Dynamic Damping Control for Bicycle Shock Absorbers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shock absorbers for bicycles, particularly those with controllable damping, often fail to provide a soft response during slow manual spring compression, leading to scratching or rattling feedback, and may react too slowly to genuine shocks due to measurement filtering delays.
Innovation Solution
A chassis controller with a sensor device that acquires travel signals with high resolution and frequency, a filter device for preprocessing measurement data, and an analysis device that determines filter parameters to derive control data sets for adjusting the shock absorber's damping, ensuring rapid and soft response behavior across various situations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If measurement data is filtered to reduce noise, then measurement precision is improved, but response time to genuine shocks deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The filter parameters are made dynamically adjustable based on the detected riding situation. The system switches between different filter strength levels: stronger filtering for low-speed manual compression to eliminate noise, and weaker filtering for high-speed shock events to preserve rapid response. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction by allowing both high precision and fast response under different conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the filter parameters (filtering strength) based on the detected situation. By monitoring speed and acceleration signals, the system adjusts the filter characteristics to match the current riding condition, enabling optimal balance between noise reduction and response speed.
2Reliability
If damping force is increased to damp shocks effectively, then shock absorption performance is improved, but scratching or rattling feedback occurs during slow manual compression
Solution Approach 1:
The damping force is dynamically adjusted based on the detected situation. During slow manual compression, the system reduces damping force to allow smooth movement without scratching or rattling. During genuine shock events, the system increases damping force to provide effective shock absorption. This dynamic adjustment eliminates the harmful feedback while maintaining reliable shock protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system detects the riding situation in advance and adjusts damping parameters before the harmful effect occurs. By identifying slow manual compression versus genuine shocks through speed and acceleration analysis, the system proactively sets appropriate damping levels to prevent scratching or rattling feedback.
3Speed
If shock absorber responds quickly to all movements, then response speed is improved, but scratching or rattling feedback occurs during slow manual compression
Solution Approach 1:
The response speed of the shock absorber is dynamically adjusted based on the detected situation. For genuine shocks, the system maintains high response speed to quickly dampen impacts. For slow manual compression, the system reduces response speed to allow smooth, scratch-free operation. This dynamic control resolves the contradiction between fast response and harmful feedback.
Solution Approach 2:
The control parameters (damping force, response threshold) are changed based on the detected riding condition. By analyzing speed and acceleration signals, the system adjusts parameters to match the current situation, enabling fast response to shocks while preventing scratching during slow movements.
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 solution enables a smooth and rapid response of the shock absorber, reducing scratching or rattling feedback during slow compression and ensuring timely damping of shocks, by analyzing measurement data sets and adjusting damping parameters accordingly.
Implementation Method 1
at least one sensor device (20) is provided for acquiring measurement data sets (90, 91) at least relating to a relative movement of the connecting units (101, 102) with respect to one another. The sensor device (20) is designed to acquire a travel signal with a resolution of better than 100 μm. The sensor device (20) is designed to acquire the travel signal with a frequency of higher than 1 kHz.
Implementation Method 2
A filter device (80) is provided for pre-processing the measurement data sets (90, 91).
Implementation Method 3
An analysis device (98, 99) is provided which is designed and configured to analyze at least one stored data set (93) and to determine a filter parameter set (82, 83) as a function of the result of the analysis and to derive a control data set (95) from the measurement data set (90) with the filter parameter set (82, 83).
Implementation Method 4
The solution enables a smooth and rapid response of the shock absorber, reducing scratching or rattling feedback during slow compression and ensuring timely damping of shocks, by analyzing measurement data sets and adjusting damping parameters accordingly.
Data Source
AI summary
A chassis controller and method for controlling the damping of a human-powered two-wheeled vehicle having a controllable shock absorber and a control device and a memory device. A sensor device acquires measurement data sets relating to a relative movement of two connecting units of the shock absorber with respect to one another. A filter device pre-processes the measurement data sets. Multiple data sets are stored in the memory device. A data set, derived from a measurement data set acquired with the sensor device during the relative movement of the connecting units is stored and an analysis device analyzes a stored data set. A filter parameter set is determined based on the analysis, and a control data set is derived with the filter parameter set. The control device controls the shock absorber with the control data set.