Modular Panels with Pre-installed Wiring and Plumbing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing temporary accommodations such as tents provide insufficient protection from inclement weather and inadequate security for disaster victims and refugees, necessitating a need for secure and durable housing solutions.
Innovation Solution
A modular building system comprising pre-wired and pre-plumbed wall, floor, and roof panels that can be easily assembled without power tools, offering electrical and plumbing connections, insulation, and structural integrity, allowing for the creation of secure and weatherproof housing structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If tents are used for temporary accommodation, then ease of deployment is improved, but protection from inclement weather and security deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The housing structure is divided into multiple modular panels (wall panels, floor panels, roof panels) that can be independently manufactured, transported, and assembled. Each panel is a self-contained unit with integrated features such as insulation, wiring, and plumbing, allowing for easy deployment while maintaining high protection standards through the modular architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
Critical functions such as electrical wiring, plumbing, and insulation are pre-installed within the panels during manufacturing. This preliminary action eliminates the need for complex on-site installations by professionals, enabling non-experts to assemble the structure quickly while ensuring reliable weather protection and security through factory-integrated systems.
2Ease of operation
If modular panels with pre-installed wiring and plumbing are used, then assembly ease is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into specialized stages for different panel types (wall, floor, roof), each with specific pre-installed features. This segmentation allows manufacturers to focus on specific functions within each panel type, reducing overall manufacturing complexity while enabling non-expert assembly through standardized interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The panels are designed with self-aligning and self-connecting features such as friction fits and quick connects that automatically establish electrical and plumbing connections when panels are assembled. This self-service mechanism reduces the need for complex installation procedures and specialized tools, offsetting the increased manufacturing complexity with simplified assembly operations.
3Reliability
If durable housing structures are constructed, then protection and security are improved, but assembly time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The durable housing structure is segmented into pre-fabricated panels that can be rapidly deployed. Each panel maintains the structural integrity and protective functions needed for security and weather resistance, while the modular nature allows parallel assembly operations that significantly reduce total assembly time compared to traditional construction methods.
Solution Approach 2:
All protective and security-related features such as insulation layers, wiring systems, and plumbing are pre-installed during manufacturing. This preliminary action eliminates time-consuming on-site installations and allows the structure to achieve full protective capability immediately upon assembly, reducing deployment time while maintaining high reliability standards.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The modular system provides quick, secure, and durable housing solutions that can be assembled by non-experts, offering protection from weather and security from intruders, with the ability to be easily relocated and reused, addressing the shortcomings of existing temporary accommodations.
Implementation Method 1
each wall panel of the one or more wall panels can include an inner surface and an outer surface with foam insulation between the inner and outer surfaces
Implementation Method 2
Any two of the pre-wired wall panels can fit together with a friction fit enabling one or more electrical connections between the any two of the pre-wired wall panels
Implementation Method 3
Tubing between any two of the pre-plumbed wall panels can fit together with quick connects enabling one or more plumbing lines of the tubing between the any two of the pre-plumbed wall panels
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a modular building system including, in some embodiments, one or more wall panels, one or more floor panels, and one or more roof panels. The modular building components of the modular building system including the one or more wall panels, the one or more floor panels, and the one or more roof panels can faun housing or storage structures with electrical wiring, plumbing, or both wiring and plumbing. The housing or storage structures can be erected by one or more persons without a need for a plumber, an electrician, or power tools. Also disclosed is a method for erecting one or more housing or storage structure in accordance with the modular building system.