Furniture Fitting Drive Layout for Flat High-Torque Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture fittings require a high amount of force for assembly and have a thick design due to tool holders on both sides of the screw, making them cumbersome and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A separate drive element is introduced, movement-coupled to the screw, allowing for reduced thickness and enabling screws to be driven by a tool, with the possibility of mounting on two opposite sides of a furniture body, using a mechanical gear for torque and speed control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tool holders are arranged on both sides of the screw, then the screw can be screwed into either side wall, but the thickness of the furniture fitting increases
Solution Approach 1:
The furniture fitting is segmented into separate functional components: the screw and the drive element are separated and independently positioned within the housing. This allows the screw to be mounted on one side while the drive element accesses it from the other side, maintaining mounting flexibility without increasing overall thickness
Solution Approach 2:
The drive element is positioned in a different spatial dimension (laterally offset axis) relative to the screw, allowing it to rotate and drive the screw through a mechanical connection without requiring the drive element to be on the same side as the screw head. This dimensional separation reduces the thickness requirement
2Ease of operation
If tool holders are arranged on both sides of the screw, then the screw can be driven from either side, but a relatively high amount of force is required to assemble
Solution Approach 1:
A mechanical gear connection acts as an intermediary between the drive element and the screw. This gear mechanism provides mechanical advantage, allowing the drive element to convert rotational motion into the linear motion needed to drive the screw with reduced input force
Solution Approach 2:
The direct mechanical connection between tool holder and screw is replaced with a gear-based mechanical system. The gear connection allows for torque multiplication and more efficient force transmission, reducing the assembly force required while maintaining the ability to drive the screw from either side
3Length of stationary object
If the furniture fitting is designed with reduced thickness, then the design becomes flatter, but the screw must be driven with a separate drive element
Solution Approach 1:
The drive element and screw are merged into a single integrated assembly that fits within the housing. The drive element is movement-coupled to the screw through a compact mechanical connection, combining two previously separate functions into one unified component package that maintains a flat profile
Solution Approach 2:
The drive element is nested within the housing structure, with its axis laterally offset from the screw axis. This nested arrangement allows the drive mechanism to be contained within the same envelope as the screw, achieving a reduced thickness without requiring external drive mechanisms
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 design results in a flatter furniture fitting with reduced assembly force requirements, enabling efficient attachment to furniture parts with high torque and flexibility in screw placement.
Implementation Method 1
the drive element can be driven by a cordless screwdriver at a relatively high speed, whereby the screw can then be screwed into the furniture part at a correspondingly reduced speed but with a high torque
Implementation Method 2
the drive element can be connected to the screw via a mechanical gear (for example a gear gear or a worm gear)
Data Source
Figure 1a~1b
Figure 2
Figure 3a~3c
AI summary
The invention relates to a furniture fitting (7) having at least one rotatably mounted screw (17) for fastening the furniture fitting (7) to a furniture part (4, 5), wherein the furniture fitting (7) has at least one drive element (21), which is separate from the screw (17) and is coupled for movement to the screw (17) and has a tool socket (22), wherein the at least one screw (17) can be driven by rotating the tool socket (22) by means of a tool (25).