SE2251366A1 - Self-supporting panel system and method for assembling a box-like construction thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A self-supportive panel system (1) for forming a box-like construction (10), comprising: a plurality of self-supporting wall panels (2, 3, 4, 5) formed from a sheet-like material and adapted to support the box-like construction (10) and; at least one top and/or bottom panel section (6, 7) formed from a sheet-like material; and wherein the plurality of wall panels (2, 3, 4, 5) are adapted to form walls of said box-like construction; and wherein said top and/or bottom panel sections (6, 7) are adapted to rest upon or under at least two, or at least three of said wall portions (2, 3, 4, 5) , and wherein at least one wall portion forms a door (8) of said box-like construction (10); and wherein said plurality of wall panels are provided with interlocking elements (9, 9’, 11) adapted to receive tube elements (12), and wherein said interlocking elements (9, 9’, 11) are arranged at/on at least one edge extending along a vertical axis (V) of said wall panel (2, 3, 4, 5).

Description

SELF-SUPPORTING PANEL SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSEMBLING A BOX-LIKE CONSTRUCTION THEREOF Technical field The present invention relates to a self-supporting panel system, and a method of assembling a box-like construction thereof.

Background Todays need for more efficient an environmentally friendly transport of packaged gods, requires new solutions to reduce the space that the packaging takes up. Using the available transport space in for instance lorries, trains, containers or freight air planes etc. more efficiently may have a great impact on the total carbon emissions made during transportation. There are reports of up to 50 % of the total volume transported being just air, which is even further accentuated by poor packaging materials, or filling materials formed comprising air.

Also, when transporting for instance objects such as boxes or different types of enclosures, a lot of unnecessary space, or essentially just air, is being transported.

Further to this, the gods often becomes damaged, both during transport and handling when loading and unloading, which puts a high demand on stable packaging and transport solutions.

Summary lt is in view of the above considerations and others that the embodiments described in this disclosure have been made. ln particular, the inventors have realized that there is a need for improved assembly solutions when transporting for instance boxes and different type of enclosures. This disclosure therefore recognizes the fact that there is a need for an improved self-supporting panel system and methods for forming a box-like construction from said panel system. lt is an object of the present disclosure, to provide an improved self- supporting panel system and a method for forming a box-like construction from said panel system.

This general object has been addressed by the appended independent claims. Advantageous embodiments are defined in the appended dependent claims.

According to a first aspect there is provided a self-supportive panel system for forming a box-like construction, comprising: a plurality of self-supporting wall panels formed from a sheet-like material and adapted to support the box- like construction and; at least one top and/or bottom panel section formed from a sheet-like material; and wherein the plurality of wall panels are adapted to form walls of said box-like construction; and wherein said top and/or bottom panel sections are adapted to rest upon or under at least two, or at least three of said wall panels, and wherein at least one wall portion forms a door of said box-like construction; and wherein said plurality of wall panels are provided with interlocking elements adapted to receive tube elements, and wherein said interlocking elements are arranged at or on at least one edge extending along a vertical axis of said wall panel.

This means that the panel system when assembled may form a box-like construction or an enclosure, which is stable, and easy to transport in a stacked configuration or in a folded state, as a substantially flat package. This saves space during transport, and also decreases the risk of the assembled box or enclosure to be damaged during transport. The interlocking elements allow for an easy assembly of the box as well as offers an additional constructional stability when the tube elements, or pipes have been introduced therein.

The wall panels may be arranged to be foldably connected to an adjoining wall panel. By foldably is meant that the wall panels can be folded in relation to each other. ln one alternative the wall panels may be hingedly connected. The panel system may comprises a front side panel, a first side panel, a second side panel and a back side panel.

The front side panel or said back side panel may form a door of said box-like construction.

The top and/or bottom portion may be adapted to be fixedly or removably/releasably attached to at least two or at least three of said wall panels by fastening elements, the fastening elements may be any one of a rivet, screw, bolt or peg.

The top and/or bottom panel section may comprise at least one edge which is folded to overlap at least one wall panel. This allows for the top and/or bottom panel to function as a door stop.

According to the first aspect the panel system may be adapted to be in a stacked state during transport.

The self-supportive panel system in the stacked state or configuration, substantially forms a flat package, which when compared to an assembled box or enclosure take up 1A (25 %) of the space during transport.

According to one alternative of the first aspect the interlocking element or elements of one wall panel may be adapted to be matingly interconnected to an interlocking element or elements of an adjoining wall panel.

By matingly interconnected is meant that interconnecting elements of one wall panel is adapted to mate, or fit, with interconnecting elements of an adjoining panel The sheet-like material may be any one of a metal, a plastic or a composite material, or a combination thereof. The metal material may be any one of a steel, a stainless steel and an aluminum.

According to a second aspect there is provide a method of forming a box-like construction from a self-supportive panel system according to the first aspect, wherein the method comprises: providing said self-supportive panel system in a stacked state; arranging said wall portions such that their respective interlocking elements are matingly interconnected, inserting or introducing tube elements into said interlocking elements to form corners of said box-like construction; arranging said top and/or bottom portions such that they rest upon or under said wall portions; fastening said top and/or bottom portions to at least two or at least three of said wall portions by using fasting elements. According to a third aspect there is provided a box-like construction formed from a self-supportive panel system according to the first aspect and at least four tube elements. Additionally the box-like construction may comprise fastening elements.

According to a fourth aspect there is provided the use of the box-like construction according to the third aspect as any one of an electrical power station and a battery enclosure.

According to a fifth aspect there is provided a self-supportive panel system for forming a box-like construction substantially as shown in figures 1, 2 and 5. According to a sixth aspect there is provided a box-like construction formed from a self-supportive panel system substantially as shown in figures 3, 4 and Brief description of drawinqs Embodiments of the present solution will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings.

Fig. 1 shows an exploded side view of a self-supportive panel system or assembly.

Fig. 2 shows a folded top view of a self-supportive panel system or assembly. Fig. 3 shows a front view of a box-like construction.

Fig. 4 shows a side view of a box-like construction.

Fig. 5 shows a comparison between the stacked configuration and the box- like construction.

Figs 6A-6C shows wall panels according to the present invention.

Description of Embodiments Fig. 1 illustrates a panel system 1, comprising a plurality of wall panels 2, 3, 4, 5 and a top and bottom portion 6, 7. The panel system is self-supportive which means that it may be quickly assembled and fixed, and still have a high structural resistance. The wall panels 2, 3, 4, 5 extend in vertical direction along a vertical axis V. The wall panels 2, 3, 4, 5 are provided with interconnecting elements 9, 9',11. The interconnecting elements 9, 9', 11 are arranged along the long edges of the wall panels, i.e. the edges that extend along a vertical axis V as shown in Fig. 1. The interconnecting elements 9, 9', 11 on one wall panel are arranged such that they matingly connect with interconnecting elements on an adjoining wall panel. This is for instance illustrated in Fig. 1 where the wall panel 5 is provided with interconnecting elements 9, 9' which, when assembled, mate or fit, with the interconnecting element 11 on the adjoining wall panel 3.

The interconnecting elements 9, 9', 11 are further hollow, or substantially hollow such that they can receive, and hold, tube elements 12. The tube elements 12 may be standard pipes or piping. By introducing the tube elements 12 the structural resistance of the box-element 10 may be further increased.

The panel system 1 further comprises a top and/or bottom panel section 6, 7. The top and/or bottom panel section 6, 7 are adapted to rest on, or lay underneath, at least two, but preferably at least three wall panels 2, 3, 4, 5. The top and/or bottom sections may have a folded edge 16, 17, such that the top and/or bottom section extends slightly over and covers the vertical direction of the wall panel 2, 3, 4, 5.

The wall panels 2, 3, 4, 5 may have different sizes such that a front and back wall panels 2, 5 may have a larger surface area than the side wall panels 3, 4.

This means that when the wall panels are assembled that form a rectangular box. The wall panels may also have the same surface area, i.e. form a cube box having the same length on all edges and have the same square shape on all sides.

The wall panels 2, 3, 4, 5 may also have a folded edge 18 where the top and/or bottom sections 6, 7 may be fastened and rest on or under.

Fig. 2 illustrates a stacked configuration 14 of the panel system 1. ln the stacked configuration the wall panels are stacked on top of each other to form a substantially flat configuration. This configuration may be used during transport of the panel system, to save space. The space saving is illustrated in Fig. 5 where a stacked panel system 14, 14', 14", 14"' takes up approximately 25 %, i.e. 1/4 of the space that an assembled box-like configuration 10 does. This means that during transport approximately 4 panel systems may be transported utilizing in the same amount of space as one box. ln the stacked configuration 14 the tube elements 12 may be inserted into the hollow interconnecting elements. This further provides for the wall panels of the panel system to be foldably connected to each other during transport, which may increase the speed of assembly of the box-like construction 10. The top and/or bottom panel sections 6, 7 may be arranged during transport between the wall panels in the stacked configuration (not shown).

As illustrated in Fig. 3 the panel system 1 has been assembled to form a box- like configuration or enclosure 10. One of the front side or back side wall panels 4, 5 may be formed as a door 8. The door may be provided with additional elements such as a locking mechanism etc. (not shown). The top and/or bottom panel sections 2, 3 may be attached to the wall panels by fastening elements 13. As illustrated in Fig. 3 a folded edge 16, 17 of the top and/or bottom panel 2, 3 may be releaseably, or fixedly fastened, to the wall panel. The wall panel may also comprise a folded edge 18, which in turn may be fasted to the top and/or bottom wall portion 6, 7. Preferably the top and/or wall sections have a flat front part 19 to allow for the door 8 to be closed tightly.

By fitting, or mating, the interconnecting elements and arranging the tube elements 12 therein corners 15 of the box-like construction may be formed. As illustrated in Fig. 4 the self-supportive panel system 1 can be assembled into a box-like construction 10 or an enclosure. ln Fig. 4 the box-like construction is shown as a closed box, where the door 8, or wall panel 2 is closed. As seen in Fig. 4 this is possible due to the flat surface or edge 19. The enclosure may further be provided with sealing etc. to provide for a watertight enclosure.

The box-like construction 10 may for instance be used to house an electrical power station or battery. ln one example the outer dimension of the box-like construction 10 is 1 X 1.5 m.

The box-like construction 10 as shown in Fig. 4 may be assembled from the stacked configuration 13 of the panel assembly as shown in Fig. 2. ln one example of the assembly method the wall portions 2, 3, 4, 5 may be arranged that their respective interlocking elements 9, 9', 11 are matingly interconnected. Then the tube elements 12 may be inserted into the hollow interlocking elements 9, 9', 11 to form corners 15 of said box-like construction. The top and/or bottom portions 6, 7 may then be arranged such that they rest upon or lay underneath said wall portions 2, 3, 4, 5 and/or the folded portions 18, and be fastened (releasably or fixedly) to at least two or at least three of said wall portions 2, 3, 4, 5 by using fasting elements 13.

The fastening elements 13 may for instance be rivets. They may also be screws, bolts, or pegs, or any other type of suitable fastening element.

Figs 6a-6c illustrates different embodiments of the wall panels 2, 3, 4, 5 and the interconnecting elements 9, 9', 11 which are arranged along the long edges of the wall panels, i.e. the edges that extend along a vertical axis V as shown in Fig. 1. The interconnecting elements 9, 9', 11 on one wall panel are arranged such that they matingly or mateingly connect with interconnecting elements on an adjoining wall panel. This is for instance illustrated in Fig. 6a where the wall panel 5 is provided with interconnecting elements 9, 9' on one long side thereof which, when assembled, mate or fit, with the interconnecting element 11 on the adjoining wall panel 4 as shown in Fig 6b. ln Fig. 6c an alternative of the wall panel 2,5 that forms the door 8 is illustrated, with an interconnecting element 21, which forms a closure or locking arrangement, such that the door may be opened and closed. On the other long side the wall panel 2 is provided with interlocking elements 9, 9', which may for instance be arranged to fit with the interlocking element 11 on wall panel 2, as illustrated in Fig. 6b.

Modifications and other variants of the described embodiments will come to mind to one skilled in the art having benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited to the specific example embodiments described in this disclosure and that modifications and other variants are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, although specific terms may be employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Therefore, a person skilled in the art would recognize numerous variations to the described embodiments that would still fall within the scope of the appended claims. As used herein, the terms "comprise/comprises" or "include/includes" do not exclude the presence of other elements or steps. Furthermore, although individual features may be included in different claims (or embodiments), these may possibly advantageously be combined, and the inclusion of different claims (or embodiments) does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous. ln addition, singular references do not exclude a plurality. Finally, reference signs in the claims are provided merely as a clarifying example and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the claims in any way.

Claims (1)

1.CLAIMS A self-supportive panel system (1) for forming a box-like construction (10), comprising: a plurality of self-supporting wall panels (2, 3, 4, 5) formed from a sheet- like material and adapted to support the box-like construction (10) and; at least one top and/or bottom panel section (6, 7) formed from a sheet- like material; and wherein the plurality of wall panels (2, 3, 4, 5) are adapted to form walls of said box-like construction; and wherein said top and/or bottom panel sections (6, 7) are adapted to rest upon or under at least two, or at least three of said wall panels (2, 3, 4, 5), and wherein at least one wall portion forms a door (8) of said box-like construction (10); and wherein said plurality of wall panels are provided with interlocking elements (9, 9', 11) adapted to receive tube elements (12), and wherein said interlocking elements (9, 9', 11) are arranged at or on at least one edge extending along a vertical axis (V) of said wall panel (2, 3, 4, 5). _ The self-supportive panel system (1) according to claim 1, wherein said wall panels (2, 3, 4, 5) are arranged to be foldably connected to an adjoining wall panel (2, 3, 4, 5). The self-supportive panel system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said panel system comprises a front side panel (2), a first side panel (3), a second side panel (4) and a back side panel (5). _ The self-supportive panel system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said front side panel (2) or said back side panel (5) form a door (8) of said box-like construction (1). _ The self-supportive panel system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said top and/or bottom portion (6, 7) is adapted to be fixedly attached to at least two or at least three of said wall panels by fastening elements (13). _ The self-supportive panel system (1) according to claim 5, wherein said fastening elements (13) is any one of a rivet, screw, bolt or peg. _ The self-supportive panel system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said top and/or bottom panel section (6, 7) comprises at least one edge (16, 17) which is folded to overlap at least one wall panel (2, 3, 4, 5). _ The self-supportive panel system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said panel system (1) is adapted to be in a stacked state (14) during transport. _ The self-supportive panel system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein an interlocking element (9, 9') of one wall panel is adapted to be matingly interconnected to an interlocking element (11) ofan adjoining wall panel. 10_The self-supportive panel system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein said sheet-like material is any one of a metal, a plastic or a composite material, or a combination thereof. 11_A method of forming a box-like construction (10) from a self-supportive panel system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the method comprises: providing said self-supportive panel system (1) in a stacked state (14);arranging said wall portions (2, 3, 4, 5) such that their respective interlocking elements (9, 9', 11) are matingly interconnected, inserting tube elements (12) into said interlocking elements (9, 9', 11) to form corners (15) of said box-like construction; arranging said top and/or bottom portions (6, 7) such that they rest upon or under said wall portions (2, 3, 4, 5); fastening said top and/or bottom portions (6, 7) or folded edge (16, 17) to at least two or at least three of said wall portions (2, 3, 4, 5) by using fasting elements (13). 12.A box-like construction (10) formed from a self-supportive panel system (1) according to any one of claim 1 to 10, and at least four tube elements (12). 13. Use of the box-like construction (10) according to claim 12 as any one of an electrical power station and a battery enclosure. 14.A self-supportive panel system (1) for forming a box-like construction (10) substantially as shown in figures 1, 2 and 15. A box-like construction (10) formed from a self-supportive panel system (1) substantially as shown in figures 3, 4 and 5.