Refrigerator Door Bin Rail Mounting Without Fasteners
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration appliance storage systems face challenges in manufacturing ease and cost due to the need for undercuts in liner panels and the use of fasteners to attach rails, which increases mold complexity and assembly time and expense.
Innovation Solution
A storage system where a rail is attached to a liner panel without fasteners, using a mounting structure that passes through an aperture and is secured by a foaming agent, eliminating the need for undercuts and reducing assembly complexity, with a bin design that includes an arm between the rail and panel for stability and a bin tab interacting with rail bumps to prevent side movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If undercuts are used in the liner panel to attach the rail, then the rail can be securely mounted, but the mold complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure is divided into separate components: a rail body and a separate mounting structure that attaches to the liner panel. This segmentation allows the mounting structure to be designed independently with features like protrusions and recesses that provide secure attachment without requiring complex undercuts in the liner panel itself, thereby simplifying the molding process while maintaining attachment strength
Solution Approach 2:
A separate mounting structure acts as an intermediary between the rail and the liner panel. This intermediary component provides the attachment function without transferring the complexity of undercuts to the liner panel mold. The mounting structure can be attached using simpler methods (such as snap-fits, adhesives, or simple fasteners) while still providing secure rail mounting
2Strength
If fasteners and fittings are used to attach the rail to the liner panel, then the rail can be securely mounted, but the assembly time and labor cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting structure is merged with the rail body or attached as a single assembly, eliminating the need for separate fasteners and fittings. The integrated design allows the entire mounting assembly to be installed as one unit, reducing the number of assembly steps and fastening operations required, thereby decreasing assembly time and labor cost while maintaining secure attachment
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting structure incorporates self-aligning and self-securing features such as protrusions that fit into corresponding recesses, snap-fits, or elastic elements that automatically secure the rail to the liner panel without requiring additional fasteners or complex assembly procedures. This self-service mechanism reduces assembly complexity and time while ensuring secure mounting
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a storage system and a refrigeration appliance including the storage system for storing food items in a temperature-controlled environment. The storage system includes a rail attached to a liner panel. The rail includes at least one mounting structure configured to pass through an aperture in the liner panel. A bin has an arm extending from a rear surface of the bin. The bin is placed in a storage position. The arm is placed between the rail and the liner panel when the bin is placed in the storage position. Another example of the storage system and refrigeration appliance includes a foot extending from a rear surface of the bin. Yet another example includes interaction between a bin tab and a plurality of bumps on the rail to prevent side to side motion.