Development of a next-generation parking brake for heavy-duty cargo bikes

Abstract

The thesis presents the design and development of a parking brake system for a heavy-duty cargo bike in collaboration with Velove Bikes AB. Velove bikes AB is a start-up located in Gothenburg, Sweden, developing and producing Armadillo Cargo bikes. Moreover, the company uses these bikes for last-mile delivery operations to various delivery companies such as Budbee and Airmee with the help of trained riders in order to execute a fast delivery operation. Initially, a requirement specification was tabulated during the product development process to identify the customer’s needs. This was followed by functional decom position to map out various procedures during the parking brake operation. Then, multiple ideas were generated and combined to form various concepts in the concept generation phase. The best concept was then selected based on the methodologies of concept evaluation. The chosen concept was finally prototyped using tools and materials available at the company’s R&D facility. This was then tested to check the fulfilment of the initial requirements in a real-world environment. Furthermore, an additional commercial assessment, recommendation and concluding action plan are provided to get the solution closer to realisation and aid potential future work. The final product consists of two commercially available mechanical disc brake cal lipers mounted on the bike’s rear wheels. The two brake cables from these callipers are then coupled into a single cable using a junction mechanism. A single cable is then pulled in tension with the help of a mechanical lever placed adjacent to the rider’s seat, which provides easy and fast access to activate or deactivate the brake and works similarly to the old car hand brakes. Additionally, provisions can be made on the hand lever to alter and remind the riders to disengage the brake system when necessary. This works in tandem as an anti joy side system to prevent outsiders from using the bike for short rides while the rider is away from the bike and delivering the packages.