EP1392558A1

EP1392558A1 - Transport arrangement for cabin elements in ships or the like

Info

Publication number: EP1392558A1
Application number: EP02722306A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Tapio Kordelin
Original assignee: Shippax Ltd Oy
Current assignee: Shippax Ltd Oy
Priority date: 2001-06-05
Filing date: 2002-05-03
Publication date: 2004-03-03
Also published as: FI20011182A0; FI111235B; WO2002098727A1; FI20011182A

Abstract

The invention comprises a transport arrangement (10) for cabin elements in ships or the lik, which arrangement requires less space than the cabin (16) arranged to be formed thereof. The transport arrangement (10) comprises two basic cabin elements (12,14) and means to join them into a finished cabin (16). Both basic cabin elements (12,14) comprise at least one side wall (24,26) and a part of the roof (28a, 28b). A part (30) of one end wall is detached from the basic cabin elements (12,14) along substantially its entire vertical dimension. In the transport arrangement (10) the basic cabin elements (12,14) are arranged in a staggered manner, so that the side walls (24,26) of the cabin are a staggered distance (L) closer to each other than in a finished cabin (16).

Description

Transport arrangement for cabin elements in ships or the like

The invention relates to a transport arrangement for cabin elements in ships or the like according to the preamble of the independent claim presented below, which arrangement requires less space than a cabin arranged to be formed thereof.

It is known to preinstall ship cabins or the like into an almost finished state outside the final installation place, and to transport the prefabricated cabin with the aid of different arrangements to be installed at its final installation place. It is known to install, among other things, almost all fittings in advance in the prefabricated cabin. It is further known to shape the prefabricated cabin into a transport arrangement, in which the cabin is transported as sections or elements, which during transport require less space than in the finished installed state. The Finnish patent FI 78036 proposes to transport the cabin as a transfer unit, of which at least one external dimension is considerably smaller than the corresponding dimension of the installed cabin unit. This is realised by leaving out a central longi- tudinal section of the cabin for the transport, in other words, by leaving out sections of the end walls and those parts of the floor and roof that connect them, and by placing the remaining side wall elements against each other. However, the installation of the omitted section requires a considerable amount of installation work. For instance a large part of the roof and parts of both end walls must be installed as post-installation.

The object of the present invention is to provide a transport arrangement for cabin elements in ships or the like, which arrangement minimises the abovementioned problems encountered in prior art.

The above mentioned problems can be eliminated, or they are reduced, and the above mentioned objects are attained with the transport arrangement according to the invention for cabin elements in ships or the like, which arrangement is characterised in what is defined in the characterising part presented in the independent claim below.

A typical transport arrangement according to the invention for cabin elements or the like requires less space than the cabin arranged to be formed thereof. A finished cabin comprises at least end walls, side walls and a roof. A transport ar- rangement according to the invention comprises typically two basic cabin elements and means to join these elements into a finished cabin. Said basic cabin elements both comprise at least one side wall and a part of the roof. In a typical transport arrangement at least a part of one end wall is detached from the basic cabin elements along substantially its entire vertical dimension. Thus at least a part of one end wall is not in its final installation place in the transport arrangement according to the invention. Thus the detached part of the wall must be transported to the installation site either separately or together with the other transport arrangement. In a typical transport arrangement according to the inven- tion the basic cabin elements are arranged in a staggered manner so that the side walls of the cabin are a staggered distance closer to each other than in the finished cabin.

A cabin assembled from the transport arrangement according to the invention is typically box-like, i.e. its walls are formed by two mutually parallel side walls and two end walls perpendicular to these side walls. The shape and directions of the walls may vary as required. A part of one or both end walls is also preferably fastened to the basic cabin elements of the transport arrangement according to the invention. Any possible other cabin elements comprise a part of an end wall or a whole end wall or a part of the roof. Means for assembling the basic cabin ele- ments into finished cabins are for instance different joining panels or rails, or separate door or window elements. In one end wall of the finished cabin there is typically located a door element which generally comprises a door and a panel located above it, so that they together cover substantially the whole height of the finished end wall. This door element is typically that part of the end wall which in the transport arrangement is detached from the end wall. This detached part of the end wall allows the arrangement according to the invention, where the first basic cabin element is arranged in a staggered manner on the second basic cabin element. The overlapping manner means that a basic cabin element without a part of the end wall is placed over the other basic cabin element, so that the end of the element below remains visible under the element on top. Thus the basic cabin elements are in a way located partly on top of each other and within each other.

Advantageously a cabin is divided roughly into two equally large basic cabin elements. If then one basic cabin element has no end wall at all, and if no large stationary structures have been preinstalled into the basic cabin element, then the basic cabin elements can be arranged in the transport arrangement even substan- tially completely within each other in a staggered manner. Generally the fittings, such as beds, tables, wardrobes and the sanitary facilities are preinstalled already in advance into the transport arrangement, whereby the basic cabin elements cannot be arranged in the overlapping manner by their entire length. Advanta- geously the preinstalled fittings are located close to the side walls of the cabin, which leaves a central empty section in the cabin, in parallel with the side walls. Advantageously, the boundary between the basic cabin elements according to the invention is drawn along this empty section, whereby the basic cabin elements in the transport arrangement according to the invention can be arranged in a stag- gered manner by the width of this empty section. Generally this empty section has a width corresponding at least to the width of the cabin doorway. Said boundary between the basic cabin elements is typically drawn along one side of the door element. This provides the most advantageous solution in the transport arrangement according to the invention, where the basic cabin elements are over- lapping by an amount corresponding at least to the width of the door element.

One of the most important advantages of the invention is that the installation of the cabin to be assembled from the transport arrangement at the installation site is made faster and easier, when at least a large part of the roof and the main part of the walls are already installed at their places. Advantageously the roof parts of the basic cabin elements form an essential part of the finished cabin's roof. Most advantageously the whole roof of the finished cabin is preinstalled in the transport arrangement according to the invention. Advantageously the roof part of each basic cabin element covers about one half of the finished cabin's roof. In a typical transport arrangement according to the invention the cabin roof requires the installation, in addition to the roof parts of the basic cabin elements, of only some special parts, such as panels which must be left detached due to the lead- throughs for air conditioning, fire extinguishing pipes or cable runs.

Another most important advantage of the invention is that during transport the transport arrangement requires less space than previously, whereby for instance one truck load can take more cabins. Similarly, it is much easier to move the transport arrangement in a ship under construction or at some other installation site, even in very narrow passages.

Still one most important advantage of the invention is that due to its overlapping arrangement the transport arrangement according to the invention can be ar- ranged to be robust and thus easily hoisted and moved. The overlapping side walls and roof structures can be fastened to each other in a very robust manner.

To an advantageous embodiment of the invention it is typical that the roof parts of the basic cabin elements of the transport arrangement are placed at least partly one on top of the other, and advantageously at least in some part substantially by the overlapping distance. With the aid of this arrangement a large part of the cabins' roof can be prefabricated and installed in advance. At the same time the transport arrangement will become very robust, as the roof parts, which relatively often are weak, can be supported by a simple support arrangement during the transport.

To a very advantageous embodiment of the invention it is typical that said part detached from one end wall of the basic cabin elements, enabling the overlapping arrangement is a cabin door and/or window element. Also in present cabin arrangements these elements can be separately detached.

To an advantageous embodiment of the invention it is typical that each basic cabin element comprises at least a part of at least one end wall. Advantageously at least one of the basic cabin elements comprises a part of both end walls. Most advantageously the two basic cabin elements together comprise all walls of a finished cabin, except the part which according to the invention is omitted from one end wall. Together the basic cabin elements advantageously also comprise substantially the entire roof of the finished cabin. The more components there are installed in advance in the transport arrangement, the faster the cabin can be installed in its place.

In a very advantageous transport arrangement according to the invention the ba- sic cabin elements are overlapping in the direction of the wall containing cabin's door element, by an amount corresponding to the width of the door element or more.

In an advantageous transport arrangement according to the invention transport means, such as rails, wooden ledges or the like, are arranged between the basic cabin elements, in order to allow a gentle separation of the basic cabin elements from each other when installing the cabin. Said transport means are substantially in parallel with the direction of the overlapping distance, and advantageously they are arranged between the roof parts lying one on top of the other. The direc- tion of the overlapping distance is that direction, in which the transport arrangement according to the invention is particularly arranged to reduce the dimensions of the cabin to be transported. Such transport means enable a controlled and easy overlapping arrangement of the basic cabin elements as the transport arrange- ment is assembled, and a smooth disassembly of the transport arrangement when installing the cabin. The transport means can also be arranged to support the structures of the transport arrangement during the transport. Rails or the like could for instance be arranged to run across the whole basic cabin element, and the roof parts can be fastened to the rails or the like during transport. Thus the roof parts are well supported.

The transport means preferably comprise means for preventing movements in other directions than in the direction of the overlapping distance. The transport means can for instance be rails, which enable a motion only in their own direction. Thus the transport arrangement remains more robust during transport and installation.

The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the enclosed schematic figures, in which:

Figure 1 shows schematically a transport arrangement according to the invention in a perspective view;

Figure 2 shows the transport arrangement of figure 1 opened into a finished cabin;

Figure 3 shows the transport arrangement of figure 1 seen from one end;

Figure 4 shows the opened transport arrangement of figure 2 seen from one end;

Figure 5 shows schematically a transport arrangement according to the invention seen from above;

Figure 6 shows the transport arrangement of figure 5 in an opened state, seen from above; and

Figure 7 shows in cross section a transport means according to the invention.

Figures 1 and 3 show schematically a transport arrangement 10 for cabin ele- ments in ships or the like, and figures 2 and 4 shows the same transport arrange- ment 10 opened into a finished cabin 16. The transport arrangement 10 comprises basic cabin elements 12 and 14, and means to join them into a finished cabin 16, which means are not shown in the figures. Such means are for instance jointing clamps or fasteners, with which the basic cabin elements 12 and 14 are fastened to each other at the boundary 36. The first basic cabin element 12 comprises the cabin's side wall 24, the first end wall 20a, the second end wall 22a, and the roof part 28a. A part 30, i.e. the door element of the cabin 16, is omitted from the second end wall 22a. Usually the door element comprises a door, the door frames and the wall panel installed between the door and the roof part 28a. The second basic cabin element 14 comprises the second side wall 26 of the cabin, the first end wall 20b, the second end wall 22b, and the roof part 28b. As is best seen in figure 2, the basic cabin elements 12 and 14 together form the entire roof 28a and 28b of the cabin 16 as well as all walls 20, 22, 24 and 26, except the place 30 of the door element.

In the transport arrangement 10 the first basic cabin element 12 is placed partly over the second basic cabin element 14, in a staggered manner so that the roof parts 28a and 28b are located over each other by the width L of the omitted door element 30. The overlapping distance by which the basic cabin elements are overlapping, the distance shown in the example of the figures being the width L of the door element 30, is called the overlapping distance L. In the same way the side walls 20a and 20b to be fastened to each other in the finished cabin 16 are located on top of each other over the overlapping distance L. In theory the first end wall 22a could be completely removed, whereby the overlapping distance L would be equal to the width of the entire first basic cabin element. Generally, as also in the example of figures 1 to 4, both cabin side walls 24 and 26 contain already installed fittings, whereby the overlapping distance L must be shortened by the width of these fittings. In the example of figures 1 to 4 there could be for instance an installed wardrobe with the depth of the wall 22a. The other basic cabin element 14 could contain fittings installed over its entire width. Thus the figure 10 shows by the dotted lines a bathroom wall 38 installed in the second basic cabin element 14. Figure 3 shows a rail 32 placed between the roof parts 28a and 28b. It supports the roof structures during transport, and particularly facilitates the installation of the cabin when the transport arrangement is opened. The first basic cabin element 12 can be pulled off the second basic cabin element 14 along the rail 32, smoothly and without damaging the structures. In figure 3 the rail 32 is just so long that its ends are supported against both edges of the roof part 28b in order to increase the stability. During transport the transport arrangement 10 can also include other supporting members installed to secure the stability of the construction. One such is for instance the supporting bar 40, which is drawn by dotted lines in figure 3 and which supports the roof parts 28, which both ends have an expanded part 42 in order to increase the stability and to protect the coating of the roof part 28b.

In figures 5 and 6 the corresponding parts have the same reference numerals as in figures 1 to 4. In the example of the figures the top basic cabin element 12 of the transport arrangement 10 has almost no installed fittings, and almost the whole end wall 22a of it is detached. Thus the basic cabin elements 12 and 14 could be arranged in a staggered manner almost along their entire length. The figure 5 clearly shows how the end wall 22b of the lower basic cabin element 14 in the transport arrangement 10 is seen projecting out from below the roof part 28a of the basic cabin element placed over it.

Figures 5, 6 and 7 also clearly show the rails 32. They are formed by two parts 32a and 32b arranged to slide against each other. The part 32a is fastened to the lower surface of the top roof part 28a and the part 32b to the top surface of the lower roof part 28b. The rails 32 have mutually adapted grooves 34 or the like which during transport prevent the roof parts 28a and 28b from moving in rela- tion to each other in other directions than in the direction of the rail 32. The rails 32a are slightly shorter than the rails 32b. The figures 5 and 6 also show how the top basic cabin element 12 of the transport arrangement 10 in figure 5 is first pulled along the rails 32 next to the second basic cabin element 14, and then the basic cabin elements 12 and 14 are moved into their aligned position in figure 6.

To a person skilled in the art it is obvious that the invention is not limited only to the examples presented above, but that the invention may vary within the scope of the claims presented below.

Claims

1. A transport arrangement (10) for cabin elements in ships or the like, which arrangement requires less space than a cabin (16) arranged to be formed thereof, which comprises at least end walls (20, 22), side walls (24, 26) and a roof (28), which transport arrangement (10) comprises two basic cabin elements (12, 14) and means to join them into a finished cabin (16), whereby both basic cabin elements (12, 14) comprise at least one side wall (24, 26) and a part of the roof (28a, 28b), and in which transport arrangement (10)

- at least a part (30) of one end wall is detached from the basic cabin elements (12, 14) along substantially its entire vertical dimension, and

- the basic cabin elements (12, 14) are arranged in a staggered manner, characterised in that in the transport arrangement (10) the basic cabin elements (12, 14) are arranged in a staggered manner so that the basic cabin element (12) without a part (30) of the end wall is placed on the second basic cabin element (14) so that the end (22a) of the element (14) below is visible under the top element (12), whereby the side walls (24, 26) of the cabin are a staggered distance (L) closer to each other than in a finished cabin (16).

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, characterised in that in the transport arrangement (10) the roof parts (28a, 28b) of the basic cabin elements are at least partly one on top of the other and advantageously at least in some part substantially by the staggered distance (L).

3. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the roof parts (28a, 28b) of the basic cabin elements form a substantial part of the roof of the finished cabin (16).

4. An arrangement according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterised in that said part detached from one end wall (30) of the basic cabin elements is a cabin door and/or window element.

5. An arrangement according to any previous claim, characterised in that each basic cabin element (12, 14) further comprises at least a part of at least one end wall, and preferably a part of both end walls (20, 22).

6. An arrangement according to any previous claim, characterised in that the basic cabin elements together comprise the substantially entire roof and all walls of the finished cabin, except said part (30) detached from one end wall.

7. An arrangement according to any previous claim, characterised in that the basic cabin elements (12, 14) are staggered in the direction of the wall (22) comprising the cabin door element (30) by the width (L) of the door element or more.

8. An arrangement according to any previous claim, characterised in that in the transport arrangement (10) there are arranged transport means (32) such as rails substantially in the direction of the staggered distance (L) between the roof parts (28a, 28b) placed preferably one on top of the other in order to enable a smooth separation of the basic cabin elements (12, 14) from each other when installing the cabin (16).

9. An arrangement according to claim 8, characterised in that the transport means (32) in the direction of the staggered distance (L) comprise members (34) in order to prevent movement of the basic cabin elements (12, 14) in other directions than in the direction of the staggered distance (L).