Tray Unit Clamp Rail Design to Reduce Vertical Rack Space
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing tray units with slide rails have a complex structure that increases the height of the unit case, limiting the vertical accommodation of multiple tiers of trays, resulting in increased vertical space requirements in racks.
Innovation Solution
A tray unit design featuring trays with protrusions that fit into clamps on vertically aligned rail portions, allowing for slidable accommodation and reducing the vertical height, with separate clamp coupling bodies for easier assembly and maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If slide rails with a complicated structure are used to accommodate trays, then the trays can be stably supported, but the height of the unit case increases
Solution Approach 1:
The slide rail is divided into a first slide rail portion and a second slide rail portion that can relatively move. The first portion provides stable support through the clamp mechanism, while the second portion allows vertical adjustment to reduce overall height, resolving the contradiction between stability and compactness
Solution Approach 2:
The slide rail transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one where the second slide rail portion can move vertically relative to the first portion. This dynamic capability allows the system to achieve both stable tray support and reduced unit case height through relative motion
2Device complexity
If only one tray is accommodated in one unit case, then the tray structure can be simple, but the vertical accommodation size in the rack increases when stacking multiple tiers
Solution Approach 1:
The second slide rail portion can be positioned at different vertical levels to accommodate multiple trays at different heights within the same unit case. This dynamic vertical adjustment capability allows multiple tiers to be stacked efficiently without increasing the overall vertical footprint in the rack
3Quantity of substance
If clamps are provided at different vertical levels for multiple trays, then multiple trays can be accommodated, but the manufacturing and assembly complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The clamp mechanism is segmented into a first clamp portion and a second clamp portion that can move relative to each other. This segmentation allows the same clamp design to be used at multiple vertical levels by simply adjusting the position of the second clamp portion, reducing manufacturing complexity while accommodating multiple trays
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
This design reduces the vertical accommodation size in racks, enabling more tiers of trays to be stacked within the same height, simplifies manufacturing and assembly, and reduces manufacturing costs while facilitating easy maintenance.
Implementation Method 1
the clamp is elastically deformed in the vertical direction of the rail portion, and the protrusion is fitted into the opening
Data Source
AI summary
A tray unit includes: a plurality of trays each of which has a protrusion at a side end portion thereof; and a pair of frames vertically provided with a plurality tiers of rail portions, the plurality of tiers of rail portions accommodating the plurality of trays in a slidable manner in a horizontal direction. And the rail portion at each tier include a clamp on a surface facing the side end portion of the tray, the clamps in the plurality of tiers are aligned in a vertical direction, the clamp has an opening to which the protrusion is fittable, and when the side end portion of the tray move to a predetermined position with respect to the rail portion, the clamp is elastically deformed in the vertical direction of the rail portion, and the protrusion is fitted into the opening.