High-Incline Treadmill Lifting Mechanism for Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional treadmills are limited in achieving high inclines due to their lifting mechanisms, which often result in inadequate support for the treadbase at higher angles, leading to increased bounce and instability, and fail to provide sufficient strenuousness for cardiovascular workouts.
Innovation Solution
A high-incline treadmill design featuring a lifting mechanism with two fixed points of attachment on the treadbase, utilizing a combination of an extension arm and a rigid arm with wheels within a raceway to rotate the treadbase, providing improved support and stability at higher inclines.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If a traditional lifting mechanism is used to increase incline, then the incline angle can be increased, but the treadbase support and stability deteriorate due to inadequate support at higher angles
Solution Approach 1:
The lifting mechanism is divided into two separate arms: a extension arm that provides the lifting force and a rigid arm that provides stable support. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function optimally, with the rigid arm maintaining consistent support at higher inclines where traditional single-mechanism systems fail.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid arm acts as an intermediary support structure between the extension arm and the treadbase. It transfers and stabilizes the lifting force, providing consistent support at higher inclines by maintaining a fixed distance from the treadbase attachment point, thereby preventing treadbase instability.
2Shape
If a traditional lifting mechanism is used to achieve high incline, then the incline angle can be increased, but bounce and instability increase due to inconsistent support
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts to different incline angles through the coordinated motion of the extension arm and rigid arm. As the incline increases, the rigid arm maintains a constant distance from the treadbase, dynamically adjusting its position to provide consistent support throughout the range of motion, thereby reducing bounce and instability.
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid arm is pre-positioned and maintained at a fixed distance from the treadbase attachment point throughout the lifting motion. This preliminary positioning ensures that support is consistently available before instability can occur, preventing bounce rather than correcting it after it happens.
3Productivity
If walking speed is increased to improve workout intensity, then exercise effectiveness improves, but the exercise transitions from walking to running requiring higher impact
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of changing the speed parameter to increase workout intensity, the system changes the incline angle parameter. This allows users to maintain a sustainable walking speed while achieving higher exercise intensity through the increased gravitational resistance provided by steep inclines, thereby avoiding the harmful joint impact associated with running speeds.
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 greater inclines without compromising support, reducing bounce and instability, and enhances the strenuousness of workouts by maintaining consistent support throughout the range of motion, making it suitable for more intense exercises.
Implementation Method 1
a lifting mechanism for rotating the treadbase relative to the floor stand about a point of rotation, the lifting mechanism comprising: a lift motor, attached at a fixed position to the treadbase; an extension arm attached at a first end to a fixed position on the treadbase, the extension arm increasing and decreasing in length based on action of the motor; and a rigid arm, the rigid arm attached at a first end to a fixed position on the treadbase, a second end of the extension arm being attached to the rigid arm at a fixed position on the rigid arm; wherein extension of the extension arm results in the treadbase rotating relative to the floor stand about the point of rotation
Implementation Method 2
a rigid arm, the rigid arm attached at a first end to a fixed position on the treadbase, a second end of the extension arm being attached to the rigid arm at a fixed position on the rigid arm
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A treadmill which utilizes provides for a connection between the floor stand and the treadbase which is toward the front end of the treadbase and provides for generally improved support of the front end of the treadbase at higher angles by providing that the lift mechanism is attached to the treadbase at two fixed points a fixed distance from each other. The lift mechanism then utilizes two different motions, the extension of an extension arm and the rotation of a rigid arm, to produce lift. The rotation of the rigid arm generally utilizes a wheel in an enclosed raceway attached to the floor stand.