JPH0410538B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION When collecting rainwater from a rainwater collection tank installed outdoors, the present invention is designed to prevent polluted rainwater at the beginning of rain from flowing into a water tank. The present invention relates to an automatic water collection and switching device that can automatically switch the flow path of rainwater so that only clear rainwater is discharged to the outside and stored in a water receiving tank after rain has continued for a certain period of time.

It has become common practice to collect rainwater that falls on large areas outdoors, such as the roofs of houses or tank roofs, and use it for a variety of purposes such as drinking, watering, and cleaning.

However, as is well known, solid matter such as dust and gases such as sulfur oxides are suspended in the atmosphere, and a large amount of the above dust accumulates on the surface of the earth that receives rainwater. , they are washed away by rainwater.

Therefore, rainwater at the beginning of the rain is extremely polluted, and there are many problems in receiving it directly into a water tank. In other words, before using polluted rainwater for various purposes, advanced wastewater treatment equipment is required to remove pollutants.

In order to deal with the above problems, conventional methods have been adopted in which a rainwater gauge is installed in the switching valve device, and when the amount of rainfall exceeds a predetermined value, the attached detector is activated electrically and the fluid flow path is switched. . However, in this case, the detector and its ancillary equipment are expensive, making it difficult for the general public to use it, and the sensor part of the detector is extremely sensitive to dirt, and cannot be accurately cleaned unless it is frequently cleaned. There was a major maintenance problem in that it did not work, and when used for a long period of time, there were drawbacks and problems such as the inability to fully perform the function of detecting foreign matter adhesion or rust.

Furthermore, many of the components are powered by electricity, so there was the problem that they could not function at all in the event of a power outage, such as during a typhoon or earthquake.

The present invention aims to solve the drawbacks and problems of the conventional case, and provides an automatic water collection and switching device with a relatively simple and inexpensive configuration. A counterweight is attached to one end of the connecting member, which is pivotally supported by the base plate, and two pistons with small holes drilled in the bottom plate are connected facing each other with a predetermined distance maintained at the other end. In addition, a cylindrical cylinder that houses the piston so that it can move up and down is integrally attached to the rainwater collection tank.
When the piston descends due to the weight of rainwater flowing into the internal space of the piston during rainfall, the polluted water outlet provided at the bottom of the rainwater collection box closes, and at the same time, a separate polluted water outlet is provided at a higher position than the polluted water outlet. The rainwater flow path is automatically switched to the clear water outlet, and the polluted water outlet is automatically returned to the open state when the rain ends.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the structure of the switching device during clear weather (no rain), and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the operating status of the switching device after a while after the start of rain. Figure 3 is also a cross-sectional view at the time when the rain became serious.

In Figure 1, 1 is a rainwater collection tank. In the figure, the roof of the house is shown as a horizontal box shape,
A sloping shape such as the roof of a large tank may also be used.

Reference numeral 2 denotes a polluted water outlet provided at the bottom of the water collection tank 1, the tip of which is open into the side gutter 3. Reference numeral 4 denotes a cylinder in which a piston 5 is movably moved up and down, and is assembled at the upper side of the polluted water outlet 2. A small hole 7 is bored in the bottom plate 6 of the piston 5. A gutter 8 is provided at the upper edge of the cylinder 4 and serves to introduce rainwater into the internal space 9 of the piston 5. Piston 5 is the fulcrum 10
A connecting member 11 is pivotally supported by a connecting member 11, and a counterweight 12 is suspended from the other end, so that the counterweight 12 is slightly superior in weight under normal conditions. 13 is a clear water outlet provided at a higher position than the polluted water outlet 2, and its tip is open into the water receiving layer 14.

Next, the operating order will be explained.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing the state of the switching device in sunny weather (non-rainy weather). Since the counterweight 12 is heavier than the piston 5, the piston 5 is pulled up and the polluted water outlet 2 is in an open state. On the other hand, the clear water outlet 13 is in a closed state.

Next, the situation of the switching device when it starts to rain will be explained with reference to FIG. The rainwater falling into the water collection tank 1 washes away pollutants such as dust accumulated at the bottom of the water collection tank, and the rainwater containing the dust flows out from the polluted water outlet 2 and is discharged into the side gutter 3.

On the other hand, the rainwater that has fallen into the gutter 8 flows into the internal space 9 of the piston 5. A small hole 7 is bored in the bottom of the piston 5, through which a portion of the rainwater that has flowed into the piston is constantly discharged downward little by little. Even if the rainwater is discharged little by little, the amount of rainwater that falls into the gutter 8 is large, so the piston 5 becomes heavier than the counterweight 12 due to the addition of the weight of rainwater corresponding to the difference in the amount of input and output, and gradually descends until finally. is the polluted water outlet 2 as shown in Figure 3.
At the same time, the clear water outlet 13 is opened.

As a result, the rainwater level in the water collection tank 1 rises, and the clear water outlet 1 is installed at a higher position than the polluted water outlet 2.
3, only clear rainwater is stored in the water receiving tank 14.

When the rain ends, the rainwater that has accumulated in the piston 5 flows out from the small hole 7, and the weight of the entire piston gradually decreases, causing the counterweight 12
When the weight becomes large, the piston 5 rises and the polluted water outlet 2 is opened, and the switching device automatically returns to the state shown in FIG. 1 and waits until the next rain.

As is clear from the above description, the switching device of the present invention realizes an automatic water collection mechanism that is inexpensive, has few failures, and is highly reliable by combining simple material elements. In other words, as a detector for the initial amount of rainwater, there is no need for electrical accessories such as expensive sensors or timers, so it operates accurately even during power outages, and the device is extremely easy to maintain and manage. .

The switching device of the present invention is particularly effective as a means for collecting rainfall in areas with a lot of dust in the atmosphere, such as industrial areas. That is, when it is not raining, the clear water outlet 13 is closed by the piston 5 to prevent dust from entering, and when it is raining, only clean rainwater can be automatically separated and collected.

Furthermore, since no power is required to operate the device, the operating cost is low and it is an extremely useful device.

Note that the drawings are explanatory diagrams showing the functional configuration of the device of the present invention, and it is clear that the shape shown in the drawings is not a limitation when implementing the device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the outline of the structure of the device of the present invention in sunny weather (no rain), and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the operating status of the switching device a while after the start of rain. , FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the device at the time when the rain has become serious. 1... Rainwater collection tank, 2... Polluted water outlet, 3...
...Gutter, 4...Cylinder, 5...Piston, 6
... Bottom plate part, 7 ... Small hole, 8 ... Gutter, 9 ... Internal space, 10 ... Fulcrum, 11 ... Connection member, 12 ...
...Counterweight, 13...Clear water outlet,
14...Water tank.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A counterweight is attached to one end of a connecting member that is pivotally supported on a fulcrum, and two pistons with a small hole bored in the bottom plate are connected facing each other with a predetermined distance maintained at the other end. Furthermore, a cylindrical cylinder containing the piston so that it can move up and down is integrally attached to the rainwater collection tank, and the piston is lowered by the weight of the rainwater flowing into the internal space of the piston. Accordingly, the polluted water outlet provided at the bottom of the rainwater collection tank is closed, and at the same time, the rainwater flow path is automatically switched to the clear water outlet separately provided at a higher position than the polluted water outlet. Features: Automatic rainwater collection and switching device.