SLIDE UNIT
20200116201 ยท 2020-04-16
Inventors
- Doo Myun Lee (Incheon, KR)
- Sung Joon KANG (Incheon, KR)
- Duc Hoi Kim (Incheon, KR)
- In Suk Ra (Gyeonggi-do, KR)
- Jung Kyu LIM (Incheon, KR)
- Sung Woo KIM (Incheon, KR)
- Jae Hyuk Lim (Gyeonggi-do, KR)
Cpc classification
F16C29/02
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
A47B88/493
HUMAN NECESSITIES
F16C2240/70
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
A47B88/487
HUMAN NECESSITIES
F16C29/005
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16C2314/72
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16C29/008
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16C29/048
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16C29/045
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16C33/32
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F16C29/046
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
International classification
Abstract
A slide unit includes a fixed rail fixed to a main body, and provided with a first accommodation space, a movable rail connected to a drawer body to allow the drawer body to be pulled out from and pushed into the main body, provided with a second accommodation space, and configured to be movable with respect to the fixed rail, an inner rail configured such that a first end thereof is inserted in the first accommodation space and a second end thereof is inserted in the second accommodation space, so as to allow the movable rail to be slidable with respect to the fixed rail, and a plurality of slide balls inserted in the first accommodation space to be disposed between the fixed rail and the inner rail, and inserted in the second accommodation space to be disposed between the movable rail and the inner rail.
Claims
1. A slide unit comprising: a fixed rail fixed to a main body and provided with a first accommodation space at an inner side thereof; a movable rail connected to a drawer body to allow the drawer body to be pulled out from and pushed into the main body, provided with a second accommodation space at an inner side thereof, and configured to be movable with respect to the fixed rail; an inner rail configured such that a first end thereof is inserted in the first accommodation space and a second end thereof is inserted in the second accommodation space, so as to allow the movable rail to be slidable with respect to the fixed rail; and a plurality of slide balls inserted in the first accommodation space to be disposed between the fixed rail and the inner rail, and inserted in the second accommodation space to be disposed between the movable rail and the inner rail.
2. The slide unit of claim 1, wherein the plurality of slide balls includes first slide balls and second slide balls with different diameters, wherein a diameter of each of the first slide balls is larger than a diameter of each of the second slide balls.
3. The slide unit of claim 1, wherein the inner rail includes: insertion parts inserted into the first accommodation space and the second accommodation space, respectively; and a connection part connecting the insertion parts together, and being bent to protrude toward one side.
4. The slide unit of claim 3, wherein each of the insertion parts includes: a pair of first rolling surfaces grooved inwardly at opposite sides of an end of the insertion part, with a pair of first slide balls seated thereon; a pair of second rolling surfaces grooved inwardly at positions spaced apart from the first rolling surfaces at predetermined intervals toward the connection part, with a pair of second slide balls seated thereon; and a reinforcing stepped surface connecting the second rolling surfaces and the connection part together, and being configured such that a width thereof is gradually reduced in a direction from the second rolling surfaces toward the connection part.
5. The slide unit of claim 4, wherein the connection part includes: extending portions extending from the insertion parts; bent portions being bent from ends of the extending portions and extending toward one side; and a center portion connecting the bent portions together.
6. The slide unit of claim 5, wherein an angle formed by each of the bent portions and the center portion is greater than 90 and less than 180.
7. The slide unit of claim 6, wherein the angle formed by each of the bent portions and the center portion is greater than 90 and less than 140.
8. The slide unit of claim 7, wherein the angle formed by each of the bent portions and the center portion is 100.
9. The slide unit of claim 5, wherein an outer side surface of the center portion is positioned between a center line connecting centers of the second slide balls together and an outer line connecting outer side surfaces of the fixed rail and the movable rail together.
10. The slide unit of claim 5, wherein an inner side surface of the center portion is positioned on a center line connecting centers of the second slide balls together.
11. The slide unit of claim 5, wherein a maximum width of the insertion part is larger than a minimum width between the second rolling surfaces, and the minimum width between the second rolling surfaces is larger than a width of the extending portion.
12. The slide unit of claim 2, wherein a relationship between a horizontal distance (A) between centers of the first slide balls, and a vertical distance (B) between the centers of the first slide balls and centers of the second slide balls satisfies a following equation:
13. The slide unit of claim 12, wherein the relationship between the horizontal distance (A) between the centers of the first slide balls, and the vertical distance (B) between the centers of the first slide balls and the centers of the second slide balls satisfies a following equation.
14. The slide unit of claim 1, wherein the movable rail supports the drawer body upward at a lower surface thereof.
15. The slide unit of claim 1, wherein the inner rail is formed by a multilayer rolling process.
16. The slide unit of claim 1, wherein the fixed rail further includes an auxiliary frame to fix the fixed rail to the main body.
17. The slide unit of claim 5, wherein the center portion further includes a plurality of through-holes spaced apart from each other along a longitudinal direction thereof.
18. The slide unit of claim 4, wherein the inner rail further includes a plurality of grooves provided on each of the first rolling surfaces and the second rolling surfaces, and arranged to be spaced apart from each other, wherein each of the plurality of grooves is provided to extend along a longitudinal direction of the inner rail.
19. The slide unit of claim 4, wherein the inner rail further includes a plurality of rolling protrusions provided on each of the first rolling surfaces and the second rolling surfaces, and arranged to be spaced apart from each other, wherein each of the plurality of rolling protrusions is provided to extend along a longitudinal direction of the inner rail.
Description
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
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[0034]
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[0047]
MODE FOR INVENTION
[0048] Hereinbelow, to aid in understanding the invention, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the embodiment of the present invention may be changed to a variety of embodiments and the scope and spirit of the present invention are not limited to the embodiment described hereinbelow.
[0049] The embodiment of the present invention described hereinbelow is provided for allowing those skilled in the art to more clearly comprehend the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the shape and size of the elements shown in the drawings may be exaggeratedly drawn to provide an easily understood description of the structure of the present invention. In the following description, it is to be noted that, when the functions of conventional elements and the detailed description of elements related with the present invention may make the gist of the present invention unclear, a detailed description of those elements will be omitted.
[0050]
[0051] The fixed rail 100 is fixed to a main body 10, and is provided with a first accommodation space 110 at an inner side thereof. The fixed rail 100 can be fixed to various parts such as an inner wall surface of a refrigerator or furniture by using screws or the like. Hereinafter, reference will be made to the case of being provided in a refrigerator, for convenience of explanation.
[0052] Specifically, as shown in
[0053] Further, the fixed rail 100 may further include an auxiliary frame 120 to fix the fixed rail 100 to the main body 10. Here, the fixed rail 100 and the auxiliary frame 120 may be fixedly coupled to each other through spot welding, rivet joint, screw-coupling, or the like.
[0054] As described above, the fixed rail 100 may be directly fixed to the main body 10, or may be fixed to the main body 10 through the auxiliary frame 120. In the case where the fixed rail 100 is directly fixed to the main body 10, the number of components is reduced and no mutual bonding process is required, so the manufacturing cost is reduced and the productivity is improved. Further, in the case where the fixed rail 100 is fixed to the main body 10 through the auxiliary frame 120, a space between the main body 10 and the fixed rail 100 are secured, so the degree of freedom can be increased when the fixed rail 100 is placed.
[0055] The movable rail 200 is connected to a drawer body 20 to allow the drawer body 20 to be pulled out from and pushed into the main body 10, and is provided with a second accommodation space 210 at an inner side thereof.
[0056] Further, the movable rail 200 is movable relative to the fixed rail 100, so the drawer body 20 can be pulled out from and pushed into the main body 10. The movable rail 200 may be fixedly coupled directly to the drawer body 20, or may be fixedly coupled to the drawer body 20 by using a separate bracket (not shown), etc.
[0057] Further, the movable rail 200 may be configured to support the drawer body 20 upward at the lower surface thereof, but not limited thereto, the movable rail 200 may be configured to be fixed to a side surface or an upper surface of the drawer body 20.
[0058] The inner rail 300 is configured such that a first end thereof is inserted in the first accommodation space 110 and a second end thereof is inserted in the second accommodation space 210, so as to allow the movable rail 200 to be slidable with respect to the fixed rail 100.
[0059] The inner rail 300 is formed by a multilayer rolling process. The rolling means a method of processing a metal material having a high or room temperature using plasticity of the metal by passing the material through a rotating roller, and the multilayer rolling means a method of forming a plurality of thicknesses by a rolling process.
[0060] In other words, conventionally, a structure corresponding to the inner rail is formed by a roll forming process. Roll forming is a plastic working method in which a metal strip (coil) is successively passed through some sets of forming rollers arranged side by side, and is sequentially formed and folded into a desired sectional shape from a flat plate. To be more specific, one plate is roll-formed to form a surface contactable with a plurality of slide balls, and opposite sides thereof are bent such that a center portion thereof has two layers.
[0061] However, the above described conventional inner rail formed by a roll forming process is problematic in that since the opposite end portions disposed at the center do not completely contact each other, it is difficult for the plating solution to be injected into a fine clearance where the two layers contact each other. Accordingly, the possibility of corrosion is increased at the portion where the plating solution is not coated, and as time passes, the corroded portion is expanded to the entire area and the durability of the entire inner rail is dramatically deteriorated.
[0062] Unlike the conventional inner rail, in the present invention, the inner rail 300 is produced by a multilayer rolling process, and accordingly, a separate bending process that is conventionally required is no longer required, so it is possible to lower manufacturing cost and to improve productivity through simplifying the manufacturing process.
[0063] Further, the inner rail of the present invention is one structure formed by rolling unlike the conventional inner rail that has two layers at the center portion thereof. Thus, in the present invention, since there is no fine clearance where the two layers contact each other, it is possible to uniformly coat the surface of the inner rail 300 with the plating solution, thereby preventing corrosion and increasing durability.
[0064] A detailed structure of the inner rail 300 will be described later.
[0065] The slide balls 400 are inserted in the first accommodation space 110 to be disposed between the fixed rail 100 and the inner rail 300, and are inserted in the second accommodation space 210 to be disposed between the movable rail 200 and the inner rail 300.
[0066] The slide balls 400 reduce the frictional force between the fixed rail 100 and the inner rail 300, and also reduce the frictional force between the movable rail 200 and the inner rail 300, thereby facilitating the slidable movement of the movable rail 200 with respect to the fixed rail 100.
[0067] The slide balls 400 include first slide balls 410 and second slide balls 420 with different diameters. Here, the diameter of the first slide ball 410 may be larger than that of the second slide ball 420. Accordingly, by specifically limiting the positions of an outer side surface 323-1 and an inner side surface 323-2, a relationship among a maximum width T1 of an insertion part 310, a minimum width T2 of a second rolling surface 312, and a width T3 of an extending portion 321, and a ratio between a horizontal distance A between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and a vertical distance B between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420, it is possible to obtain a shape that maximizes the torsional rigidity of the inner rail 300 and minimizes the stress concentration.
[0068] An optimal range was derived from the modeling experiment (see
[0069] Hereinafter, reference will be made to the detailed structure of the inner rail 300. (see
[0070] The inner rail 300 includes insertion parts 310 and a connection part 320, wherein the insertion parts 310 are inserted into the first accommodation space 110 and the second accommodation space, respectively.
[0071] Further, the connection part 320 is bent to protrude toward one side while connecting the insertion parts 310.
[0072] Here, each of the insertion parts 310 includes a pair of first rolling surfaces 311, a pair of second rolling surfaces 312, and a reinforcing stepped surface 313. The pair of first rolling surfaces 311 is grooved inwardly at opposite sides of an end of the insertion part 310, and the pair of first slide balls 410 is seated on the pair of first rolling surfaces 311.
[0073] Further, the pair of second rolling surfaces 312 is grooved inwardly at positions spaced apart from the first rolling surfaces 311 toward the connection part 320 at predetermined intervals, and the pair of second slide balls 420 is seated on the pair of second rolling surfaces 312.
[0074] The reinforcing stepped surface 313 connects the second rolling surfaces 312 and the connection part 320 together, and is configured such that a width thereof is gradually reduced in a direction from the second rolling surfaces 312 toward the connection part 320.
[0075] Further, the connection part 320 includes extending portions 321, bent portions 322, and a center portion 323, wherein the extending portions 321 extend from the insertion parts 310. Further, the bent portions 322 is bent from ends of the extending portions 321 and extend toward one side, and the center portion 323 connect the bent portions 322 together.
[0076] Here, an angle formed by the bent portion 322 and the center portion 323 is greater than 90 and less than 180. More preferably, the angle formed by the bent portion 322 and the center portion 323 is greater than 90 and less than 140. In particular, it may be most preferred that the angle foamed by the bent portion 322 and the center portion 323 is 100.
[0077] In other words, when the angle is greater than 90 and less than 180, the stress concentration can be significantly reduced and the torsion angle is also minimized (that is, the torsional rigidity is maximized) compared to the case where the angle is 90 or less or is 180 or more.
[0078] Further, when the angle is greater than 90 and less than 140, the stress concentration can be significantly reduced and the torsion angle is also minimized (that is, the torsional rigidity is maximized) compared to the case where the angle is 90 or less or is 140 or more.
[0079] In order to derive such a numerical range, a modeling experiment 1 was conducted (see
[0080] The experimental result shows that: i) when the angle is 90, the stress is 1914.3 MPa and the torsion angle is 12.12; and ii) when the angle is 100, the stress is 1545.6 MPa and the torsion angle is 11.93. Further, iii) when the angle is 140, the stress is 1784.5 MPa and the torsion angle is 12.34; and iv) when the angle is 180, the stress is 1936.45 MPa and the torsion angle is 13.12. (see
[0081] As a result of the above experiment, it was confirmed that when the angle is greater than 90 and less than 180, the stress concentration can be remarkably reduced and the torsion angle is also reduced (that is, the torsional rigidity is increased). More preferably, it was confirmed that when the angle is greater than 90 and less than 140, the stress concentration can be further remarkably reduced and the torsion angle is also further reduced (that is, the torsional rigidity is increased).
[0082] In particular, it was confirmed that when the angle formed by the bent portion 322 and the center portion 323 is 100, the stress concentration is minimized and the torsion angle is also minimized (that is, the torsional rigidity is maximized).
[0083] Further, the outer side surface 323-1 of the center portion 323 may be positioned between a center line A connecting the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 together and an outer line B connecting outer side surfaces of the fixed rail 100 and the movable rail 200 together. Further, the inner side surface 323-2 of the center portion 323 may be positioned on the center line A connecting the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420.
[0084] In order to derive the optimal positions of the outer side surface 323-1 and the inner side surface 323-2, a modeling experiment 2 was conducted (see
[0085] The experimental result shows that: i) when the outer side surface 323-1 of the center portion 323 is positioned on the center line A connecting the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420, the stress is 1848.2 MPa and the torsion angle is 12.25; ii) when the outer side surface 323-1 of the center portion 323 is positioned between the center line A connecting the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 together and the outer line B connecting outer side surfaces of the fixed rail 100 and the movable rail 200 together, the stress is 1545.6 MPa and the torsion angle is 11.93; and iii) when the outer side surface 323-1 of the center portion 323 is positioned outside the outer line B connecting outer side surfaces of the fixed rail 100 and the movable rail 200 together, the stress is 1916.2 MPa and the torsion angle is 11.95. (see
[0086] As a result of the above experiment, it was confirmed that when the outer side surface 323-1 of the center portion 323 is positioned between the center line A connecting the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 together and the outer line B connecting outer side surfaces of the fixed rail 100 and the movable rail 200 together, the stress concentration can be remarkably reduced and the torsion angle can be also minimized (that is, the torsional rigidity is maximized).
[0087] Further, the maximum width T1 of the insertion part 310 may be configured to be larger than the minimum width T2 between the second rolling surfaces 312, and the minimum width T2 between the second rolling surfaces 312 may be configured to be larger than the width T3 of the extending portion 321.
[0088] In order to derive the optimal relationship among the maximum width T1 of the insertion part 310, the minimum width T2 between the second rolling surfaces 312, and the width T3 of the extending portion 321, a modeling experiment 3 was conducted (see
[0089] The material property (see
[0090] The experimental result shows that: i) when the insertion part 310 is formed to have two steps by equally setting the minimum width T2 between the second rolling surfaces 312 and the width T3 of the extending portion 321, the stress applied to the inner rail 300 is 2249.1 MPa and the torsion angle of the inner rail 300 is 12.06; and ii) when the insertion part 310 is formed to have three steps by setting the maximum width T1 of the insertion part 310 to be larger than the minimum width T2 between the second rolling surfaces 312 and setting the minimum width T2 between the second rolling surfaces 312 to be larger than the width T3 of the extending portion 321, the stress applied to the inner rail 300 is 1545.6 MPa and the torsion angle of the inner rail 300 is 11.93. (see
[0091] As a result of the above experiment, it was confirmed that when the maximum width T1 of the insertion part 310 is configured to be larger than the minimum width T2 between the second rolling surfaces 312, and the minimum width T2 between the second rolling surfaces 312 is configured to be larger than the width T3 of the extending portion 321, the stress concentration can be remarkably reduced and the torsion angle can be also minimized (that is, the torsional rigidity is maximized).
[0092] Further, a relationship between a horizontal distance A between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410, and a vertical distance B between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 may satisfy Equation 1 below. In particular, the relationship between the horizontal distance A between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410, and the vertical distance B between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 may satisfy Equation 2 below.
[0093] In order to derive the optimal ratio between the horizontal distance A between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410, and the vertical distance B between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420, a modeling experiment 4 was conducted (see
[0094] The experimental result shows that: i) when the ratio between the horizontal distance A between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410, and the vertical distance B between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 is 07:1, the stress applied to the inner rail 300 is 1872.6 MPa, and the torsion angle of the inner rail 300 is 11.61; ii) when the ratio between the horizontal distance A between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410, and the vertical distance B between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 is 08:1, the stress applied to the inner rail 300 is 1545.6 MPa, and the torsion angle of the inner rail 300 is 11.93; and iii) when the ratio between the horizontal distance A between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410, and the vertical distance B between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 is 09:1, the stress applied to the inner rail 300 is 1870.3 MPa, and the torsion angle of the inner rail 300 is 11.37. (see
[0095] As a result of the above experiment, it was confirmed that although the torsion angle under each condition was not significantly different, when the ratio between the horizontal distance A between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410, and the vertical distance B between the centers C1 of the first slide balls 410 and the centers C2 of the second slide balls 420 is 08:1, the stress concentration can be remarkably reduced.
[0096]
[0097]
[0098] The grooves 340 are provided to extend along a longitudinal direction of the inner rail 300. Here, when the inner rail 300 is formed by rolling, the plurality of grooves 340 may be integrally formed. Further, the plurality of grooves 340 may be formed through a separate grooving process.
[0099] By providing the plurality of grooves 340 on the first rolling surfaces 311 and the second rolling surfaces 312, it is possible to reduce the mutual contact area between the first rolling surfaces 311 and the second rolling surfaces 312 with the plurality of slide balls 400 compared to the case where the grooves 340 are not provided. In other words, based on the cross section, the mutual contact area between the first rolling surfaces 311 and the second rolling surfaces 312 with the plurality of slide balls 400 can be reduced by the widths of the grooves 340. Accordingly, the present invention reduces a contact friction force between the plurality of slide balls 400, the first rolling surfaces 311, and the second rolling surfaces 312 occurring when the movable rail 200 slides relative to the inner rail 300 and the inner rail 300 slides relative to the fixed rail 100, thereby allowing the movable rail 200 to further smoothly slide.
[0100]
[0101] The rolling protrusions 350 are provided to extend along the longitudinal direction of the inner rail 300. Here, when the inner rail 300 is formed by rolling, the plurality of rolling protrusions 350 may be simultaneously formed. Further, the plurality of rolling protrusions 350 may be provided on the first rolling surfaces 311 and the second rolling surfaces 312 by welding after being separately formed.
[0102] By providing the plurality of rolling protrusions 350 on the first rolling surfaces 311 and the second rolling surfaces 312, it is possible to reduce the mutual contact area between the first rolling surfaces 311 and the second rolling surfaces 312 with the plurality of slide balls 400 compared to the case where the rolling protrusions 350 are not provided. In other words, based on the cross section, the mutual contact area between the first rolling surfaces 311 and the second rolling surfaces 312 with the plurality of slide balls 400 can be reduced by the widths of the rolling protrusions 350. Accordingly, the present invention reduces a contact friction force between the plurality of slide balls 400, the first rolling surfaces 311, and the second rolling surfaces 312 occurring when the movable rail 200 slides relative to the inner rail 300 and the inner rail 300 slides relative to the fixed rail 100, thereby allowing the movable rail 200 to further smoothly slide.
[0103] As described above, although reference to the embodiments of the slide unit for a drawer has allowed the present invention to be described in more detail, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments but may be variously changed without departing from the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not restrictive but are illustrative, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention should be interpreted by the accompanying claims. Further, it is to be understood that various alternatives, modifications, and equivalents fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0104] The present invention relates to a slide unit including a fixed rail, a movable rail, an inner rail, and slide balls in order to solve a problem that damage occurs by the stress concentration due to a shape (flat plate shape) of the conventional slide rail. According to the present invention, the stress concentration applied to the inner rail is minimized, so it is possible to prevent the inner rail from being damaged and deformed. Therefore, the present invention is industrially applicable.