Modular Furniture Frame Brackets for Portable Shade and Hammock Support
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing outdoor furniture systems, such as pergolas and hammock support frames, are often cumbersome, require specialized tools for assembly, and lack portability and versatility in providing shade and support.
Innovation Solution
A modular framework system comprising elongate structural members interconnected by metal brackets with tubular sockets and arrays of holes for secure attachment of ancillary components, allowing for easy assembly, disassembly, and reconfiguration to support shade structures, hammocks, and other accessories.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If dedicated pergola structures are constructed to provide shade, then shade coverage is achieved, but portability and storage capability are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The pergola structure is divided into modular components including frame sections, shade panels, and connection elements that can be easily assembled and disassembled. This segmentation allows the structure to provide adequate shade coverage when assembled while enabling simple portability and storage when disassembled, directly resolving the contradiction between shade coverage and portability.
2Strength
If precut wooden components are used for assembly, then structural integrity is improved, but assembly complexity and tool requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple connection functions are merged into integrated connection elements that combine structural joining, alignment, and securing features in single components. This merging maintains structural integrity through robust connections while simplifying assembly to basic operations without specialized tools or expertise, resolving the contradiction between strength and assembly ease.
3Reliability
If robust support frames are constructed for hammocks, then safety and support capability are improved, but footprint and portability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The hammock support frame components are designed to nest within each other when disassembled, with larger elements containing smaller ones. This nesting approach maintains robust support capability when assembled while minimizing the storage footprint to a fraction of the assembled size, directly resolving the contradiction between support capability and footprint.
4Stability of the object's composition
If fixed outdoor structures are installed, then stability and durability are improved, but adaptability and reconfigurability are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The outdoor structure employs dynamic connection elements that can be easily assembled and disassembled while maintaining stable configurations when assembled. The modular design with standardized connection interfaces allows the structure to achieve stability during use while enabling simple reconfiguration or disassembly for different locations or storage, resolving the contradiction between stability and adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A modular framework having a plurality of elongate structural members interconnected by brackets is provided. Each of the brackets includes at least one tubular socket to receive a structural member, and an array of holes is provided on a face of the socket to permit connection of an attachment to the bracket to support ancillary components.