Floating Pressure Head for Furniture Drive Misalignment Compensation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electromotive furniture drives experience increased friction and wear due to tilting moments and lateral forces caused by misalignment of pivoting levers with the pressure plate, leading to reduced contact surface and increased pressure on the contact area.

Innovation Solution

The electromotive furniture drive features a floating print head that can move in a circular path to compensate for misaligned pivoting levers, allowing for both sliding and pivoting movements, which increases the contact surface area and reduces tilting moments, achieved through a base body with a convex surface and a print head with a concave surface, and a spindle nut that can transition from a hollow cylinder to a hollow cone shape.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the pivoting lever is not in exact contact with the pressure plate or is not aligned parallel, then the tilting moment acts on the pressure slide, but this leads to increased lateral forces and friction in the linear guide

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontact stabilityVSAvoidlateral forces and friction
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The pressure head is designed with a floating bearing surface that can dynamically adapt its orientation relative to the pressure plate. This dynamic adjustment allows the bearing surface to maintain optimal contact alignment even when the pivoting lever is not perfectly aligned, thereby reducing tilting moments and lateral forces on the linear guide while ensuring stable contact

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bearing surface of the pressure head is designed with different curvature characteristics than the pressure plate, creating a controlled gap that can accommodate misalignment. By changing the geometric parameters of the bearing surfaces (convex-concave configuration), the system absorbs alignment errors without transmitting them as harmful lateral forces to the guide mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Area of stationary object

If the bearing surface of the pivoting lever is not aligned parallel to the pressure plate, then contact area decreases, but this increases pressure on the contact surface

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontact surface areaVSAvoidcontact pressure
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of stationary objectVSStress or pressure

Solution Approach 1:

The floating pressure head with its compliant bearing surface dynamically adjusts to maintain maximum contact area with the pivoting lever regardless of alignment variations. This dynamic adaptation ensures that the contact area remains large even when the lever is not perfectly parallel, thereby keeping contact pressure within acceptable limits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bearing surfaces are designed with specific curvature characteristics - the pressure head has a convex bearing surface that complements the concave surface of the pressure plate. This curved surface geometry creates a larger contact area compared to flat surfaces, distributing the load more evenly and reducing contact pressure while accommodating angular misalignment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

3Adaptability or versatility

If a fixed pressure head design is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot compensate for misaligned pivoting levers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveangle compensation capabilityVSAvoidpressure head structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The pressure head is designed with a floating bearing surface that can dynamically adapt its orientation relative to the pressure plate. This dynamic adjustment allows the bearing surface to maintain optimal contact alignment even when the pivoting lever is not perfectly aligned, thereby reducing tilting moments and lateral forces on the linear guide while ensuring stable contact

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bearing surface of the pressure head is designed with different curvature characteristics than the pressure plate, creating a controlled gap that can accommodate misalignment. By changing the geometric parameters of the bearing surfaces (convex-concave configuration), the system absorbs alignment errors without transmitting them as harmful lateral forces to the guide mechanism

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3267844B1Electromotive drive for furniture
Publication Date: 2019.06.12 DEWERTOKIN GMBH
  • EP3267844B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3267844B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3267844B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to an electromotive furniture drive for adjusting at least one part of an item of furniture, with at least one drive unit (20) which comprises a drive motor (21), a transmission (22) and a spindle drive which acts upon a pressure slide (25) which can be displaced along a displacement path. Said electromotive furniture drive is characterized in that a pressure head (26) mounted in a floating manner is associated with a base body (251) of the pressure slide (25).