Conformable Fabric Panel With Variable-Length Stays for Curved Shapes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing panels struggle to easily implement complex shapes such as curved or unruled surfaces while maintaining integrity and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A panel comprising two fabrics connected by a supporting structure, where one fabric is deformable in a main direction, allowing the panel to conform to complex shapes by filling with a material that can stiffen, and the fabrics are connected by wire elements with varying rest lengths to maintain spacing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If uniform spacers are used to maintain spacing between two fabric faces, then the structure is simple to manufacture, but the panel cannot conform to complex curved surfaces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the rest length of individual wire elements based on their position within the panel. Wire elements closer to the center have shorter rest lengths while those at the edges have longer rest lengths, creating localized differences in spacing that enable the panel to conform to curved surfaces while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through a systematic variation pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements parameter changes by modifying the rest length parameter of wire elements across different positions in the panel. This systematic variation of the rest length parameter allows the panel to achieve complex curved geometries without changing the fundamental structure or manufacturing process, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and adaptability to complex surfaces.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the fabric is made deformable to allow complex shaping, then the panel can conform to curved surfaces, but the structural integrity and spacing maintenance becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-setting the rest length of each wire element according to a calculated pattern before assembly. This preliminary configuration of wire lengths ensures that when the panel is formed, the fabrics automatically maintain the correct spacing and conform to the desired curved surface without requiring additional structural support or complex integrity maintenance mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If wire elements with varying rest lengths are used, then the panel can form complex shapes, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses parameter changes by systematically varying only the rest length parameter of wire elements based on their position, while keeping all other aspects of the wire elements and connecting structure uniform. This approach enables complex shape formation without significantly increasing device complexity, as the variation follows a predictable pattern that can be implemented through standard manufacturing processes.
Data Source
Figure 1~3
Figure 4
Figure 5
AI summary
The invention relates to a panel (10) that comprises a first fabric (26), a second fabric (28), a connecting structure comprising stays (74) linking the first fabric (26) to the second fabric (28), wherein at least a portion of the stays (74) of the connecting structure has a length at rest that differs from the average of the lengths at rest hm of the stays (74), and the first fabric (26) is plastically deformable along at least one of the main directions thereof.