Collapsible X-Frame Hose Support for Kink Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible hoses used for emptying caravan toilets into septic tanks often become twisted or kinked, leading to interrupted flow and potential damage due to unsuitable configurations such as sagging, non-existent slope, or tight curves, which can cause premature leaking.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible support structure composed of interconnected 'X' frames with hinged stringers and rotatable bridge members, adjustable to accommodate various hose lengths and terrain slopes, featuring support elements with fixation points for secure grounding and hose attachment, allowing for optimal hose alignment and flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the flexible hose is laid out freely without support, then it is easy to install and store, but it becomes twisted and kinked causing interrupted flow and potential damage
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure is divided into multiple collapsible sections with hinge connections, allowing the hose to be supported in segments rather than requiring a single continuous support. This segmentation enables the hose to maintain proper alignment while the support structure remains compact when collapsed.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure employs hinge connections that allow dynamic adjustment and collapse. The structure can transition between an extended configuration that supports the hose properly and a collapsed configuration for compact storage, making the support system adaptable to different usage and storage needs.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the support structure is made rigid and fixed, then it provides stable hose alignment, but it cannot be compact for storage and cannot adapt to different hose lengths
Solution Approach 1:
The support structure uses hinge connections throughout, allowing it to dynamically adjust its length and shape. Multiple sections can be connected in series to accommodate different hose lengths, and the entire structure can be collapsed by folding the hinge sections together for compact storage.
Solution Approach 2:
When collapsed, the support structure sections nest within each other like a telescopic or accordion mechanism. The hinge connections allow each section to fold into the previous section, creating a compact bundled form that is easy to store while maintaining the ability to extend to various lengths when needed.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hose is supported in a fixed configuration, then it prevents kinking, but it cannot adapt to different terrain slopes and configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge connections in each support section allow the structure to dynamically adjust its angle and orientation to match different terrain slopes. The structure can be configured to follow the ground contour while maintaining adequate hose clearance and proper alignment, adapting to various camping locations without requiring precise manufacturing for each specific terrain condition.
Solution Approach 2:
Each support section can be independently adjusted to provide local adaptation to terrain variations. The hinge connections allow different sections to have different angles and orientations, enabling the support structure to follow uneven ground while each local section maintains proper hose alignment and prevents kinking at that specific location.
Data Source
AI summary
A collapsible support structure for flexible hoses has a plurality of X-frames, each X-frame consisting of two opposing pairs of stringers, each pair of stringers is hingedly connected together at an axis point in the center region of each stringer, the pairs are connected at the distal ends of the stringers by bridge members (24), and adjacent X-frames are hingedly connected together at the distal ends of their stringers.