Cantilever Refrigerator Shelf With Sliding and Folding Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigerator shelves do not effectively accommodate items of high height due to limitations in design, as they are typically supported by side walls and lack mechanisms to prevent frame spreading and shelf deviation during movement.
Innovation Solution
A cantilever shelf design supported by the rear wall, featuring a slide shelf, a folding shelf, and a spread prevention unit that includes protrusions and grooves to prevent frame spreading, allowing for adjustable height and secure movement, with a stopper unit to maintain the slide shelf's position and an auxiliary frame for additional support.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a traditional shelf supported by side walls is used, then the shelf structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate items of high height and lacks flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf is divided into multiple independent components: a fixed shelf, a slide shelf that can move horizontally, and a folding shelf that can rotate vertically. This segmentation allows each component to perform specific functions independently, enabling the shelf to adapt to different storage needs while maintaining manageable structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The shelf incorporates dynamic elements including a slide shelf that can move horizontally along guide grooves and a folding shelf that can rotate vertically around a hinge axis. These dynamic components allow the shelf configuration to change based on storage requirements, transforming a static structure into an adaptable system
2Adaptability or versatility
If the slide shelf is made movable to increase flexibility, then storage adaptability improves, but the shelf may deviate during movement
Solution Approach 1:
Guide grooves are introduced as intermediary structures between the slide shelf and the fixed shelf. These grooves act as constraints that allow horizontal movement while preventing deviation in perpendicular directions, ensuring the slide shelf moves smoothly along a predetermined path without losing positional stability
Solution Approach 2:
The guide grooves and stopper units work automatically to maintain shelf position during movement. The stopper units engage with the guide grooves to prevent over-extension, and the groove geometry itself provides self-alignment, reducing the need for additional active control mechanisms
3Adaptability or versatility
If the folding shelf is made rotatable to accommodate tall items, then storage versatility improves, but the side frames may spread under load
Solution Approach 1:
Spread prevention units are pre-installed on the side frames to counteract the spreading force before it occurs. These units consist of protrusions on one side frame that engage with grooves on the opposite side frame, creating a preliminary constraint that prevents the frames from spreading under the load of stored items
Solution Approach 2:
The shelf system combines rigid materials for the fixed shelf and side frames with hinged connections for the folding shelf. This composite construction maintains structural integrity while allowing the necessary rotational movement, balancing strength requirements with adaptability needs
4Area of stationary object
If the shelf is supported by the rear wall instead of side walls, then space utilization improves, but the support mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The support mechanism transitions from lateral support by side walls to rearward support by the rear wall. The coupling units engage with the rear wall structure, distributing loads along the rear dimension rather than relying on side wall support, thereby freeing up lateral space while maintaining structural support through a different spatial arrangement
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator having a cantilever shelf which includes a pair of side frames, a fixed shelf including a rear frame that connects the pair of side frames and is coupled to a shelf coupling unit, a slide shelf provided so as to be slidably movable in forward and rearward directions between the pair of side frames, and a folding shelf rotatably provided between the pair of side frames at a rear side of the slide shelf.