Pocketed Innerspring Edge Assembly for Higher Mattress Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional innerspring unit manufacturing methods produce units with uniform spring characteristics and limited flexibility, particularly in edge areas, and lack automation, leading to reduced stability and increased manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that allow for the creation of innerspring units with varying spring diameters and geometries in edge areas by attaching strings of pocketed springs with different characteristics to the main body, enhancing stability and enabling fully automated production using an innerspring unit assembly machine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If conventional innerspring unit assembly machines manufacture innerspring units with uniform spring characteristics, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but edge stability and flexibility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using different spring characteristics in different regions of the innerspring unit. Specifically, the edge area contains springs with smaller diameter and different geometry compared to the inner area springs, optimizing each region for its specific functional requirements. The edge springs provide enhanced stability while the inner springs maintain uniformity, resolving the contradiction between edge stability and manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing process is segmented into multiple steps: first manufacturing the innerspring main body with inner area springs, then separately attaching edge strings with different spring characteristics. This segmentation allows independent optimization of different spring types and regions, enabling the complex multi-characteristic innerspring unit to be manufactured through systematic, modular steps rather than requiring complete redesign of the entire manufacturing system.
2Quantity of substance
If all springs have the same diameter and characteristics, then manufacturing uniformity is maintained, but capacity for more springs and edge stability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Different spring diameters are applied locally based on position: smaller diameter springs at the edges and larger diameter springs in the inner area. This local differentiation increases the overall number of springs that can fit in the unit while maintaining precise dimensional control through region-specific manufacturing parameters. The edge springs with smaller diameter allow tighter packing and increased spring capacity without compromising the dimensional accuracy of the overall unit.
3Adaptability or versatility
If hand-made processes are used to attach different spring strings, then flexibility and customization are improved, but productivity and consistency are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is divided into distinct automated stages: innerspring main body formation, edge string preparation, and automated attachment. This segmentation enables each stage to be optimized for automation, achieving both the flexibility of customized spring configurations and the productivity of automated manufacturing. The process can be fully automated while still allowing different spring types to be attached in specific patterns and positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The edge strings of pocketed springs are prepared in advance with specific characteristics before attachment to the innerspring main body. This preliminary preparation allows for precise control of spring configurations and enables automated attachment processes, combining the adaptability of customized spring strings with the efficiency of automated assembly rather than requiring manual handling during the attachment phase.
Data Source
AI summary
In order to manufacture an innerspring unit comprising pocketed springs and having an increased stability at its edge regions, in a first step, an innerspring main body comprising a plurality of first strings of pocketed springs is provided. In a subsequent second step, at least one second string of pocketed springs is attached to a lateral surface of the innerspring main body, so that the at least one second string of pocketed springs extends in a longitudinal direction of the innerspring main body. The springs of the at least one second string of pocketed springs have a spring characteristic or a spring geometry different from the springs of the plurality of first strings of the innerspring main body. The at least one second string of pocketed springs forms together with the innerspring main body the innerspring unit.