Drawer Slide Guide with Tiltable Web to Reduce Rolling Element Wear

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Solution Overview

Problem

Drawer pull-out guides experience premature and uneven wear of rolling elements due to tilting of the pull-out rail under significant loads, leading to impaired functionality.

Innovation Solution

The body rail features a first and second web section, allowing it to tilt or bend about an axis running in the longitudinal direction, compensating for changes in the relative position between the catwalk and rolling elements, ensuring they remain parallel and evenly loaded.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Force

If the drawer is subjected to significant loads, then the drawer can hold heavy items, but the pull-out rail tilts around the longitudinal axis causing uneven wear of rolling elements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveload capacityVSAvoidrolling element wear
Core Design Contradiction:
ForceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The web of the body rail is designed to be tiltable about a longitudinal axis, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position in response to loading conditions. When the drawer is loaded, the web tilts to compensate for the tilting moment, maintaining proper alignment between the running surface and rolling elements, thereby preventing uneven wear while supporting heavy loads

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Ease of operation

If the slide has a support for drawer base, then the drawer base is supported, but the lateral tilting moment on the slide is increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrawer base supportVSAvoidtilting moment
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The tiltable web design allows the slide to dynamically respond to the tilting moment generated by the drawer base support and loading. By permitting controlled tilting about the longitudinal axis, the system converts the harmful lateral tilting moment into a useful alignment adjustment, maintaining running surface parallelism while preserving the drawer base support function

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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

This design maintains the alignment of the rolling elements with the walkway, preventing one-sided loading and extending the lifespan of the drawer pull-out guide by distributing loads evenly.

Implementation Method 1

the second web section can be tilted or bent in the direction of the transverse web by a load on the pull-out rail about an axis running in the longitudinal direction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentEP3735860B1Drawer slide guide
Publication Date: 2024.02.28 JULIUS BLUM GMBH
  • EP3735860B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3735860B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3735860B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Drawer extension guide (4), comprising: - a cabinet rail (5) to be attached to a furniture carcass (2), - at least one fastening section (12a) by means of which the cabinet rail (5) is to be attached to the furniture carcass (2), wherein the at least one fastening section (12a) has a vertical leg (13) for bearing against the furniture carcass (2) and a transverse leg (14) projecting from the vertical leg (13), wherein the transverse leg (14) of the fastening section (12a) is connected to a web (18) of the cabinet rail (5) extending in a longitudinal direction (L) of the cabinet rail (5), - at least one extension rail (7) which is mounted to be displaceable in the longitudinal direction (L) relative to the cabinet rail (5), - at least one rolling element (21a, 21b, 21c) arranged between the cabinet rail (5) and the extension rail (7), which is mounted on a running surface (22a, 22b, 22c, 22d) the body rail (5) and/or the at least one extension rail (7) can be supported,wherein the web (18) of the body rail (5) has a first web section (18a) and at least a second web section (18b), wherein the first web section (18a) is connected to the transverse leg (14) of the fastening section (12a), and wherein the second web section (18b) is tiltable or bendable about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction (L) in the direction of the transverse web (14) by a load on the extension rail (7), such that a change in the relative position between the running surface (22a, 22b, 22c, 22d) and the rolling elements (21a, 21b, 21c) caused by a load on the extension rail (7) is at least partially compensated transversely to the longitudinal direction (L).