Interlocking Construction Panel With Honeycomb Sleeve Coupling
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for lightweight, economical construction panels that can be easily coupled together without specialized tools or skills to form various construction assemblies, particularly suitable for direct sale to consumers and applications requiring quick assembly.
Innovation Solution
The construction panels feature a planar deck on one side and a second side with compartments and alternating male and female sleeves for interlocking, allowing for easy assembly and the option to include notches for fluid delivery conduits, enabling the formation of various shapes and sizes of assemblies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If traditional construction panels are used, then structural strength is maintained, but assembly complexity and time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The panel is divided into modular units with standardized coupling interfaces. Each panel contains multiple compartments and sleeves that can independently engage with adjacent panels, allowing for segmented assembly without requiring complex overall coupling mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Male sleeves are inserted into female sleeves to create nested coupling connections. This nesting mechanism provides a simple yet effective coupling system where the male sleeve of one panel fits within the female sleeve of an adjacent panel, enabling quick assembly without specialized tools.
2Ease of operation
If specialized coupling tools and skills are required, then connection reliability improves, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling system is designed to be self-aligning and self-securing. The male and female sleeves are configured to automatically guide and secure the connection without requiring external tools or specialized skills, making the assembly process accessible to consumers while maintaining reliable connections.
Solution Approach 2:
The male and female sleeves have asymmetric geometries that provide directional guidance during assembly. The male sleeve protrudes in a specific orientation that fits into the corresponding female sleeve receptacle, ensuring proper alignment and reliable connection without requiring precise manual positioning or specialized tools.
3Adaptability or versatility
If panels are designed for versatility in configurations, then adaptability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The panel design incorporates universal coupling interfaces with male and female sleeves that can engage in multiple orientations and configurations. The same basic panel structure with standardized sleeves can be assembled into various shapes and sizes, providing configuration versatility without requiring multiple specialized panel types or increasing structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling system allows panels to be connected in multiple dimensions and orientations. The sleeves can engage horizontally, vertically, or at various angles, enabling the formation of two-dimensional and three-dimensional structures from the same basic panel design, thereby achieving versatility without complicating the fundamental panel structure.
Data Source
AI summary
This application relates to a light-weight, multi-purpose construction panel. The panel may be formed, for example, from molded plastic. Each panel includes a substantially planar deck on a first side thereof and a second side comprising alternating male and female sleeves arranged in honeycomb-like compartments defined by a plurality of wall elements. A pair of panels may be releasably coupled together with their respective second sides facing inwardly to form a construction assembly. When a pair of panels is coupled together, the male sleeves of one panel matingly fit within the females sleeves of the other panel, and vice versa. Each panel may also include guide tubes which are aligned when the panels are coupled together. A plurality of channels may be formed in the deck on the first side of the panel and spaced-apart apertures may be arranged in the channels in alignment with the guide tubes for insertion of fasteners therein or to allow water drainage through the assembly. The wall elements may include spaced-apart notches which together define conduits extending through the interior of an assembly when a pair of panels are coupled together. The conduits are sized to receive fluid delivery tubes for delivering fluid, such as heated air or water, through the panel assemblies. The panel assemblies may be used for many different construction applications including flooring, roofing and wall structures.