Height adjustable desk system and method
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing height adjustable desks lack efficient mechanisms for providing a wide range of height adjustments to accommodate users of varying heights, and they often require complex counterbalancing systems that are not easily adaptable or user-friendly.
Innovation Solution
The use of telescoping leg assemblies with a counterbalancing mechanism that includes a gas spring and pulley system, allowing for a total height adjustment of four times the gas spring stroke, and a synchronization assembly to ensure smooth and synchronized movement between the telescoping members, providing support and counteracting downward forces effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If telescoping leg assemblies with gas spring and pulley system are used, then height adjustment range is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs telescoping leg assemblies where inner tubes are nested within outer tubes, allowing compact storage while providing extended height adjustment range. The gas spring and pulley components are integrated within the leg assembly structure, achieving space-efficient design that multiplies the gas spring stroke to achieve 4x height adjustment range without proportionally increasing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The pulley system acts as an intermediary mechanism that translates the limited stroke of the gas spring into a fourfold height adjustment range. The pulley assembly with cable or belt provides mechanical advantage, multiplying the displacement effect without requiring a gas spring with impractically large stroke, thus resolving the contradiction between adjustment range and mechanism complexity
2Stability of the object's composition
If counterbalancing mechanism is added to support work surface, then stability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The gas spring provides an upward counterbalancing force that offsets the downward weight of the work surface and its contents. This counterweight mechanism stabilizes the work surface at various heights by balancing gravitational forces, reducing the effort required to lift and reposition the surface, thereby improving both stability and ease of operation simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The counterbalancing mechanism is designed to be dynamically adjustable, allowing the work surface to move smoothly through its height range while maintaining stability at each position. The gas spring provides continuous force adjustment as the surface moves, and the pulley system ensures synchronized movement of telescoping tubes, creating a dynamic system that adapts to user needs while maintaining operational ease
3Manufacturing precision
If synchronization assembly is used for telescoping members, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The synchronization assembly merges the movement control of multiple telescoping tubes into a single integrated mechanism. The pulley system with shared cable or belt connects the movement of inner and outer tubes, ensuring they extend and retract in unison. This unified approach achieves precise synchronization without requiring separate control mechanisms for each tube, balancing manufacturing precision with assembly complexity
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
This solution enables a desk that can be easily adjusted to suit both seated and standing positions, providing stability and comfort for users of different heights while maintaining a simple and effective counterbalancing mechanism.
Implementation Method 1
a gas spring having a cylinder and a moveable piston
Implementation Method 2
a wheel moveably connected to the gas spring; and a tension member engaged to the wheel, the tension member connected to the leg assembly
Data Source
AI summary
A height adjustable desk can include a work surface; and at least one leg assembly connected to the work surface. The at least one leg assembly can include: a first member; and a second member moveable relative to the first member along a longitudinal axis; and a counterbalance mechanism connected to the desk and configured to counteract a force exerted on the work surface. The counterbalance mechanism can include: a wheel; a gas spring having a cylinder and a moveable piston; a wheel moveably connected to the gas spring; and the tension member is connected to the leg assembly.