Flat-Spring Lid Stay for Slim Furniture Hinge Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lid stays for furniture, which use helical springs to provide the necessary force for holding or moving a lid, result in a bulky design due to the large diameter of the springs, causing the lid stay to project deeply into the furniture's interior.
Innovation Solution
A slim lid stay design featuring a pivotably attached setting arm with an energy accumulator comprising a flat spring made from plate-like material, which is elastically supported on both the base element and the setting arm, allowing force application along the pivot path, thereby minimizing thickness and maximizing length without increasing installation space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If helical springs are used to provide force for holding or moving the lid, then the necessary force is provided, but the lid stay becomes bulky and projects deeply into the furniture interior
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the spring element from a three-dimensional helical structure to a two-dimensional flat structure. This parameter change maintains the force-generating capability while dramatically reducing the thickness dimension, allowing the lid stay to remain slim and not project deeply into the furniture interior.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from using helical springs that occupy three-dimensional space to flat springs that operate primarily in two dimensions. This dimensionality change allows the spring to provide necessary force while having minimal thickness, thus resolving the contradiction between force provision and compact profile.
2Force
If helical springs are used to provide the necessary force, then the lid can be held or moved, but the lid stay projects relatively far into the interior of the body
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the spring geometry from helical to flat, the patent alters the spatial parameters of the lid stay. The flat spring configuration reduces the projection length into the furniture interior while maintaining adequate force generation capability through optimized plate dimensions and material properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The transition to a flat spring design shifts the operational plane from three-dimensional helical motion to two-dimensional planar deformation. This dimensionality change enables the lid stay to maintain a compact profile with minimal projection into the furniture interior while still providing the necessary force.
3Volume of moving object
If the lid stay is made slim with reduced thickness, then the profile is compact, but the force generation capability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent compensates for the reduced thickness by optimizing other parameters of the flat spring, including plate length, plate width, material selection (spring steel), and geometric configuration. These parameter adjustments ensure that the slim flat spring maintains adequate force generation capability despite the reduced thickness dimension.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of spring steel or fiber-reinforced plastic composite materials allows the flat spring to achieve high strength-to-thickness ratio. These materials provide the necessary elastic properties and force generation capability while enabling a slim profile that would not be achievable with conventional materials.
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 flat spring design ensures a thin, efficient lid stay structure that effectively holds or moves the lid without the bulkiness associated with traditional helical spring systems, providing adequate force while maintaining a compact profile.
Implementation Method 1
The flat spring is deformed elastically in the plate plane of the flat material
Data Source
AI summary
A lid stay for furniture includes a setting arm pivotably attached on a base element around a first setting axis between an open position and a closed position, and an energy accumulator coupled to the setting arm. The setting arm is acted upon by a force along at least a part of the pivot path of the setting arm between the open position and/or closed position and the energy accumulator includes a flat spring which is made from a plate-like flat material and the flat spring is elastically supported against the base element and the setting arm in a plate plane of the flat material.