Interlocking Furniture Panel Assembly for Compact Flat-Pack Strength
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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 compact packaging, as they often require division into separate elements for mechanical locking, which complicates assembly and stability.
Innovation Solution
A furniture panel design featuring a mechanical locking system with interlocking tongues and grooves, allowing elements to be locked together in multiple directions, including vertical and horizontal orientations, using angled and vertical locking surfaces, and incorporating a wood fibre-based core material, facilitating enhanced strength and stability while reducing package size through modular assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If a large furniture panel is divided into two or more separate elements for mechanical locking, then the package size of flat-pack furniture is decreased, but the strength and stability of the furniture panel are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The large furniture panel is divided into multiple separate elements that can be mechanically locked together, enabling compact packaging while maintaining structural integrity through the locking mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism engages in multiple directions (vertical and horizontal locking surfaces) rather than a single direction, creating three-dimensional interlocking that significantly enhances the strength of the joined elements
2Strength
If a mechanical locking system with multiple locking surfaces is used to join elements, then the strength and stability of the furniture panel are improved, but the device complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple locking surfaces (vertical and horizontal) are integrated into a single locking mechanism where tongues and grooves engage simultaneously in multiple directions, providing enhanced strength without proportionally increasing complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The tongue and groove structure serves multiple functions: it provides both vertical and horizontal locking, enables assembly without tools or adhesives, and ensures proper alignment of panel elements
3Strength
If elements are locked together using traditional nailing or adhesives, then the assembly process is simple, but the strength and stability of the furniture panel are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to be self-assembling without requiring tools or adhesives, as the tongue and groove structures automatically engage and lock elements together through their geometric design
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
AI summary
A furniture panel 8 is provided, in which a first element 8a and a second element 8b that 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.