Showcase roller shelf comprising end cap
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional showcase roller shelves face inefficiencies in productivity due to misalignment of roller units, leading to decreased workability and assembly efficiency, as the size and number of rollers are determined based on the shelf size and width, resulting in inadequate contact area and incorrect installation of roller units.
Innovation Solution
The end cap structure for the showcase roller shelf features cap bodies with protrusions of varying lengths at facing positions, allowing rollers in each column to be misaligned, increasing the contact area and enabling smooth sliding of goods while allowing for the use of standardized rollers across columns, thus enhancing assembly efficiency and reducing production costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If roller units are arranged in alignment with uniform spacing, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the contact area between rollers and goods is reduced and sliding efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by arranging rollers in adjacent columns with different spacing patterns. Specifically, first rollers in first columns are spaced at a first interval, while second rollers in second columns are spaced at a second interval that differs from the first. This asymmetric arrangement increases the contact area between rollers and goods, improving sliding efficiency without requiring complex individual roller designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the roller system into multiple columns with different spacing characteristics. By dividing the roller support structure into distinct columns (first columns and second columns) with different roller intervals, the system achieves varied contact patterns across different segments, enhancing overall sliding efficiency while maintaining standardized roller units.
2Manufacturing precision
If roller units are customized according to specific shelf dimensions, then the fitting precision is improved, but productivity decreases due to decreased standardization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent achieves universality by using standardized roller units that can be applied across different shelf configurations. The roller units are designed with standard dimensions and can be mounted on roller supports with varying intervals. By combining standardized rollers with asymmetric spacing arrangements, the system maintains manufacturing precision while improving assembly productivity through standardization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by allowing different spacing intervals in different columns while using identical standardized roller units throughout. The first columns have a first roller interval and second columns have a second roller interval, creating local variations in spacing. This approach achieves the needed fitting precision for different positions while maintaining standardized roller components for high productivity.
3Productivity
If alternating roller unit types are used to achieve misalignment, then the contact area is increased, but workability decreases due to the need to remove and replace wrong roller units
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses asymmetry in the spacing arrangement rather than alternating roller unit types. By configuring first columns with a first interval and second columns with a second interval, the system achieves the desired misalignment and increased contact area. All roller units remain identical and standardized, eliminating the need to remove and replace wrong roller units during assembly, thus maintaining high workability.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to an end cap for a showcase roller shelf. The end cap for a showcase roller shelf according to an embodiment of the present invention, in a state where roller unit bodies including casings enclosing the outer perimeter of a roller support body are arranged in a plurality of rows, is inserted into and is supported on both ends of each casing while a plurality of rollers are rotatably supported on the roller support body so as to slide a product on the inside of a showcase and move the product to a withdrawal location. The end cap for a showcase roller shelf comprises: cap bodies which are disposed on both ends of each casing so as to face each other, and are installed on locations crossing both ends of each casing disposed in a plurality of rows; and a plurality of protruding bodies which: protrude from locations where the cap bodies face each other so as to be inserted into both ends of each casing disposed in a plurality of rows, wherein the protrusion distances thereof are adjusted so that the rollers arranged in a plurality of rows in locations where the plurality of casings are inserted are positioned at locations where rotation centers are different in each row; and protrude alternately repeatedly while the protrusion distances thereof, by which an adjacent row among a plurality of row locations is supported, are different from each other.