Height adjustment structure of armrest

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional armrest height adjustment structures face limitations due to a dead point at maximum height, limited adjustability, and unstable height adjustments caused by a swinging drive button and engagement structure, leading to inconvenient and unstable height changes.

Innovation Solution

A height adjustment structure featuring an accommodation sleeve, slider, cap, and pull member with an extension that horizontally moves the engagement protrusion into or out of recesses on a fixer, allowing for smooth and stable adjustment of the armrest height by sliding the pull member upward and downward.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Length of moving object

If the engagement protrusion is pressed to maximum height in conventional structures, then the support arm reaches maximum height, but the engagement protrusion moves into a dead point causing limited adjustability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesupport arm heightVSAvoidadjustability range

Core Design Contradiction:

Length of moving objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the movement direction from vertical pressing to horizontal pulling. The pull member horizontally moves the engagement protrusion out of the dead point position at maximum height, allowing the support arm to be lifted again for continued height adjustment beyond the conventional limit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of pressing the engagement protrusion vertically to adjust height, the patent uses a pull member to horizontally extract the engagement protrusion from the fixer. This inverted approach eliminates the dead point problem by changing the engagement/disengagement mechanism from vertical compression to horizontal extraction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Ease of operation

If a swinging drive button is used in conventional structures, then the engagement structure can be actuated, but the limited swing angle causes unstable height adjustment

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveoperation mechanismVSAvoidadjustment stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transitions from a swinging motion (angular/rotational) to a linear sliding motion. The pull member moves horizontally in a straight line to extract the engagement protrusion, providing stable and predictable height adjustment without the limitations of a limited swing angle.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS10758052B1Height adjustment structure of armrest

Publication Date: 2020.09.01 LAI YUSN

AI summary

A height adjustment structure for an armrest contains: an accommodation sleeve for accommodating a fixer and a slider, a cap connected with a support arm, a pedestal, and a pull member. The pull member includes an extension extending out of a first window of the accommodation sleeve so as to pull an engagement protrusion to horizontally remove from or engage into one of multiple recesses of the fixer. The fixer includes a groove and two closed slots. The slider includes an extending lid, a second window, two tabs, a cutout, an elongated orifice, and an abutting protrusion. The pull member includes a receiving orifice, a spring, and a tilted orifice. The engagement protrusion abuts against the cutout and inserts into the one recess, and the engagement protrusion includes a column extending from a side thereof and inserted into the elongated orifice via the tilted orifice.