AU2011235588A1

AU2011235588A1 - Expandable flat pack dwelling module

Info

Publication number: AU2011235588A1
Application number: AU2011235588A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ian Lowrey
Original assignee: LIFT LINK HOUSING Pty Ltd
Current assignee: LIFT LINK HOUSING Pty Ltd
Priority date: 2010-03-31
Filing date: 2011-03-25
Publication date: 2012-11-01
Anticipated expiration: 2031-03-25
Also published as: AU2011235588B2; WO2011120075A1

Abstract

An expandable flat pack module (1) is disclosed which has a pitched roof (2). In a storage configuration a plurality of such modules (1) can form a compact stack (7) of modules. A plurality of stub supports (5) are arranged around the periphery of the base (8) each having a substantially identical length sufficient to support the base (8) of a like module ( 1 ) and maintain the base (8) of the like module (1 ) closely spaced from the ridge (3) of the pitched roof (2). Each module (1) can be erected by raising the pitched roof (2) above the base (8) of the module. Preferably two end walls (13) pivoted to the base are provided. Preferably two side walls (10) each having a central, horizontal and inwardly folding piano hinge (12), and pivotally connected to both the roof (7) and base (8), are also provided. Various erection methods and dwelling configurations are also disclosed.

Description

WO 2011/120075 PCT/AU2011/000334 EXPANDABLE FLAT PACK DWELLING MODULE Field of the Invention The present invention relates to expandable flat pack modules for dwellings. The 5 invention also relates to dwellings having a pitched roof which are able -to be constructed from an expandable flat pack module. Background Art Flat pack modules which are able to be expanded into dwellings are particularly 10 advantageous because they enable dwellings or buildings to be stored in a compacted configuration when not required. There is a considerable demand for dwellings that are able to be quickly erected at non-specialized sites, for example, special events, construction projects, disaster zones, and the like. In most instances, after the event or the construction is finished, the dwelling or building is able to be returned to its 15 compact storage cofifiguration to enable it to be stored for use for another occasion. It is particularly advantageous if the erected dwelling or building can have a pitched roof for a number of reasons. Firstly, a pitched roof enables water to be easily shed from the roof in times of rain. Secondly, a pitched roof enables the dwelling or 20 building to be provided with guttering which collects rain water for capture in a storage tank, thereby assisting in the provision of a potable water supply. Thirdly, a pitched roof means that the dwelling need not be placed on its footings or'foundation with extreme accuracy, as is required in the situation where, for example, a shipping container, or other "box" is used as a pseudo dwelling. In these conditions a slope of 25 1 or 2 degrees, for example, is sometimes given to the upper surface of the shipping container in order to enable it to shed water,. however, this has the undesirable consequence that the floor (being parallel to the upper surface of the container) also slopes to the same degree and this can be a substantial disadvantage. 30 Genesis of the Invention The genesis of the present invention is a desire to provide a flat pack module which can be expanded into an erected dwelling where the erected dwelling has a pitched roof.

WO 2011/120075 PCT/AU2011/000334 Summary of the Invention In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a pitched roof expandable flat pack module, said module being expandable between a first compact storage configuration and a second erected dwelling configuration, having a 5 base comprising a floor having a floor area, said pitched roof having a ridge and an area projected onto a horizontal plane which projected area is substantially the same as the area of the floor and being located above said base, a pair of opposite end walls each pivoted to said base and movable between a compact position in which said walls are pivoted towards each other and lie substantially parallel to said base, and a 10 use position in which said end walls are each substantially perpendicular to said base and extend between said roof and base, a plurality of stub supports arranged around the periphery of said base and each having a substantially identical length sufficient to support the base of a like module and maintain the base of said like module closely spaced from said pitched roof ridge. 15 In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is disclosed a method of erecting the abovementioned module, said method comprising the steps of: if necessary, locating said base on a generally level location; raising said pitched roof upwardly; 20 pivoting said end walls from said compact position to said use position; and securing said end walls in said use position to thereby support said roof in said raised position. Brief Description of the Drawings 25 A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. I is a perspective view of a flat pack module having a pitched roof and being in its compact storage configuration, Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a stack of the modules of Fig. 1, 30 Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a first method of erection of a dwelling utilizing the module of Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a second method of erection of the module of Fig. 1, 2 WO 2011/120075 PCT/AU2011/000334 Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a third method of erection of the module of Fig. Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the erection of an end wall, Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the completed erected module, 5 Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the underside of the module of Fig. 5 and 7, Fig. 9 is a perspective view to an enlarged scale of a portion of the underside of the module of Fig. 8, Fig. 10 is a schematic perspective view of a first embodiment of erection cables used in connection with Fig. 5, 10 Fig. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of erection cables, Fig. 12 is another perspective view of the arrangement of Fig. 11, Fig. 13 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 5 but illustrating rollers for the erection cables, Fig. 14 is a perspective view of a folded side wall showing-detail of the rollers, 15 Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing the location of bolts to secure the end wall, Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing a preferred form of hinge mechanism, Fig. 17 shows the detailed interconnection of the uprights which house the hinge mechanism of Fig. 16, 20 Fig. 18 is a perspective view of an erected flat pack module including a pitched roof but excluding walls, Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a multiple modules dwelling having verandas formed from the modules of Fig. 18, and Fig. 20 is a perspective view of a multi-storey dwelling formed from a 25 plurality of modules. Detailed Description As seen in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a flat pack module I has a pitched roof 2 having a ridge 3. Located at the four corners of module I are four stub uprights 5. As seen in Fig. 2, a 30 stack 7 of like modules 1 is able to be formed by placing the stub uprights of an upper module immediately above the stub uprights 5 of a lower module. It will be apparent that the height of the stub uprights 5 exceeds the height of the ridge 3 and thus the pitched roof of each lower module I clears the floor 8 of the immediately adjacent upper module. 3 WO 2011/120075 PCT/AU2011/000334 As seen in Fig. 3, the pitched roof 2 can be lifted by ropes 9 attached to a crane (not illustrated). Interconnecting the floor 8 and roof 2 are two concertina like side walls 10 which have a central, substantially horizontal, pivot line 11. The walls 10 are 5 connected to the roof 2 and floor 8 by means of piano hinges 12 (shown in Fig. 14). As best seen inFig. 6, below the lower portions of the side walls 10 is stored two end walls 13 which, when erected, result in a dwelling 15 as best illustrated in Fig. 7 having a pitched roof 2, a floor 8, side walls 10 and end walls 13. 10 As indicated in Fig. 3, the flat pack module I can be erected by means of a crane by pulling upwards on the roof 2. Alternatively, as seen in Fig. 4, two A-frame hoists 17 can be provided, each of which is located at an opposite end of the module 1. 15 A third form of erection of the module I is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 8-10. Here the floor 8 is provided with a rotary bobbin 18 which extends from one end of the module to another and which is provided with a rotary mechanism 19 as seen in Fig. 9 which enables the rotary bobbin 18 to be rotated. 20 Schematically illustrated in Fig. 10 are two erection cables 21 and 22 which extend between the pitched roof 2 (not illustrated in Fig. 10) and the rotary bobbin by extending through hollow channels 25 (Fig. 5) which form the edges of the side walls 10. 25 It will be apparent from Fig. 10 that the rotary bobbin 18 can be rotated so as to wind the cables 21, 22 around the bobbin 18 and thereby reduce the length of the cables 21, 22 not wound on the bobbin 18.' As this length of cable is reduced, so the side walls 10 pivot about the pivot line II so as to erect the side walls 10 and raise the pitched roof 2 until eventually the side walls 10 are vertical as illustrated in Fig. 6. 30 As seen in Fig. 6, once the side walls 10 have been erected, the end walls 13 are raised by means of a winch 26 and winch cable 27 to result in a fully erected dwelling as indicated in Fig. 7. 4 WO 2011/120075 PCT/AU2011/000334 Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate an alternative arrangement of erection cables including four election cables 21-24 which provide for an additional erecting force. Turning now to Figs. 16 and 17, the preferred form of hinge for the pivot line 11 is 5 illustrated in Fig. 16 and constitutes a SOSS (Trade Mark) hinge 28 but provided with retro-fitted rollers over which the erection cables 21-24'run. As seen in Fig. 17 the hinge 28 is located within the hollow channels 25, one of which is provided with an interior sleeve 30 which ensures a rigid interconnection of the two hollow channels 25 when the side walls 10 are winched into the vertical position. 10 In a similar vein, as indicated in Fig. 15, the end walls 13 are bolted or latched to the hollow channels 25 using any convenient bolting or latching mechanism. As a consequence, the end walls 13 brace the side walls 10 and the hollow channels 25. Preferably these bolts or latches are lockable, and/or require simultaneous operation 15 from both inside and outside of the dwelling 15 to prevent the possibility of malicious collapse. As seen in Figs. 13 and 14, the erection cables 21-24 pass over rollers 31 so as to facilitate the erection of the side walls 10. In Figs. 13 and 14 the stub uprights 5 are 20 omitted to enable the rollers 31 to be seen. Turning now to Fig. 18, a modified module 41 without side and end walls but having a pitched roof 42, supports 45 and floor 48, is provided in order to form front and rear verandas 51, 52 on an extended dwelling 55. The extended dwelling 55 has two 25 intermediate modules 71 each with end walls but no side walls, and two side modules 61, each having two end walls 13 but only a single side wall 10. As illustrated in Fig. 20, the modules forming two of the extended dwellings 55 can be placed one above the other, as well as alongside each other to create a multi-storey 30 dwelling 75 in which the pitched roofs 2 of the lower storey are spaced from the floors 8 of the upper storey. Access is gained to the upper storey via means of stairs 77.

WO 2011/120075 PCT/AU2011/000334 The foregoing describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications, obvious to those skilled in the dwelling erection arts, can be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. 5 For example, a dwelling can be made from two of the modules 61; two of the modules 61 and two of the modules 41; five of the modules 71 and two of the modules 61; and so on. Similarly, the side and end walls are preferably made from two outer lays of sheet steel which sandwich a layer of polystyrene form. Seals between adjacent panels are preferably formed from pairs of rubber O-rings and like arrangements 10 which trap a small body of air to form the desired seal. A substantial advantage of the above described arrangement is that the hollow channels 25 of the side wall provide a suitable conduit through which flexible electrical cables 85 (as seen in Fig. 17) can be passed between the roof 2 and floor 8 15 via the side walls 10. Thus the module I can be pre-wired with all electrical cabling for power outlets in the walls and light fittings in the ceiling, and appropriate switches. In a further modification, the corners of the roof 2 can, as illustrated in Fig. 3, be 20 provided with corner lugs 80 for the crane rope 9. If those lugs are extended upwardly as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 3 to form a lug 81 having a height above the ridge 3, then the stub uprights 5 can be removed, and-the stacking function can be provided by the extended lugs 81. 25 The term "comprising" (and its grammatical variations) as used herein is used in the inclusive sense of "including" or "having" and not in the exclusive sense of "consisting only of". 6

Claims

1. A pitched roof expandable flat pack module, said module being expandable between a first compact storage configuration and a second erected dwelling configuration, having a base comprising a floor having a floor area, said pitched roof having a ridge and an area projected onto a horizontal plane which projected area is substantially the same as the area of the floor and being located above said base, a pair of opposite end walls each pivoted to said base and movable between a compact position in which said walls are pivoted towards each other and lie substantially parallel to said base, and a use position in which said end Walls are each substantially perpendicular to said base and extend between said roof and base, a plurality of stub supports arranged around the periphery of said base and each having a substantially identical length sufficient to support the base of a like module and maintain the base of said like module closely spaced from said pitched roof ridge.

2. A plurality of said pitched roof expandable flat pack modules as claimed in claim I and stacked one above the other with the base of each upper module being closely spaced from the ridge of the pitched roof of the adjacent lower module.

3. The module as claimed in claim I and having no side wall on at least one side, said module when erected being locatable alongside a like erected module to form a single pitched roof dwelling having a floor.area of twice the floor area of said module.

4. The module as claimed in claim I and having no side wall on either side, said module when erected being locatable intermediate two of said modules as claimed in claim 3 to form a single pitched roof dwelling having a floor area which is an integral multiple of three times the floor area of said module.

5. The module as claimed in claim 3 or 4 and having a verandah module able to be joined one at each of two opposite sides of said single pitch roof dwelling, said verandah module comprising a base, a pitched roof, and a plurality of support posts for said roof.

6. The module as claimed in any one of claims 1-5 and arranged with a multiplicity of substantially like modules to form a multi-level building, the 7 WO 2011/120075 PCT/AU2011/000334 base of each upper level being closely spaced from the pitched roof ridge of the immediately lower level..

7. A plurality of modules-as claimed in claim 6 and including at least one exterior staircase or access ramp.

8. A module as claimed in claim 1 and having a pair of opposite side walls, each said side wall being pivoted at its upper edge to said roof and at its lower edge to said base, and having a substantially centrally located substantially horizontal inwardly movable pivot line such that in said compact configuration the portions of each said wall adjacent the corresponding pivot line are substantially parallel and abutting and such that in said erect configuration said wall portions are substantially co-planar.

9. The module as claimed in claim 8 wherein each said side wall pivot line includes at least two hinges, and is substantially parallel to the other side wall pivot line; an elongate bobbin extends substantially parallel to both said pivot lines, a winchable cable extends from said bobbin, to a corresponding side wall, over a corresponding one of said hinges, and terminates at said roof; and said bobbin includes rotary means to rotate same and thereby wind said winchable cable around said bobbin, the reduction in the length of said winchable cable not on said bobbin winching said-side wall into said co-planar erect configuration.

10. The module as claimed in claim 9 and having at least one flexible electrical cable positioned substantially alongside said winchable cable to electrically inter-connect one or more electrical fittings in said roof and one or more electrical fittings in, or adjacent to, said base.

11. A modification to the module as claimed in any one of claims 1-10 wherein said stub supports arranged around th periphery of said base are deleted and replaced by a corresponding plurality of lifting lugs for a crane rope arranged around the periphery of said roof, said lifting lugs having a height projecting above said pitched roof.

12. A dwelling fabricated from at least one of the modules as claimed in any one of claimsl-10.

13. A method of erecting a pitched roof expandable flat pack module as claimed in claim 1 said method comprising the steps of: 8 WO 2011/120075 PCT/AU2011/000334 if necessary, locating said base on a generally level location; raising said pitched roof upwardly; pivoting said end walls from said compact position to said use position; and securing said end walls in said use position to thereby support said roof in said raised position.

14. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein said pitched roof is raised using a mechanism selected from a group consisting of a crane, a winch, a winch supported by a corresponding tower, and a rotary bobbin.

15. A dwelling erected by the method as claimed in claims 13 or 14. 9