Refrigerator Shelf Assembly With Worm-Gear Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional refrigerator shelves are difficult to adjust in height, requiring users to remove items and reattach the shelves, which is inconvenient and may degrade the reliability and durability of the adjustment mechanism.
Innovation Solution
A shelf assembly with a worm gear system that allows for easy height adjustment using a handle and rotation gears, where sliders move within guide grooves to vertically position the shelves, utilizing a power transmission system and stopper gear for precise control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional shelf adjustment method is used (remove shelf, separate from support ribs or mount rail), then shelf height can be changed, but the operation is difficult and inconvenient requiring removal of all items
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf is designed with movable and adjustable characteristics through the integration of sliders that can move along guide grooves and rotation gears that enable height adjustment. The shelf transitions from a static component to a dynamically adjustable one, allowing users to change shelf height by rotating the handle which drives the rotation gears and moves the sliders along the inclined guide grooves, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces intermediary components including the handle, rotation gears, sliders, and guide grooves that mediate between the user's rotational input and the shelf's vertical movement. These intermediary mechanisms translate simple rotational motion into controlled vertical displacement, eliminating the need for direct manual handling and item removal, thus improving ease of operation while reducing adjustment time.
2Ease of operation
If worm gear system is used for shelf adjustment, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability and durability may be degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges multiple functional components into an integrated system where the handle, rotation gears, sliders, and guide grooves work together as a unified mechanism. The rotation gears are coupled with the sliders, and the sliders move within the guide grooves, creating a combined system that maintains reliability through proper integration while achieving ease of operation through coordinated mechanical action.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs dynamic elements including rotatable handle, rotating gears, and movable sliders that adapt to operational needs. The rotation gears can rotate to adjust shelf height, while the sliders dynamically move along the guide grooves. This dynamic design allows for smooth operation while maintaining structural integrity and reliability through controlled motion rather than rigid fixed connections.
3Ease of operation
If shelf is designed to be vertically movable with items on it, then convenience is improved, but the mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shelf assembly is segmented into distinct functional components: the shelf body, sliders, rotation gears, handle, and guide grooves. Each component has a specific function, and their modular design allows for easier manufacturing, assembly, and maintenance. The sliders are separate from the shelf but coupled to it, enabling independent movement control while supporting the shelf and its contents, thus managing complexity through functional segmentation.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention uses intermediary components (sliders and rotation gears) that mediate between the user's manual input and the shelf's movement. These intermediaries simplify the interaction by converting simple rotational motion into vertical displacement, reducing the perceived complexity for the user while managing the mechanical complexity through well-defined intermediate mechanisms.
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
Enables users to adjust shelf height with less force and convenience, maintaining reliability and durability while allowing shelves to be vertically moved with items on them.
Implementation Method 1
A shelf assembly with a worm gear system that allows for easy height adjustment using a handle and rotation gears
Implementation Method 2
manipulating this assembly requires the user to apply a great force
Implementation Method 3
sliders moved back and forth within a pair of guide brackets
Data Source
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AI summary
A refrigerator and a shelf assembly for a refrigerator are provided. The refrigerator may include a cabinet provided with a storage compartment, and a shelf assembly mounted in the storage compartment to adjust a height of a shelf. The shelf assembly may include a shelf mounted to vertically move in the storage compartment, a frame mounted to be vertically movable and support the shelf, at least one rotation gear provided at each of opposite sides of the frame, a pair of guide brackets provided at the opposite sides of the frame, a pair of sliders moved within the pair of guide brackets by the rotation gears, an exterior of each of the pair of sliders being provided with at least one protrusion, a power transmission to transmit rotatory power of the rotation gears to the pair of sliders, at least one guide groove formed on each of opposite inner surfaces of the storage compartment to guide movement of the protrusions, and a rotation device to rotate the rotation gears.