Fountain base and set of construction elements for this base, street furniture with passive cooling including a fountain supported by such a base and corresponding street furniture system.

Abstract

A fountain base (1, 25, 34) with a support (5) and a water supply pipe (7) embedded in the ground (4), combined with a drainage system for runoff water in a permeable and evapotranspiration-resistant material (16) that provides passive cooling. In one embodiment, the base (1) has an inspection chamber (2) with a concrete base (8) supporting the fountain (6) and is partially filled with cellular elements (11) to form a reservoir. In another embodiment, the inspection chamber (2) is replaced by a liner (26). This base is integrated into street furniture (24) comprising a modular multi-functional fountain (6) and a street furniture system (32) including planters (33) irrigated by wicks (45) extending into the reservoir (2, 27, 36). A kit containing all the construction elements for the base (1) is also available to facilitate its installation.

Description

Title of the invention: Fountain base and set of construction elements for this base, street furniture with passive cooling comprising a fountain supported by such a base and corresponding street furniture system. Technical field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a fountain base and a set of construction elements for this base, as well as street furniture with passive cooling comprising a fountain supported by such a base and a corresponding street furniture system with passive cooling. Technological background

[0002] Heatwaves, which are becoming more and more frequent these days, are particularly difficult to bear in cities, where the soil is increasingly mineralized, which amplifies the heat effect or "urban heat island".

[0003] Mists providing freshness in order to improve the well-being of people in public places, without wetting them as a jet of water or a shower can do, are known in the state of the art.

[0004] In its French patent application FR3096378, the applicant company proposed a modular multi-function fountain intended to be installed on public property temporarily or permanently so as to allow all users (children, adults, people with reduced mobility) to quench their thirst and refresh themselves by grouping together in a single piece of street furniture several options of drinking fountain, water dispenser, misting device and shade structure.

[0005] In its current version, this fountain requires a drinking water supply and a return to the sewer.

[0006] The constraint of a return to the sewer limits the deployment of the fountain in places where little time is available for work, for example schoolyards accessible only during school holidays.

[0007] The applicant company therefore studied the possibility of removing the connection to the wastewater network.

[0008] Water lost during misting, when filling bottles or using the drinking fountain, could be recovered in a passive evaporative cooling system.

[0009] Since the dawn of time, it has been known to associate a fountain with a wetland in the patios of homes in the Arab-Muslim world to locally produce a mi refreshing climate, a combination known as the "fountain of paradise".

[0010] In more temperate climates, lost water and permanent humidity at the base of the fountain could damage a fountain support and compromise its stability.

[0011] The fountain base disclosed in the German utility model DE20302986U1 provides a solution to these problems of humidity and stability by implementing means for embedding a support and a water supply pipe for the fountain in a ground associated with means for draining waste water.

[0012] However, these are definitively lost, without any reuse being disclosed or even suggested.

[0013] In order to overcome this drawback, in an eco-responsible approach while improving the attractiveness of its modular multifunctional fountain by using it to create a real island of freshness (more water, more air, more shade), the applicant company designed the fountain base, the description of which follows. Presentation of the invention

[0014] The aim of the present invention is therefore to produce a fountain base of the type comprising means for embedding in a ground a support and a water supply pipe for the fountain associated with means for draining waste water.

[0015] The fountain base according to the invention is remarkable in that an upper part of this base comprises a draining and evapotranspiration material producing passive cooling by evapotranspiration.

[0016] In a first embodiment of the fountain base according to the invention, the embedding means consist of a manhole with a bottom which comprises a central concrete block constituting the support of the fountain, with, from bottom to top, a partial filling by cellular elements resistant to compression, and having at least 60% void, a first layer of geotextile, a device for drip diffusion of lost water, and a second layer of geotextile.

[0017] In this first embodiment, the concrete mass is advantageously secured to metal elements capable of fixing the fountain and benefits are obtained from a bed of sand above the second layer of geotextile supporting the draining and evapotranspiration material.

[0018] Very advantageously, the interior of a wall of the manhole is waterproofed and this manhole preferably includes an overflow pipe.

[0019] In a second embodiment of the fountain base according to the invention, the embedding means consist of a waterproof tarpaulin arranged in an excavation and also surrounding a central concrete block provided with mechanical elements-

[0020]

[0021]

[0022]

[0023]

[0024]

[0025] metals capable of fixing the fountain, identical or similar to those of the first embodiment, and constituting the support, with, from bottom to top, a partial filling of the excavation by other cellular elements resistant to compression, and having at least 60% void, a geotextile cover, and a layer of sand supporting the draining and evapotranspiration material. The invention also relates to a set of construction elements of a fountain base in the first embodiment comprising: - the look; - the overflow pipe; - the concrete block; - two pieces of geotextile intended to form the first and second layers geotextile; - the drip dispensing device; - the metal elements intended to fix the said fountain - the alveolar elements; - the draining and evapotranspiration material. The invention further relates to street furniture with passive cooling comprising a fountain remarkable in that a base of the fountain is connected to a fountain base in one or other of the preceding embodiments by a separable mechanical and hydraulic interface and in that the water supply pipe is arranged in the center of this base. In this street furniture according to the invention, the fountain is advantageously a modular multifunction fountain comprising modules chosen from types including a water distribution, a mist sprayer, a drinking trough and whose lost water produces the desired passive cooling by evapotranspiration on the draining and evapotranspiration material. The invention also relates to a street furniture system with passive cooling. This street furniture system is remarkable in that it comprises at least one example of the street furniture described above and in that it further comprises one or more street furniture elements taken from planters, public benches, kiosks, arranged above the embedding means of the base(s) of the fountains, each of the planters comprising at least one capillary irrigation wick arranged inside these embedding means. This street furniture system with passive cooling according to the invention advantageously comprises a hydraulic electric generator supplying at least one solenoid drain valve or a lifting pump. These few essential specifications will have made it obvious to the man of profession the advantages provided by the fountain base, as well as the street furniture with passive cooling comprising a fountain supported by such a base and the corresponding street furniture system with passive cooling described above compared to the prior art, in terms of ease of installation for professionals, thanks to the existence of a set of construction elements of this base, and the services offered to the public, in particular by creating cool islands.

[0027] The detailed specifications of the invention are given in the following description in conjunction with the attached drawings.

[0028] It should be noted that these drawings have no other purpose than to illustrate the text of the description and do not constitute in any way a limitation of the scope of the invention. Brief description of the figures

[0029] [Fig-1] is a schematic sectional view of a fountain base in the first embodiment of the invention.

[0030] [Fig.2] is a partial schematic sectional view of street furniture with cooling passive system according to the invention comprising a fountain base in the second embodiment.

[0031] [Fig.3] is a schematic overview of a street furniture system with re passive cooling according to the invention comprising a modular multifunctional fountain, a fountain base in the second embodiment and planters. Description of the embodiments

[0032] In the first embodiment shown in [Fig. 1], the fountain base 1 comprises the manhole 2 with bottom 3, preferably made of concrete, embedding in the ground 4 the support 5 of the fountain 6 and the water supply pipe 7 thereof.

[0033] The manhole 2 is in the general shape of a parallelepiped tank, preferably having a square internal horizontal section, of approximately 1 m by 1 m, and a wall thickness of approximately 0.1 m. Its depth is approximately 0.5 m.

[0034] This manhole 2 comprises the concrete block 8, preferably a block of prefabricated candelabras, arranged centrally on the bottom 3, and constituting the support 5.

[0035] An example of a mass of candelabras 8 advantageously comprises four candelabras distributed in a square having at each of their vertices a threaded rod 9 secured by bolting to a fixing plate 10 capable of fixing the fountain 6.

[0036] The mass of candelabras 8 occupies on the bottom 3 of the manhole 2 an area of ​​approximately 0.25 m2, its height is approximately 0.5 m, its mass approximately 125 kg.

[0037] The manhole 2 is almost completely filled from bottom to top with the compression-resistant cellular elements 11 having at least 60% void space.

[0038] Preferably, these cellular elements 11 are formed from cylindrical sleeves made of cellular concrete having a notch on one of the axial faces: the interior of the sleeves allow water storage and the notch allows water to circulate in a stack.

[0039] Such cellular elements 11, each with a dimension of approximately 8x8 cm and a mass per m3 of approximately one tonne for a retention capacity of approximately 600 l, are manufactured in particular by the company ALKERN and marketed under the brand name HYDROCYL ®.

[0040] The cellular elements 11 are covered by the first layer of geotextile 12 supporting the drip diffusion device 13, essentially preferably consisting of a star-shaped assembly on a metal plate of sections of perforated tubes, connected to a water evacuation pipe 14 of the fountain 6.

[0041] The first geotextile layer 12 is preferably made up of a first square piece of woven strip geotextile designed for soil separation and reinforcement applications, made up of high modulus polypropylene fibers and having a very high normal plane permeability of the order of 0.01 m / s.

[0042] A second layer of geotextile 15 is placed on the drip diffusion device 13 and covers the entire manhole 2 to support the draining and evapotranspiration material 16 via a bed of sand 17.

[0043] The second layer of geotextile 15 is preferably made up of a second square piece of geotextile identical to that constituting the first piece 12.

[0044] Alternatively, it is a technical textile dedicated to the decontamination of runoff water by fixing hydrocarbons from rainwater.

[0045] The draining and evapotranspiration material 16 is preferably composed of concrete whose aggregates are partly replaced by crushed scallop shell waste.

[0046] The concrete thus formed is resistant, porous and perfectly suited to urban use.

[0047] The draining and evapotranspiration material 16 is preferably implemented in the form of parallelepiped blocks of 10x10x8 cm.

[0048] The interior of the wall 18 of the manhole 2 is waterproofed with a two-component resin of the SIKA TOP ® type or similar.

[0049] The overflow pipe 19 formed from a tube, preferably having a diameter of 40 mm, passes through the wall 18 of the manhole 2 below the first layer of geotextile 12 and allows the evacuation into the ground 4 of excess stored water.

[0050] A set of construction elements of the fountain base 1 described above, or installation kit, is made available to professionals to facilitate its installation.

[0051] All of the construction elements being delivered to the professional responsible for the

[0052]

[0053]

[0054] installation of a modular multi-function fountain 6, such as those manufactured by the applicant company, the professional must ensure the availability of a water supply pipe 7, and provide sand, non-shrinking or sealing mortar, two-component resin, as well as suitable tools. The procedure for installing the fountain base 1 with draining and evapotranspiration material is then as follows: - construction of an earthwork of approximately 1.5m x 1.5m x 0.80m; - lay a compacted backfill 20 of approximately 100mm on a lower part of the earthwork; - install the concrete manhole 2; - carry out two core drillings 21 to pass the water supply pipe 7 and the overflow pipe 19; - the overflow pipe 19 is connected to an external drainage backfill area; - once the water supply pipe 7 and the overflow pipe 19 have been laid, fill the core holes 21 with non-shrinking or sealing mortar; - waterproof the interior of wall 18 of manhole 2 by applying the two-component resin; - lay the concrete block 8 of the support 5 of the modular multifunction fountain 6; - fill manhole 2 with almost all of the 11 HYDROCYL ® honeycomb elements and compact manually; - lay the first layer of geotextile 12; - install the drip distribution device 13 for the evacuation of water from the fountain, and put the water evacuation pipe 14 of the fountain 6 on standby in the center of the concrete block 8; - lay the second layer of geotextile 15; - install the fixing plate 10 of the modular multifunction fountain 6 and level it (top of the plate 10, excluding bolts 23, at the finished level); - spread the sand bed 17; - lay the draining and evapotranspiration paving stones 16; - the modular multifunction fountain 6 is ready to be installed and connected. [Fig.2] shows street furniture 24 with passive cooling comprising a fountain base 25 according to the second embodiment. In this second embodiment, the fountain base 25 comprises a waterproof cover 26 arranged in an excavation 27 embedding the support 5 of the fountain 6 and the water supply pipe 7 with the quick connector 22. Excavation 27 is approximately 0.57 m deep and has a footprint of 4 of approximately 1 m2.

[0056] As in the first embodiment of the fountain base 1, the support 5 comprises the concrete block 8, preferably the block of prefabricated candelabras whose characteristics have already been indicated.

[0057] The concrete block 8 is also provided with another plate 28 fixing the fountain 6 with other bolts 29. so as to constitute with the quick connector 22 of the water supply pipe 7 a separable mechanical and hydraulic interface 22, 29 facilitating installation / removal of the fountain 6.

[0058] The excavation 27 is partially filled with the same alveolar elements 11 as in the first embodiment of the fountain base 1, preferably those of the HYDROCYL ® brand.

[0059] In a manner similar to the first embodiment, a geotextile cover 30 separates the cellular elements 11 from a layer of sand 31 supporting paving stones of draining and evapotranspiration material 16, preferably made of porous concrete containing crushed shell waste.

[0060] The cover 26 is made of elastomer, preferably EPDM (acronym for ethylene-propylene-diene monomer).

[0061] [Fig. 3] shows an example of an urban furniture system 32 according to the invention comprising planters 33 and a modular multifunction fountain 6 mounted on a fountain base 34 according to the second embodiment.

[0062] The planters 33 are arranged laterally above the means for embedding the support 5 of the fountain 6 and its water supply pipe and formed by another waterproof elastomer cover 35 arranged in another excavation 36.

[0063] This other excavation 36 has another footprint of several m2 so that this urban furniture system 32 constitutes a real island of freshness in hot weather as will be explained below.

[0064] As usual, the other excavation 36 is partially filled by the cellular elements 11 covered by another geotextile cover 37 consisting of a woven or non-woven weft of synthetic material supporting the paving stones of draining and evapotranspiration material 16.

[0065] The support 5 is made up of the usual concrete block 8 which supports the modular multifunction fountain 6 which here comprises, in addition to a base module 38, the water distribution 39 and the mist sprayer 40 supporting a 4L shade

[0066] The water lost through the swan necks 42 is directed by other evacuation pipes 43 towards the cellular elements 11 and diffused into them by filling devices 44.

[0067] Water lost from an optional drinking trough is recovered in the same way.

[0068] In this way the other excavation 36 forms a reservoir irrigating by capillarity thanks to felt wicks 45 the planters 33 with the lost water from the fountain 6, and, in addition with the rainwater passing through the paving stones of draining and evapotranspiration material 16 and filtered by the other geotextile cover 37.

[0069] In addition, the lost water stored in this reservoir 36 contributes, at the same time as a mist from the fogger 40, to keeping the paving stones of draining and evapotranspiration material 16 moist and, in hot weather, to producing passive cooling by evapotranspiration.

[0070] This tank 36 preferably comprises a drain solenoid valve 46 intended to protect the street furniture system 32 from water during periods of frost.

[0071] A command to open the solenoid valve 46 is generated by the fountain 6, the base module 38 of which is equipped with means of radiofrequency communication with a control center, when it receives a signal from this control center, in particular according to weather forecasts.

[0072] Alternatively, water is removed using a lifting pump depending on the existing drainage possibilities.

[0073] The modular multifunction fountains 6 manufactured by the applicant company most often include batteries, sufficient to power the means of communication and impulse solenoid valves.

[0074] In the case where greater electrical power is required to power the lifting pump in particular, the base module 38 comprises batteries recharged by a hydraulic electric generator, of the turbine or peristaltic type, in series with the water supply pipe 7.

[0075] Finally, it will be noted that by reusing the lost water from the fountains 6, the street furniture 24 and the street furniture system 32 according to the invention advantageously anticipate a future strategic orientation of the local authorities of water management at the plot level to preserve drinking water resources. Storage of rainwater in the excavations 27, 36 also slows down runoff and leaching of the soil, and limits the discharge of light rain.

[0076] As goes without saying, the invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments set out above.

[0077] The dimensions indicated are only indicative; as are all the numerical characteristics cited, as well as the trademarks which are given only as examples.

[0078] The invention therefore embraces, on the contrary, all possible variant embodiments within the limits of the subject of the following claims.

Claims

Claims

1. Fountain base (1, 25, 34) of the type comprising means for embedding (2, 26, 35) in a ground (4) a support (5) and a water supply pipe (7) of said fountain (6) associated with means for draining (11, 16) lost water, characterized in that an upper part of said base (1, 25, 34) comprises a draining and evapo-transpiration material (16) producing passive cooling by evapotranspiration.

2. Fountain base (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that said embedding means (2) are constituted by a manhole (2) with a bottom (3) and in that said manhole (2) comprises a central concrete block (8) constituting said support (5), with, from bottom to top, a partial filling by cellular elements (11) resistant to compression, and having at least 60% void, a first layer of geotextile (12)

3. Fountain base (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that said concrete block (8) is secured to metal elements (9, 10, 23) capable of fixing said fountain (6) and in that a bed of sand (17) above said second layer of geotextile (15) supports said draining and evapotranspiration material (16).

4. Fountain base (1) according to claim 3, characterized in that the interior of a wall (18) of said manhole (2) is waterproofed and in that said manhole (2) comprises an overflow pipe (19).

5. Fountain base (25) according to claim 1, characterized in that said embedding means (26) are constituted by a waterproof tarpaulin (26) arranged in an excavation (27) and surrounding a central concrete block (8) provided with metal elements (9, 28, 29) capable of fixing said fountain (6) and constituting said support (5), with, from bottom to top, a partial filling of said excavation (27) by cellular elements (11) resistant to compression, and having at least 60% void, a geotextile cover (30), and a layer of sand (31) supporting said draining and evapotranspiration material (16).

6. Set of construction elements of a fountain base (1) according to claim 4 comprising: - said manhole (2); - said overflow pipe (19); - said concrete block (8); - two pieces of geotextile (12, 15) intended to form said first (12) and second (15) layers of geotextile; - said drip diffusion device (13); - said metal elements (9, 10, 23) intended to fix said fountain (6); - said cellular elements (11); - said draining and evapotranspiration material (16).

7. Street furniture (24) with passive cooling comprising a fountain (6), characterized in that a base of said fountain (6) is connected to a fountain base (1, 25) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 5 by a separable mechanical and hydraulic interface (22, 23, 29) and in that said water supply pipe (7) is arranged in the center of said base (1, 25).

8. Street furniture (24) according to the preceding claim 7, characterized in that said fountain (6) is a modular multifunction fountain comprising modules (38, 39, 40) chosen from types comprising a water distribution (39), a mist sprayer (40), a drinking trough and of which said lost water produces said passive cooling by evapotranspiration on said draining and evapotranspiration material (16).

9. Street furniture system (32) with passive cooling, characterized in that it comprises at least one street furniture (24) according to the preceding claim 7 or 8, and in that it further comprises one or more street furniture elements taken from planters (33), public benches, kiosks, arranged above said embedding means (35), each of said planters (33) comprising at least one irrigation wick (45) by capillarity arranged inside said embedding means (35).

10. Street furniture system (32) with passive cooling according to the preceding claim 9, characterized in that it comprises a hydraulic electric generator (47) supplying at least one drain solenoid valve (46) or a lifting pump.

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