Foldable Tank With Extended Depth Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional foldable water tanks with extended capacity often exceed the width of a single lane of a road, posing hazards and logistical challenges for vehicular traffic and storage on fire trucks, as they require wider frames to accommodate increased capacity.
Innovation Solution
A foldable water tank design featuring a foldable frame with an open and closed receptacle portion, where the closed receptacle portion extends outwardly from the frame, swelling with water to increase capacity without increasing the tank's width, allowing it to fit within a single lane of a road and fold compactly for storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the water tank capacity is increased by using a conventional foldable design, then the water storage volume increases, but the tank width exceeds a single lane of road
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional width expansion approach to a three-dimensional depth extension approach. The closed receptacle portion extends outwardly from the frame in the depth direction, allowing capacity increase without increasing the tank's width footprint. This dimensional shift enables the tank to maintain single-lane width while achieving extended water capacity through vertical and depth-oriented space utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The closed receptacle portion is nested within or attached to the frame structure, with the open receptacle portion communicating with the closed receptacle portion. This nested configuration allows the water storage system to expand capacity by adding the closed receptacle portion that fits within or attaches to the existing frame geometry, thereby increasing volume without proportionally increasing the external width dimensions.
2Quantity of substance
If the tank capacity is extended beyond standard dimensions, then more water can be stored, but the tank cannot be stored on standard fire truck racks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a foldable frame structure that allows the tank to dynamically change its configuration between deployed and folded states. When folded, the frame and receptacle portions collapse into a compact configuration that fits within standard fire truck rack dimensions. This dynamic folding capability enables the tank to adapt between its extended capacity state during operation and its compact storage state during transport, maintaining compatibility with standard fire truck racks.
3Quantity of substance
If a wider frame is used to accommodate extended capacity, then the water tank can hold more water, but it obstructs vehicular traffic on narrow roads
Solution Approach 1:
The patent resolves the traffic obstruction issue by changing the dimension in which capacity is extended. Instead of increasing width (which would obstruct traffic), the design extends the closed receptacle portion in the depth direction outwardly from the frame. This allows the tank to achieve extended water capacity while maintaining a width that fits within a single lane, thereby preventing obstruction to vehicular traffic on narrow roads.
Data Source
AI summary
A foldable water tank comprises a foldable receptacle including an open receptacle portion and a closed receptacle portion, the open receptacle portion communicating with the closed receptacle portion such that water from the open receptacle flows to the closed receptacle, the open receptacle portion including side walls; a folding frame operably associated with the side walls to support the sidewalls in an upright position; and the closed receptacle portion extending outwardly from the frame.