Corner Cabinet Shelf Fitting With Offset Dual-Axis Pull-Out
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing rotation and pull-out fittings for corner cabinet shelves inefficiently utilize space, with asymmetrical footprints requiring different versions for left and right cabinets and limited optimal exploitation of internal space.
Innovation Solution
A pull-out guide mounted on an intermediate carrier that is rotatable relative to the carrier about an axis parallel but offset from the carrier's axis of rotation, providing three degrees of freedom for the shelf: two rotational and one translational, allowing for a smoother movement and larger footprint that optimally uses the cabinet space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the shelf is supported on two swivel arms that are pivotable about vertical axes, then the shelf can be moved out of the door opening in a smooth movement, but the footprint of the shelf must have a shape with which the internal space of the cabinet is only poorly exploited and the footprint is asymmetrical requiring different shelf versions for left and right corner cabinets
Solution Approach 1:
The fitting is divided into two separate pivotable components: a carrier pivotable about a first vertical axis and a pull-out guide mounted on the carrier and pivotable about a second vertical axis. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each component's movement trajectory, enabling the shelf to achieve both smooth movement and optimal space utilization with a symmetrical footprint that fits through narrow door openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces a second pivot axis offset from the first axis, adding a dimensional degree of freedom to the system. This second pivot dimension allows the shelf to follow a more complex three-dimensional trajectory that optimizes both accessibility (smooth movement through door opening) and storage capacity (symmetrical footprint filling cabinet space).
2Reliability
If the pull-out movement of the shelf is forcibly coupled with the pivotal movement of the carrier, then the shelf moves always on a well-defined trajectory, but the storage area provided by the shelf does not optimally exploit the internal space of the corner cabinet
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling between pull-out movement and pivotal movement is made dynamic rather than rigid. The pull-out guide is mounted on the carrier in such a way that it can pivot relative to the carrier about a second axis, allowing the system to adapt the trajectory in real-time based on the shelf's position and load, thereby achieving both reliable movement control and optimal storage utilization.
3Ease of operation
If the shelf is drawn out to an extreme cantilever position, then the objects placed on the shelf are readily accessible, but the shelf is subject to a high tilting moment due to the weight of the objects placed thereon
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediate carrier acts as a mediator between the fixed cabinet structure and the drawn-out shelf. By providing a second pivot axis offset from the first axis, the intermediate carrier creates a more favorable mechanical lever arm that distributes and reduces the tilting moment acting on the shelf, even when drawn out to extreme positions for maximum accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
Rotation and pull-out fitting for a shelf in a corner cabinet, includes a carrier supported in the corner cabinet to be rotatable about a vertical axis, and a pull-out guide on which the shelf is displaceable relative to the carrier, the pull-out guide being mounted on a intermediate carrier that is itself rotatable relative to the carrier about an axis that is parallel with the axis of rotation of the carrier but offset therefrom.