Mechanism for securing together building modules

Abstract

The invention provides a mechanism for securing together room sized modular building units in the construction of a building. The mechanism comprises mutually aligned detent means on the facing outside walls of each pair of adjacent modular building units, link means to be lowered between two adjacent but mutually spaced modular building units in the final building for engaging with the mutually aligned detent means to lock them together in the vertical direction, and resilient means permitting the link means to engage the detent means but preventing movement in the return direction. By lowering the link means into the gap between adjacent modules and linking together the modules at a number of spaced points around their entire peripheries, the modules can be connected together along all edges in the vertical and horizontal planes.

1 . A mechanism for securing together room sized modular building units in the construction of a building, comprising mutually aligned channel means on the facing outside walls of each pair of adjacent modular building units, link means to be lowered between two adjacent but mutually spaced modular building units in the final building and passing vertically into the mutually aligned channel means for engaging with the mutually aligned channel means to lock them together, and resiliently biased latching means permitting the link means to pass vertically into the aligned channel means to engage the channel means but preventing movement in the return direction.  
   
   
       2 . A mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the resiliently biased latching means comprises spring supports for the link means permitting the link means to deflect and pass vertically into the channel means as the link means is lowered, and to spring back beneath a shoulder of the channel means to prevent return movement.  
   
   
       3 . A mechanism according to  claim 2 , wherein the link means comprise a pair of out-turned flanges on the bottom edges of the spring supports, and the channel means comprises a pair of channel members secured to the outside of the modules so that the flanges engage beneath shoulders of the channel members when the link means is lowered into the space between adjacent building modules.  
   
   
       4 . A mechanism according to  claim 3 , wherein the spring supports depend from a base plate which is wide enough to span the space between adjacent modules and which in use is secured to the tops of the building modules to prevent relative movement therebetween in the horizontal plane.  
   
   
       5 . A mechanism according to  claim 4 , wherein a further pair of spring supports extend upwardly from the base plate to terminate in outwardly directed flanges for engaging over the tops of a further pair of channel members secured to the outside of the modules as the next layer of modules is moved into position to form the next storey of the building.  
   
   
       6 . A mechanism according to  claim 1 , wherein the link means comprises a double headed pin member extending transversely across the space between adjacent building modules and supported by an insert bar on which the pin member can be lowered into the said space; and each channel means is a channel member on the outside wall of each building module comprising a guide channel for guiding an end portion of the pin member while the heads of the pin member engage with the mutually aligned channel means to lock them together.  
   
   
       7 . A mechanism according to  claim 6 , wherein the resilient means is a spring member which includes an aperture into which an end of the pin can be received, so that lowering of the link means into the space between the building modules causes deflection of the spring member until the end of the pin is received in the aperture, whereupon the spring member springs back to retain the pin member.  
   
   
       8 . (canceled)  
   
   
       9 . A method of constructing a building from a number of room sized modular building units, comprising linking together adjacent modular building units using a mechanism according to any preceding claim, and securing over the horizontal junctions between the tops of adjacent modular building units a metal sheet in which is formed a gutter for conducting rain water or condensation from the top of each storey of modular building units in the building to the outside of the building.