Elastic layer for a mattress structure designed for the comfort of animals in a breeding enclosure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mattress structures for livestock enclosures with elastic layers are prone to cause injuries to animals due to metal fixing parts protruding from the elastic layer, which can lead to cuts and friction.
Innovation Solution
An elastic layer with a fixing strip formed by a lip structure that includes an upper and lower face, where the lip's thickness is less than the elastic layer, allowing securing means to be protected and covered, preventing direct animal contact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thick layer of bedding material is used to absorb moisture and maintain hygiene, then animal comfort and hygiene are improved, but the frequency of manual soiling increases and labor costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic layer automatically adjusts to the animal's movements, maintaining contact and absorption capacity without requiring manual intervention. The layer self-regulates moisture distribution and maintains hygiene through its elastic adaptation to the container bottom, reducing the need for frequent manual soiling.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic layer dynamically adapts its shape and contact area in response to animal movement and bedding compression. This dynamic adjustment ensures continuous effective contact with the bedding material, maintaining absorption efficiency and hygiene without requiring additional labor or thicker bedding layers.
2Reliability
If a thick layer of bedding material is used to provide comfort and absorption, then animal comfort is improved, but the amount of material required and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic layer functions as a flexible film that conformally contacts the container bottom and bedding material. This thin, adaptable structure maximizes the effectiveness of the bedding material by ensuring complete contact and distribution, allowing comfortable animal housing with reduced material quantity.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic layer changes its physical parameters (shape, contact area, pressure distribution) in response to animal movement and bedding compression. This parameter adaptation optimizes the functional performance of the bedding material, maintaining animal comfort while reducing the required quantity of bedding substance.
3Reliability
If manual soiling is performed frequently to maintain hygiene, then hygiene levels are improved, but labor costs and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The elastic layer continuously maintains hygiene functionality through its automatic adaptation to animal movements and bedding conditions. This self-regulating mechanism sustains effective moisture absorption and distribution without requiring periodic manual intervention, significantly reducing time loss for soiling operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic layer provides continuous hygiene maintenance through uninterrupted contact with the bedding material and automatic response to moisture accumulation. This continuous functional action eliminates gaps in hygiene protection that would otherwise require frequent manual soiling interventions.
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 solution effectively secures the elastic layer to the ground without risking animal injury, enhancing animal comfort and safety by protecting the securing means with the lip structure.
Implementation Method 1
an elastic layer (2) arranged below the bedding material (1) and in contact with the container bottom (3), wherein the elastic layer (2) is adapted to a shape of the container bottom (3)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~7
AI summary
The present invention concerns an elastic layer for a mattress structure designed for the comfort of animals in a breeding enclosure, the mattress structure being intended to cover the ground of a receiving area. This elastic layer (1) comprises a top face (15) that is capable of undergoing elastic deformation and that comprises at least one location on which an animal is intended to be supported. The elastic layer (1) is delimited by borders (12), at least one of these borders (12) consisting of a fastening band (5) intended to receive securing means (F) for securing the receiving area (L) with the ground (L4). The at least one fastening band (5) is formed by at least one lip (6, 7), the thickness of which is less than the thickness of the elastic layer (1). Such a structure of the fastening band (5) allows securing means (F) to be installed at the at least one lip (6, 7). These securing means (F) can then be protected and covered by the at least one lip (6, 7), so as to prevent direct contact with the animals.