Towable Accommodation Unit With Pivotable Expansion Floor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing towable accommodation and storage assemblies face challenges with expandable body portions that impinge upon internal structures, affect off-road ability, and lack privacy and controlled grey water management, especially in en-suite configurations.
Innovation Solution
A towable accommodation or storage assembly with a pivotable expansion portion that forms a wall and expanded floor, allowing for increased living space, privacy, and controlled grey water management, featuring a hinged second floor portion that protects the unit during towing and forms part of the expanded floor, with options for flexible materials and automated deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If an expandable body portion is retracted into the internal space of the caravan, then the caravan maintains a compact size for transport, but it impinges upon existing structures within the caravan and makes packing problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is segmented into a fixed first floor portion and a movable second floor portion that can be independently positioned. The expansion portion is segmented and can be pivoted to different positions. This segmentation allows the second floor portion to be stored separately from the expansion portion, preventing impingement on internal structures and facilitating easier packing.
Solution Approach 2:
The expansion portion is configured to pivot about a generally vertical axis, moving from a retracted position adjacent to the sidewall to an extended position forming an expanded floor. This dimensional movement allows the expansion portion to be stored in a compact position during transport and deployed to create additional living space when needed, without impinging on internal structures.
2Volume of moving object
If the expansion portion is positioned to cover the first floor portion during transport, then the unit maintains a compact profile, but access to the first floor portion is blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The expansion portion is designed to be dynamically positionable between a retracted position adjacent to the sidewall and an extended position covering the first floor portion. This dynamic positioning allows the system to adapt between transport mode (compact profile) and access mode (first floor portion exposed), resolving the contradiction between maintaining compact profile and providing access.
3Volume of moving object
If existing expandable body portions are used, then living space can be enlarged, but they impinge upon existing structures within the caravan and affect off-road ability
Solution Approach 1:
The second floor portion is extracted as a separate, movable element that can be independently positioned and stored. This extraction allows the expandable portion to be completely removed from the internal space during transport, eliminating impingement on existing structures and preserving off-road ability while maintaining the capability to enlarge living space when needed.
Data Source
AI summary
There is proposed a towable expandable accommodation or storage assembly that includes a floor portion that is affixed to or supported on a drawbar, wherein an expansion portion is configured to be pivoted to one side of said floor portion to form at least one wall when the assembly is being used for the purpose of accommodation or utility. The assembly may provide a collapsible ablutions cubicle or kitchen area that can be reduced in size during transportation of the assembly. In this way, the assembly can be towed to a site and expanded to provide an expanded living area. Furthermore, the configuration of the floor portion means that grey water can be captured for the ablutions cubicle or kitchen area for storage in a tank or to be directed to a drain.