Furniture cabinet with a drawer and a drawer locking device
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drawer locking devices in furniture compartments, particularly in boats and mobile homes, require lifting the drawer to open, which can be cumbersome and aesthetically unappealing, and are vulnerable to dirt and mechanical damage due to exposed mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A drawer locking device with a lifter mechanism that allows the drawer to be opened without lifting, using a lifter to grip and raise the rocker's front part, enabling the holder to pass through and maintain the drawer's open position with a minimal actuation force, and incorporating a spring-loaded actuating element for easy operation and aesthetic alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a spring-loaded locking hook is used to secure the drawer, then the drawer can be reliably locked in closed position, but the locking mechanism becomes exposed to dirt, moisture, and mechanical damage through the hole in the drawer front
Solution Approach 1:
The locking hook is nested within the drawer body structure rather than being exposed externally. The hole through the drawer front is eliminated, and the locking mechanism operates internally, protecting it from environmental contaminants while maintaining its locking function.
Solution Approach 2:
A cam mechanism acts as an intermediary between the user's opening action and the locking hook. The cam converts rotational motion into linear motion to move the locking hook, allowing the locking mechanism to remain protected while still being operable from the drawer front.
2Ease of operation
If the locking hook is made accessible through a hole in the drawer front for easy operation, then the drawer can be easily opened, but the locking mechanism becomes vulnerable to mechanical damage and dirt ingress
Solution Approach 1:
The cam mechanism serves as an intermediary that translates user input (rotation of the cam) into the necessary motion of the locking hook. This allows the locking mechanism to remain protected within the drawer body while still being easily operable from the drawer front through the cam's external access point.
Solution Approach 2:
The direct mechanical access to the locking hook is replaced with a cam-based mechanical substitution. Instead of directly manipulating the locking hook, the user operates the cam, which mechanically converts the rotational motion into the linear motion needed to release the locking hook.
3Reliability
If the drawer locking device uses a heavy-duty wedge and rocker mechanism, then the drawer can be securely held in closed position even when tilted, but the drawer becomes difficult to handle when heavily loaded
Solution Approach 1:
The heavy mechanical wedge and rocker system is replaced with a cam-based mechanism. The cam's lever arm provides mechanical advantage, allowing a small user-applied force to generate sufficient force to move the locking hook against the spring load, eliminating the need for heavy-duty components and manual drawer lifting.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring the user to lift the drawer against gravity to overcome the locking mechanism, the invention inverts the approach by using the cam's rotational motion to directly disengage the locking hook. The locking force is overcome through the cam's mechanical advantage rather than by lifting the drawer weight.
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 effortless opening of loaded drawers with reduced mechanical stress and improved aesthetic integration, while protecting the mechanism from external influences and ensuring reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
an operating element (17) is located on the panel (4) above the lifter (14), which can be operated manually or in an automated manner and which is connected to the lifter (14) by means of transmission means (15), by means of which the lifter (14) can be lifted from its rest position into its working position
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
In a drawer locking device with a latch (9) designed as a rocker, a holder (8), and a front panel (4), it is proposed that the panel (4) projects downwards beyond the bottom (6) of the drawer (3), that a height-movable lifter (14) is arranged in the lower part of the panel (4), which extends to the front part (11) of the latch (9) when the closed drawer (3) is inserted into the furniture compartment (1), that a movable actuating element (17) is arranged on the panel (4) above the lifter (14), and that the lifter (14) is connected to the actuating element (17) via transmission means (15) in such a way that, by means of a movement of the actuating element (17), the lifter (14) is movable from a lower rest position to a raised working position, in which, when the drawer (3) is inserted into the furniture compartment (1),in the closed drawer (3) the front part (11) of the latch (9) is raised and the latch (9) assumes its release position.