Furniture Flap Actuating Arm with Support Spring Ejection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture with upward-folding mechanisms face difficulties in opening heavy and large flaps due to insufficient force from standard ejection devices, which struggle to overcome the locking force of strong main springs.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a support spring acting in the opening direction, separate from the ejection device, to assist the ejection movement, ensuring that the combined forces of the support spring and ejection device exceed the locking force of the main spring, enabling easier opening of heavy flaps up to an angle of 10-40°, particularly between 20 and 30°.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a standard ejection device is used to open the flap, then the device complexity is low, but the force generated is insufficient to overcome the locking force of strong main springs on heavy and large flaps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines a support spring mechanism with the ejection device to create a composite ejection system. The support spring (12) works together with the ejection device (6) to generate sufficient total force to overcome the main spring locking force on heavy flaps, while maintaining reasonable device complexity through integrated design
2Reliability
If a strong main spring is used to lock heavy flaps, then the locking reliability is high, but the force required to overcome the locking force increases beyond what standard ejection devices can provide
Solution Approach 1:
The support spring (12) is pre-loaded and positioned to provide preliminary assisting force during the ejection process. This preliminary action reduces the total force requirement from the ejection device by having the support spring contribute part of the necessary force to overcome the main spring locking force
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 support spring effectively reduces the locking force of the main spring, allowing standard ejection devices to open heavy flaps more easily and consistently, enhancing user accessibility and convenience in opening large furniture flaps.
Implementation Method 1
at least one support spring acting in the opening direction, separate from the ejection device, to support the ejection movement of the ejection device
Implementation Method 2
a main spring acting in a closing direction to lock the flap
Data Source
AI summary
A piece of furniture has an actuating arrangement for a flap of the piece of furniture. An actuating arm arrangement includes a lever arrangement for moving the flap and a main spring that acts in the closing direction (SR) to hold the flap closed. The piece of furniture also has an ejecting device for ejecting the flap in the opening direction (OR) by overpressing the flap in the closing direction (SR). At least one support spring acts in the opening direction (OR) and is separate from the ejecting device, and supports the ejecting motion of the ejecting device. At least in an overpressed closed position (US), the spring forces (A, U) are together greater than the closing force (Z) which acts on the flap and which is provided by the main spring acting in the closing direction (SR).