Incubator Shelf Receiver Locking for Stable Rack Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional rack devices for incubators often experience accidental separation of the receiver from the rack posts due to slight inclinations during removal, leading to potential damage and contamination of cultures.
Innovation Solution
The rack device features engaging hooks in the receiver and holes with wide portions and slits in the rack posts, allowing adjustable intervals to secure the receiver, with a stopper to prevent unintended interval changes, ensuring stable engagement and preventing separation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the rack posts are fixed at a fixed interval, then the structure is simple and stable, but the receiver cannot be securely engaged and may separate accidentally during removal
Solution Approach 1:
The rack posts are designed to be movable relative to each other, allowing the interval between them to be dynamically adjusted. This enables the system to transition between a wide interval state (for easy engagement/disengagement) and a narrow interval state (for secure engagement), resolving the contradiction between engagement stability and structural simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The interval between rack posts is changed as a key parameter to control the engagement state. By adjusting this parameter, the system achieves reliable engagement when needed while maintaining operational simplicity, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity
2Ease of operation
If the engaging hooks are designed to easily disengage from engaging holes, then the rack height is easily adjustable, but the receiver separates accidentally during removal operations
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic adjustment of the rack post interval to control engagement reliability. When the interval is wide, easy adjustment is enabled; when the interval is narrowed, secure engagement is achieved, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and receiver retention
Solution Approach 2:
The rack posts are preliminarily positioned at an appropriate interval before engagement occurs. This preliminary positioning ensures that the engaging hooks are properly aligned with the engaging holes, enabling easy adjustment while preventing accidental separation during removal
3Reliability
If the rack posts are made movable to adjust the interval, then the receiver engagement is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rack post system is segmented into movable and fixed components, allowing only the necessary parts to be movable. This segmentation achieves reliable engagement security while minimizing the overall device complexity by limiting the movable elements to what is essential for the function
Data Source
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AI summary
A rack device is provided in which a receiver can be prevented from being separated off from a rack post and an incubator having the rack device is also provided. A rack device 1 in which a receiver 11 is mounted between a pair of rack posts 8 and 9 to hold a rack on the receiver 11 includes a pair of engaging hooks 11C and 11D which are formed in the receiver and a plurality of engaging holes 14 and 18 which are formed in both the rack posts and in which both of the engaging hooks of the receiver disengageably engage, respectively. The rack posts are configured to be able to change an interval therebetween and select a first state in which the engaging hooks can be disengaged from the engaging holes and a second state in which the movement of the receiver is restricted while the engaging hooks be kept to engage in the engaging holes by changing the interval between the rack posts.