Furniture Push-Out Mechanism With Delayed Synchronization Unlocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture drive mechanisms, particularly for wide drawers, often experience issues like skewed positioning, jamming, or wedging due to asynchronous operation of dual drive devices, requiring excessive force and large screen gaps for unlocking, which complicates the unlocking process and increases misalignment risks.
Innovation Solution
A synchronization mechanism where movement transmission from the drive device to the synchronization device occurs only after unlocking, allowing for independent operation and reducing the need to press against both force accumulators, thus minimizing play and tripping distance, with the synchronization device being activated during the opening movement and designed separately from the furniture part.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the entire unlocking process is synchronized on both sides, then reliable detection of pressure on wide drawers is achieved, but it requires pressing against both force accumulators giving a stiff unlocking impression and requires a large screen gap
Solution Approach 1:
The unlocking process is divided into two independent phases: overpressing (unlocking) and ejection. During overpressing, each drive device operates independently without synchronization, allowing easy unlocking with reduced force. Synchronization is then activated during the ejection phase to ensure coordinated movement. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by allowing easy unilateral unlocking while maintaining reliability through subsequent synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary overpressing action to unlock one side before activating synchronization. The first drive device completes its unlocking and initial ejection movement independently, then triggers the synchronizing device to coordinate the second drive device. This preliminary independent action eliminates the need to press against both force accumulators simultaneously, reducing the stiff feeling while maintaining reliable operation.
2Reliability
If the entire unlocking process is synchronized on both sides, then movement sequence is synchronized, but a relatively large screen gap is required due to large amount of play between components
Solution Approach 1:
The synchronization is segmented to activate only after the overpressing phase is complete. During overpressing, no movement is transmitted to the synchronizing device, eliminating the accumulation of play. Synchronization is then engaged during ejection when precise coordinated movement is needed, but by this time the critical unlocking tolerances have already been satisfied, allowing smaller screen gaps.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary unlocking action independent of the synchronizing device before engagement. This preliminary phase completes the critical unlocking movement without involving the synchronizing device, so tolerances and play in the synchronizing device do not affect the unlocking process. This allows the screen gap to be minimized while maintaining synchronized operation during the subsequent ejection phase.
3Reliability
If synchronization is achieved through the drawer itself, then force transfer occurs, but large forces act on the drawer and great deal of play causes strong misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
A dedicated synchronizing device is introduced as an intermediary between the two drive devices, replacing the drawer itself as the synchronization medium. This synchronizing device includes a coupling element that connects to the first drive device and transmits movement to the second drive device. This intermediary approach isolates the synchronization function from the drawer structure, preventing large forces and play in the drawer from causing misalignment, while still achieving reliable force transfer for coordinated unlocking.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables effortless unlocking with reduced play and smaller tripping distance, maintaining a small panel gap between the drawer front and furniture body, and allows for synchronized unlocking of both drive devices with reduced forces and misalignment risks.
Implementation Method 1
a lockable, first ejection device (4) for ejecting the movable furniture part (3) from a closed position into an open position
Data Source
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AI summary
An arrangement (1) comprising a first drive mechanism (2) for moving a movable furniture part (3), the first drive mechanism (2) having a lockable first push-out mechanism (4) for pushing the movable furniture part (3) out of a closed position (SS) into an open position (OS) and a first locking mechanism (5) for locking the first push-out mechanism (4) in a locked position (VS), and the first push-out mechanism (4) being such that it can be unlocked from the locked position (VS) by an overpressure movement of the movable furniture part (3) into an overpressure position (ÜS) beyond the closed position (SS); and comprising a synchronising device (6) for synchronising the first drive mechanism (2) with a second drive mechanism (7), the synchronising device (6) being such that it can be moved by the first drive mechanism (2); wherein the overpressure movement begins free of a movement transfer between the first drive mechanism (2) and the synchronising device (6), and when the movable furniture part (3) moves in the opening direction (OR) the synchronising device (6) can be moved by the first drive mechanism (2).