Drawer Rail Height Adjustment With an Inclined Guide Path
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drawer pull-out guides face challenges in adjusting the height of drawers due to high self-locking requirements for eccentrics, limited displacement paths, and increased component complexity, which makes adjustment difficult and prone to unintended movement.
Innovation Solution
An inclined guide path on the drawer rail allows the load to be distributed among the guide path itself, reducing the force needed to prevent unwanted movement, with adjustable latching elements and a structurally integrated guide path that eliminates the need for additional components and enhances manufacturability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If vertically extending guide slots are used with an eccentric, then the drawer can be supported, but the eccentric must have high self-locking to prevent unintentional displacement under load, making adjustment difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The guide path is changed from vertical to inclined (at an angle between 3° and 30° relative to horizontal). This parameter change allows the guide path to carry a large part of the drawer load through its inclination, reducing the self-locking requirement for the displacement portion while maintaining reliable support and enabling easier adjustment.
2Reliability
If vertically extending guide slots are used, then the drawer can be supported, but the displacement path of the slider is quite limited
Solution Approach 1:
The guide path is inclined rather than vertical, which geometrically extends the displacement path length for the same vertical adjustment range. The inclined configuration allows the displacement portion to travel a longer distance along the guide path while achieving the required vertical height adjustment, thereby increasing the effective displacement path.
3Reliability
If a plate-shaped guide element is riveted or clinched to the drawer rail, then the guide function is achieved, but additional components and finishing steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The guide path is integrated directly into the drawer rail as a recess formed in the rail material itself, rather than being a separate plate-shaped component. This merging of functions eliminates the need for additional guide elements, rivets, or clinching operations, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining the guide function.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide path is extracted as a recess directly from the drawer rail material through stamping or milling, removing the need for separate guide components. This extraction approach integrates the guiding function into the existing rail structure, reducing component count and assembly complexity.
4Ease of operation
If an inclined guide path is used, then the load is distributed among the guide path reducing force needed for adjustment, but the guide path must be precisely formed
Solution Approach 1:
The guide path is formed as an inclined recess with a specific angle (3°-30°) in the drawer rail. This angular parameter enables the guide path to mechanically distribute the drawer load, with the inclination providing natural load-bearing capability that reduces adjustment effort while the angle can be precisely controlled during manufacturing.
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 enables easy adjustment of the drawer height with reduced risk of unintended movement, increased displacement path, and simplified manufacturing without additional components, ensuring stability and ease of use.
Implementation Method 1
a part of that force is generated by friction between the displacement portion and the guide path
Implementation Method 2
a large part of the load of the drawer is carried by the guide path itself
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a drawer pull-out guide (4), comprising a body rail (5) to be fastened to a furniture body (2), an in particular metal drawer rail (7) to be fastened to the drawer (3), and an adjusting device (16) for adjusting the height of the drawer (3) relative to the drawer rail (7), wherein the adjusting device (16) has an adjusting part (19), which is supported so as to be movable along a guiding track (18) to a limited extent in order to adjust the height of the drawer (3), wherein the guiding track (18) is designed as an opening in a leg (7b) of the drawer rail (7) extending vertically in the usage position, wherein the guiding track (18) extends at an angle to the horizontal.