Modular ease-of-use shelving system
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing modular construction system is not user-friendly, requiring multiple components and tools for assembly, which complicates the connection of plates in a modular construction system.
Innovation Solution
A bracket with gripper elements that expand in diameter to establish a friction coupling with plates, allowing for easy connection and disconnection without the need for bolts, featuring a linking member that maintains a predefined distance and orientation, and includes mechanisms for varying configurations to accommodate different orientations and angles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If bolts are used to connect plates in a modular construction system, then the connection strength is improved, but the device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to requiring multiple components and tools for assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the bracket and bolt functions into a single integrated bracket device. The bracket includes gripping elements that directly engage with the plate holes, eliminating the need for separate bolts. This merging of components reduces assembly complexity while maintaining connection strength through the integrated design where the bracket body itself provides the fastening function.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the bolt component from the traditional bracket-bolt assembly system. By designing the bracket with built-in gripping elements that insert directly into plate holes, the patent removes the need for separate fastening components, thereby simplifying the overall device while preserving structural integrity.
2Reliability
If multiple components are used for plate connection, then the connection reliability is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to requiring multiple tools and assembly steps
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket is designed with self-aligning gripping elements that automatically engage with the plate holes during insertion. The gripping elements feature tapered surfaces and elastic deformation capabilities that enable self-adjustment and self-locking without requiring additional tools or complex assembly procedures, thereby maintaining reliability while improving ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes elastic deformation of the gripping elements as a key parameter change mechanism. The gripping elements are designed to deform elastically during insertion and then lock into place, providing reliable connection through controlled material parameter changes rather than through multiple rigid components.
3Ease of operation
If a friction coupling mechanism is used in the gripper element, then the ease of operation is improved by allowing easy connection and disconnection, but the connection strength may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The gripping elements are designed with dynamic characteristics, featuring elastic deformation capabilities that allow them to flex during insertion and connection. This dynamic behavior enables the friction coupling mechanism to maintain strong connections through controlled deformation and recovery, balancing ease of operation with connection strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket incorporates composite construction with different material properties in various zones. The gripping elements use materials with appropriate elastic moduli to provide both friction-based ease of operation and sufficient connection strength, while the bracket body uses stronger materials for structural support, creating a composite solution that addresses both requirements.
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 solution simplifies the assembly process by eliminating the need for bolts and allowing for easy connection and disconnection of plates using a single type of device, enhancing user-friendliness and flexibility in modular construction systems.
Implementation Method 1
the gripper element is configured for enlarging a diameter in at least one direction in a plane parallel to the plate to obtain a friction coupling between the bracket and the plate
Implementation Method 2
to obtain a friction coupling between the bracket and the plate or between the bracket and a further bracket provided from another side of the respective plate
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket is for use in a modular construction system, wherein plates are mechanically connected in a releasable manner to form a structure. The plates comprise at least one hole in a part thereof, wherein the hole is configured for being coupled to the bracket. The bracket comprises at least two foot portions for being coupled to respective plates. Each foot portion comprises a gripper element for being inserted into the hole of the plate and a linking member connecting the at least two foot portions and establishing a predefined fixed distance and a predefined fixed relative orientation between said foot portions. The gripper element is configured for enlarging a diameter in at least one direction in a plane parallel to the plate to obtain a friction coupling between the bracket and the plate or between the bracket and a further bracket provided from another side of the respective plate, when activated in operational use, and for reducing the diameter of the gripper element in a first direction of the plane parallel to the plate to release the bracket from the plate, when deactivated in operational use.