Foldable Storage Shelf Structure With Stable One-Motion Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foldable storage shelves face challenges in providing a strong, compact, and portable solution that can be easily folded and unfolded, often requiring complex mechanical structures and detachable parts, which can be cumbersome and prone to missing components.
Innovation Solution
A foldable storage shelf design featuring two spaced side frames, a panel assembly with pivotally supported shelves, and a foldable frame that pivots between unfolded and folded positions, using transmission links, sliding joints, and retention mechanisms to ensure stability and compactness without detachable parts, allowing for easy folding and unfolding in a single motion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a rigid structure is used to support objects, then the storage shelf can provide strong support, but the storage shelf becomes bulky and heavy
Solution Approach 1:
The storage shelf is divided into multiple detachable modules including side frames, shelf panels, and connecting joints. Each module can be independently manufactured and assembled, allowing the structure to provide necessary support strength while reducing overall weight through optimized material distribution across segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage shelf incorporates foldable side frames with hinges that allow the structure to transition between extended (supporting) and collapsed (storage) states. This dynamic capability enables the shelf to provide full support strength when needed while minimizing weight and bulk during storage and transport.
2Weight of stationary object
If a foldable structure is used to reduce weight and bulk, then the storage shelf becomes portable, but the support strength is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The foldable structure is segmented into rigid panels connected by hinges and reinforced with diagonal bracing elements. This segmentation allows each component to be lightweight yet the assembled structure to achieve sufficient support strength through the cooperative arrangement of segments.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage shelf uses composite construction combining wood panels with metal hardware (hinges, screws, bracing). This composite approach allows the organic material (wood) to provide bulk structural support while the inorganic material (metal) provides reinforcement at critical stress points, achieving optimal strength-to-weight ratio.
3Strength
If cross-supports are added to rigidify the foldable structure, then support strength improves, but the opened sides are blocked and accessibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing elements are designed as collapsible components that extend diagonally across the shelf interior when the shelf is in use, providing structural rigidity. When the shelf is folded for storage, these elements retract with the foldable sides, maintaining full accessibility to the storage cavity without permanent obstructions.
4Stability of the object's composition
If multiple connecting joints are used to enhance supportability, then the foldable ability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting joints are designed as universal multi-functional components that serve multiple purposes: providing rotational movement for folding, offering adjustable positioning for shelf panels, and ensuring stable connections between modules. This universality reduces the variety of different joint types needed, simplifying the overall system despite the presence of multiple joints.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple functions are merged into single connecting joint designs. For example, the hinges incorporate both the folding mechanism and the support bearing function, while integration plates combine attachment points for multiple shelf panels and side frames into a single consolidated component, reducing the total number of separate joints required.
5Stability of the object's composition
If the storage shelf is designed with a rectangular shape, then the unfolded structure is stable, but the folded unit cannot be formed into a compact shape
Solution Approach 1:
The foldable side frames are designed to nest within each other when collapsed, with the panels and bracing elements folding inward to occupy minimal space. This nesting configuration transforms the rectangular unfolded structure into a compact, space-efficient folded unit that maintains structural stability when deployed.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable and portable storage shelf includes two spaced apart side frames, a plurality of foldable shelf panels spacedly supported between the two side frames, and a foldable frame pivotally coupled between the two side frames to fold between an unfolded position and a folded position. At the unfolded position, the side frames are pivotally moved apart from each other to retain each of the foldable shelf panels in a horizontal manner, and at the folded position, the side frames are pivotally moved towards each other such that each of the foldable shelf panels is folded in an overlapped manner.