Wearable Pulley Hub With Textured Surface For Cable Friction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pulley systems for wearable articles, such as footwear and garments, lack a compact and efficient mechanism for securing and adjusting tension, which affects the ease of use and visual indication of tightness.
Innovation Solution
A pulley design featuring a hub with a textured exterior surface and a marking on the pulley wheel, which engages with a tensioning cable to provide friction and visual feedback on tension, allowing for compact anchoring and easy adjustment, while maintaining rotatability and secure locking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a pulley system is designed to be compact for wearable articles, then the device size is reduced, but the mechanism complexity increases to achieve secure anchoring and easy rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The pulley system is divided into distinct functional segments: a rotatable pulley wheel for cable redirection, a separate anchoring mechanism with slot and anchor bar, and a hub structure. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function efficiently while keeping the overall design compact for wearable applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub is positioned within the frame structure, and the anchoring mechanism is integrated into the frame's internal geometry. The slot is defined within the frame's plane, and the anchor bar nests within the slot when engaged. This nesting arrangement maximizes space utilization and reduces the overall pulley volume while maintaining functional complexity.
2Reliability
If a pulley system provides secure anchoring, then the reliability of tension maintenance is improved, but the ease of operation for adjustment is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hub is designed to be movable along the slot rather than fixed, allowing dynamic adjustment of the anchoring position. The hub can be easily repositioned within the slot to adjust cable tension, and the anchor bar provides secure locking when engaged. This dynamic design enables both secure anchoring and easy adjustment operations.
3Force
If a pulley system uses a textured surface on the hub, then the friction for cable engagement is increased, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The textured surface is applied only to the hub's cable engagement area rather than the entire pulley assembly. This localized texturing provides the necessary friction for cable grip where needed, while leaving other surfaces with standard manufacturing tolerances. The textured pattern can be created through cost-effective processes like knurling or molding, avoiding high-precision manufacturing requirements across the entire component.
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 pulley system enhances the usability of wearable articles by providing a compact and visually indicative mechanism for tension adjustment, ensuring secure anchoring and easy rotation, thus improving the user experience.
Implementation Method 1
A pulley design featuring a hub with a textured exterior surface and a marking on the pulley wheel, which engages with a tensioning cable to provide friction and visual feedback on tension
Data Source
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AI summary
A pulley for a wearable article includes a frame defining an aperture and a slot spaced apart from the aperture. A pulley wheel is disposed exterior to the frame, and a hub extends from the pulley wheel through the aperture. The hub engages the frame in a locked position, and is disengaged from the frame in an unlocked position. The hub is further from the slot in the locked than in the unlocked position. The hub and the pulley wheel are rotatable relative to the frame in the locked position. In another pulley, a frame defines an internal void and a slot extending through the frame and spaced apart from the internal void. A pulley wheel disposed exterior to the frame is spaced apart from the slot. A plurality of legs extends from the pulley wheel and is locked to the frame. The frame may include an anchor bar.