the need for external control systems or additional actuators, maintaining power efficiency while keeping the device complexity manageable.
3Speed
If the upper chassis section pivots by rolling contact motion without a fixed point of rotation, then speed and maneuverability are improved, but the stability of the structure decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The rolling contact motion between the upper and lower chassis sections utilizes curved contact surfaces that allow smooth pivoting without a fixed rotation point. This curvature enables the skate to adapt to different skating directions and speeds while maintaining structural integrity through the distributed contact area, balancing speed and maneuverability with stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivot coupling allows changes in the relative position and orientation parameters of the upper and lower chassis sections during skating. By controlling the rolling contact motion, the system can adjust its configuration to optimize for speed during straight skating or for maneuverability during turns, while the overall structural stability is maintained through the coupling design.
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 design enhances skating speed, reduces fatigue, and improves control by ensuring direct force transfer to the blade without intermediate resiliency, while allowing for precise adjustment of the spring back force and easy integration into conventional skate designs without altering dimensions or shape.
Implementation Method 1
a spring back means (51, 60, 70, 83), which coupling arrangement is arranged to mechanically connect the upper and lower chassis sections... The spring back means is arranged to urge the momentary contact region to a neutral position
Data Source
AI summary
An ice skate for skating on ice, which ice skate comprises; an upper chassis section comprising a first contact surface having a front end and a rear end, a lower chassis section comprising a second contact surface having a front end and a rear end, and a coupling arrangement comprising a spring back means, which coupling arrangement is arranged to mechanically connect the upper and lower chassis sections. The coupling arrangement is arranged to allow the upper chassis section to pivot relative to the lower chassis section by rolling contact motion between the first and second contact surface such that a momentary contact region (CR) of the first and second contact surfaces moves back and forth between the front and rear ends of the first and second contact surfaces. The spring back means is arranged to urge the momentary contact region (CR) to a neutral position.