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Patent Patrol: Shimano to Charge Components While Riding via Magnetic Resonance?

shimano non-contact charging system ebike wireless charging electronic suspension components dropper post lights
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Will Shimano’s next-generation Di2 componentry re-charge wirelessly during riding? The brand’s latest patent titled “Bicycle Component, Non-Contact Charging System and Non-Contact Charging Method”, suggests it is not outside the realms of possibility.

US Patent 20230021733 A1 describes a non-contact charging system for bicycle components that is able to use electromagnetic induction or magnetic resonance to wirelessly charge an electronic dropper seatpost, suspension adjuster, lamp, and a front derailleur.

It spells out a situation wherein an eBike’s main battery (referred to as the non-contact charging device), housed within the downtube, is able to wirelessly charge the batteries of the aforementioned electronic components during riding. The implications of that? First off, your top-end full suspension eMTB with its electronically adjustable suspension damping, electronic dropper seat post, and even its integrated lights, could be recharged wirelessly, such that you’d only ever need to remember to recharge a single battery. And, there are plenty more benefits to be had from such a system…

As usual, when reached for comment, Shimano stated, “Shimano is constantly in development of new products but does not comment on rumors, innuendo, or speculation about products whether they are in development or not.” In the meantime, here’s an overview of what can be gathered from the patent.

Feature image annotation by Cory Benson

Shimano’s Non-Contact Charging System for Bike Components

The only components that Shimano’s latest patent excludes is a rear derailleur and the eBike motor itself. Shimano does have a patent on a self-charging rear derailleur (EP2535257 A1), though. So, being self-sufficient, it wouldn’t necessitate the non-contact charging system described herein.

shimano non contact charging ebike components road front derailleur lamp

I digress. This latest patent, published 26th January 2023, depicts the implementation of the wireless charging system on both a road bike and a full suspension mountain bike but recognizes potential use on any bicycle, such as a cargo bike, gravel bike, commuter bike, and so on. For the road bike, a front derailleur and lamp are mentioned as the electronic devices that could be charged in a non-contact manner. On the mountain bike, the list of components that stand to benefit also includes a lamp, in addition to an electronic dropper seat post, and an electronically adjustable suspension (fork and shock).

Let’s take the electronic suspension adjustment (Fig. 6) as an example.

shimano non contact charging electronic suspension damping adjustment module

We previously covered Shimano’s patent on an electronic suspension control module with the ability to adjust the suspension stroke. That same technology is alluded to in this latest patent, but it goes further to suggest the module would also be able to adjust the softness/firmness of the suspension. That may well refer to the damping characteristics, or indeed the sag. Whatever may come of it, the point here is that the suspension adjustment module is one of the components described as chargeable in a non-contact manner, i.e., wirelessly.

In Fig. 6, you can see a telescopic suspension fork with a rechargeable battery unit (102) coupled to an electric actuator or electric motor (100a). Within that assembly, the Shimano patent describes a hypothetical series of “portions”, including a power receiver, a non-contact charging portion, a non-contact charging coil, a controller, a wireless communicator, an AC/DC Converter, and a rechargeable power source. This is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3.

shimano non contact charging method logic diagram
Fig. 3: A schematic block diagram of a bicycle component system (e.g. electronic suspension adjuster or electronic dropper seat post) and a non-contact charging device (e.g. the eBike’s main battery)

Here’s where it gets interesting.

The patent reads, “non-contact charging transmits power by electromagnetic induction using a frequency in a band between approximately 100 kHz and 200 kHz”. Now, induction charging requires the charging device and component-to-be-charged to be in close proximity to one another. So, while there would be no direct wire connection for the actual charging, a wire would still be required to route a flow of electrons from the eBike’s main battery to the non-contact charging coil housed near the suspension adjustment module, whether it be positioned on a fork or a rear shock damper.

What are the benefits of that? Well, the rider won’t need to recharge the battery separately. However, you are actually adding wires as compared to the current crop of RockShox Flight Attendant forks, or a current electronic dropper seat post, both of which simply house a removable rechargeable battery. More wires mean more internal routing to deal with, greater potential for rattle, a bigger headache for the mechanic… etc. The flip side of that is that the battery (or rechargeable power source as it is referred to) could be a lot smaller, given that its charge would be constantly replenished by the electromagnetic induction. That has the potential to make the component itself lighter.

Magnetic Resonance Non-Contact Charging of Bike Components?

Here’s where it gets way more interesting.

The patent goes on, “On the other hand, the at least non-contact charging coil can be configured to use magnetic resonance so that the non-contact charging devices can be one or two meters away from the bicycle components. When the non-contact charging coil receives electric power via magnetic resonance, the wireless communicator is used to communicate information to and from the non-contact charging devices”.

The Shimano patent mentions an electronic dropper seat post that can be recharged in a non-contact fashion, housing a battery unit (86) and an electric drive mechanism (84) and motor (84a). Herein, the power receiver and AC/DC converter are housed by the electric drive mechanism.

Next-level, right? In such a scenario, you could have truly-wireless recharging of your electronic components. A major benefit? Only needing to recharge one battery – the main battery of your eBike.

That said, it seems feasible this technology could be applied on a regular bike, too. After all, it’s not just eBikes that benefit from electronic dropper seat posts, suspension adjusters, integrated lights, and so on. If Shimano were to make the magnetic resonance-mediated non-contact charging method a reality, they could still apply it on a regular bike. There would still be a main battery which would be the non-contact charging device – it would simply be a lot smaller and lighter.

Where is Shimano going with this?

Toward a future of better integrated electronic components that require less input from the rider, on bikes and e-bikes that are lighter and cleverer than ever… I guess? Yes, I can hear the mechanics choking on their dinner. I do apologize, I meant you no harm. Jokes aside, it seems the potential is certainly there. The concept is kind of marvelous, but any benefits would be contingent upon equally marvelous execution.

I’ll finish up by saying that this patent is merely a description of a proposed invention. We aren’t saying that Shimano is working on this non-contact charging system right now, nor are we saying that it will ever make it to the market in the format described herein, or any other format for that matter. If we hear back from Shimano, we will update you guys right away.

bike.shimano.com

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JLB
JLB
1 year ago

Please, stop making complicated bikes, let’s just keep systems we can fix on the trail side please !

Andrew
Andrew
1 year ago
Reply to  JLB

Please don’t be that guy. Give it 5 years and this will be the new normal.

WhateverBikes
1 year ago
Reply to  Andrew

Yep, and that’s exactly what people like JLB and me (and more people, judging from the + count of his post) oppose to.
I don’t want bikes to get more complicated and more expensive to buy and maintain, I value the simplicity and reliability of proven, mechanical bike tech.
Don’t be that guy who thinks we should all just shut up and swallow what marketing feeds us.

Matthias
Matthias
1 year ago
Reply to  WhateverBikes

One size does not fit all. Of course you wouldn’t take a bike like this to ride the Silk Road, and even the US has many parts where you’d be well advised to bring something you can fix yourself. Then again, a huge number of people never leave their city limits by bike because their bike is for commuting and shopping. They take their bike to the shop when they have a puncture and if its battery runs empty, they lock it and take the bus. And that’s totally fine. Their bikes will probably evolve sort of like cars have, where 50 years ago many people were able to do basic service like change a light or clean the air filter, which hardly anyone can do nowadays but neither do you need it anywhere as often as you used to. I’ll join you in the enjoyment of mechanical simplicity but I’m not gonna blame those guys.

WhateverBikes
1 year ago
Reply to  Matthias

I’m not blaming anyone. I’m just opposing the view that all technological advances are actually automatically an improvement in the real world. And yes, choice is good etc., but the real world fact is that over time much of that technology trickles down and get’s mainstream.
Cars are a perfect example of that. Back then you had to operate your windows with a manual sling arm. Now everything is electric. Windows, doors locking, heated seats, adjusting side mirrors, you name it. But what if I prefer a cheaper, less complicated car, because I can perfectly operate those things myself or don’t need the luxury, because I don’t want or can’t spend the money on all that, or whatever other reason. Choice is good and all that, but where did my choice go?

Dinger
Dinger
1 year ago
Reply to  WhateverBikes

“But what if I prefer a cheaper, less complicated car, because I can perfectly operate those things myself or don’t need the luxury…”

Then you are left to the dwindling used market or you must make the thing you want for yourself. The reason that the choice of hand-crank windows and mirrors went away is because the electric stuff was easier to use and more reliable and too few kept choosing the manual stuff to justify their continued production.

lihtan
1 year ago
Reply to  Dinger

When did electric windows become more reliable than manual ones? I’ve had many vehicles that had power window problems ranging from damaged wiring in the door harness (opening and closing the door induces metal fatigue in the wires over time), to contact arcing on the switch terminals. Also a manual window crank still give you a functional egress point if you end up in a collision that kills the electrical system (or the vehicle ends up underwater).

Brian B
Brian B
1 year ago

Love that the seat looks like the old flite and man more things for guys to complain about on rides…’my bike won’t charge so that’s why I suck today’

Billyshoo
Billyshoo
1 year ago
Reply to  Brian B

YES about the Flite! Patent drawings can be downright hilarious! Who chooses to use an image of a phone with a home button?!

WhateverBikes
1 year ago
Reply to  Billyshoo

A designer who understands that everybody needs to see at a glance that it is a phone, and not just a non descriptor rectangle that could be anything.

paquo
paquo
1 year ago

lol they can create all of this stuff that no one wants yet they cant come up with a wireless di2

Robin
Robin
1 year ago
Reply to  paquo

So you think.

  1. These are just patents, not actual products.
  2. What makes you think Shimano couldn’t do just a wireless option? Oh, you assumed. Right. Maybe there were design choices made that were judged to be better, in Shimano’s eyes than going completely wireless.
  3. Wireless is superior….why? Oh, that’s right. It’s not really superior. It’s only benefit is aesthetic. There is no performance benefit. Got it.
paquo
paquo
1 year ago
Reply to  Robin

sure dude people want a way to charge a wireless dropper that will probably only be available on shimano motored ebikes. No one prefers xt over sram and just wants to upgrade to a way more convenient wirless setup. Sram hasnt sold a shit ton of wireless mechs and posts so no one wants wireless

Robin
Robin
1 year ago
Reply to  paquo

You ignore that Shmano has sold a “shit ton” of Di2, both old and new. So, again, your belief that Shimano can’t “come up with a wireless Di2” is without any factual basis. Your bias and incredulity are not evidence.

Craig
Craig
1 year ago
Reply to  Robin

It’s hard to argue “no performance benefit” to something when there’s no real performance benefit to electric shifting at all. Heavier. Greater environmental impact. Shorter useful service life. Flouts the K.I.S.S. philosophy. Dead batteries are a thing. Harder to work wearing winter gloves. Based on the patent photos, does one really want to need a phone to set up your bike? Going wireless might be the only real advantage to electric shifting. Adding wireless charging to a bike just makes it more complicated, one more thing to break, more environmental electronic waste, and more price to the bike. Bikes should be cheap and simple and fun. Everything about this is not that.

(Just bought a new bike. Opted for cables for shifting)

Robin
Robin
1 year ago
Reply to  Craig

KISS “philosophy” is arbitrary, and whether or not any views the differences between mech systems and electronic systems as meaningful or sees such differences as conferring a worthwhile performance benefit is up to a given person. Objectively there is no real performance benefit to wireless systems. To some, the aesthetic benefits or the slightly easier setup are important. To others, the longer time intervals between charge cycles in systems with batteries connected via cables is a benefit.

Given how many Di2 and SRAM wireless systems have been sold, it’s pretty clear there are supporters of both.

Paquo just made a bunch of dumb, unsupportable statements, statements like “no one prefers XT over SRAM”. Since Paquo can’t speak for everyone, and since Paquo has no numbers that confirm no one prefers XT over SRAM, Paquo’s statement is dumb. He made a number of dumb assumptions and statements.

I don’t have a dog in the fight, but dumb assumptions and statements should be killed before they breed.

As it happens, I love my 12-speed mech gruppo on my road bike. For me, an electric gruppo offers zero benefit of any sort.

Roger Pedacter
Roger Pedacter
1 year ago

Couple of things here…

A) Shimano basically just patented putting a Qi charging coil on your bike. That’s hilarious.

B) Distance resonance charging requires WAY more voltage than you’d want on a product that invites self-maintenance. There’s a reason literally no one is using it on any other consumer products.

Robin
Robin
1 year ago
Reply to  Roger Pedacter

Can you demonstrate that Shimano’s patent is no different than Qi charging tech? In other words, your claim is that there is no “new art” here? Hmmm. Care to prove that? Are you aware that patents don’t necessarily result in products being made? There are a lot of other reasons for patents.

Roger Pedacter
Roger Pedacter
1 year ago
Reply to  Robin

Thanks for explaining patents, Dad. I hadn’t learned any of that applying for the four I’ve been granted in design
*and* utility.

And judging by your other responses, you must be a ton of fun at parties. Keep up that awesome energy!

Unless you personally penned the Shimano patents you need to lighten TF up.

Robin
Robin
1 year ago
Reply to  Roger Pedacter

Well, you haven’t penned the Shimano patents, so you don’t really have any insight into their patents, either, Rog.

And their patents really aren’t the issue, it’s the dumb, brainless comments by Paquo. Other comments were just part of the discussion, Rog.

I guess don’t have any response to the points raised?

Roger Pedacter
Roger Pedacter
1 year ago
Reply to  Robin

You didn’t actually raise any real points and you don’t know my connections to Shimano so, yeah, I’m not going to bother explaining a comment made in jest.

You just hopped right up on your pedestal and made some not smart assumptions about a joke post and now you seem pretty butthurt I called you out. And you’re not really any good at passive aggressive retorts, BTW. You just sound like a self-serous toolbox

Dinger
Dinger
1 year ago
Reply to  Roger Pedacter

It does seem weird. Shimano has been known to file for patents just to lock down ideas, even if they’re not actionable at the time. A single-sided 14-speed chain more than a decade ago comes to mind. I agree, wireless charging from what I’ve read is pretty inefficient. Seems a strange way to use precious on-board power when the components needing power are semi permanently affixed in their positions.

lihtan
1 year ago
Reply to  Roger Pedacter

I was going to say the same thing. The current inductive charger tech needs both devices to be very close together. Also the energy transfer isn’t very efficient. We went from having coil wound magnetic transformers, to highly efficient switchmode power supplies. The whole wireless charging thing seems like two steps backwards.

They’re proposing sending the power 1 – 2 meters? You’re going to be dealing with insane EMF levels. There is another way to do it, that would involve converting the energy into a longitudinal compression wave. That would involve making a miniature of Nikola Tesla’s magnifying transmitter. If you’re going to make a ebike with a longitudinal power receiver, then you may as well skip all the batteries, and just broadcast the grid power from your house. The bonus is you’d could drop the weight of the battery, and have unlimited range.

Joe Maki
Joe Maki
1 year ago

I can see the prototype now, with a tesla coil mounted in the main triangle 🙂

LarryM
LarryM
1 year ago

That seat does look like a Flite…I had one for many years until they started building seats that actually fit your “sit bones”. Now I ride a seat that no longer makes my butt sore because it’s the proper size….It’s a shame it took somebody over 100 years to figure that out…Thank God for design engineers!

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