Control unit for a piece of furniture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control units for adjustment drives in furniture lack clear confirmation of received control data transmission, leading to user uncertainty and potential interference issues due to unidirectional wireless links, which can result in incomplete or failed operations.
Innovation Solution
A control unit that transmits its operating state back to the operating unit via a bidirectional wireless link, providing immediate feedback on input execution and enabling data storage for recovery during power failures, along with a detection unit for adjustment positions and service data for maintenance alerts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a unidirectional wireless transmission link is used from operating unit to control unit, then the device complexity is reduced, but the reliability of data transmission is worsened due to interference and noise effects corrupting control data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a bidirectional wireless transmission link where the control unit sends acknowledgment signals back to the operating unit to confirm successful reception of control data. This feedback mechanism allows the system to detect transmission errors and request retransmission, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit performs preliminary validation of received control data by checking for plausibility and completeness before executing commands. This preliminary action prevents execution of corrupted data and triggers appropriate error handling, improving transmission reliability at the data processing level.
2Ease of operation
If control data transmission is unidirectional without confirmation, then the ease of operation is improved by simplifying the interface, but the loss of information increases as users cannot verify if their inputs were received and executed
Solution Approach 1:
The operating unit displays visual or textual feedback to the user confirming that control data was successfully transmitted and executed by the control unit. This feedback loop maintains ease of operation by providing clear confirmation without requiring complex user actions, thus preventing information loss about transmission status.
Solution Approach 2:
The operating unit uses color-coded indicators (e.g., green for successful transmission, red for errors) to provide immediate visual feedback on the status of control data transmission. This intuitive color system maintains simplicity while effectively communicating transmission status to the user.
3Device complexity
If the control unit stores operating states locally only, then the device complexity is minimized, but the reliability is worsened during power failures when data cannot be recovered
Solution Approach 1:
The wireless transmission link serves as an intermediary data storage mechanism between the control unit and external devices. During power failures, previously transmitted operating states can be recovered from external storage or paired devices, providing data redundancy without requiring complex dual-storage systems in the control unit itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state parameter of data from purely local volatile storage to include external non-volatile storage through wireless communication. This parameter change in data storage location and persistence ensures data recovery capability after power failures while maintaining simple local storage architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a control device (9) for at least one adjusting drive (7, 8) which is to be associated with a piece of furniture (1) and which is designed to control the at least one adjusting drive (7, 8) based on control data (20) captured by a wireless transmission path (19) of the operating unit (10). Said control device is characterized by an emitter interface (21) which is designed to transmit data (22) to the operating unit (10) by means of a wireless transmission path (19). The invention further relates to an operating unit (10) comprising a receiver interface (23) which is designed to capture data (22) from the control device (9) by means of a wireless transmission path (19), in addition to a system (18) consisting of a control device (9) and an operating unit (10) and a piece of furniture (1) equipped with said system (13).