Pedal-Cleat Assembly with Spring-Biased Retainers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing clipless pedal/cleat assemblies are vulnerable to unintended cleat release during vigorous pedaling, energy wastage, and instability due to reliance on shoe sole design tolerances and wear, which can lead to injury and vertical play.
Innovation Solution
A pedal/cleat assembly design where the cleat is secured without relying on the shoe sole, featuring a spring-biased forward cleat retainer and a fixed rearward retainer, with adjustable shims for ergonomic alignment, ensuring secure engagement and minimizing vertical play through compressive force and precise adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the spring mechanism provides strong bias to prevent unintended cleat release, then reliability improves, but the difficulty of engaging/disengaging the cleat increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the rearward cleat retainer movable rather than fixed, allowing it to yield during engagement and disengagement. This dynamic design enables the retainer to move apart under cam surface pressure during normal operation, reducing the force needed to engage and disengage the cleat while maintaining reliability through the spring-biased forward retainer.
2Ease of manufacture
If the shoe sole is involved in securing the cleat to the pedal assembly, then ease of manufacture improves, but reliability deteriorates due to manufacturing tolerances and wear
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the shoe sole from the securement function by designing the cleat and pedal assembly with self-contained retention mechanisms. The cleat's forward and rearward projections engage with the pedal assembly's retainers independently of the shoe sole, eliminating reliance on shoe sole tolerances and wear for maintaining securement reliability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the cleat retainers are precisely sized and configured to minimize vertical movement, then stability improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic elements including the spring-biased forward retainer and the movable rearward retainer that can yield under load. This dynamic design accommodates manufacturing tolerances while maintaining stability, as the movable components can adjust to variations in projection and retainer dimensions without creating excessive vertical play.
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 design enhances safety by preventing unintended cleat release, reduces energy wastage, and provides stable, adjustable engagement that accommodates various biomechanical issues, maintaining secure attachment even with wear.
Implementation Method 1
a spring mechanism yieldably biasing the forward and rearward cleat retainers toward each other
Implementation Method 2
cam surfaces on the cleat to engage the forward and rearward cleat retainers and forcibly urge them apart from each other
Data Source
AI summary
An improved pedal/cleat assembly includes a cleat that can be releasably secured to a pedal assembly without the need to contact the sole of a rider's shoe. The cleat is configured to include forward and rearward projections, as well as inward and outward feet, and the pedal assembly is configured to include a spindle, a main pedal body mounted on the spindle, and a cleat support base mounted on the main pedal body. The cleat support base includes inward and outward pads configured to support the cleat's inward and outward feet, and it mounts forward and rearward cleat retainers configured to receive and secure the forward and rearward cleat projections. A spring-bias device yieldably biases the forward and rearward cleat retainers toward each other. The pedal/cleat assembly thereby is configured such that the cleat can be secured to the pedal assembly without the need to contact any portion of the shoe sole.