Clipless Pedal Cleat Release Mechanism

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing clipless pedal designs often result in accidental disengagement of the cleat from the pedal when inexperienced cyclists attempt to horizontally shift their foot, requiring excessive effort for smooth detachment.

Innovation Solution

A clipless pedal device featuring a pedal body with an engagement portion, a retaining portion that moves between lock and release positions, and a push portion that lifts the cleat laterally for easy upward detachment.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the cleat is restricted by the retaining portion at the lock position, then the connection stability between cleat and pedal is improved, but the detachment effort required increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconnection stabilityVSAvoiddetachment effort

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The retaining portion is designed to be movable between a lock position (providing strong restriction and stability) and a release position (reducing restriction for easy detachment). This dynamic adjustment allows the system to transition from a high-stability state to a low-effort detachment state, resolving the contradiction between connection reliability and detachment ease.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If the cleat is laterally shifted for detachment, then the detachment process can be initiated, but the movement smoothness depends on user force and may cause accidental disengagement

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetachment smoothnessVSAvoidaccidental disengagement risk

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The push portion performs a preliminary action by automatically pushing the cleat upward along the pushing path when the retaining portion moves to the release position. This preliminary upward movement prepares the cleat for smooth lateral detachment, reducing the force needed and minimizing the risk of accidental disengagement during the detachment process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Force

If the push portion moves along the pushing path to push the cleat upward, then the detachment effort is reduced, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetachment effortVSAvoidstructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ForceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The push portion is integrated with the retaining portion, combining the retention function and the push function into a single mechanical linkage. When the retaining portion moves between lock and release positions, it simultaneously performs both the restriction/release function and the push function through the connected push portion, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the beneficial detachment assistance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS12291306B2Clipless pedal device

Publication Date: 2025.05.06 WELLGO PEDALS CORP

AI summary

A clipless pedal device is provided, including a pedal body; an engagement portion; a retaining portion, disposed on the pedal body and being movable between a lock position and a release position; a push portion, driven by the retaining portion to move along a pushing path; wherein when a cleat is engaged between the engagement portion and the retaining portion, the cleat is located on the pushing path; while the retaining portion is moved from the lock position to the release position, the push portion is moved along the pushing path to push the cleat.