Floating insect canopy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Insect infestations, such as flies, bees, and mosquitoes, pose a nuisance and health risk for individuals enjoying water-based recreational activities, as existing solutions fail to effectively prevent insect penetration while allowing visibility and ease of use.
Innovation Solution
A floating insect canopy with a foam float and netting canopy that forms a dome shape using flexible extensions, preventing insect penetration while being translucent and easy to use, featuring a door panel for access and collapsibility for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a solid canopy material is used to block insects, then insect penetration is prevented, but visibility through the canopy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The canopy is constructed from netting material with孔径 (apertures) small enough to prevent insect penetration while large enough to allow light transmission. This porous structure enables the canopy to simultaneously block insects and maintain visibility, resolving the contradiction between insect protection and optical transparency.
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid dome structure is used to maintain canopy shape, then structural stability is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of storage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The canopy employs flexible extensions ( rods) that can be bent and stored in a compact configuration, yet automatically return to their dome-shaped configuration when deployed. This flexibility allows the canopy to maintain its protective dome shape during use while enabling easy folding and portability for storage and transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible extensions are designed to dynamically transition between a bent stored state and an unbent deployed state. When the bending force is removed, the extensions automatically return to their original dome-forming shape, providing structural stability during use while maintaining simplicity for storage and deployment.
3Reliability
If the canopy is designed to be permanently assembled for optimal insect protection, then reliability is improved, but ease of operation and storage are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible extensions are pre-configured within extension sleeves in a compact, bent state during storage. When deployed, they automatically pop up and return to their dome-forming configuration without requiring complex assembly steps. This preliminary positioning enables reliable insect protection while maintaining ease of deployment and storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible extensions automatically return to their unbent, dome-forming configuration when the bending force is removed, without requiring manual reassembly or external assistance. This self-service mechanism ensures reliable canopy structure formation while simplifying the deployment and storage operations for the user.
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
Effectively keeps insects out while allowing visibility and ease of use, with the ability to accommodate a person and floatation device comfortably, and can be easily stored when not in use.
Implementation Method 1
The float may be a foam material that is configured in a float sleeve... A foam may be a polyurethane foam and may have a density less than 1.0 g/cc to enable the float to float on water
Data Source
AI summary
A floating insect canopy forms a canopy enclosure when floating on the water, such as a pool. The floating insect canopy has a float that extends around the canopy perimeter to form a floating base. The float material may be a foam that is configured in a float sleeve. The canopy may be a netting material that enables a person visibility through the canopy when floating on a raft inside the canopy enclosure. A floating insect canopy forms a generally dome type shape by the use of a flexible extensions configured within an extension sleeve. The extension sleeve retains the flexible extensions and causes the dome shaped canopy enclosure to be automatically formed and retained by the flexible extensions. A door panel may be formed in the canopy.