Furniture Latch Mechanism for Secure Position Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture designs that allow for easy adjustability between stacked and use positions often result in unintended position changes, posing safety risks and usability challenges during nesting or stacking operations.
Innovation Solution
A latch mechanism with a guide member and biasing mechanism is integrated into the furniture, allowing the housing of the actuation mechanism to move linearly relative to the guide member, with detent mechanisms and springs to securely lock the furniture in place, enabling controlled adjustment between positions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the furniture is designed for easy adjustability between stacked and use positions, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to unintended position changes
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism transitions from a static locked state to a dynamic adjustable state through the actuation mechanism. The housing can be manually moved along the guide member to transition between locked and unlocked positions, allowing the system to adapt its degree of freedom based on operational needs.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide member acts as an intermediary between the housing and the detent mechanisms. It provides a controlled linear path for the housing to move along, ensuring that adjustment occurs only in the intended direction and manner, thereby preventing unintended position changes while maintaining ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If the furniture allows easy adjustment between positions, then the ease of operation is improved, but harmful factors increase due to user injury risks
Solution Approach 1:
The detent mechanisms are pre-configured to automatically engage with the housing at specific positions along the guide member. This preliminary positioning ensures that the furniture components are securely locked before use, preventing sudden movements that could cause user injury while maintaining easy adjustability through manual actuation.
Solution Approach 2:
The latch mechanism is designed to automatically lock itself into position through the detent mechanisms that engage with the housing. This self-locking feature eliminates the need for complex locking procedures, reducing the risk of user injury from improper operation while maintaining ease of adjustment.
3Reliability
If a latch mechanism with multiple components is added to prevent unintended position changes, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide member integrates multiple functions into a single component: it provides the linear motion path for the housing, serves as a structural support, and works in conjunction with the detent mechanisms to enable automatic positioning. This merging reduces the number of separate parts needed while maintaining reliable position locking.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing serves multiple functions: it encloses the actuation mechanism, provides the interface for manual operation, guides the linear motion along the guide member, and engages with the detent mechanisms for automatic positioning. This multi-functionality reduces overall mechanism complexity by eliminating the need for separate components for each function.
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 solution provides secure locking and controlled adjustment of furniture positions, preventing unintended changes and enhancing safety and usability during nesting or stacking operations.
Implementation Method 1
A spring member can be attached between the housing and the detent member to bias the detent member to the first position
Implementation Method 2
the guide member has grooves that slideably receive rails of the housing of the actuation mechanism
Data Source
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AI summary
An article of furniture can include a latch mechanism. The latch mechanism can include an actuation mechanism having a housing that is moveable relative to a guide member from a first position to a second position, at least one detent mechanism comprising a first detent mechanism having a first detent member that is moveable from a first position to a second position, and an articulation mechanism positioned between the actuation mechanism and the first detent mechanism. The articulation mechanism can connect the first detent mechanism to the housing such that motion of the housing from the first position of the housing to the second position of the housing causes the first detent member to move from the first position of the first detent member to the second position of the first detent member.