Bow-Truss Cot Structure for Lightweight Planar Load Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional outdoor beds, such as cots, are too heavy and large for portable use, and hammocks provide an uncomfortable curved sleeping surface that is not suitable for most users, while existing solutions fail to provide a lightweight, compact, and comfortable bed that can be easily stored and set up without requiring trees or poles.
Innovation Solution
A convertible support apparatus featuring side members, a flexible support area, and a bow truss that can bow and flex to distribute tension, allowing the apparatus to be easily assembled and disassembled for storage, with foot fixtures that contact the ground to provide additional support and stability, using lightweight materials like aluminum or carbon fiber for the bow tubes and fabric panel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a tubular frame design is used for outdoor beds, then the structure is easy to manufacture and assemble, but the frame is easy to accidentally overstress and may break or tear the fabric
Solution Approach 1:
The bed frame is divided into multiple rigid sections (head section, foot section, side rails) connected by articulated joints. This segmentation allows each section to be independently strong while the overall structure remains flexible and adaptable, preventing stress concentration that could lead to failure.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame combines rigid materials (metal or wood tubes) with flexible elements (articulated joints and tensioned fabric). This composite approach creates a structure that is both strong enough to support heavy loads and flexible enough to absorb accidental stresses without catastrophic failure.
2Weight of moving object
If the bed is designed to be lightweight and compact, then it is easy to transport and store, but it may not provide sufficient support for heavy objects
Solution Approach 1:
The bed employs a dynamic tension system where the fabric is continuously tensioned between rigid frame sections. This dynamic tensioning allows a lightweight frame to support heavy loads, as the tension distributes forces throughout the structure rather than concentrating them on single load-bearing points.
Solution Approach 2:
The bed's support characteristics are changed by adjusting the tension in the fabric and the rigidity of frame sections. By varying these parameters, the same lightweight structure can adapt to support different weights, from light camping gear to heavy adult users, without requiring a heavier overall construction.
3Shape
If the fabric membrane is stretched tightly across the frame, then the sleep surface is planar and comfortable, but the fabric will gradually stretch and collapse under stress
Solution Approach 1:
The frame design incorporates pre-tensioning elements and articulated joints that anticipate and compensate for fabric stretching. These elements maintain constant tension on the fabric throughout use, preventing the gradual collapse that would occur with simple tight stretching alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The articulated joints and tensioning mechanisms provide continuous feedback on fabric tension and frame position. This feedback system automatically adjusts to maintain optimal fabric tension and sleep surface planarity, preventing the fabric from stretching beyond its elastic limit and collapsing.
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 apparatus is lightweight, compact, and provides a comfortable, planar sleeping surface that can support heavy loads without structural failure, weighing less than 1% of the weight it supports, and can be easily transported and set up without requiring trees or poles, addressing the limitations of traditional outdoor beds.
Implementation Method 1
the bow tube is configured to bow and flex when connected between the support members... the bow tube will deflect... the bow tube is configured to bow and contact the ground surface beneath the foot fixtures
Data Source
AI summary
A convertible support apparatus for supporting an object over a ground surface is convertible between an operating configuration and a storage configuration. The support apparatus may comprise side members, a support area configured to connect to the side members, and a bow truss configured to bow. When the device is assembled in the operating configuration, both the support area and the bow truss are connected between the side members and the bow truss is configured to bow and place the support area under tension. The bow truss may comprise a bow tube connected between two foot fixtures. In one embodiment, when the apparatus is supporting a sufficiently heavy object, the bow tube will bow and contact the ground surface and provide additional support to the apparatus.