Straddle Vehicle Front Fork Elliptical Brake Caliper Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Straddle type vehicles with brake calipers positioned behind the front fork are prone to damage from flying stones, and existing solutions require additional components to protect them.
Innovation Solution
The brake caliper is positioned behind wider, elliptically shaped portions of the front fork, offset to the inner side, allowing it to overlap with these wider sections, reducing the impact of flying debris without the need for additional protectors and maintaining rigidity balance between the forks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protector is added to protect the brake caliper from flying stones, then the brake caliper is protected from damage, but the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protective function into the front fork structure itself by creating wider portions that protrude toward the brake caliper. The front fork body integrates both structural support and protection functions, eliminating the need for separate protectors while reducing component count.
Solution Approach 2:
The front fork is designed with multi-functionality: it provides structural support for the wheel assembly and simultaneously serves as a protective barrier for the brake caliper through its wider portions. This universal design allows one component to fulfill multiple roles.
2Power
If the brake caliper is positioned closer to the front fork outer side for better braking performance, then braking efficiency improves, but the brake caliper becomes more vulnerable to flying stones
Solution Approach 1:
The front fork features local quality variation with wider portions created at specific locations. These localized wider sections protrude toward the brake caliper to provide protection, while other portions of the front fork maintain their original dimensions for structural integrity and braking performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The wider portions of the front fork act as an intermediary protective element between the flying stones and the brake caliper. This intermediate structure absorbs or deflects the impact of stones before they reach the brake caliper, reducing damage while allowing the caliper to remain in its optimal braking position.
3Reliability
If wider portions are formed on the inner tube for protection, then the brake caliper is protected, but the manufacturing complexity increases and inner space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of forming wider portions on the inner tube as considered in the alternative approach, the patent inverts the design by forming the wider portions on the front fork body (outer tube). This reversal simplifies manufacturing since the front fork body is typically cast or formed as a single piece, making it easier to integrate the wider protective portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The wider portions are formed in the width direction (lateral dimension) of the front fork rather than extending in the front-rear direction. This dimensional approach provides protection without significantly reducing the inner space available for the inner tube and other components.
Data Source
AI summary
In a straddle type vehicle having front forks, the left front fork is in an elliptical shape portion whose axial cross section is formed so as to be wider in the width direction of the vehicle as compared to a length in the front and rear direction at the portion located in front of the brake caliper. The brake caliper is disposed so as to be overlapped with the elliptical shape portion, viewed from the front direction of the vehicle.