Front Fork Air Valve Protection via Raised Projection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing two-wheeled motor vehicles face difficulties in preventing external forces from acting on the air valve of the front fork while maintaining easy air supplementation, as the air valve is prone to being obstructed by the handle and is susceptible to soil deposition, making it labor-intensive to fill air.
Innovation Solution
The design features a projection on the upper surface of the front fork that is higher than the air valve, allowing the handle to contact the projection instead of the air valve, thereby preventing external forces and soil deposition, while securing a working space for easy air supplementation. The air valve is positioned outside the projection plane, and an elastic support is used for the handle post to manage external forces, with a recessed area on the projection to further facilitate air filling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the air valve is embedded in a hole formed in the upper surface of the cap, then external force can be prevented from acting on the air valve, but it becomes difficult to detach the valve cap from the air valve by hand and soil easily deposits in the hole
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the protective structure into two functional elements: a cap that embeds the air valve to protect it from external forces, and a separate projection that provides a handhold for easy cap removal. This segmentation allows the cap to serve both protective and operational functions without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The projection acts as an intermediary element between the user's hand and the air valve cap. By providing a protrusion on the cap's upper surface, it mediates the interaction between the user and the cap, enabling easy grasping and removal without directly exposing the air valve to external forces.
2Reliability
If the air valve is embedded in the cap, then external force is prevented from acting on the air valve, but much time is required to remove deposition such as soil
Solution Approach 1:
The cap is segmented into a lower embedding portion that protects the air valve and an upper projection that serves as a removal aid. This segmentation enables quick cap removal by hand, significantly reducing the time required for air supplementation while maintaining protection during normal operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The projection on the cap enables self-service removal by hand without requiring tools or complex operations. Users can easily grasp and remove the cap themselves, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual cleaning or specialized tools.
3Ease of operation
If the handle is positioned above the front fork, then the handle may contact the air valve when the handle sags, but this direct contact exposes the air valve to external force
Solution Approach 1:
The projection on the cap serves as an intermediary that intercepts contact from the handle. When the handle sags, it contacts the projection rather than the air valve directly, protecting the air valve from external forces while maintaining the handle's operational positioning above the front fork.
Solution Approach 2:
The potential harmful contact between the handle and air valve is converted into a beneficial protective mechanism. The projection is designed to receive handle contact, transforming what would be harmful direct contact into a protective indirect contact that shields the air valve while maintaining handle functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
In a two-wheeled motor vehicle having a pair of right and left front forks for supporting a front wheel so that the front wheel is rotatable, a top bridge for supporting upper ends of the pair of right and left front forks, a handle post provided to the top bridge, and a bar-shaped handle secured to the hand post, the handle is provided above the front forks with respect to an axial line direction of the front forks, each front fork is provided with an air valve for sealingly filling air in the front fork and a projection on the upper surface thereof, and the projection is formed to be higher than the air valve.