Layered Umbrella Canopy Structure for Wind Pressure Relief
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing umbrella designs face issues with high positive pressure inside the canopy due to wind, leading to instability and potential inversion, especially in high wind conditions.
Innovation Solution
A secondary and optionally a tertiary canopy are added over the primary canopy, with holes in the primary canopy covered by the secondary canopy and a smaller tertiary canopy on top, providing additional paths for airflow to reduce wind resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the canopy size is increased to cover the entire head and shoulders of the user, then the protection from rain and light wind is improved, but the wind resistance increases causing the canopy to act like a sail in high wind conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The single canopy is segmented into multiple layers (primary canopy with openings, secondary canopy, and optionally tertiary canopy). This segmentation allows air to pass through the openings in the primary canopy, reducing the sail effect while maintaining coverage. The segmented structure breaks up the continuous surface that would otherwise catch wind, thereby reducing overall wind resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The primary canopy has localized openings at specific positions (typically at the top and/or sides) that create different local properties - areas of open airflow versus areas of coverage. This local quality change allows the canopy to provide protection where needed while allowing wind to pass through strategically placed openings, reducing the overall wind resistance of the structure.
2Illumination intensity
If the canopy is made of transparent material to enable visibility, then the ability to see through the umbrella is improved, but the structural strength to resist wind pressure is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent canopy is segmented into multiple layers with openings, creating a structured approach where the transparency function is maintained while the strength function is enhanced through the multi-layer configuration. The segmentation allows the structure to be both see-through and wind-resistant.
Solution Approach 2:
The umbrella employs a composite structure combining transparent material with a multi-layer canopy configuration. This composite approach integrates the transparency requirement with the strength requirement by layering transparent materials in a structured arrangement with openings, achieving both visibility and wind resistance simultaneously.
3Ease of operation
If a secondary canopy is added over the primary canopy to reduce wind resistance, then the ease of operation in wind is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The canopy is divided into segmented layers (primary and secondary canopies with specific openings), where each layer serves a functional purpose. This segmentation improves ease of operation in wind by allowing controlled airflow, while the modular nature of the segmentation makes the complexity manageable through standardized design elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The secondary canopy is nested over the primary canopy, creating a nested structure where smaller functional elements are contained within larger ones. This nesting arrangement reduces wind resistance by creating controlled airflow paths between layers, while the hierarchical organization manages complexity through a systematic nested configuration.
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 design allows air to flow naturally through the canopies, reducing resistance to wind, making the umbrella easier to use and increasing its longevity in adverse weather conditions.
Implementation Method 1
provide additional paths for airflow to reduce wind resistance
Implementation Method 2
reduces the resistance to the air flow through the primary canopy
Data Source
AI summary
An improved umbrella is provided including a collapsible support structure, a primary canopy disposed over the support structure and defining a number of holes and an upper opening therein, a secondary canopy operably secured to the primary canopy to overlap the number of holes and a tertiary canopy operably secured to the primary canopy to overlap the upper opening. The alignment of the secondary canopy and the tertiary canopy over the holes in the primary canopy enables the dissipation of high air pressure formed within the interior of the umbrella caused by winds contacting the umbrella while maximizing the structural integrity of the umbrella.