Hookless Bicycle Rim Structure for Low-Pressure Impact Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bicycle rims with low tire pressure suffer from tire punctures and air leakage due to direct tire pressing on the rim, leading to increased weight, difficult installation, and limited grip enhancement when using foaming materials.
Innovation Solution
A bicycle rim structure with two outer sidewalls and top hollow protrusions featuring wide and thick top sides, inner contact sides, and a hookless design to increase tire contact area and absorb impacts, reducing the risk of snakebite without additional weight or installation difficulties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If low tire pressure is used to provide cushioning function and improve grip, then comfort and grip are improved, but the tire is directly pressed on the narrow top wall of the rim resulting in tire puncture and air leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating top hollow protrusions with specific geometric features (width ≥5mm, thickness ≥0.6mm, included angle <180 degrees) at the critical contact area between tire and rim. This localized structural modification provides enhanced cushioning and support exactly where the tire contacts the rim during impact, preventing direct pressing on narrow top walls while maintaining low tire pressure benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The top hollow protrusions serve as pre-configured cushioning structures that are already in place before impact occurs. When the tire contacts the rim during impact, these protrusions immediately provide cushioning support, preventing the tire from being directly pressed on the narrow top wall and avoiding puncture and air leakage.
2Reliability
If foaming material product is installed in the tire to avoid tire puncture and impact damage, then resistance to flat tire and impact protection are improved, but weight increases, installation becomes difficult, and comfort and grip enhancement are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cushioning function from the tire system by integrating it directly into the rim structure through top hollow protrusions. This eliminates the need for separate foaming material products, achieving impact protection and flat tire resistance while avoiding the weight increase and installation difficulties associated with adding external cushioning materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the cushioning function with the rim structure by forming top hollow protrusions as an integral part of the rim. This integration achieves both structural support and impact cushioning in a single component, eliminating the need for separate foaming materials and their associated weight and installation issues.
3Reliability
If foaming material product is installed in the tire to avoid tire puncture, then resistance to flat tire is improved, but installation becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the flat tire protection function from the tire assembly and integrates it into the rim structure through top hollow protrusions. This eliminates the need for installing separate foaming material products, achieving flat tire resistance while avoiding installation difficulties.
4Weight of moving object
If the top wall of the rim is made narrow to reduce weight, then wheel weight is reduced, but the tire is directly pressed on the narrow top wall resulting in tire puncture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating top hollow protrusions with specific geometric features (width ≥5mm, thickness ≥0.6mm) at the critical contact area between tire and rim. This localized structural modification provides enhanced cushioning and support exactly where needed, preventing direct pressing on narrow top walls while maintaining overall lightweight design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses the narrow top wall issue by adding vertical dimension through top hollow protrusions. These protrusions extend upward from the rim surface, creating a three-dimensional structure that provides cushioning support without increasing the horizontal footprint or overall rim width, thus maintaining lightweight design.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1E
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a bicycle rim structure, in the structure, two outer sidewalls are disposed opposite each other on two sides of the rim structure, and ends of the outer sidewalls are connected to each other. Two top hollow protrusions are respectively at upper portions of the outer sidewalls, each of the top hollow protrusions has a hollow portion, an outward side, a top side and an inner contact side, and an included angle less than 180 degrees is between an extension direction of the outward side and an extension direction of a corresponding one of the outer sidewalls, and the hollow portion is defined by the outward side, the top side and the inner contact side, the top side connects the outward side and the inner contact side, and a width of the top side is greater than at least 5 mm, and thicknesses of the outward side, the top side and the inner contact side are greater than at least 0.6 mm.