Collapsible Animal Run With Pivotally Mounted Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Animal care professionals face challenges in accommodating large animals due to space constraints and intermittent housing needs, as traditional static runs occupy significant space and are costly to maintain, leading to suboptimal housing solutions or increased staff involvement during peak demand periods.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible animal run with pivotally mounted side and front panels that can be folded and stored, allowing for flexible deployment and reconfiguration to optimize space usage, featuring a support structure with vertically extending walls or posts for easy assembly and disassembly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If traditional static runs are used to house large animals, then the animals have adequate space and comfort, but the facility occupies significant permanent floor space and incurs high maintenance costs
Solution Approach 1:
The run is designed with movable panels that can pivot between operational and stored positions. The side panels pivot on vertical axes, and the front panel pivots on a horizontal axis, transforming the run from a static structure to a dynamic one that can be reconfigured and collapsed to minimize floor space when not in use
Solution Approach 2:
The run is divided into separate modular panels (side panels, front panel, back panel) that can be independently moved and repositioned. This segmentation allows each panel to be manipulated separately during deployment and collapse operations, enabling the run to be folded into a compact configuration
2Productivity
If runs are deployed side by side in banks to accommodate multiple animals, then housing capacity increases, but the complexity of assembly and disassembly increases
Solution Approach 1:
The run bank system uses identical modular units that can be replicated and arranged in various configurations. Each run consists of standardized panels with consistent connection mechanisms, allowing multiple runs to be assembled side by side using the same procedures, thereby scaling housing capacity without proportionally increasing operational complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The panels and connection mechanisms are designed to be universal across all runs in the bank. The same pivot points, hinges, and joining methods are used throughout the system, allowing a single set of assembly procedures to handle multiple runs simultaneously, simplifying the overall assembly and disassembly process
3Area of moving object
If runs are made larger to accommodate larger animals or extended housing periods, then animal comfort improves, but the space required for storage when not in use increases
Solution Approach 1:
The run employs dynamic folding mechanisms where panels pivot and collapse into each other. When collapsed, the panels fold parallel to a central plane, reducing the storage footprint to a fraction of the expanded containment area while maintaining the full size capability when deployed
Solution Approach 2:
The collapsed run configuration allows panels to nest within each other's spatial envelope. The front panel folds parallel to side panels, and all panels align parallel to the central plane, creating a compact nested arrangement that minimizes storage space requirements
Data Source
AI summary
An animal run having first and second side panels operable to be pivotally mounted along a central plane. A front panel is pivotally coupled with one of the side panels and operable to be detachably coupled to the other side panel. The side panels are moveable between a stored position, in which each side panel is positioned parallel the central plane, and an operational position, in which they extend outward at an angle from the central plane. The front panel is moveable between a stored position, in which it is positioned parallel the central plane, and an operational position, in which it is positioned at an angle from the side panel to which it is coupled and is detachably coupled with the other side panel. The side panels and front panel define an interior space for housing an animal when in their operational position.