WO1992017667A1

WO1992017667A1 - An expansible inhabitation module

Info

Publication number: WO1992017667A1
Application number: PCT/US1991/002043
Authority: WO
Inventors: Arnaldo Rudge De Moura Lacerda, Jr.
Original assignee: Advanced Engineering Products, Inc.
Priority date: 1991-03-28
Filing date: 1991-03-29
Publication date: 1992-10-15

Abstract

An expansible inhabitation module which is folded into a cargo body (figure 1) as a container. Inside the cargo body are stored an expansible folded floor (22), and expansible sidewall (21), the folded floor (figure 2) is linked to a fixed floor by hinges (20) in the cargo body, and the expansible front and rear wall (figures 3 and 4) are linked to the cargo body by hinges. The displacement of the expansible sidewall (figure 9) is done with upper (27) and lower (28) rollers tracked on top of the folding rear and front walls and over the expanded floor. The expansible roof (figure 6) is displaced on top of the main cargo body. The expanded part being connected by screws and sealed by gaskets and plastic products. Electrical wiring, heating and hydraulic systems are built inside the floor and panel walls. The resultant semi-rigid structure can be mounted and placed on adjustable shoes (29) for leveling on irregular land.

Description

Description An Expansible Inhabitation Module

Technical Field

My invention relates to an EXPANSIBLE INHABITATION MODULE destined to supersede conventional hand-made houses that are built on permanent sites and are aggregated to the soil.

For the first time in history, this new system allows the mass production of inhabitation modules with standard quality and low cost, for worldwide delivery.

Having no need of aggregation to the soil, this inhabitation module can be moved to other sites according to the owner's conveniences.

The invention was conceived for the easy coupling of other modules in order to increase space.

Background

The invention has no similar or prior art on the market. Trailers and/or containers can be coupled and used in construction parks or as a temporary dwelling, but are technically different from this invention, which is for permanent inhabitation.

Disclosure of the Invention

An EXPANSIBLE INHABITATION MODULE folded into a "transportation unit," the main body, as a standard cargo contain er that can be transported by all conventional ways.

Inside the module there can be provided ready-to-use kitchen, bathroom, furniture and all household appliances. Gas, water, sewage, telephone, heating and other connections are also provided.

Attached to the body are walls, floors, ceilings, and roof of the expansible system of the module.

No cranes nor special machines are needed for the expansion of the module, which can be done by the owners with the help of manual tools in just a few hours.

The inhabitation module is not aggregated to the soil, therefore having no need of foundations.

This semi-rigid and self-sustained inhabitation module has earthquake resistance against all vibrations within the Richter's scale range, which characteristic also makes it possible to install the inhabitation module on floaters, hulls, or columns.

Its modular panel system allows the increase of space of the module itself and/or by the coupling of other modules.

Reversing all expansion steps, the module can be packed back into its main body (original form) for transportation.

In its preferred embodiment, the invention creates a new system of industrial mass-production, with standard quality and low cost, which has never existed in the world so far. This mass-production can reach thousands of daily units and will reduce mankind shelter need. For 1991, the world demographic growth, as per UNESCO's publications, is around a quarter of a million souls for every sunset. Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 show the perspective view of the EXPANSIBLE INHABITATION MODULE:

Fig. 1 - cargo container

Fig. 2 - folded floor

Fig. 3 - expansible rear wall

Fig. 4 - expansible front wall

Fig. 5 - expansible side wall

Fig. 6 - expansible roof pieces

Fig. 7 - Shows the expansible side wall inside the body of the cargo container in vertical position (21), the folded floor in vertical position (22) , and the expansible roof pieces (25) over the fixed roof, which are so packed for transportation purposes.

Fig. 8 - Shows the folded front and rear walls (23, 24) inside the body of the cargo container.

Fig. 9 - Shows the position of the upper (27) and lower (28) rollers as set for displacement of the expansible side wall.

Fig. 10 - Shows the lifting/lowering system of the folding floor, making use of steel ropes, tracked by a winch (26) installed in the body.

Fig. 11 - Shows several panel formats used to make the walls, in metallic, wooden, and glass plates, with windows, doors, vents, etc.

Fig. 12 - Shows one of several suggested architectural views of a completely mounted, ready-to-use Expansible Inhabitation Module. Fig. 13 - Shows the lifting/lowering system of the cargo container from/to the transportation unit.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Investment

The invention can be made of metallic structure, ceramic, plastic materials or whatever, resembling a container. It has three sides or walls (side, front and rear), floors, ceilings, and roof, all rigidly welded or screwed, as shown in Fig. 1. The walls are made in cage form, the open spaces of which are filled by standard panels, having two faces (internal/external) that can be made of metallic, plastic, ceramic, wooden plates, etc. Panels for floors, windows, glasses or entirely closed walls can be exchanged as shown in Fig. 11 in order to modify the internal/external display.

The open side (20) of the main body (Fig. 1) stores the expansible folded floor (22), the expansible side wall (21). The folded floor (Fig. 2) is linked to the fixed floor by hinges (20) in the main body (Fig. 1). The expansible front and rear walls (Figs. 3 and 4) are linked to the main body by hinges, and are folded as shown in Fig. 8 (23 and 24).

The displacement of the expansible side wall (Fig. 9) is done with upper (27) and lower (28) rollers tracking on top of the folding walls (front and rear - after expansion) and over the expanded floor.

The expansible roof (Fig. 6) is made of several pieces of light structure and are displaced from the fixed roof on top of the main body to the upper par t of the expanded walls (front, rear, side). The roof pieces are screwed to each other, thus making it a strong and solid structure.

Electrical wiring, heating and hydraulic systems are built inside the floor and panel walls and are connected according to steps taken for the expansion.

The expanded parts (floor, walls and roof) are firmly screwed, thus giving resistance to the whole body of inhabitation module. Gaskets and plastic products are used to seal the linked parts. As a semi-rigid structure it can be mounted or placed on adjustable shoes (29 in Fig. 12) for leveling on irregular land.

Fig. 12 shows the Expansible Inhabitation Module as an architectural suggestion. A hydraulic system of jacks (30) can be used to load/unload the cargo from/to the transportation unit. Retractable metallic arms are found inside the floor basement to give support to the main body when jacks are used.

Claims

I claim:

1. An EXPANSIBLE INHABITATION MODULE that can be mass produced by the industry in large scale, folded into a cargo body as a container to be transported by all conventional ways, having inside its body several structures (walls, floor and roof) to be expanded. The expansible parts, linked to the cargo body, double or increase the useful area, thus forming the expanded inhabitation module, whose space can be increased even further by the coupling of other modules. This system was created to equip the cargo container with ready-to- use kitchen, bathroom, furniture and all household appliances, since the main body's space is just shortly reduced by the expansible side wall and floor inside it. Gas, water, sewage, telephone, heating and other connections are also provided. The expansion of the inhabitation module has no need of cranes or special machines, which is done by the owner with manual tools in just a few hours. The Expansible Inhabitation Module, as a semi-rigid structure, can be placed on lowdensity lands, sand, snow, ice, etc.

Floaters, boats, or columns can also support the Expansible Inhabitation because its technology creates a semi-rigid self-sustained monobloc.

Its technology also offers absolute resistance against earthquakes in all range of the Richter's scale.

The expanded inhabitation module can be folded back and converted again into a cargo container to be moved.

2. Vertical insertion system of the expansible side wall into the main body of an angle of 90° as to the tangential line of the fixed floor, as claimed in Claim 1.

3. Vertical insertion system of the folding floor into the main body of an angle of 90° related to the tangential line of the fixed floor, as claimed in Claim 1.

4. Folding system of the floor with hinges turning from 0° to 90°, as claimed in Claim 1.

5. Built-in system for lifting/lowering the floor, installed over the ceiling structure of the main body, as claimed in Claim 1.

6. Folding system of the front and rear walls turning from 0° to 180° as related to the horizontal line of the floor, as claimed in Claim 1.

7. Vertical insertion system at 90° from the front and rear walls into the main body, as claimed in Claim 1.

8. Displacement system of the side expansible wall, in vertical position, using upper rollers tacking on to of the expanded walls (front and rear), as well as using lower rollers over the expanded floor, as claimed in Claim 1.

9. Main beam of metallic trelliswork or molded plastic material, etc., to sustain flexion force actions, as claimed in Claim 1.

10. Secondary main beam of metallic trelliswork or molded plastic material, etc., formed by the expansible roof pieces, screwed to each other, thus reinforcing the fixed main beam (item 9) and increasing the resistance to support flexion force actions, as claimed in Claim 1

11. Geometric format of the roof pieces of the fixed and expansible roof, placed together as a parallelogram, formed by two structures of trapeziform sections, as claimed in Claim 1.

12. Cage construction system used in the fixed and expansible walls, with standard sizes, to be closed by panels in accordance with desired internal/external display, also allowing the coupling of other modules, as claimed in Claim 1.

13. Standard panels built with two faces with an internal space for insulation, with air or other proper material, and in several versions such as all-closed, with door, windows, vents, heating, air conditioning, etc., as claimed in Claim 1.

14. Ventilation system from the floor up to the roof with upper and lower vent with manual or automatic controls, as claimed in Claim 1.

15. A heating system built inside the floor with irradiation pipes and connections for the expansible parts, as claimed in Claim 1.

16. A fitting system of the main body and the expansible parts screwed at 180° from the incidental forces and linkage with hinges that can provide further resistance to other tangential forces from 0° to 90°, building up a semi-rigid monobloc that resists the high ranges of soil vibration, as well as all those of the Richter's scale, as claimed in Claim 1.

17. Main body with retractable metallic arms for lifting and lowering the cargo container from/to the transportation unit (truck, etc.) by use of jacks, as well as for mooring the module to the soil as a prevention against excessive wind forces, as claimed in Claim 1.

18. Removable system of corner fitting parts for lifting, lowering, folding and transporting as claimed in Claim 1.