Brake Lever Assembly With Preassembled Return Spring Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lever assemblies for handlebar vehicles face challenges during assembly and maintenance, as the elastic return element can be easily misplaced or lost due to gravity, complicating the positioning and reassembly processes.
Innovation Solution
A lever assembly design where the primary lever and elastic return element are preassembled, preventing gravity-induced detachment and simplifying assembly and maintenance by ensuring the elastic return element remains securely attached to the primary lever, even when disconnected from the master cylinder body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the elastic return element is positioned separately during assembly, then the assembly process allows flexibility in positioning, but the elastic return element can be easily dropped by gravity and lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the elastic return element with the primary lever into a single preassembled unit. The elastic return element is positioned within a recess of the primary lever and secured by a retaining structure, ensuring it cannot be lost during assembly or maintenance operations while maintaining assembly flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic return element is prepositioned and secured to the primary lever before the entire assembly is installed on the handlebar vehicle. This preliminary action prevents the elastic return element from being dropped by gravity during subsequent assembly steps.
2Ease of repair
If the elastic return element is separated during maintenance disassembly, then the primary lever can be removed from the master cylinder body, but the elastic return element may fall by gravity resulting in accidental loss
Solution Approach 1:
By merging the elastic return element with the primary lever into a single unit, the patent ensures that when the primary lever is removed during maintenance, the elastic return element remains securely attached and cannot be lost, while still allowing easy removal of the entire assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining structure acts as an intermediary between the elastic return element and the primary lever, securing the elastic return element in place while allowing the entire assembly to be easily removed and reinstalled during maintenance operations.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple positioning attempts are made to position the elastic return element correctly, then the correct positioning can be achieved, but time is lost and the risk of dropping the element increases
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic return element is prepositioned in the correct location within the primary lever recess and secured by the retaining structure before final assembly. This eliminates the need for multiple positioning attempts during assembly, saving time and reducing the risk of dropping the element.
Solution Approach 2:
By combining the elastic return element with the primary lever as a preassembled unit, the patent ensures correct positioning is maintained throughout assembly and maintenance operations, eliminating repeated positioning attempts and associated time losses.
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
This design enhances the reliability of assembly and maintenance operations by preventing the loss of the elastic return element, ensuring consistent functionality and reducing the risk of misplacement, thus streamlining the process and maintaining the lever assembly's integrity.
Implementation Method 1
the elastic return element of primary lever is a torsional spring acting between a portion of the support body constrainable to the handlebar, e.g., a bracket or an outer portion of the master cylinder body, and the primary lever by constantly and elastically opposing a rotation of the primary lever towards the handlebar
Implementation Method 2
the elastic return element of primary lever is a torsional spring comprising a winding portion, a first connecting arm, and a second connecting arm, extending from the winding portion to apply the elastic return action
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a lever assembly 1 for a lever device 100 configured to hydraulically actuate a first braking device or front braking device 101 of a handlebar vehicle, said lever device 100 comprising a master cylinder body 21 comprising connecting means 20 for constraining the master cylinder body 21 to a handlebar of the handlebar vehicle, said master cylinder body 21 comprising cylinder walls 55 delimiting a cavity or cylinder 23, at least one float or piston 22, operatively associated with the master cylinder body 21, so as to be adapted to slide inside the cavity or cylinder 23 along a thrust direction X-X, said float or piston 22 comprising a piston bottom 56 defining, with the cylinder walls 55 of the master cylinder body 21, at least one pressure chamber 57 configured to accommodate an actuating fluid of the first braking device or front braking device 101, wherein at least one of the cylinder walls 55 is interrupted to delimit at least one supply channel 58 configured to put the pressure chamber 57 in fluid communication with at least one associable fluid tank 24, wherein the piston bottom 56 is movable with respect to said cylinder walls 55 between at least one end-of-stroke position, in which a volume of said pressure chamber 57 is maximum, and at least a first working position, in which said piston bottom fluidly isolates said pressure chamber 57 said supply channel 58 pressurizing the actuating fluid in the pressure chamber 57, wherein the lever device 100 comprises an elastic return element 5 arranged inside said cavity or cylinder and interposed between said piston bottom 56 and a connecting seat defined by the cylinder walls 55 so as to elastically bias the piston or float 22 to the end-of-stroke position, wherein the lever assembly 1 comprises a primary lever 2 rotatably associable with the master cylinder body 21 so as to rotate about at least one pivot axis Y-Y, said primary lever 2 being either directly or indirectly connectable to said float or piston 22; the primary lever 2 being rotatable about the at least one pivot axis Y-Y between a primary lever resting position and at least one primary lever actuation position, in which the primary lever 2 either directly or indirectly biases said float or piston 22, wherein the lever assembly 1 comprises an elastic return element 4 of primary lever configured to elastically bias the primary lever 2 to the primary lever resting position, wherein the elastic return element 4 of primary lever is a torsional spring comprising at least a first elastic return element winding 32, a first arm 30 of first elastic return element, and a second arm 31 of first elastic return element extending from said a first elastic return element winding 32, wherein the primary lever 2 comprises a primary lever body 11, wherein the primary lever body 11 defines a primary lever recessed housing or seat 16 adapted to accommodate at least partially the elastic return element 4 of primary lever, wherein the primary lever body 11 comprises at least a first primary lever connecting element 17, wherein the first primary lever connecting element 17 comprises a first primary lever connecting element coupling portion 26a configured to couple the second arm 31 of first elastic return element so that, when the second arm 31 of first elastic return element is coupled to the first primary lever connecting element 17, the elastic return element 4 of primary lever is preassembled to the primary lever 2 irrespective of the connection of the primary lever 2 to the master cylinder body 21.