Plant growing container equipped with a sound system

Abstract

The invention relates to a plant cultivation container (1) equipped with at least one sound emitting device, characterized in that the sound emitting device comprises at least one transducer (11) emitting sounds in a frequency range chosen at least to selectively repel certain harmful insects or animals without affecting beneficial insects or animals. Figure to be published with the abbreviation: Fig. 3

Description

Title of the invention: PLANT GROWING CONTAINER EQUIPPED WITH A SOUND SYSTEM

[0001] The invention relates to a plant cultivation container equipped with a sound system.

[0002] Here, the term "container" describes flowerpots, planters, tubs, or generally any type of container holding a growing medium in which plants are grown. The term "plants" should be understood to refer to any type of plant, such as decorative plants, flowers, shrubs, or plants intended for human or animal consumption, such as vegetables or plants used for cosmetic, pharmaceutical, or aromatic purposes. These containers come in various shapes and sizes. They are made of different materials, for example, terracotta, ceramic, or polymer, and are single- or double-walled, with or without an integrated watering system. Hereafter, the terms "container," "flowerpot," or "pot" will be used interchangeably to refer to such containers.

[0003] Currently, more and more flowerpots are described as connected, meaning they are linked to an electronic control and communication module that allows a user, or someone else, to automatically initiate certain actions such as watering, nutrient distribution, lighting, and / or heating the substrate remotely, for example, via a smartphone. For instance, WO-A-2014 194 737 is known to describe a flowerpot that activates its heating system when the substrate temperature falls below a set point. Similarly, so-called "musical" flowerpots, incorporating a speaker that plays music, are commercially available. Automatic or manual light-diffusing devices associated with flowerpots are also known.

[0004] However, whether cultivated indoors or outdoors, for personal or professional use, plants grown in pots are susceptible, like all types of plant cultivation, to attack by insects or so-called pests. Similarly, some plants require pollination and / or fertilization, particularly by insects, birds, or mammals. Pollination and / or fertilization, even when carried out naturally, often remains limited and / or unpredictable in quantity. Therefore, there is a need to deter insects or other so-called pests without affecting the presence of beneficial insects or animals. The invention aims to provide a plant container equipped with a means of deterring insects or pests without affecting beneficial insects or animals.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to a plant cultivation container equipped with at least one sound system, characterized in that the sound system comprises at least one transducer emitting sounds in a frequency range chosen at least to selectively repel certain insects or animals known as harmful without affecting insects or animals known as beneficial.

[0006] Thus, thanks to the invention, a container is available that emits sounds that at least repel insects or animals harmful to the cultivated plant, without harming pollination and / or fertilization by other insects or the plant's development. The invention allows for phytosanitary action without the use of chemicals and without affecting plant growth.

[0007] According to advantageous but not mandatory aspects of the invention, such a culture container may comprise one or more of the following features:

[0008] The container includes at least one transducer integrated into at least one of the walls of the container.

[0009] The container includes a transducer integrated into each wall of the container.

[0010] The container includes at least one control and communication module allowing at least one transducer to be activated.

[0011] The container includes a presence detector connected to the control module in order to automatically activate at least one transducer.

[0012] The container includes a time delay connected to the control module.

[0013] At least one transducer also emits sounds in a suitable frequency range to attract insects or useful animals, for example birds or pollinating insects.

[0014] The container also includes a light-diffusing element integrated into the wall of the culture container.

[0015] The container also includes a pheromone emission device.

[0016] The invention will be better understood and other advantages thereof will become apparent more clearly upon reading the following description, given solely as a non-limiting example and made with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0017] [Fig-1] is a perspective view of a plant cultivation container according to a method of embodiment of the invention,

[0018] [Fig.2] is a cross-sectional view at the same scale along plane II-II in [Fig.1], without the constituent elements of the device and

[0019] [Fig.3] is a cross-sectional view, at the same scale, of the external part of the container of figures 1 and 2 with the main constituent elements of the device according to an embodiment of the invention.

[0020] The container 1 illustrated in [Fig. 1] is here a double-walled plant cultivation container. This double wall extends over all the edges and the bottom of the container 1. Container 1 is in the form of a square-based parallelepiped. Alternatively, it may have other shapes, for example, a cylindrical shape with a circular or non-circular base, or a parallelepiped with a non-square base. Similarly, the dimensions of the container are variable, depending, for example, on the type and number of plants cultivated within it. The material of container 1 is chosen to ensure, on the one hand, that the growing medium remains stable without interaction and without releasing substances harmful to the plant. The material is therefore chemically neutral, rigid, and insensitive to environmental stresses. It may be polymers, metal, ceramic, terracotta, or other materials. As shown in [Fig. 1], all the walls 2 to 5 and the base 6, defining the external part P, are solid and, in this case, opaque.Alternatively, some walls or parts of walls are transparent or at least translucent, thus providing a visual view of the space between the external walls 2 to 5 and the internal walls 20, 30, 40, 50.

[0021] The upper opening 7 of the container 1 is generally flat with a rim 8 of which The width corresponds approximately to the available space between the inner walls 20, 30, 40, 50 and the outer walls 2 to 5, therefore between the external parts P and the internal part PI defined respectively by the walls 2 to 5, 20, 30, 40, 50 and the bottoms 6 and 60. The width of the rim 8 is constant here between the inner walls 20, 30, 40, 50 and the outer walls 2 to 5 as well as between the outer bottom 6 and the inner bottom 60. Alternatively, the space between the internal part PI and the external part P, therefore the width of the rim 8 is variable.

[0022] As mentioned in the preamble, the presence of a double wall is known. This generally allows for the retention of a water reservoir. For this purpose, the inner base 60 is either porous or perforated. In order to prevent deformation and / or crushing of the inner part PI supporting the substrate and plants (not shown for clarity), while maintaining a constant space between the walls 2 to 5, 20, 30, 40, 50 and the bases 6 and 60, cushioning pads 9, advantageously made of rubber, are provided under the base 60 and rest on rigid ridges 10 formed on the inner face of the base 6. The number of ridges 10 and pads 9 is at least two for each type of wall, inner and outer. Preferably, but not necessarily, it is four.This ensures a constant space between the external P and internal PI parts of the container 1 while stiffening the whole, the reliefs 10 and the studs 9 being regularly distributed between the bottoms 6 and 30. .

[0023] In the context of the invention, at least one transducer 11 is placed within the volume defined by the double wall, for example, an inertial transducer known per se. Advantageously, transducers are used that can be integrated into the walls before the container is assembled. The transducer 11 is fixed to the inner face of an outer wall 2 to 5 and / or to the bottom 6. Here, in an advantageous but not mandatory embodiment, four transducers 11 are distributed on each of the walls 2 to 5, for example, in the lower third of the height of the walls 2 to 5, therefore according to the Container height 1. Alternatively, the number and / or position of transducers 11 is different. The transducers 11 are advantageously integrated into the wall, thus incorporated within its thickness. They are therefore not visible from either the outside or the inside, unless, of course, the wall material is transparent.

[0024] In the example, as shown in [Fig. 3], the base 6 receives, between the reliefs 10, a control module 12. For ease of reading, all the elements necessary for the operation of the invention, namely in particular but not exclusively, an electronic module for managing the transducers 11, an energy source such as a battery, a wireless communication device, an audio amplifier are grouped under the expression "control module" and illustrated by the reference 12. Such a control module 12 may also include other elements, depending on the options equipping the container 1.This could include, for example but not exclusively, watering, lighting or more generally a device emitting light waves, an emitter of biological or chemical substances such as pheromones, a presence sensor ensuring the triggering of transducers in the event of detected animal presence, a timer, a light sensor, a humidity sensor, a thermometer or other.

[0025] According to the invention, when the transducers 11 are in the active position, either automatically or manually, they emit sounds that propagate from the walls 2 to 5 of the container 1, essentially outwards, in all directions. The sounds are emitted within a defined frequency range, for example, between 40 Hz and 20 kHz. Such a range is preferably chosen to have a negative effect on certain insects or animals considered pests by keeping them away from the container 1. In addition to, or as an alternative to, the frequency range chosen to repel pests, the transducers can emit, either automatically or manually, sounds within another frequency range chosen to attract beneficial insects or animals such as pollinators or pest predators.Alternatively, depending on external factors such as weather and season, the range of emitted sounds can be varied and chosen to repel certain pests and / or attract certain beneficial insects at a given time. Thus, it is possible to emit sounds that repel pests for a specific time or period, for example, at night, and sounds that attract beneficial insects at another time, for example, during the day. For instance, one could use sounds to repel nocturnal insect pests and other sounds to attract bees during the day. The selection of the range of emitted sounds is made either manually, with the user directly interacting with the control module, for example, via a wireless connection from a computer, tablet, or smartphone, or automatically, based on a pre-programmed action on the control module or from data collected by the system. or the sensors. In the case of automatic management of sound emissions, therefore of the activation of transducers 11, the management is achieved by learning and / or by artificial intelligence and / or by pre-defined programming.

[0026] If necessary, additional actions to the emission of sounds by the transducers Eleven are triggered, separately or in combination. These may include the emission of pheromones to attract beneficial insects or repel pests, the presentation of bait or food, and the emission of light, either to repel pests (e.g., UV light for insects) or to attract beneficial insects or promote plant growth. It is understood that these various complementary and / or combined actions with the sound emission are not performed continuously but as needed or at certain times, for example, at dawn or dusk, depending on the season or the plant's growth stage.

[0027] The energy source used may be either a battery, rechargeable or not, a mains power supply, or an autonomous energy source, for example, solar panels placed near or on one side of the container 1.

[0028] The sound emission can be coupled with suitable light emissions to have a decorative effect.

[0029] The invention thus makes it possible to act on the environment of a plant, in particular by ensuring its phytosanitary safety, in a discreet and invisible manner to an observer of the container 1, the transducers 11 and the control module 12 being integrated into the double wall of the container 1. The presence of the transducers 11 and the control module 12 does not affect either the growth or the space available for the plant in the container 1. It is understood that other elements, for example ambient lighting through the walls when the latter are translucent, casters or other features, may be fitted to the container 1 and not be intended for the growth of the plant.

Claims

Demands

1. Plant culture container (1) equipped with at least one sound-emitting device, characterized in that the sound-emitting device comprises at least one transducer (11) emitting sounds in a frequency range between 40 Hz and 20 kHz and chosen at least to selectively repel certain insects or animals known as pests without affecting insects or animals known as beneficial, and in that at least one transducer (11) also emits sounds in a frequency range suitable for attracting beneficial insects or animals, for example birds, or pollinating insects, depending on external factors such as weather or season.

2. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one transducer (11) integrated into at least one of the walls (2 to 5) of the container (1).

3. Container according to claim 2, characterized in that it comprises a transducer (11) integrated into each wall (2 to 5) of the container (1).

4. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises at least one control and communication module (12) enabling at least one transducer (11) to be activated.

5. Container according to claim 4, characterized in that it comprises a presence detector connected to the control module (12) in order to automatically activate at least one transducer (11).

6. Container according to claim 4, characterized in that it includes a time delay connected to the control module (12).

7. . Container according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a light-diffusing element integrated into at least one wall (2 to 5) of the culture container (11).

8. Container according to claim 1, characterized in that it also comprises a pheromone-emitting device.

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