Collapsible Control Lever Device for Motorcycle Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control lever devices for motorcycles are prone to damage and deformation upon impact, particularly affecting the transmission portion and hydraulic piston, leading to costly repairs and potential loss of functionality.
Innovation Solution
A control lever device with a support structure, a cylinder-piston unit, and a lever pivotally connected along an actuation and collapse stroke, where the transmission portion is separated from the lever during the collapse stroke, allowing impacts to be absorbed by the support structure rather than the transmission portion, thereby protecting it from damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the lever is pivotally connected to the transmission portion by an individual pin allowing relative rotation, then the lever can collapse without breaking in the event of impact, but impacts are directly transmitted to the transmission portion causing deformation or breakage
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separable components: the lever, transmission portion, and cylinder-piston unit. The lever can be detached from the transmission portion, allowing the lever to collapse without transmitting impact forces to the transmission portion, while still maintaining functional connection during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever is extracted from the transmission portion during collapse events. The pivotal connection allows the lever to be separated from the transmission portion when impacted, removing the source of harmful forces while preserving the transmission function when needed.
2Ease of operation
If the lever is freely rotatable in the opposite direction to brake/clutch actuation, then the lever can collapse without breaking, but impacts are amplified and transmitted to the transmission portion and hydraulic piston
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful impact forces are converted into a beneficial separation mechanism. When the lever is impacted, the force causes it to rotate freely and separate from the transmission portion, preventing the amplification and transmission of these forces to the hydraulic piston and other critical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The pivotal connection acts as an intermediary between the lever and transmission portion. It allows controlled relative movement that mediates between the need for lever collapsibility and the need to protect the transmission portion from impact forces.
3Device complexity
If the lever and transmission portion are connected by a pin, then the lever can be simplified in structure, but the transmission portion and hydraulic piston are vulnerable to damage requiring costly servicing
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is segmented into detachable components. The lever can be easily separated from the transmission portion through the pivotal connection, allowing simple replacement of the lever without damaging the more complex and expensive transmission portion or hydraulic piston.
Solution Approach 2:
The lever is designed as a sacrificial component that can be easily replaced. Its simple structure makes it inexpensive compared to the transmission portion and hydraulic piston, so it can be replaced rather than repaired after impact damage.
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 significantly reduces damage to the transmission portion and hydraulic piston during impacts, allowing for easier maintenance by replacing only the lever without needing to replace the entire device, and ensures continued functionality of the motorcycle after a fall.
Implementation Method 1
a lever being pivotally connected to the support structure along an angular actuation stroke extending from an angular rest position of the lever in a first direction of rotation
Implementation Method 2
along an angular collapse stroke extending from said angular rest position in a second direction of rotation, opposite the first direction
Data Source
AI summary
A control device such as a handlebar-mounted brake includes a support structure containing a hydraulic piston, a lever pivotally connected to the support structure by a pin, and a transmission element for transmitting force from the lever to the piston during a normal actuation stroke of the lever. The lever may pivot outward substantially beyond its normal rest position. A torsion spring biases the lever in the actuation direction so that the lever and the transmission element are normally in contact. However, in the event of a fall, the lever can pivot outward from its normal rest position, out of contact with the transmission element. The hydraulic components are thereby protected from damage, as the pin and support structure bear the entire impact force applied to the lever.