Modular Shelter L-Bracket U-Column Connector
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing shelter solutions for displaced persons are often not readily available, are short-term, and lack durability and reconfigurability, making them unsuitable for sustained health and safety, and are not easily transportable or reusable.
Innovation Solution
A portable modular shelter system comprising wall panels, wall brackets, and connector columns that can be easily assembled and disassembled, using L-shaped brackets and U-shaped columns for locking, with retractable spring pins for attachment, allowing for flexible configuration and reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If traditional shelter structures are used, then durability and long-term usability are improved, but weight and ease of transportability worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The shelter is divided into modular components including wall panels, connector columns, floor panels, and roof panels that can be independently manufactured, transported, and assembled. This segmentation allows lightweight individual components to combine into a durable overall structure, resolving the contradiction between transportability and long-term usability.
Solution Approach 2:
The shelter employs composite construction with aluminum extrusions, steel brackets, and engineered wood panels that provide high strength-to-weight ratios. These composite materials maintain durability and structural integrity while minimizing individual component weights for easier transport.
2Strength
If complex assembly mechanisms are used, then structural strength and stability are improved, but ease of assembly and disassembly worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The connector columns feature nested U-shaped channels that receive L-shaped wall brackets, creating interlocking joints through simple insertion movements. This nested geometry provides robust structural connection while requiring minimal assembly effort and no specialized tools.
Solution Approach 2:
The retractable spring pins automatically engage with tapered holes in the connector columns when components are assembled, providing self-locking structural connections. This self-service mechanism ensures structural stability without requiring manual fastening operations or complex tooling by assembly personnel.
3Stability of the object's composition
If fixed configuration structures are used, then structural integrity is improved, but adaptability and reconfigurability worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The shelter system transitions from fixed to dynamic configuration through standardized connector columns and wall brackets that can be selectively positioned and repositioned. This dynamic design allows the same components to maintain structural integrity in any configured arrangement, enabling adaptability and reconfigurability.
Solution Approach 2:
The connector columns serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, enable wall panel attachment, allow diagonal bracing configuration, and facilitate corner and straight-line connections. This universal applicability of single components across multiple structural roles enhances both integrity and reconfigurability.
4Ease of manufacture
If traditional shelter solutions are used, then initial cost may be reduced, but loss of time for assembly and disassembly worsens
Solution Approach 1:
All structural components are pre-fabricated with standardized connection interfaces, pre-drilled holes for spring pins, and pre-attached brackets during manufacturing. This preliminary action eliminates time-consuming field fabrication and alignment operations, dramatically reducing on-site assembly time while maintaining cost-effective standardized production.
Solution Approach 2:
The snap-fit spring pin mechanism allows rapid connection of structural components through simple insertion movements that lock immediately into place. This skipping of traditional multi-step fastening procedures (bolting, welding, or extensive screwing) rushes through the assembly process efficiently while maintaining structural integrity.
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 shelter system provides durable, long-term, and cost-effective solutions that can be easily assembled and disassembled, reused, and reconfigured, offering up to twenty years of usable life span with reduced assembly time and no need for complex tools, promoting self-sufficiency and community involvement.
Implementation Method 1
In some configurations, the connector elements are retractable spring pins
Data Source
AI summary
A portable modular shelter, wall assembly, and method of assembly include a plurality of wall panels and a plurality of wall brackets operatively attached to the wall panels. A plurality of connector columns are configured to join two of the wall brackets together, such that two of the wall panels are operatively joined by each connector column. The wall bracket includes an L-shaped member, and the connector column includes a U-shaped member. Therefore, two of the L-shaped members of the wall brackets fit within the U-shaped member of each connector column. A bottom track and a top track are configured to hold the wall panels, wall brackets, and connector columns. A plurality of connector elements are configured to attach the bottom and top tracks to one or more of the connector columns. In some configurations, the connector elements are retractable spring pins.