Modular Guiding Element for Mosquito Nets with Flexible Coupling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing guiding elements for mosquito nets and movable screens are complex, expensive to manufacture, prone to damage from external stresses like wind, and can jam due to deformation, posing safety hazards and operational issues.
Innovation Solution
A guiding element composed of modular units with a flexible coupling lamina that allows for easy assembly and flexibility, providing structural rigidity and resistance to external stresses, made from materials like steel or polymeric composites for durability, with a unique design that avoids complex shapes and costly molds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a movable guide shaped like a chain or track with mutually articulated units is used, then the guide can be picked up by the movable upright and provide guidance, but the units have a particularly complex shape requiring expensive molds that need frequent maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding element is divided into multiple identical modular units that can be articulated together. Each unit has a simplified L-shaped profile with a vertical wall and a horizontal wall, eliminating the need for complex molded shapes while maintaining the ability to form a continuous guiding path when assembled in sequence.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex articulated units with protrusions and holes, the invention uses simple identical L-shaped profiles that are copied and stacked vertically. The guiding function is achieved through the repetition of this simple geometric form rather than through complex articulation mechanisms.
2Ease of manufacture
If the movable guide units are articulated by protrusions and holes in side walls with limited thickness, then the units can be assembled, but the side walls undergo destructive deformations under external stress from wind or impact
Solution Approach 1:
The invention specifies that the L-shaped profiles can be made from composite materials or reinforced plastics that provide high strength-to-weight ratios. This allows the thin-walled profiles to maintain adequate thickness for strength while remaining easy to manufacture through molding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The guiding element is designed to be replaceable as a complete assembly. If external stress causes damage to any unit, the entire guiding element can be quickly replaced without repairing individual units, providing a form of operational cushioning against damage.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the protrusions exit temporarily from their respective holes due to elastic deformations from external stress, then the units can accommodate some flexibility, but this causes jamming and disassembly of the movable guide
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple identical L-shaped profiles are merged vertically to form a complete guiding element. The collective stability of the stacked profiles provides structural integrity that prevents individual units from deforming enough to cause jamming, while the entire assembly remains flexible enough to be picked up by the movable upright.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the profile design, specifically using L-shaped profiles with optimized wall thicknesses and dimensions that provide sufficient rigidity to prevent protrusion disengagement while maintaining the ability to be articulated. The profiles are designed with specific height-to-thickness ratios that prevent excessive elastic deformation.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
A guiding element (1) for mosquito nets (A) and movable screens in general comprising a fixed upright (B) and a movable upright (C) between which a mosquito net/screen element (D) is fixed. The element (1) comprises a series of contiguous modular units (2, 3) that are mutually interconnected by means of a flexible coupling lamina (4) that is rigidly coupled to the end units (5, 6) of the series. A first unit (2) comprises side walls (7) that have a lower end face that is shorter than the upper end face and delimit a central cavity (8); the side walls (7) are mutually coupled by a connecting portion (9) that is planar in an upward region and is provided with a seat (10) for the slidable accommodation of the flexible lamina (4). A second unit (3) comprises side walls (11) that have a lower end face that is longer than the upper end face; the side walls (11) are mutually coupled by a tab (12) that is planar in an upward region and is provided with a recess (13) for the slidable accommodation of the flexible lamina (4). The tab (12) comprises respective protrusions (14) at its ends that can be accommodated within the central cavities (8) delimited between the side walls (7) of first contiguous units (2).