Drawer Rear Panel Rotatable Connector for Multi-Geometry Assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drawer designs face challenges in achieving a stable and cost-effective attachment of rear walls to side frames, often requiring complex and costly machining for thin-walled steel rear walls, and suffer from limited stability due to assembly tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A drawer with a rotatably mounted connecting element on an adapter, allowing for adjustable contact surfaces to accommodate different rear panel geometries and materials, featuring a securing element for non-positive fixation and anti-twist mechanisms to ensure stability and ease of assembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a connecting element is rigidly fixed on the side frame, then the assembly position is precisely defined, but the adaptability to different rear panel geometries and materials is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element is made rotatable about an axis on the adapter, transforming it from a static rigid connection to a dynamic adjustable connection. This allows the connecting element to be rotated to different orientations (e.g., 0°, 90°, 180°, 270°) to accommodate various rear panel geometries and materials while maintaining precise positioning when locked into place
2Ease of manufacture
If the rear wall is machined using stamping tools, then thin-walled steel rear walls can be easily attached, but the manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting element with its rotatable mounting and multiple contact surfaces serves as a universal attachment mechanism that can accommodate different rear panel materials (steel, wood, plastic) and geometries without requiring specialized machining or complex rear wall designs. The same connecting element configuration handles various panel types through rotation and selection of different contact surfaces
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple contact surfaces are provided on the connecting element, then different rear panel geometries can be accommodated, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than providing multiple complex static connection points, the invention uses a single rotatable connecting element that dynamically presents different contact surfaces (first, second, and third contact surfaces) at different rotational positions. This dynamic approach achieves multi-geometry compatibility while keeping the base structure relatively simple
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a drawer (1) comprising a rear panel (3), a front panel (2) and two side frames (5) connecting the front panel (2) and the rear panel (3), and a bottom (4), wherein at least one adapter (8) is provided on or in at least one side frame (5), which adapter has at least one connector (9) for fixing the rear panel (3). The at least one connector (9) has at least two bearing faces (25, 29, 29'), against which the rear panel (3) may be supported, wherein the connector (9) is mounted rotatably in or on the adapter (8) and/or a securing element (14) is mounted on the connector (9) so as to be linearly displaceable. The invention also relates to a method for mounting a rear panel (3) on a side frame (5) of a drawer (1) which is suitable for series production.