Pull-Out Refrigerator Shelf Design to Maximize Storage Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigeration devices with pull-out shelves have a reduced storage capacity due to the design of telescopic extensions, which limits the usable area and causes refrigerated goods to fall when the flat plate is pulled out without side walls.
Innovation Solution
The refrigeration device features a flat storage shelf that extends above the linear guides, allowing it to cover the supports and maximize the storage area, with support rails positioned under the shelf to accommodate the linear guides and provide a stable platform for refrigerated goods, and optional features like fall protection barriers and integrated holders for removable trays.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If telescopic extensions are hidden in the angle spanned by extrusion profile pieces, then the shelf can be pulled out easily, but the storage area on the carrier plate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf design transitions from a two-dimensional carrier plate to a three-dimensional structure by adding vertical side walls that extend upward from the carrier plate surface. This vertical extension creates additional storage volume without reducing the horizontal carrier plate area, allowing the telescopic extensions to be accommodated in the vertical angle spanned by the extrusion profile pieces while maintaining full storage area on the carrier plate.
2Area of stationary object
If the flat plate extends to maximize storage area, then storage capacity increases, but refrigerated goods fall when pulled out without side walls
Solution Approach 1:
Vertical side walls are added to the flat plate structure, extending upward from the carrier plate surface. These side walls create physical barriers that prevent refrigerated goods from falling off the shelf during pull-out operations, while the carrier plate itself maintains its maximum extended area for storage capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The side walls are designed as thin vertical extensions that rise from the carrier plate perimeter, creating a containment structure similar to a shell. These thin wall structures provide effective containment for goods while minimizing the volume occupied by the side walls themselves, preserving maximum storage space on the carrier plate.
3Ease of operation
If side pull-outs are arranged to left and right of the tray, then telescopic function is provided, but the usable area in the tray is reduced by the width of the side pull-outs
Solution Approach 1:
The side pull-out telescopic mechanisms are merged with the vertical side wall structure of the shelf. The extrusion profile pieces that form the side walls also accommodate the telescopic extensions within their angular profiles. This integration eliminates the need for separate side pull-out structures that would otherwise reduce the usable tray area, as the telescopic function is incorporated into the vertical containment structure itself.
Data Source
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AI summary
The cooler has a body with an inner container, which covers a cooling chamber. A shelf (8) for goods is mounted at inner walls of the inner container and extended into the cooling chamber by linear guides (11a, 11b). The linear guides include a padded support (12), which grasps the shelf underneath. A planar plate section of the shelf is introduced into the inner walls of the container while leaving a thin gap and covers the padded support. The planar plate section extends over one-third of an entire breadth of the shelf.