Synchronized Drawer Push-Out Devices for High Front Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture designs with mechanical ejection devices for movable parts, such as drawers, face reliability issues when high front panels are actuated, as pressing in the movable part is insufficient for unlocking, especially when the actuation occurs in the upper area.
Innovation Solution
A piece of furniture with at least two ejection devices coupled via synchronization means, each equipped with a drive element pretensioned by an energy accumulator and a mechanical sensor, allowing the locking device to be unlocked via the sensor during front panel movement, ensuring increased reliability by detecting actuation at different points on the panel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single ejection device with a locking mechanism is used for movable furniture parts, then the structure remains simple and energy consumption is avoided, but the reliability of unlocking is insufficient when the front panel is actuated in the upper area with high front panels
Solution Approach 1:
The furniture system is divided into multiple ejection devices (at least two per drawer), each with its own locking device and mechanical sensor. This segmentation allows independent detection and unlocking at different locations, ensuring that actuation at any point on the front panel (especially upper areas) can reliably trigger the unlocking mechanism without requiring a single complex centralized system
Solution Approach 2:
Mechanical sensors are pre-positioned at different locations on the front panel to detect actuation forces before they reach the ejection devices. This preliminary detection ensures that when the front panel is pressed anywhere (including upper areas), the corresponding sensor activates the unlocking sequence in advance, preventing the reliability issue where upper panel actuation fails to unlock the mechanism
2Area of stationary object
If the front panel is made tall to provide adequate surface area, then the visual appearance and accessibility are improved, but the actuation force may not be sufficient to unlock the mechanism when applied in the upper area
Solution Approach 1:
The unlocking mechanism transitions from relying solely on vertical force transmission through the front panel to a multi-dimensional detection system. Mechanical sensors are distributed at different heights and positions, detecting actuation forces in multiple spatial dimensions. This allows the system to respond to actuation at any location on the large front panel surface, converting the potential weakness of tall panel actuation into an advantage by enabling flexible user interaction across the entire panel area
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 enhances the reliability of opening movable furniture parts with high front panels by ensuring the locking device can be unlocked through both the drive element and mechanical sensor, regardless of the actuation point, thus overcoming the limitations of existing designs.
Implementation Method 1
Each ejection device comprises a drive element that is pre-tensioned by a power storage device and, when unlocked, serves as a locking device for ejecting the movable furniture part in the opening direction
Data Source
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AI summary
A pushing-out device for a movable furniture part, in particular a drawer (3), comprises a drive element (9) which is prestressed by an energy store, wherein, for unlocking of a locking device, the energy store drives the drive element (9) relative to a guide (80) in order to shift the movable furniture part out in the opening direction and the locking device can be unlocked by virtue of a front panel (4) of the movable furniture part being pushed from a closed position into an excess-pressure position, by the drive element (9) being moved relative to the guide (80), wherein a mechanical sensor (16, 24) is provided and is coupled to the locking device via mechanical transmission means (12, 14, 22, 29) and, upon movement of the front panel (4), the locking device can also be unlocked by the mechanical sensor (16, 24). The invention also relates to a piece of furniture having such a pushing-out device and to a method for opening a movable furniture part.