Passive Tracking Trolley for Digital Weight Cable Machines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cable-based exercise equipment lacks versatility and fails to mimic the natural movement and load vector of free weight exercises, limiting the range of effective muscle engagement and exercise options.
Innovation Solution
A digital weight cable machine with a passive tracking trolley system that allows the cable position to adjust dynamically based on user movement, maintaining a vertical load vector and enabling a wider range of exercises similar to those performed with free weights.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed cable exit position is used in traditional cable machines, then the device structure is simple, but the load vector cannot maintain a vertical direction during user movement, reducing exercise effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The cable exit position is made dynamic through a trolley that can move along a vertical track. The track is attached to the frame at a rotatable joint, allowing the track to rotate between horizontal and vertical orientations. During exercise, the trolley moves freely along the vertical track to maintain the cable in a vertical alignment, adapting to user movement and maintaining optimal load vector throughout the range of motion.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a passive tracking trolley system is implemented, then the load vector maintains vertical direction during movement, but the device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The passive tracking trolley system serves multiple functions: it maintains vertical cable alignment, allows free movement along the track, and accommodates various exercise motions. The rotatable joint in the track attachment provides additional versatility by allowing the track orientation to be adjusted between horizontal and vertical positions, enabling different exercise configurations without requiring multiple separate mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the track is made rotatable at a joint, then the system can adapt to different exercise positions, but the structural complexity and potential instability increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable joint in the track attachment enables dynamic adaptation to different exercise positions and user movements. The joint allows the track to rotate between horizontal and vertical orientations, providing flexibility for various exercise configurations while maintaining structural integrity through the joint design.
Data Source
AI summary
An exercise machine may include a frame, one or more actuators, coupled to one or more cables to exert a load on the one or more cables, one or more tracks attached to the frame, and a trolley mounted on each of the one or more tracks. The trolley may slide unrestricted along a length of the one or more tracks. The trolley is configured to be coupled to the one or more cables. The trolley slides to track movement of a user to maintain a desirable direction of the force vector.