Trampoline Lever Tensioner Eliminates Spring Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional trampoline tensioners, such as helical springs and elastomeric bands, pose safety hazards due to gaps that can cause injuries and pinching, and they often degrade quickly, while alternative solutions like fibreglass rods and leaf spring plates have issues with reduced jump mat area, uneven jumping performance, and safety hazards if detached.
Innovation Solution
A trampoline design utilizing a plurality of levers circumextending the jumping periphery, each comprising a rigid element connected to a supporting frame that pivots about a fulcrum, with a tensioner applied between the lever and the frame to provide tension away from the jumping mat, minimizing gaps and enhancing safety and performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If helical springs are used as tensioners, then the trampoline provides good bounce performance, but gaps between springs create safety hazards and pinching injuries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the spring and rod functions into a single integrated tensioning element. The spring is positioned within the hollow interior of the rod, creating a unified structure that eliminates gaps while maintaining tensioning capability. This combination resolves the safety issue of gaps between separate spring and rod components.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is nested inside the hollow rod structure, with the spring's outer diameter being less than the rod's inner diameter. This nesting arrangement allows the spring to provide tensioning force while being contained within the rod, eliminating exposed gaps and creating a safer interface with the jumping mat.
2Area of stationary object
If fibreglass rods are used as tensioners, then the jump mat area is increased, but the gap between rods reduces when users jump, causing safety hazards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the rod and spring into a single integrated tensioning element where the spring is positioned within the hollow rod. This merger eliminates the gap-closing hazard because the spring is contained within the rod structure, preventing limb entrapment even when the tensioning element flexes during use.
Solution Approach 2:
The hollow rod acts as an intermediary structure that contains the spring while providing structural support. This intermediate structure prevents direct contact with the spring and eliminates the gap-closing hazard by maintaining a consistent outer profile regardless of the spring's compression state.
3Reliability
If padding is added to cover springs, then safety is improved, but the cost increases and padding can shift or enclosures can fail
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the spring from its traditional exposed position and places it within the hollow rod structure. This extraction eliminates the need for separate padding and enclosure components, as the rod itself provides the protective covering. The solution simplifies the design by integrating the protective function into the structural rod element.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective covering function traditionally provided by separate padding and enclosures is merged into the rod structure itself. The hollow rod serves both as a structural tensioning element and as a protective covering for the spring, eliminating the need for additional safety components.
4Force
If leaf spring plates are used as tensioners, then the trampoline provides good tensioning, but they are heavy, expensive, and can become safety hazards if detached
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite construction by combining the spring (providing elastic tensioning force) with the rod (providing structural support and protection). This composite tensioning element achieves the required tensioning force while being lighter and more durable than traditional leaf spring plate constructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the structural parameters from heavy rigid leaf spring plates to a lighter combination of spring and rod. The spring provides the necessary elastic force while the rod provides structural integrity, achieving weight reduction while maintaining or improving tensioning performance.
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 solution reduces the risk of injuries by eliminating gaps between tensioning elements and provides a more consistent and safe jumping experience with improved durability and bounce performance compared to traditional systems.
Implementation Method 1
a tensioner connected between the lever at a tensioner attachment and the supporting frame
Implementation Method 2
each of the plurality of levers comprising: a rigid element connected to the supporting frame; which rigid element comprises a jump mat end and a frame end; which rigid element pivots about a fulcrum connected to and supported by the supporting frame
Data Source
AI summary
A lever for use in a trampoline includes a frame attachment, a rigid element and a tensioner. The frame attachment is configured for connection to a supporting frame of the trampoline; the frame attachment includes a stop formation. The rigid element is connected to the frame attachment and is configured to pivot about a fulcrum connected to the frame attachment. The rigid element includes a lug configured to contact the stop formation to limit an extent of a pivot motion of the rigid element about the fulcrum. The rigid element comprises a jump mat end and a frame end, the jump mat end being configured for connection to a jumping mat. The tensioner is connected to the rigid element and is configured for attachment to the trampoline supporting frame.