Adjustable Storage Shelf with Slider-Lock Mechanism to Reduce Friction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liftable storage shelves experience high friction forces due to small gaps between the shelf and the lift rod, making it difficult to adjust the height smoothly.
Innovation Solution
A storage device with a slider and lock member system, where the slider is embedded in a chute with a limit groove, allowing for large clearance and reduced sliding resistance, and a lock member that can be rotated to provide friction for fixing the shelf position or release it for adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the storage shelf is sleeved on a lift rod with a small gap, then the structural stability is improved, but the friction force becomes too large and the storage shelf is not easy to slide along the lift rod
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a slider as an intermediary component between the storage shelf and the support rod. The slider includes a main body part extending into a chute and a limit part extending into a limit groove, allowing the storage shelf to slide along the support rod through the slider rather than direct contact. This intermediary structure reduces friction while maintaining stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the contact interface between the storage shelf and support rod into multiple components: the slider is divided into a main body part and a limit part, which separately engage with the chute and limit groove of the support rod. This segmentation allows for optimized clearance fitting in different regions, reducing overall friction while maintaining positional stability.
2Ease of operation
If the slider and chute are in clearance fitting with large gaps, then the sliding resistance is reduced and the slider can smoothly slide, but the friction force is insufficient to prevent the slider from sliding during normal use
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic locking mechanism where the lock member can be rotated to switch between locked and unlocked states. When locked, the lock member squeezes the bottom surface to provide sufficient friction for position fixing. When unlocked, the slider can slide smoothly along the chute. This dynamic state change allows the system to adapt between sliding smoothness and position stability as needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the friction parameter dynamically through the lock member mechanism. By rotating the lock member, the contact pressure between the lock member and the bottom surface is adjusted, thereby changing the friction force. This allows the system to transition between low friction (smooth sliding) and high friction (position fixing) states as required.
3Reliability
If a lock member is added to squeeze the bottom surface for fixing position, then the position fixing capability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into the lock member: it serves as both a locking mechanism (squeezing the bottom surface to fix position) and a releasing mechanism (rotating to release the squeeze for sliding). The rotating shaft integrates the control function, allowing a single component to handle both locking and unlocking operations, thereby reducing overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The lock member is designed with multi-functionality: it can squeeze the bottom surface to provide friction for position fixing, release the squeeze to enable sliding, and the rotating shaft can be operated manually to switch between these states. This universal component performs multiple functions that would otherwise require separate mechanisms.
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
Enables smooth sliding of the storage shelf along the support rod with adjustable locking, reducing frictional resistance and allowing for easy height adjustment while securely holding objects.
Implementation Method 1
the lock member can squeeze the bottom surface of the chute so that there is enough friction between the lock member and the bottom surface to prevent the slider from sliding
Implementation Method 2
the slider and the chute are in clearance fitting therebetween and the slider and the limit groove are in clearance fitting therebetween, and a gap between the slider and the chute and a gap between the slider and the limit groove can be set to be relatively large, a sliding resistance of the slider is relatively small
Data Source
AI summary
A storage device includes a support rod provided with a chute and a limit groove disposed at a side wall of the chute, wherein an extension direction of the chute is the same as that of the limit groove; a storage assembly including a slider, wherein the slider includes a main body part extending into the chute and a limit part extending from the main body part into the limit groove, and the main body part is provided with a first through hole extending along a depth direction of the chute; a knob including a rotating shaft inserted into the first through hole; a lock member disposed between the slider and a bottom surface of the chute and connected with the rotating shaft; and a storage shelf connected to the slider and configured for holding objects; wherein the rotating shaft is rotatable such that the lock member squeezes the bottom surface and squeezing of the lock member on the bottom surface is released. It is convenient and labor-saving to adjust the height of the storage shelf of the storage device.