Refrigerator Door Tray Spring Latch for Easy Height Adjustment
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Household refrigeration appliances often have cumbersome and inflexible door rack height adjustment mechanisms, requiring complete removal and reinstallation, which is cumbersome, expensive, and lacks fine positioning options, leading to difficulties in accommodating varying sizes of refrigerated goods.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a spring element within the door compartment's wall that can be deflected laterally for height adjustment, allowing for simple and reliable fine-tuning of the door rack's position without the need for additional buttons or complex mechanisms, maintaining a self-contained geometric shape and easy cleaning.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If resilient tongues with push buttons are used for height adjustment, then fine positioning is achieved, but the mechanism becomes complex and difficult to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the adjustment function from complex multi-component mechanisms (resilient tongues, push buttons, claws) and implements it through a simple integrated cam element with lateral movement capability. The cam element combines positioning and locking functions in a single component that can be easily manipulated by hand.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using resilient elements that require active release mechanisms (push buttons), the invention uses a rigid cam element that is passively deflected laterally to engage or disengage from positioning holes. The operation is inverted from active release to passive lateral movement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If door racks are completely removed for height adjustment, then positioning flexibility is achieved, but the operation becomes cumbersome and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The cam element is designed to be dynamically movable laterally within the plane of the door rack wall, allowing the user to easily switch between engaged and disengaged states without complete removal. This dynamic lateral movement provides quick adjustment capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment mechanism is segmented into discrete positioning holes at different heights, allowing the cam element to engage at specific predetermined positions. This provides flexible height adjustment while maintaining simple operation through lateral cam movement.
3Reliability
If multiple resilient tongues and claws are used for locking, then secure fastening is achieved, but the risk of goods getting stuck increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the complex multi-component resilient tongue and claw mechanism, replacing it with a simple cam element that laterally engages with positioning holes. This eliminates the gaps and complex interfaces where goods could get stuck while maintaining secure fastening through the cam's lateral locking action.
4Ease of manufacture
If fixed predetermined heights are provided, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but positioning precision is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The door rack incorporates multiple discrete positioning holes at different heights along the vertical axis. The cam element can engage with any of these holes, providing fine height adjustment capability while maintaining simple manufacturing through standardized hole patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the positioning parameter from continuous (requiring complex mechanisms) to discrete (through predetermined holes), achieving a practical balance between manufacturing simplicity and positioning precision suitable for various packaging heights.
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 easy, reliable, and flexible height adjustment of door racks, preventing goods from falling or getting stuck, while maintaining a smooth and cleanable surface, and allowing for one-handed operation.
Implementation Method 1
at least one spring element as a component part for adjusting its height, which spring element can be deflected in a spring-elastic manner transversely, in particular perpendicularly, to the plane of the wall
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4a~4c
AI summary
The invention relates to a refrigerating appliance, especially a household refrigerating appliance, comprising at least one door tray (5) arranged on the inner wall (73) of the door (1) of the refrigerating appliance in a height-adjustable manner. At least one wall (6) of the door tray (5) comprises at least one spring element (7) as a component for adjusting the height of the tray, that can be elastically inclined transversally, especially perpendicularly, in relation to the plane of the wall (6).