Movable Canvases on Pole Networks for Dynamic Shading
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing support structures for farm fields do not effectively modulate solar illumination and provide adaptable shading or protection against weather events, limiting their ability to optimize conditions for agriculture and energy generation.
Innovation Solution
A two-dimensional support structure with a network of poles and tie-rods, incorporating movable canvases or curtains anchored to poles and tie-rods, allowing adjustable shading through sliding sheets and pulley systems for efficient coverage and protection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed shading structures are installed on support poles, then protection against solar rays and weather events is provided, but the ability to modulate solar illumination and adapt to different conditions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by transforming fixed shading structures into movable canvases or curtains that can be adjusted along the support poles. These canvases can slide up and down to modulate the degree of shading dynamically, allowing the system to adapt to different solar conditions, weather events, and agricultural needs while maintaining a relatively simple structural framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The support structure with movable canvases serves multiple functions: it provides adjustable shading for agricultural protection, supports energy generation units (photovoltaic panels or wind units), and can be configured in two-dimensional chessboard patterns that accommodate farm vehicle passage. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making a single system adaptable to various needs without requiring separate specialized structures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If movable canvases are added to poles and tie-rods, then solar illumination modulation and shading flexibility are improved, but the device complexity and number of components increase
Solution Approach 1:
The shading system is segmented into multiple independent canvases or curtains that can be individually adjusted along different support poles and tie-rods. Each canvas operates independently, allowing localized shading adjustments without affecting the entire structure. This segmentation reduces complexity by breaking down the control system into manageable, independent units rather than requiring a centralized complex mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses flexible canvases or curtains as thin film structures that can easily slide along the support poles and tie-rods. These flexible membranes provide the shading function without requiring rigid, complex mechanical frameworks. The simplicity of the thin film approach reduces the number of components needed compared to rigid adjustable shading structures.
3Ease of operation
If support structures are raised with increased pole spacing, then passage of large farm vehicles is enabled, but the coverage area and shading effectiveness are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-layer shading structure to a two-dimensional chessboard arrangement of poles with canvases that can extend in multiple directions. This dimensional expansion allows the shading coverage to fill the spaces between widely spaced poles, maintaining effective coverage area even when pole spacing is increased to accommodate farm vehicle passage.
Data Source
AI summary
System for covering flat surfaces that is installed on support structures formed by support poles (2) maintained in position by a network of tie-rods (3), both the support poles and the tie-rods being fixed on the surface by means of suitable pins. Said system comprises a plurality of pairs of elongated support elements (6, 6′) having a lower portion positioned on such poles (2) and being joined together in raised position in proximity to their upper end, to form a plurality of pairs of slopes on which protection nets or protection sheets (7) are positioned, which in open position cover the area below the support structure and which in closed position are compact and amassed between adjacent poles (2) of the same row; the movement from the open position to the closed one and vice versa being obtained through the sliding of the sheet along the support elements by means of movement means.