Floating Door Rack Catch for Tolerance-Stable Refrigerator Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing refrigeration appliance door racks are prone to disengagement due to manufacturing and assembly tolerances, leading to potential deformation and instability, especially under heavy loads, as the latching and counter-latching means do not always engage sufficiently.
Innovation Solution
A latching device is mounted in a floating manner on the door compartment, allowing for automatic adjustment and precise engagement with the corresponding latching means, compensating for positional tolerances and ensuring a secure hold through a guide system that maintains alignment and torsion-free height adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If locking elements are attached to the door with screws or adhesive, then the locking device is securely fixed to the door, but manufacturing and assembly tolerances cause misalignment between locking elements and counter-locking elements, leading to insufficient engagement and potential deformation under load
Solution Approach 1:
The locking device is designed with a floating mounting mechanism that allows dynamic adjustment of the locking elements' position. The device can move laterally and rotate within a defined range to automatically align with the counter-locking elements on the door, compensating for manufacturing tolerances and ensuring reliable engagement without requiring high manufacturing precision
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device incorporates adjustable parameters including lateral displacement capability and rotational freedom, allowing it to adapt its position and orientation to match the counter-locking elements. This parameter adjustment enables the system to overcome positioning errors from manufacturing and assembly processes
2Quantity of substance
If the door stay is heavily loaded, then the storage capacity is increased, but the locking elements and counter-locking elements may deform or disengage due to insufficient engagement
Solution Approach 1:
The floating mounting allows the locking device to dynamically adjust its position under load, maintaining optimal engagement between locking elements and counter-locking elements. This dynamic adaptation prevents deformation and disengagement even when the door stay is heavily loaded, ensuring locking stability while supporting increased storage capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The locking device is designed with built-in positional adjustment capability that acts as a cushion against misalignment. This pre-designed flexibility compensates for potential engagement issues before they occur, preventing deformation under heavy loads and ensuring continuous reliable locking
3Device complexity
If the locking device is rigidly fixed to the door stay, then the structure is simplified, but the locking elements cannot adjust to tolerance variations, resulting in poor engagement
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than rigid fixation, the locking device uses a floating mounting that incorporates controlled degrees of freedom. This dynamic mounting allows lateral movement and rotation, enabling automatic alignment with counter-locking elements while adding only minimal structural complexity to achieve precise engagement
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a refrigerator, in particular a household refrigerator, comprising a door (1) having a door interior (1a) comprising a catching means (6) acting together with corresponding mating catch means (18) of at least one catch device (16, 17) for holding a door rack (4) on the door interior (1a), disposed as a separate component on the door rack (4), wherein the catch device (16, 17) is floatingly supported on the door rack (4).