Segmented Flexible Covering for Complex Curved Surfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for covering complex and irregularly shaped surfaces or structures are time-consuming, costly, and require complex installation solutions, making them inefficient and expensive.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a flexible membrane layer coated with synthetic materials and a rigid layer with grooves, allowing for easy folding and adaptation to complex shapes, combined with a virtual design process for precise groove creation, enabling quick and cost-effective production and installation of coverings that can replicate both concave and convex shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tailored coverings are produced to reproduce irregular and rounded shapes, then the covering can adapt to complex surfaces and structures, but the manufacturing time increases and costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The covering is divided into multiple modular panels that can be independently manufactured using standard processes, then assembled on-site to form complex shapes. Each panel contains standardized connection elements that enable flexible configuration without requiring custom manufacturing for each shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The covering system incorporates movable and adjustable connection mechanisms that allow panels to be repositioned and reconfigured during installation. This dynamic assembly approach enables adaptation to various complex shapes while maintaining standardized manufacturing processes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If tailored coverings are produced to reproduce irregular and rounded shapes, then the covering can adapt to complex surfaces and structures, but the installation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The covering is divided into multiple modular panels that can be independently manufactured using standard processes, then assembled on-site to form complex shapes. Each panel contains standardized connection elements that enable flexible configuration without requiring custom manufacturing for each shape.
Solution Approach 2:
The modular panels are designed with universal connection elements and standardized interfaces that can be used across different panel configurations. This universality simplifies installation procedures while maintaining the ability to create various complex shapes through different panel arrangements.
3Productivity
If virtual design is used to create precise groove patterns, then the covering can be quickly adapted to complex shapes, but the design process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The design process replaces manual geometric calculations and physical prototyping with virtual design software that automatically generates groove patterns based on input parameters. This computational approach accelerates design while managing complexity through algorithmic generation rather than manual design.
Solution Approach 2:
The virtual design system uses parameter-driven generation where changing key input parameters (such as curvature radius, panel dimensions, or groove spacing) automatically updates the entire groove pattern. This parametric approach enables quick adaptation to different shapes without redesigning from scratch.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention refers to a method for making a covering (1) comprising a first layer (2) made of a flexible material; a second and a third layers (3, 6) made of a preferably rigid material engaged on opposite sides to the first layer (2). The second and the third layers (3, 6) respectively have a plurality of V-shaped grooves (4, 7) defining respective adjacent rigid and corresponding structural portions (5, 8). Each rigid structural portion (5, 8) can be oriented with respect to the adjacent rigid structural portion (5, 8), by folding the first layer (2) so as to model the covering according to three-dimensional configurations and/or a simple or double curvature. The method is preferably performed through a virtual designing of the shape desired to be obtained and a processing of the same for the obtainment of the grooves required to attain such shape.