Building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module and method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses a building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module and a method thereof. The building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module comprises a guide rail module which is an annular guide rail formed by splicing a plurality of straight guide rails capable of being spliced and a plurality of right-angle steering guide rails; the mobile platform module is movably mounted on the guide rail module and comprises a mounting panel, a contact boss, a limiting sliding block, two driving gears which are meshed with each other, a driving mechanism, a current collector plate and a sub-controller; and the planting box is mounted on the mobile platform module. Through cooperative work of the guide rail module, the moving platform module and the master control system, automatic circulating movement of the planting boxes is achieved, the planting boxes at high positions can be sequentially and automatically conveyed to the ground or designated maintenance stations at low positions, the problem of high-altitude operation is thoroughly solved, and safe and efficient centralized maintenance is achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of building greening, and in particular to a building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module and its method. Background Technology

[0002] Vertical greening, as a new type of building greening, can not only beautify building facades and improve urban landscapes, but also has ecological benefits such as regulating microclimate, purifying air, and reducing building energy consumption.

[0003] Traditional vertical greening systems mostly use fixed installation. Once the planting unit is installed, subsequent maintenance work such as watering, fertilizing, pruning, and replacement all require personnel to climb or use lifting equipment to carry out the work at a high altitude. This results in problems such as inconvenience, low efficiency, significant safety hazards, and high maintenance costs. In addition, fixed greening modules make it difficult to rotate and maintain plants, and some areas do not receive effective maintenance for a long time, affecting the overall greening effect and plant survival rate.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a vertical greening system that can automatically move and transport high-altitude planting units to easily accessible ground or low-altitude locations for centralized maintenance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems by designing a building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module and its method.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module includes:

[0008] The guide rail module is composed of multiple splicable straight guide rails and several right-angle steering guide rails spliced ​​together to form a ring guide rail. The straight guide rails and right-angle steering guide rails are provided with continuous limiting sliding grooves. The center of the limiting sliding groove is provided with a toothed groove. A sliding contact line guide rail is installed at the bottom center of the toothed groove. The toothed groove of the straight guide rail is symmetrically provided with toothed rails on both sides. The toothed groove of the right-angle steering guide rail is provided with toothed rails only on the outer side.

[0009] When the straight guide rail and the right-angle steering guide rail are spliced ​​together, their limiting sliding groove, toothed groove and sliding contact line guide rail are respectively connected to each other, and the toothed rail in the right-angle steering guide rail is connected to one of the toothed rails in the straight guide rail.

[0010] A mobile platform module, movably mounted on the guide rail module, includes:

[0011] Mounting panel for mounting the planting box;

[0012] A contact boss is located at the center of the back of the mounting panel and is slidably connected to the back of the guide rail module;

[0013] A limiting slider is disposed on the contact protrusion and inserted into the limiting sliding groove;

[0014] Two meshing drive gears are rotatably mounted outside the limiting slider, with the line connecting their gear shafts forming a 45° angle with the moving direction of the limiting slider.

[0015] The drive mechanism consists of a stepper motor and a worm gear mechanism driven by the stepper motor, and is located in the central drive groove of the contact boss and the mounting panel, wherein one of the drive gears is connected to the output end of the worm gear mechanism.

[0016] A current collector plate is installed on the outside of the limiting slider, and a current collector that is slidably electrically connected to the sliding contact line guide rail is installed on it;

[0017] And a sub-controller, installed on one side of the back of the mounting panel, for controlling the drive mechanism;

[0018] The planting box is installed on the mobile platform module.

[0019] As a further improvement to the technical solution of the present invention, when the mobile platform module is located on the straight guide rail, the two drive gears mesh with the two toothed rails in the straight guide rail simultaneously to form a bidirectional drive; when the mobile platform module moves to the right-angle steering guide rail, only one of the drive gears meshes with the toothed rail in the right-angle steering guide rail to achieve steering drive.

[0020] As a further improvement to the technical solution of the present invention, the uppermost straight guide rail of the guide rail module is in an idle state after installation, without the mobile platform module and planting box installed.

[0021] As a further improvement to the technical solution of the present invention, the sub-controller is connected to the external main controller via wireless signal. The main controller can remotely control the stepper motor of any mobile platform module to work for one cycle, so that it drives the planting box to move forward by the distance of an adjacent planting box.

[0022] As a further improvement to the technical solution of the present invention, each of the sub-controllers of the mobile platform module is configured with a unique sequential number according to its physical position on the guide rail module.

[0023] As a further improvement to the technical solution of the present invention, a water inlet pipe is provided on the lower surface of the planting box, and a T-connector 1 is installed at the inlet of the water inlet pipe. The T-connectors 1 of two adjacent planting boxes are connected by a water supply hose. A T-connector 2 is installed on the water supply hose, and a plug is installed on the outer end of the T-connector 2.

[0024] Select the T-connector 2 located at the bottom of the entire circular guide rail or the one most convenient for connecting to an external water source as the water supply port, remove the plug on it, and connect the external port to the external water supply equipment.

[0025] As a further improvement to the technical solution of the present invention, the length of the water supply hose is reserved to accommodate the deformation requirements when the planting box is moved.

[0026] Based on the above-mentioned building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module, the present invention also provides a maintenance method for the building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module, including the following steps:

[0027] S1, Preparations before maintenance: Disconnect the external water supply equipment from the tee connector two, which serves as the main water supply outlet, and install a plug at the external port;

[0028] S2, Initial movement: The main controller sends a movement command to the sub-controller of the moving platform module numbered one, controlling the module to move its planting box forward one station along the guide rail;

[0029] S3, Automatic Interlocking Movement: After receiving the signal that the first mobile platform module has completed its movement, the main controller sends instructions sequentially according to the order number. After the previous module moves into place and sends a feedback signal, it automatically triggers the movement of the next module, thereby causing each module to move automatically to the position vacated by the adjacent module in front of it, forming an interlocking movement.

[0030] S4, Parallel Movement: During the automatic chain movement process, after the second moving platform module completes its movement, the first moving platform module can be controlled to move again without waiting for the entire automatic chain process to be completed and triggering the subsequent automatic chain movement process again.

[0031] S5, Maintenance Operation: In steps S2, S3, and S4, when any planting box moves to the bottom position of the guide rail module, maintenance or replacement operations can be performed on the planting box.

[0032] S6, System Reset: After all maintenance work is completed, manually control the mobile platform module through the main controller to restore the system to its initial layout state. Then select the appropriate T-connector 2 as the main water supply port, remove its plug and reconnect it to the external water supply equipment.

[0033] Beneficial effects

[0034] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following significant advantages:

[0035] 1. Automated Cyclic Movement and Centralized Maintenance: Through the coordinated operation of the guide rail module, the mobile platform module, and the central control system, the automated cyclic movement of the planting boxes is realized. The planting boxes at high positions can be transported sequentially and automatically to the ground or designated maintenance positions at low positions, completely solving the problem of high-altitude operations and achieving safe and efficient centralized maintenance.

[0036] 2. Ingenious and reliable drive design: The mobile platform module adopts a dual drive gear and gear rail arranged at a 45° angle. The dual gears mesh in the straight section, providing stable and powerful drive; in the curved section, it automatically switches to single gear mesh drive, achieving seamless and smooth steering. The structure is compact and highly reliable.

[0037] 3. Intelligent Control and High-Efficiency Interlocking: The system employs wireless communication between the sub-controllers and the main controller, assigning each module a sequential number. During maintenance, the "trigger-interlock-parallel" control logic enables modules to move sequentially like a chain, supporting the continuous advancement of leading modules. This significantly reduces the time required to move a specific module to the maintenance position, resulting in high system efficiency.

[0038] 4. Modular design: The guide rails, mobile platform, and planting boxes all adopt a modular design, which facilitates production, transportation, installation, and expansion. They can be flexibly spliced ​​and assembled according to the building facade dimensions, making them highly adaptable. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of a building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module and its method as described in this invention;

[0040] Figure 2 This is a front view of the assembled guide rail module described in this invention;

[0041] Figure 3 This is a partially enlarged front view of the straight guide rail described in this invention;

[0042] Figure 4 This is a front view of the right-angle steering guide rail described in this invention;

[0043] Figure 5 This is an assembly cross-sectional view of the mobile platform module and the guide rail module described in this invention;

[0044] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the mobile platform module described in this invention;

[0045] Figure 7 This is a rear view of the mobile platform module described in this invention;

[0046] Figure 8 This is the invention described Figure 1 A magnified view of a section at point A in the middle;

[0047] In the picture:

[0048] 1. Guide rail module; 11. Straight guide rail; 111. Limiting sliding groove; 112. Gear groove; 113. Gear; 114. Sliding contact line guide rail; 12. Right angle steering guide rail;

[0049] 2. Mobile platform module; 21. Mounting panel; 22. Contact boss; 23. Limit slider; 24. Drive gear; 25. Stepper motor; 26. Worm gear mechanism; 27. Current collector plate; 271. Current collector; 28. Sub-controller;

[0050] 3. Planting box; 31. Water inlet pipe; 32. T-connector one; 33. Water supply hose; 34. T-connector two; 35. Plug. Detailed Implementation

[0051] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, such as... Figures 1-8 As shown.

[0052] This invention provides a building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module, which is installed on the building facade to form a rectangular closed loop track. The track is composed of multiple straight guide rails 11 and multiple right-angle turning guide rails 12 spliced ​​together.

[0053] The main body of the straight guide rail 11 and the right-angle steering guide rail 12 is a profile structure, with a concave limiting sliding groove 111 on it. The center of the groove is a toothed groove 112, and a sliding contact line guide rail 114 is installed at the bottom center of the toothed groove 112. In the toothed groove 112 of the straight guide rail 11, racks are symmetrically embedded on both side walls to form a double-sided toothed rail 113. In the toothed groove 112 of the right-angle steering guide rail 12, racks are only embedded on its outer ring side wall to form a single-sided toothed rail 113. During splicing, each groove and the internal sliding contact line guide rail 114 must be precisely aligned, and the single-sided toothed rail 113 of the right-angle steering guide rail 12 must smoothly connect with the outer toothed rail 113 of the straight guide rail 11.

[0054] The guide rail module 1 is composed of multiple straight guide rails 11 and multiple right-angle turning guide rails 12, forming a closed loop track. Due to the variety of building facade styles and sizes, the guide rail module 1 can be assembled in a rectangular closed loop splicing style or a serpentine style + vertical rail style to meet the needs of building facades of different areas. At the same time, for narrower areas and corner areas, a long strip splicing style and an L-shaped corner splicing style can be used. These two styles are openable and closable tracks.

[0055] In this embodiment of the invention, the length of the straight guide rail 11 can be customized according to the actual situation, and the dimensions of the actual building facade, the dimensions of the planting box 3, and the style of the planted plants should be taken into account in order to reasonably design the splicing style and size of the guide rail module 1.

[0056] When installing the straight guide rail 11 and right-angle steering guide rail 12 of guide rail module 1, for solid load-bearing walls or structural columns, expansion bolts or chemical anchors can be used to directly fix them to the building wall, or they can be directly fixed to the keel with bolts. When the building facade does not have the conditions for direct installation, an independent and stable support frame can be built using a steel or aluminum alloy structure, and then the entire guide rail module 1 can be installed on the facade of this independent frame.

[0057] Regardless of the installation method used, it is essential to ensure that the load of the entire system is safely transferred and supported, meeting wind and seismic resistance requirements. The installed circular tracks must be in the same plane, with straight sections, smooth corner transitions, and no misalignment at joints. This is crucial for ensuring the stable and low-noise operation of the mobile platform module 2. For outdoor installations, all electrical interfaces must be properly waterproofed and moisture-proofed, and the power supply system must be equipped with a leakage current protection device.

[0058] When assembling guide rail module 1, the limiting sliding grooves 111 of adjacent guide rails must be perfectly aligned to ensure the grooves are continuous and stepless, allowing the limiting slider 23 to pass smoothly. At the splicing point of the straight guide rail 11 and the right-angle steering guide rail 12, it is necessary to ensure that the outer toothed rail 113 of the straight guide rail 11 and the single-sided toothed rail 113 of the right-angle steering guide rail 12 are precisely aligned with continuous tooth pitch to ensure smooth meshing transition of the drive gear 24. When splicing the sliding contact line guide rail 114, a dedicated conductive connector must be used for electrical connection to ensure continuous power supply to the entire circular track. The end faces of adjacent guide rails are mechanically connected by high-strength bolts and rigidly fixed to the building facade by brackets at certain intervals (e.g., every 1-1.5 meters).

[0059] The mounting panel 21 of the mobile platform module 2 supports the planting box 3. A contact boss 22 at the center of the back slides against the guide rail backplate (ball bearing sliding). A limiting slider 23 is embedded in the limiting sliding groove 111 of the guide rail (also using ball bearing sliding). The balls are made of high-strength bearing steel columns and are movably embedded in the contact boss 22 and the limiting slider 23, respectively. Their spherical surfaces protrude from the surfaces of the boss and slider, allowing for multi-degree-of-freedom micro-rotation within the cavity. Furthermore, a wear-resistant steel strip is embedded in the contact surface between the balls and the guide rail to provide a high-hardness, low-friction contact surface.

[0060] Two drive gears 24 are mounted on the limiting slider 23 via bearings. The line connecting their axes is aligned with the diagonal of the limiting slider 23 and forms a 45° angle with the length direction of the guide rail. The two gears mesh with each other. The drive mechanism (stepper motor 25 and worm gear mechanism 26) is installed in the central drive slot. The output shaft of the worm gear mechanism 26 is connected to the shaft of one of the drive gears 24 via a coupling. The current collector 271 on the current collector plate 27 contacts the conductive strip in the sliding contact line guide rail 114 to draw power. The sub-controller 28 (including a wireless communication module) is fixed to the back of the mounting panel 21.

[0061] When the mobile platform module 2 is running on the straight guide rail 11, two drive gears 24, which are at a 45° angle and mesh with each other, simultaneously mesh with the inner and outer racks of the double-sided gear rails 113 of the straight guide rail 11. The stepper motor 25 drives one gear, and through the meshing transmission between the gears, the power is transmitted to the other gear, causing the two gears to rotate synchronously in opposite directions, thereby meshing with the double-sided gear rails 113 and generating a strong driving force to propel the platform to run smoothly in a straight line.

[0062] When the mobile platform module 2 enters the right-angle steering guide 12 section, since the steering guide only has the outer toothed rail 113, only the outer drive gear 24 can maintain engagement with the toothed rail 113 at this time, providing the main steering driving force. The inner drive gear 24 loses engagement with the toothed rail and is in an idle state, but since the two gears are always engaged, the power transmission relationship changes, and the system can still smoothly drive the platform to turn along the curve.

[0063] Each planting box 3 has a water inlet pipe 31 at its bottom, connected to a tee connector 32. A pressure compensation valve is installed on this water inlet pipe 31. This valve ensures that regardless of fluctuations in the inlet water pressure or the valve's position within the system, it maintains a constant, low outflow rate within its operating range. This ensures that each planting box on the annular guide rail receives approximately the same amount of water per unit time.

[0064] The adjacent planting boxes 3 are connected by a T-connector 32 with a water supply hose 33. A second T-connector 34 is connected in series in the middle of the hose, and its outer end is sealed with a plug 35. During installation, the lowest T-connector 34 is selected as the main water inlet. The plug 35 is removed, and the external main water supply pipe is connected. The length of the water supply hose 33 is left with sufficient margin so that after the planting boxes 3 move with the mobile platform module 2, the length of the water supply hose 33 can still meet the safe connection of the two planting boxes 3. A certain amount of margin is still reserved to avoid stretching of the water supply hose 33 during movement and to ensure the safety of the water supply hose 33.

[0065] In the initial state, all mobile platform modules 2 are closely arranged on the circular guide rail, with only the top section of the straight guide rail 11 being idle, capable of accommodating at least one mobile platform module 2. Each mobile platform module 2's sub-controller 28 is assigned a unique sequential ID (e.g., starting from the top right end, numbered sequentially 1, 2, 3...n according to the direction of the guide rail).

[0066] In this invention, the size of the mounting panel 21 can be customized according to the actual size of the planting box 3 to meet different application scenarios and maintenance needs. The type of planting box 3 can be different types of planting boxes or planting containers, such as modular substrate planting boxes, water-retaining and fertilizer-storing planting boxes, and landscape decoration planting boxes, depending on the actual situation.

[0067] When maintenance is required:

[0068] Disconnect the external water supply equipment from the tee connector two, which serves as the main water supply outlet, and install a plug at the external port.

[0069] Operators can perform maintenance, replacement, and other operations on the planting box 3 on the mobile platform module 2 at the bottom maintenance station in advance.

[0070] After the maintenance of the planting box 3 at the bottom maintenance station is completed, the operator sends a command through the main controller (such as a computer or handheld terminal). The main controller first commands the mobile platform module 2 with ID 1 to move one station to the empty track at the top. After the mobile platform module 2 with ID 1 completes its movement, its sub-controller 28 sends a feedback signal to the main controller. The main controller then automatically commands the mobile platform module 2 with ID 2 to move to the empty position vacated by the mobile platform module 2 with ID 1, and so on, forming an automatic chain movement reaction.

[0071] After the mobile platform module 2 with ID 2 finishes moving, it moves back to the original position of the mobile platform module 2 with ID 1. At this time, the operator can use the main controller to command the mobile platform module 2 with ID 1 to move to the second workstation. Then, according to the above-mentioned automatic interlocking movement, the subsequent mobile platform modules 2 will move automatically in an interlocking manner again to achieve parallel advancement.

[0072] As the system moves in a cycle, the planting boxes 3, originally located at a higher position, are transported one by one to the maintenance station at the bottom, where maintenance personnel can conveniently perform their work until all planting boxes 3 have been maintained.

[0073] At this point, the main controller directs the mobile platform module 2 to move in either the forward or reverse direction until all planting boxes 3 are restored to their initial arrangement. Finally, the main water supply pipe is reconnected, and the system returns to normal operation.

[0074] The above technical solutions only embody the preferred technical solutions of the present invention. Any modifications that may be made by those skilled in the art to certain parts thereof embody the principles of the present invention and fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module, characterized in that, include: The guide rail module is composed of multiple splicable straight guide rails and several right-angle steering guide rails spliced ​​together to form a ring guide rail. The straight guide rails and right-angle steering guide rails are provided with continuous limiting sliding grooves. The center of the limiting sliding groove is provided with a toothed groove. A sliding contact line guide rail is installed at the bottom center of the toothed groove. The toothed groove of the straight guide rail is symmetrically provided with toothed rails on both sides. The toothed groove of the right-angle steering guide rail is provided with toothed rails only on the outer side. When the straight guide rail and the right-angle steering guide rail are spliced ​​together, their limiting sliding groove, toothed groove and sliding contact line guide rail are respectively connected to each other, and the toothed rail in the right-angle steering guide rail is connected to one of the toothed rails in the straight guide rail. A mobile platform module, movably mounted on the guide rail module, includes: Mounting panel for mounting the planting box; A contact boss is located at the center of the back of the mounting panel and is slidably connected to the back of the guide rail module; A limiting slider is disposed on the contact protrusion and inserted into the limiting sliding groove; Two meshing drive gears are rotatably mounted outside the limiting slider, with the line connecting their gear shafts forming a 45° angle with the moving direction of the limiting slider. The drive mechanism consists of a stepper motor and a worm gear mechanism driven by the stepper motor, and is located in the central drive groove of the contact boss and the mounting panel, wherein one of the drive gears is connected to the output end of the worm gear mechanism. A current collector plate is installed on the outside of the limiting slider, and a current collector that is slidably electrically connected to the sliding contact line guide rail is installed on it; And a sub-controller, installed on one side of the back of the mounting panel, for controlling the drive mechanism; The planting box is installed on the mobile platform module.

2. The building facade circulating rail type vertical greening module according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the mobile platform module is located on the straight guide rail, the two drive gears mesh with the two toothed rails in the straight guide rail simultaneously to form a bidirectional drive; when the mobile platform module moves to the right-angle steering guide rail, only one of the drive gears meshes with the toothed rail in the right-angle steering guide rail to achieve steering drive.

3. The building facade circulating rail type vertical greening module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top straight guide rail of the guide rail module is idle after installation, without the mobile platform module and planting box installed.

4. The building facade circulating rail type vertical greening module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sub-controller communicates with the external main controller via wireless signal. The main controller can remotely control the stepper motor of any mobile platform module to work for one cycle, causing it to move the planting box forward by the distance of an adjacent planting box.

5. A building facade circulating rail type vertical greening module according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each of the sub-controllers of the mobile platform module is configured with a unique sequential number based on its physical position on the guide rail module.

6. The building facade circulating rail type vertical greening module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower surface of the planting box is provided with a water inlet pipe, and a T-connector 1 is installed at the inlet of the water inlet pipe. The T-connectors 1 of two adjacent planting boxes are connected by a water supply hose. A T-connector 2 is installed on the water supply hose, and a plug is installed on the outer end of the T-connector 2. Select the T-connector 2 located at the bottom of the entire circular guide rail or the one most convenient for connecting to an external water source as the water supply port, remove the plug on it, and connect the external port to the external water supply equipment.

7. A building facade circulating rail type vertical greening module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The length of the water supply hose is provided to accommodate the deformation requirements when the planting box is moved.

8. A method of maintaining a building facade circulating guide rail type vertical greening module, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1, maintenance preparation: disconnect the external water supply device from the three-way joint two as the total water supply port, and install a plug in the external port; S2, initial movement: send a movement instruction to the sub-controller of the mobile platform module numbered one through the total controller, control the module to drive its planting box to move forward along the guide rail to one work station; S3, automatic interlocking movement: after receiving the signal that the movement of the mobile platform module numbered one is completed, the total controller sends instructions in sequence according to the order number, automatically triggers the movement of the next module after the previous module moves to the position and feeds back the signal, and then makes each module move to the position vacated by the adjacent module in front of it in sequence, forming an interlocking movement; S4, parallel movement: during the automatic interlocking movement, when the mobile platform module numbered two completes the movement, the mobile platform module numbered one can be controlled again for the next movement without waiting for the entire automatic interlocking process to be completed, and the subsequent automatic interlocking movement process is triggered again; S5, maintenance work: in steps S2, S3, and S4, when any planting box moves to the lowermost position of the guide rail module, maintenance or replacement work can be performed on the planting box; S6, system reset: after all maintenance work is completed, the mobile platform module is manually controlled through the total controller to restore the system to the initial layout state, and then the appropriate three-way joint two is selected as the total water supply port, the plug is removed and reconnected with the external water supply device.

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