Seating unit with extendable footrest
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional recliner chairs with reclining capability face challenges in providing adequate footrest extension, especially in chairs with smaller frames, off-the-floor styles, or low seat heights, due to limited space beneath the seat, which restricts the ability to extend a footrest while maintaining hidden reclining mechanisms and suitable support for occupants.
Innovation Solution
A seating unit with a footrest mechanism comprising pivotally interconnected links that move the footrest between retracted and extended positions, allowing the footrest to extend forwardly from the seat while maintaining a compact retracted position, utilizing a motor-actuated system to pivot links and extend the footrest mechanism, ensuring adequate leg support without obstructing the underlying surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the footrest is extended forwardly from the chair, then leg support is improved, but space availability beneath the seat is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The footrest mechanism transitions from a two-dimensional extension forward to a three-dimensional arcuate path, moving beneath the seat and then forward. This dimensional change allows the footrest to achieve extended leg support while utilizing previously unused space under the seat, resolving the contradiction between support capability and space availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The footrest mechanism nests within the chair structure by routing components through the seat and utilizing the space beneath it. The arcuate path allows the footrest to fold compactly when retracted and extend smoothly when deployed, effectively nesting the mechanism within the chair's existing footprint.
2Shape
If the reclining mechanisms are kept hidden when the chair is in the upright position, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but footrest extension capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The footrest mechanism uses a three-dimensional arcuate path that routes the footrest beneath the seat and then forward, rather than extending linearly from beneath the seat. This allows the mechanism to remain concealed when retracted while achieving full extension capability when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The footrest mechanism is divided into multiple segments including the footrest platform, linkage components, and actuation mechanisms distributed along the arcuate path. This segmentation allows the mechanism to be distributed throughout the available space, maintaining aesthetic appearance while enabling full extension.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the chair has a low seat height or tall base with swivel unit, then stability is improved, but footrest extension space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The arcuate path utilizes the vertical and lateral dimensions by routing the footrest beneath the seat and then forward along a curved trajectory. This three-dimensional approach maximizes the use of available space without requiring additional vertical clearance or lateral extension that would compromise chair stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A seating unit includes: a frame configured to rest on an underlying surface comprising a pair of opposed arms, a seat fixed relative to the arms, and a backrest fixed relative to the arms; a footrest; and a footrest mechanism attached to the footrest and the arms. The footrest mechanism comprises a plurality of pivotally interconnected links configured to move the footrest between a retracted position, in which the footrest is positioned beneath the seat and defines an angle of between about 20 and 40 degrees with the underlying surface, and an extended position, in which the footrest is positioned in front of the seat and is generally horizontally disposed and generally inverted from its disposition in the retracted position.