Treadmill Belt With Segmented Fillable Chambers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing treadmill belts fail to provide individual adjustments for different user weights and desired comfort levels, leading to potential damage from high expansion forces and inadequate training properties.
Innovation Solution
A treadmill belt design featuring a carrier belt with separate, fillable chambers that can be adjusted for different materials and configurations, including a load-bearing system underneath the belt to distribute weight and minimize friction, allowing for customizable running surface properties and enhanced joint protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chambers are filled with filling material to provide cushioning effect, then joint protection is improved, but high expansion forces can occur leading to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The belt is divided into multiple separate chambers instead of a single continuous filling layer. Each chamber is independently filled and can be separately adjusted, which distributes the expansion forces locally rather than creating concentrated stress points that could damage the belt structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Different chambers can be filled with different filling materials or different amounts of material to create localized variations in cushioning properties. This allows optimization of joint protection in specific areas without uniformly increasing expansion forces across the entire belt.
2Reliability
If belt is designed with fixed running properties to provide consistent training effect, then training reliability is improved, but cannot be adjusted for different user weights and preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The belt transitions from a fixed, static design to a dynamic, adjustable system. Users can modify the filling material and quantity in each chamber according to their weight, fitness level, and comfort preferences, allowing the same belt to adapt to different users while maintaining consistent training effects for each individual.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameters of the filling material (type, quantity, density) can be changed to adjust the running properties of the belt. This enables customization of cushioning characteristics, surface firmness, and overall feel without changing the fundamental belt structure, ensuring reliable training effects tailored to individual needs.
3Productivity
If thick padding layer is used to intensify training effect, then training effectiveness is improved, but foot sinks deep requiring excessive lifting motion
Solution Approach 1:
The thick padding is segmented into multiple separate chambers rather than a continuous layer. This segmentation prevents the foot from sinking too deeply into a uniform soft surface, as the chamber walls provide structural support that maintains surface integrity while still providing cushioning through the filling material.
Solution Approach 2:
The belt combines the carrier belt material with different filling materials in separate chambers, creating a composite structure that provides both cushioning (from the filling) and surface support (from the chamber walls and carrier belt). This composite approach delivers training intensity without excessive foot sinkage.
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 allows for optimal flexibility and comfort adjustments, reducing wear and tear while providing a more effective training experience by simulating various terrain conditions and muscle engagement.
Implementation Method 1
The overlay has several chambers that are filled or can be filled with a filling material... the joint-gentle effect is increased
Implementation Method 2
the carrier tape has a sliding layer on its side facing the load holder, which minimizes the frictional resistance between the tape and the load holder
Implementation Method 3
both the slats and the band are elastically deformable, so that the joint-gentle effect is increased
Data Source
Figure 1a~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to a belt (1) for a treadmill, comprising a carrier belt (16) and a tread surface arranged on the carrier belt (16), wherein the tread surface has pockets (3) that are separate from one another and the pockets (3) are filled or can be filled with a filler material.