Furniture Flap Actuating Mechanism With Variable Lever Arm
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Solution Overview
Problem
Actuating mechanisms for upwardly movable flaps in furniture often result in unpleasant lifting-away movements that can lead to collisions with the user's head, as they require significant free space and pose a risk of injury due to excessive outward pivotal movement.
Innovation Solution
The effective lever arm length of the control arm is shortened during the opening movement of the flap, with a non-linear progression that keeps the flap close to the furniture carcass initially and allows a greater pivotal movement near the open position, reducing the risk of collision with the user's head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the effective lever arm length of the control arm is increased to support the opening movement, then the flap can be opened more easily, but the lifting-away movement becomes excessive and collides with the user's head
Solution Approach 1:
The control arm's effective lever arm length is made variable rather than fixed. During the opening movement, the lever arm length decreases dynamically as the actuating arm opens, which reduces the lifting-away movement of the flap in the critical region near the fully open position. This dynamic adjustment allows the flap to be opened easily while preventing excessive movement that would collide with the user's head.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of lever arm length from a constant value to a variable value that depends on the opening angle. By making this parameter changeable, the system can optimize the mechanical advantage during different phases of opening while controlling the flap's trajectory to avoid harmful collisions with the user's head.
2Device complexity
If the effective lever arm length of the control arm is kept constant, then the mechanism structure is simple, but the flap performs excessive lifting-away movement that requires large free space
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of a constant lever arm length that would require excessive free space, the patent implements a dynamic lever arm length that adapts during the opening movement. The control arm is designed with an intermediate lever that changes the effective lever arm length based on the actuating arm's opening angle, thereby reducing the space required while maintaining structural feasibility.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the effective lever arm length of the control arm is shortened during opening, then the lifting-away movement is minimized, but the mechanical advantage for opening the flap is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The lever arm length varies periodically throughout the opening cycle. In the initial phase of opening, the lever arm length is longer to provide mechanical advantage for easy opening. As the actuating arm approaches the fully open position, the lever arm length decreases to minimize the lifting-away movement. This periodic variation in lever arm length allows the system to achieve both mechanical advantage and collision prevention.
Data Source
AI summary
An actuating mechanism for moving a highly movable flap of a piece of furniture includes a main body intended for attachment to a furniture body. An actuating arm for moving the flap has one end mounted on a bearing axis of the main body and the other end mounted on a bearing axis of a fitting part intended for attachment to the flap. An additional control arm for moving the flap is also provided. During the movement of the control arm, the effective lever arm length of the control arm can be varied, and the effective lever arm length of the control arm is shortened when opening the actuating arm.