Drawer guide

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pull-out guides face reliability issues in locking guide rails due to manufacturing tolerances, leading to inconsistent latching forces and potential misalignment of locking elements over time, which affects the secure locking and unlocking of the guide rails.

Innovation Solution

The design incorporates receiving sections on both sides of the locking element's movement path, allowing the locking element to be surrounded and received on both sides, thereby making the forces acting on the locking element independent of production tolerances, and allowing for transverse movement of the locking element to ensure reliable locking, even with manufacturing deviations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a locking lug and locking recess are used to lock guide rails, then the guide rails can be locked relative to each other, but the latching force becomes inconsistent due to production tolerances and wear over time

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocking reliabilityVSAvoidproduction tolerance sensitivity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The locking element is designed to be movable within the locking element receptacle, allowing it to adjust its position dynamically. This movement capability enables the locking element to compensate for variations in guide rail positioning caused by manufacturing tolerances and wear, maintaining consistent locking force throughout the product lifecycle.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The locking mechanism allows for adjustment of the locking element's position parameter within the receptacle. By enabling the locking element to move and change its position dynamically, the system can adapt to varying conditions and maintain optimal locking force despite manufacturing variations and wear over time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If locking elements are made stationary for simplicity, then the device complexity is reduced, but the ability to compensate for manufacturing tolerances and wear is lost

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvelocking device simplicityVSAvoidlocking consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Manufacturing precision

If receiving sections are arranged on both sides of the locking element movement path, then the locking element can be surrounded and forces made independent of production tolerances, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetolerance independenceVSAvoidreceiving section arrangement

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The locking element receptacle is divided into multiple receiving sections arranged on opposite sides of the locking element's movement path. This segmentation allows each receiving section to independently guide and constrain the locking element, collectively providing tolerance compensation and stable positioning without requiring high precision in any single component.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The receiving sections are arranged in a spatial configuration on opposite sides of the movement path, utilizing dimensional arrangement to achieve tolerance compensation. This spatial distribution of receiving sections provides geometric constraint that makes the locking forces independent of linear manufacturing tolerances.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP2720577B1Drawer guide

Publication Date: 2017.12.27 SCHOCK METALLWERK GMBH

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a drawer guide (100) for displaceably arranging, on a carcass, a drawer which can be pulled out of said carcass in a pull-out direction (112), said guide comprising at least two guide rails (102) which can be displaced relative to one another, as well as a stopper device (120) for stopping at least one of the at least two guide rails (102) relative to at least one other of the at least two guide rails (102), with respect to the pull-out direction (112) and in at least one position, and said stopper device (120) comprising at least one stopper element (124) and at least one stopper element holder (122) for holding said at least one stopper element (124), these being located on different guide rails (102) of the drawer guide (100). In order to obtain such a drawer guide, which allows at least two guide rails (102) to be stopped relative to one another in a reliable manner, it is suggested that at least one stopper element holder (122) should comprise at least two holder sections (144) between which at least one stopper element (124) can be held when the drawer guide (100) is in a stopped state, wherein, with respect to a path (140) of relative movement of at least one stopper element (124) in relation to at least one stopper element holder (122), at least two holder sections (144) are arranged, on opposing sides of this relative movement path (140).