Patent Grant
10113360
This invention relates generally to the field of modular interiors for buildings, and more specifically to modular walls.
Construction of buildings and furnishings has, in recent years, begun pivoting towards increased modularity. Such has been especially prevalent for furnishings, where designers and engineers have produced everything from couch-bunk bed hybrids to coffee tables that become desks. While significant advances have been made in the modularity of furnishings, modularity in building structures has presented significant engineering barriers that have yet to be solved. One such barrier is related to the size of a room. Many rooms in a home or office building are, for significant periods of time throughout a 24-hour period, unused, primarily because the activities engaged in by individuals that might otherwise use the room cannot be hosted in the room. For example, while a small 10′×10′ room may suffice as an office, it would be much too small to host a large dinner party.
Some solutions to fixed room sizes have been presented, but such solutions are generally only useful in warehouse settings where one expects little more than a plastic sheet to segregate an area. Solutions have yet to be presented for true room-size modularity. Thus, there is still significant room for improvement at least in the area of room size modularity.
A flexible, roll-up wall is described herein that addresses some of the issues described above regarding previous solutions. In general, the roll-up wall includes a sound-attenuating sheet and a tensioning mechanism. The roll-up wall described herein offers several benefits. First, the wall is modular, offering room size modularity within a structure. Second, the tensioning mechanism pulls the wall taught, giving it a look and feel like a typical rigid room wall. Thus, the wall combines modularity with privacy features and aesthetics that convey to a user the sense of a true, rather than modular, wall.
Various embodiments of a flexible, roll-up wall are described herein. The wall includes a roller drum having a selectively engageable one-way bearing, one or more power supplies, a motor, a flexible, sound-attenuating sheet, an electromagnet and at least one of a corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet, one or more conductive threads, a force meter, and a potentiometer. The motor is coupled to the drum by a transmission, and is electrically coupled to at least one of the one or more power supplies. The flexible sheet includes a base fabric and a polymer coating surrounding the base fabric, and is coupled to the roller drum at a first end of the sheet. The one or more conductive threads are woven into the base fabric and extend from the first end of the flexible sheet to the second end of the flexible sheet. At least one of the one or more conductive threads is electrically coupled to the electromagnet and at least one of the one or more power supplies. The potentiometer is electrically coupled between the at least one power source coupled to the electromagnet and the electromagnet, wherein the potentiometer varies the current delivered to the electromagnet based on a force measured by the force meter.
A more particular description of the system briefly described above is made below by reference to specific embodiments. Several embodiments are depicted in drawings included with this application, in which:
A detailed description of the claimed invention is provided below by example, with reference to embodiments in the appended figures. Those of skill in the art will recognize that the components of the invention as described by example in the figures below could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the detailed description of the embodiments in the figures is merely representative of embodiments of the invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed.
The descriptions of the various embodiments include, in some cases, references to elements described regarding other embodiments. Such references are provided for convenience to the reader, and to provide efficient description and enablement of each embodiment, and are not intended to limit the elements incorporated from other embodiments to only the features described regarding the other embodiments. Rather, each embodiment is distinct from each other embodiment. Despite this, the described embodiments do not form an exhaustive list of all potential embodiments of the claimed invention; various combinations of the described embodiments are also envisioned, and are inherent from the descriptions of the embodiments below. Additionally, embodiments not described below that meet the limitations of the claimed invention are also envisioned, as is recognized by those of skill in the art.
Throughout the detailed description, various elements are described as “off-the-shelf.” As used herein, “off-the-shelf” means “pre-manufactured” and/or “pre-assembled.”
In some instances, features represented by numerical values, such as dimensions, quantities, and other properties that can be represented numerically, are stated as approximations. Unless otherwise stated, an approximate value means “correct to within 50% of the stated value.” Thus, a length of approximately 1 inch should be read “1 inch+/−0.5 inch.” Similarly, other values not presented as approximations have tolerances around the stated values understood by those skilled in the art. For example, a range of 1-10 should be read “1 to 10 with standard tolerances below 1 and above 10 known and/or understood in the art.”
Described below are various embodiments of a modularized wall that enables variable room sizing in a rigid building, where the rooms convey a look and feel of typical, rigid room walls. The flexible, roll-up wall includes a roller drum having a selectively engageable one-way bearing, one or more power supplies, a motor, a flexible, sound-attenuating sheet, an electromagnet and at least one of a corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet, one or more conductive threads, a force meter, and a potentiometer. The motor is coupled to the drum by a transmission, and is electrically coupled to at least one of the one or more power supplies. The flexible sheet includes a base fabric and a polymer coating surrounding the base fabric, and is coupled to the roller drum at a first end of the sheet. The one or more conductive threads are woven into the base fabric and extend from the first end of the flexible sheet to the second end of the flexible sheet. At least one of the one or more conductive threads is electrically coupled to the electromagnet and at least one of the one or more power supplies. The potentiometer is electrically coupled between the at least one power source coupled to the electromagnet and the electromagnet, wherein the potentiometer varies the current delivered to the electromagnet based on a force measured by the force meter.
The roll-up wall is modular because it is easily and conveniently rolled up, instantly expanding a room size. In some embodiments, the roll-up wall is permanently affixed to the building, such as above a ceiling, and the flexible sheet extends down through the ceiling to the floor. However, in other embodiments, the roll-up wall is removably affixed to the building, and, in various embodiments, is transferred around and even out of the building. Such embodiments are considered to have thoroughly robust room size modularity.
The roll-up wall imitates a typical fixed, rigid wall through effective tensioning and sound attenuation. Rigidity of the wall is achieved using the magnets, force meter, potentiometer, and one-way bearing to create tension in the wall that resists deflection. In some embodiments, the rigidity is such that a 300-lb person leaning against the wall would not sense the wall has flexed.
Various embodiments of the wall include any of a variety of force meters. In some embodiments, the force meter includes a dynamometer. In other embodiments, the force meter includes a load cell. In yet other embodiments, the force meter includes a piezoelectric sensor. Additionally, various embodiments of the wall include the force meter being disposed in various positions with respect to the wall. For example, in some embodiments, the force meter is coupled to the motor, such as in some embodiments including the dynamometer. In some embodiments, the force meter is fixedly coupled to the electromagnet, the at least one corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet, or both. Additionally, in various embodiments, the force meter is fixedly coupled to the flexible sheet or an area of surface beneath the flexible sheet. Generally, however, the force meter is coupled, at one end, to a fixed object, and at the opposite end, to an object fixedly coupled to the flexible sheet, thereby allowing the force meter to measure the tension in the flexible sheet.
The general arrangement of the magnets allows the flexible sheet to be fixed to a surface such as a floor of a room. For example, in some embodiments, the electromagnet is coupled to the flexible sheet at a second end of the flexible sheet opposite the first end of the flexible sheet (the first end being coupled to the drum and the second end extending towards the floor), and the corresponding permanent and/or ferromagnet is disposed in the surface beneath the bottom edge along the second end of the flexible sheet. In other embodiments, the permanent and/or ferromagnet is fixedly coupled to the flexible sheet at the second end, and the electromagnet is disposed in the floor beneath the bottom edge of the second end of the flexible sheet.
Various embodiments of the roll-up wall also include a means for determining when to stop unrolling the flexible sheet from the drum. For example, in some embodiments, the sheet has a height equal to, or only slightly larger than, a known height of a ceiling in an area where the wall is being used. In such embodiments, the sheet is unrolled from the drum completely, and a simple position encoder determines when the sheet has been fully extended. However, in other embodiments, the roll-up wall is used in a variety of rooms having a variety of heights. In some such embodiments, a second permanent magnet is vertically coupled to one or more springs at the second end of the flexible sheet. A corresponding conductive coil is disposed in the floor beneath the bottom edge of the flexible sheet, and is aligned with the second magnet such that vertical oscillation of the second magnet incudes a current in the coil. The current is then carried by, for example, at least one of the conductive threads, to a controller that stops the motor from unrolling the sheet. In some embodiments, the second magnet extends beneath the bottom edge and, as the bottom edge contacts the floor, the second magnet extends into the coil. The sudden stop of the downward motion of the permanent magnet stretches the spring, causing the magnet to oscillate vertically and induce a current in the coil. The controller stores a threshold current and compares the current received from the col to the threshold current to determine whether the sheet has reached the floor.
In many embodiments, the roll-up wall includes a dedicated controller coupled to one or more of the motor, the power supplies, the electromagnet, the force meter, and the potentiometer. The controller includes one or more hardware processors and hardware memory. The hardware memory has instructions stored thereon for operating one or more of the motor, the power supplies, the electromagnet, the force meter, and the potentiometer. For example, in some embodiments, the instructions include detecting an increase in a force exerted on the flexible sheet and increasing an amount of current being delivered to the electromagnet. The increase in the current is proportional to, and based upon, the force exerted on the flexible sheet. In some embodiments, the instructions include unrolling the flexible sheet from the drum, detecting a bottom edge of the flexible sheet at the second end has reached a surface beneath the flexible sheet, engaging the one-way bearing with the roller drum, activating the electromagnet, and tensioning the flexible sheet. Some embodiments have instructions that include measuring an amount of tension in the flexible sheet, comparing the measured tension in the sheet to a desired tension, and shutting off the motor as the measured tension matches the desired tension. Additionally, in some embodiments, the memory stores data regarding an amount of tension required to tear the flexible sheet. In some such embodiments, instructions stored on the memory include determining, based on the data, an amount of current to deliver to the electromagnet such that a magnetic force exerted between the electromagnet and the at least one corresponding permanent magnet or ferromagnet is less than the amount of force required to tear the flexible sheet by an amount ranging from one one-hundredth of a percent to ten percent.
The roll-up wall panel system described herein is similar to those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/277,169 by David R. Hall et al for a “Flexible, Sound-Attenuating Roll-Up Wall System,” incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/278,679 by David R. Hall et al for a “Roll-up Wall,” which is also incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The inner drum is fixedly coupled to a mounting surface by flange 202a, and the outer drum is rotatably coupled to a mounting surface by flange 201a. The outer drum flange includes one or more electrical contacts and wiring that conducts power and data from components inside the drum to conductive thread disposed in the flexible sheet. In some embodiments, the contacts include circular metal sheets disposed around the transmission coupled to wiring passing through the outer drum flange. Power and data lines are wired around the motor and transmission, and remain stationary relative to the inner drum as the outer drum rotates.
Because the inner drum is fixed, the motor can apply a torque to the outer drum. The bearings provide structural support for the outer drum while allowing the outer drum to rotate. The one-way bearing is selectively engageable by the solenoid, which extends through the inner drum into the one-way bearing to lock a non-rotating portion of the one-way bearing to the inner drum. The one-way bearing is described in more detail below regarding
The motor is, ins some embodiments, any of a variety of off-the-shelf motors, such as a DC motor, an AC motor, a brushless motor, and others. In general, however, the motor is powerful enough to apply a torque to the outer drum strong enough to create a tension in the sheet as the sheet is fixed to the floor that imitates the rigidity of a typical fixed wall. In some embodiments, the motor includes an impact transmission, such as is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/241,589 filed on Aug. 19, 2016 by David R. Hall, et al, for a “Winch with Impact Transmission,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The force meter is any of a variety of off-the-shelf force meters. In some embodiments, such as those where the force meter is disposed between the flexible sheet and the outer drum, the force meter directly measures the tension in the flexible sheet by compression of the force meter between the flexible sheet and outer drum as the outer drum pulls on, and tensions, the flexible sheet. In such embodiments, the force meter includes, for example, one or more load cells and/or piezoelectric sensors. However, in some embodiments, the force meter indirectly measures the tension in the flexible sheet by measuring the power output of the motor. In some embodiments, this is accomplished by measuring the current drawn by the motor using the controller. In other embodiments, this is accomplished using a dynamometer coupled directly to the motor. In general, the force meter is electrically coupled to the controller, and the controller has stored instructions for interpreting the signals generated by the force meter. In various embodiments, those instructions include performing the necessary calculations to convert the force measured by the force meter to the tension in the flexible sheet, and vice-versa. Additionally, in various embodiments, the controller has stored instructions and information for differentiating between the force exerted by the weight of the flexible sheet and a force exerted by tension in the sheet as the sheet is fixed to the floor. In some embodiments, this includes storing a threshold force correlating to the free-hanging weight of the flexible sheet, and in some embodiments, this includes storing a threshold force correlating to a minimum desirable tension in the sheet.
The controller generally includes hardware memory 208a and one or more hardware processors 208b. The hardware memory is, in many embodiments, non-volatile, and stores instructions for operating the roll-up wall and associated components. The processors include, in various embodiments, volatile and/or non-volatile memory, and execute the instructions stored in the hardware memory. Examples of some such instructions are described below regarding
Various embodiments of the controller, such as that depicted, also include potentiometer 208c. The potentiometer regulates current flowing to an electromagnet (described below in more detail regarding
The power supply includes any of a variety of off-the-shelf power supplies, including, among others, batteries, power transformers, and/or rectifiers. For example, in some embodiments, the roll-up wall is battery-powered, such as in embodiments where the roll-up wall is removably fixed to the building, and is transported to other portions of the building based on modular room needs. In other embodiments, the roll-up wall is permanently fixed to the building, and is powered by, for example, mains electricity. In some such embodiments, the power supply is a transformer that steps the voltage of the mains electricity up or down based on the needs of the roll-up wall electrical components. Thus, in some embodiments, several transformers are included. In mains electricity embodiments also including a DC motor, the power supply also includes a rectifier. Alternatively, in some embodiments the rectifier is built into the motor. The electromagnet that fixes the flexible sheet, is, in various embodiments, powered by a stable DC source, such as a battery, regardless of the power source used for the motor and roller drum electrical components. This ensures constant, unwavering tension in the flexible sheet.
The electromagnet is any of a variety of electromagnets, but generally includes those structures commonly used for lifting and/or locking electromagnets. Enough coils, and wire of a sufficient gauge, are provided in the electromagnet to provide sufficient force to oppose the tension in the flexible sheet. The maximum tension in the flexible sheet is described in more detail below regarding
The magnetic bar is comprised of any of a variety of magnetic materials, including permanent magnetic ceramics and/or ferromagnetic metals such as iron. The ferromagnetic bars have the benefit of being generally inert (besides possibly being prone to rust), whereas the permanent magnetic bars provide the additional benefit of securing the flexible sheet to the floor, without running a current to the electromagnet, for minimal levels of tension in the sheet. The floor includes, in various embodiments, a recess to accommodate the force meter and/or the magnetic bar. The magnetic bar is, in the depicted embodiment, fixed to the floor by the force meter. For example, in some embodiments, the force meter is welded to the ferromagnetic bar and bolted to the floor. However, in other embodiments, the force meter is bolted directly to the floor.
Sound-attenuation is a significant feature of the flexible sheet. In many cases, the flexible sheet is the only material separating one room from another in a modularized building interior. The greater the sound-attenuation, the greater the sense of privacy an occupant in a modular room feels. This can be especially important in housing structures where, for example, the flexible sheet separates a living room from a bedroom or bathroom. Thus, in various embodiments, the flexible sheet generally has an STC rating ranging from 20 to 40.
Tensile strength and tear strength are two other significant features of the flexible sheet. These features enable the flexible sheet to imitate a rigid wall through tension. Rigidity can generally be characterized by an amount of deflection of the surface under a perpendicular force. The present inventors have found that a deflection of approximately 1 mm or less is virtually imperceptible to a casual observer, and give the impression of rigidity to the observer. For a 300-lb person leaning against a 10-ft by 8-ft wall at approximately a 45-degree angle, a 1-mm deflection of the wall represents a tension of approximately 20 lbs. per square inch. Various embodiments of the example material described above, mass-loaded vinyl, have a tear strength of up to 30 pounds and a tensile strength of 900 lbs. per square inch for a 3-mm thick sheet. Thus, mass-loaded vinyl represents one high-quality example of a material for use as the flexible sheet.
As the panel reaches the floor, the electrical contacts touch, and the permanent magnet extends into the coil. The change in movement of the permanent magnet causes it to oscillate up-and-down by the spring, inducing a current in the coil. The current is transmitted, via the conductive wire, to a controller that controls the unwinding of the panel. Upon receiving the signal from the coil, the controller stops unwinding the panel.
A variety of methods of operating the systems and mechanism described above are described below regarding
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8659246 | Mullet | Feb 2014 | B2 |
| 9963873 | Hall | May 2018 | B2 |
| 20100219183 | Azancot | Sep 2010 | A1 |
| 20170074622 | Wallace | Mar 2017 | A1 |
| 20170275945 | Hall | Sep 2017 | A1 |
| 20170275946 | Hall | Sep 2017 | A1 |
| 20180030781 | Hall | Feb 2018 | A1 |
| 20180087269 | Hall | Mar 2018 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180163466 A1 | Jun 2018 | US |
