Bicycle Hydraulic Brake Piston Locking for Leak-Free Tube Cutting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydraulic braking systems for bicycles face issues with fluid leakage and the need for recalibration due to the fixed length of flexible tubes, which complicates storage, transportation, and mounting, leading to inefficiencies and errors in selection and installation.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic brake system with a piston that can move between fluid communication and isolation positions, allowing for storage and transportation without fluid loss, and enabling flexible tube cutting to desired lengths without leakage, using a stop device to maintain the piston in a non-leaking position during storage and transportation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the hydraulic braking system is stored and transported with the flexible tube connected to the control device and braking member, then the system can be mounted quickly on the bicycle, but the fixed length of the flexible tube complicates storage and transportation and requires precise selection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the flexible tube length adjustable by introducing a cutting mechanism that allows the tube to be trimmed to the required length during installation. This dynamic adjustment capability resolves the contradiction by enabling both quick mounting (through pre-connection) and adaptability (through length customization).
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible tube is designed as a separable component that can be cut into different lengths. This segmentation approach allows the tube to be divided into appropriate segments during installation, providing both the benefit of pre-connection and the flexibility of length adjustment.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible tube is cut to the desired length during installation, then adaptability is improved, but fluid leakage occurs and recalibration is required
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-filling the flexible tube with hydraulic fluid during manufacturing and providing self-sealing mechanisms at the tube ends. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the tube is later cut during installation, fluid leakage is minimized or prevented, maintaining reliability while enabling length adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
Self-sealing caps or valves are introduced as intermediary elements at the flexible tube ends. These intermediaries automatically seal when the tube is cut, preventing fluid leakage and eliminating the need for recalibration, thus maintaining both adaptability and reliability.
3Ease of operation
If the piston remains in the fluid communication position during storage and transportation, then the hydraulic system remains ready for operation, but fluid leakage occurs from the cylinder and tank
Solution Approach 1:
The system is pre-configured with a stop device that automatically positions the piston in the isolation position during storage and transportation. This preliminary setup prevents fluid leakage while maintaining readiness, as the stop device can be easily removed or disengaged during installation to restore fluid communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop device acts as an intermediary mechanism that temporarily blocks the piston's movement to the fluid communication position during storage. This intermediary element prevents fluid loss while allowing the system to be quickly activated by removing the stop device during installation.
4Reliability
If a stop device is introduced to prevent fluid leakage during storage and transportation, then fluid tightness is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The stop device is designed as a separate, removable component that can be extracted from the system after installation. This extraction approach minimizes the added complexity during storage and transportation, as the stop device is not permanently integrated into the piston control mechanism but rather serves as a temporary protective element.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop device is designed as a simple, inexpensive, single-use component that is removed after installation. This disposable approach justifies the temporary increase in device complexity by using a low-cost element that serves its protective function during storage and is then discarded, avoiding the need for complex reversible mechanisms.
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 system prevents fluid leakage during storage and transportation, allows for flexible tube cutting without fluid loss, and eliminates the need for recalibration upon mounting, ensuring a seamless installation process without fluid loss or recalibration.
Implementation Method 1
a piston (18) slidably mounted in the cylinder (17) to move between at least one first rest position in which the cylinder (17) and the tank (16) are in fluid communication and at least one second position in which the piston (18) interrupts the fluid communication between the cylinder (17) and the tank (16)
Data Source
AI summary
A control device of a bicycle hydraulic brake, comprising a cylinder, a tank, a piston slidably mounted in the cylinder to move between at least one first rest position in which the cylinder and the tank are in fluid communication and at least one second position in which the piston interrupts the fluid communication between the cylinder and the tank, a stop device that acts directly or indirectly on the piston. The cylinder and the tank are filled with hydraulic fluid and the stop device can take up a storage and transportation configuration in which it arranges the piston in said at least one second position.