IE55635B1 - Tunnel frame employed particularly for horticulture - Google Patents

Description

- 2 - 3 3 B a) 3 * The invention relates to a tunnel frame, intended more particularly for horticulture.

Tunnels are already known which consist of hoops, each end part of which is driven into the ground, and which are 5 placed parallel to each other, at a given distance, and which support a film of synthetic material. The film is stretched between the hoops and its opposite lengthwise edges are buried, while the transverse ends of the film are held by one or more pegs. In general, the film of synthetic 10 material is a polyethylene film which is transparent to the sun's rays.

Such tunnels are, however, fairly inconvenient in respect of their mounting and their use. Furthermore, they are fixed and cannot be moved when the crop which is 15 produced under such a tunnel reaches a stage which no longer requires the presence of protection.

In addition, frames are known which consist of a fixed, rigid framework, which is placed directly on the ground.

This fixed rigid framework is made, for example, of wood and 20 supports a movable framework which is transparent to sunlight. This movable framework can pivot lengthwise, relative to the rigid framework, with the aid of a hinge .placed on a lengthwise side of the fixed rigid framework.

The movable framework supports a plurality of glass panes or : 25 a single glass-pane,, or a film of transparent synthetic material.

These frames,' which are widely employed in amateurs' gardens have, nevertheless, a disadvantage: they are bulky and, in addition, the space which exists between the movable framework and the fixed rigid framework is limited, the movable framework resting on the rigid framework which, in 30 3 feMs case, has a height of a few tens of centimetres. As a result, the crops which can be grown in such a frame can only be crops of a low height, such as seedlings or cuttings.

Moreover, the frames of the prior art are fixed and cannot be moved.

The invention is therefore aimed at overcoming these disadvantages.

An aim of the invention is to provide a device which is easy to mount, and particularly by a user such as an amateur gardener, which is lightweight, which can easily be moved and, moreover, which can be sold as a kit.

To attain this aim, the invention relates to a tunnel frame characterised in that it incorporates, in combination, a demountable framework equipped with temporary means for fixing a film of a transparent synthetic material, and temporary means for supporting a plurality of hoops on which the film rests.

A demountable framework is understood to mean a structure which consists of modular components, and which can be assembled by means for connection, at the wish of the user. For example, the demountable framework preferably consists of two parallel longerons and two parallel crosspieces, in pairs, the longerons and the crosspieces being joined together by temporary uniting means. The uniting means are in action when the tunnel frame is employed and are out of action when the tunnel frame is disassembled.

For example, the longerons preferably consist of boards, of a synthetic material, which have a parallelepipedal shape and the crosspieces also having a parallelepipedal shape, but with the thickness of the longerons and the crosspieces being low compared to their length. - -4 The temporary means for fixing the film of a transparent synthetic material consist, for example, of a groove which is lengthwise and which is present on the outer face of the longerons and the crosspieces, the groove being 5 such that the film is lodged inside and is held by a springy lengthwise strip which is fitted into the groove by force.

The temporary means for uniting the longerons and the crosspieces consist of an angle bracket which is fixed to a longeron and the adjacent crosspiece respectively, by a 10 bolt.

The means for supporting the hoops which are also temporary means consist of blind boles made in the upper side of the crosspieces and longerons, the end parts of the hoops being lodged in the said blind holes.

More preferably, the hoops consist of, on the one hand, middle hoops, of length L and, on the other hand, end hoops, of length 1, the length L of the middle hoops being greater than the length 1 of the end hoops.

Finally, the end parts of the middle hoops are driven 20 into the blind holes, one of which is located on a longeron and the other is located on the opposite longeron.

In contrast, the end parts of the end hoops are inserted into blind holes both of which are located on the same crosspiece.

The following description, related to the drawings attached by way of non-limiting example, will make it possible to understand how the invention can be used in practice.

- Figure 1 is a general view of the tunnel frame, 30 according to the invention, - Figure 2 is a view in cross-section along the plane II-II of the tunnel frame, of Figure 1, - Figure 3 is a detail of a longeron and of the temporary means of support and fixing.

The tunnel frame 1, according to the present invention, thus incorporates in combination a demountable framework 2, 5 equipped with means for fixing 3, a film of a transparent synthetic material, and means 4 for supporting a plurality of hoops 5 on which the film 6 rests.

The means of fixing 3, as well as the means of support 4 are temporary means. Thus, the means of fixing 3 and the means of support 4 are in action when the tunnel frame is in use and are out of action when the tunnel frame is disassembled.

The framework 2 consists of two longerons 7, 8 which are parallel and two crosspieces 9, 10 which are also parallel to each other. Each crosspiece and each longeron are joined together by uniting means 11.

A longeron consists, for example, of a flat board, of length a, height h and thickness e. For example, provision can be made for the length a to be a few metres, particularly 3 to 5 metres, the height to be a few decimetres, for example 2 to 3 decimetres while the thickness is a few centimetres, for example 7 to 10 centimetres.

Crosspieces 9, 10 have a length b, height h and thickness e. The height of the crosspieces and the longerons is substantially equal, as is the thickness of the crosspieces and the longerons. On the other hand, the length a of the longerons is considerably greater than the length b of the crosspieces, for example the longerons may have a length which is twice or three times the length b of the crosspieces.

The longerons and the crosspieces are made, more preferably, of a synthetic material, or of a natural material such as wood.

Each longeron 7, 8 is joined on both sides of its end parts to a crosspiece 9, 10 by uniting means 11. These uniting means 11 are also temporary, that is to say they are in action when the tunnel frame is mounted and out of action when the tunnel frame is in separate parts. - .6 The means of fixing 3 consist of an outer, lengthwise groove 12, made in the longerons and crosspieces. More preferably, the groove 12 is made on the surface of the longeron or of the crosspiece which faces towards the outside of the tunnel frame 1. As can be seen, more particularly in-Figure 3, such a groove 12 incorporates a bottom 13 parallel to the surface 14 bounded by the length a and the height h of a longeron and, respectively, the surface formed by the length b of the crosspiece and its height h.

The groove 12 also includes two wings 15, 16 which form an acute angle a with the bottom 13. Thus, it could be said that the bottom 13 of the groove 12, the surface 14 and the wings 15 and 16 are substantially omega-shaped.

The free end 17 of the film 6 is therefore introduced into the groove 12, and into this groove 12 there is subsequently inserted by force a springy lengthwise strip 18 which holds the film in the groove 12. Consequently, the end 17 of the film is held between the bottom 13 of the groove 12 and the strip 18.

The temporary uniting means 11 consist, according to the present invention, of an angle bracket 20, which is fixed respectively on a longeron 7, 8 and the adjacent crosspiece 9, 10 by a bolt 21.

According to the present invention, the temporary means 4 for supporting the hoops 5 are made on the upper side 22 of the longerons 7, 8 and of the crosspieces 9, 10.

More preferably, the means of support consist of blind holes 23 made and pierced in the upper side 22 of the crosspieces and longerons, this side being bounded by the thickness e and by the lengths a and b, respectively. The free end 23 of the hoops 5 is placed or fitted by force into the blind hole 24. Consequently, each hoop is held by its free ends which are introduced into the blind holes.

More preferably, the hoops 5 consist, on the one hand, of middle hoops 25, of length L and, on the other hand, of - 7 - end hoops 26, of length 1, L being greater than 1.

The end parts 23, 23' of the middle hoops are driven into the blind holes 24, 24' (see Figure 2) one of which is located on a longeron 7 and the other of which is located on 5 the opposite longeron 8. Thus, the middle hoops 25 form substantially an arc of a circle of a radius equal to L/2ir.

The end parts 27, 27' of the end hoops 26 are driven into blind holes 28, 29 which are both located on the same crosspiece 9, 10. Consequently, the end hoops have a radius 10 which is equal to half the distance d between the blind holes 28 and 29, d being smaller than 1.

Finally, according to the invention, the middle hoops and the end hoops are made of a supple and flexible synthetic material.

When the tunnel frame according to the present invention is disassembled, it consists of independent parts, namely longerons 7, 8, crosspieces 9, 10, longitudinal strips 18, hoops 25 and 26 which are rectilinear and the flat and flexible film 6 made of a synthetic material, together with 20 the angle bracket 20 and bolt 21.

The method for assembling such a tunnel frame 1 is such that the longerons 7, 8 are first joined to the crosspieces 9, 10 by means of the angle brackets 20 and bolts 21, the hoops 25, 26 are then bent into a curve and their free ends 25 are driven into the corresponding blind holes 24,24'. Finally, the film 6 is placed on the hoops and the free ends of the film are inserted into the grooves in the crosspieces and the longerons and the free ends of the film are wedged by means of the strips 18 which are inserted by force into the 30 grooves, the strips being then more or less distorted.

Consequently, the tunnel frame according to the invention can be delivered to the user as a kit and can be easily assembled by the user. Furthermore, an advantage of this tunnel frame is that it can easily be moved.

Claims (10)

1. A tunnel frame incorporating, in combination, a demountable framework equipped with temporary means for fixing a film of a transparent synthetic material and temporary means for supporting a plurality of hoops on which the film rests, the framework consisting of two longerons parallel to each other, and of two crosspieces parallel to each other, the said longerons and the said crosspieces being joined together by temporary uniting means, said fixing means consisting of an external longitudinal groove made respectively in the longerons and the crosspieces, and a longitudinal strip which is lodged by force in each of the grooves, the said strip being springy and being distorted when it is introduced into the groove to hold the film thereby between the groove and said longitudinal strip.

2. A tunnel frame according to Claim 1, wherein the uniting means consist of an angle bracket fixed respectively on a longeron and the adjacent crosspiece by a bolt.

3. A tunnel frame according to either of Claims 1 or 2, wherein the temporary means for supporting the hoops consist of blind holes made on the upper side of the crosspieces and longerons, the free ends of the hoops being placed and fitted into the said blind holes.

4. A tunnel frame according to any one of Claims 1 to 3, wherein the hoops consist of middle hoops of length L and of end hoops of length 1, the length L of the middle hoops being greater than the length 1 of the end hoops.

5. A tunnel frame according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein the end parts of the middle hoops are introduced by force into the blind holes one of which is located on a longeron and the other of which is located on the opposite longeron.

6. A tunnel frame according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the end parts of the end hoops are driven into the blind holes located on the same crosspiece.

7. A tunnel frame according to Claim 6, wherein the blind holes are separated by a length d, which is smaller 9 than the length of the crosspieces.

8. A tunnel frame according to any one of Claims 1 to 7» wherein the film consists of polyethylene transparent to the sun's rays.

9. 59. A tunnel frame according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the grooves consist of a bottom parallel to the outer surface respectively of the longerons and crosspieces, of two wings forming an acute angle a with the bottom, the said grooves being thus substantially omega-shaped. 10 10. A tunnel frame according to Claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Dated this the 9th day of July, 1984 F. R. KELLY & CO. EXECUTIVE BY: (^A/UaJL Dublin 4

10. 27 Clyde Road, Ballsbridge, AGENTS FOR THE APPLICANTS.