Drawer Runner Layout for Full-Access Heavy-Load Vehicle Storage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Drawer systems for heavy loads in vehicles often fail to provide full access due to wheel and track engagement, leading to limited accessibility and maintenance issues in dirty or dusty conditions, especially in four-wheel drive vehicles where space is limited.
Innovation Solution
A drawer system with opposed spaced side walls and side panels featuring lower and upper wheels, and a runner with tracks and guide means that allow for full access by using stop mechanisms and a symmetrical runner design to minimize cantilever loads and facilitate easy maintenance, while maintaining reliability in dirty conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If wheels are mounted on cabinet side walls and engage with tracks on the drawer, then the drawer can support heavy loads, but the drawer cannot be fully drawn from the cabinet
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional drawer slide configuration by mounting wheels on the cabinet side walls instead of on the drawer, and engaging these wheels with tracks on the drawer. This inversion allows the drawer to be fully drawn from the cabinet while the wheels remain mounted to the stationary cabinet structure, providing both full accessibility and heavy load support.
2Ease of operation
If intermediate tracks are used to extend beyond the cabinet, then more of the drawer can be accessed, but full open access is still not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the drawer slide function into two independent parts: wheels mounted on the cabinet side walls and tracks mounted on the drawer. This segmentation allows the cabinet-mounted wheels to remain stationary while the drawer-mounted tracks move with the drawer, enabling full drawer extraction without complex intermediate track systems.
3Ease of operation
If bearing balls running in grease are used in rack systems, then smooth drawer movement is achieved, but the system requires regular cleaning and maintenance in dirty conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs self-lubricating materials such as PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) or other low-friction polymers in the track surfaces. These materials provide continuous self-lubrication without requiring external grease application, enabling smooth drawer movement while eliminating the need for regular cleaning and maintenance even in dirty or dusty environments.
4Volume of moving object
If drawer size is maximised within the cabinet, then space utilization is improved, but the drawer cannot be fully accessed due to wheel and track engagement
Solution Approach 1:
By inverting the conventional configuration and mounting wheels on the cabinet rather than the drawer, the patent enables the drawer to extend fully beyond the cabinet front while maintaining robust wheel-track engagement for heavy load support. This maximizes both drawer size and accessibility simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A drawer system including: a drawer cabinet and a drawer mounted in said cabinet for forward and backward travel relative thereto; said cabinet having two opposed spaced apart side walls and at least two lower wheels mounted to each side wall and spaced apart in the intended direction of travel of the drawer; said drawer having two opposed spaced apart side panels and at least two lower wheels mounted to each side panel and spaced apart in the intended direction of travel of the drawer; and a runner mounted on said lower cabinet wheels of each side wall for forward and backward travel relative to said cabinet via a first track and each runner including a second track engaged by said spaced apart lower drawer wheels for forward and backward travel of said drawer relative to said runner.