Floating Rail Positioning for Tolerance-Compensating Slide Assemblies
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slide assemblies face limitations in accommodating assembly tolerance between cabinets and drawers, particularly when using rollers, and struggle to integrate with soft-closing or push-open designs due to precision and load restrictions, while ball-bearing systems are prone to malfunction under excessive tolerance.
Innovation Solution
A slide assembly featuring a positioning device with a support member and fixing member, where the support member is transversely movable within an installation hole, and a resilient member maintains the support member at a pre-set position, allowing for compensation of assembly tolerance and enhanced structural integrity through ball bearings and additional rails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If rollers are used as sliding media to allow larger assembly tolerance, then ease of manufacture is improved, but load-bearing capacity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the sliding media from rollers to ball bearings, which allows for higher precision and improved load-bearing capacity while maintaining ease of manufacture through standardized components
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a floating member that can dynamically adjust its position to compensate for assembly tolerance, allowing the system to adapt to variations in manufacturing precision while maintaining proper function
2Strength
If ball bearings are used to bear higher load, then load-bearing capacity is improved, but manufacturing precision requirement worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The floating member is designed to move longitudinally along the rail, dynamically compensating for assembly tolerance variations and preventing excessive stress on the ball bearings while maintaining high load-bearing capacity
Solution Approach 2:
The floating member acts as an intermediary between the drawer and the cabinet, absorbing positioning errors and protecting the ball bearings from excessive stress caused by assembly tolerance variations
3Ease of manufacture
If floating member is used to accommodate assembly tolerance, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates when quality flaw occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The resilient member is pre-installed between the support member and the rail to provide cushioning and absorb shock, preventing damage from sudden impacts or excessive forces while the floating member compensates for assembly tolerance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the floating member with a resilient member to create a composite positioning system that provides both tolerance compensation and shock absorption, improving reliability against quality flaws
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
The solution effectively compensates for assembly tolerance, ensuring smooth operation and integrating with soft-closing designs by allowing transverse movement of the support member, thereby maintaining structural integrity and facilitating rolling movement of ball bearings.
Implementation Method 1
A resilient member is disposed between the head portion of the support member and the at least one of the first elongate body and the second elongate body so as to provide a force to keep the support member at a pre-set position
Implementation Method 2
The second rail is longitudinally slidable relative to the first rail
Implementation Method 3
facilitating rolling movement of ball bearings
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
A slide assembly includes a first rail (10), a second rail (12) and at least one positioning device (14). The first rail (10) has a first elongate body (16). The second rail (12) is longitudinally slidable relative to the first rail (10) and has a second elongate body (26). At least one of the first elongate body (16) and the second elongate body (26) has an installation hole (56). The at least one positioning device (14) has a support member (60) and a fixing member (62). The support member (60) transversely extends through the installation hole (56) so as to be transversely and movably connected to the at least one of the first elongate body (16) and the second elongate body (26). The fixing member (62) is fixed to a portion of the support member (60).