Pull-Out Refrigerator Shelf Structure for Rear Item Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerators face challenges in accessing stored items from the rear portion of shelves, especially as they increase in size and accommodate more articles, making it difficult to retrieve items from the back of the shelves.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a shelf that can be pulled out independently, supported by guide rails and rollers, with a cover that maintains the drawer's closed state, and reinforcing supports to prevent warpage and facilitate easy access, along with a fall prevention mechanism to prevent items from falling off.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If the refrigerator size is increased to accommodate more articles, then the storage capacity is improved, but the accessibility to items in the rear portion of shelves deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf is designed to be movable rather than fixed, allowing it to be pulled out independently from the drawer. This dynamic configuration enables users to access items at the rear of the shelf by extending the shelf forward, directly resolving the accessibility problem in larger refrigerators while maintaining increased storage capacity
2Ease of operation
If the shelf is made movable to improve accessibility, then the ease of operation is improved, but the structural stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf support system is segmented into multiple independent components: guide rails mounted on the drawer, rollers on the shelf that engage with the guide rails, and reinforcing supports providing additional structural backing. This segmentation allows the shelf to move smoothly while distributing mechanical loads across multiple contact points, maintaining stability during movement
Solution Approach 2:
Rollers serve as intermediary elements between the movable shelf and the stationary drawer structure. These rollers reduce friction and enable smooth movement while the guide rails provide directional guidance. The reinforcing supports act as additional intermediaries to prevent warpage and maintain structural integrity under load
3Ease of operation
If the shelf is pulled out independently to improve accessibility, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf is designed to be self-supported during movement through the integration of rollers and guide rails. The shelf's own weight and structure work together with the guide rail system to enable independent movement without requiring external assistance or complex actuation mechanisms, thus limiting the increase in device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerator is provided. The refrigerator may include a main body having at least one storage chamber, a drawer mount installed in the at least one storage chamber that guides at least one drawer provided therein so as to be inserted into and pulled out of the at least one storage chamber, a cover configured to cover an upper opening of the at least one drawer and including guide grooves formed at left and right edges of the cover and guide rails mounted in the guide grooves and formed of metal, a shelf supported by the cover so as to be slidable on the cover by the guide rails, and a pair of supports provided at both sides of a lower surface of the shelf.