Stop Damper with Captive Plunger Lock to Prevent Child Safety Hazards
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing stop absorbers for furniture with hinged flaps do not ensure child safety, as the plunger can unintentionally disengage and pose a risk of being swallowed by toddlers, especially when adjusted to the maximum position.
Innovation Solution
The stop absorber allows for adjustable plunger positioning between minimum and maximum settings, incorporating a locking mechanism that prevents unintentional disengagement, ensuring the plunger remains secure and safe from accidental release.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the plunger is made adjustable between minimum and maximum positions, then the functional safety and closure reliability are improved, but the risk of unintentional disengagement and child safety hazards increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by implementing a locking mechanism that prevents unintentional disengagement of the plunger before any harmful event can occur. The locking mechanism includes a locking element that engages with a locking surface, creating a preventive barrier against accidental release of the plunger from its adjusted position, thereby addressing the child safety hazard while maintaining closure reliability
2Reliability
If the plunger is adjusted to maximum position for functional safety, then the closure reliability is improved, but the plunger becomes more accessible and dangerous for toddlers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the nesting principle by designing the plunger to be retractable into the housing when not in use. The plunger can be fully inserted into the housing cavity, making it inaccessible to children while maintaining its adjustable positioning functionality when needed for closure operations, thereby eliminating the swallowing hazard while preserving closure reliability
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the plunger is made fixed in position, then child safety is improved by preventing accidental release, but the adjustability for functional safety is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by creating a system that transitions between fixed and adjustable states. The locking mechanism allows the plunger to be held firmly at any adjusted position (fixed state) for safety, while still permitting intentional repositioning when adjustment is needed for functional requirements, thereby achieving both child safety and adaptability
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 effectively prevents the plunger from being a hazard to children by ensuring it remains locked in place, maintaining functional safety and preventing accidental opening or swallowing.
Implementation Method 1
an actuator (30) is displaceable against the bias voltage of a spring element (20)
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a furniture fitting with a housing in which an actuator can be displaced against the preload of a spring element, with a plunger being or being connected to the actuator, with the plunger having an adjustment section which, in relation to the housing, extends between a maximum and a minimum adjustment position is adjustable. In order to improve operational safety, in particular child safety, it is provided according to the invention that the plunger is held captive in the maximum setting position by means of a stop connection.