Modular Sofa with Locking Slots to Reduce Storage Volume
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sofas are bulky due to their soft packaging, leading to increased storage and transportation costs due to their large volume.
Innovation Solution
A detachable sofa design featuring a backrest, seat, and armrests connected via U-shaped locking slots that allow for disassembly into smaller components, utilizing support frames and flexible packaging materials, enabling easier assembly and disassembly for reduced storage and transportation costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sofas are equipped with soft packaging portions to meet comfort demands, then comfort is improved, but storage and transportation volume increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sofa is divided into multiple detachable modules including seat modules, backrest modules, and armrest modules. Each module can be independently packaged and stored, allowing the soft packaging portions to be compressed to smaller volumes while maintaining comfort when assembled. The locking mechanism enables these segmented modules to be quickly reassembled into a complete sofa.
2Volume of stationary object
If sofas are made detachable to reduce storage volume, then storage and transportation costs are reduced, but assembly and disassembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is extracted as a separate, standardized component that can be easily attached and detached. The locking slots are designed with simple geometric features (U-shaped cross-section with varying width) that enable tool-free assembly and disassembly, reducing the complexity burden despite the modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is designed to be self-locking through the width variation in the locking slots. The wider end automatically engages with the narrower component without requiring additional fastening steps, allowing users to assemble and disassemble the sofa without specialized tools or complex procedures.
3Reliability
If locking slots with varying width are used to connect modules, then connection reliability is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The locking slots are designed with asymmetric width variation along their length. This asymmetric geometry provides a self-aligning feature where the narrower portion guides the joining components into proper orientation, while the wider portion provides tolerance for manufacturing variations. The asymmetric design inherently compensates for precision deviations rather than requiring tight tolerances.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention disclosure relates to a detachable sofa comprising a backrest, a seat, two armrests and a chassis, wherein the backrest comprises a backrest body and left and right side wings, and the left and right side wings are detachably connected to the backrest body; each armrest includes an armrest pad and an armrest frame, and the armrests are detachably connected to the seat. The backrest body and the left and right side wings are connected by locking slots, and the armrest and the seat are connected by locking slots. In the detachable sofa of the invention disclosure, the backrest and the armrest can be further disassembled into smaller components, which can occupy smaller space and volume during storage and transportation, thus greatly reduce storage and transportation costs.