Foldable Structural Insulated Panels for Rapid Deploy Shelters
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional portable shelters require significant time and labor for setup and reconfiguration, and they often need extensive power resources due to thermal conductors compromising insulation and energy demands from ancillary components.
Innovation Solution
A portable expandable shelter design featuring a frame with foldable structural insulated panels that provide structural robustness and thermal insulation, eliminating the need for external supports and reducing power requirements, utilizing a movable portion that can be easily deployed and stowed with a latch and slide bolt system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If conventional portable shelters use traditional structural supports and insulation design, then structural integrity is maintained, but setup time and labor requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The shelter structure is divided into modular structural insulated panels (SIPs) that can be independently handled and assembled. Each panel is a self-contained unit with integrated insulation and structural elements, allowing parallel assembly operations and reducing overall setup time while maintaining structural integrity through standardized connection interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines structural support function and thermal insulation function into a single integrated structural insulated panel system. This merging eliminates the need for separate structural frames and insulation layers, reducing assembly steps and labor requirements while maintaining both structural strength and thermal performance.
2Strength
If conventional portable shelters include thermal conductors for structural support, then structural strength is maintained, but thermal insulation performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs structural insulated panels composed of composite material systems with insulating cores (such as foam or honeycomb structures) bonded between structural facings. This composite construction provides both the required structural strength and superior thermal insulation performance, eliminating thermal bridges that would occur with traditional metal structural supports.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional portable shelters require ancillary components for functionality, then operational capability is enhanced, but power requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The structural insulated panels are designed with multi-functionality, serving simultaneously as structural support elements, thermal insulation barriers, and mounting surfaces for ancillary components. This integration reduces the need for separate power-consuming support structures and enables efficient power distribution through built-in conduit pathways, lowering overall power requirements while maintaining operational versatility.
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
This design significantly reduces setup time, enhances structural integrity in both states, and minimizes energy needs by eliminating thermal conductors and optimizing power usage.
Implementation Method 1
foldable structural insulated panels that provide structural robustness and thermal insulation
Data Source
AI summary
A thermally isolated portable expandable shelter may include a frame substantially similar in configuration to a shipping container and a movable portion comprising a plurality of rigid panels. The shelter may be movable between a stowed state and a fixed state, wherein the plurality of panels is folded into the frame in the stowed state and fold out during deployment. In some embodiments the plurality of panels may comprise structural insulated panels so that an interior defined by the expandable shelter is thermally isolated from an exterior. The portable expandable shelter may have reduced installation time, improved strength in both the stowed and deployed states, and reduced energy requirements.