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EP-4737278-A1 - 3D-PRINTED BICYCLE SADDLE

EP4737278A1EP 4737278 A1EP4737278 A1EP 4737278A1EP-4737278-A1

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a 3D-printed bicycle saddle including a shell and an elastic pad disposed on the shell, wherein the elastic pad has a 3D-printed lattice structure including a sit bone section, and unit cells of the sit bone section are porous gyroid cells. The compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section meet the following relationships: 0 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.23 MPa while 0 ≤ ε ≤ 0.2; 0.1 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.35 MPa while 0.2 ≤ ε ≤ 0.6; and 0.15 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.45 MPa while 0.6 ≤ ε ≤ 0.65.

Inventors

  • Li, Hsin Tzu
  • KAO, WEI CHUN

Assignees

  • Amplifi Tech (Xiamen) Limited

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20251007

Claims (10)

  1. A three-dimensional printed (3D-printed) bicycle saddle, comprising a shell; and an elastic pad disposed on the shell, wherein the elastic pad has a 3D-printed lattice structure, the 3D-printed lattice structure comprises a sit bone section, and a plurality of first lattice unit cells of the sit bone section are first porous gyroid cells, wherein a compressive stress (σ) and a compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section meet the following relationships: 0 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.23 MPa while 0 ≤ ε ≤ 0.2; 0.1 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.35 MPa while 0.2 ≤ ε ≤ 0.6; and 0.15 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.45 MPa while 0.6 ≤ ε ≤ 0.65.
  2. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 1, wherein a curved-surface thickness (t) and a unit cell side length (L) of the plurality of first lattice unit cells of the sit bone section meet the following relationship: 0.06 < t L < 0.12 .
  3. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 1, wherein a variation curve (ε , σ) of the compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section has a first slope while the compressive strain is less than 0.2, and has a second slope while the compressive strain is greater than 0.2 and less than 0.6, wherein the second slope is less than the first slope.
  4. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 1, wherein a variation curve (ε , σ) of the compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section exhibits a near-linear elastic relationship while the compressive strain is less than or equal to 0.2.
  5. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 1, wherein a variation curve (ε , σ) of the compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section exhibits a near-flat plateau relationship while the compressive strain is greater than or equal to 0.2 and less than or equal to 0.6.
  6. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 1, wherein a variation curve (ε , σ) of the compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section exhibits a densification relationship while the compressive strain is greater than 0.65.
  7. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 1, wherein the elastic pad comprises a bottom surface facing the shell and a top surface facing away from the bottom surface, and a unit lattice side length of each of the plurality of first lattice unit cells of the sit bone section is less than or equal to a thickness from the bottom surface to the top surface.
  8. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 7, wherein the thickness from the bottom surface to the top surface of the elastic pad is greater than or equal to 1 cm.
  9. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 1, wherein the 3D-printed lattice structure further comprises: a nose section; and a middle section located between the nose section and the sit bone section, wherein, at a same compressive stress, the compressive strain of the sit bone section is less than or equal to a compressive strain of the middle section and a compressive strain of the nose section.
  10. The 3D-printed bicycle saddle of Claim 9, wherein a second lattice unit cell of the middle section or the nose section is a second porous gyroid cell, and a ratio of a curved-surface thickness to a unit cell side length of each of the plurality of first lattice unit cells in the sit bone section is greater than or equal to a ratio of the curved-surface thickness to a unit cell side length of the second lattice unit cell in the middle section or the nose section.

Description

[CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION] This application claims priority to China Patent Application 202411523848.2, filed October 29, 2024, which is incorporated herein by reference. [FIELD OF DISCLOSURE] The present disclosure relates to bicycle saddles, particularly to a 3D-printed bicycle saddle. [DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART] Three-dimensional (3D) printing, also known as additive manufacturing (AM), is an automated process that builds designated three-dimensional objects by stacking layers of materials. For example, a 3D-printed lattice structure is applied to form an elastic pad of the bicycle saddle by controlling the lattice parameters. Generally, a lattice structure that is softer and easier to deform can reduce the rider's feeling of roughness while riding. However, a softer lattice structure is prone to insufficient supporting capability, which may cause the saddle to collapse. As a result, the rider will experience a pronounced bottoming feeling, which reduces the comfort of riding. [SUMMARY] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a 3D-printed bicycle saddle, wherein the 3D-printed lattice structure defines the compressive stress ranges according to different compressive strain regions, thus improving the comfort of sitting on the bicycle saddle. According to several embodiments of the present disclosure, a 3D-printed bicycle saddle comprises a shell and an elastic pad disposed on the shell, wherein the elastic pad has a 3D-printed lattice structure. The 3D-printed lattice structure comprises a sit bone section, and lattice unit cells of the sit bone section are porous gyroid cells. The compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section meet the following relationships: 0 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.23 MPa while 0 ≤ ε ≤ 0.2; 0.1 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.35 MPa while 0.2 ≤ ε ≤ 0.6; and 0.15 MPa ≤ σ ≤ 0.45 MPa while 0.6 ≤ ε ≤ 0.65. In several embodiments, the curved-surface thickness (t) and the unit cell side length (L) of the lattice unit cells of the sit bone section meet the following relationship: 0.06<tL<0.12. In several embodiments, the variation curve (ε , σ) of the compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section has a first slope while the compressive strain (ε) is less than 0.2 and has a second slope while the compressive strain (ε) is greater than 0.2 and less than 0.6, wherein the second slope is less than the first slope. In several embodiments, the variation curve (ε , σ) of the compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section exhibits the near-linear elastic relationship while the compressive strain (ε) is less than or equal to 0.2. In several embodiments, the variation curve (ε , σ) of the compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section exhibits the near-flat plateau relationship while the compressive strain (ε) is greater than or equal to 0.2 and less than or equal to 0.6. In several embodiments, the variation curve (ε , σ) of the compressive stress (σ) and the compressive strain (ε) of the sit bone section exhibits the densification relationship while the compressive strain (ε) is greater than 0.65. In several embodiments, the elastic pad comprises a bottom surface facing the shell and a top surface facing away from the bottom surface. The unit lattice side length of the lattice unit cells of the sit bone section is less than or equal to the thickness from the bottom surface to the top surface. In several embodiments, the thickness from the bottom surface to the top surface of the elastic pad is greater than or equal to 1 cm. In several embodiments, the 3D-printed lattice structure further comprises a nose section and a middle section that is located between the nose section and the sit bone section, wherein, at the same compressive stress, the compressive strain of the sit bone section is less than or equal to a compressive strain of the middle section and a compressive strain of the nose section. In several embodiments, the lattice unit cells of the middle section or the nose section are porous gyroid cells, and the ratio of the curved-surface thickness to the unit cell side length of the lattice unit cells in the sit bone section is greater than or equal to the ratio of the curved-surface thickness to the unit cell side length of the lattice unit cells in the middle section or the nose section. According to the aforementioned embodiments, the 3D-printed bicycle saddle of the present disclosure comprises an elastic pad having a 3D-printed lattice structure, wherein the sit bone section of the 3D-printed lattice structure has porous gyroid cells, and the sit bone section exhibits corresponding compressive stresses in multiple compressive strain ranges. Thus the 3D-printed bicycle saddle of the present disclosure can enhance the comfort of riding on the 3D-printed bicycle saddle. [BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] To better understand the embodiments of the present disclosure, relev