Refrigerator Vegetable Drawer Runner for Tilted Wide Opening
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Most household refrigerator vegetable drawers are difficult to extract, have high maintenance requirements, and provide limited opening and visualization angles, making it hard to access and see contents.
Innovation Solution
A low-cost runner system with a cam-follower mechanism that allows for greater aperture and tilting of the drawer, reducing friction and improving extraction and visualization by using a skate that slides over a rail with a cam-follower head to control and limit tilting, enabling a larger opening and better access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional runner systems with pellets or bearings are used, then friction is reduced and extraction is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex pellet or bearing components from the runner system, extracting only the essential sliding function. The simplified runner consists of a smooth rail that the drawer support slides along, eliminating unnecessary mechanical complexity while maintaining extraction functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a simple, low-cost runner design made from basic materials that can be easily manufactured and replaced if needed. The runner system uses straightforward plastic or metal components without expensive precision bearings, making it economically viable and easy to maintain.
2Ease of operation
If the drawer is extracted horizontally only, then the runner system is simple, but the aperture area and visualization angle are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static horizontal extraction into a dynamic motion that includes both horizontal movement and tilting rotation. The drawer can now move along the runner and simultaneously rotate to achieve an optimized viewing and access position, enhancing functionality without significantly complicating the runner mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a rotational dimension to the traditional linear extraction motion. By allowing the drawer to tilt and rotate around the runner axis, the system creates a new degree of freedom that increases aperture area and visualization angle while keeping the runner structure relatively simple.
3Ease of operation
If the drawer allows free tilting, then aperture and visualization are improved, but stability and control are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent modifies the geometric parameters of the runner system, specifically the position and shape of the rail profile, to naturally guide and limit the drawer's tilting motion. By carefully designing the rail's cross-section and length, the system achieves optimal visualization angles while maintaining stable, controlled positions throughout the extraction range.
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
The solution enhances the ease of extracting and viewing contents by providing a larger opening and better posture for users, reducing maintenance needs and improving the overall usability of the vegetable drawer.
Implementation Method 1
The skate (33) which slides over the lower part of the bay (41) of the runner (43)
Implementation Method 2
The back part of the support (35) is provided with a cam-follower type head (32), which upon extracting the drawer from the head comes into contact with the upper part of the rail (44) set over the liner (11), which controls and limits the nodding or tilting of the vegetable drawer (30)
Data Source
AI summary
A refrigerated cabinet having a cabinet, thermal insulation, cover or liner, which help it form a cavity which can house objects to be refrigerated with at least one shelf and one door comprising a vegetable drawer which itself on its lateral and opposite walls having an appendage integrated by a head, an upper crossbar, a lower crossbar, a skate, a hump; which runs within a rail comprising a channel formed by a barrier, a lower bay, a neck in C with a straight which is inclined, a gulf and a stump; with the peculiarity that when the vegetable drawer is found in its resting or closed position, the front wall of said vegetable drawer is in close proximity to the vertical; the head (32) is coupled within the neck in C, the skate is in contact with the upper face of the lower bay, and the barrier is in contact with a portion of the lower face of the lower crossbar; and that when the vegetable drawer is extracted in its final runner position, the vegetable drawer has an α inclination with relation to the horizontal; wherein the head (32) is coupled unto the gulf of the rail, and the barrier is in contact with a lateral face of the skate, as well as with a portion of the lower face of the lower crossbar.