Drawer Stabilizing Assembly for Rack-and-Gear Slide Bias Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing drawer slide systems are prone to bias and noise due to unbalanced forces, leading to gear disengagement and wear, especially when large drawers are pulled or pushed from their lateral edges, causing abnormal operation and structural damage.

Innovation Solution

A retaining device with rails and a rolling shaft, featuring bushes with retained portions and a stop unit, ensures proper engagement of gears with racks, preventing bias and noise by providing radial limitation and smooth operation even under unbalanced forces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Stability of the object's composition

If gears are engaged with row holes to maintain sliding direction, then sliding stability is improved, but gear disengagement and noise occur under unbalanced forces

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesliding direction stabilityVSAvoidgear engagement reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

A retaining component is introduced as an intermediary element between the gear and the row hole. This retaining component has a retaining portion that cooperates with a stop unit to prevent the gear from disengaging from the row hole under unbalanced forces, thus maintaining both sliding stability and engagement reliability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The stop unit is positioned in advance to counteract the potential disengagement of the gear. When unbalanced forces are applied, the retaining portion of the bush is limited by the stop unit before the gear can escape from the row hole, preventing abnormal operation and noise

Inventive Principle:
Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

2Adaptability or versatility

If gears are allowed freedom of movement to accommodate cabinet thickness variations, then adaptability is improved, but gear slanting and noise increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecabinet thickness adaptationVSAvoidsliding noise
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The bush is designed with differentiated properties: it has a retaining portion that provides radial limitation to prevent gear slanting and noise, while still allowing the necessary movement to accommodate cabinet thickness variations. This local quality differentiation resolves the contradiction between adaptability and noise prevention

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP2248442B9Stabilizing assembly of drawable carrier
Publication Date: 2013.12.11 CHEN TSUNG YAO
  • EP2248442B9 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2248442B9 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2248442B9 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A stabilizing assembly includes a retaining device settled between a drawable carrier (2) and a cabinet body (1) for preventing the drawable carrier from swinging in sliding. The retaining device includes two rails (41) fixed to two opposite laterals of the drawable carrier (2). Each of the rails (41) has a rack (42). Two gears (43) engaging with the racks (42) are connected by a rod (44) and rotate simultaneously. Two bushes (432) at two ends of the rod (44) are received in supporting seats (45) that are fixed on the cabinet body (1) or the drawable carrier (2) and allowed to shift vertically. Two stop portions (411), as a stop unit, each extending from the rail (41) toward a side of the rod opposite to another side of the rod (44) facing the rack (42) on the rail are closely adjacent to the retained portions (433) so that the bushes (432) are retained and stopped by the stop unit, and disengagement between the racks (432) and the gears (43) is prevented.