Furniture structure convertible from desk to bed
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing convertible furniture structures from desk to bed and vice versa have exposed levers that pose a safety risk during conversion, potentially causing injuries or finger crushing.
Innovation Solution
A furniture structure with a compartment and a hinged platform that includes parallel extensions with a shelf, where the shelf remains horizontal through a driving element connected to the compartment, allowing linear motion orthogonal to the platform, thus avoiding protrusion and contact with the user during conversion. The driving element is housed within an extension cavity or on its surface, and a kinematic chain involving a rigid arm and rotatable elements ensures safe motion transmission without creating dangerous scissors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If exposed levers are used for shelf actuation, then the mechanism is simple and visible, but the user safety deteriorates due to dangerous scissors formation
Solution Approach 1:
The driving element is nested within the extension structure, specifically housed inside a cavity formed by the extension itself. This nesting conceals the previously exposed levers and moving parts, eliminating the dangerous scissors formation while maintaining the actuation function. The extension acts as both a structural support and a protective housing for the mechanism.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the driving element is housed inside the extension cavity, then user safety improves by avoiding contact, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The extension serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides structural support for the shelf, acts as a protective housing for the driving element, and guides the linear motion of the actuation mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate protective components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the shelf remains always horizontal during conversion, then the working surface stability improves, but the mechanism complexity increases to maintain this position
Solution Approach 1:
The driving element is constrained to move in a specific linear direction orthogonal to the platform plane, rather than allowing free rotational movement. This dimensional constraint simplifies the mechanism by reducing the degrees of freedom, while still achieving the goal of keeping the shelf horizontal through the coordinated rotation of the platform and shelf.
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 the safety of users by preventing contact with the actuation mechanism during conversion and maintaining the shelf's horizontal position, eliminating the risk of injury from exposed levers, while maintaining compactness and efficiency in motion transmission.
Implementation Method 1
a platform which is hinged to the compartment to be rotatable between two positions
Implementation Method 2
the driving element being mounted to move linearly - more preferably only linearly - in a direction orthogonal to the plane of the platform, and connected to the compartment so as to be moved as a result of a relative rotation between the platform and the compartment
Implementation Method 3
the driving element being connected to the shelf to impart a torque to it and make it rotate
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
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AI summary
A furniture structure convertible from desk to resting-place and vice versa, is described. It comprises a compartment, a platform and two parallel extensions which are integral with the platform and support a shelf of the desk. The shelf can rotate with respect to the extensions to remain always horizontal while the platform moves. To impart a torque to the shelf, a driving element is connected to the shelf and is mounted to move linearly along a direction orthogonal to the platform's plane, and it is connected to the compartment so as to be moved following a relative rotation between the platform and the compartment.