Modular system for a room, for a living, work or storage area, or for other three-dimensional spaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Recreational vehicles (RVs) have fixed layouts for living areas, limiting user flexibility and versatility in configuring space for different uses.
Innovation Solution
A modular flooring system comprising a modular floor surface with raised receiving panels and stackable, three-dimensional modular interior design components (MIDCs) that can be securely placed and rearranged to create various layouts, including storage, functional, and decorative elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a fixed layout is used in RVs, then structural simplicity and ease of manufacture are improved, but adaptability and versatility are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The interior space is divided into discrete modular components (MIDCs) that can be independently manufactured and then assembled in different configurations. Each MIDC is a standardized unit with specific dimensions and attachment mechanisms, allowing the interior to be segmented into functional modules like storage units, seating, and work areas that can be rearranged without structural modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The interior layout transitions from a static fixed configuration to a dynamic reconfigurable system. The MIDCs are designed with movable and adjustable features, including roll-resistant mechanisms, adjustable shelving, and repositionable components, enabling the interior space to adapt dynamically to different user needs and activities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If modular components are added to enable reconfiguration, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The MIDCs are designed as universal modules that can serve multiple functions and be used in various positions within the RV interior. A single MIDC design can function as storage, seating, or work surface depending on its placement and configuration, reducing the total number of different component types needed and simplifying the overall system despite its reconfigurability.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular components are designed to nest within each other or stack vertically, with standardized heights and attachment points that allow one MIDC to be placed on top of another or integrated with adjacent units. This nesting capability enables compact storage when not in use and creates complex functional arrangements from simple individual units.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular flooring system comprises a modular floor surface and a plurality of stackable, three-dimensional modular interior design components (MIDCs). The modular floor surface can comprise an array of discrete, raised, low-profile, receiving panels that can be rectangular in shape. MIDCs can be securely and interchangeably placed on any group of one or more adjacent unoccupied receiving panel and they can also be stackable, such that various different floor layouts can be created. Each of the MIDCs may comprise a lower surface recess that fits over a group of one or more adjacent raised receiving panels. A first MIDC may have an raised lip on a top surface such that the lower surface recess of a second MIDC fits over, separately and interchangeably, one (or more) of the raised receiving panels and the raised lip on the top surface of the first MIDC. The MIDCs can comprise a storage cube MIDC (square or rectangular cube) as well as specialized MIDCs, such as a commode MIDC, a sink MIDC, a cooler MIDC, and a tile MIDC, etc. In such a manner, a user of the modular flooring system could locate the MIDCs on the floor surface and/or stack them to configure a preferred layout. Moreover, the MIDCs could be rearranged later to design a new layout.