Abstract
Provided is an emergency shelter that is able to occupy a first, folded position for storage and transport and a second deployed position that is suitable for sheltering at least one person, a method for reversibly converting the shelter from this first position to this second position, and a module of contiguous shelters of this kind. The emergency shelter includes an inflatable tent and a retention device in the form of a column that is preassembled with the inflated tent in said second position. The column is suitable for inflating the tent and holding it deployed around the former in said second position.
Claims
1. An emergency shelter that is able to occupy a first, folded position for storage and transport and a second, deployed position for sheltering at least one person, the emergency shelter including an inflatable tent and a retaining device for retaining the inflatable tent in an inflated state thereof in said second position, wherein the retaining device includes a pre-assembled column having a definitive geometry common to said first position and said second position and to which the inflatable tent in an uninflated state thereof is fixed in said first position, the column being capable alone to inflate the inflatable tent and to retain the inflatable tent in the inflated state where the inflatable tent is deployed around the column in said second position.
2. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 1, in which the column includes in said first position and said second position a peripheral column wall of globally polygonal or curved cross section, the inflatable tent being folded in said first position onto and around the peripheral column wall.
3. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 2, in which the column contains an inflation unit for inflating the inflatable tent, the inflatable tent comprising inflatable ribs, wherein said inflation unit includes a compressor or a pyrotechnic generator of gas under pressure or at least one reservoir intended to contain a compressed gas and adapted to be connected to at least one of said inflatable ribs to be inflated.
4. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 3, in which the column has a base that supports said peripheral column wall and is provided with means facilitating guiding movement of the emergency shelter in said first position, said base containing an electrical power supply unit of the column connected to said inflation unit.
5. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 4, in which said base further contains said inflation unit that opens from said base via an inflation orifice adapted to be connected in an airtight manner to at least one tube for inflating the inflatable tent with which the column is provided, said base having a façade provided with a means for commanding and stopping the inflation.
6. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 4, in which the means facilitating guiding movement of the emergency shelter in said first position are wheels.
7. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 5, in which said peripheral column wall further contains a unit for supplying drinking water and washing water for said at least one sheltered person.
8. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 7, in which said unit for supplying drinking water and washing water includes at least one drinking water reservoir and a receptacle of cups, both accessible from a top of the column, and a washbasin in said peripheral column wall communicating with said at least one drinking water reservoir via a tap.
9. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 7, in which said base further contains a unit for recovering waste water, said base and/or an adjacent lower part of said peripheral column wall including removable or pivoting external panels enabling access to said recovery unit.
10. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 1, in which the retaining device further includes connecting means for connecting the inflatable tent to the column that surmount the column and are deployable to be brought from said first position to said second position in which the column, provided with said connecting means, ballasts the inflatable tent.
11. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 3, in which the connecting means for connecting the inflatable tent to the column are cables or a tubular membrane.
12. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 1, in which the column further includes a storage battery, at least one secure rack for storing personal effects of said at least one person, at least one coat hook, and at least one small folding table.
13. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 12, in which the at least one small folding table is suitable for consulting and/or charging laptop computers or smartphones by means of said storage battery.
14. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 1, in which the column further includes self-contained lighting means able to light in an adjustable manner by means of at least one lighting cone, from an upper end of the column, the interior of the inflatable tent deployed in said second position and optionally also one or more particular locations on the column.
15. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 1, in which the emergency shelter further includes a lockable casing which, in said first position, envelops the inflatable tent folded around a peripheral wall of said column of globally polygonal or curved cross section, said lockable casing being adapted to be separated from the inflatable tent and from said peripheral column wall to allow inflation of the inflatable tent.
16. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 15, in which said lockable casing includes at least two casing modules that can be folded after unlocking by pivoting about a vertical axis of symmetry of the column.
17. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 16, in which said at least two casing modules are mounted to pivot independently of one another on a base of the column before inflating the inflatable tent, each of said at least two casing modules being optionally separatable from the column and adapted to be disposed on ground receiving the emergency shelter to form there an item of furniture or a ground covering element.
18. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 17, in which at least one of said at least two casing modules is provided with articulated legs which are retractable and optionally telescopic, and is adapted to form said item of furniture that is optionally inflatable by said column and is selected from tables and seats.
19. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 17, in which each of said at least two casing modules is adapted to form there the ground covering element which is a floor panel.
20. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 16, in which at least one of said at least two casing modules has an external face provided with means for holding and/or guiding the emergency shelter in said first position, in order to move the emergency shelter and to transport the emergency shelter in a vehicle.
21. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 20, in which the means for holding and/or guiding the emergency shelter in said first position are handles, ramps, or rails.
22. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 16, in which the emergency shelter further includes a cap removably surmounting said peripheral column wall and in said first position locking said at least two casing modules around the inflatable tent, said cap optionally enclosing a tube for inflating the inflatable tent adapted to be connected to an inflation unit contained in the column.
23. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 16, in which said at least two casing modules, before being folded, have when assembled together a globally cylindrical or prismatic geometry around said vertical axis, like said peripheral column wall.
24. The emergency shelter as claimed in claim 1, in which the inflatable tent includes inflatable ribs and a flexible canvas that interconnects said inflatable ribs, the flexible canvas incorporating photovoltaic modules and/or resistive heating elements.
25. A module of contiguous emergency shelters wherein the module includes a plurality of emergency shelters as claimed in claim 1 that are contiguous and interconnected by flexible partitions or awnings with openings adapted to be closed.
26. A method for reversibly converting an emergency shelter from a first, folded storage and transport position to a second, deployed position adapted to shelter at least one person, the emergency shelter including an inflatable tent retained in said second position, wherein the method includes: a) providing a column that is preassembled before said first position is obtained and that has a definitive geometry common to said first position and said second position, b) fixing the inflatable tent in an uninflated state thereof to the column to obtain said first position, and c) inflating the inflatable tent by means of the column alone to obtain said second position in which the inflatable tent, in an inflated state thereof, is deployed around the column and retained by the column.
27. The method as claimed in claim 26, in which step b) includes folding the inflatable tent onto the column and around the column, the inflatable tent being inside a lockable casing which is around the inflatable tent parallel to a vertical axis of symmetry of the column, before said lockable casing is separated from the inflatable tent and from the column between steps b) and c) to allow step c).
28. The method as claimed in claim 27, in which said lockable casing is separated from the column by folding around said vertical axis at least two modules of said lockable casing mounted to pivot on the column in an optionally separatable manner, and in which said at least two casing modules, once deployed, are used as furniture or as elements for covering a floor of the emergency shelter.
29. The method as claimed in claim 28, in which said at least two casing modules, once deployed, are used as tables or seats or as floor panels.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Other features, advantages and details of the present invention will emerge on reading the following description of examples of the invention given by way of nonlimiting illustration and with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective side view from the rear of a shelter according to the first embodiment of the invention in its first, folded position,
(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective side view from the front of the shelter from FIG. 1 tilted by an operative,
(4) FIG. 3 is a perspective side view to a larger scale of the shelter from FIG. 2 showing means for holding and guiding it,
(5) FIG. 4 is a partial view showing in detail the front of the shelter from FIG. 3, showing the casing of its column provided with a cap in the locked position,
(6) FIG. 5 is a view of the shelter similar to FIG. 4 but showing its casing provided with the cap in the unlocked position in an initial phase of deployment of the shelter,
(7) FIG. 6 is a perspective side view of the shelter from FIG. 4 showing initial disengagement of the unlocked casing relative to the column in an intermediate phase of deployment of the shelter (the tent folded onto the column not being shown),
(8) FIG. 7 is a perspective side view of the shelter from FIG. 6 showing further disengagement from its casing in a subsequent phase of deployment of the shelter (the tent not being shown),
(9) FIG. 8 is a perspective side view of the shelter from FIG. 7 showing further disengagement of its casing in a subsequent phase of deployment of the shelter (the tent not being shown),
(10) FIG. 9 is a view from below of the cap of the unlocked casing showing the interior of that cap according to one embodiment of the invention,
(11) FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view from above of the column of the shelter from FIG. 8 after removing the casing from the column (the tent not being shown),
(12) FIG. 11 is a partial front view of one face of the peripheral wall of the column from FIG. 10 showing the washbasin of the shelter,
(13) FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the profile of the washbasin from FIG. 11,
(14) FIG. 13 is a front view of the interior of the column shown in FIG. 11 showing the washbasin and the drinking water supply unit partly visible in FIG. 10,
(15) FIG. 14 is a partial perspective view of another face of the wall of the column from FIG. 10 showing a compartment for charging a mobile telephone,
(16) FIG. 15 is a partial view of a secure storage compartment of the column from FIG. 10 in the closed position,
(17) FIGS. 16 and 17 are partial perspective and front views showing an upper zone of the column from FIG. 10 equipped with coat hooks,
(18) FIG. 18 is a partial perspective view showing a lower zone and the underlying base of the column from FIG. 10 in an open position for access to the wastewater,
(19) FIGS. 19, 20, 21 and 22 are partial perspective views showing details of four phases of recovering wastewater by means of the lower zone and the base of the column shown in FIG. 18,
(20) FIG. 23 is a perspective view from above of a shelter according to a second embodiment of the invention in its first, folded position, the cap of the casing having been removed and the tent folded onto the column being visible,
(21) FIG. 24 is a perspective side view of the shelter from FIG. 23 in an intermediate phase of disengagement of the casing by an operative with a view to deploying the shelter,
(22) FIG. 25 is a partial perspective side view showing in detail a cushion of a bench that is formed by a module disengaged from the casing and optionally inflated by the column,
(23) FIG. 26 is a perspective side view of the shelter from FIG. 24 in a subsequent phase of disengagement of the casing with a view to deploying the shelter,
(24) FIG. 27 is a partial perspective side view showing in detail the means on the column for commanding inflation of the tent and optionally the cushions of the modules of the casing,
(25) FIG. 28 is a partial perspective side view of the interior of the shelter from FIG. 23 receiving persons in its second, deployed position following inflation of the tent, and optionally of the cushions of the casing modules, and arrangement of those modules inside the shelter,
(26) FIG. 29 is a perspective view from above of the interior of a variant of the shelter in accordance with the invention shown in FIG. 28 receiving persons in its deployed position following inflation of the tent and arrangement of the modules of the casing inside the shelter,
(27) FIG. 30 is a perspective side view of two adjacent deployed shelters according to the invention each provided with a WC tent and a third shelter according to the invention shown in the folded position, and
(28) FIG. 31 is a perspective view from above of a shelter module according to one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(29) The shelter 1 according to the first embodiment of the invention seen in FIGS. 1 to 22 essentially comprises: a multifunction column 10 made for example of composite or plastic material having a peripheral column wall 11 of globally prismatic shape defined by a square cross section with rounded corners (see FIGS. 8 and 10 for the right prism geometry with a globally square directrix of the column), therefore with four identical globally rectangular faces of the column 10 facing two by two; a flexible canvas tent 20 with inflatable ribs 21 preferably containing trapped air (i.e. sufficiently airtight to retain the inflation air for a long time) adapted to confer a dome shape on the tent 20 in the deployed position of the shelter 1 when inflated by the column 10, with a ground perimeter 22 that is for example substantially polygonal (e.g. square, as shown in FIG. 29), the tent 20 being fixed to the top 12 of the column 10 by connecting means 23 (visible in FIGS. 28-29 in the deployed position of the tent 20) and folded around its peripheral wall 11 (see FIGS. 23-24, 26); and a removable casing 30 made for example of composite or plastic material that envelops the column 10 and grips the tent 20 when folded and includes four globally plane rectangular modules 31 each of which is mounted to pivot in a lower zone of one face of the column 10 about a vertical axis X of symmetry of the latter (see FIG. 8), with a view to separating the casing 30 from the column wall 11; and a cap 40 for locking/unlocking the casing 30, here having a square geometry, that surmounts the column 10 and the casing 30, capping an upper zone 30a of the modules 31 so as to oppose pivoting thereof.
(30) By way of composite materials that may be used for the column 10 and the casing 30, there may for example be cited glassfiber/polyester or epoxy resin composite materials, the column 10 and/or the casing 30 possible including a metal chassis or framework.
(31) As can be seen in FIGS. 2-3, the column 10 includes an enlarged base 13 of globally square section that supports the wall 11, to the projecting upper face 13a of which are articulated the four casing modules 31 and the lower face of which is provided with wheels 13b so that an operative can easily roll the shelter 1 in the folded position when inclined following slight tilting (see FIGS. 2 and 30). Alternatively, the column 10 could be movable over the ground without tilting by equipping its base 13 with four wheels 13b.
(32) The base 13 of the column 10 contains in particular: an electrical power supply unit (not visible) of the column 10 including a rechargeable battery, a unit 15 for inflating the tent 20 (FIG. 1 shows an inflation button 15a located on the lateral façade 13c of the base 13, this button 15a also being visible in FIG. 18) and optionally for inflating cushions 32 equipping the casing modules 31, and a wastewater recovery unit 16′.
(33) As can be seen in FIGS. 2-5, one of the casing modules 31 is provided on its external face with guide and holding handles 33 with a view to facilitating movement over the ground and loading/unloading the shelter 1 in the folded position, as well as a label 34 providing an operative P with information for the various phases of deployment of the shelter 1. Each casing module 31 advantageously incorporates means for stiffening it, possibly including for this purpose a double wall with interleaved crossmembers. It is seen in FIG. 5 that consecutive casing modules 31 may be removably secured to one another two by two by means of strips 35a, for example of VELCRO® brand fastener type.
(34) The cap 40 is removably fixed (see arrow A in FIG. 5 for its removal) to at least one of the casing modules 31 via another strip 41 for example of VELCRO® brand fastener type and consists of a square panel extended at right angles by identical notched extensions 42 on its four sides, each extension capping a corresponding upper zone 30a of a casing module 31 with two lower zones 43 for each extension 42 capping both of two consecutive casing modules 31, thereby forming undulations on the contour of the upper zone 30a of the casing 30. It is seen in FIG. 9 that the cap 40 is advantageously equipped on its internal face with an inflation tube 44 for inflating the tent 20 and optionally the cushions 32 equipping the casing modules 31, the tube 44 being retained therein by VELCRO® brand fastener strips 45 for example.
(35) As can be seen in FIG. 27, the base 13 has on its upper face 13a an inflation orifice 15b intended to be connected to the tube 44 for inflating the tent 20 and optionally the cushions 32, as explained hereinafter.
(36) FIGS. 6-8 illustrate one example of the structure of and preparations for deployment of the shelter 1, with each casing module 31 that here is adapted to form a bench or a table after it is pivoted in the direction of the arrow B in FIG. 6 from an initial vertical position to a final horizontal position (FIG. 7) and that may be covered by an inflatable or non-inflatable cushion 32 fixed to the seat of the bench or to the tabletop and advantageously washable and non-removable from a cushion cover. To this end each casing module 31 has at its upper and lower ends two articulated legs 35 and 36 that are retracted in the folded position of the casing 30 against the column 10 and during tilting thereof (FIG. 6) and the operative P then deploys independently, starting with the articulated leg 35 at the external end of the module 31 (see arrow C in FIG. 7), the other internal end of which may remain articulated to the base 13 of the column 10 (see FIGS. 7-8) or be separated therefrom to position the bench or the table formed by the module 31 at a required location on the floor of the shelter 1 once deployed (see FIGS. 28-29).
(37) FIGS. 10-13 show one example of the arrangement of a unit 16 supplying drinking water and washing water including a drinking water reservoir 16a and a receptacle 16b of cups 16c that are accessible from the top 12 of the column 10 for stocking with water and cups 16c and that discharge above a washbasin 16d that the unit 16 in the wall of the column 11 also includes, so that the user of the washbasin 16d can independently take a cup 16c by merely pulling vertically on the cup 16c at the bottom of the stack and obtain water for filling the cup 16c and/or washing their face and hands via a tap 16e that communicates with the water reservoir 16a. The washbasin 16d may for example have a flat bottom and a drain outlet adjustably closed by a plug 16f. The reservoir 16a may be filled from bottles of water while remaining in the column 11 or extracted from the column 11 to refill it from an outdoor drinking water tap, or alternatively connected temporarily to an exterior drinking water standpipe.
(38) The top 12 of the column, in the form of a pivotable cover for example may have, in addition to two orifices 12a and 12b for respectively filling the reservoir 16a with water and stocking the receptacle 16b with cups 16c, an opening the shape of which is specifically designed to illuminate the interior of the tent 20 once inflated with a given lighting cone. Light-emitting diodes (LED) are advantageously used for this lighting, and the column 10 may include on its wall 11 other localized lighting means (for example for lighting the washbasin 16d or another functional zone of the column 10) and that may even light the interior of the tent 20 once inflated by means of one or more LED strips fixed to the ribs 21 of the tent 20, for example.
(39) FIG. 14 shows, inside the compartment 17 of the column 10 closed by a pivoting small table 17a (retracted at the level of the wall 11 in the folded position of the shelter 1), a socket outlet 17b for charging a mobile telephone T for example, which telephone may be placed on the small table 17a during charging and use by its owner (just like a laptop computer or other suitable object).
(40) FIG. 15 shows a secure space for storing personal effects inside another compartment 17′ of the column 10 closed by another pivoting small table 17a′ (shown retracted against the wall 11 in the folded position of the shelter).
(41) FIGS. 16 and 17 show coat hooks 18 fixed in the immediate vicinity of the top 12 of the column 10 on at least one of the four faces thereof. These coat hooks may advantageously be extractable so as to be retracted into the column 10 so as not to snag the canvas of the tent 20 during its deployment and to be disengaged therefrom (for example by exerting a push/pull) for use in the deployed position of the shelter.
(42) FIGS. 18-22 show the structure and the actuation of a lower zone of the column 10 and of the base 13 thereof for regular access to the wastewater recovery unit 16′ in order to empty it. It is seen in FIG. 18 that the façade 13c of the base 13 has two pivoting external panels 19 on two of its opposite sides, preferably sides other than the side provided with the inflation button 15a (this pivoting is for example obtained by a push immediately followed by a pull, see arrows D in FIGS. 18 and 19) that provide access to two wastewater reservoirs 16a′ by opening and removing an adjacent hatch 19a formed by a panel removable from the lower zone of the column 10 (see arrow E in FIG. 20 for this opening). It is seen in FIGS. 21 and 22 that an operative P can therefore easily extract the two wastewater reservoirs 16a′ from the column 10.
(43) FIGS. 23-28 show a shelter 1′ according to a second embodiment of the invention that differs from the shelter 1 from FIGS. 1-22 in that: the peripheral wall 11′ of the column 10′ and the casing modules 31′ enveloping it in the folded position are also of globally prismatic shape but here are of globally triangular rather than square cross section, the other features of the shelter 1 described above being essentially unchanged, and in that: the cap 40′ for locking/unlocking the casing 30′, also of globally triangular shape, cooperates for locking purposes with the three casing modules 31′ that it surmounts via a pair of metal rods forming pins 42′ that the cap 40′ incorporates at each of its corners for locking/unlocking the casing modules 31′.
(44) FIG. 23 shows the tent 20 fixed to the top 12′ of the column 10′ and folded onto its peripheral wall 11′, the means 23 connecting the tent 20 to that top 12′ being visible in FIG. 28.
(45) It is seen in FIGS. 24 and 26 that the casing modules 31′ and the articulated legs 35′ and 36′ being retractable that they incorporate are deployed by pivoting as described above in relation to the first embodiment of the invention, the FIG. 25 insert showing an inflated cushion 32 equipping the bench formed for example by one or each casing module 31′.
(46) As explained above and visible in FIG. 27, the tent 20 and optionally the cushion or cushions 32 is/are inflated via the unit 15 for inflating the tent 20 forming an inflation interface that may consist in an inflation button 15a′ with a protection valve that is provided on the lateral façade 13c of the enlarged base 13′ of the column 10′ supporting the wall 11′ after connecting the inflation orifice 15b of the base 13′ to the inflation tube 44 (which tube 44 is connected to the ribs 21 of the tent 20 and optionally to the cushions 32 of the casing modules 31′).
(47) In this second embodiment of the invention, the column 10′ may incorporate functionalities different from those of the first embodiment, there being visible in particular in FIG. 26 an optional support 44′ for winding up the inflation tube 44.
(48) In the FIG. 28 deployed position the means 23 for connecting the tent 20 from FIGS. 23-28 to the top of the column 10′ in this example include three for example textile slings or stays 23a that are for example fixed to the inflatable ribs 21 of the tent 20 and by which the tent 20 is ballasted by the column 10′ in the deployed position of the shelter 1′.
(49) It will be noted that this ballasting of the shelter 1, 1′ makes it possible to circumvent the disadvantages inherent to the external ballasting of inflated tents usually obtained by ropes and tent pegs and/or by ballast weights (e.g. bags of sand or water) placed at the base of the tent or of its ribs. In particular, this ballasting of the tent 20 by the column 10, 10′ achieves a significant timesaving for the deployment of the shelter 1, 1′ compared to that of tents with external ballasting.
(50) It will also be noted that this ballasting inside the shelter 1, 1′ makes it possible to give the tent 20 increased wind resistance compared to that of tents ballasted externally.
(51) The tent 20 has for example a ground perimeter 22 that is polygonal and a footprint of 25 m.sup.2, able to vary from approximately 20 m.sup.2 to 40 m.sup.2 with a mass for a 25 m.sup.2 footprint tent 20 of approximately 20 kg (the column 10, 10′ having a weight of approximately 40 kg, without counting the casing modules 31, 31′ each of which can weigh approximately 6 kg if they form benches). It is seen in FIG. 28 that at least one of the casing modules 31′ may be configured, in the deployed state and separated from the column 10′, to form a relatively high table provided with two articulated legs 35′ and 36′ (which are telescopic, being extendable in the direction of the arrows F) at respective ends of the casing module 31′, with other modules 31′ in this example able to be configured to form benches each for at least two persons P and with a cushion 32 optionally inflated by the column 10′ as in FIG. 25.
(52) As can be seen in FIG. 28, it will be noted that the column 10, 10′ is able to light the interior of the tent 20 by means of a lighting cone and that this column 10, 10′ may be eccentric relative to the apex of the dome (not visible) of the tent 20, i.e. being in this example positioned in the vicinity of one side of the ground perimeter 22 at the bottom of the latter. The ground perimeter 22 at the bottom of the deployed tent 20 may optionally be equipped with means encouraging the circulation of air outside the tent 20.
(53) In the FIG. 29 variant, the means 23 for connecting the column 10 to the tent 20 include a tubular, for example textile membrane 23b extending in the form of a right cylinder from the top 12 of the column 10 to the zone 24 of intersection of the inflatable ribs 21 (i.e. at the level of the apex of the dome). This membrane 23b may optionally be provided with means for lighting the interior of the tent 20.
(54) As shown in FIGS. 28-29, the inflated ribs 21 tensioning the dome formed by the deployed tent 20 cross in these examples in accordance with a geometry reminiscent of that of a medieval architecture cloister vault, although the present invention can use other arrangements of inflatable ribs 21.
(55) There are shown in FIG. 30 two adjacent shelters 1 according to the invention in the deployed position each provided with an individual tent 50 that is small and rapidly deployable containing a disposable WC 51, an operative being shown on the point of proceeding to deploy a third shelter 1 that can be seen in the folded position by tilting it to move it into an appropriate location. This tent 50 is preferably installed outside and in the immediate vicinity of a shelter 1 according to the invention in the deployed position (i.e. outside and alongside the inflated tent 20) so as not to penalize the comfort of other persons P accommodated in that shelter 1, and contains in addition to the for example folding (e.g. cardboard) WC 51 a single-use plastic bag. Each of the tents 20 visible in FIG. 30 has in this example at its entrance a vaulted front section forming an awning 25 the opening of which may be closed by a zipped panel.
(56) The example of a module M of tents 20 shown in FIG. 31 includes an arrangement of five contiguous shelters 1a-1e according to the invention the tents 20 of which define a ground perimeter 22 that is square at the bottom, each of which can be such as those visible in FIG. 30. To be more precise, the left hand shelter 1a includes an awning 25, for example with a zipped opening panel of the type from FIG. 30, forming the entrance of the module, and leads to a central second shelter 1b of the module M, which leads separately on three of its sides to three shelters 1c, 1 d, 1e with no exit other than the central shelter 1b.
(57) It will be noted that a large number of geometrical configurations and structural arrangements can be used for a module M of shelters 1 according to the invention, possibly including shelters 1 having different footprints (determined by the geometry of the tents 20 deployed around the column 10 of each shelter 1), containing specific equipment and/or furniture such as the aforementioned means for compartmenting the space of each shelter 1 (in part determined by the arrangement of the modules 31 of each column 10 of a shelter 1 and/or by complementary equipment or furniture not provided by the column 10). For example, there may be envisaged, at the main entrance of the module M, one or more first shelter(s) 1 for receiving victims intended to cause them to wait and/or to take information as to their respective identities and situations, communicating with one or more second shelter(s) 1 so that the victims received in this way talk to a psychologist, able to communicate with one or more third shelter(s) 1 forming places to eat.
