Bicycle Lock Bracket With Synchronized Arms to Prevent Rattle
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional bicycle lock mounting brackets face issues such as ease of use, reliable securing of the lock, and rattling of the lock while riding, indicating a need for improved designs.
Innovation Solution
A mounting bracket with a housing, opposing arms with rack gears, a pinion, a latch, and a manual actuator, allowing the arms to move between inward and outward positions, with the latch maintaining the arms in the inward position for secure locking and releasing the lock with the manual actuator.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional mounting brackets are used, then the lock can be mounted to the bicycle, but the lock fails to reliably secure in a seated position and rattles while riding
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket uses movable arms that can transition between open and closed positions, allowing dynamic adjustment to securely hold the lock in different states. The arms move from an open position during mounting to a closed position during secure holding, resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and reliable securing.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket is divided into multiple independent arms that can move individually but are coordinated by the rack and pinion mechanism. This segmentation allows each arm to independently engage with the lock, providing reliable securing while maintaining ease of operation through coordinated movement.
2Reliability
If the arms are held firmly in the inward position, then the lock is secured reliably, but the bracket becomes complex with additional latching mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism is merged with the arm structure itself, where the arm incorporates both the holding function and the latching function. This integration reduces device complexity while maintaining reliable securing, as the arm's movement and latching are combined into a single coordinated action rather than separate mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The rack and pinion mechanism enables the arms to automatically coordinate their movement and engagement with the lock. The system serves itself by using the user's single action on the actuator to automatically position both arms and engage the latching mechanism, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliable securing.
3Ease of operation
If a manual actuator is added to release the latch, then the lock can be easily removed, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manual actuator serves multiple functions: it rotates the pinion gear, moves both arms simultaneously from closed to open position, and releases the latch mechanism all through a single user action. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing easy lock removal through one unified control point rather than multiple separate controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The pinion gear acts as an intermediary mechanism that translates the user's rotational input on the actuator into coordinated linear movement of both arms and simultaneous latch release. This intermediary component simplifies the overall operation by mediating between the user's single action and the multiple required movements, making the system easier to operate despite the added mechanical complexity.
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 bracket effectively secures the lock in a seated position, preventing rattling and facilitating easy mounting and removal, addressing the limitations of conventional brackets.
Implementation Method 1
each arm includes a rack gear. The pinion is engaged with each rack gear and correlates movement of the arms such that the arms move with one another between the outward positions and the inward positions
Data Source
AI summary
An exemplary mounting bracket is configured for releasably securing a bicycle lock to a bicycle, and generally includes a housing, a pair of opposing arms, a pinion, a latch, and a manual actuator. The arms are movably mounted to the housing for movement between inward positions and outward positions, and each arm includes a rack gear. The pinion is engaged with each rack gear and correlates movement of the arms such that the arms move with one another between the outward positions and the inward positions. The latch has a latching position in which the latch is operable to maintain the arms in the inward position, and has an unlatching position in which the arms are free to move from the inward position to the outward position. The manual actuator is operable to move the latch between the latching position and the unlatching position.