Modular Storage Compartments With Sliding Locking Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing modular storage systems face challenges in providing easy accessibility and secure storage of tools and equipment, as containers often require complex mechanisms or are not designed for smooth transition between stowed and accessible positions.
Innovation Solution
A storage device with male and female couplers and a locking mechanism that allows containers to slide outward along a path, offering improved accessibility and secure engagement within a modular system, using angled paths and locking mechanisms to facilitate easy access and transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If containers are designed to slide outward along an angled path for improved accessibility, then ease of operation is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for guided sliding paths and locking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The container transitions from a static fixed position to a dynamic sliding position along an angled path. The container is designed to slide outward along a defined path from a retracted position to an extended position, enabling dynamic access while maintaining structural integration through the housing's guided path and locking mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage system is divided into modular components: the housing, the container, the locking mechanism, and the coupling mechanism. This segmentation allows the container to be independently manipulated along the sliding path while maintaining secure engagement with the housing through discrete coupling elements (male and female couplers) and locking components.
2Reliability
If a locking mechanism is added to secure containers during transport, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to automatically engage and secure the container in its retracted position without requiring additional manual intervention. The mechanism integrates with the sliding path geometry, allowing the container's own movement to trigger the locking action, thereby providing secure engagement while minimizing added complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism is integrated with the sliding path and coupling system rather than being a separate independent component. The male and female couplers work in conjunction with the locking mechanism, merging multiple functions (coupling, guiding, and locking) into a unified system that reduces overall complexity compared to separate mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If containers are made slidable rather than fixed, then ease of operation is improved, but stability of the object's composition worsens during movement
Solution Approach 1:
The container is designed with controlled mobility, transitioning smoothly between retracted and extended positions along a defined angled path. The dynamic design includes guided sliding surfaces and a locking mechanism that maintains stability in both positions while enabling controlled movement, thus achieving both accessibility and positional stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding path and locking mechanism are designed to anticipate and prevent instability during transition. The guided path constrains movement to a controlled trajectory, and the locking mechanism engages beforehand to secure the container in its retracted position during transport, preventing unintended movement while allowing deliberate access.
Data Source
AI summary
Various embodiments of a storage device are provided. The storage device includes one or more storage compartment that are slidable with respect to sidewalls of the storage device. The containers are also rotatable with respect to the sidewalls of the storage device, thereby permitting improved accessibility to the storage compartment in the container.