Motorized Three-Rail Sliding Guide for Safe Oven Rack Operation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sliding element guides in kitchen furniture, such as full extensions, face challenges in providing a compact, user-friendly, and safe design, especially for hard-to-reach or high-temperature applications like ovens, where manual operation is difficult and risky due to space constraints and safety concerns.
Innovation Solution
A device featuring a support rail, a pull-out rail, and a center rail with load-transmitting bearing rollers and a drive element that allows for effortless displacement of the sliding element, utilizing a drive unit to move the center rail and pull-out rail in the same direction, eliminating the need for manual force and enhancing safety by reducing exposure to heat.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual operation of sliding element is used, then device complexity is reduced, but ease of operation deteriorates and safety deteriorates in high-temperature applications
Solution Approach 1:
The drive unit automatically activates when the sliding element reaches a predetermined position, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The system serves itself by detecting its own state and initiating the return movement, thereby improving ease of operation without requiring continuous user engagement or complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical operation with an automated drive unit that uses a drive wheel and friction drive mechanism. This substitution eliminates the need for users to physically pull or push the sliding element, particularly beneficial in high-temperature environments where manual contact would be dangerous.
2Volume of moving object
If compact design is implemented, then space efficiency improves, but device complexity increases due to integration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The drive wheel is integrated within the structure of the sliding element itself, with the drive element arranged in the region between the support rail and center rail. This nesting approach allows the drive mechanism to occupy minimal additional space while maintaining full functionality, achieving compact design without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding element structure serves multiple functions: it provides the mechanical guide rails for movement while simultaneously housing the drive wheel and drive mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate components, thereby achieving compact design without linearly increasing device complexity.
3Ease of operation
If friction drive is used, then ease of operation improves, but reliability deteriorates due to potential slippage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the friction drive parameters by adjusting the drive force, contact pressure, and surface properties of the drive wheel and support rail. By carefully controlling these parameters, the system achieves sufficient friction for reliable operation without excessive force requirements, balancing ease of operation with reliability to prevent slippage.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive unit is positioned to engage with the sliding element at a predetermined position, creating a feedback mechanism where the system detects when the sliding element has reached its extended position and automatically initiates the return movement. This feedback control ensures reliable operation by preventing over-extension and ensuring consistent cyclic movement.
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 enables a compact, reliable, and user-friendly sliding mechanism that is space-efficient, allowing for easy operation of sliding elements without manual force, particularly beneficial for high-temperature applications like ovens, where safety is enhanced by reducing the risk of burns and injury.
Implementation Method 1
load-transmitting bearing means for the movable mounting of the rails relative to one another... with at least three bearing rollers acting between the carrier rail of the center rail, each with a concave bearing surface, and between the center rail and the extension rail rolling bearing elements with bearing surfaces
Implementation Method 2
A drive element that can be driven via a drive unit is provided for the displacement movement of the rails in such a way that in the drive state the driven drive element acts on the center rail and the center rail can be moved in a displacement direction
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
A device for guiding a pusher element is proposed, which can be accommodated with the device in a displaceable manner on a wall section, the device having a carrier rail (2), an extension rail (4) and a central rail (3) and load-transmitting bearing means for the movable mounting of the rails (3, 4). According to the invention, the bearing means have at least three bearing rollers (12) acting between the carrier rail (2) and the middle rail (3) and rolling bearing elements with bearing surfaces between the middle rail (3) and the extension rail (4), with load transmission via the bearing surfaces (13) takes place, and a drive element (9) that can be driven via a drive unit is present in such a way that in the drive state the driven drive element (9) acts on the center rail (3) and the center rail (3) can be moved in a displacement direction, with the pull-out rail (4 ) moves in the direction of displacement.