Furniture panel
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture panels, especially back or bottom panels in flat-pack furniture, lack sufficient strength and stability, and their large size poses a challenge for packaging, as they cannot be easily divided into smaller, lockable components to reduce package size.
Innovation Solution
A furniture panel comprising two elements with a mechanical locking system, featuring tongues and tongue grooves for vertical and horizontal locking, allowing for angling motion to form a strong and stable panel without tools, using wood fibre-based materials and milling for the locking mechanism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If a large furniture panel is divided into two or more separate elements, then the package size is decreased, but the strength and stability of the panel are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The large furniture panel is divided into two or more separate elements that can be locked together mechanically. This segmentation allows the panel to be packaged in a smaller volume while maintaining structural integrity through the locking mechanism between elements.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple separate panel elements are combined into a unified structure through a mechanical locking system. The locking mechanism merges the elements into a single functional unit that provides the strength and stability of a solid panel while retaining the packaging advantages of segmentation.
2Strength
If a mechanical locking system is implemented, then the strength of the furniture panel is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking system is segmented into distinct components (tongues and grooves) that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This modular approach simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces overall system complexity while providing robust mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The tongue and groove structures act as intermediary elements between panel components, providing a simple mechanical interface that achieves strong connections without requiring complex fastening mechanisms or additional hardware.
3Stability of the object's composition
If tongues and grooves are used for locking, then the stability in vertical and horizontal directions is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism utilizes geometric parameters (tongue and groove dimensions, angles, and orientations) that are optimized to provide stable locking in both vertical and horizontal directions. By carefully selecting these parameters, the design achieves high stability while maintaining reasonable manufacturing tolerances.
Data Source
AI summary
A furniture panel is provided, in which a first element and a second element are mechanically locked together. A first tongue is provided at a first edge of the first element, the first tongue cooperating with a first tongue groove provided at a second edge of the second element for locking the first and second elements in a vertical direction, and a second tongue at the second edge of the second element, the second tongue cooperating with a second tongue groove at the first edge of the first element for locking the first and second elements in the vertical direction. A first pair of locking surfaces is provided above the second tongue and the second tongue groove for locking in a horizontal direction, and a second pair of locking surfaces is provided below the first tongue and the first tongue groove for locking in the horizontal direction.