Furniture Sensor-Based Drive Blocking to Prevent Collision Injury
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture systems with movable parts, such as drawers, lack effective safety measures to prevent accidental activation and potential collisions, particularly when children or objects are in the vicinity, leading to potential injuries or damage.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a monitoring sensor that detects objects in a predefined space outside the furniture and provides sensor data to the control unit to prevent undesirable drive movements, distinguishing between intentional and accidental actions to ensure safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If a drive unit is provided to automatically move the furniture part, then convenience and automation are improved, but the risk of accidental activation and collision increases
Solution Approach 1:
The monitoring sensor performs preliminary detection of objects in the movement path before the drive unit activates. The control device receives sensor data in advance and decides whether to permit or block drive activation, preventing harmful collisions before they occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the environment using the sensor means and provides feedback to the control device. Based on this feedback, the control device dynamically adjusts whether to allow drive unit activation, creating a closed-loop safety system that responds to real-time conditions.
2Reliability
If sensor means are added to detect objects before drive activation, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor means serve multiple functions: detecting objects for safety purposes and providing data for controlling drive activation. The control device integrates both safety monitoring and drive control functions, reducing the need for separate dedicated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device acts as an intermediary between the monitoring sensor and the drive unit. It processes sensor data and makes the decision to permit or block activation, simplifying the overall system architecture by centralizing control logic rather than requiring direct sensor-to-drive connections.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The device is designed such that furniture parts i.e. drawers (4, 5), are driven by a drive unit. The drive unit is controllable by a control unit. A monitoring sensor (6) is positioned at a base (2) of a furniture and located below the furniture parts, where the base serves for mounting the furniture on a mounting surface (3a). The sensor detects the presence of an object e.g. person, in a predetermined area at a near region outside the furniture and provides sensor data for the control unit, so that driving of the furniture parts is blocked by the drive unit depending on the sensor data.