Armrest Guide Device with Elastic Element to Minimize Play Under Load
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing armrests with elastically deformable guide tubes cause noticeable play when adjusted, which is annoying for users, especially in intermediate positions where locking is not possible.
Innovation Solution
An armrest design featuring a guide device with cooperating guide surfaces and an elastic element that maintains contact between guide means, preventing movement under load and minimizing play, using rigid guide surfaces and a spring-loaded or deformable elastic element to manage load directions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If elastically deformable plastic rings are used as slide bearings to guide the guide tube, then the armrest can be adjusted between positions, but noticeable play occurs under load which is annoying for users
Solution Approach 1:
The guide device is divided into separate components: a guide tube and a guide element with distinct functional zones. The guide element includes a first section with guide surfaces for load-bearing contact and a second section with clearance for free movement, separating the functions of positioning and adjustment.
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the guide device have different properties: the first section has precise guide surfaces with minimal clearance for stable positioning under load, while the second section has larger clearance to allow easy adjustment and movement without resistance.
2Reliability
If rigid guide surfaces are used to eliminate play, then stability under load improves, but adjustment smoothness and ease of positioning deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guide element is segmented into a first section with rigid guide surfaces for stability and a second section with clearance for smooth adjustment, allowing both functions to coexist in different spatial zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide device uses axial clearance (dimension along the movement path) to enable smooth adjustment, while radial guide surfaces (dimension perpendicular to movement) provide stability under load, utilizing different dimensional directions for different functions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures minimal play under load, providing a smooth and stable adjustment experience for the armrest, allowing precise positioning without user-perceptible movement, and can be adjusted to influence play by adjusting the stiffness of the elastic element.
Implementation Method 1
The guiding device comprises an elastic element which loads the first guide means or the second guide means into contact with the other guide means in each case in a loading direction which corresponds to the relative position of the first guide means to the second guide means at a defined load
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an armrest with a base (11) and an armrest support (12) that is translationally displaceable relative to the base (11) between a first position and a second position in opposite directions of displacement (x1, x2) along a path of movement, with a guide device comprising first guide means associated with the base (11) and second guide means associated with the armrest support (12), which form cooperating guide surfaces that are movable relative to each other and which limit the movement of the armrest support (12) relative to the base (11) in at least one direction perpendicular to the direction of displacement, wherein a clearance is formed between the first guide means and the second guide means and wherein, in the case of a load with a force F acting on the armrest, the guide surfaces of the first guide means and the second guide means are in contact.The special feature is that the guide device includes at least one elastic element (26) which loads the first guide means in such a way that contact is maintained when the load is removed.