Mobile Elevated Building Assembly Transport and Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing elevated buildings that need to be transported require disassembly or separate movement, making them inefficient and costly, especially when both the building and tower must be relocated together.
Innovation Solution
A mobile elevated building assembly that can be compactly transported on a flat-bed trailer and reconfigured into an installed mode with a foldable staircase and top-of-stairs platform, allowing the building to be raised and lowered using outriggers, enabling efficient redeployment without additional footprint area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the building and tower are transported separately or require disassembly, then they can be moved using conventional methods (fork-lift trucks, commercial trucks), but the process becomes inefficient and costly, and additional space is required during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the building and tower into a single integrated mobile elevated building assembly that can be transported together as one unit on a flat-bed trailer, eliminating the need to transport them separately and reducing overall transport complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic reconfiguration capabilities where the building can be raised and lowered relative to the tower using hydraulic lifts, and the stairway can be folded and unfolded, allowing the structure to transition between compact transport mode and fully deployed installed mode
2Area of stationary object
If the building is lowered into the tower for transport, then the footprint area is reduced and no additional space is needed, but the mechanism becomes more complex with pivot points and hydraulic systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nesting arrangement where the building is lowered into and stored within the tower structure during transport, similar to nested dolls, maximizing space efficiency by placing one structure inside another
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses hydraulic lifts as intermediary mechanisms between the building and tower to enable smooth raising and lowering operations, providing the necessary mechanical advantage and control for moving heavy components
3Strength
If outriggers are deployed to support the building, then the weight is distributed off the trailer tires protecting the building, but the structure becomes more complex with additional support elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the support function into separate segments: the tower provides vertical support, the outriggers provide lateral stability and weight distribution, and the hydraulic lifts provide vertical movement capability, allowing each component to be optimized independently
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile elevated building assembly is configured to be compactly transportable in a transportation mode yet readily reconfigured to an installed mode after set-up with a building held many meters off of the ground by a tower supported off of the ground by outriggers. A flat-bed trailer is used to transport the assembly while in its transportation mode, and the trailer can optionally remain attached to the bottom of the tower in the installed mode. A foldable stairway and top-of-stairs platform can form a subassembly that can be pivotally attached where they connect to one-another, and this connection can be supported by a horizontal upper member of the tower. The platform can include one of at least two horizontal support members for holding the building on top of the tower. Methods are provided for reconfiguring the assembly and subassemblies between their transportation mode and their installed mode.