Chair Armrest Assembly With Tool-Free Pivot Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing armrest designs are inconvenient to manufacture due to their one-piece structure, leading to increased costs, and require complex machinery or fasteners for assembly and attachment, which can be cumbersome and prone to loosening over time.
Innovation Solution
An armrest assembly featuring a base, arm support, and connector with a T-shaped engaging member and cavity system that allows for quick assembly without tools, using pivotable and slideable mechanisms to secure the arm support to the base in a locked position, eliminating the need for fasteners and complex machinery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a one-piece structure is used for the chair armrest, then the manufacturing process becomes difficult and mold creation is complex, but the assembly structure is simplified
Solution Approach 1:
The armrest is divided into separate components: a base, an arm support, and a connector. The base includes a connecting portion and an installing portion, while the arm support has a supporting portion and a second connecting portion. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently using standard molding processes, avoiding the complexity of creating a single complex mold, while the components are designed to assemble together through the connector mechanism.
2Reliability
If metal nut fasteners and engaging plates are used to secure the upper cover with the lower cover, then the attachment is secure, but the disassembly process becomes inconvenient and requires machinery
Solution Approach 1:
The connector incorporates a pivotable engaging member that can transition between locked and unlocked positions. The engaging member includes a body portion with arc sections and engaging portions that can pivot within a cavity. When pivoted to the locked position, the engaging portions engage with receiving portions to secure the connection. When pivoted to the unlocked position, the engagement is released, allowing easy disassembly without machinery.
3Ease of operation
If a connector with pivotable engaging member is used to fix the arm support to the base, then tool-free assembly is enabled, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connector is designed to be self-assembling through the pivotable engaging member mechanism. The engaging member can be manually pivoted by the user to engage or disengage from the receiving portions in the cavity. The geometry of the engaging member with its arc sections and engaging portions automatically guides the engagement process, eliminating the need for tools or complex assembly procedures while keeping the structure relatively simple.
Data Source
AI summary
An armrest assembly includes a base, an arm support, and a connector. The base includes a connecting portion and an installing portion formed at two opposite ends thereof. The installing portion is adapted for installing to a chair. A first surface at one end of the connecting portion is opposite to the installing portion. The arm support is supported on the base and includes a second surface faced to the first surface of the base. A cavity is defined in one of the first and second surfaces. An engaging member is formed on the other of the first and second surfaces and pivotably received in the cavity between an unlocked position and a locked position. A connector is received in the cavity of the arm support and engaged with the engaging member. The arm support is fixed to the base in the locked position.