Modular Chair Frame Assembly for Rigid Yet Flat-Pack Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional chairs and stools have rigid frames that cannot be disassembled or reduced in size for efficient storage or transport, requiring large spaces and specialized labor for assembly and disassembly.
Innovation Solution
A modular chair design featuring tubular section bars shaped like upturned U's and L's, with crosspieces that can be quickly assembled and disassembled using screws, allowing for complete disassembly and reassembly without welding, enabling compact stacking and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If chairs are designed with rigid welded frames for structural stability, then strength and reliability are improved, but disassembly capability and storage efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The chair frame is divided into separate modular components (legs, crosspieces, seat, backrest) that can be independently assembled and disassembled. Each component maintains structural integrity through its own design while allowing the entire chair to be taken apart for compact storage, resolving the contradiction between rigidity and disassembly capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system transitions from static welded joints to dynamic screw-based fastenings that allow the structure to be reconfigured. The screws provide stable rigid connections during use but enable easy disassembly when needed, making the structural behavior adaptable to different operational states.
2Strength
If chairs are designed with non-removable fixed joints for frame rigidity, then strength is improved, but ease of manufacture and assembly deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is segmented into standardized components with pre-drilled holes and integrated screw connections. This allows factory assembly using simple tools and procedures, eliminating the need for complex welding operations while maintaining frame rigidity through proper joint design.
Solution Approach 2:
The chair components are designed with self-aligning features and integrated fastening systems that allow unskilled persons to assemble the chair using common tools like screwdrivers. The screw connections with washers and positioning holes enable tool-based assembly without specialized welding skills or equipment.
3Volume of moving object
If stacking chairs are designed with diverging legs for stackability, then storage efficiency is improved, but structural stability and rigidity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The chair is designed as a modular assembly of discrete components (legs, crosspieces, seat panel) that can be completely disassembled. This allows the components to be stacked or stored in compact configurations without compromising the structural integrity of each component, achieving better storage efficiency than traditional stacking chairs while maintaining frame stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection system allows the chair to transition between a stable rigid configuration during use and a compact disassembled configuration for storage. The screw joints maintain rigid connections when assembled but allow complete separation when disassembled, enabling dynamic adaptation between stability and storage efficiency requirements.
Data Source
Figure 1~5
AI summary
The invention is a new seat or stool with two U-shaped uprights (3.3) positioned side by side defining to supporting legs (3), each one of said legs (3) being provided with two opposite holes (3.1, 3.2), of which one is circular and the other slotted, the latter for the insertion of the deformed end (2.1) of a crosspiece (2), said end comprising a circular widened portion (2.2) for inserting a screw (4), and wherein each leg (3) of each upright (3.3) is made integral with the end (2.1) of at least one crosspiece (2) by inserting said through screw (4) in said through hole (3.1) obtained in the leg (3) itself, and in said widened portion with circular cross section (2.2) of the end (2.1) of the crosspiece (2), at least partially inserted in said slotted hole (3.2) in the leg (3).