Patent Publication Number: US-2023157219-A1

Title: Vegetation Maintenance System

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of International Application No. PCT/CN2020/105206, filed Jul. 28, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates to the field of urban vegetation maintenance, and in particular to a vegetation maintenance system. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Through the natural water cycle, rainwater falling onto the ground directly permeates through the soil layers and replenishes groundwater. The soil, after absorbing the rainwater is wet, cool, oxygen and mineral rich. The rainwater works together with other nutrients in the soil to make plants thrive. In modern urban developments, a large amount of land is covered by impervious surfaces (e.g., asphalt roads, cement roads, reinforced cement bridges, buildings, etc.). In these impervious urban environments, the rainwater falling onto the ground can only be diverted to other areas through an underground drainage network system. Thus, the natural water cycle within these urban areas becomes broken and detrimentally interrupted. 
     In urban developments, man-planted vegetation along a roadside is surrounded by hard, compacted engineered soil and other impervious surfaces. To reduce the risk to civic infrastructure, the vegetation root ball is planted in a shallow hole. The surrounding compacted engineered fill and impermeable materials, significantly limit the natural spread of vegetation root mass. Furthermore, the water, oxygen and nutrients in the soil are also significantly reduced, mostly reflected by the impervious surfaces. As a result, the vegetation, especially a big tree, cannot develop a healthy root mass and subsequently a healthy canopy cover. 
     Regarding an existing urban rainwater harvesting, storage, and recycling system, rainwater is diverted to a storage system through pipelines from the top of a building, an external wall of the building, a surface of the road, and the like, and then is used for future recycling. 
     After it rains in a city, the natural water cycle infiltration process cannot occur. Only drainage pit and pipe systems and combined sewers can remove this rainwater. Sewer facilities in most cities are old and not large enough, which can cause serious waterlogging in case of heavy rains. The man-planted vegetation along the roadsides, especially the large trees, require regular manual irrigation and soil maintenance, and many of the large trees also need structural reinforcement or support. As a result, time, labor, money, and water maintenance costs are high, and with poor unhealthy root systems, many trees are susceptible to pathogens, viruses, and collapse. 
     SUMMARY 
     A vegetation maintenance system is provided in implementations of the present disclosure. The vegetation maintenance system includes a permeable curb, a water-diversion layer, a water-storage layer, a nutrient layer, and a vegetation-planting trough. The permeable curb is located abutting a roadside pavement edge of a road along a road direction. The water-diversion layer is located on a side surface of the permeable curb and is disposed close to a bottom of the permeable curb. The water-storage layer is disposed at one side of the water-diversion layer away from a surface of the road, and is configured to store water. The nutrient layer is disposed at one side of the water-storage layer away from the water-diversion layer, and is configured to provide water, soil, and nutrients for growth of vegetation. The vegetation-planting trough penetrates through the water-diversion layer and the water-storage layer, is embedded in the nutrient layer, and is configured for vegetation planting. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to illustrate structural features and functions of the present disclosure more clearly, the following detailed description will be made with reference to accompanying drawings and specific implementations. 
         FIG.  1    is a schematic top partial cross-sectional structural diagram of a vegetation maintenance system of an example implementation of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the vegetation maintenance system of the example implementation of  FIG.  1   , taken along A-A; 
         FIG.  3    is a schematic structural diagram of a water-storage layer of an example implementation of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  4    is a schematic structural diagram of a nutrient layer of an example implementation of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS 
     The following will describe technical solutions of implementations with reference to the accompanying drawings. Apparently, implementations described herein are merely some implementations, rather than all implementations, of the present disclosure. Based on implementations described herein, all other implementations obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure. 
     In view of this, a vegetation maintenance system is provided in implementations of the present disclosure. The vegetation maintenance system can simulate a natural water cycle pathway of “natural rainfall, nourishing plants from top to bottom”, such that healthy growth of the plants in urban environment is ensured. Furthermore, rainwater can be fully utilized to irrigate vegetation, providing healthy shady canopies. The stored and infiltrated rainwater can cool the soil whilst reducing impacts of flooding and capacities on combined sewers. Maintenance costs can be significantly reduced and prevented effectively. 
     Reference can be made to  FIG.  1    and  FIG.  2   , a vegetation maintenance system  100  of implementations in the present disclosure includes a permeable curb  10 , a water-division layer  30 , a water-storage layer  50 , a nutrient layer  70 , and a vegetation-planting trough  90 . The permeable curb  10  is located abutting a roadside pavement edge of a road along a road direction. The permeable curb  10  is able to continuously allow water to permeate through in all directions in the whole process. The water-division layer  30  is located at a side surface of the permeable curb  10  and is disposed close to a bottom of the permeable curb  10 . The water-diversion layer  30  is configured to divert water from roads and pavements into the water-storage layer  50  described below for storage. The water-division layer  30  may be made of a recycled engineering plastic. For example, the water-division layer  30  may be made of 90% recycled polypropylene with a surface void ratio of 90% and an internal void ratio of 95%. The water-diversion layer  30  is tough and firm, and has a bearing capacity greater than 235 t/m 2  when pressed by a vehicle. The water-storage layer  50  is disposed at one side of the water-division layer  30  away from the road, and is configured to store water. The nutrient layer  70  is disposed at one side of the water-storage layer  50  away from the water-division layer  30 , and is configured to provide water, soil, and nutrients for growth of vegetation. The vegetation-planting trough  90  penetrates through the water-division layer  30  and the water-storage layer  50 , is embedded in the nutrient layer  70 , and is configured to plant the vegetation. 
     In the present disclosure, the vegetation maintenance system  100  is located immediately adjacent to the road. Accumulated water on the road, such as rainwater, quickly permeates into the water-diversion layer  30  via the permeable curb  10 , and then is diverted into the water-storage layer  50  for storage. In this way, when it does not rain, the water-storage layer  50  can still provide water for growth of the vegetation in the vegetation-planting trough  90 , such that irrigation times of the vegetation are reduced and even manual irrigation is not needed, and the labor costs are reduced. In addition, the accumulated water on a surface of the road can also be drained away in time, so as to prevent the accumulated water on the surface of the road from affecting traffic of vehicles during rainfall. In case of heavy rain, the accumulated water on the surface of the road can also be drained away quickly, so as to prevent a flash flooding. Moreover, in the present disclosure, the water-storage layer  50  of the vegetation maintenance system  100  is disposed above the nutrient layer  70 , and the vegetation-planting trough  90  penetrates through the water-storage layer  50  and is embedded in the nutrient layer  70 . Therefore, when planting the vegetation, especially a big tree, the entire root zone of the vegetation (top and bottom of the root zone) is surrounded from top to bottom by the water, the soil, and the nutrients in the nutrient layer  70 , such that the root zone can fully absorb water, oxygen, and nutrients for thriving. 
     Specifically, for safety, the permeable curb  10  is usually located at each side of the road. The permeable curb  10  is configured as a permeable structure, such that the rainwater can quickly and directly permeates into the water-division layer  30  through the permeable structure, and then is diverted into the water-storage layer  50  for storage. Optionally, the permeable curb  10  is made of permeable concrete that is formed by mixing permeable cement with sand. The permeable curb  10  defines interconnected holes boa for connecting the water-division layer  30  with the road, such that water on the road is quickly diverted into the water-storage layer  50  through the water-division layer  30  in case of water accumulation on the road. In other words, with the aid of the interconnected holes boa, the permeable curb  10  and the road communicate. Due to the void properties of the permeable concrete, the permeable concrete has a very high flow rate for rainwater, whilst ensuring a high durability and strength. Even in case of heavy rain, the rainwater can quickly pass through the permeable curb  10 , enter the water-division layer  30 , and then quickly enter water-storage layer  50 , such that the accumulated water on the surface of the road and the risk of flood-waterlogging damage can be avoided effectively. The permeable cement refers to a new type of cement formed by finely adjusting a proportion of water and binder materials. Unlike traditional cement, the permeable cement contains little or even no sand. Specifically, the permeable curb  10  in the present disclosure has a very high flow rate for rainfall, whilst ensuring a high durability and strength, with a void ratio of 15%-25% and a water permeability of 125 L/m 2 -330 L/m 2  per minute. 
     In some implementations, the permeable curb  10  has a thickness of 50 mm-300 mm, such as 50 mm, 80 mm, 100 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm, 250 mm, 280 mm, 300 mm, etc. The permeable curb  10  has a height of 50 mm-500 mm, such as 50 mm, 80 mm, 100 mm, 150 mm, 200 mm, 250 mm, 280 mm, 300 mm, 350 mm, 400 mm, 450 mm, 500 mm, etc. 
     Optionally, the water-division layer  30  may have a water-diversion structure and be made of a recycled engineering material, such as 90% recycled polypropylene. The water-division layer  10  has a surface void ratio of 90% and an internal void ratio of 95%, and has a bearing capacity greater than 235 t/m 2  when pressed by the vehicle. The water-division layer  30  may be composed of multiple water-diversion structures. A single water-diversion structure has a height of 40 mm-60 mm, such as 40 mm, 45 mm, 50 mm, 52 mm, 55 mm, 58 mm, 60 mm, etc.; has a length of 450 mm-600 mm, such as 450 mm, 480 mm, 500 mm, 520 mm, 550 mm, 580 mm, 600 mm, etc.; and has a width of 500 mm-700 mm, such as 500 mm, 520 mm, 550 mm, 600 mm, 630 mm, 670 mm, 700 mm, etc. 
     Optionally, the water-storage layer  50  may have a water-storage structure and be made of a recycled engineering material. For example, the water-storage layer  50  is made of 85% recycled polypropylene with a void ratio of 95%. More specifically, the water-storage layer  50  may be a water-storage frame. The water-storage frame can allow a large amount of rainwater to pass through at one side of the water-storage frame adjacent to the water-diversion layer  30 . A surface of the water-storage frame adjacent to the nutrient layer  70  and a surface of the water-storage frame adjacent to the vegetation-planting trough  90  are semi-permeable. Water stored in the water-storage frame can slowly permeate through a side surface (i.e., a surface adjacent to the vegetation-planting trough  90 ) of the water-storage frame, so as to be supplied to the vegetation in the vegetation-planting trough  90 ; or the water stored in the water-storage frame can slowly permeate through a bottom (i.e., a surface adjacent to the nutrient layer  70 ) of the water-storage frame to enter the vegetation-planting trough  70  and then enter the vegetation-planting trough  90 , so as to be supplied to the vegetation in the vegetation-planting trough  90 . In addition, the nutrients of the nutrient layer  70  can be better transported to the vegetation-planting trough  90  to be supplied to the vegetation. 
     Reference can be made to  FIG.  3   . In a specific implementation, the water-storage layer  50  includes a first frame body  51  and a semi-permeable layer  53  which allow water to pass freely. The semi-permeable layer  53  is disposed around the first frame body  51  and disposed on a surface of the first frame body  51  away from the water-division layer  30 , and the semi-permeable layer  53  is slowly permeable, such that water in the water-storage layer  50  slowly permeates into the nutrient layer  70  and the vegetation-planting trough  90 , and the water for growth of the vegetation is supplied. Specifically, a rate of water permeating through the semi-permeable layer  53  is slower than a rate of water permeating through the permeable curb  10 . The first frame body  51  may be made of, but is not limited to, a material such as polypropylene with a relatively great hardness. The semi-permeable layer  53  may be, but is not limited to, a semi-permeable geotextile. In this way, the water-storage layer  50  is simpler in structure and easier to be manufactured, and manufacturing costs are reduced. The first frame body  51  may include multiple first sub-frames, and the multiple first sub-frames are stacked and/or arranged side by side to constitute the first frame body, such that the size of the water-storage layer  50  can be adjusted according to the size of the vegetation maintenance system  100 . 
     In some implementations, each first sub-frame body has a height of 400 mm-500 mm, such as 400 mm, 420 mm, 440 mm, 460 mm, 480 mm, 500 mm, etc.; has a length of 650 mm-800 mm, such as 650 mm, 680 mm, 700 mm, 720 mm, 750 mm, 780 mm, 800 mm, etc.; has a width of 350 mm-450 mm, such as 350 mm, 380 mm, 400 mm, 420 mm, 440 mm, 450 mm, etc.; and has a bearing capacity greater than 24.2 t/m 2 . In a specific implementation, the first sub-frame has the height of 440 mm, the length of 715 mm, and the width of 400 mm, and can hold 120 liters of water. 
     Reference can be made to  FIG.  4   . Specifically, in some implementations, the nutrient layer  70  includes a second frame body  71 , and the soil and the nutrients  73  which are filled in the second frame body  71 . The nutrients include, but are not limited to, nutrients such as nutrient soil and fertilizers for the growth of the vegetation. The second frame body  71  is made of 85% recycled polypropylene with a void ratio of more than 95%. The second frame body  71  is tough and firm, and has a bearing capacity greater than 65 t/m 2 . 
     When it rains, a large amount of water is stored in the water-storage layer  50 . When it does not rain, the water stored in the water-storage layer  50  is slowly released and is supplied to the vegetation in vegetation-planting trough  90 , and nutrients and water are supplied to the vegetation through the nutrient layer  70 , such that manual irrigation times of the vegetation can be minimized and even no manual irrigation is needed, labor costs are reduced, and survival rate and lifespans of trees along a road can be improved. 
     The second frame body  71  may include multiple second sub-frames, and the multiple second sub-frames are stacked and/or arranged side by side to constitute the second frame body  71 , such that the size of the nutrient layer  70  can be adjusted according to the size of the vegetation maintenance system  100 . 
     In some implementations, each second sub-frame has a height of 300 mm-450 mm, such as 300 mm, 350 mm, 380 mm, 400 mm, 420 mm, 450 mm, etc.; has a length of 550 mm-750 mm, such as 550 mm, 580 mm, 600 mm, 620 mm, 650 mm, 680 mm, 700 mm, 750 mm, etc.; and has a width of 550 mm-750 mm, such as 550 mm, 580 mm, 600 mm, 620 mm, 650 mm, 680 mm, 700 mm, 750 mm, etc. In a specific implementation, the first sub-frame body has the height of 360 mm, the length of 600 mm, and the width of 600 mm. 
     Reference can be made to  FIG.  2    again. In some implementations, the vegetation maintenance system  100  in the present disclosure further includes a man-made pavement  20 . The man-made pavement  20  is located at one side of the water-division layer  30  away from the water-storage layer  50 . Specifically, the man-made pavement  20  may be a sidewalk pavement, and the water-division layer  30  and the water-storage layer  50  are disposed below the man-made pavement  20 , such that an arrangement of the water-division layer  30  and the water-storage layer  50  needs no additional pavement space. In some implementations, the man-made pavement may be located at one side of the vegetation-planting trough  90 , or located at two sides of the vegetation-planting trough  90 , or located around a periphery of the vegetation-planting trough  90 . Specifically, the man-made pavement  20  has a thickness of 50 mm-300 mm, such as 50 mm, 70 mm, 90 mm, 10 mm, 120 mm, 150 mm, 180 mm, 200 mm, 250 mm, 300 mm, etc. 
     In some implementations, the man-made pavement  20  may be a permeable pavement, such as bricks that are arranged in an array with a certain gap in between. By adopting the permeable pavement, rainwater falling onto the man-made pavement  20  can be fully utilized, and the rainwater can better permeate into the water-storage layer  50 . In addition, the man-made pavement  20  may have a structure the same as the permeable curb  10 . 
     In other implementations, the man-made pavement  20  may be an impermeable pavement, such as concrete. The impermeable pavement makes the pavement firmer and more durable. 
     Optionally, in some implementations, the vegetation maintenance system  100  in implementations of the present disclosure further includes a first support layer  40 . The first support layer  40  is permeable. The first support layer  40  is located between the water-division layer  30  and the man-made pavement  20 , and is configured to surround a periphery of the vegetation-planting trough  90 . Specifically, the first support layer  40  may be, but is not limited to, a backfill layer such as gravel or sand, which can better integrate man-made structures (e.g., buildings, bridges, roads, etc.) into native soil environment. The first support layer  40  cannot only prevent the man-made pavement  20  from being sunk and damaged due to being pressed and trampled by vehicles and pedestrians for a long time, but also allow rainwater to permeate through, flow into the water-division layer  30 , and finally enter the water-storage layer  50  for storage. Specifically, the first support layer  40  has a thickness of 300 mm-600 mm, such as 300 mm, 350 mm, 380 mm, 400 mm, 420 mm, 450 mm, 480 mm, 500 mm, 520 mm, 550 mm, 580 mm, 600 mm, etc. 
     Optionally, in some implementations, the vegetation maintenance system  100  in implementations of the present disclosure further includes an impermeable member  101 . The impermeable member  101  is impermeable. The impermeable member  101  is disposed on a surface of the permeable curb  10  away from the surface of the road. In addition, the impermeable member  101  also covers part of a surface of the water-division layer  30  away from the surface of the road. In some implementations, the impermeable member  101  also covers a surface of the permeable curb  10  in contact with the road, so as to prevent water from permeating to the other side of the road. By disposing the impermeable member  101  below the permeable curb  10 , accumulated water on an impermeable surface of the road can better pass through the permeable curb  10  to enter the water-division layer  30 , and then permeate into the water-storage layer  50  for storage. The impermeable member  101  has a thickness of 5 mm-20 mm, such as 5 mm, 8 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm, 15 mm, 18 mm, and 20 mm. 
     Reference can be made to  FIG.  2    again. Optionally, in some implementations, the vegetation maintenance system  100  in implementations of the present disclosure further includes an isolating member  60 . The isolating member  60  is disposed between the water-division layer  30  and the vegetation-planting trough  90 , and between the water-storage layer  50  and the vegetation-planting trough  90 . Specifically, the isolating member  60  may be made of reinforced concrete, and may have a cement structure or other impermeable structures. The isolating member  60  is like a wall when building a house, and defines a safe and stable space for plants to grow. The isolating member  60  can prevent the man-made pavement  20  disposed above the water-diversion layer  30  from being damaged due to roots of vegetation in a shallow layer of the vegetation-planting trough  90  spreading towards the water-division layer  30  and the water-storage layer  50 . 
     Optionally, in some implementations, the vegetation maintenance system  100  in the present disclosure further includes a second support layer  80 . The second support layer  80  is disposed at one side of the nutrient layer  70  away from the water-storage layer  50 . Specifically, the second support layer  80  may be, but is not limited to, a backfill layer such as gravel and gravel, which can better integrate man-made structures (such as buildings, bridges, roads, etc.) into the native soil environment. The second support layer  80  is configured to support the nutrient layer  70 , and is also configured to isolate the nutrient layer  70  from deep ground, such that the nutrient layer  70  has a better capacity for storing water and nutrients. Specifically, the second support layer  60  has a thickness of 300 mm-600 mm, such as 300 mm, 350 mm, 380 mm, 400 mm, 420 mm, 450 mm, 480 mm, 500 mm, 520 mm, 550 mm, 580 mm, 600 mm, etc. 
     Optionally, in some implementations, the vegetation maintenance system  100  in implementations of the present disclosure further includes a protective layer  105 . The protective layer  105  is disposed around the water-storage layer  50  and the nutrient layer  70 , and is located between the second support layer  80  and the water-division layer  30 . Specifically, the protective layer  105  may be, but is not limited to, a sand layer. The protective layer  105  can prevent water and nutrients from permeating out of the water-storage layer  50  and the nutrient layer  70 , prolong storage time of the water and the nutrients in the water-storage layer  50  and the nutrient layer  70 , and better integrate the man-made structures (such as buildings, bridges, roads, etc.) into the native soil environment. 
     The foregoing implementations are merely some implementations of the present disclosure. The protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present disclosure, and these modifications or substitutions shall be fall in the scope of protection of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.