Motorized Bicycle Seat Post With PID Height Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional dropper seat posts on bicycles require riders to stop and dismount to adjust seat height, leading to inconvenient and unpleasant riding experiences, especially for racers, due to lag time and abrupt arrival at desired positions, and they often suffer from play between the seat post and tube causing rotation and vibration.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable seat post system with a user-programmable interface that allows for infinite or finite position adjustments via a valve and cam mechanism, controlled by an electrical system with PID controllers to ensure gentle and precise movement, and a bushing design to prevent rotation and enhance stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional dropper seat posts are used, then seat height adjustment is possible, but riders must stop and dismount to adjust, causing lag time and interrupting riding flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the conventional mechanical cable-actuated seat post system with an electric motor-driven system. The motorized seat post allows riders to adjust seat height while remaining seated and pedaling, eliminating the need to stop and dismount. The system uses a motor, gear train, and rack-and-pinion mechanism to provide precise control over seat post movement, resolving the contradiction between adjustment convenience and time loss.
2Ease of operation
If conventional seat post mechanisms are used, then height adjustment is achieved, but arrival at desired position is abrupt causing discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback control through position sensors that monitor the seat post's location in real-time. The control system receives feedback about the current position and adjusts the motor's operation accordingly, slowing down as the seat post approaches the target position. This feedback mechanism prevents abrupt arrival and associated vibrations, while still enabling convenient height adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
The motorized system employs periodic actuation with variable speed control, adjusting the rate of seat post movement based on proximity to the target position. The system uses incremental positioning with decreasing speed intervals as the seat post nears the desired height, eliminating abrupt movements and vibrations while maintaining adjustment functionality.
3Device complexity
If traditional seat post designs are used, then structural simplicity is maintained, but play between seat post and tube causes rotation and vibration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested bushing structure where an inner bushing fits within an outer bushing, creating a multi-layered damping system. The inner bushing provides primary friction-based stabilization, while the outer bushing adds additional damping capacity. This nested configuration reduces play and prevents rotation without significantly increasing overall structural complexity, as the bushings are integrated into the existing seat post tube and clamp assembly.
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
Enables seamless height adjustments during riding without lag or overshoot, reducing play and vibration, providing a more stable and comfortable riding experience by allowing precise control over seat post movement.
Implementation Method 1
a valve assembly configured for regulating fluid flow
Implementation Method 2
The controller is a proportional integral derivative (PID) controller that regulates a electrical signal to a motor
Data Source
AI summary
A system including: a seat post; a user interface operatively connected with the seat post, the user interface configured for receiving instructions associated with a height of the seat post and for communicating received instructions to at least one controller coupled with a motive source of the seat post; and a valve assembly in communication with the motive source, the valve assembly regulating fluid flow within a variable finite positioning seat post height mode in response to a translation of the received instructions by the motive source.