Handlebar Grip Buffer Assembly for Personal Mobility Vibration Damping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional personal mobility devices, such as electric kickboards and bicycles, inadequately reduce vibration and shock transmitted to grip parts during driving, causing discomfort to users due to the limited effectiveness of existing shock absorbers.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a buffer device between the grip parts and the handlebar, comprising springs and gas dampers, which allows for limited rotation and longitudinal displacement of the grip parts, providing a buffer mechanism to absorb vibrations and shocks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a conventional shock absorber is equipped at the portion connecting the front wheel and steering device, then some vibration reduction is achieved, but the vibration and shock transmitted to the grip parts cannot be sufficiently reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The vibration reduction function is segmented into multiple locations: the conventional shock absorber at the front wheel connection and a new buffer device at the grip part connection. This segmentation allows each component to address vibration at its specific location, with the buffer device specifically targeting vibrations reaching the grip parts that the front shock absorber cannot eliminate.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer device acts as an intermediary element between the handlebar and the grip parts. It mediates the transmission of vibrations by providing a compliant interface that absorbs and dampens vibrational energy before it reaches the user's hands, thereby reducing the harmful effects without compromising the structural connection.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the grip part is made fixed to the handlebar, then structural stability is maintained, but vibration and shock are transmitted directly to the user's hands
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the grip part and handlebar is transformed from a static fixed connection to a dynamic compliant connection. The buffer device enables controlled relative movement and deformation in response to vibrations, allowing the system to adapt to dynamic loading conditions while maintaining overall structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical properties of the connection are changed by introducing the buffer device, which alters the stiffness and damping characteristics of the handlebar-grip interface. This parameter change allows the connection to be softer in the vibration direction while maintaining sufficient strength for structural support.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If a buffer device is added between the grip parts and handlebar, then vibration and shock are reduced, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer device uses simple, inexpensive components such as elastomeric materials or foam that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. These materials provide effective vibration damping without requiring complex mechanical structures, electronics, or maintenance-intensive systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer device utilizes flexible materials such as elastomers or foam layers that can be directly attached between the grip part and handlebar. These flexible elements provide vibration absorption through their material properties alone, eliminating the need for complex mechanical spring-damper assemblies or adjustable mechanisms.
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 buffer device effectively reduces vibration and shock transmission to the grip parts, enhancing user comfort by stabilizing the grip parts during driving on irregular road surfaces.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of springs interposed between an outer surface of the handlebar and an inner surface of the grip part
Implementation Method 2
one or more gas dampers interposed between the outer surface of the handlebar and an inner surface of the grip part in the displacement direction
Data Source
AI summary
A personal mobility includes a steering shaft, a handlebar extending from an upper end of the steering shaft to opposite sides, two grip parts installed on opposite ends of the handlebar, respectively, to be displaceable with respect to the handlebar in a direction of intersecting a longitudinal direction of the handlebar, and a buffer device provided between each of the grip parts and the handlebar to reduce vibration or shock transmitted from the handlebar to the grip part.