Convertible Sofa Frame for Wall-Clear Bed and Recliner Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing convertible armchairs and sofas lack the ability to seamlessly transition between multiple comfortable resting positions, including a bed, recliner, and sofa configurations without requiring removal of cushions or mattresses, and often necessitate movement away from the wall for conversion.
Innovation Solution
A structural framework with inter-dependent mechanisms providing a single degree of freedom, allowing users to convert the armchair or sofa into a bed or recliner by pulling the backrest, with automatic repositioning of cushions and the ability to adjust headrest and footrest for enhanced comfort, without needing to move the furniture from the wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional convertible sofa mechanisms are used, then the sofa can be converted into a bed, but the conversion requires removing cushions and moving the furniture away from the wall
Solution Approach 1:
The sofa structure is divided into separate modular components: a fixed base frame, a movable backrest assembly with integrated cushion storage, and a deployable bed frame. This segmentation allows the backrest to be independently manipulated to access and store cushions without removing them from the system, enabling wall-aligned conversion to bed configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The cushion storage compartments are pre-positioned within the backrest assembly structure. Before conversion begins, cushions are already in place within these compartments. During the lifting and folding motion, the backrest mechanism automatically guides cushions into their final storage positions beneath the bed, eliminating the need for manual cushion removal and repositioning.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple resting positions are added (recliner, bed, sofa), then versatility improves, but mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The backrest assembly serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the reclining surface for the recliner position, contains integrated storage compartments for cushions, and acts as the structural framework for deploying the bed. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate mechanisms for each configuration, reducing overall complexity while enabling sofa, recliner, and bed positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cushion storage mechanism is merged with the backrest structure itself, rather than being a separate component. The backrest lifting motion is combined with the cushion retrieval and storage motion. The bed frame deployment is integrated with the backrest folding sequence. This merging of functions into a single coordinated mechanism reduces complexity compared to having independent systems for each feature.
3Ease of operation
If automatic cushion repositioning is implemented, then ease of operation improves, but mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cushion storage compartments are designed to automatically receive and position cushions during the backrest lifting motion. The geometry of the compartments and the trajectory of the backrest movement are coordinated so that cushions are passively guided into their storage positions without requiring active manipulation by the user or additional actuation mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A structural framework for a convertible armchair or sofa comprising a box-shaped base supporting a plurality of frames hinged to one another, including a particular frame suitable, alone, for directly or indirectly supporting a seat cushion on one of its sides and, in combination with the other frames, for supporting a mattress on its other side, and mechanisms for the displacement of said frames and of a backrest and supporting foot, in relation to one another and with respect to the base, between: a stable configuration as a sofa or armchair, wherein the frames remain inside said base, where they identify a cavity for containing the folded mattress; and a stable configuration as a bed wherein the frames extend forwards, becoming aligned to define a horizontal resting surface that extends beyond the base and is supported by the foot, while the backrest moves underneath the resting surface, and a stable configuration as a recliner, wherein, by comparison with the configuration as an armchair or sofa, the backrest is tilted further backwards and the particular frame extends further forwards and/or is tilted upwards.