Modular Animal Crate With Repositionable Door Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pet enclosures are heavy, difficult to deploy and collapse, pose user and pet safety hazards, and have fixed door positions, limiting their usage locations.
Innovation Solution
A modular animal crate assembly composed of interchangeable side panels with door mechanisms and corner connectors that allow for customizable configurations, enabling easy assembly and disassembly, and adjustable door positions to fit various spaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If conventional enclosures are used, then structural stability is maintained, but weight increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The crate is divided into multiple detachable side panels that can be independently assembled and disassembled. Each panel connects to others through corner connectors, allowing the structure to be broken down into manageable components for easy transport and assembly without requiring excessive force or multiple people.
Solution Approach 2:
The corner connectors incorporate rotating mechanisms that allow panels to be dynamically assembled and disassembled. The rotating connection enables users to quickly attach and detach panels by simply rotating the connector, transforming a static heavy structure into a dynamic, easily reconfigurable system.
2Ease of operation
If conventional enclosures are used, then structural stability is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates due to collapse difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the crate into detachable panels connected by corner connectors, the structure can be easily collapsed by simply detaching the connectors. This segmentation allows the stable structure to be quickly disassembled without forcing or complex maneuvers, as each panel can be independently removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating corner connectors provide a dynamic mechanism for collapsing the crate. Users can quickly rotate the connectors to detach panels, transforming the stable assembled structure into a collapsed state in minutes without requiring excessive force or compromising the structural integrity during the process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If fixed door positions are used, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The door is integrated into a detachable side panel that can be removed and repositioned independently. This segmentation allows the door to be moved to different locations on the crate by simply detaching and reattaching the panel to different corner connectors, providing versatility without requiring a complex adjustable door mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Each side panel with its integrated door can serve multiple positions and functions depending on assembly configuration. The same panel can be installed on different sides of the crate or configured with different door orientations, making the door system universal and adaptable to various usage scenarios without additional components.
4Adaptability or versatility
If modular design is implemented, then adaptability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The modular design segments the crate into standardized panels and corner connectors that follow a consistent assembly pattern. This segmentation reduces complexity by creating repeatable units that can be assembled through the same simple process regardless of the final configuration, making the modular system easier to assemble than a custom-built equivalent.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating corner connectors provide a dynamic, universal connection mechanism that simplifies assembly. The same rotation-based connection is used for all panels, creating a consistent and intuitive assembly process that reduces cognitive complexity even though the system is modular and reconfigurable.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular animal crate assembly including a first side panel having a door; a second side panel, a third side panel, a fourth side panel, a fifth side panel, and a sixth side panel; where the first side panel, the second side panel, the third side panel, the fourth side panel, the fifth side panel, and the sixth side panel are coupled together to form the modular animal crate assembly; a first assembled state; and a second assembled state; where the first side panel is positioned on a first side of the modular animal crate assembly in the first assembled state; and the first side panel is positioned on a second side of the modular animal crate assembly in the second assembled state.