WO2009107929A1

WO2009107929A1 - Flowerpot for street

Info

Publication number: WO2009107929A1
Application number: PCT/KR2008/007315
Authority: WO
Inventors: Young Chun Ko; Kuk Hyun Myoung
Original assignee: Supuro Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2008-02-28
Filing date: 2008-12-10
Publication date: 2009-09-03
Also published as: CN101677512A; KR100853029B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a flowerpot for landscaping streets, which may be freely relocated and provide more attractive streetscapes through a self light emission function using sunlight. Specifically, the present invention provides a flowerpot for street including a body providing a vegetation part for planting; a driving means that is installed in the body to generate power using sunlight; and a light emission means that is installed in the body to externally emit light using the power. Consequently, the flowerpot for street according to the present invention does not require separate power lines and thus possibility of short circuits and power leakage may be reduced and unnecessary installation procedures such as embedding power lines may be significantly simplified. Further continuous maintenance fees such as electric charges may be saved. Moreover, since the flowerpot is free to be relocated, there is no limitation in selecting and changing the installation site.

Description

FLOWERPOT FOR STREET

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a flowerpot for street. More specifically, the present invention relates to a flowerpot for landscaping streets, which may be freely relocated and provide more attractive streetscapes through a self light emission function using sunlight. Background Art

[2] In general, "streets" mean roads in a city, and include pavements and roadways.

[3] One representative method for landscaping streets is to use flowers or trees, and dedicated flowerpots for street are used for this purpose. At this time, flowerpots for street play a role in guiding pedestrians or vehicles, adjusting the traffic, as well as landscaping streets. Accordingly, multiple flowerpots, rather than a single one, are often used together while constituting an appropriate combination, for example, in a line or zigzag type. As a result, special attention needs to be paid to the maintenance of flowerpots for street such as irrigation and drainage. Continuous efforts are going on to create further improved streetscapes as well as to find a specific method for achieving the above-mentioned purposes.

[4] As an example, Korean Registered Utility Model No. 372,683 discloses a flowerpot for street, including a receiving part in a body, an opening part at an upper portion, and a support at a lower portion, wherein the flowerpot further includes a water-supply pipe introduced in the receiving part, and a depressurizing ring and a dispensing pipe that are connected to the water-supply pipe. The support is provided in the receiving part to standingly hold a support pipe member. A decoration that pivots in left and right directions is supported against a support jaw located at an upper portion of the support pipe member, and a light emission means connected to a power line is provided therein.

[5] However, the flowerpot for street according to the prior art supplies power to the light emission means through a power line.

[6] In particular, the power line may be very troublesome in a sense that flowerpots for street are generally positioned along a street. An example of these problems include a difficulty in freely relocating the flowerpot, high possibility of short circuits and power leakage due to being externally exposed or buried, complexity in installation, and continuous consumption of maintenance fees such as electric charges. Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [7] The present invention has been designed to solve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a flowerpot for street that provides further attractive streetscapes through a self light emission function without any external power supply, does not require any power line to reduce the possibility of short circuits and power leakage due to being exposed or buried, is freely relocated without a limitation in installation sites, and incurs no additional maintenance fees besides initial installation charges.

[8] Another object of the present invention is to provide a flowerpot for street, which may continuously supply water to pre-planted flowers or trees to create and maintain further efficient vegetation environments. Technical Solution

[9] To achieve the above-mentioned objects, the present invention provides a flowerpot for street including: a body providing a vegetation part for planting; a driving means that is installed in the body to generate power using sunlight; and a light emission means that is installed in the body to externally emit light using the power.

[10] In a preferred embodiment, the flowerpot for street may further include a light emission window that is provided in the body to produce a specific shape from the light emitted from the light emission means.

[11] In addition, the light emission window includes at least one lens.

[12] Further, the driving means may include a photovoltaic module that converts the sunlight to electric energy, and a capacitor that stores the electric energy and supplies the electric energy to the light emission means.

[13] Further, the driving means may include an optical sensor that senses the light intensity of surroundings, and a controller that controls the light emission means based on a result sensed from the optical sensor.

[14] Further, the flowerpot for street may further include a reservoir that is prepared in the body to supply water to the vegetation part and stores water.

[15] Further, the flowerpot for street may further include a cap that covers the vegetation part.

[16] Further, at least one or more vegetation part may be provided in the body.

Advantageous Effects

[17] The flowerpot for street according to the present invention does not require separate power lines and thus possibility of short circuits and power leakage may be reduced and unnecessary installation procedures such as embedding power lines may be significantly simplified. Further continuous maintenance fees such as electric charges may be saved. Moreover, since the flowerpot is free to be relocated, there is no limitation in selecting and changing the installation site. Brief Description of Drawings

[18] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a flowerpot for street installed according to the present invention.

[19] Fig. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a flowerpot for street according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[20] Fig. 3 is a cross section view illustrating the flowerpot for street according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[21] Figs. 4 to 9 are perspective views illustrating variations to the flowerpot for street according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[22] Fig. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a flowerpot for street according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[23] Fig. 11 is a perspective view illustrating a variation to the flowerpot for street according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

[24] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[25] Although the term 'for street' has been used in the flowerpot for street according to the present invention throughout the specification, the flowerpot for street according to the present invention is not limited in use for streets in a city but may be applicable to highways or other various places. It could be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the following descriptions. In addition, the flowerpot for street according to the present invention may be divided into several embodiments or variations, and hereinafter, each of them will be sequentially described.

[26] For convenience of descriptions, descriptions will be primarily made with reference to the first embodiment in case of being also applicable to the other embodiments and variations to the first embodiment, and descriptions of the other embodiments will focus on the difference from the first embodiment.

[27] First embodiment

[28] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a flowerpot for street 10 installed along a street according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[29] As shown in Fig. 1, the flowerpot for street 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may be arranged along a sidewalk 5 in the street. At this time, multiple flowerpots for street 10 may be provided in various forms, for example, in a line or in a zigzag manner, and a plant 7 such as a flower or tree is potted in each flowerpot.

[30] Figs. 2 and 3, respectively, are a perspective view and a cross section view of the flowerpot for street 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [31] As shown, the flowerpot for street 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a vegetation part 40 at the upper end of a body 20 which constitutes the outer appearance of the flowerpot for street 10 and a receiving space 21 defined in the body 20. And, a light emission means 85 and a driving means for driving the light emission means 85 are mounted at a side of the receiving space 21, and a reservoir 50 is provided at the lower end of the receiving space 21 to supply water to the potted plant.

[32] More detailed descriptions will be provided below.

[33] First, although the body 20 may be shaped in various manners, the body 20 is formed in the shape of an ellipsoid whose upper part has been cut off. The ellipsoidal shape allows for more attractive appearance of the body 20 and prevents passers-by from encountering accidents. The body 20 may be formed of a synthetic resin such as a recycled material, for example, copren that may save resources and fabrication costs.

[34] And, the vegetation part 40 is prepared at an upper part of the body 20 as a predetermined space for planting. And, soil or water nutrition blocks that may replace soil are filled in the vegetation part 40 to provide a vegetation base for the plant. For reference, the water nutrition blocks may be a type of sponge that has multiple pores in which a constant amount of water and nutrition will be soaked, and as an example, may include products called "Aqua foam" or "Oasis foam". Furthermore, a drainage hole 43 connected to the receiving space 21 penetrates the floor of the vegetation part 40 so that water may flow from the vegetation part 40 into the reservoir 50.

[35] A support 23 shaped as a supporting die is provided at the bottom of the body 20 to allow the body 20 to be kept at a constant height apart from the ground. This enables air to freely flow between the bottom of the body 20 and the ground without impeding the flow of water during raining.

[36] Next, the light emission means 85 provided at a side of the receiving space 21 receives power to emit light, and the driving means generates and supplies power to the light emission means 52.

[37] The light emission means 52 may use a fluorescent lamp, a xenon lamp, a halogen lamp, a light emitting diode (LED) lamp, and so on. Among this, the LED lamp is the most appropriate choice because it emits various spectra of light, provides attractive streetscapes, as well as is small in size and of low power consumption.

[38] The driving means includes a photovoltaic module 81 that converts sunlight to electric energy and a capacitor 83 that stores the electric energy generated by the photovoltaic module 81 and supplies it to the light emission means 52. At this time, the photovoltaic module 81 includes a solar cell and a frame supporting the solar cell. In this embodiment, the photovoltaic module 81 is installed at an upper part of the outer circumference of the body 20 where the photovoltaic module 81 may receive solar cell without any interference.

[39] And, the capacitor 83 stores the electric energy generated by the photovoltaic module

81 and supplies it to the light emission means 85, and the capacitor 83 is disposed at the inside of the body 20. For reference, an electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) may be adopted as the capacitor 83 which provides a high charge/discharge speed, a high current, a wide range of operation temperature, and a high efficiency.

[40] Meanwhile, a water-proof part 87 may be prepared at a side of the receiving space 21 as a portion isolated from the reservoir 50, and electrical elements such as the light emission means 85 and the capacitor 83 are embedded in the water-proof part 87 to be protected from water and impacts.

[41] At this time, there may be provided in the water-proof part 87 a current control device, such as a voltage regulator, which constantly transfers a voltage generated by the photovoltaic module 81 to the capacitor 83, an optical sensor that senses the light intensity of surroundings, and a control unit that controls on/off of the light emission means 85 based on the result sensed by the optical sensor. By doing so, electricity generated by the photovoltaic module 81 may be charged to the capacitor 83 during the daytime and the light emission means 85 emits light according to the sensed result at night.

[42] A high-transmittance, transparent or colorful light emission window 25 is mounted at the inlet of the water-proof part 87 which corresponds to the outer surface of the body 20 to externally disperse light emitted from the light emission means 85. Although the light emission window 25 is provided in plurality along the circumference of the body 20 by a constant interval and each light emission window 25 makes a one-to-one correspondence to each light emission means in this embodiment, at least one light emission means 85 may be installed inside the body 20 so that light may be emitted through each light emission window 25.

[43] Further, at least one lens 24 is installed at the light emission window 25 to diffuse or collect the light emitted from the light emission means 85. Although a concave lens for diffusing light is shown in this embodiment, an appropriate combination of a convex lens and a concave lens may be made for various illumination effects.

[44] Next, the reservoir 50 prepared at the lower part of the body 20 as a water storage stores water for the plant potted in the vegetation part 40.

[45] At this time, the reservoir 50 may be divided into two or more regions by at least one partitioning wall 51 that is kept at a constant height from the bottom of the body 20, and water may be externally supplied via the inlet (not shown) located at a side of the body 20. And, a water-head pipe 53 is installed at the bottom of the reservoir 50 with a constant height to discharge water to the outside and simultaneously enables the external air to be freely exited/entered from/to the reservoir 50 when the inflow of water exceeds a predetermined level.

[46] This helps root respiration of the plant potted in the vegetation part 40 and vivid growth of aerobic bacteria.

[47] In addition, at least one watering bar 55 is prepared at the bottom of the reservoir 50 and stands upward up to the vegetation part 40. The watering bar 55 is formed of fibrous tissues such as a resin which allows for a capillary action, and supplies water stored in the reservoir 50 to the soil or material replacing the soil. This enables water to be continuously supplied to the vegetation part 40.

[48] As described above, the flowerpot for street according to the first embodiment of the present invention allows for self light emission using sunlight and therefore a separate power line is unnecessary. Therefore, the likelihood of short circuits and power leakage is low and unnecessary procedures such as embedding power lines may be significantly reduced. Further, continuous maintenance fees such as electric charges may be lessened and there are no limitations to selecting and changing the installation site because it may be freely relocated. Moreover, since a constant amount of water is stored to continuously supply the water to potted plants, an efficient and stable vegetation environment may be created and costs and efforts to manage the growth of the plant may be greatly saved.

[49] Figs. 4 to 9 are views illustrating a diversity of variations to the flowerpot for street according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein the same components refer to the same reference numerals to avoid unnecessary repetitions.

[50] Fig. 4 represents that the reservoir 50 may have a structure of being separated or coupled from/to the lower part of the body 20.

[51] Figs 5 and 6 represent that the reservoir 50 may have various shapes according to the purpose, wherein Fig. 5 refers to a case where the light emission window 25 is shaped as a triangle and Fig. 6 refers to a case where the light emission window 25 is shaped as a rectangle. Although not shown, the light emission window 25 may be variously shaped such as a comb, symbol, letter, or other natural creatures as necessary.

[52] Fig. 7 represents a case where a diffuser plate or light guided plate with a predetermined color is used as the light emission window 25. At this time, the water-proof part (refer to '87' in Fig. 2) may include therein a reflector sheet made of a silver or white colored, high-reflectance material to collect or reflect the light emitted from the light emission means (refer to '85' in Fig. 2) toward the light emission window 25. By doing so, a dim light emission is created to produce a further improved illumination effect.

[53] Fig. 8 represents a case where a separate cap 95 is provided at the upper part of the body 20 to cover the vegetation part (refer to '40' in Fig. X). At this time, the cap 95 may be used to cover the vegetation part 40 at a time during which it is difficult for plants to grow up such as a winter time and decorate the outer appearance, as well as protect sprouts. And, the cap 95 has at least one through hole 97 through which the light emitted from the light emission means (refer to '85' in Fig. 2) is directed outwardly, or water or air may be freely exited and entered.

[54] Fig. 9 is a view representing that a separate auxiliary vegetation part 45 may be prepared at an appropriate location of the body 20 besides the vegetation part 40. At this time, the location of the auxiliary vegetation part 45 is not specifically limited as long as it may smoothly be supplied with water from the reservoir (refer to '50' in Fig. 2) at a location not overlapping the light emission means (refer to '85' in Fig. 2).

[55] Second embodiment

[56] Fig. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a flowerpot for street 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[57] The flowerpot for street according to this embodiment includes a vegetation part 40 at a side of the body 20 for planting, a photovoltaic module 81 at an upper surface of the body 20 as a driving means, and a light emission means (refer to '85' in Fig. 2) and a light emission window 25 at an upper end of the body 20. Further, the flowerpot for street includes a flange that is firmly held at a lower end of the body 20 with an anchor bolt already inserted into a walkway, and this adds the feeling of stability.

[58] Although not shown, the vegetation part 40 is filled with soil or material replacing the soil to provide a support base for the plant. And, the water-head pipe 53 may be omitted which does not provide a specific effect whereas the reservoir (refer to '50' in Fig. 2) and the watering bar (refer to '55' in Fig. 2) may be prepared in the body 20 as described above with reference to the first embodiment.

[59] In this embodiment, the cap 95 may be further formed as a sliding door at a side of the body 20 to open and close the vegetation part 40, and may be transparent or translucent so that the plant potted in the vegetation part 40 may be viewed from the outside.

[60] Meanwhile, the flowerpot for street 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the body 20 having the vegetation part 40 is divided into an upper part that performs a light emission function and a lower part that performs a fixing function, each of which is manufactured as a separate module and detachably coupled with the other. This may be easily understood by those skilled in the art from the above descriptions, and such separating and coupling structure allows the present invention to be utilized in various forms.

[61] Fig. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a variation to the flowerpot for street according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Two or more bodies 20 are stacked as a double layer on a support 23 located at a lower part. A lead case 100 is mounted at the top of the upper body 20, in which the photovoltaic module 81 for light emission, a capacitor (refer to 83 in Fig. 2), and a light emission means (refer to 85 in Fig. 2) are embedded in the lead case 100.

[62] At this time, a method of using a separate fixing member such as bolts or nuts, a press-fitting method, and a screw coupling method using threads may be adopted to separate and couple the support 23, the two or more bodies 20, and the lead case 100, wherein the vegetation part 40 of each body 20 may be configured to provide attractive streetscapes at various angles toward different directions.

[63] As a result, the flowerpot for street 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention may also produce self light emission using sunlight, and thus, separate power lines are unnecessary. Accordingly, the likelihood of short circuits and power leakage may be reduced and unnecessary procedures such as embedding power lines may be significantly simplified while continuous maintenance fees such as electric charges may be saved. Furthermore, since the flowerpot is free to be relocated, there is no limitation in selecting and changing the installation site. Further, since each body may contain a constant amount of water for potted plants and continuously supply the water to the vegetation part, efficient and stable vegetation environments may be created and maintained.

[64] The embodiment of the invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims. Industrial Applicability

[65] The flowerpot for street according to the present invention exerts self light emission functions using sunlight. Consequently, the flowerpot for street according to the present invention does not require separate power lines and thus possibility of short circuits and power leakage may be reduced and unnecessary installation procedures such as embedding power lines may be significantly simplified. Further continuous maintenance fees such as electric charges may be saved. Moreover, since the flowerpot is free to be relocated, there is no limitation in selecting and changing the installation site.

[66] In addition, the flowerpot for street according to the present invention may emit various patterns of light according to the purpose of usage, and thus provide further attractive streetscapes and various illumination effects, thus allowing for an even more beautiful night view in a city.

[67] Furthermore, the flowerpot for street according to the present invention stores a constant amount of water for plants potted therein and thus allows for continuous watering, thus creating and maintaining efficient and stable vegetation environments. By doing so, efforts and costs necessary for maintaining the growth of the plant may be significantly saved.

Claims

[1] A flowerpot for street comprising: a body providing a vegetation part for planting; a driving means that is installed in the body to generate power using sunlight; and a light emission means that is installed in the body to externally emit light using the power. [2] The flowerpot for street of claim 1, further comprising: a light emission window that is provided in the body to produce a specific shape from the emitted light from the light emission means. [3] The flowerpot for street of claim 2, wherein the light emission window includes at least one lens. [4] The flowerpot for street of claim 1, wherein the driving means includes a photovoltaic module that converts the sunlight to electric energy, and a capacitor that stores the electric energy and supplies the electric energy to the light emission means. [5] The flowerpot for street of claim 4, wherein the driving means includes an optical sensor that senses the light intensity of surroundings, and a controller that controls the light emission means based on a result sensed from the optical sensor. [6] The flowerpot for street of claim 1, further comprising: a reservoir that is prepared in the body to supply water to the vegetation part and stores water. [7] The flowerpot for street of claim 1, further comprising: a cap that covers the vegetation part. [8] The flowerpot for street of claim 1, wherein at least one or more vegetation part is provided in the body.