Collapsible Enclosure Wall Assembly to Eliminate Pinch Points
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current foldable enclosures reduce shipping footprint but introduce safety risks due to pinch points during unfolding, necessitating a design that minimizes both shipping space and safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible enclosure constructed from lightweight materials with a pivotable first and second side, featuring an anchor structure with corner pieces and rods connecting side and end walls, allowing for expansion and collapse without creating pinch points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the enclosure is made foldable to reduce shipping footprint, then shipping space is reduced, but safety risks increase due to pinch points during unfolding
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is divided into multiple panels that can be independently folded along defined hinge lines. This segmentation allows the enclosure to collapse into a compact configuration for shipping while maintaining controlled fold paths that eliminate unpredictable pinch points during assembly and disassembly operations.
2Productivity
If the enclosure is made collapsible to maximize shipping capacity, then more enclosures can be shipped at once, but the structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsible enclosure panels are designed to nest within each other when collapsed, similar to nested dolls. This nesting arrangement maximizes shipping capacity by minimizing the volume occupied by multiple enclosures while using simple, repetitive panel and hinge components that keep the overall structural complexity manageable through standardization.
3Weight of moving object
If lightweight materials are used to reduce transportation costs, then shipping costs decrease, but the strength and durability of the enclosure may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure utilizes composite material construction, combining lightweight base materials with reinforcing elements or coatings. This approach reduces the overall weight of the enclosure for cost-effective shipping while maintaining the necessary strength and durability through the synergistic properties of the composite structure.
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 design effectively reduces shipping space while minimizing safety risks by enabling safe and efficient unfolding and folding of the enclosure.
Implementation Method 1
The anchor structure includes a corner piece, a first rod extending from the corner piece in a first direction, and a second rod extending from the corner piece in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction
Implementation Method 2
A side wall and an end wall of the enclosure are pivotable about a common corner of the side wall and the end wall
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible enclosure includes an anchor structure, a pair of side walls, and a pair of end walls. The anchor structure includes a plurality of corner pieces, and a plurality of rods. Each rod is connected between two adjacent corner pieces to form an enclosed perimeter. Each side wall is movably connected to a rod of the plurality of rods. Each end wall is movably connected to a rod of the plurality of rods between the pair of side walls. The pair of side walls and the pair of end walls move between an expanded position where each side wall of the pair of side walls is perpendicular to each end wall of the pair of end walls, to a collapsed position where the pair of side walls and the pair of end walls are stacked on top of one another.