Telescopic Ring Chair with Nested Locking for Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Foldable chairs and tables lack efficient height adjustment and secure storage solutions, with existing designs often being cumbersome and insecure when folded.
Innovation Solution
A foldable chair and table design featuring a telescopic side wall with rings of varying diameters and a locking mechanism, allowing for adjustable height and secure storage, along with a security lock to stabilize the chair in both deployed and retracted positions, and a foldable table that incorporates the chair as a leg or for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a telescopic side wall with multiple rings is used for height adjustment, then the chair provides adjustable height and compact storage capability, but the structure becomes more complex and may lack stability when folded
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic side wall employs a nested structure where multiple rings of varying diameters are concentrically arranged within each other. The topmost ring has the smallest diameter and is mounted to the seat portion, while subsequent rings have progressively larger diameters, allowing them to nest inside one another when retracted. This nesting principle enables compact storage while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The side wall is segmented into multiple discrete rings that can independently move relative to each other. Each ring is an integral unit that can be selectively locked with adjacent rings, allowing the structure to be divided into manageable segments that can be adjusted and stored independently, resolving the complexity issue through modular design.
2Reliability
If a locking arrangement is added to secure each ring, then the chair achieves stable locked positions, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking arrangement is designed to be self-actuating through spring-loaded pins that automatically engage with grooves on adjacent rings when the telescopic side wall is extended to a desired height. The spring force automatically pushes the pins into the grooves, providing self-locking functionality without requiring additional actuators or complex control mechanisms, thus maintaining simplicity while ensuring reliability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a security lock is added to prevent collapse when retracted, then the chair achieves enhanced stability, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The security lock mechanism is merged with the existing locking arrangement by using the same spring-loaded pin and groove system. The security lock utilizes the structural features already present in the locking arrangement, combining multiple functions into a unified mechanism rather than adding separate components, thereby enhancing stability without proportionally increasing complexity.
4Volume of moving object
If rings of varying diameters are used for telescopic movement, then the chair achieves compact retraction, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rings are designed with progressively varying diameters that allow perfect nesting when retracted. The topmost ring has the smallest diameter, and each subsequent ring has a slightly larger diameter, creating a telescopic sequence that maximizes compactness. The groove dimensions are precisely matched to the pin dimensions to ensure proper engagement while accommodating manufacturing tolerances.
Solution Approach 2:
The ring diameters are systematically varied according to a predetermined sequence to optimize nesting efficiency. By carefully controlling the diameter parameters of each ring, the design achieves compact retraction while the gradual variation in dimensions provides built-in tolerance compensation, reducing the stringency of manufacturing precision requirements compared to uniform dimensional changes.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable chair, comprising a seat portion and a telescopic side wall includes rings of varying diameters consecutively arranged. A topmost ring is mounted to a bottom surface of the seat portion and has a smallest diameter. A bottommost ring has a largest diameter. In deployed position, the telescopic side wall is opened or partially folded to set and lock a desired height of the chair. In fully retracted position all of the rings are disposed adjacent the bottom surface of the seat portion. Each ring is an integral unit configured with a locking arrangement that selectively locks it to an adjacent ring. In some embodiments, a security lock centrally disposed along a height of the chair substantially perpendicular to the varying diameters of the rings secures the locking arrangement. A table uses the foldable chair as a leg and can store several, for example four, foldable chairs.