Motor Vehicle Drawer With Secondary Rolling Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motor vehicle storage compartments face sizing constraints and high costs due to the need for bulky and expensive sliding rails to manage vertical forces when the drawer is loaded, which are not effectively relieved by conventional sliding systems.
Innovation Solution
A storage device with a drawer guided by sliding rails and featuring front and rear rolling means with pivoting rollers, which act as secondary support to alleviate vertical forces, allowing the drawer to move between closed and open positions while reducing the reliance on primary sliding rails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional sliding rails are used to support the drawer, then the drawer can be guided in its movement, but the rails become bulky and expensive due to the need to manage vertical forces when the drawer is loaded
Solution Approach 1:
The support function is segmented between two distinct systems: sliding rails for horizontal guidance and rolling means for vertical support. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function, reducing the complexity of the sliding rails while maintaining reliable drawer guidance.
Solution Approach 2:
Rolling means act as an intermediary between the drawer and the cavity floor, transferring vertical loads away from the sliding rails. This intermediary system relieves the rails of vertical force management, allowing them to be simpler and less bulky while maintaining guidance reliability.
2Reliability
If conventional sliding rails are used to support the drawer, then the drawer can be guided in its movement, but the manufacturing and assembly cost increases due to the bulky rail structure
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the support function between sliding rails and rolling means, the manufacturing requirements for each component are reduced. The sliding rails no longer need to be bulky to handle vertical loads, simplifying their manufacturing and reducing assembly complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The rolling means serve as an intermediary that assumes the heavy lifting of vertical load support, thereby reducing the manufacturing complexity and cost of the sliding rails. This intermediary system enables the use of simpler, less expensive rail components while maintaining reliable drawer support.
3Force
If sliding rails are designed to handle vertical forces, then the drawer can be properly supported when loaded, but the rail structure becomes bulky and expensive
Solution Approach 1:
The vertical force support function is extracted from the sliding rails and transferred to the rolling means. This extraction allows the sliding rails to be simplified and reduced in size, as they no longer need to be designed to handle vertical loads, thereby reducing overall structure complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Rolling means are introduced as an intermediary system specifically designed to handle vertical forces. This intermediary takes over the force management role from the sliding rails, allowing the rails to be simpler structures that focus only on horizontal guidance, thus reducing device complexity.
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 solution enables efficient recovery of vertical forces with reduced manufacturing and assembly costs, allowing for a more compact and cost-effective design of the storage compartment by distributing load through secondary support rollers, thereby minimizing the need for extensive and expensive primary sliding rails.
Implementation Method 1
The front and rear rolling means are at rollers (12, 13) pivoting about an axis substantially horizontal and transverse to the direction of movement
Implementation Method 2
The rolling means advantageously constitute secondary support means relieving the sliding rails vis-à-vis the forces applied vertically by the load of the drawer
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a storage device for a motor vehicle comprising a drawer (1, 1') that can be moved in translation within a cavity (2) of a fixed structure (3) of the vehicle, in particular a dashboard, between a closed position and an open position. The drawer (1, 1') is guided in its movement by sliding rails (4) interposed between the lateral sides (5) of the drawer (1, 1') and the lateral walls (6) of the cavity (2). The device is characterized in that a front edge (7) of the drawer (1) has front bearing means (8) allowing a front portion of the drawer (1) to rest on a floor (9) of the cavity (2), and in that an edge of the cavity (2) adjacent to its opening has rear bearing means (10) on which the floor (11) of the drawer (1, 1') rests. The front (8) and rear (10) bearing means have rollers (12, 13) pivoting around of an axis substantially horizontal and transverse to the direction of movement (X).