Height adjustable seat posts for bicycles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12291297-B2
Application number	US-202318169512-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 15, 2023
Priority date	Nov 21, 2022
Publication date	May 6, 2025
Grant date	May 6, 2025

Abstract

Height adjustable seat posts for bicycles are described herein. An example height adjustable seat post includes an upper tube and a lower tube configured in a telescopic arrangement. The height adjustable seat post also includes a shaft coupled to the lower tube and extending into the upper tube a piston assembly coupled to the shaft and disposed in the upper tube. The piston assembly includes a piston dividing the upper tube into a first chamber and a second chamber. The first and second chambers are filled with fluid. The piston assembly includes a valve operable between a closed state in which the fluid is blocked from flowing between the first and second chambers and an open state to enable the fluid to flow between the first and second chambers. The height adjustable seat post also includes a solenoid to control the valve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A height adjustable seat post for a bicycle, the height adjustable seat post comprising:
an upper tube and a lower tube configured in a telescopic arrangement, a lower end of the lower tube to be coupled to a frame of the bicycle, the upper tube to be coupled to a seat;
a shaft coupled to the lower tube and extending into the upper tube;
a piston assembly coupled to the shaft and disposed in the upper tube, the piston assembly including a piston dividing the upper tube into a first chamber and a second chamber, the first and second chambers filled with fluid;
a valve operable between a closed state in which the fluid is blocked from flowing between the first and second chambers and an open state to enable the fluid to flow between the first and second chambers; and
a solenoid to control the valve.

2. The height adjustable seat post of claim 1 , wherein the fluid is pressurized gas.

3. The height adjustable seat post of claim 1 , wherein the solenoid is in the piston.

4. The height adjustable seat post of claim 1 , wherein the solenoid is disposed in a region of overlap between the upper tube and the lower tube.

5. The height adjustable seat post of claim 1 , wherein the solenoid is coupled to a lower end of the lower tube.

6. The height adjustable seat post of claim 5 , further including a push rod slidably disposed in the shaft, the push rod coupled between the valve and the solenoid such that activation of the solenoid causes the push rod to change the state of the valve.

7. The height adjustable seat post of claim 5 , further comprising:
a control module to activate the solenoid, the control module coupled to an outer surface of the lower tube at or near an upper end of the lower tube; and

outer electrical wires disposed in the lower tube, the electrical wires electrically coupled to the control module, the outer electrical wires extending through the lower tube to the solenoid.

8. The height adjustable seat post of claim 1 , wherein the solenoid includes an armature, wherein, when the solenoid is activated, the armature is moved in a first direction to open the valve, and when the solenoid is deactivated, the armature is moved in a second direction to close the valve.

9. The height adjustable seat post of claim 8 , wherein the solenoid includes a spring to bias the armature in the second direction.

10. The height adjustable seat post of claim 8 , wherein the valve includes a plug coupled to the armature, and wherein the plug and the armature are biased in the second direction via an air pressure differential on the plug.

11. The height adjustable seat post of claim 10 , wherein a first biasing force on the plug when the valve is in the closed state is greater than a second biasing force on the plug when the valve is in the open state.

12. The height adjustable seat post of claim 3 , further including:
an end cap coupled to the lower end of the lower tube;
inner wires disposed in the shaft and extending between the end cap and the solenoid; and
one or more electrical connectors in the end cap to electrically couple the inner wires to a control module to activate the solenoid.

13. The height adjustable seat post of claim 12 , further including outer wires in the lower tube, the outer wires electrically coupled to the control module, the outer wires extending through the lower tube to the end cap, the control module coupled to an outer surface of the lower tube at or near an upper end of the lower tube, the one or more electrical connectors electrically couple the inner wires and the outer wires such that an electrical path is formed between the control module and the solenoid.

14. A height adjustable seat post for a bicycle, the height adjustable seat post comprising:
an upper tube and a lower tube configured in a telescopic arrangement, the lower tube to be coupled to a frame of the bicycle, the upper tube to be coupled to a seat;
an end cap coupled to a lower end of the lower tube;
a shaft coupled to the lower tube and extending into the upper tube;
a piston assembly coupled to the shaft and disposed in the upper tube, the piston assembly dividing the upper tube into a first chamber and a second chamber, the piston assembly including a solenoid;
a control module to activate the solenoid;
inner wires disposed in the shaft and extending between the end cap and the solenoid; and
one or more electrical connectors in the end cap to electrically couple the inner wires to the control module.

15. The height adjustable seat post of claim 14 , further including outer wires disposed in the lower tube, the outer wires electrically coupled to the control module, the outer wires extending through the lower tube to the end cap, the control module coupled to an outer surface of the lower tube, the one or more electrical connectors in the end cap to electrically couple the outer wires and the inner wires such that an electrical path is formed between the control module and the solenoid.

16. The height adjustable seat post of claim 15 , wherein the control module is coupled to the lower tube at or near an upper end of the lower tube.

17. The height adjustable seat post of claim 16 , wherein the control module includes a collar coupled to the lower tube and a power supply coupled to the collar such that the power supply is fixed relative to the lower tube, the power supply to supply power to energize the solenoid.

18. The height adjustable seat post of claim 14 , wherein the solenoid is disposed in a region of overlap between the upper tube and the lower tube.

19. The height adjustable seat post of claim 14 , wherein the first and second chambers are filled with pressurized gas.

Assignees

• Sram Llc

Inventors

• Chambers Rafer
• Golkiewicz Christopher Eric
• Su Chi Hui
• Coffman Donald Frederick
• Mcgee Alex Kyle
• Dunlap Charles

Classifications

• B62J2001/085

  Seat pillars having mechanisms to vary seat height, independently of the cycle frame · CPC title

• B62J11/19

  specially adapted for electric wires · CPC title

• B62J43/30

  for providing power to equipment other than for propulsion · CPC title

• B62J43/20

  characterised by the mounting · CPC title

• B62J1/08 Primary

  Frames for saddles; Connections between saddle frames and seat pillars; Seat pillars (attaching seat pillars to cycle frames B62K19/36) · CPC title