Foldable Camp Cot Frame Without End Rails
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable cots with detachable frame components often lead to loss or misplacement, making assembly and disassembly cumbersome, especially for single users, and require end rails for support, complicating folding and storage.
Innovation Solution
A collapsible cot design that eliminates end rails by using side rails and cross-bar supporting members, allowing the entire frame to fold into a compact package, with a mechanism that maintains the cot's supporting position using a z-shaped bracket and pivotally attached struts, enabling easy assembly and disassembly without the need for end rails.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If end rails are used to maintain cot stability, then the cot can support user weight properly, but the frame becomes more complex and difficult to fold for storage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes end rails from the traditional cot frame structure, extracting the problematic component that caused complexity while maintaining stability through alternative means (side rails with support members and fabric tensioning system)
Solution Approach 2:
The frame is divided into modular components (side rails with integrated support members) that can be independently folded and reconfigured, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining functional stability
2Volume of moving object
If detachable frame components are used to enable compact storage, then the cot can be folded for transportation, but components may be lost or misplaced
Solution Approach 1:
Support members are integrated with side rails to form unified components, eliminating separate detachable parts that could be lost. The fabric sheet is also integrated into the frame structure through attachment points, creating a single reliable assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The design incorporates pre-attached components and integrated structures that prevent component separation during storage and transport, eliminating the need for users to manually reattach parts.
3Strength
If traditional end rail construction is used, then the cot provides proper support, but assembly and disassembly becomes cumbersome for single users
Solution Approach 1:
The frame is segmented into collapsible side rail assemblies that can be easily folded by one person, replacing the traditional rigid end rail structure that required multiple people to assemble and disassemble.
Solution Approach 2:
The frame transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic collapsible structure, allowing easy transformation between deployed and stored configurations by single users while maintaining structural integrity during use.
4Volume of moving object
If the frame is made fully foldable for compact storage, then transportation becomes easier, but the cot may not maintain stability under weight
Solution Approach 1:
The frame employs dynamic hinge joints and flexible fabric support that allow the structure to adapt to applied loads, maintaining stability in the deployed position while enabling complete folding for compact storage when not in use.
Data Source
AI summary
An improved sleeping or camping cot construction is provided which eliminates the need for end rails for the cot frame. The frame is all one piece, portions of which are pivotally mounted with respect to other portions to permit folding of the frame for storage. A locking mechanism is associated with at least one of the cot supporting cross members to maintain the cot in the user supporting position of the cot.