Telescopic Table Leg With Contrast Members for Vibration Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing telescopic table legs suffer from reduced structural stability and instability due to minimal clearance between leg members, leading to vibrations and the need for complex mechanisms to synchronize movement, which complicates manufacturing and reduces aesthetic appeal when used as a single support leg for cantilevered tables.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of contrast members between the outer and inner surfaces of telescopic leg members eliminates clearance, providing precise sliding and structural strength, allowing the leg to distribute weight evenly and reduce the load on actuators, enabling a robust and stable telescopic leg with reduced actuator size and simplified mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If minimal clearance is generated between mechanical components to minimize sliding friction, then sliding friction is reduced, but relative displacement outside the axis of elongation occurs causing instability and vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces guide rails as intermediary components between the sliding components and the structural members. These guide rails constrain the sliding movement to occur only along the axis of elongation, preventing lateral displacement while still allowing smooth sliding motion. This mediator structure resolves the contradiction by enabling low-friction sliding without compromising structural stability.
2Length of moving object
If telescopic legs are formed of more than two members requiring intermediate members, then height adjustment range is increased, but complicated mechanisms are needed to synchronize movement of intermediate members
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic leg is divided into multiple telescopic sections, each with its own pair of structural members that slide relative to each other. This segmentation allows independent movement of each section without requiring complex synchronization mechanisms, as each section operates autonomously within its own guide rail system.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide rails serve as intermediary structures that simplify the movement of intermediate members. By providing constrained sliding paths, the guide rails eliminate the need for complex belt drives, pulleys, or other synchronization mechanisms that would otherwise be required to coordinate the movement of multiple intermediate members.
3Ease of operation
If sliding friction between leg members is reduced or eliminated, then sliding movement is facilitated, but structural support capacity in the direction of elongation is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The structural system is segmented into two distinct functional components: guide rails responsible for facilitating sliding movement with minimal friction, and structural members responsible for providing structural support capacity. This segmentation allows each component to optimize its specific function without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rails act as intermediary elements that transfer the sliding motion between structural members while maintaining structural integrity. The guide rails are designed to provide both low-friction sliding surfaces and sufficient structural strength to support axial loads, effectively mediating between the requirements for ease of operation and structural strength.
4Strength
If additional structural members are added to provide structural support capacity, then structural stability is improved, but the leg becomes more complex and requires larger actuators
Solution Approach 1:
The structural members are designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: they provide structural support capacity in the axial direction, serve as guides for sliding movement, and act as structural braces. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate structural members, reducing overall component count while maintaining structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide rails serve as intermediary structures that enable the structural members to fulfill multiple roles. By providing the sliding interface and structural support function, the guide rails allow the structural members to be more efficient and smaller in size, reducing the overall complexity and actuator requirements.
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
This solution enhances the structural stability and rigidity of the telescopic leg, eliminating vibrations and allowing it to support cantilevered table tops effectively, while reducing the size and complexity of internal components, ensuring a stable and aesthetically pleasing solution.
Implementation Method 1
contrast members (24, 25, 33, 34) interposed between the outer surface (21, 31) of a leg member (20, 30) and the inner surface (12, 22) of a contiguous leg member (10, 20), in elastic contrast against the other of said inner surface (12, 22) and outer surface (21, 31)
Implementation Method 2
the friction force which is generated between two adjacent members, through the interaction with the contrast members, makes it possible to transfer and distribute to all the leg members, a force applied to the second or upper end
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable leg for supporting the top of a table. The adjustable leg includes a plurality of telescoping leg members in which the inner surface of one leg member faces and slides with respect to the outer surface of another leg member. Contrast members are provided between the inner surface of the one leg member and the outer surface of another leg member to form a forced coupling between the two leg members, to generate a static friction force therebetween, so that the static friction force opposes an outer longitudinal force applied to the second leg end towards the first leg end, to lock in rest the leg members to one another.