Shelf assembly with specific carrier frame, and household cooling appliance with a shelf assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shelf assemblies for household cooling appliances suffer from mechanical instability, exposure of holding brackets, and jamming issues due to the design of the carrier frame, which affects the movability and stability of the shelves.
Innovation Solution
A shelf assembly design featuring a carrier frame with a channel-like housing for the holding bracket, providing improved mechanical stability and protection, and a guiding system that allows smooth shifting of the shelves without jamming, using a combination of C-shaped or U-shaped edge profiles and a snap-fit connection for the holding bracket.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the front plate is allowed to freely cantilever at the front beyond the side bars, then the shelf assembly can accommodate different plate configurations, but the mechanical connection of the front plate to the frame is severely loaded with large leverage forces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces holding brackets as intermediary elements between the front plate and the side bars. These brackets extend from the side bars to support the front plate, distributing the leverage forces and reducing the mechanical load on the direct connection points. The brackets act as mediators that transfer and distribute the structural stresses.
Solution Approach 2:
The holding brackets extend in a third dimension (laterally outward from the side bars) to provide support for the cantilevered front plate. This dimensional extension allows the structure to accommodate the protruding plate while distributing forces through a spatial arrangement rather than concentrating loads at single connection points.
2Ease of manufacture
If holding brackets are arranged completely exposed on the carrier frame, then the structure remains simple and easy to manufacture, but functional impairments occur and attachment to remaining components is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The holding brackets are nested within the channel-like housing structure of the side bars. The brackets are received within the channels, providing protection while maintaining structural integration. This nesting arrangement protects the brackets from damage and provides stable attachment surfaces without significantly complicating the manufacturing process.
3Ease of operation
If laterally protruding pins are formed at the front shelf for coupling to guiding, then coupling is achieved, but jamming or strutting results upon shifting the front plate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces rigid laterally protruding pins with a more flexible guiding mechanism using C-shaped or U-shaped edge profiles. These profiles allow for controlled movement and accommodation of minor misalignments during shifting, preventing the rigid contact that causes jamming and strutting while maintaining effective coupling.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the front plate is prevented from separating from the carrier frame at the front end, then structural integrity is maintained, but the mechanical stability of the carrier frame is reduced due to exposed holding brackets
Solution Approach 1:
The holding brackets are nested within the channel-like housing of the side bars, providing both secure attachment for the front plate and protection for the brackets themselves. This nested arrangement maintains structural integrity while reinforcing the carrier frame through the integrated housing structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A shelf assembly for installation in a household cooling appliance includes a first shelf and a second shelf that is separate from the first shelf. A carrier frame supports the first shelf and the second shelf. The carrier frame has a guiding. At least one of the shelves can be shifted relative to the carrier frame and relative to the other shelf by way of the guiding. The carrier frame has a first side bar with a holding bracket for holding the shelf assembly at a component of the household cooling appliance. The first side bar has a channel-like housing, into which the holding bracket is introduced.