FR3053568A1 - WATERTIGHT VEGETABLE FACADE AND ROOF INSTALLATION SYSTEM COMPATIBLE WITH INSTALLATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES - Google Patents

Abstract

Device for the installation of a system of tanks for growing plants on the roof or facade of buildings. The invention relates to a type of tray for growing plants, made by folding thin sheets of stainless steel and a method of installation to obtain a watertight surface. In addition, the installation mode of said bins is compatible with the installation of photovoltaic modules. This gives a facility for growing plants that is waterproof and is energy self-sufficient.

Description

© Publication no .: 3,053,568 (to be used only for reproduction orders)

©) National registration number: 16 01073 ® FRENCH REPUBLIC

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY

COURBEVOIE © Int Cl ⁸ : A 01 G 9/02 (2017.01), E 04 D 13/18, H 02 S 20/22

A1 PATENT APPLICATION

©) Date of filing: 08.07.16. (© Priority: © Applicant (s): REYAL JEAN PIERRE— FR. @ Inventor (s): REYAL JEAN PIERRE. ©) Date of public availability of the request: 12.01.18 Bulletin 18/02. ©) List of documents cited in the preliminary search report: See the end of this booklet (© References to other related national documents: ® Holder (s): REYAL JEAN PIERRE. ©) Extension request (s): © Agent (s): REYAL JEAN PIERRE.

SYSTEM FOR INSTALLING FACADES AND PLANT ROOFS, WATERPROOF, AND COMPATIBLE WITH THE INSTALLATION OF PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES.

FR 3 053 568 - A1 _ Device for installing a system of containers for growing plants on the roof or on the facade of buildings.

The invention relates to a type of container for growing plants, produced by folding thin sheets of stainless steel and an installation method for obtaining a waterproof surface.

In addition, the installation mode of said tanks is compatible with the installation of photovoltaic modules.

There is thus obtained an installation for the cultivation of plants which is waterproof and which is energy independent.

not

The invention relates to a method of installing a plant surface, on a facade or a roof or as an above-ground cultivation system, waterproof against water and liquid fertilizers, the supports and containers of which are produced by folding and welding thin sheets of stainless steel or galvanized steel.

The tubs used for planting are installed in the same way as a surface of photovoltaic panels which can supply the electricity necessary for the pumps used for watering plants. The whole is then energy self-sufficient.

The creation of plant façades is a major architectural and ecological challenge in an urban environment. This type of double skin installed on the facade or roof of the building has many advantages. The facade or the green roof are for example acoustic attenuators, thermal regulators, and contribute to biodiversity in urban areas.

The techniques for revegetating facades or roofs are as follows: climbing vine walls, climbing plants on cables, walls of stacked planters or walls dotted with pots.

Another embodiment consists of plant surfaces fixed on thick non-woven felt, itself hung on the facade. Generally a polymer sheet is used to protect the wall from corrosion by liquid effluents.

A drawback of these types of installation is that, under the effect of thermal cycles due to temperature differences, the sheets of polymers or the tanks fixed to the facade or the roof end up tearing around the screws used for fixing the system on the wall causing fertilizer liquids to leak.

Another frequent embodiment of this type of plant facade, installed in double skin, consists of a plurality of trays, generally made of plastic materials fixed to the wall, receiving one or more species of plants per tray.

These bins, or the pockets created in the felts, are filled with substrate for growing plants. Generally used: clay balls, pozzolan, draining substrates, for example sphagnum, or rock wool.

A disadvantage of this type of installation is that the plant surfaces produced are generally not waterproof. If we want to install them on the roof, these systems require laying under the roof, or on the facade, under the plant structure, a layer of polymer to protect walls and under roof.

Watering and fertilizing with liquid fertilizer varies depending on the type of substrate. It is, for example continuous for clay balls, pozzolan, nonwoven felts and of the drip type for other types of substrates. Some plant walls installed on felts are watered continuously and consume several cubic meters of fertilization water per day.

Substrate irrigation is generally done by gravitation. Currently, on vertical walls, or steeply pitched roofs; the supply of fertilizer takes place on the upper edge of the plant containers, or on the upper edge of several rows of plant containers, which results in heterogeneous watering.

The other drawbacks of this watering method are that the excess fertilization liquid from a container ends up in the immediately lower container, which does not allow finely controlling the fertilization of plants, and that the excess fertilization liquids , rich in fertilizers, are most often found rejected in the sewer and pollute the environment.

Finally, the management of watering plants requires the proximity of an electrical source to operate the irrigation pumps. There are no facade systems or roofs for plants or above-ground cultivation that are energy independent and whose components are installed identically.

The object of the present invention is to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a system for installing planters whose surface of the assembled containers is waterproof. This system can be installed on the roof or front of buildings, or on suitably defined supports. The system must be compatible with the installation system of photovoltaic modules which will provide the energy autonomy necessary for the operation of the irrigation pumps. This system must be compatible in particular with the system for installing photovoltaic modules described in patents FR 2 915 217-A1 and EP 209 668 1-A1.

To this end, the object of the invention is to provide a system for installing a plant surface, on the roof or on the facade of buildings or for an above-ground cultivation, meeting the following principles:

The plant structure must be detached from the wall, to prevent liquid fertilizers or sprinkling water from corroding the building surface.

The system of assembled tanks must be watertight overall, not only for each module, it must protect the roof or the facade from a possible leak from the irrigation tubes or the supply of soluble fertilizers

The planter system installed on the roof can replace the tiles.

The system of assembled tanks must allow the drainage of rainwater or additional irrigation from the surface of the plant structure.

The system of assembled tanks must make it possible to recover, process or recycle surplus phytosanitary products and liquid fertilizers so that they are not discharged directly into the sewer.

The system must be reasonably airtight to improve the thermal performance of the building.

The plant surface installation system must allow for the installation of either pre-cultivated modules or the planting of subjects in situ.

The system must allow the green modules to be changed or removed individually because living matter is called upon to disappear and regenerate.

The plant façade must resist shock, as well as the pressure or depression of a strong wind.

Irrigation tubes must be hidden and made inaccessible except for maintenance personnel.

The system must make it possible to block the sliding of growing media when they are installed on a slope or facade.

The system must make it possible to install, on the same surface, photovoltaic modules and plant modules while ensuring watertightness. The plant system must therefore ensure continuity in the installation technique of the different types of facade cladding.

The system must allow suitably insulated electrical cables to pass through, for example:

• To pass the cables of the current generated by a photovoltaic structure placed above the plant system or, • To supply a lighting system intended either for a decorative effect or for the generation of UV rays necessary for photosynthesis or, • To perform electrical measurements. It is necessary to be able to insert in each pixel measurement systems (hygrometry, temperature, flow control, pH) and to be able to continuously record said measurements, without emitting electromagnetic waves.

The electric cables used for measurement or lighting, and the tubes for the supply of liquid fertilizers, must be hidden and made inaccessible, except to maintenance personnel.

The invention, which meets the objectives set out above, will be described in a more precise but non-limiting manner with regard to the appended figures.

- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the system comprising 3 tubs of plants. The plants which would be installed in the holes of the upper plate are not represented there.

- Figure 2 is a perspective view of a plant container for the installation of plants comprising a container itself (5) into which are inserted the growing medium and the plants and its frame (1). The planter is presented in the direction of the slope.

- Figure 3 is a section through the bottom of the plant container.

- Figure 4 is a detailed view of the underside of the flap (lb) of the planter.

- Figure 5 is a detailed view from the top of the planter.

- Figure 6 is a section from the top of the plant container.

- Figure 7 is a view of the top of the plant container which we removed the grid to show the irrigation system.

- Figure 8 describes the method of inserting the tray (5) into the frame (1).

- Figure 9 shows the main feeding system of each planter.

- Figure 10 shows the top of the planter and the gutters for recovering excess fertilizing or watering liquids.

- Figure 11 shows the upper left of the plant container.

- Figures 12 and 12-1 show the set of rails and sleepers used to install the system.

- Figure 13 shows the upper left corner of the assembly of the rails and crosspieces.

- Figure 14 shows the method of assembling the rails and crosspieces.

- Figure 15 shows a section of the method of hanging the planter on the cross.

- Figure 16 shows a column of trays assembled on the rails and crosspieces.

- Figure 17 shows the overlap of the tanks in the direction of the slope as well as the electrical connections.

- Figure 18 and Figure 19 show the principle of laying the fixing and sealing beads of each planter. Figure 19 also shows the assembly of gutters that collect excess liquid effluents.

- Figure 20 recalls the principle of assembling a photovoltaic module in a frame (1).

- Figure 21 and Figure 22 describe the installation of a photovoltaic module on the system of rails and sleepers presented in patent EP 209 668 1-A1.

- Figure 23 shows a section orthogonal to the edge rails and the fold (221) used for the insertion of the sealing connections of the plant surface and the roof.

- Figure 24 shows an assembly of photovoltaic modules (35) and plant containers (1) as well as the recovery tank for excess effluents (36)

The choice of materials for supports and tanks must be made with care to avoid corrosion of the structures and offer high mechanical performance. The materials used to design the metal structures covered by the patent will be of the type:

Austenitic or ferritic stainless steels in thin strips

Composites made of a sheet of steel or stainless steel coated with a thin layer of polymer.

So-called duplex steels, well suited to the corrosion resistance of fertilizers.

The tubes will be made either from steel resistant to fertilizer corrosion or from polymers.

The invention is described more precisely in the text below.

The plant container for receiving the plants, shown in Figure 2, consists of two parts:

The frame (1), supporting the tank (5), is made up of 4 parts: a flap (lb), the two lateral sides (ld) and (lg), the upper part (lh).

These four pieces are made by folding thin sheets of stainless steel less than 1 mm thick and more than 0.2 mm thick. The frame is therefore a continuous and closed hollow body which gives it exceptional mechanical characteristics.

The tank (5) in Figure 3 is made of stainless steel sheets with a thickness greater than 0.5mm and a depth generally greater than 5 cm suitable for the types of plants.

The geometry and the section of the frame are identical to those of the frame used for the framing of photovoltaic modules, described in patent EP 2096681A1.

A grid (6) on which is fixed a gutter (7) which makes it possible to recover the excess fertilizing liquid. Its function will be described later in this text.

The pipes (13) and the connection tee (14) are separated from the frame.

Other accessories included in the tank allow plant retention and drip watering.

In FIG. 2 and in the section of the frame in FIG. 3, there is therefore a distinction between the bottom of the tank (5), the grid (6) for retaining the substrate for growing the plants, and a set of studs (8) welded in the bottom of the frame and the bolts (8-1), intended to fix the grid (6) for retaining the growing medium, which will be placed in the tank (5). These studs (8) make it possible to block the sliding of the substrate in the bottom of the tank (5) when this tank is inclined or vertical.

The grid (6) is produced by cutting a sheet of stainless steel thicker than 0.2 mm. The cutouts and the shapes of the grid (6), which is not necessarily planar but can be a left surface, depend on the type of plants to cultivate. The gutter (7) is integral with this grid (6).

The section of the frame presented in Figure 3, allows to better see the flap (lb) produced by folding a thin sheet of steel, and the tank (5) which is blocked in a groove (1-1) on the periphery of the frame.

The tray is either glued in the groove, around its entire periphery, or welded by laser welding or TIG welding, on the edge of the inner edge of the frame, to seal the connection of the frame with its tray. In Figure 3 it is the edge of the flap (lb-4).

We note on the flap (lb) the groove (lb-1), the internal edge of the plant frame (lb-2) and the cover flap (lb-3).

An elastomer or polymer foam seal is glued under the entire length of the cover flap (lb-3).

Electrical connectors and cables can be installed. Figure 4, which shows the bottom of the frame and its flap (lb), shows the female electrical connectors (9a), (9b), (9c) which are placed under the flap (lb-3).

We see on the upper part of the frame (lh), figure 5 and on the section figure 6, the male electrical connectors (10a), (10b), (10c) which are connected by cables passing inside the frame, respectively, to connectors (9a), (9b), (9c).

An electric cable (12) makes it possible to connect a hygrometer (17), or another measuring means, to the connectors (10a) or (10b), or (10c). The plurality of connectors also makes it possible to respond to the various problems of electrical supply of the plant container system or of electrical measurements to be carried out on the plantations.

The various hoses and connectors for watering are visible on the section of the system presented in Figure 6 and in Figure 7.

The pipe (13) for supplying water for irrigation, possibly loaded with liquid fertilizer, is connected by the tee (14) to the pipe (18) which passes through the hole (21a) (Figure. 5). The hose (18) is connected to a drip hose (16) placed inside the planter.

The pipe (18) is preferably made from corrosion resistant stainless steel or polymer.

The pipe (18) passes through the top of the frame through the holes (21a) and (21-1). An O-ring placed around the pipe on the orifice (21-1) seals the passage.

The drip pipe (16) can wind through the substrate installed in the tank (5), which substrate is not shown in the drawings.

The passage of a hygrometer (17), or another measuring means, takes place in the hole (21) b and is then sealed thanks to the O-ring of the hole (21-2).

The gutter (7) is used for the recovery of excess effluents released by the upper tank. The effluents are then discharged through the pipe (15).

This pipe transfers the effluents to a gutter (25) fixed to the glazing bead (24) which is described in Figures 10 and Figure 11.

The principle of assembling the frame is described in Figures 8-18-2,8-3 and 8-4. o The four sides of the frame are made by folding a thin sheet of stainless steel thicker than 0.5mm.

o The four sides of the frame are placed in a template, not shown in the drawings, which is shown diagrammatically in Figure 8-1. The four sides are made up of open parts as shown in the diagram of the section of the assembly in Figure 8-2, where the lateral sides (ld) and (lg) are visible. The tank (5) is installed in the assembly in figure 8.2.

o The template, which a person skilled in the art knows how to design, makes it possible to fold the uprights of the frame around the container as in FIG. 8.3.

o The assembly is fixed by laser welding, or TIG, or by any other assembly means that a person skilled in the art knows how to choose, figure 8.4.

According to the same principle, a photovoltaic module is installed in the frame, the cables and electrical connectors are installed before the frame is closed (Figures 20).

The culture substrate is installed after the container has been fixed in its frame. Generally the substrates consist of a mixture of soil and organic materials bagged in a retention fabric, or inert substrates of the rock wool type, or other polymers, or an organic substrate retaining water such as sphagnum .

The substrate is placed in the tank and pierced by the studs (8) which allow the limitation of its compaction over time. The grid (6), fixed by the studs (8) and the bolts (8-1), keeps the substrate in the tank.

The drip irrigation pipe (16) is placed either at the top of the tank or all through the substrate depending on the type of plants to be grown.

The plants are installed, generally to be pre-cultivated, in the holes made in the grid (6). The holes, or the openings, made in the grid, which serve to retain the substrate, depend on the type of crops envisaged and on the type of substrate.

The substrate retaining grid (6) has a gutter (7) which collects the excess watering from the upper tank. The dimensions of the gutter are defined to avoid clogging by organic waste.

Visible in Figures 10 and 11, a hose (15) returns the excess watering in a gutter / collector (25) fixed on the glazing bead (24). When assembling the gutters (25) connect which allows the excess liquid effluent to be collected (Cf. figure 19)

A set of rails and ties is used to install the plant structure.

Figure 12 shows the left side of an assembly of vertical rails. The rail (22) is the left edge rail of the assembly, the rail (22-1) is one of the rails used in the middle of the assembly which will end with a right edge rail, symmetrical to the left edge rail , not shown in Figure 12 which describes only a vertical column.

The lower edge cross member (28), and one of the horizontal cross members (27), are visible in Figure 12-1.

The top edge crosspiece (23) is visible in Figures 10,11, and 12.

The crosspieces and the rails are fixed together using a bracket (29) made of stainless steel, visible in FIG. 13 where the upper crosspiece (23) and the left bank rail (22) are assembled.

In Figure 14 are shown the sleepers (27) and the intermediate rail (22-1).

The two crosspieces are fixed to the rail using the screw (29-1) and the bolt (29-2).

The finger (29-3) of the stirrup (29), and its symmetrical under the glazing bead, are fixed in the holes (29-4) of the crosspiece (27).

The part (29-5) is an electrical contact allowing to put all the metallic parts as well as the frames at the same electrical potential.

The part (29-6), made of plastic, makes it possible to correct the differences in levels between the different components of the structure.

Thermal bridge breaks (31) made of 0.5 mm thick plastic are fixed to the crossmember (27).

A large cylinder (32), which can be screwed manually, allows the flatness of the assembly to be corrected.

These assemblies of rails and sleepers form a frame which can be fixed to a facade or a roof. On this frame will be hung the planters. The assembly of several rails and crosspieces can be done on the ground so that the structure thus produced is then fixed to the roof or the facade of the building.

It is also possible to assemble these rails and crosspieces directly on the facade or the roof or on beams previously fixed on the roof or the facade.

The adjustment of the orthogonality of the rails and crosspieces is done simply using a template, the flatness of the system is adjusted using the jacks (32) visible in Figure 23.

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The planters, Figure 15, are hung on the crosspieces (27) and rest on the edge of the glazing bead spacers (26). Figure 16 presents two vats of plants installed starting from the cross of low bank (27-b). The glazing bead spacers (26) are identified on which the lateral edges of the tanks are placed.

Each planter covers the edge (lh), at the top of the lower frame, thanks to its flap (lb).

There is therefore continuity for the flow of water from the top to the bottom of the assembly. This is clearly shown in Figures 15 and 16 and Figure 17. To make reading the images more convenient, the tee (14) for connecting the pipes (13) has been removed:

A seal placed under the flap (lb), not shown in Figure 17, seals and prevents the rise of liquid effluents in strong winds.

Watering surpluses or liquid fertilizers are well collected by the gutter (7). Finally, the connectors (9 [a, b, c]) and (10 [a, b, c]) are connected during the installation of the plant frame, thus making it possible to achieve electrical continuity of the cables inserted in the frames.

The tubs are irrigated by pipes (13), hidden in the rails, (Figures 17 and Figure 13) or above the crosspieces intended for hanging the tubs. Each tank is irrigated by means of a branch tee (14), which is connected to the pipe (ie) (Figure 9) which is connected to the drip irrigation pipe (16), installed in the substrate of the tank which n is not shown in the drawings.

Depending on the type of plants, the drip will snake in the tank, or will be fixed at the top of the tank, the irrigation then being done by gravitation.

The regularity of the flow, and the durability of the pipes (16), (18) and (13) condition the performance of fertilization and irrigation.

Conventionally used for the pipes (16), microporous pipes, which require good accuracy for the flow rate, or pipes with micro drippers, the anti clogging of which is due to a vortex effect created automatically in the nozzles by the pressure of the water.

The pipes (13), and possibly (18), are made of polymer or steel resistant to fertilizer corrosion. These supply pipes must be absolutely reliable and durable. For example, polyethylene or steel pipes of diameter 10 to 16mm are used for the pipes (13).

In the case of our system, the pipes are protected from sunlight and therefore UV protection is not necessary.

Finally, a solenoid valve, not shown in the drawings, can be placed after the tee (14), which makes it possible to individually control and regulate the supply of irrigation in the pipe (18) for watering the tanks.

The pipes (13), the junction of the pipe (18), the tee (14), and possibly the solenoid valve, are placed in the groove of the rail. In the event of a leak, the liquid will be collected at the bottom of the rail, in a recovery tank (36) (Figure 24).

Figures 18 and 19 show the frame locking system by glazing bead.

A glazing bead (24) is applied to each edge of two adjoining frames. Two seals placed under the glazing bead ensure the lateral tightness of the system.

Each glazing bead (24) (Figure 18) is screwed into the metal bracket (29) using the screw (29-1). The screw (29-1) can be coded which protects against theft of plant containers.

Steel fingers (24-1), placed under the glazing bead (24), are blocked in the spacers (26), made of PBT polymer loaded with glass fibers.

The tear resistance of the spacers (26) which are screwed onto the rail (22) is greater than 1800 N.

The glazing beads (24), under which two seals are bonded, provide lateral sealing of the assembly, while the flap (lb) provides sealing in the direction of the slope.

By replacing in the frame (1) the plant container (5) with a photovoltaic module (35), which is inserted in the same way in the frame, one obtains a product whose installation is compatible with that of the plant containers (Figure 20).

Figure 20 shows the principle of assembly of the photovoltaic module (35) by folding the edges of the frame (lh) and (lb), as well as (lg) and (ld), then by laser welding the metal assembly as well created

Figure 21 shows that the photovoltaic module hooks in the same way as the plant container on the crossmember (27), the photovoltaic modules connect automatically and the flaps (lb) cover the lower container on its edge (lh), as in the case of the installation of plant containers.

The installation of glazing beads (24) seals the installed photovoltaic surface by covering the gap separating two contiguous modules in Figure 22.

Figure 23, which is a section orthogonal to the edge rails (22), shows that the shape of the edge rails (22), which have a fold (22-1), and the part (33) (Figure 6) which is a support of abergement to the ridge of the roof, and which has a fold (33-1), allow to slip a thin sheet of folded steel to make the junction with the tiles of the roof when necessary, and thus ensure a tight connection of the plant surface with the tiles.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 24, the system makes it possible to assemble photovoltaic modules (25) and plant containers (l) on the same surface. A container (36), placed under the assembly, makes it possible to recover the excess liquid effluents which can be treated or recycled without being discharged into the sewer.

The trays, frames, rails, crosspieces and glazing beads of the system are produced by folding and welding thin sheets of stainless steel or galvanized steel or sheets of polymer / steel composite, thicknesses less than 1 mm .

The surfaces of plants and photovoltaic modules, waterproof, can be connected to tiles by means of metal sheets slid under folds of the edge rails (22-1) or the cross beams (28) and (23), making it possible to create a waterproof roof made up of tubs for plants, photovoltaic modules and tiles.

Claims (8)

1. Device for assembling tanks intended for the cultivation of plants on the roof or on the facade of buildings, making it possible to produce a waterproof surface, and compatible with a device for assembling photovoltaic modules, characterized in that '' it comprises tubs (5) supporting plants, each supported by a frame (1) made by folding thin sheets of stainless steel, said frame comprising a flap (lb) covering in the direction of the slope, the lower tray on its high edge (1h), and that two glazing beads (24) ensure the lateral sealing of the device. 2. Device according to claim 1 characterized in that each plant container can be watered drop by drop, independently of the other containers, and that the excess fertilization liquid is collected for each container by a gutter (7) secured to a grid (6) for retaining culture substrates and plants, and that liquid effluents can be treated or recycled without being discharged into the sewer. 3. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one photovoltaic module and in that the tanks intended for the cultivation of plants, are installed on the same rails and sleepers as those used for the installation of modules photovoltaic (35) 4. Device according to claim 3 characterized in that the vats (5) of plants then have the energy necessary to operate independently pumps used for drip irrigation and operate sensors measuring the plant system. 5. Device according to claim 3 characterized in that the photovoltaic modules and the tanks intended for the cultivation of plants constitute a waterproof surface. 6. Device according to claim 3 characterized in that the water supply and liquid fertilizer pipes are installed in the rails of the system or above the crosspieces intended for the attachment of the trays, which makes it possible to recover liquids which could come from a possible leak from these irrigation pipes. 7. Device according to claims 1 and 3 characterized in that the tanks, frames, rails, crosspieces and glazing beads of the system are produced by folding and welding thin sheets of stainless steel or galvanized steel or sheet of polymer / steel composite, thicknesses less than 1 mm. 8. Device according to claims 1 and 5 characterized in that the surfaces of plants and photovoltaic modules, waterproof, can be connected to tiles by means of metal sheets slid under folds of the edge rails (22-1) or edge crosspieces (28) and (23), used to create a 15 watertight roof made up of planters, photovoltaic modules and tiles. 1/13?