Compact Shelf-to-Wall Joining Device for Thin Furniture Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing joining devices for furniture are structurally complex, costly, difficult to install on thin panels, and require extensive maintenance, often damaging the panel during maintenance due to their bulky design and numerous components.
Innovation Solution
A compact joining device with a cylindrical body and insert system that allows for simple assembly and maintenance, using a single shell and a guiding insert to minimize panel impact, with a concealed design and reduced components for easier installation and adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional joining device with accommodation body and crown gear is used, then the shelf can be joined to the wall, but the production and assembly cost increases due to structural complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The joining device is divided into two separate functional components: a wall component with a threaded hole and a shelf component with a screw and crown gear. This segmentation allows each component to be simpler in structure while maintaining the overall joining function, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The crown gear mechanism is extracted from the traditional accommodation body design and integrated directly into the shelf component. This eliminates the need for a complex accommodation body that houses multiple mechanisms, simplifying the overall structure while preserving the adjustment and joining functions.
2Reliability
If a traditional joining device is used, then the shelf can be joined to the wall, but the assembly cost increases due to the need to provide the joint in various sizes
Solution Approach 1:
The wall component is designed as a universal element that can accommodate different panel thicknesses through a single standardized design. The threaded hole in the wall component can accept screws of various lengths, allowing the same wall component to work with panels of different thicknesses without requiring multiple specialized versions.
3Reliability
If a traditional joining device is used, then the shelf can be joined to the wall, but the aesthetic impact worsens due to exposure of the flat edge
Solution Approach 1:
The crown gear and adjustment mechanism are extracted from the visible front surface and relocated to the rear side of the shelf component. This allows the front-facing surface to remain clean and aesthetic, while the functional elements operate from the back, eliminating the visual impact of exposed edges and mechanical components.
4Reliability
If a traditional joining device is used, then the shelf can be joined to the wall, but the execution of holes becomes complicated due to the need for two holes
Solution Approach 1:
The functions of multiple holes are merged into a single hole in the shelf component. The same hole that receives the screw also provides access for the crown gear mechanism, eliminating the need for separate holes for different functions and simplifying the manufacturing process.
5Device complexity
If the crown gear and fixing element are embedded in the accommodation body, then the joint is compact, but maintenance requires removing the entire accommodation body and breaking it
Solution Approach 1:
The joining device is segmented into a permanent wall component and a removable shelf component. The crown gear and fixing element are integrated into the shelf component, which can be completely removed from the wall component for maintenance. This segmentation allows access to all internal components for maintenance without damaging the wall structure or the joining mechanism itself.
6Reliability
If the traditional structure is used, then the joint functions, but it is bulky and difficult to install on thin panels
Solution Approach 1:
The bulky accommodation body is extracted and replaced with a compact screw-based mechanism. The crown gear and fixing elements are integrated directly into the shelf component without requiring a large housing, dramatically reducing the volume of the joining device and enabling installation on thin panels while maintaining full joining functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A joining device, particularly for joining a shelf to a wall of a piece of furniture, having a cylindrical body associated in a first hole adapted to be provided transversely in the shelf and having a first axial seat for the rotatable coupling of a first stem of a screw provided with a first crown-shaped head that can be arranged rotatably within a second seat that is adjacent to the first seat. A second hole is adapted to be provided in the shelf at right angles to the first hole and accommodates, substantially flush with or below the upper surface, an insert. The insert is provided with a seventh seat for the third head of a first tool coupled rotatably with the first crown-shaped head.