Refrigerator Cabinet Plug-and-Click Joint for Vibration Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing snap-fit connections for components like refrigerated cabinets and kitchen furniture lack stability under conditions of strong vibrations, as they primarily rely on translational movements and frictional engagement, which can lead to destabilizing rotary movements and translational movements along the longitudinal axes.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a stop element with flanks in the groove that interacts with complementary stop surfaces on the web, providing a form-fit mechanism to prevent rotary and translational movements along the longitudinal axes, enhancing stability while maintaining ease of assembly and production simplicity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional snap-fit connection with web strip and groove strip is used, then assembly is simple and components are easy to produce, but stability under strong vibrations deteriorates due to unwanted rotary movements and translational movements along longitudinal axes
Solution Approach 1:
The connection system is segmented into distinct functional elements: the web strip with web parts for insertion, the groove strip with groove for reception, and the stop element with flanks for preventing unwanted movements. This segmentation allows each element to perform its specific function while maintaining overall system simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The stop element acts as an intermediary component between the web strip and groove strip. It mediates the interaction by providing flanks that prevent rotary movements and control translational movements along the longitudinal axis, thereby enhancing stability without requiring complete redesign of the connection system.
2Ease of operation
If the web parts are elastically deformed to pivot toward one another for insertion into the groove, then assembly is easy, but the connection becomes unstable under vibrations due to insufficient restraint against rotary movements
Solution Approach 1:
The stop element with its flanks is pre-configured to counteract unwanted rotary movements and translational movements along the longitudinal axis before these movements can occur. This preliminary anti-action prevents instability under vibrations while maintaining the ease of assembly through elastic deformation of web parts.
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 significantly improves the stability of the snap-fit connection by preventing unwanted movements, ensuring a secure hold under vibrational conditions without compromising the ease of assembly or production complexity.
Implementation Method 1
the web is held in the groove solely by frictional engagement, which is generated by the frictional force
Implementation Method 2
The web and/or the groove can be designed to be elastic in order to form the snap-in connection
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a plug-and-snap connection with a groove strip having a groove (16) and a web strip with at least one web (15) which engages in the groove (16) in a form-fitting manner, wherein the groove and web have a longitudinal direction and the form-fitting connection between web and groove prevents a linear movement between the groove and web in at least one direction transverse to the longitudinal direction, wherein the groove and web are designed such that a form-fitting connection between the groove and web opposes a movement according to a further degree of freedom in the form of a rotational movement of the groove and web relative to each other about the longitudinal axis and/or a translational movement along the longitudinal axis, and a piece of furniture, in particular refrigerated furniture, with a corresponding plug-and-snap connection.