Foldable Vacuum Insulation Housing With Low-Bridge Wall Transitions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing insulation housing technologies face challenges in reducing production, storage, and transport costs, and environmental impact due to complex component structures and irreversible material bonding, which hinder efficient recycling and create heat bridges, reducing insulation efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A double-walled insulation housing is configured as a planar surface element with notched transition regions, allowing for efficient storage and transport, and featuring a vacuum-tight fill material like compacted glass fibers for supported vacuum insulation, with stainless steel walls and a thinner transition membrane for improved heat insulation and reduced material usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the insulation housing is produced as a complete three-dimensional structure, then the insulation performance is ensured, but the storage and transport space requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation housing is divided into multiple planar panel elements that can be flat-packed for storage and transport, then assembled into a three-dimensional structure during installation or use. This segmentation allows the housing to occupy minimal space during logistics while forming the complete insulated enclosure when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The planar panel elements are designed to nest within each other or stack in a compact configuration during storage and transport, similar to nested dolls. This nesting arrangement minimizes the volume required for logistics while allowing easy expansion to the full housing structure when deployed.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional foam insulation is used to fill interstices, then the insulation housing is structurally stable, but material recycling becomes impossible and environmental impact increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design enables disassembly of the insulation housing into its component panels and materials, allowing for recovery and recycling of metals, plastics, and other materials at the end of the product lifecycle. This replaces the traditional approach where foam insulation permanently bonded components, making recovery impossible.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation housing employs composite material construction with distinct layers and components that can be separated for recycling. This includes using materials like vacuum insulation panels combined with metal or plastic housings, where each material type can be recovered and reused in its appropriate recycling stream.
3Loss of energy
If vacuum insulation panels with metallic reinforcements are used, then the insulation efficiency is improved, but heat bridges are formed at join regions reducing overall insulation performance
Solution Approach 1:
The design addresses the specific problem at joint regions by using localized insulation solutions at connection points. This may include adding supplementary insulation layers, using insulation-compatible fastening systems, or designing joints that minimize thermal bridging while maintaining the vacuum insulation effectiveness in the panel centers.
4Loss of energy
If multiple different components and materials are used to achieve high insulation efficiency, then the insulation performance is improved, but production costs and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The insulation housing design uses standardized panel elements and connection systems that serve multiple functions. The same basic panel structure, insulation material, and joining mechanism are used throughout the housing, eliminating the need for numerous specialized components. This multi-functionality maintains high insulation efficiency while simplifying production and reducing material variety.
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 approach enables cost-effective, space-efficient production, storage, and transport of insulation housing with enhanced insulation performance by maintaining a defined distance between walls and reducing heat convection, while allowing for easier recycling and reduced environmental impact.
Implementation Method 1
the interstice between the inner and outer wall, configured to be vacuum-tight, is filled with a porous, preferably micro-porous or nano-porous fill material, and is evacuated to form an at least slight vacuum
Implementation Method 2
filled with a porous, preferably micro-porous or nano-porous fill material
Data Source
AI summary
Proceeding from a state of the art from which double-walled insulation housings that are provided with supported vacuum insulation are already known, the invention proposes an improved insulation housing that is characterized in that first, a planar surface element (1) is produced, in which the wall elements (2) of the insulation housing, which are connected with one another, are connected with one another by means of a transition region, which region has a notch (10), wherein it is made possible, in this way, to produce the three-dimensional spatial shape of the insulation housing only in a last production step, by means of corresponding folding and setting upright of the wall elements (2) that are connected with one another, and subsequently to fix the wall elements (2) in place in this spatial shape, in accordance with the intended purpose.