JP2004000052A - Vegetation float apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small, lightweight vegetation float apparatus for arranging waterfront landscape, securing habitats for animals and plants and promoting water quality improvement. <P>SOLUTION: The apparatus comprises a closed hollow body having a low-floor part 3 established at the center, a bulky frame part 2 formed around this and a through-hole 4 for positioning a vegetation pot 17 on the low-floor part. A flange 18 for placing the vegetation pot is formed at the base of the through-hole, and the base of the through-hole is positioned at a level same as or lower than a base 1B of the float. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vegetation float device capable of cultivating a plant while floating on a water surface.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Recently, a small and light vegetation float device capable of plant cultivation has been proposed, which secures a landscape of a waterside or a place where animals and plants live on the water surface and is useful for water quality purification. For example, JP-A-8-266172 discloses a plant cultivation raft using a styrene foam plate having a through hole in which a pot is arranged, and JP-A-2002-98 discloses a porous plant functioning as a flowerpot or a planter. There is disclosed a flower cultivation container body having a container body made of concrete and a floating means made of a foamed resin mounted on the container body.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the structures disclosed in the above-mentioned publications (JP-A-8-266172 and JP-A-2002-98), it is described that a foam such as styrene foam is used as a floating means. As is well known, it has been pointed out that a foam is finely crushed and scattered due to deterioration with time or collision with other objects during a long period of use, which causes environmental pollution. This is described in JP-A-8-266172, in which the foam is covered with a nonwoven fabric and a coconut fiber sheet to prevent this. Further, when styrofoam is used as the floating means, there is a problem that water infiltrates into the foam with the passage of time and the buoyancy is reduced.
[0004]
In addition, the porous concrete disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-98 has a problem that the weight is so heavy that it is not easy to move and transport, and a large part is submerged in water, and aquatic plants such as algae adhere to the surface, Problems such as increased weight when overgrown, the risk that aquatic plants may reduce the water absorption of concrete, and the fact that the roots of aquatic plants are likely to penetrate easily due to the porous nature of the concrete, etc. There is.
[0005]
The present invention has been made in view of these problems, and is intended to realize a vegetation float device which is small and lightweight, and which can provide stable buoyancy for a long period of time.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In the vegetation float device according to the present invention (claim 1), a bulky frame portion is formed around the periphery, a low floor portion is formed in the center, and a through hole for arranging a vegetation pot is provided in the low floor portion. It is provided with a float consisting of a closed hollow body provided, has a flange for placing the vegetation pot on the bottom of the through hole, and the position of the bottom of the through hole is equal to or equal to the position of the bottom of the float. It is set at a lower position.
[0007]
In such a configuration, the bulky frame portion surrounds the periphery of the float, reinforces it, and makes its shape hard to deform. Since the position of the bottom of the through hole where the vegetation pot is placed is equal to or lower than the position of the bottom of the float, water can surely enter the pot and supply water to the plants planted in the pot. I do.
[0008]
In the present invention (claim 2), a protection net extending over the frame portion of the float and fixing means for fixing the protection net to the frame are added. In such a configuration, the top surface of the vegetation pot placed in the through hole is pressed by the net, and the pot is prevented from coming off the through hole.
[0009]
In the present invention (claim 3), a vegetation mat made of a water-absorbing porous body is arranged on the low floor portion in a state of being covered with the protection net. In such a configuration, the vegetation mat is disposed in the low floor portion and the through hole instead of the pot. This mat is filled with moisture that penetrates from the bottom of the through hole by capillary action. The thickness of the vegetation mat is approximately equal to the depth of the low floor, and supplies sufficient moisture for germination and growth of plant seeds sown near the mat surface. The thickness of the mat is set to the thickness required for the plant to take root.
[0010]
In the present invention (claim 4), connecting means for connecting a plurality of floats to the side surface of the float is added. In such a configuration, a plurality of floats are connected in the horizontal direction, and the size and shape thereof are arbitrarily designed.
[0011]
In the present invention (claim 5), a hollow member fitted and fixed in the through hole and a perch fitted and fixed in a hollow portion of the hollow member are added. In such a configuration, a water bird or the like stops on the perch fixed to the through hole.
[0012]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In FIGS. 1 to 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a float having a hollow body structure, which has a flat square shape and a substantially flat side surface. Reference numeral 2 denotes a bulky frame portion formed around the float 1, which functions to strengthen the structure of the float 1. Reference numeral 3 denotes a low floor portion formed in the center of the float 1, that is, a portion surrounded by the frame portion 2, and 4 denotes a plurality of through holes formed in the low floor portion 3, nine in the illustrated example in the vertical direction. . A flange 18 for mounting a vegetation pot 17 described below is provided at the bottom of the through hole 4. The float 1 can be formed by blow molding a thermoplastic resin such as a polyethylene resin. As an example of the size of the float 1, the length and width of the float 1 may be 1m, the thickness of the frame 2 may be 15cm, and the depth of the low floor 3 may be 10cm.
[0013]
Reference numeral 5 denotes connecting means formed on each side surface of the float 1 by a pair to connect the adjacent floats 1 to each other. In FIGS. 3 and 4, reference numeral 6 denotes a U-shaped connection body made of metal or resin. Numeral 8 is a side recess formed in the float 1 and has a flat portion 9 in the middle thereof, and a hole 10 is formed in the center of the flat portion 9. Numeral 11 denotes a rubber grommet fitted in the hole 10, and a vertical through hole 12 is formed in the center. The floats 1 are connected by placing the floats 1 adjacent to each other and inserting the connector 5 into the holes 12 of the two adjacent grommets 11 from above. The connecting means 5 is constituted by the connecting body 6, the flat portion 9 and the grommet 11.
[0014]
The example shown in FIG. 1 shows a state in which two floats 1 in the vertical direction and two in the horizontal direction, that is, a total of four floats 1 are connected in a square shape. Due to the elasticity of the grommet 11, the connecting portion can bend slightly, and when it floats on the water surface, it bends in response to a wave. Note that the side surface of the float 1 is formed in the shape of a “<” that protrudes outward so that the connecting portion can bend.
[0015]
Numeral 17 denotes a vegetation pot arranged in the through hole 4 of the low floor portion 3, in which an aquatic plant 14 is planted and cultivated. The vegetation pot 17 is supported and held by a flange 18 provided at the bottom of the through hole 4, and the vegetation pot 17 is covered with a protective net 15. The protection net 15 is fixed to the frame portion 2 by a net fixing member 16 formed at a corner of the upper surface of the frame portion 2 to protect the vegetation pot 17 in which the aquatic plants 14 are planted, and to attach the protection net 15 to the low floor portion 3. It acts to fix.
[0016]
Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the protection net 15 is fixed by an elastic leg portion 20 elastically deformed by a split groove 19 formed below the spherical head 16 h of the net fixing member 16. When the entrances provided at the four corners of the frame portion 2 are fitted into the mounting recesses 22 narrowed by the ridges 21, the neck of the net fixing member 16 is fixed to the locking step 23 and the ridges. 21 and is retained by the elasticity of the elastic leg portion 19 so as to prevent the protection net 15 from coming off. Cover.
[0017]
The vegetation pot 17 is formed in a container shape from a synthetic resin such as polyethylene (PE), and soil for cultivation is put in the pot 17. Also, water moss, coconut fiber and the like may be entangled with the soil or in place of the soil. Water, nutrients and the like are absorbed and supplied from a hole 23 formed in the bottom of the vegetation pot 17. The vegetation pot 17 may have a mesh shape as a whole.
[0018]
Here, in order to sufficiently supply water to the plants, the bottom of the through hole 4 in which the vegetation pot 17 is held is equal to the position of the bottom 1B of the float 1 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the float 1 is set to be lower than the bottom 1B of the float 1. In FIG. 5, the through-hole 4 formed in the low floor portion 3 is formed so as to project below the bottom 1B of the float 1, and the flange portion 18 is also located below the bottom 1B of the float 1.
[0019]
If the bottom of the through-hole 4 is at least lower than the bottom 1B of the float 1, water will surely enter the pot 17 through the hole 23 on the bottom of the pot 17, and the aquatic plant 14 planted in the pot 17 will be described. Water can be supplied sufficiently. 3 and 5, WL indicates a water level.
[0020]
In the above description, the flowerpot-shaped vegetation pot 17 is arranged in the through hole 4 of the float 1. However, as shown in FIG. An embodiment is also possible in which germination of germination is performed. Also in this case, the protection net 15 is covered on the vegetation mat 13 as in the previous embodiment. The protection net 15 is fixed to the frame part 2 by a net fixing member 16 formed at a corner of the upper surface of the frame part 2 to protect the vegetation mat 13 on which the aquatic plants 14 are planted, and to protect the vegetation mat 13 from the low floor part 3. The effect is the same. The vegetation mat 13 can be used by tangling and compressing palm fibers and bark fibers, and water permeates into the mat 13 through the holes 23 and the through holes 4 at the bottom of the pot.
[0021]
8 to 10 show another embodiment of the connecting means 5 for connecting a plurality of floats 1. In the connecting means shown in FIG. 8, cylindrical rubber bodies 27, 27 are mounted on a pair of bolts 26, 26 connected by a link 25 integral with a hexagon nut 24, as shown in FIGS. The connecting body 28 having the above structure is used. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the rubber members 27 of the connecting body 28 are inserted into the holes 10 of the two flat portions 9 of the adjacent float 1 from above, and the upper ends of the bolts 26 are connected as shown in FIGS. When the cap screw 29 is tightened, the rubber bodies 27, 27 are deformed and swell and cannot come off. Thereafter, the hexagon nut 24 is turned to apply tension to prevent loosening, so that the floats 1 and 1 are connected to each other at the flat portions 9 and 9 as shown in FIG.
[0022]
In the connecting means shown in FIG. 9, as shown in FIGS. 9 (a) and 9 (b), the connecting means is bent in a substantially U-shape, and a locking portion 29 is formed on the free end side, and the other portion is engaged with the locking portion 29. A mounting bracket (made of SUS) 31 having a structure in which the fixing ring 30 is pivotally used is used. The connecting method is as follows. After inserting the free end side of the mounting part 31 of the mounting bracket 31 into the one hole 10 of the two adjacent flat parts 9 from above, it is pulled out from the other hole 10 upward, and the fixing ring 30 is hit with a hammer 32 or the like and hooked on the locking portion 29. As a result, the two flat portions 9 are bridged by the mounting bracket 31. Thus, the floats 1 and 1 are connected.
[0023]
In the connecting means shown in FIG. 10, a metal connecting band 33 and bolts 34 and nuts 35 for fixing the connecting band 33 are used. The way of connection is such that after inserting one end of the connection band 33 into one hole 10 of two adjacent flat portions 9 from above, the connection band 33 is pulled out from the other hole 10 and both ends of the band 33 are overlapped. A bolt 34 is passed through the overlapping portion from below the band 33, and a nut 35 is screwed and fixed to the tip of the bolt 34. Thereby, the floats 1 and 1 can be connected. The connection force can be adjusted by changing the tightening force of the connection band 33 depending on the degree of tightening of the bolt 34. A plurality of floats 1 can be connected to such various connecting means.
[0024]
FIGS. 11 and 12 show another embodiment in which a perch can be attached to the vegetation float device 1A so that water birds, wild birds and the like can be stopped. In the figure, reference numeral 36 denotes a T-shaped perch. The perch 36 is provided by being inserted into an empty through-hole 4 that is not used as a mounting portion of the vegetation pot 17 or the vegetation mat 13 in the float 1. For example, in a vegetation float apparatus 1A in which four floats 1 of FIG. 11 are connected, a perch 36 is set in a through hole 4 located in the middle of a lower left float 1R.
[0025]
For this purpose, a cylindrical hollow member 37 made of a member such as rubber is fitted and fixed in the through hole 4 and functions as a perch fixing member. The hollow member 37 has an umbrella-shaped flange 38 at an intermediate portion thereof and is held and fixed by being elastically engaged with an edge of the through hole 4. A resin pipe 39 is attached to the inner surface of the hollow portion of the hollow member 37, and the perch 36 is not directly inserted into the rubber hollow member 37, which has a large frictional force and is difficult to insert, but has a smooth inner surface. The perch 36 can be easily attached and held to the float 1 by indirectly inserting it into the pipe 39 made of stainless steel. Reference numeral 40 denotes a lid made of a synthetic resin that entirely covers the upper surface opening of the float 1 not used as the vegetation float device 1A, and four corners are attached and fixed by lid fixing members 41.
[0026]
In this way, the perch 36 can be fixed to the float 1 via the hollow member 37 set in the through hole 4, so that a bird or the like can stop on the added perch 36, and a stop place for the wild bird or the like can be provided. The resulting vegetation float device 1A can contribute to protection of wild birds and the like.
[0027]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the vegetation float apparatus concerning this invention (claim 1), since structural reinforcement is made and deformation etc. are suppressed by the presence of the bulky frame part formed around the float of the closed hollow body, durability is reduced. It will improve and endure long-term use. In addition, it is possible to arrange a large number of vegetation pots on the low floor surrounded by the frame of the float in a neat manner through through holes, and to provide a vegetation float device that is small, lightweight, and can provide stable buoyancy for a long time. realizable. Also, since the bottom of the through hole in which the vegetation pot is placed is set to be at least lower than the bottom of the float, the water surely enters the vegetation pot, and the plants planted in the pot have sufficient moisture. To grow steadily and grow steadily. As a result, a landscape of the waterside and a place where animals and plants live can be secured, and further, water purification can be promoted.
[0028]
Further, according to the present invention (claim 2), since a protective net is stretched over the frame portion and the upper surface of the vegetation pot is suppressed by the net, the pot does not come off from the through hole, and the plant is cultivated in a stable state. Can be.
[0029]
According to the present invention (claim 3), a vegetation mat made of a water-absorbent porous body can be placed on the low floor in place of the vegetation pot, so that when a plant seed is sown on the surface of the mat. Water is sufficiently supplied to the sown seeds from the bottom of the through-hole to the mat to germinate and grow smoothly. In addition, since the upper surface of the mat is covered with a protective net, the seeds can be properly protected until the seeds have sufficiently rooted on the mat and germinated to grow to a certain stage.
[0030]
According to the present invention (claim 4), the floats can be connected to each other by the connecting means provided on the side surfaces of each other, so that a plurality of floats can be connected in the horizontal direction and a vegetation float having an arbitrary size and shape can be provided. It can be a device. As a result, a vegetation float device having a form suitable for various growth conditions such as the amount of sunlight and the amount of water and a desired amount of harvest can be realized, and cultivation can be performed efficiently.
[0031]
According to the present invention (claim 5), a perch can be attached and fixed using a through hole in which a vegetation pot is not arranged. It provides a place to stop for water birds, wild birds, etc., and can maintain the natural environment in which it lives and contribute to its protection.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a plan view of a vegetation float device (a part of a protection net is shown) according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a vegetation float device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a main part of a vegetation float device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an aspect in which a protection net is attached so as to cover the upper surface of the float in the vegetation float device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an exploded structural view showing means for attaching the protection net to the float.
FIG. 8 is a structural perspective view showing an example of a connecting means for connecting a plurality of floats and a connecting method thereof.
FIG. 9 is a structural perspective view showing a connecting means and a connecting method according to another embodiment.
FIG. 10 is a structural perspective view showing a connecting means and a connecting method according to another embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a plan view of a vegetation float according to another embodiment of the present invention to which a perch can be attached.
FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line CC of FIG. 11;
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Float 1A Vegetation float apparatus 2 Frame part 3 Low floor part 4 Through hole 5 Connecting means 13 Vegetation mat 14 Aquatic plant 15 Protection net 16 Net fixing member 17 Vegetation pot 18 Flange 36 Perch 37 Hollow member

Claims (5)

A float formed of a closed hollow body in which a bulky frame portion is formed around the periphery, a low floor portion is formed in the center, and a through hole for disposing a vegetation pot is provided in the low floor portion; A vegetation float device having a flange for placing the vegetation pot on the bottom of the hole, and wherein the position of the bottom of the through hole is set to be equal to or lower than the bottom of the float. 2. The vegetation float device according to claim 1, further comprising a protection net extending over the frame portion of the float and fixing means for fixing the protection net to the frame portion. 3. The vegetation float device according to claim 2, wherein a vegetation mat made of a water-absorbing porous body is disposed on the low floor portion in a state covered with the protection net. 2. The vegetation float device according to claim 1, further comprising a connecting means for connecting a plurality of floats to a side surface of the float. 2. The vegetation float device according to claim 1, further comprising a hollow member fitted and fixed to the through hole and a perch fitted and fixed to a hollow portion of the hollow member.

Images