Furniture Motion Control for Automatic Intermediate Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture control systems require manual effort to move furniture parts to their final positions, which can be inconvenient and inefficient, especially for heavily loaded or solid parts, and do not allow for flexible use scenarios.
Innovation Solution
A device with a drive unit and monitoring unit that allows the first furniture part to be moved to a predetermined position, differing from the final position, with minimal operator effort, enabling convenient, flexible, and efficient movement, including the option to stop at intermediate positions based on user-defined settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual effort is used to move furniture parts to final positions, then the system structure remains simple, but the ease of operation deteriorates and excessive manual effort is required
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring unit detects the movement of the first furniture part in advance and activates the drive unit before the part reaches its final position, enabling automatic positioning without requiring manual intervention at the critical moment. This preliminary detection and activation resolves the contradiction by automating the operation while keeping the overall system structure relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the monitoring unit to detect movement and automatically triggers the drive unit to complete the positioning, making the system self-servicing. The furniture part movement is automatically completed without external manual help, improving ease of operation while maintaining acceptable device complexity through a self-contained automatic control loop.
2Adaptability or versatility
If furniture parts are moved to final positions only, then the movement range is limited, but the adaptability for different usage scenarios deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the stopping position of the first furniture part based on real-time monitoring. Instead of a fixed final position, the drive unit can stop at variable positions along the movement path, enabling the furniture to adapt to different usage scenarios such as partially open drawers or doors, thereby improving adaptability without significantly increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the position parameter dynamically during operation. The monitoring unit tracks movement progress and allows the drive unit to stop at different positions along the trajectory, transforming the fixed final position into a variable stopping point. This parameter flexibility enhances adaptability for various usage scenarios while maintaining a relatively simple control structure.
3Measurement precision
If the drive unit moves furniture parts over the maximum movement distance, then the positioning accuracy at final position is improved, but the operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring unit detects when the first furniture part has moved sufficiently close to the final position and activates the drive unit at this intermediate point. The drive unit then completes the remaining distance to achieve precise final positioning. This partial action approach reduces the time the system spends in transit while maintaining accurate final positioning, resolving the contradiction between operation time and positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system skips the intermediate travel phase by having the drive unit activate only for the final positioning segment after the monitoring unit detects sufficient movement. This rushing through of the final positioning phase achieves high positioning accuracy while minimizing the total operation time, as the majority of the movement distance is covered passively without drive unit engagement.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a piece of furniture and to a device for controlling the movement of furniture parts which can be moved with respect to one another, having a drive unit by means of which a first furniture part can be moved relative to a second furniture part, in a driven manner, via a monitoring unit for monitoring the movement of said first furniture part. According to the invention, the monitoring unit is designed such that, after an initiating action by the monitoring unit, the first furniture part is moved to a predetermined position and is stopped there, with the predetermined position differing from a final position of the first furniture part.