Drawer Side-Wall Functional Unit Mounting for Easy Retrofitting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing furniture and household appliances with sliding elements, such as drawers, require specific functional units to be installed during assembly, making retrofitting and simplified assembly challenging.
Innovation Solution
A design where a functional unit is detachably arranged in the side wall of the sliding element, with a counter-element fixedly attached to the body rail, allowing for easy installation and retrofitting by inserting it from the rear end, and featuring a receiving space for the functional unit, enabling simplified attachment and detachment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the functional unit is integrated into the pull-out guide during assembly, then the functional unit can be securely installed, but the assembly process becomes complex and retrofitting becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The functional unit is separated from the pull-out guide assembly process. The side wall is divided into modular components (front wall, rear wall, bottom wall) that can be assembled independently, with the functional unit installed in the rear receiving space before final assembly. This segmentation allows the functional unit to be securely installed while simplifying the overall assembly process and enabling easy retrofitting.
Solution Approach 2:
The functional unit is extracted from the traditional integration point (pull-out guide) and relocated to the receiving space in the side wall. This extraction decouples the functional unit installation from the pull-out guide assembly, allowing independent installation and retrofitting of the functional unit without complicating the pull-out guide assembly process.
2Reliability
If the functional unit is attached to the pull-out guide, then the functional unit is securely mounted, but the drawer base cannot protrude deeper and storage space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The functional unit mounting location is shifted from the horizontal dimension (attached to pull-out guide) to the vertical/different spatial dimension (receiving space in side wall). This dimensional change allows the drawer base to extend deeper horizontally while the functional unit is mounted vertically in the rear receiving space, resolving the conflict between mounting security and storage space.
3Ease of manufacture
If the functional unit is permanently installed during assembly, then the system is complete, but retrofitting and replacement become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The functional unit installation is designed with dynamic reversibility. The receiving space in the rear wall provides easy access for insertion and removal, allowing the functional unit to be dynamically installed during assembly or retrofitted later. This dynamic design maintains assembly simplicity while enabling future retrofitting and replacement operations.
4Ease of operation
If the receiving space is open at the rear end face, then the functional unit can be easily inserted, but components may be damaged during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The functional unit is installed in the receiving space before the final assembly step of attaching the front wall. This preliminary action allows easy insertion through the open rear face during assembly, while the subsequent attachment of the front wall provides protective enclosure that prevents damage during transport and use.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a piece of furniture or domestic appliance comprising: a body (2); at least one drawer element (3), which is slidably arranged in the body (2) and has two side walls (4), respective pull-out guides (5) being arranged between the side panels (4) and side walls (21, 22) of the body (2), each of the pull-out guides (5) having at least one body rail (51) which can be fastened to a side wall (21, 22) of the body (2) and one running rail (52) which can be fastened to the side panel (4); and at least one functional unit (6), which is coupled to one of the pull-out guides (5), wherein in at least one of the side walls (4) a functional unit (6) arranged at distance from the pull-out guide (5) is detachably arranged, which functional unit, in a predefined position of the drawer element (3) relative to the body (2), is operatively connected to a counter-element (7, 15) stationarily mounted on the body (2) or on the body rail (51). The invention further relates to a method for mounting a functional unit (6) of a drawer element (3) in a piece of furniture or domestic appliance.