Drawer Pull-Out Guide Carriage Stops for Quiet End Travel

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pull-out guide assemblies for drawers experience noise and mechanical resistance issues due to impacts between carriages and arrest elements, requiring complex modifications or separate parts for elastically yielding stops, which complicate assembly and replacement.

Innovation Solution

A pull-out guide assembly with a carriage featuring elastically yielding stops at its ends, where these stops are separate components that can be anchored using existing housing seats for rolling elements, allowing for optional mounting and simplicity in assembly and replacement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If elastically yielding stops are formed as separate parts to be applied to the carriages, then the impact noise and mechanical resistance are reduced, but the carriage form must be modified to create specific seats and anchoring means

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimpact noise and mechanical resistanceVSAvoidcarriage form modification
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The elastically yielding stop is designed as a separate component from the carriage, allowing independent optimization of each part. The stop can be anchored to the carriage using existing housing seats for rolling elements, avoiding the need to modify the carriage form while still providing impact absorption functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The housing seats originally designed for rolling elements are repurposed to also serve as anchoring points for the elastically yielding stops. This multi-functional use of existing structures eliminates the need for additional modification-specific seats or anchoring mechanisms on the carriage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Strength

If elastically yielding stops are formed in a single piece with the carriages, then the structural integrity is improved, but the forming complexity increases and different dies are required for carriages with and without stops

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidforming complexity and die variety
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The stop is manufactured as a separate component from the carriage, allowing each part to be produced using standard forming processes without requiring special dies or complex integrated forming operations. This segmentation maintains manufacturing simplicity while providing the needed structural functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The elastically yielding stop is designed as a replaceable component that can be independently manufactured and installed. If the stop wears out or breaks, only the stop itself needs to be replaced rather than the entire carriage assembly, reducing overall system replacement costs and complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

3Ease of repair

If elastically yielding stops are made as replaceable components, then the replacement simplicity is improved, but the anchoring mechanism complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestop replacement simplicityVSAvoidanchoring mechanism
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of repairVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The anchoring mechanism for the stop integrates with the existing housing seats for rolling elements. By combining the stop anchoring function with the already-present rolling element housing structures, the system achieves simple replacement capability without adding separate complex anchoring mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The housing seats serve dual purposes: accommodating rolling elements for smooth operation and providing anchoring points for elastically yielding stops. This universal use of existing structures enables easy stop replacement without requiring dedicated anchoring features, maintaining simplicity while providing repairability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

The solution eliminates noise and mechanical resistance issues by allowing the use of existing carriages with optional elastically yielding stops, simplifying assembly and replacement, and enabling the stops to be used across different carriages without modifying the carriage form or requiring specific processes.

Implementation Method 1

the carriages can be advantageously provided on each end with an elastically yielding stop capable of absorbing the kinetic energy of the carriages, so as to dampen the impacts deriving from contact with the arrest elements of the guide parts

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP2611332B1A pull-out guide assembly for a drawer
Publication Date: 2016.01.13 ARTURO SALICE SPA
  • EP2611332B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2611332B1 patent drawingFigure 3~6

AI summary

A pull-out guide assembly for a drawer, comprising a first guide part (2) and at least a second guide part (3) relatively and reversibly slidable in the pull-out direction of the drawer, at least one carriage (4) interposed between the first and second guide part (2, 3) and reversibly slidable in the pull-out direction of the drawer, the carriage (4) having a plurality of housing seats (8) for load- transmitting rolling elements (9) and at its ends elastically yielding stops (23, 23') suitable for interacting with arrest elements (30, 31) provided on the first and second guide parts (2, 3) in order to the limit the relative sliding thereof, characterized in that each of said stops (23, 23') is a component separate from the carriage (4) and has means of anchorage to the carriage (4), each stop (23, 23') being a component separate from the carriage (4) and having means of anchorage to the carriage (4) comprising an anchorage element (28, 28') insertable by means of mating shapes or by force or snap fitting into at least one of the housing seats (8) already present on said carriage (4) for the rolling elements (9).