Rotating Housing Units on Spiral Track

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional apartment buildings have stationary housing positions, heights, and angles, resulting in residents seeing the same mundane views with lower units having obstructed views.

Innovation Solution

A building design featuring spirally rotating housing units, powered by a moving device and control system, allowing units to change positions, heights, and angles at predetermined intervals, enabling residents to see different views and unobstructed vistas.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If housing units are made stationary in conventional buildings, then structural simplicity is maintained, but residents experience monotonous views and lower units have obstructed views

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveview diversityVSAvoidbuilding structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The housing units are transformed from stationary to movable along a spiral track. Each housing unit can rotate around the central structure and change its position dynamically, allowing residents to experience different views by moving to different heights and orientations around the building

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The housing units move along a three-dimensional spiral trajectory around the central structure, transitioning from fixed two-dimensional floor plans to dynamic three-dimensional positioning. This enables units to access different heights, radial positions, and rotational orientations simultaneously

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Adaptability or versatility

If housing units are moved spirally along a track, then view diversity and unobstructed perspectives are achieved, but mechanical complexity and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveview accessibilityVSAvoidenergy for rotation

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The housing units move in periodic cycles along the spiral track, rotating to predetermined positions at regular intervals. The system operates in discrete steps rather than continuous motion, with units moving to new positions periodically and then remaining stationary during observation periods

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The spiral track is designed to utilize gravitational potential energy, allowing housing units to slide or roll along the inclined spiral path with minimal external energy input. The track's geometry converts potential energy to kinetic energy for movement, reducing the need for active propulsion systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #12Equipotentiality

3Loss of energy

If housing units slide down by gravity along the housing track, then energy consumption is reduced, but precise positioning control becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveenergy consumptionVSAvoidpositioning accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of energyVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The control system continuously monitors the position of each housing unit along the spiral track and provides feedback to the braking devices. This closed-loop control enables precise positioning by adjusting brake application based on real-time position data, ensuring units stop accurately at predetermined locations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system replaces purely mechanical positioning with an integrated control system that uses sensors, controllers, and electronically controlled braking. This substitution of mechanical feedback with electronic control enables more precise and reliable positioning compared to traditional mechanical systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

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

Enables residents to experience varying views and unobstructed perspectives by periodically repositioning housing units along a spiral track, enhancing visual diversity and accessibility.

Implementation Method 1

the braking devices of all the housing units are released temporarily to make the housing units slide down by gravity along the housing track

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectGravity: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentUS9506241B1Building with rotating housings

Publication Date: 2016.11.29 KUO YI CHEN

AI summary

A building with rotating housings has a main structure and multiple housing units. The main structure has a structure body, a housing track extending spirally upward outside of the structure body, and a temporary track moveably mounted in the structure body. When changing positions of the housing units, braking devices of all the housing units are released temporarily to make the housing units slide down by gravity along the housing track for a distance of one housing unit, and the housing unit at the lowest position slides to the temporary track. Then the temporary track and said housing unit are moved upward. Finally the braking device of said housing unit is released temporarily to make said housing unit slide down to the housing track to be the highest housing unit. The housing units can change their positions, heights, and angles at regular or predetermined timeline.