Foldable Play Yard Corner Post Latch for One-Hand Folding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional play yards are difficult for caregivers to fold and unfold due to the multiple steps required, making them cumbersome for use and transportation.
Innovation Solution
A foldable play yard design featuring a floor assembly, top rail assembly, and corner post assembly with movable columns and latches, allowing the play yard to be easily folded and unfolded by operating the floor hub, which drives the top rail assembly to fold and unfold, and includes features like wheel sets and elastic components for smooth operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional play yard design is used, then structural stability is maintained, but folding and unfolding operations become complex and difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The play yard is divided into modular components including corner post assemblies with movable columns, top rail assemblies, and floor assemblies with hubs. Each segment can move independently through defined paths, allowing complex folding/unfolding to be broken into simpler sequential motions that are easier to operate
Solution Approach 2:
The corner post assemblies incorporate movable columns that can transition between extended and retracted positions. The floor assembly includes a movable hub that rotates to drive the folding/unfolding sequence. These dynamic elements replace static rigid structures, enabling smooth transitions between folded and unfolded states with minimal user input
2Productivity
If multiple steps are required for folding, then structural stability during operation is maintained, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The latch mechanism is pre-positioned to engage with the movable column at specific intervals during the folding/unfolding sequence. The floor hub is pre-configured with connection points that guide the top rail assemblies along predetermined paths. This preliminary arrangement of components allows the folding operation to proceed through pre-planned motion sequences, reducing the time required for each step
Solution Approach 2:
The folding and unfolding operations are designed as continuous smooth motions rather than discrete jerky steps. The movable columns slide continuously along guide paths, the floor hub rotates continuously to drive the sequence, and the top rail assemblies fold continuously as they are driven by the hub motion. This continuity eliminates idle time between steps and maintains productive action throughout the entire folding/unfolding process
3Volume of moving object
If compact folding is achieved, then portability is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The movable columns are designed to nest within each other when retracted, with the second column fitting inside the first column during the folding process. The top rail assemblies nest against the corner post assemblies, and the entire structure collapses into a compact configuration where components are nested within one another. This nesting arrangement achieves minimal folding volume without requiring complex external framing or support structures
Solution Approach 2:
The folding mechanism utilizes rotational motion of the floor hub in a horizontal plane to drive vertical folding of the play yard walls. The movable columns translate between vertical and horizontal dimensions during folding. This dimensional transformation allows the structure to collapse from a three-dimensional enclosed space into a compact two-dimensional package, achieving small folding volume through clever use of spatial transformations rather than complex compression mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable play yard includes a floor assembly including a latch, a top rail assembly and a corner post assembly. The corner post assembly includes a first column and a second column movable relative to the first column. A lower end and an upper end of each of the first column and the second column are respectively movably connected to the floor assembly and the top rail assembly. The latch is pivoted to the lower end of the first column for engaging with the second column, so as to stop the second column from moving relative to the first column for preventing the foldable play yard from being folded. The floor assembly drives the second column to move relative to the first column to drive the top rail assembly to be folded or unfolded when the floor assembly is folded or unfolded.