Drawer Guide Rail Assembly With Tilting Front-End Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing pull-out guides for drawers are not easily or reliably attachable to a body, requiring complex assembly processes and lacking in mobility and flexibility.

Innovation Solution

The pull-out guide features a front end area of the pull-out guide rail that can be tilted or bent relative to the cabinet-side guide rail, allowing for easy alignment and attachment, utilizing rolling elements and flexible tracks for enhanced mobility and a latching mechanism for secure fixation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If the pull-out guide rail is made rigid and fixed in position, then the structural stability is improved, but the ease of assembly and alignment with the body is worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural stabilityVSAvoidease of assembly
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The guide rail is designed with a flexible front end area that can dynamically change its position and orientation during assembly, allowing it to adapt to alignment requirements while maintaining structural stability in its final fixed position

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The front end area of the guide rail is designed to change its geometric parameters (position and orientation) relative to the body-side guide rail during assembly, enabling easy alignment while maintaining the overall structural integrity of the pull-out guide

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Ease of manufacture

If the guide rail is made flexible to improve alignment, then the ease of assembly is improved, but the structural stability and precision are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of alignmentVSAvoidalignment precision
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The guide rail is segmented into a rigid main body and a flexible front end area, allowing the front end to be adjusted for alignment while the main body maintains manufacturing precision and structural stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The front end area provides dynamic adjustability during assembly for precise alignment, while the rigid main body ensures manufacturing precision is maintained in the final assembled state

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If traditional screw connections are used for fastening, then the secure fixation is improved, but the assembly complexity and time are worsened

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecure fixationVSAvoidassembly complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible front end area enables the guide rail to self-align with the body during assembly, eliminating the need for complex alignment procedures and multiple fastening operations while maintaining secure fixation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The guide rail is pre-designed with a flexible front end area that automatically performs the alignment function during assembly, eliminating the need for separate alignment operations and reducing assembly complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 simple and reliable assembly of the pull-out guide on the body, improving the mobility and secure latching of the drawer, facilitating easy installation and use.

Implementation Method 1

at least two guide rails that can be displaced relative to one another with respect to the pull-out direction... utilizing rolling elements and flexible tracks

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectRolling contact: Ball Bearing

Data Source

PatentEP2720576B1Drawer guide and drawer device
Publication Date: 2018.09.26 SCHOCK METALLWERK GMBH
  • EP2720576B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2720576B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2720576B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a drawer guide for displaceably arranging, on a carcass, a drawer (104) which can be pulled out of said carcass (102) in a pull-out direction (110), said guide comprising at least two guide rails (114, 116, 118) that can be displaced relative to one another with regard to said pull-out direction. A carcass-side guide rail (114) which is arranged on said carcass (102) when the drawer guide (106) is mounted, and a drawer-side guide rail (116) which is arranged on the drawer when the drawer guide is mounted, are provided. In order to obtain such a drawer guide, which allows a drawer (104) to be mounted on a carcass (102) in a simple and reliable manner, it is suggested that when said drawer guide (106) is in a pre-mounted state, at least one end region (148) of the drawer-side guide rail (116), which region is in a forwards position in relation to the pull-out direction (110), can be moved relative to the carcass-side guide rail (114) in a displacement direction (156) which runs transversely to said pull-out direction (110), in order for the drawer guide to reach its mounted state on said drawer (104).