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Revealed simply at present, Shimano’s newest Di2 drivetrain patent particulars an all-new, considerably easier digital shifting mechanism that manages to drift its shift motor in an remoted method to higher shield it from impacts. As soon as it’s mounted on the bike, you’d be hard-pressed to identify the practical variations tucked inside. However by using a second return spring and a few lever arms that tuck inside its parallelogram, this prototype Di2 derailleur can deal with direct outer strikes and impacts from objects coming off the wheel with out damaging the delicate motor & gearbox inside…
Floating-shift Shimano Di2 derailleur idea patent
Let me simply begin out by saying that the 42 pages of vaguely descriptive, conceptual legalese on this patent submitting are dense. And its 31 diagrammatic illustrations are definitely useful, however not at all clear in their very own proper. In case you might learn via it and are available away understanding all of it on a primary cross, you’d be significantly better than I.
However I popped a present Ultegra Di2 drivetrain beside my monitor, and waded deep into the weeds to determine what’s completely different and why it issues.
So What’s New?
From the patent’s fundamental description, the important thing to this new Shimano Di2 derailleur idea is its capacity to shift electronically identical to you’ve come to count on, however to make use of two springs inside its linkage system that enable the derailleur to maneuver out of the way in which every time it’s hit from both facet. Doing so protects the costliest and exact bits of the Di2 system – its motorized actuator and inside gearbox – whereas permitting it to return to middle and shift precisely after the influence.
The present Di2 design achieves considerably related influence safety and computerized return from an outer influence by driving shift by way of an inboard hyperlink and uncovered spring that may slip previous a small cease. However if you happen to get one thing caught between the cassette/wheel and your derailleur it requires a handbook reset.
The brand new dynamic is extra computerized & compact, enabling Shimano to tuck the entire mechanics contained in the shifting parallelogram. Upshift and a brand new lever pulls the derailleur linkage outboard to align with a smaller cog by way of the first spring. Downshift and that lever pushes the second “saver” lever to tug the alternative facet of the derailleur linkage inboard by way of a 2nd spring. For the reason that spring forces are a lot stronger than the power required to actuate the shift, all the things strikes rapidly & exactly.
However because the parallelogram linkage is basically floating in between the 2 springs, any tougher power from both facet will merely transfer the derailleur with out damaging the gearbox or motor.
Curiously, the very same answer works for the entrance derailleur too.
Why does it matter?
Everyone knows that you simply don’t wish to have to exchange an costly digital derailleur, so it’s all the time been good that they beautiful a lot all disengage when the endure a big effect. This appears to only make that disengage mechanism extra fluid, whereas including computerized recentering in each instructions. We scratched our heads to surprise why you actually need influence safety from each side. however it’s definitely conceivable {that a} rock flying up off the rear wheel might strike the within of your derailleur, or one thing might get jammed between the cassette and derailleur physique when driving gravel or off-road.
In any case, the inherent floating design permits for motion and influence safety in each instructions.
Now, the query stays…
After we would possibly see this in manufacturing?
It’s solely been a 12 months and a half since each Dura-Ace & Ultegra acquired their newest Di2 replace (and simply half a 12 months since 105 Di2) so we don’t count on a brand new street Di2 group anytime quickly. It has been virtually 4 years since gravel’s GRX Di2 debut, although. Now we have been anxiously awaiting a brand new XTR Di2 group ever since XT acquired an ebike-only Di2 final summer season. It’s been virtually 9 years because the present XTR Di2 M9050 groupset was revealed!
If this new impact-resistant Shimano Di2 derailleur patent design is coming quickly, it’ll probably be off-road!
