Popup Camper Sidewall Assembly for Fast Fold-Out Setup
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing popup campers, particularly wedge style campers, require multiple steps for erection and stowage, with the end wall being difficult to attach and detach, leading to potential strain and delay in deployment and stowage.
Innovation Solution
A popup camper design that allows for erection and collapse without separately attaching or detaching sidewalls, featuring a base, top, and collapsible sidewalls with integrated panels that fold inward while remaining connected, eliminating the need for separate attachment of the end wall.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the end wall is separately erected and attached to the top and sidewalls, then the camper structure is complete and stable, but the deployment and stowage process becomes time-consuming and complex
Solution Approach 1:
The end wall is integrated with the sidewalls to form a single collapsible assembly. When the top is folded, the end wall and sidewalls automatically collapse together as one unit, eliminating the need for separate attachment and detachment operations. This merging of components resolves the contradiction by maintaining structural integrity while dramatically reducing deployment and stowage time.
Solution Approach 2:
The end wall is pre-connected to the sidewalls in a folded state within the base. This preliminary configuration allows the entire sidewall-end wall assembly to be deployed automatically when the top is erected, without requiring separate attachment steps. The pre-prepared configuration eliminates time loss while ensuring structural reliability.
2Strength
If the end wall is large and rigid, then the camper provides adequate structural support and insulation, but it becomes difficult to lean and reach to gain sufficient hold for rotation into position
Solution Approach 1:
By combining the end wall with the sidewalls into a single integrated assembly, the patent eliminates the need for separate handling of the large rigid end wall. The unified structure allows operators to work with a smaller, more manageable assembly that folds compactly, while still providing the required structural support when deployed.
Solution Approach 2:
The end wall is divided into multiple panels that are connected to each other and to the sidewalls. This segmentation allows the large rigid structure to be folded into a compact configuration during storage, making it easier to handle and deploy without compromising the structural integrity when the camper is erected.
3Ease of manufacture
If the end wall attachment point is designed for separate attachment, then the camper can be assembled from modular components, but the attachment point becomes a point of weakness subject to repeated strain and prospective failure
Solution Approach 1:
The end wall is permanently integrated with the sidewalls to form a single assembly, eliminating the separate attachment point that was subject to repeated strain and potential failure. This merging maintains the benefits of modular manufacturing while removing the reliability weakness associated with repeated attachment and detachment at the end wall.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a popup camper having a base, a top, a first sidewall having a first edge, a second sidewall having a second edge, a third sidewall connected to the first sidewall at the first edge, connected to the second sidewall at the second edge, connected to the top at a third edge, and connected to the base at a fourth edge, a hinge connecting the base and the top, the hinge opposite the third sidewall, wherein the top can be disposed in an open position or a folded position, wherein in the open position the top is hingedly rotated away from the base to form an interior space between the top, base, first sidewall, second sidewall, and third sidewall, and wherein in the folded position the top is hingedly rotated towards the base collapsing the interior space.