Front Fork Cap Assembly That Prevents Wire Twisting
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing front forks with electrically adjustable damping, the twisting of wires supplying power to internal electric devices is a problem due to the need to rotate the cap and piston rod during assembly, which can damage the wiring.
Innovation Solution
A front fork design featuring a connection nut that allows the cap and piston rod to be connected without rotating them, using an annular connection nut that is rotatable in the circumferential direction but restricted in the axial direction, enabling secure attachment and detachment without twisting the wire.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the cap and piston rod are connected by screwing them together during assembly, then the cap and piston rod can be securely attached, but the wire supplying power to the electric device becomes twisted
Solution Approach 1:
The connection mechanism is divided into two functional parts: the cap body for structural attachment and the connection tube for wire-safe coupling. The connection nut operates independently on the connection tube, separating the rotational fastening function from the cap-piston rod assembly, thereby preventing wire twisting while maintaining secure attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection tube acts as an intermediary component between the cap and piston rod. It provides a dedicated interface with external threads that accepts the connection nut, isolating the wire passage area from the rotational fastening operation. This intermediary structure enables secure connection without transmitting rotational stress to the wire.
2Ease of manufacture
If the cap is rotated during assembly to screw it onto the piston rod, then the threaded connection can be formed, but the wire inside the cap becomes twisted and damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The assembly operation is segmented into two independent actions: (1) attaching the cap to the piston rod body, and (2) tightening the connection nut on the connection tube. This segmentation allows the wire-containing cap to be positioned without rotation, while the connection nut handles the fastening function separately.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of rotating the cap to engage threads (which twists the wire), the design inverts the approach by providing threads on the external surface of the connection tube that protrudes from the cap. The connection nut rotates on this external threaded surface, reversing the rotation location away from the wire-containing cap.
3Strength
If a traditional threaded connection is used between cap and piston rod, then secure attachment is achieved, but the assembly process requires rotation that complicates wire management
Solution Approach 1:
The connection tube serves as a mediator that carries the threaded interface external to the cap body. By locating the threads on the connection tube rather than on the cap itself, the design enables secure attachment through nut fastening while keeping the wire management area (inside the cap) separate from the rotational fastening operation.
Data Source
AI summary
A front fork according to the present invention includes: a fork main body including a vehicle body side tube and an axle side tube; a cap body attached to a vehicle body side tube; a cylinder provided in the axle side tube; a cylindrical rod axially movably inserted into the cylinder; an electric device housed in the cylinder; and a wire that is inserted into the rod, passes through the cap, and is drawn out from the fork main body and is connected to the electric device, in which the connection tube and the rod in the cap are connected by a connection nut that is rotatably mounted on an outer circumference of one of the connection tube and the rod and is restricted in movement in the axial direction toward the other, and screwed to the other.