Animal Housing Fence Crossbeam Ground Anchoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing animal housing systems face instability and damage due to the fence unit's movement relative to the animal box, especially when used on unpaved surfaces, leading to potential rearing losses and increased risk of infection.
Innovation Solution
The fence unit is designed with a crossbeam that protrudes beyond the lower edge of the fence elements, allowing for anchoring in the ground and enhancing positional security, while also providing a recess for unhindered access and preventing tripping hazards, with optional anchoring elements and a door element for closure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the fence unit is made movable between use position and storage position, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to potential damage to the hinged mounting
Solution Approach 1:
The crossbeam protrudes beyond the lower edge of the fence elements before the fence unit is placed in use position, allowing preliminary anchoring in the ground. This preliminary action secures the fence unit against displacement forces before the animal even enters, preventing the reliability deterioration that would otherwise occur with movable fence units.
2Ease of operation
If the outlet area is increased for better animal access, then the ease of operation is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to increased load on the fence unit
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves from a two-dimensional hinge connection (fence unit attached only to the animal box) to a three-dimensional anchoring system where the crossbeam extends into the ground. This dimensional change allows the fence unit to support larger outlet areas with greater loads by distributing forces into the ground rather than relying solely on the hinged mounting.
3Reliability
If the fence unit is anchored in the ground for stability, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional anchoring components
Solution Approach 1:
The crossbeam serves multiple functions simultaneously: it connects the fence elements together, it protrudes to enable ground anchoring, and it forms part of the structural framework of the fence unit. This multi-functionality achieves the reliability improvement of ground anchoring without the device complexity increase that would result from adding separate anchoring components.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
The invention relates to an animal enclosure comprising an animal box (15) having an access opening (17) and a fence unit (2) adjustable between a use position and a storage position on the animal box (15), with two fence elements (3a, 3b) spaced apart from each other and connected to each other via a crossbeam (4). To provide an animal enclosure of the type mentioned above, which exhibits high positional and static stability of the fence unit in the use position, the crossbeam (4) is connected to the fence elements (3a, 3b) such that, in the use position, the crossbeam (4) projects towards the ground beyond a lower edge (23) of the fence elements (3a, 3b) resting on the ground.