Is Photovoltaic Technology the Future? New Patents Reveal Solar-Powered Groupsets, Components, and Electronic Brakes

What’s going to motorcycles be like in 10 years’ time? It is a widespread query, and it’s arduous to peer how the most efficient highway motorcycles may well be to any extent further complex than they’re now.

The inventors and engineers who can visualise and design the next day’s generation would possibly have already got an concept of ways issues will glance. A not too long ago revealed patent via Categorized for a ‘Self-powered system for a bicycle’ outlines plans for harnessing the solar’s energy to rate bicycle parts or even electronically powered brakes. 

An summary of the theory in the back of the discovery is printed within the patent:

‘The disclosure relates to a system for a bicycle, wherein the system comprises one or more electronic sensors, and/or one or more electronic actuators, and an energy harvesting unit configured for harvesting energy and supplying the harvested energy to the one or more electronic actuators and/or the one or more electronic actuators.’ 

Vintage patent jargon, did you are expecting anything else much less? To chop thru all that, it sort of feels Categorized is taking a look at tactics to seize power whether or not that be kinetic, photo voltaic or thermal and use it to energy digital actuators on a bicycle, this may well be used for anything else from derailleurs to dropper posts, and crucially if issues are photo voltaic powered, they would possibly not want plugging in and recharging. The patent additionally touches on electronically operated brakes, an concept that is positive to illuminate the feedback sections.

Categorized CTO Dr Roëll van Druten is indexed as probably the most inventors at the patent software which lists an goal to ‘supply a user-friendly machine for powering the more than a few digital sensors and actuators of a bicycle.’

Trendy motorcycles are already technological marvels, and charging an digital groupset is infrequently a chore, speak about a first-world drawback. Then again, a photo voltaic charging groupset that eradicated the want to plug in and rate could be an extra refinement.

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Fig.1 from the patent displays a motorcycle which may well be fitted with more than a few digital actuators and sensors (Symbol credit score: Categorized Biking / Espacenet )Fig 2. Presentations a bicycle with a photo voltaic mobile at the entrance chainwheel (Symbol credit score: Categorized Biking / Espacenet )The way forward for bicycle groupsets? 

Patents are highbrow assets (IP) utilized by inventors and types to give protection to and set up using their innovations. We not too long ago delved deep into the arena of biking patents and learnt so much. Patent legalese can regularly be somewhat obscure, as patents are regularly intentionally huge.

There is a lot to paintings thru within the patent, (No: WO2023118607A2) and we have now attempted to stipulate the overall gist however one of the crucial attention-grabbing issues appear to stipulate an total machine with quite a lot of digital actuation, the place the whole thing may well be sorted; cadence sensors, velocity sensor, brake sensor, even a ‘place sensor’. 

Those sensors may well be powered via ‘photovaltic’ or photo voltaic cells fastened to the entrance chain wheel, the outer face of the hub meeting, the entrance fender, the body or even at the outer face of a manually operable shifter. This aligns with an SRAM patent we coated again in 2022, may there be a secret hands race in the back of the scenes between producers to patent and give protection to photo voltaic tech for the years forward?

In any case, the ones digital brakes. The patent outlines a self-powered brake machine; ‘a manually operable brake lever having an digital brake sensor configured for sensing a person actuation thereof and transmitting an digital brake sign to command a braking motion.’ So that you pull the brake lever, and the digital machine looks after the braking for you. This sounds find it irresistible may well be alongside the similar strains as digital handbrakes in automobiles, which were round for some years.

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This symbol displays a pc docking mount that may additionally supply photo voltaic charging(Symbol credit score: Categorized Biking / Espacenet )Flat bar shifters that might additionally characteristic photo voltaic cells at the external faces (Symbol credit score: Categorized Biking / Espacenet )What’s subsequent for Categorized?

Categorized would possibly haven’t any instant plans to increase the generation defined on this patent. The emblem would possibly merely be considering forward, or even wish to block rival producers from the use of the tech.

Patents are territorial, and it seems that that Categorized has filed this patent in a couple of territory which might recommend extra monetary outlay and a better stage of intent for this generation.

Categorized burst onto the scene a couple of years in the past with its ‘rear derailleur killer’ Powershift Hub, which necessarily positioned a two-speed transmission inside of a proprietary rear hub which labored along the rear derailleur to imitate a double chainset. The generation drew a large number of consideration, was once followed via a spread of manufacturers and was once raced on via Victor Campenaerts at Opening Weekend in 2023. 

The generation hasn’t been totally embraced on the most sensible stage but. Maximum riders have a tendency to run a double chainset for flatter phases and a unmarried ring for the mountains if their sponsor’s apparatus lets in it. We have now additionally noticed the tech utilized in disc wheels for time trials the place riders most commonly run a unmarried massive 1x chainring and for gravel via the Categorized gravel race crew. Categorized claims there is no such thing as a massive added weight penalty, which makes us wonder whether present sponsor agreements with groupset producers create a barrier for Categorized in professional highway biking? 

Categorized provides city, highway and gravel apparatus, and this patent for a extra built-in total machine possibly issues to a transfer clear of tech for the sharp finish of racing and right into a forward-thinking choice for cyclists usually throughout a spread of disciplines.