Preassembled Inflatable Column Emergency Shelter Rapid Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing emergency shelters require a long time for deployment due to the need to unfold and inflate tents, assemble columns, and connect them to the tent, which hampers quick setup in emergency situations.
Innovation Solution
A preassembled column with an attached uninflated tent that can be easily inflated to deploy the shelter, reducing the deployment time by maintaining the column's geometry and attaching the tent to it, allowing for rapid setup.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the shelter is assembled from separate components (column, tent, furniture) as shown in prior art, then the shelter can be compact for storage, but the deployment time becomes excessively long
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the column and tent into a single integrated unit where the tent is pre-attached to the column. This combination eliminates the need to separately assemble and connect the column to the tent during deployment, significantly reducing deployment time while maintaining compact storage configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The tent is pre-attached to the column before deployment, and the column is pre-configured with all necessary components (furniture, equipment, utilities). This preliminary preparation allows for rapid deployment since no assembly or connection operations are needed during the emergency response phase.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple separate operations are required for deployment (accessing tent, unfolding, inflating, assembling column, connecting), then the shelter can be well-equipped, but the complexity of deployment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple deployment operations into a single integrated structure. The pre-attached tent and pre-configured column with embedded furniture and utilities eliminate the need for separate assembly and connection operations, reducing deployment complexity while maintaining complete equipment functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The column serves multiple functions simultaneously: structural support, furniture integration, utility distribution (water, electricity, communication), and tent attachment. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require separate components and assembly steps into a single universal unit.
3Length of moving object
If the column and tent are separate components requiring assembly and connection, then the shelter can be compact for transport, but the deployment process becomes time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The column and tent are merged into a single integrated unit with the tent pre-attached to the column. This merging maintains the compact transport configuration while eliminating the time-consuming assembly and connection operations that would otherwise be required during deployment.
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 significantly reduces the time required to deploy the shelter, enabling it to be set up in approximately 15 minutes, providing a comfortable and secure space for victims, with a capacity for at least ten people and a floor area of 20 square meters.
Implementation Method 1
The container includes the supplies needed to sustain life for an extended period... by directing the compressed gas retained or produced within the container, into the flexible material defining the finished shelter
Implementation Method 2
an inflatable tent and a retaining device for retaining the inflated tent in said second position... the column being adapted to inflate the tent and retain it deployed around it
Data Source
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AI summary
An emergency shelter (1., 1') that is able to occupy a first, folded position for storage and transport and a second, deployed position that is suitable for sheltering at least one person, a method for reversibly converting the shelter from this first position to this second position, and a module of contiguous shelters of this kind. The emergency shelter (1') comprises an inflatable tent (20) and a retention device (10' and 23) in the form of a column that is preassembled with the inflated tent in said second position. The column is suitable for inflating the tent and holding it deployed around the former in said second position.