Seat Spring Support Element With Segmented Arms for Tip Stability
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support elements for seating and bed furniture lack stability against tipping, are costly to manufacture, and difficult to assemble, with ineffective hardness adjustment and mounting mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A support element with radially extending arms divided into quasi-rigid and elastic sections, featuring arc springs and a hardness adjuster for improved stability and ease of assembly, produced through co-injection molding with integrated components for enhanced load distribution and reduced component count.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a support element with radially extending arms is used, then stability against tipping is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each arm is divided into a quasi-rigid support arm section and an elastic support spring section. This segmentation allows the arm to provide both structural stability (through the rigid section) and elastic deformation capability (through the spring section), resolving the contradiction between stability and complexity by distributing functions to different segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The support element is produced via co-injection molding with integrated components made of different materials. The quasi-rigid sections and elastic sections use materials with different mechanical properties, allowing the single-piece construction to achieve both stability and flexibility without requiring assembly of multiple complex components.
2Ease of manufacture
If co-injection molding is used for production, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The co-injection molding process creates distinct material segments (quasi-rigid and elastic sections) within each arm. This segmentation allows the molding process to produce functionally differentiated zones with appropriate material properties, reducing the need for post-manufacturing adjustments and lowering overall manufacturing complexity despite precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple components (support plate, arms, foot part, and hardness adjuster) are merged into a single co-injection molded piece. This consolidation eliminates assembly steps and reduces component count, lowering manufacturing cost while the integrated design inherently ensures precise alignment and connection between functional elements.
3Strength
If arc springs are used instead of short linkages, then load distribution is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The support spring sections are designed as arc springs with curved geometry instead of straight linkages. This curvature allows the springs to better distribute loads through their arched structure, providing improved strength and load-bearing capacity while maintaining a relatively simple integrated form that does not significantly increase overall device complexity.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a hardness adjuster is integrated into the support element, then adaptability is improved, but assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hardness adjuster is integrated directly into the support element during co-injection molding, merging what would traditionally be separate components into a single unit. This integration eliminates the need for separate assembly steps to attach the hardness adjuster, reducing assembly complexity while maintaining the adaptability function.
Solution Approach 2:
The support element serves multiple functions: structural support, elastic deformation, and hardness adjustment. By integrating the hardness adjuster into the same molded piece, the design achieves multi-functionality without proportionally increasing complexity, as the same manufacturing process produces all functional elements.
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
The solution provides a stable, cost-effective, and easily assembled support element that effectively absorbs various loads and adjusts hardness, preventing tipping and ensuring firm support for mattresses without lateral migration.
Implementation Method 1
The support arm sections thus essentially do not actively participate in elastic deformation, but only the front suspension spring sections, which are exposed to various types of loads such as tension, pressure, shear, bending and torsion due to the large number of deformations to be taken up in width and height.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~8
AI summary
The support element has a carrier element including a base part (11) and two arms, which extend radially and upwardly inclinedly in a direction of a fixed support plate (1). Each arm is subdivided into quasi fixed carrier arm-sections (2), which extends from the base part upto a half of a total length. Elastic carrier spring-sections (3) are attached to the arm-sections. The arm-sections are upwardly inwardly backwardly formed. Inwardly pointed upper ends of the spring-sections carry the support plate. Each spring-section is subdivided into two bow springs (9). An independent claim is also included for a crossbar made of plastic for arrangement of a support element.