EP0222667B1 - Extensible walled enclosure made of assembled panels - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an expandable enclosure with walls of assembled panels.

The food industry, electronic pharmaceutical, and industrial, medical or precision mechanical laboratories often require enclosures which not only meet the specific characteristics of cleanliness, sealing, insulation, etc., and also allow either to be easily modified in their configuration of surface occupation to meet the evolution of space needs or to open a passage in one of their walls to bring in or take out a bulky device or machine which does not pass through their usual entrance door.

The known enclosures comprise either fixed walls or walls formed from assembled panels which are only removable with the assembly or with a sub-assembly of these enclosures. As a result, it is difficult or expensive any modification of the configuration of occupancy on the surface of these known enclosures or any opening of a passage in one of the walls thereof.

GB-A 2,051,916 describes an enclosure formed by assembling panels provided in their lateral edges with female assembly devices by means of male connection devices. The male connection devices consist of profiles provided with long elastic lateral male connection elements and the female assembly devices are profiles provided with a long slotted head forming a rigid longitudinal groove for receiving and gripping these male assembly elements. Such an enclosure has the drawback of requiring the use of a vacuum pump to obtain the elasticity of the male lateral elements.

The aim of the present invention is to avoid these drawbacks and makes it possible to produce an economic expandable enclosure with walls of assembled panels which easily allow any partial or total modification of its configuration of occupation on the surface and / or any opening of a passage in one of these walls to meet the changing needs of space or development.

The invention relates to an expandable enclosure constituted by assembly by means of male connection devices, the male connection devices being constituted by profiles provided with long male lateral connection elements and the female assembly devices being profiles provided with a long slotted head forming a longitudinal groove for receiving and gripping these male assembly elements, characterized in that in the lateral edges of the panels, the female assembly profile comprises a hollow longitudinal structure having on one longitudinal side a long hollow body forming a technical sheath, on the diametrically opposite longitudinal side, a long elastic split head open towards the outside forming an elastic longitudinal groove for receiving and gripping the profile or rigid male part of assembly, which is rigid and on the other two sides two laterally protruding longitudinal tabs rear hooking antes and two pairs of longitudinal lips spaced at the front.

• - la figure 1 représente une vue schématique en perspective d'une partie d'une enceinte extensible à parois en panneaux assemblés, réalisée selon l'invention ;
• - la figure 2 représente à une autre échelle, une vue d'une partie d'une paroi en panneaux amovibles de l'enceinte de la figure 1 ;
• - la figure 3 représente une vue d'une coupe transversale suivant un plan lll-lll de la paroi en panneaux amovibles de la figure 2, montrant deux panneaux déplacés dans leur position ouverte pour créer un passage dans leur emplacement initial ;
• - la figure 4 représente à une autre échelle, une vue d'une coupe transversale d'un profilé femelle d'assemblage disposé dans des bords latéraux des panneaux amovibles de la paroi de la figure 2 ;
• - la figure 5 représente à une autre échelle, une vue d'une coupe transversale d'un profilé mâle double d'assemblage destiné à réunir bord à bord deux panneaux de la paroi de la figure 2 ;
• - la figure 6 représente à une autre échelle, une vue en perspective d'une pièce mâle simple d'assemblage destiné à réunir un bord latéral d'un panneau de l'enceinte de la figure 1, à une surface plane;
• - la figure 7 représente à une autre échelle, une vue d'une coupe transversale suivant un plan VII-VII, d'une pièce mâle simple d'assemblage de la figure 6 ;
• - la figure 8 représente à une autre échelle une vue d'une coupe transversale d'une partie d'une paroi de la figure 2, montrant deux panneaux amovibles assemblés au moyen d'un profilé mâle double de la figure 5 ;
• - la figure 9 représente à une autre échelle une vue d'une coupe transversale d'une partie des parois de l'enceinte de la figure 1, montrant deux bords latéraux de deux panneaux, assemblés à deux faces d'un poteau d'angle, au moyen de pièces mâles simples de la figure 6, et
• - les figures 10 et 11 représentent à une autre échelle une vue d'une coupe transversale des pièces intérieure et extérieure d'un dispositif de raccordement d'angle.

In order to better understand the invention, an exemplary embodiment is illustrated below, illustrated by the appended drawings, of which,

• - Figure 1 shows a schematic perspective view of part of an expandable enclosure with walls of assembled panels, produced according to the invention;
• - Figure 2 shows on another scale, a view of part of a wall of removable panels of the enclosure of Figure 1;
• - Figure 3 shows a view of a cross section along a plane III-III of the wall in removable panels of Figure 2, showing two panels moved to their open position to create a passage in their original location;
• - Figure 4 shows on another scale, a view of a cross section of a female assembly profile disposed in the lateral edges of the removable panels of the wall of Figure 2;
• - Figure 5 shows on another scale, a view of a cross section of a double male profile assembly intended to join edge to edge two panels of the wall of Figure 2;
• - Figure 6 shows on another scale, a perspective view of a simple male part of assembly intended to join a side edge of a panel of the enclosure of Figure 1, to a flat surface;
• - Figure 7 shows on another scale, a view of a cross section along a plane VII-VII, of a simple male part of assembly of Figure 6;
• - Figure 8 shows on another scale a view of a cross section of part of a wall of Figure 2, showing two removable panels assembled by means of a double male section of Figure 5;
• - Figure 9 shows on another scale a view of a cross section of part of the walls of the enclosure of Figure 1, showing two lateral edges of two panels, assembled on two sides of a corner post , by means of simple male parts of FIG. 6, and
• - Figures 10 and 11 show on another scale a view of a cross section of the inner and outer parts of a corner connection device.

The invention is applicable to an expandable enclosure which can be modified in whole or in part from its surface occupancy configuration, and which can be opened in any of its walls to create a passage. The invention is particularly applicable to an enclosure used as a clean room, that is to say a sealed, washable room, emitting no particles often required in the pharmaceutical, food, electronic, optical, precision mechanics, etc.

An expandable enclosure 1 produced according to the invention, partially and schematically illustrated in Figures 1 to 11 includes side walls 2, 3, 4 and ceiling walls 5, 6 held in position by vertical posts 7, a floor belt 19, and a ceiling belt 20. It also includes devices for corner connection 14.

The extendable enclosure 1 comprises walls made up of assembled panels which are removable in pairs.

The extendable enclosure 1 comprises (FIGS. 2 and 3) on the one hand panels 21 provided in their lateral edges, with female assembly profiles 22, and in their end edges, with cells 23 and with axis d 'hooking 24, and on the other hand (Figures 5, 6, 7) of the profiles and male assembly parts 25 and 26 intended to be coupled to the female assembly profiles 22 during a meeting of these panels 21, and pivoting hooks or cams 27 with operating axes 44 mounted in crossbars of the floor 19 and ceiling 20 belts, intended to be engaged on the attachment pins 24 in these cell housings 23 when held in the position of these panels 21 in enclosure 1.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figures 2 and 8 each of the panels 21 which form side walls and ceiling walls of the enclosure 1, comprises side faces formed by two spaced sheets 30, 31 of rigid material whose side edges are folded inward to form flanges 32, and whose end edges are cut and folded at right angles inward to close the ends of these panels 21 while leaving free access to the cells of the housings 23 with hanging pins 24.

The available space left between the two sheets 30 and 31, closed by the folded edges of the end edges of these sheets and the cell housings 23, and by female assembly profiles 22, is filled with an expanded plastic foam. 33 formed in situ to constitute a thermally insulating rigid panel 21. The material constituting the sheets 30 and 31 forming faces of the panels 21 or their coating is chosen from materials which have characteristics meeting the predetermined requirements raised in the use of the 'enclosure 1. In an enclosure 1 used as a clean room, the sheets 30 and 31 are chosen from those made of a washable, waterproof material, emitting no particles. In the example illustrated, the sheets 30 and 31 are constituted by metal sheets and the floor 19 and ceiling 20 belts comprise crosspieces made of wood.

According to an important characteristic, in the panel 21 the female assembly profile 22 comprises (FIGS. 4 and 8) a longitudinally hollow structure having on a longitudinal side a long hollow body 34 forming a technical sheath in which electrical conductors and / can be housed or supply pipes of the enclosure 1 in gaseous or liquid fluids, and on the diametrically opposite longitudinal side, a long elastic split head 36 open towards the outside forming a longitudinal groove 36a elastic for receiving and gripping a rigid male assembly section 25, or a rigid male assembly section 26.

In the female assembly profile 22, the hollow body 34 intended to be embedded in the mass of expanded plastic foam 33 comprises on its two other sides or lateral sides two longitudinally laterally protruding longitudinal tabs 34a retaining the profile 22 in this mass of foam and two pairs of longitudinal lips spaced at the front sealing 37, 38 preventing any escape of mouse 33 towards the outside.

In the panel 21, the female assembly profiles 22 are (FIGS. 3, 8, 9) arranged set back from the lateral flanges 32 to create an additional available space 39 which completes a free space 40 left between the two sealing lips 37 , 38 to possibly receive any leakage of plastic foam 33 and prevent the latter from blocking the movements of the elastic split heads 36, in other words retaining all elasticity with these split heads 36 for their assembly by elastic fitting of the rigid male sections 25.

In the female assembly profile 22, the longitudinal groove 36a formed by the long elastic slotted head 36 comprises on the one hand a cross section having a shape complementary to that of the cross section of a rigid male assembly profile 25, or of a rigid male assembly part 26 which it must receive and, on the other hand, elastic walls allowing a strong grip on this rigid section 25 or rigid male part 26 of assembly (FIGS. 8 and 9) and thus achieving a solid edge-to-edge assembly of the panels 21.

According to another characteristic, the enclosure 1 comprises on the one hand in an edge-to-edge meeting of two panels 21 (FIG. 8), a double male assembly profile 25 (FIG. 5) constituted by a long rigid hollow body, formed of two long identical rigid parallel parallel tubular elements 41, 42 joined together by a rigid hollow central element 43, and on the other hand in a meeting of a panel 21 with a flat surface such as that of a post 7 (FIG. 9) a simple male molded part of assembly 26 (FIGS. 6, 7) formed of a rigid rod 45 and of a flat rigid strip 46 serving as support and provided at its ends with fixing holes 47. The male part simple assembly 26 comprises in its central zone, a longitudinal slot 48 and a transverse hole 49 for mounting a fastening pin for receiving a pivoting holding hook not shown.

In the example illustrated, the long rigid parallel tubular lateral elements 41 and 42 of a double assembly male section 25 and the rigid rod 45 of a single assembly male part 26 have a substantially circular cross section, and the longitudinal grooves 36a with elastic walls of a female assembly profile 22 intended to receive them also have a substantially circular cross section (Figures 4, 5, 6, 7).

The female 22 and male 25 profiles, and the male parts 26 are made of a synthetic material such as polyvinyl chloride.

During an edge-to-edge meeting of two panels 21 (FIG. 8) the elastic longitudinal grooves 36a of the female assembly profiles 22 of the adjacent lateral edges of these two panels receive with a firm elastic clamping, a common rigid double male profile of assembly 25. The female profiles 22 thus keep the two panels 21 securely assembled.

According to another characteristic, the four folded edges 32 of these panels 21 make it possible to produce fine tight joints which give good surface continuity to the panels 21 assembled and thus to meet the quality requirements of the surface of the walls in a clean room. In addition, these four folded edges 32 form two long grooves ready to receive two long sealing beads 52 constituted for example by a silicone-based mastic, which further improves the surface quality of the walls formed by these assembled panels 21.

In a meeting of a panel 21 with a flat surface such as that of a post 7 (FIG. 9) simple male assembly pieces 26 are fixed to this surface by screws 53 mounted in the holes 47, the panel 21 is engaged on these male assembly parts 26 so that the elastic longitudinal groove 36a of its female assembly profile 22 grips on these rigid male parts to firmly hold the panel 21 assembled on this surface and sealing cords 52 are applied to the edges 32 of this panel 21. In this assembly the edges 32 of the panel 21 also make it possible to form with this flat surface fine tight joints which give good surface continuity at the assembled places, meeting the quality requirements of wall area of a clean room.

In enclosure 1 the corner connection device 14 consists of two assembled molded parts (FIGS. 10 and 11) an external part 15 with a T-section with a longitudinally split body 16 and an internal part 17 with a rectangular angle section with protruding longitudinal central core 18. The inner part 17 is intended to be fixed in a corner formed either between the panels of two side walls along a post 7 (FIG. 9) or between the ground belt 19 and the ground 55 ( Figure 10) or between the panels of a side wall and those of a wall of the ceiling 5, 6, while the outer part 15 is intended to be mounted on the inner part 17 by engagement of the longitudinal groove formed by its body split 16, on the longitudinal protruding central core 18 of this inner part 17, to hide this corner. The walls of the longitudinal groove formed by the split body 16 of the external part 15 and the lateral surfaces of the longitudinal central core 18 of the internal part 17 are provided with asperities, parallel longitudinal ribs or ridges 56 which allow good holding of the outer part 15 by the part 17 when the split body 16 of the first is engaged on the central core 18 of the second. The inner 15 and outer 17 parts are preferably made of a synthetic material such as polyvinyl chloride. The external part 15 can be covered in its part constituting the arms of the T of its cross section, with a film, a layer or a sheet 57 of a material whose characteristics meet the predetermined requirements in the use of enclosure 1.

The sealing of the corner connection device 14 is (FIG. 11) ensured by sealing cords 58 constituted for example by a silicone sealant, and arranged in the space between the external part 15 and the adjacent walls or surfaces .

In an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, the enclosure 1 comprises, on the one hand, a ceiling belt 20 comprising hollow crosspieces made of a synthetic material and provided with housings with cells 60 and with hooking axis 61 and of guide holes 62 for fixing screws 63 and, on the other hand, panels 64 of side walls having a structure similar to that of the panels 21 of the example illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 10 except for the fact that their edge d end applied to the ceiling belt is provided with boxes 65 with holes 66 for receiving the threaded ends of the fixing screws 63, and panels 67 of ceiling walls provided in their edges joined to the crossbeams of the ceiling belt 20, boxes 68 with hooks or pivoting cams 69 intended to be engaged on hooking pins 61 in cells of the boxes 60 of the crossbeams of the ceiling belt 20 in a manner similar to that of the hooks ets or pivoting cams 27 and housings with alveolus 23 and with hooking pin 24 of the example of FIGS. 2 and 10, and in their edges assembled to the other panels 67, of female assembly profiles 22 intended to receive profiles male assembly 25, or male assembly parts 26 during a meeting with these other panels 67.

In the example illustrated in Figure 10, the floor belt 19 of the enclosure 1 is protected outside by a plinth 70 made of a synthetic material and inside by the edges of a floor covering 71 which also covers the corner connection device 14.

When a passage with a width of two panels 21 for example the panels 21b and 21c must be open in a side wall 2 of the enclosure 1 partially shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the sealing beads 52a, 52b , 52c of the two faces of these panels are first longitudinally cut and separated by a sharp blade not shown, then the hooks 27 retaining these panels are pivoted and released from the attachment pins 24 and the cells of the housings 23, and finally the panels 21b and 21c being free vis-à-vis the floor belts 19 and ceiling 20 are removed from this wall 2 by a simple pivoting of these panels around one of their edges 32 (Figure 3). In fact, this pivoting forces the rigid male assembly profiles 25 to come out of the elastic longitudinal grooves 36a of the female assembly profiles 22 of one of these panels 21 and makes the panels 21b and 21c free from any attachment with the enclosure 1. In the case where the sealing cords 52a and 52c of one of the faces of the panels 21b and 21c are not cut, the elastic edges 32 of the panels 21a, 21b and of the panels 21c, 21 d, which are connected by these sealing cords then form with these hinges which fa cilitate a release by simple pivoting of these panels 21 b and 21 c (Figure 3). The elasticity of the flanges 32 thus allows these flanges to fill with the sealing cords 52 which connect them, a function of hinges.

When the passage thus formed in the wall 2 (Figure 3) must be closed, new sealing cords 52a, 52b and 52c are first placed on flanges 32 of one of the two adjacent panels 21 a, 21 b and 21 b, 21 c and 21 c, 21 d, then these panels are replaced by simply engaging the rigid male assembly profiles 25 in the elastic longitudinal grooves 36a of the corresponding female assembly profiles 22 of these panels and finally hooks or cams 27 are engaged on the attachment pins 24 in the cell boxes 23 of these panels to make the latter integral with the floor 19 and ceiling 20 belts.

The removability in pairs of the panels 21 constituting the side and ceiling walls of the enclosure 1 also allows or facilitates any partial or total modification at low cost to the configuration of the surface occupied by the enclosure 1 and the profitability of the enclosure 1 is therefore optimal.

This removability of the panels 21 thus proves to be clearly superior to an ability to be removable from the panels of the known enclosures because the latter have a structure which allows them to be disassembled only with all or with a subset of these known enclosures.

Claims (13)

1. An extensible enclosure constituted by the assembly of panels provided on their lateral edges with female assembly devices for use with male connecting devices, the said male connecting devices being constituted by sections (25 and 26) provided with long lateral male assembly elements (41, 42 and 45) and the female assembly devices being sections (22) provided with a long split head (36) forming a longitudinal groove (36a) for receiving and gripping such male assembly elements (41, 42 and 45), characterized in that in the lateral edges of the panels (21), the female assembly section (22) comprises a hollow longitudinal structure presenting, on a longitudinal side, a long hollow body (34) forming a mechanical sleeve, on the longitudinal diametrally opposite side, a long split elastic head (36) open towards the exterior forming an elastic longitudinal groove (36a) for the reception and gripping of a section or of a male rigid assembly member (25 and 26), which is rigid, and on the two other sides two longitudinal laterally projecting tongues for rear interlocking (34) and two pairs of longitudinally spaced sealing front lips (37 and 38).

2. The enclosure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the rigid male assembly rigid section is a double male section (25) constituted by a long rigid hollow body formed by two long lateral tubular identical parallel rigid elements (41 and 42) joined by a central hollow rigid element (43).

3. The enclosure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the male rigid assembly member is a simple male member (26) constituted by a rigid rod (45) integral with a support formed by a rigid flat strip (46) provided at its ends with attachment holes (47).

4. The enclosure as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that simple male assembly member (26) comprises, in a central zone thereof, a longitudinal groove (48) and a transverse hole (49) for an attachment pin of a hold hook.

5. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 through 4, characterized in that it comprises a floor belt (19) mounted under removable panels (21) of lateral walls, and a ceiling belt (20) mounted above removable panels (21).

6. The enclosure as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that in their lateral edges the panels (21) comprise flanges (32) directed towards the interior, and female assembly sections (22) placed set back from these flanges (32).

7. The enclosure as claimed in claim 5 having panels (21) provided at their end edges with cavity boxes (23) and an attachment pin (24), and pivoting hooks (27) mounted in cross pieces of the floor belts (19) and ceiling belts (20), intended to be fitted on attachment pins (24) of these cavity boxes (23) when such panels (21) are being held in place and the attachment pin (24), and in their end edge applied to the ceiling belt (20), boxes (65) with holes (66) for receiving fastening screws (63), and on the other hand cross pieces of the ceiling belt (20) provided with guide holes (62) which receive fastening screws (63) screwing into these holes (66) of these boxes (65) at the time of joining these panels (21) to the ceiling belt (20), and floor belt cross pieces (19) provided with pivoting hooks (27) intended to be fitted on the attachment pins (24) of these cavity boxes (23) at the time of joining these panels (21) with the floor belt (19).

8. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 5 and 7, characterized in that it on the one hand comprises partition ceiling panels (67) provided, in their edges connected to the ceiling belt (20), with boxes having pivoting hooks (69) and in their edges assembled with other panels (67), female assembly sections (22), and on the other hand cavity boxes (60) and with an attachment pin (61) formed in cross pieces of the ceiling belt (20) intended to receive pivoting hooks (69) at the time of fastening these panels (67) to this ceiling belt, and male assembly sections (25) intended to be coupled with these female assembly sections at the time of connection with these other panels (67).

9. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1 through 8, characterized in that it comprises an angle connection device (14) constituted by two assembled molded parts, an exterior member (15) with a cross section in the form of a longitudinally split T member (16) and an interior member (17) with the section of a rectangular cornice with a projecting central longitudinal web (18).

10. The enclosure as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that in the angle connection device (14), the walls of the groove formed by the longitudinally split member (16) of the exterior T member (15) and the lateral surfaces of the central projecting web (18) of the interior member (17) are provided with parallel longitudinal roughening means, with veins, or with grooves.

11. The enclosure as claimed in any one of the preceding claims 1, 2, 3 and 10, characterized in that the female assembly sections (22), the sections and the male assembly members (25 and 26) and the T exterior members (15) and the interior ones (17) in the form of rectangular cornice of the angle connecting device (14) are made of a synthetic material such as PVC.

12. The enclosure as claimed in claim 6 and 8, characterized in that in the removable panels (21 and 67), the faces of the latter or their coating are made of sheets of rigid material complying with the predetermined characteristics needed for the use of the enclosure (1), such as sealing properties, washable properties, freedom from emission of particles in clean rooms in the case of a clean room.

13. The enclosure as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that in the removable panels (21 and 67) the faces thereof are constituted by metallic sheet.

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