Expandable Enclosure Hub With Pivoting Expansion Support
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hub shelters in the hunting, ice fishing, and camping industries face limitations in usable space and design flexibility due to their geometrical constraints, resulting in a lack of storage space and uniformity in design.
Innovation Solution
An expandable enclosure with an expansion structure that includes a cover, wall supports, and an expansion frame, allowing for the creation of additional space, unique geometries, and customizable openings, which can be manually or automatically deployed to increase storage and access areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a hub assembly is used to support the shelter structure, then the structure is stable and supported, but the shelter suffers from lack of usable space compared to the footprint required
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure is divided into a main body portion and one or more expansion portions that can be independently deployed. The expansion portions include additional poles and panel sections that segment the overall structure, allowing the shelter to expand into additional usable space while maintaining the stability of the main hub assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion portions extend the enclosure in additional spatial dimensions beyond the main footprint. By adding expansion portions that protrude outward and include additional floor space, the shelter increases its usable volume without requiring a proportional increase in the main footprint, effectively utilizing three-dimensional space more efficiently.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a hub assembly is used to support the shelter structure, then the structure is supported, but the geometries required by the hub assembly limit design and frame specifications, thereby limiting design options
Solution Approach 1:
The enclosure system is segmented into a main body portion with a hub assembly and separate expansion portions that can be independently configured. This segmentation allows the main hub to provide structural stability while the expansion portions offer design flexibility, as they can be added, removed, or configured in different geometries without affecting the core hub assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion portions are designed to be dynamically configurable, allowing users to adjust the number, position, and geometry of expansion sections based on specific needs. The expansion portions can be deployed or retracted, and their geometries can vary, providing adaptability while the main hub assembly maintains structural integrity.
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 expandable enclosure maximizes usable space while offering greater design flexibility, enabling novel geometries and increased functionality, such as additional storage and access views, without compromising the footprint.
Implementation Method 1
the expansion support pivots from a first position to a second position with respect to the hub, thereby deploying the expansion structure to form a cavity with additional space
Data Source
AI summary
An enclosure that includes a deployable expansion structure for added space. The enclosure comprises a cover that includes a panel, a plurality of wall supports that connect to the panel, with each of the plurality of wall supports having a first end that connects to a portion of panel, an expansion support having a first end and a second end, wherein the first end of the expansion support connects to a portion of the cover, and a hub that connects to a second end of each of the plurality of wall supports and the second end of the expansion support. The expansion support pivots from a first position to a second position with respect to the hub to deploy the expansion structure to form a cavity with additional space.