Foldable Ice Hole Wraps for Adjustable Shelter Insulation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ice fishing shelters experience air leaks and thermal inefficiencies due to gaps between the floor and the ice surface, affecting comfort and energy efficiency, as existing solutions do not adequately address the adjustable height and insulation needs for varying ice conditions and shelter configurations.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable ice hole wrap with a foldable cylindrical design, featuring layers of foldable materials with different thermal characteristics, including a waterproof outer layer and insulative inner layer, allowing for customizable height and secure fit to reduce airflow and water absorption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-height rigid tube is used between the floor and ice surface, then the structure provides basic closure, but it cannot accommodate varying gap heights between different ice conditions and shelter configurations
Solution Approach 1:
The ice hole wrap employs a flexible, foldable construction that allows the height to be dynamically adjusted by folding the wrap at different positions. This dynamic structure replaces fixed-height rigid tubes, enabling the same wrap to adapt to various gap heights between the shelter floor and ice surface while maintaining structural integrity through its flexible material composition.
Solution Approach 2:
The wrap's height parameter is made variable through its foldable design, allowing users to change the effective height by folding the wrap to different extents. This parameter change capability enables the wrap to accommodate different ice conditions and shelter configurations without requiring multiple fixed-height components.
2Reliability
If the floor is raised above the ice surface to prevent freeze-in, then the shelter is protected from freezing, but air leaks occur that reduce thermal efficiency and comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The ice hole wrap functions as a flexible shell that seals the gap between the raised floor and ice surface. This flexible film structure prevents air leakage while accommodating the elevated floor position, thereby maintaining thermal efficiency and comfort without compromising the freeze-in protection provided by the raised floor design.
Solution Approach 2:
The wrap acts as an intermediary element that bridges the gap created by raising the floor. It mediates between the raised floor structure and the ice surface, providing thermal insulation and air sealing while allowing the floor to remain elevated for freeze-in protection.
3Ease of manufacture
If a non-adjustable ice hole wrap is used, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the wrap cannot accommodate varying heights between floor and ice surface
Solution Approach 1:
The wrap is manufactured with a dynamic, foldable structure that provides adjustability without requiring complex assembly mechanisms. The folding capability is inherent in the wrap's construction, allowing height adjustment through simple manual folding rather than requiring multiple components or complex adjustment mechanisms, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while achieving adaptability.
4Strength
If rigid PVC tubes are used between floor and ice, then the structure provides basic support and closure, but they do not provide adequate insulation and are prone to cracking
Solution Approach 1:
The ice hole wrap employs composite material construction with an outer waterproof layer and an inner insulating layer. This composite structure provides both the structural support needed to maintain the wrap's shape and positioning, and the thermal insulation required to reduce heat loss, while the flexible nature of the composite materials prevents cracking that plagues rigid PVC tubes.
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 ice hole wrap provides effective closure, insulation, and protection by adjusting to different ice shelter configurations, reducing heat transfer and water absorption, while being durable and reusable for multiple fishing seasons.
Implementation Method 1
The second material may include a non-fabric insulation. The second material may include a waterproof reflective insulation. The second material may include a thermally-insulative material having an R-value that is greater than an R-value of the first material.
Implementation Method 2
an ice hole wrap is provided that includes one or more layers of foldable material that may extend between a floor of the shelter and the surface of the ice (or water above the ice) to reduce airflow between the interior and exterior of the shelter
Implementation Method 3
The first material may include a waterproof canvas. The first material may include canvas and a polymer coating.
Data Source
AI summary
Ice hole wraps configured to be positioned in a floor of an ice shelter are provided. An ice hole wrap includes a first circular end, a second circular end, a cylindrical wall extending between the first and second ends, and a height extending between the first and second circular ends. The wall is foldable between a first configuration in which the cylinder has a first height between the first and second circular ends, and a second configuration in which the cylinder has a second height between the first and second circular ends.