Articulating Dwelling Frame Linkage for Tent Setup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mechanical framing structures for personal enclosures, such as tents, require assembly of framing components and application of covering fabric, which is inconvenient and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
A deployable and retractable mechanized frame structure with a mechanical linkage system that extends a floor while erecting a structure, featuring elongate frame elements and a fabric structure that is collapsed with the frame retracted and deployed with the frame extended, allowing for easy setup and takedown without the need for assembly or fabric application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If mechanical framing components are used to create a personal enclosure, then the structure provides stability and support, but assembly and fabric application require significant time and effort
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the frame structure and covering fabric into a single integrated mechanical unit. The fabric is pre-attached to the frame components, so that when the mechanical linkage is actuated, both the frame erection and fabric deployment occur simultaneously. This merging eliminates the separate steps of assembling the frame and then applying the fabric, directly resolving the time and effort required for deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The covering fabric is pre-positioned and pre-attached to the frame components during manufacturing. This preliminary action means that when the structure is deployed in the field, the fabric is already in its correct position and orientation, eliminating the need for on-site fabric application and positioning. The preliminary preparation of the integrated unit directly reduces deployment time.
2Reliability
If traditional tent assembly methods are used, then proper structure and coverage are achieved, but the process requires multiple discrete assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the frame and fabric into a single mechanical system where the fabric is integrated with the linkage components. This integration reduces assembly complexity from multiple discrete steps (assembling frame, then attaching fabric) to a single actuation of the mechanical linkage. The structural integrity is maintained because the frame components are designed to bear loads while the integrated fabric is tensioned appropriately during the same mechanical process.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is divided into modular linkage segments that can be manufactured separately and then assembled into a complete structure through a single mechanical actuation. Each segment is pre-configured with its associated fabric portion, allowing the entire structure to be deployed from a compact stowed configuration to a fully erected configuration through sequential activation of the linkage segments, reducing overall assembly complexity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the frame structure is made fully deployable and retractable, then convenience is improved, but the mechanical mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic mechanical linkages that can transition between stowed and deployed configurations. The linkage system uses movable joints and articulated connections that allow the structure to dynamically change its shape and size. This dynamic design enables full deployability and retractability while keeping the mechanical mechanism relatively simple, as the same linkage components perform multiple functions during deployment, retraction, and transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The mechanical linkage components are designed to perform multiple functions: they provide structural support, enable deployment, facilitate retraction, and accommodate the fabric tensioning. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized components for each function, thereby reducing overall mechanical complexity while achieving full deployability and versatility.
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
Enables quick and effortless deployment and retraction of a personal environmental enclosure, eliminating the need for assembly and fabric application, while providing a stable and secure structure for various applications, including vehicle mounting.
Implementation Method 1
a mechanical linkage, comprising a first elongate frame element constrained proximate and translatable relative to a second elongate frame element, from a minimum retracted combined length to a maximum deployed combined length, a third elongate frame element having a length, and joined at one end pivotally to the first elongate frame element
Implementation Method 2
a mechanical mechanism for simultaneously extending a floor while erecting a structure is provided, comprising a mechanical linkage
Data Source
AI summary
A mechanism for extending a floor while erecting a structure, has a linkage, including a first frame element constrained proximate and translatable relative to a second frame element, from a minimum retracted length to a maximum deployed length, a third frame element having a length, and joined at one end pivotally to the first elongate frame element at an end away from the second elongate frame element, and a link joined at one end pivotally to the second elongate frame element, and at an opposite end pivotally at a point along the length of the third frame element, such that retraction of the first frame element relative to the second frame element results in the third frame element lying at an angle that is less than the angle when the first frame element is fully deployed relative to the second frame element.