Electrical operating panel
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrical operating panels for furniture, such as sit/stand desks, face challenges in maintaining angular positions and efficiently housing electric equipment, which is space-consuming and requires complex connections, making them difficult to mount and use effectively.
Innovation Solution
An electrical operating unit with a housing part and a mounting unit interconnected via a shaft, allowing rotation to activate switches, with the housing containing all electric equipment and the mounting unit providing a secure and easy-to-mount structure, incorporating features like dust and water-proof joints, stiffening ribs, and dome switches for comfortable operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the operating panel uses a hinged connection between keyboard part and mounting part to allow angular adjustment, then the user can position the keyboard at various angles, but it becomes difficult to maintain the angular position when operating the keys
Solution Approach 1:
The operating panel is divided into two separate parts: a keyboard part containing the switches and a mounting part providing structural support. These parts are connected via a hinge axis, allowing independent positioning of the keyboard while maintaining stable mounting. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling angular adjustment through the hinged connection while each part maintains its functional integrity and position stability during operation.
2Ease of operation
If the electric equipment is distributed in both the keyboard part and mounting part, then the functionality is maintained, but the space consumption increases and the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The electric equipment (switches, circuit board, electronics) is extracted and concentrated entirely within the keyboard part, while the mounting part serves purely as a structural support element. This extraction eliminates the need for complex inter-part electrical connections and reduces overall structural complexity, as the mounting part requires no electrical components. The functionality is fully maintained in the keyboard part, resolving the contradiction between functionality and structural simplicity.
3Ease of operation
If an electrical connection between the two parts is established to allow angular movement, then the operating functionality is maintained, but the connection becomes complex and space-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The electrical connection between the keyboard part and mounting part is completely eliminated by extracting all electrical equipment from the mounting part. The mounting part serves only as a mechanical support structure with no electrical components, thereby removing the need for any electrical connections or cables between the two parts. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining full operating functionality through the keyboard part's self-contained electronics while eliminating space-consuming electrical interconnections.
Data Source
AI summary
Electrical operating unit comprising a first and a second part, where the two parts can be mutually adjusted. The Operating unit (1) comprises a first part constructed as a housing (2), which contains the electric equipment with at least one electric switch and a second part constructed as a mounting unit (3) for the first part. The two parts are interconnected about a shaft (17), or pivot, so they can rotate mutually. When the operating unit is mounted the housing (2) will assume a first position, an initial position. By pressing the housing (2) it rotates about the shaft (17) and is brought into a second position, an activation position, where the switch(es) is/are activated in that they are pressed against the second part (3). With this embodiment of the operating unit the piece of furniture can be adjusted in either direction by pressing the housing (2). The housing (2), besides from functioning as a switch, can also be equipped with other switches and displays.