Modular Reinforced Insulated Panel RIPs Housing Structure

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a modular housing structure formed of Reinforced Insulated XPS Styrofoam Panels, RIPs. XPS Styrofoam is an extremely durable material with excellent insulator properties and good structural integrity that can be used to assemble and disassemble large structures quickly and easily due to its light weight. The structure is secured with a set of reinforcing elements that solidify and form connections between the XPS Styrofoam wall panels. The modular housing structure may comprise an inner wall and outer wall with a void between them for improved heat retention, and has a regular arrangement of openings on each wall element to facilitate the quick addition of standard house fixings and circuitry.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/892,082 filed 21 Aug. 2022.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the technical field of modular building structures. More specifically the present invention relates to a set of Styrofoam panels and reinforcing elements for assembling or disassembling a housing structure quickly and easily.

BACKGROUND

Conventional building construction involves a long labor-intensive process, where skilled workers and laborers may pour a concrete foundation, assemble a wall and roof stud assembly, attach exterior and interior walls, assemble roof panels, and set and install windows and doors. In many cases, the construction of the building may involve numerous contractors and subcontractors who are responsible for various stages of construction. Typically, delays ensue and construction costs escalate accordingly.

One solution that has been proposed for reducing construction costs involves the use of pre-fabricated modular type homes. Typically, modular homes involve the use of panels, which are shipped to a construction site and only require the connection of the pre-fabricated panels in order to construct the building. The use of pre-fabricated panels provides a less expensive and easily assembled building as opposed to the conventional construction methods.

For example, Structural insulated panels (SIPs) are a form of known high-performance building system for residential and light commercial construction. The panels consist of an insulating foam core sandwiched between two structural facings, typically oriented strand board (OSB).

A drawback associated with modular buildings, however, is that the constructed modular homes, including SIPs based constructions, tend to lack sufficient strength and durability for long-term use. Modular homes also tend to lack the necessary flexibility to accommodate various sizes and styles, and have been known to have poor heat retention—making them worse for the environment. Furthermore, some modular systems require the inclusion of traditional construction techniques in order to complete construction, therefore, escalating the reduced costs associated with modular homes.

Accordingly, a need exists for an improved modular housing structure that addresses the shortcomings of the prior art. More specifically, it would be advantageous to have a pre-fabricated housing structure that allows for fast and cost effective assembly and disassembly, improved insulator properties, and sufficient re-enforcement capabilities to provide durable building construction. For this reason, the inventor of the present application has developed a new type of modular housing structure—Reinforced Insulated Panels, or RIPs.

The panels of the RIPs structures of the present disclosure are described as being formed of Styrofoam. ‘Styrofoam’ is actually a trademarked term for closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam made for thermal insulation and craft applications. The term Styrofoam as used herein is generally intended to refer to Extruded Polystyrene (XPS) foam. Extruded Polystyrene insulation is a lightweight, rigid, closed cell insulation. XPS is available in several compressive strengths to withstand load and back-fill forces. This closed-cell structure provides minimal water absorption and low vapor permanence. It is a cost efficient, high performing alternative to extruded (XPS) foam.

It is within this context that the present invention is provided.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides a modular housing structure formed of reinforced insulated XPS Styrofoam panels, or RIPs. XPS Styrofoam is an extremely durable material with excellent insulator properties and good structural integrity that can be used to assemble and disassemble large structures quickly and easily due to its light weight. The structure is secured with a set of reinforcing elements that solidify and form connections between the XPS Styrofoam wall panels. The modular housing structure may comprise an inner wall and outer wall with a void between them for improved heat retention, and has a regular arrangement of openings on each wall element to facilitate the quick addition of standard house fixings and circuitry.

Thus, according to one aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a modular housing structure formed from a plurality of prefabricated panels, the housing structure comprising: a plurality of roofing elements; a plurality of reinforced wall elements, each wall element comprising an inner Styrofoam material panel and an outer Styrofoam material panel having a plurality of openings formed therein, the inner and outer Styrofoam material panels being bolted together via the openings with one or more reinforcing elements disposed between each pair of inner and outer panels, the reinforcing elements being formed of a harder material than the Styrofoam material panels and being arranged so as to interlock with the Styrofoam material panels to connect adjacent wall elements together; and a plurality of corner elements, each corner element having one or more central grooved slots spanning the length of their height for interlocking with the reinforcing elements.

In some embodiments, when assembled together, the reinforced wall elements and the corner elements form at least an inner wall and an outer wall which are separated by a gap, the inner wall and outer wall being arranged so as to support the plurality of roofing elements.

In some embodiments, the reinforcing elements are divided into a first set of reinforcing elements which are permanently affixed to respective Styrofoam material wall panels and a second set of skeletal reinforcing elements which are configured to interlock with the first set and connect adjacent wall elements.

In some embodiments, a portion of the reinforcing elements are flat panels which fully cover the inner surfaces of the inner panels and outer panels of the wall elements.

In some embodiments, the openings formed in the wall panels are arranged so as to receive fixings for housing apparatus and circuitry as well as facilitating the bolting together of the reinforced wall elements.

In some embodiments, walls of the housing structure form a rectangular or square shape with the plurality of roofing elements being arranged parallel to a first opposing pair of edges of the walls and orthogonal to a second pair of edges of the walls.

Furthermore, the reinforced wall elements forming the second pair of edges may have a plurality of indents arranged along their top edges, the indents being configured to receive and support the roofing elements. Each of the plurality of roofing elements may also have a pair of corresponding indents disposed on either side for interlocking with the indents of the wall elements, the indents of the roofing elements being separated by a protrusion having a width equal to the width of the gap between the inner wall and the outer wall.

In some embodiments, the reinforcing elements are formed of one or more of: wood, metal, and plastic.

In some embodiments, the plurality of roofing elements are also formed of Styrofoam material.

In some embodiments, the Styrofoam material has a compressive strength of 300 kPa or more at 10% deformation.

In some embodiments, the Styrofoam material has a shear modulus of 8 MPa or greater.

In some embodiments, the Styrofoam material has a density of 40 Kg/m3 or less.

In some embodiments, the Styrofoam material has a thermal conductivity of 0.033 W/mK or less.

In some embodiments, the Styrofoam material is Extruded Polystyrene.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1A illustrates a first isometric view of a first example configuration of an assembled housing structure according to the present disclosure viewed from above.

FIG. 1B illustrates a second isometric view of the first example configuration of the assembled housing structure viewed from below.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exploded components view of the first example housing structure with the reinforcing elements that connect the wall panels and corner panels visible.

FIG. 3A illustrates a side view of the first example assembled housing structure with a cross-sectional line A-A.

FIG. 3B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the first example configuration taken along the line A-A.

FIG. 4A, FIG. 4B, and FIG. 4C illustrate isometric and cross-sectional views of the components of a wall panel element of the first example configuration.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B illustrate two example types of reinforcing element used in the first example configuration to connect adjacent wall panels and corner panels.

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B illustrates two example types of corner panel elements.

FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, and FIG. 7C illustrate isometric and cross-sectional views of the components of an example wall panel element used in a second example configuration of the present disclosure, with FIG. 7B showing the modified reinforcing element used in the second example.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exploded components view of a housing structure of the second example configuration with the reinforcing elements that connect the wall panels and corner panels visible.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the housing structure of the second example configuration.

FIG. 10A illustrates a first isometric view of the second example configuration of the assembled housing structure according to the present disclosure viewed from above.

FIG. 10B illustrates a second isometric view of the second example configuration of the assembled housing structure viewed from below.

Common reference numerals are used throughout the figures and the detailed description to indicate like elements. One skilled in the art will readily recognize that the above figures are examples and that other architectures, modes of operation, orders of operation, and elements/functions can be provided and implemented without departing from the characteristics and features of the invention, as set forth in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION AND PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The following is a detailed description of exemplary embodiments to illustrate the principles of the invention. The embodiments are provided to illustrate aspects of the invention, but the invention is not limited to any embodiment. The scope of the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalent; it is limited only by the claims.

Numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the invention is not unnecessarily obscured.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

The present disclosure provides a modular housing structure with excellent heat retention properties due to its Styrofoam panelling, and with high structural integrity due to the way in which various panels interlock with a set of hard reinforcing components sandwiched between the wall panels.

Each of the wall panels is arranged with a plurality of openings formed into a grid which serve both to allow panels to be bolted together about the reinforcing elements easily, as well as to act as anchor points to facilitate the quick attachment of house fixings such as plumbing and circuitry.

The reinforcing elements can take any number of forms. Two example configurations are provided herein.

In the first example, a double-walled arrangement is shown where the reinforcing elements take on a combination between square elements permanently affixed to the wall panels and skeletal reinforcing elements which fit between and interlock the adjacent wall panels together in a lattice formation. While this first arrangement is beneficial, the structure is complex and the coverage of the wall panel surfaces by the reinforcing elements is not 100%.

In the second example, an alternative configuration of wall panels and reinforcing elements is used, wherein a portion of the reinforcing elements are also in the shape of solid panels and are arranged one for one with each pair of wall panels, covering 100% of their internal surfaces. With such arrangements, it is possible to create a housing structure that uses only a single wall.

Both example configurations use the same structure for the corners, wherein sets of corner panels are interlinked by straight vertical reinforcing elements to connect them to the wall elements.

The resulting modular housing structures are versatile, and these principles can be applied and modified to create various styles and shapes of building.

FIG. 1A through FIG. 5B all illustrate the first example configuration.

Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, perspective views are shown of a first example configuration of a modular housing structure 100 formed from interlocking prefabricated panels according to the present disclosure in an assembled state.

As can be seen, the panels are divided into distinct groups that form the superstructures of the assembled building—an outer wall 102, an inner wall 104 separated from the outer wall by a gap, connecting corner elements 106 and 108, and roofing elements (middle roof panels 114 and end roof panels 112).

The benefit of the double-walled structure is threefold. Firstly, it provides an additional layer of structural integrity, compensating for the lightweight Styrofoam material of the panels. Secondly, it provides an additional layer of insulation for the interior. Thirdly, the gap between the two walls can be used for an interlocked coupling between the wall panels 101 on one pair of sides of the structure and the middle roofing panels 114, this is done by having those two sets of wall panels 101 have toothed ridges 116 at their top edge.

The wall panels are all reinforced, being formed of two layers of Styrofoam material bolted together, through a grid of openings 110, either side of a harder skeletal reinforcing element such as a piece of wood, plastic, or metal. The gap 118 between the two layers where the skeletal reinforcing elements are sandwiched can be seen on both the inner wall 104 and the outer wall 102.

Turning to FIG. 2, these internal components can be seen in an exploded view of the housing structure 100.

As shown, in the present example configuration, each of the wall elements comprises an inner Styrofoam material panel with a first set of reinforcing elements 126 secured to it. A second set of skeletal reinforcing elements, 120 and 122, which differ between sides of the housing structure 100 to accommodate the roofing elements 114, then slot in between the first set of reinforcing elements 126. A third set of reinforcing elements 124 then slot in at the edges of each wall panel, coupling to one either side and thus connecting adjacent wall elements together.

The outer Styrofoam panels are then bolted to the inner Styrofoam panels through the openings 110, sandwiching all three sets of reinforcing elements together between the Styrofoam panels and creating a solid wall structure that can be as many panels long as needed and which can be quickly and easily assembled or disassembled.

The straight reinforcing elements 124 that couple the wall elements together are also used to coupled the end wall elements to the corner elements, slotting into a central groove 118 in the corner elements.

This modular, reinforced structural architecture is extremely versatile and can be shaped into any shape and size of building structure desired, being assembled for a fraction of the cost and in a fraction of the time needed for regular construction.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show a side view and cross-sectional view of the structure along the line A-A. As can be seen, the openings 110 of the Styrofoam wall panels have bolts 128 passing through them, through the sandwiched reinforcing elements between the inner layers and outer layers.

FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 4C show the Styrofoam panels 101 in more detail. The reinforcing elements 126 may be detachable from the grid of openings 110 or permanently affixed by bolts 128 as shown. The indents 116 are of a width suitable to receive and support the roofing elements.

FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B show the two different types of skeletal reinforcing element 122 and 120, with the reinforcing element 120 of FIG. 5B being shortened at the top to make room for the roofing element coupling.

FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show the two types of corner element 106 and 108 used, with grooves 118 running through their entire length for interlocking with the straight reinforcing elements 124 described above. These corner element structures are used both for the first example configuration and the second example configuration of the modular housing structure as described below.

FIG. 7A through to FIG. 10B all illustrate the second example configuration of the disclosed modular housing structure, which utilises alternative wall panel and reinforcing element arrangements in a single walled housing structure 200.

Referring to FIG. 7A, a wall panel 201 as used in the second example configuration is shown. As with the wall panels of the first example, the panel has an array of openings 210 arrange throughout its flat surface and about its edges, but it differs in having a recess for a flat reinforcing element formed by a ridge 226 that runs around the edge of the panel.

As can be seen, the recess formed provides a space for a solid rectangular reinforcing element 220 as shown in FIG. 7B to be sandwiched between two of these alternative wall panels.

The wall panels 201 and the reinforcing element 220 can then be bolted together by threading bolts 228 through openings 210 as described for the first example configuration and as shown in FIG. 7C.

Turning to FIG. 8, an exploded components view of the housing structure 200 of the second example configuration is shown using the modified reinforcing elements 220.

As can be seen, the majority of the structure 200 is the same as the first example configuration, but the modified reinforcing elements provide a much simpler structure where the interiors of wall panels 201 are covered 100% by the flat solid reinforcing elements 220. The structure of the second example configuration is also simplified by having only a single wall.

The corner elements 206, 208 and the vertical reinforcing elements 224 connecting the wall panels to the corner elements via the grooves 218 are identical to the first example configuration.

The roof elements 212 and 214 are very similar to those of the first example configuration but are modified for a single walled structure since in this arrangement they do not have a void between walls to slot into.

FIG. 9 illustrates a cross-sectional view of the housing structure 200 of the second example configuration with bolts 228 inserted through the various openings 210 to affix adjacent wall panels and reinforcing elements together.

FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B illustrates first and second isometric views of the second example configuration of the assembled housing structure 200 according to the present disclosure viewed from above and below.

The roofing elements and corner elements may also be formed of Styrofoam material. A suitable Styrofoam material has a compressive strength of 300 kPa or more at 10% deformation, a shear modulus of 8 MPa or greater, a density of 40 Kg/m3 or less, and/or a thermal conductivity of 0.033 W/mK or less.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The disclosed embodiments are illustrative, not restrictive. While specific configurations of the modular housing structure have been described in a specific manner referring to the illustrated embodiments, it is understood that the present invention can be applied to a wide variety of solutions which fit within the scope and spirit of the claims. There are many alternative ways of implementing the invention.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention herein described are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Reference herein to details of the illustrated embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the claims, which themselves recite those features regarded as essential to the invention.

Claims

1. A modular housing structure formed from a plurality of prefabricated panels, the housing structure comprising: a plurality of roofing elements;a plurality of reinforced wall elements, each wall element comprising an inner Styrofoam material panel and an outer Styrofoam material panel having a plurality of openings formed therein, the inner and outer Styrofoam material panels being bolted together via the openings with one or more reinforcing elements disposed between each pair of inner and outer panels, the reinforcing elements being formed of a harder material than the Styrofoam material panels and being arranged so as to interlock with the Styrofoam material panels to connect adjacent wall elements together; anda plurality of corner elements, each corner element having one or more central grooved slots spanning the length of their height for interlocking with the reinforcing elements.

2. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein, when assembled together, the reinforced wall elements and the corner elements form at least an inner wall and an outer wall which are separated by a gap, the inner wall and outer wall being arranged so as to support the plurality of roofing elements.

3. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing elements are divided into a first set of reinforcing elements which are permanently affixed to respective Styrofoam material wall panels and a second set of skeletal reinforcing elements which are configured to interlock with the first set and connect adjacent wall elements.

4. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the reinforcing elements are flat panels which fully cover the inner surfaces of the inner panels and outer panels of the wall elements.

5. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the openings formed in the wall panels are arranged so as to receive fixings for housing apparatus and circuitry as well as facilitating the bolting together of the reinforced wall elements.

6. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein walls of the housing structure form a rectangular or square shape with the plurality of roofing elements being arranged parallel to a first opposing pair of edges of the walls and orthogonal to a second pair of edges of the walls.

7. A modular housing structure according to claim 6, wherein the reinforced wall elements forming the second pair of edges have a plurality of indents arranged along their top edges, the indents being configured to receive and support the roofing elements.

8. A modular housing structure according to claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of roofing elements have a pair of corresponding indents disposed on either side for interlocking with the indents of the wall elements, the indents of the roofing elements being separated by a protrusion having a width equal to the width of the gap between the inner wall and the outer wall.

9. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing elements are formed of one or more of: wood, metal, and plastic.

10. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of roofing elements are also formed of Styrofoam material.

11. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the Styrofoam material has a compressive strength of 300 kPa or more at 10% deformation.

12. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the Styrofoam material has a shear modulus of 8 MPa or greater.

13. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the Styrofoam material has a density of 40 Kg/m3 or less.

14. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the Styrofoam material has a thermal conductivity of 0.033 W/mK or less.

15. A modular housing structure according to claim 1, wherein the Styrofoam material is Extruded Polystyrene.