Pivoting Trampoline Interface Bar for Impact Absorption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing interface devices between trampolines and landing pits are either complex to install and adapt to different configurations or compromise the dynamic response of the trampoline, posing safety risks due to rigid elements that can be painful or dangerous during falls.
Innovation Solution
A simple interface device with a rigid tilting bar that pivots around a transverse axis, supported by arms fixed to the trampoline pit walls, which tilts to retract and absorb impact energy using damping cylinders and elastic stops, ensuring safety without affecting the trampoline's dynamic response.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid bar or low wall is used at the interface, then the structural stability is improved, but the safety during falls deteriorates due to blunt elements causing pain or danger
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid bar is made movable by mounting it on a telescopic leg that can extend and retract. During normal operation, the bar remains in a fixed position providing structural stability. During a fall impact, the telescopic leg allows the bar to retract downward, transforming the static rigid structure into a dynamic system that absorbs impact energy and reduces harm to the gymnast.
Solution Approach 2:
A spring mechanism is pre-installed within the telescopic leg to provide cushioning before impact occurs. The spring is positioned to compress during fall impact, absorbing energy and reducing the harmful effects of the rigid bar on the gymnast's body during accidental falls.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a flexible element like a chain or bungee cord is used at the interface, then the safety during falls is improved, but the trampoline's dynamic response deteriorates by losing bouncing qualities
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a movable rigid bar on a telescopic leg rather than a continuously flexible element. The bar remains rigid and stable during normal trampoline operation, maintaining predictable dynamic response. Only during fall impact does the bar become movable through the telescopic leg mechanism, providing safety without compromising normal trampoline performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic leg acts as an intermediary mechanism between the rigid bar and the ground. It transmits controlled movement during impact while maintaining structural rigidity during normal operation, mediating between the conflicting requirements of safety and dynamic response reliability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a telescopic leg with spring mechanism is used, then the safety function is improved, but the device complexity increases due to locking systems and guy ropes
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic leg incorporates an automatic locking mechanism that engages during normal trampoline operation to maintain bar stability. During fall impact, the excessive force automatically overcomes the locking mechanism, allowing the bar to retract and the spring to compress. The system self-regulates without requiring external control systems or complex adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The interface device is segmented into distinct functional components: the rigid bar for structural support, the telescopic leg for controlled movement, the spring for energy absorption, and the locking mechanism for stability. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall system manageable and relatively simple compared to integrated complex systems.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If the telescopic leg rests on the bottom of the pit, then the safety function is achieved, but the adaptability to different pit depths deteriorates requiring system adaptation
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic leg is designed with adjustable length or telescopic extension capability, allowing it to adapt to various pit depths. The same interface device can be installed in pits of different depths by adjusting the telescopic leg extension, making the system universal and eliminating the need for custom adaptations for each installation site.
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 provides effective protection against falls by dissipating impact energy without requiring adaptation to the pit depth and maintains the trampoline's predictable rebound, ensuring user safety and ease of installation.
Implementation Method 1
This telescopic leg is equipped with a spring exerting sufficient force to keep the bar in the desired vertical position, but which compresses in the event of a violent impact on the bar
Implementation Method 2
a first damping cylinder, a first end of which is connected to the first arm close to its end connected to the transverse rigid bar, and a second end of which is connected to the first support
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an interface device between a trampoline and a landing pit adjacent to the trampoline, which comprises: - a first support (9) and a second support (10) intended to be fixed respectively on opposite side walls of a trampoline pit; - a first arm (13) pivotally mounted on the first support (9) and a second arm (14) pivotally mounted on the second support (10), the first arm (13) and the second arm (14) pivoting about the same transverse axis of rotation (A), - a rigid transverse bar (15) linked to one end of the first arm (13) and to one end of the second arm (14), so that it can pivot about the axis of rotation (A) of the first arm (13) and second arm (14) between an initial position and a retracted position, said rigid transverse bar (15) being adapted for attaching the trampoline.