Hydraulic Brake Control Unit Integrated in Handlebar Tube
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing handlebar-guided vehicles, such as bicycles, equipped with hydraulic braking systems face challenges in achieving a compact, reliable, and easily assembled control unit that allows for modulation of the braking load curve across different braking stages.
Innovation Solution
A hydraulic brake control unit is integrated within the handlebar tube, featuring a cartridge with a longitudinally movable piston and a transmission lever that acts between the brake control lever and the piston, allowing for modulation of the braking load curve through a U-shaped channel for brake fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the brake master cylinder and hydraulic hose are mounted externally on the handlebar, then the assembly is simple to manufacture, but the overall structure becomes bulky and less reliable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates the master cylinder, reservoir, and hydraulic hose connections into a single cartridge assembly that fits within the handlebar tube. This merging of components eliminates external mounting requirements and reduces overall system complexity while improving reliability through integrated sealing and positioning features.
Solution Approach 2:
The cartridge assembly is designed to be nested within the handlebar tube, with the master cylinder and reservoir housed inside the cartridge structure. This nesting approach allows compact integration of multiple components within the existing handlebar geometry, achieving space efficiency without requiring external mounting.
2Volume of moving object
If the hydraulic hose runs externally along the handlebar, then the system is easy to assemble, but the structure becomes bulky and less aesthetically pleasing
Solution Approach 1:
The hydraulic hose connections are integrated into the cartridge assembly, allowing the hose to run internally through the handlebar tube rather than externally. This merging of connection points within the cartridge reduces the overall volume occupied by external components and hoses.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional master cylinder arrangement is used, then the structure is simple, but modulation of braking load curve across different braking stages is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission lever is designed with a curved surface that creates a progressive mechanical advantage as the lever rotates. This dynamic geometry allows modulation of the braking load curve, providing lighter initial braking force that progressively increases to maximum braking force, enabling adaptable braking control across different stages.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission lever incorporates a curved contact surface that works with the piston rod to create a progressive force transmission. This curvature allows the mechanical advantage to vary continuously during lever rotation, enabling modulation of braking force across different stages of lever displacement.
4Length of moving object
If the control unit is integrated within the handlebar tube, then compactness is achieved, but assembly difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit is divided into a cartridge assembly that can be pre-assembled and tested separately, then installed as a single unit within the handlebar tube. This segmentation allows for easier manufacturing and quality control of the integrated components while maintaining the compact integrated structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The cartridge assembly is designed to be pre-assembled with the master cylinder, reservoir, and hose connections already in place and sealed. This preliminary assembly allows for quality control and testing before final installation in the handlebar, simplifying the overall assembly process despite the integrated design.
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 provides a compact, reliable, and easily assembled control unit that allows for adjustable braking load curves, enhancing the braking performance and user experience of handlebar-guided vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
A transmission lever, which can be pivotally mounted on the handlebar tube about a transversal axis, acts between the brake control lever and the piston to exert a thrust on the piston towards said port
Implementation Method 2
Within the cartridge a channel is formed which determines a U-shaped path for the brake fluid, wherein the channel fluidically joins said port of the longitudinal cavity to a hydraulic hose
Data Source
AI summary
A hydraulic brake control unit for a handlebar-guided vehicle which has a cartridge mounted in a handlebar tube of the vehicle and forming an inner longitudinal cavity with a port at one end thereof, a piston housed in the longitudinal cavity and a transmission lever rotatably mountable on the handlebar tube is provided. The transmission lever acts between a brake control lever and the piston by exerting a thrust on the piston towards the port in a first longitudinal direction. A channel, formed in the cartridge, determines a U-shaped path for a brake fluid by fluidically connecting the port of the longitudinal cavity and a hydraulic hose, so as to exert a pressure on the brake fluid contained in the hydraulic hose in a second longitudinal direction, opposite to the first longitudinal direction.