Composite Bicycle Crankarm Co-Molding with Protected PCB
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bicycle crankarms face challenges in integrating printed circuit boards (PCBs) effectively, as existing methods often weaken the structure and fail to provide adequate protection against environmental factors and mechanical stress.
Innovation Solution
A bicycle component made of composite material with structural fibers in a polymeric matrix, co-molded with a protected PCB, where the composite material extends around and contacts the PCB, providing protection and integration as a single piece, using a process that includes protecting the PCB with a polymeric layer or insulating material to withstand critical temperatures and pressures during molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a recess is made in the crankarm to house the printed circuit board, then the PCB can be integrated into the crankarm, but the structural strength of the crankarm is weakened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the PCB housing function directly into the crankarm structure by creating an integrated mold that forms both the crankarm and the PCB recess as a single unified component. This eliminates the need for separate housing parts while maintaining structural integrity through the merging of functions into one molded piece.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials in the crankarm construction, combining different materials with complementary properties to achieve both the structural strength required for crankarm function and the precise geometric features needed for PCB integration. The composite material allows simultaneous optimization of mechanical properties and integration capabilities.
2Ease of operation
If the PCB is exposed on the external surface of the crankarm, then access to the PCB is easier, but the PCB is vulnerable to environmental factors and mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent nests the PCB within a protected recess or cavity in the crankarm structure, placing it inside the crankarm body rather than exposing it on the external surface. This nesting approach provides mechanical protection and environmental shielding while maintaining reasonable access through the crankarm structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs protective coatings or thin film barriers on the PCB and within the recess area to provide environmental protection against moisture, dirt, and other harmful factors. These protective layers act as flexible barriers that shield the PCB while allowing the integrated structure to function normally.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the PCB is integrated into the crankarm using external housing, then the PCB is protected, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the crankarm structure and PCB housing into a single integrated molded component, eliminating the need for separate external housing parts. This merging reduces the total number of components and assembly steps while maintaining the protective function for the PCB through the integrated design.
Data Source
AI summary
A process for manufacturing a bicycle component and a bicycle component manufactured by the process. The process includes protecting a printed circuit board, inserting the protected printed circuit board into the mold cavity, inserting a composite material into the mold cavity so it is around and in contact with the circuit board, and subjecting the mold cavity to a temperature and pressure profile until the composite material hardens.