Modular Ceiling Panels With Unified Device Network Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing commercial building ceilings have aesthetically unappealing, non-uniform appearances due to incompatible devices and control systems, leading to increased installation complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
A modular ceiling system with uniformly sized and shaped devices and channels, integrated into a single control network using a common communication protocol, allowing for easy reconfiguration and reduced wiring complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional suspended ceilings are used to provide acoustic control and conceal utilities, then acoustic performance and utility concealment are improved, but the ceiling becomes heavy, difficult to install, and creates a dead air space that promotes mold growth
Solution Approach 1:
The ceiling system is divided into modular panels that can be independently manufactured, handled, and installed. Each panel is a self-contained unit with integrated acoustic properties, allowing for easier installation compared to conventional suspended ceiling systems while maintaining acoustic control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple functions into a single ceiling panel: acoustic control, utility concealment, and structural support. By merging these functions into one integrated component, the system eliminates the need for separate layers and complex assembly procedures required by conventional ceilings.
2Reliability
If conventional suspended ceilings are used to conceal utilities and provide acoustic control, then utility concealment and acoustic performance are improved, but installation becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
Utilities and acoustic control features are pre-integrated into the ceiling panels during manufacturing. This preliminary action eliminates the need for time-consuming on-site assembly and installation of separate components, allowing for rapid deployment while ensuring proper utility concealment and acoustic performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The ceiling system uses modular panels that can be independently installed, allowing workers to install multiple panels simultaneously without complex sequencing. This segmentation significantly reduces installation time compared to conventional ceilings that require sequential assembly of multiple separate components.
3Reliability
If conventional suspended ceilings are used to provide acoustic control, then acoustic performance is improved, but the ceiling promotes mold growth due to dead air space
Solution Approach 1:
The ceiling panels utilize thin film or membrane structures that eliminate dead air spaces where mold could grow. These flexible shells maintain acoustic control functionality while preventing the stagnant air conditions that promote mold growth, thereby eliminating the harmful effect present in conventional ceilings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs porous materials in the ceiling panel construction that allow air circulation and eliminate dead air spaces. These porous structures maintain acoustic control by absorbing sound while preventing mold growth by ensuring continuous air flow through the ceiling assembly.
4Reliability
If conventional suspended ceilings are used to provide acoustic control and utility concealment, then acoustic performance and utility hiding are improved, but the ceiling sags and requires heavy materials
Solution Approach 1:
The ceiling panels are constructed using composite materials that provide high strength-to-weight ratios. These composites maintain the structural integrity needed to support acoustic control features and utility concealment while being significantly lighter than conventional ceiling materials, preventing sagging without requiring heavy construction.
Solution Approach 2:
By dividing the ceiling into modular panels, each panel can be optimized for minimal weight while maintaining structural sufficiency for its specific area. This segmentation allows the use of lighter materials compared to conventional ceilings that require heavy construction to prevent sagging across large continuous areas.
Data Source
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AI summary
A modular ceiling system has uniformly appearing devices supported by a channel or a ceiling in an aesthetically pleasing pattern with a single network and control system. The channel or ceiling has uniform sized and shaped openings into which a plurality of uniformly sized and shaped devices is fitted. The devices share a common communication protocol and power source. Each of the devices is connected to a central control system having the same communication protocol as the devices. A network connects the central control system and all of the devices together allowing communications between the central control system and the devices and among the devices using the common communication protocol.