Luminous Mudguard Structure for Water-Resistant Bicycle Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bicycle rear lights, including LED devices, suffer from inefficiencies such as insufficient brightness, short battery life, vulnerability to moisture, and poor material quality, leading to reduced visibility and safety, especially in low-light conditions.
Innovation Solution
The mudguard itself is designed as a luminous device, incorporating LEDs and a power supply system that ensures consistent visibility, durability, and protection from water and mud, using flexible or three-dimensional electronics and various wireless power transfer methods.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If LED devices are mounted on bicycles with battery power supply, then visibility is improved, but battery life is short (20-30 hours) and requires frequent replacement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the mudguard structure with the luminous device into a single integrated unit. The mudguard base houses the battery and electronic components, while the cover with transparent portions provides both protection and light transmission. This merging eliminates the need for separate mounting of LED devices and resolves the battery life issue by integrating power supply management into the mudguard structure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The mudguard is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it provides wheel protection from water and mud splashes, structural support for the wheel, and integrated luminous signaling. The transparent portions of the cover allow light transmission while maintaining the protective function, and the integrated power supply system manages both illumination and potential wireless charging capabilities.
2Illumination intensity
If LED devices are made brighter to improve visibility, then luminous efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases and battery life decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates wireless power transfer capabilities (inductive or resonant coupling) that allow dynamic recharging of the battery without removing the device. This dynamic power management system enables the battery to be replenished during normal use, effectively resolving the contradiction between high brightness requirements and limited battery capacity by providing continuous power availability.
3Illumination intensity
If LED devices are used to improve visibility, then safety is improved, but the devices are vulnerable to water and moisture causing internal contacts to oxidize or rust
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested protective structure where the electronic board with LED components is mounted on the mudguard base, which provides the first level of protection. The cover then encloses these components, with transparent portions strategically positioned to allow light transmission while maintaining the sealed protective environment. This nested arrangement protects internal contacts from water and moisture oxidation while preserving luminous function.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover is designed as a protective shell with transparent portions that maintain environmental sealing while allowing light transmission. This shell structure protects the electronic components from moisture and water ingress, preventing oxidation of internal contacts, while the transparent sections ensure the luminous function remains effective for visibility.
4Ease of manufacture
If fixing systems use metal and plastic components, then assembly is simplified, but screws rust and plastic threads wear or break over time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical fastening systems (screws and threaded plastic parts) with alternative fixing methods such as ultrasonic welding, adhesive bonding, or integrated snap-fit mechanisms. This substitution eliminates the rusting issue of metal screws and the wear problem of plastic threads, while maintaining ease of assembly through efficient manufacturing processes suitable for mass production.
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 luminous mudguard provides reliable, long-lasting, and efficient rear lighting, enhancing cyclist visibility and safety by ensuring consistent illumination and resistance to environmental factors.
Implementation Method 1
a light guide 316 configured to receive in input on the edge the light beam generated by the LED and to propagate said light beam towards a second portion 243 of its surface, which outputs a light beam that uniformly illuminates the transparent portion 214 of the cover
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
It is disclosed a luminous mudguard (10, 11, 101, 111) for a vehicle wheel. The mudguard comprises a mudguard base (12, 12a, 112) having a mainly circumferential extension and comprises a polymer-based three-dimensional electronic board (16, 116) overlapping a portion of the mudguard base and having a main circumferential extension, the electronic board comprising at least one light emitting diode (21, 21c, 121, 121c), a plurality of electronic components (22, 122) and metal tracks (24, 124) for electrically connecting the plurality of electronic components and the at least one light emitting diode, wherein said electronic board comprises a plurality of ridges and/or depressions with respect to its main circumferential extension and with respect to its secondary transverse extension, wherein said ridges and/or depressions comprise respective flat pads adapted to place and fix said plurality of electronic components and the at least one light emitting diode. The mudguard further comprises a power supply interface electrically connected with the electronic board and configured to generate electric power for supplying the at least one light emitting diode and the plurality of electronic components, and comprises an optical diffuser (30, 31; 130, 131) at least partially overlapping a portion of the electronic board, the optical diffuser being configured to diffuse a light beam generated by the at least one light emitting diode and generate therefrom a diffused light beam. The mudguard further comprises a polymer-based cover (20, 120) at least partially overlapping the mudguard base and having a main circumferential extension, said cover comprising a portion (14, 14a, 114, 114a) that is at least partially transparent with respect to the diffused light beam, wherein said at least partially transparent portion is overlapping the optical diffuser, such that said diffused light beam illuminates said at least partially transparent portion.