Retractable Sanitary Unit Walls for Container-Height Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high transportation costs and inefficiencies in moving residential units, particularly sanitary units, due to the need to transport empty space rather than inventory, are exacerbated by growing demand for temporary use in events and disaster relief scenarios, necessitating a more efficient and energy-effective solution.
Innovation Solution
A transportable sanitary unit designed as a straight parallelepiped with retractable walls that convert between a low transport position and a high operational position, allowing for efficient stacking and use of standard freight container dimensions, incorporating a vacuum drainage system and modular design for flexible configuration and reduced transportation volume.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If residential units are transported in standard container sizes, then transportation capacity is maximized, but the units cannot maintain full operational height during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The wall panels are designed to be dynamically adjustable between extended and retracted positions. During transport, walls are retracted to reduce unit height and fit within standard container dimensions. At the destination, walls are extended to provide full operational height and functionality, resolving the contradiction between transport volume utilization and operational height requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall panels incorporate nested structural elements where support frames and panel sections are arranged to telescope or fold into each other during retraction. This nesting allows the walls to compact to a fraction of their extended height while maintaining structural integrity, enabling maximum transportation volume utilization without sacrificing operational capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If walls are made extendable to provide operational height, then sanitary functionality is improved, but transportation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The wall structure is segmented into multiple independent panels that can be individually extended or retracted. Each panel contains its own support frame and connection mechanisms, allowing for simplified individual components rather than one complex monolithic wall system. This segmentation enables the walls to provide full operational height when needed while keeping each mechanical element relatively simple and manageable.
3Reliability
If entire contents including air space are transported with residential units, then inventory is protected, but transportation costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The collapsible wall design allows the unit volume to be dynamically reduced during transport to minimize the air space that must be moved. By retracting walls to compact dimensions, the transportation volume approaches the actual inventory volume, significantly reducing the energy required for transport while ensuring inventory remains protected within the compacted unit structure.
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
This design enables efficient transportation of fully functional sanitary facilities with reduced energy consumption, allowing for multiple units to occupy the same transport volume as a single standard container, maintaining inventory space and accommodating additional goods, while easily converting to operational height for use.
Implementation Method 1
In a water-saving embodiment the drain pipe can be connected to a vacuum drainage system.
Data Source
AI summary
Transportable unit for forming a straight parallelepiped-shaped residential space, provided with a bottom and a covering, and upright walls extending in between them, which walls can be converted between a—particularly retracted—transport position and a—particularly extended—operational position, in which the unit has a larger height, wherein the unit is equipped as a sanitary unit having a series of toilet bowls, urinals and/or showers.