JPH0568251U - Automatic watering device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] As in the case of intermittent water discharge to soil 1
Provided is an automatic watering device capable of uniformly discharging water on the soil surface even when the amount of water discharged per time is small. [Configuration] As an example, the water supply pad 1 includes a water supply tank 2
A water intake 1a for receiving the water supply is formed at one location, and a plurality of water discharge holes 1b are formed on the inner surface of the annular portion. The diameter [phi] of the water discharge hole 1b is formed to be larger as the distance from the water intake hole 1a increases so that the amount of water discharge per discharge is constant when intermittent water discharge is performed and the amount of water discharge per discharge is small.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an automatic irrigation device that automatically supplies water to plants in containers such as flower pots.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 Generally, the degree of moistness in a container such as a flowerpot and the air humidity at that location depend on various conditions such as the ambient brightness, temperature, the nature of the plant, and the size of the pot, and change from moment to moment. There is. If the amount of water supply is too large, so-called root rot will occur, and if the amount of water supply is too small, the root tips will dry and the plants will die. Therefore, in recent years, a device has been developed which automatically supplies water by opening and closing a solenoid valve or driving a pump motor.

In this type of automatic irrigation system, an annular pipe member 100 called a water supply pad is attached to an upper part of a flowerpot to discharge water to the soil surface as shown on the left side of FIG. 2B. It is used. The water supply pad 100 has water discharge holes 100A to 100E having the same diameter formed on the inner side surface or the bottom surface in order to receive the water from the tank at one or two places and discharge the water to the soil surface in the container. Therefore, when water is continuously discharged through the water discharge holes 100A to 100E having the same diameter in this manner, water can be discharged to the soil surface as shown in FIG. 2 (a).

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 Here, when water is discharged through such a water supply pad 100, rather than discharging a predetermined amount of water at one time, the predetermined amount is divided and water is intermittently discharged several times. According to this intermittent water discharge, first, the water supply near the surface of the soil is moistened by waiting for the water to soak into the soil, and then the water after the second water supply gradually soaks into the soil. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the root tips from drying and the plants from dying.

However, in the above-described conventional water supply pad 100, when water discharge is continued through the water discharge holes 100A to 100E having the same diameter, water can be discharged to the soil surface, but intermittent water discharge is performed once. If the amount of water discharged is small, the start time of water discharge will be delayed and the end time will be almost the same, so as shown in Fig. 2 (b), the amount of water discharged from the water discharge hole 100E, etc. far from the water intake will be small. Therefore, there is a problem that water cannot be uniformly discharged onto the soil surface.

In view of the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present invention provides an automatic watering device that can evenly spray water on the soil surface even when the amount of water sprayed once is small, such as when intermittently discharging water to the soil. The purpose is to provide.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an automatic irrigation device having a water supply pad which is disposed on an upper part of a container and supplies water to soil in the container through a plurality of water discharge holes. It is characterized in that the diameter of the hole is formed so as to increase with the distance from the water intake so that the amount of each water discharge in one discharge is constant.

[0008]

[Action]

 In the present invention, the diameter of the plurality of water discharge holes is formed so as to become larger as the distance from the water intake is increased by the above-mentioned configuration, and therefore, it is possible to perform a single water discharge as in the case of intermittent water discharge to soil. Even if the amount of water discharged is small, water can be uniformly discharged onto the soil surface.

[0009]

【Example】

 Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a water supply pad which is a main part of an embodiment of the automatic watering apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a comparative example of the water supply pad of the conventional example and this embodiment, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an outline of an automatic irrigation system using the water supply pad of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control block of the automatic irrigation system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is an automatic irrigation system of FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing the operation and display panel of FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the automatic watering apparatus in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a timing for explaining an example of the operation of the automatic watering apparatus in FIG. It's a chart.

First, the outline of the automatic watering apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 3. This shape is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape so that it can be attached along the periphery of a flower pot (not shown). Further, an annular water supply pad 1 is provided which is horizontally attached to the upper part of the flower pot and discharges water onto the soil surface as indicated by an arrow. This device also has a water supply tank 2, a drainage tray 3 for mounting a flower pot, a pump 4 and a control block 5 as shown in FIG. 4, and a humidity sensor 6 is buried in the soil in the flower pot. Used. The water in the water supply tank 2 is sucked by the pump 4 via the water supply pipe 7 and a solenoid valve (not shown), and is discharged onto the flowerpot via the water supply pad 1.

A detailed configuration of the water supply pad 1 will be described with reference to FIG. The water supply pad 1 is prepared in a plurality of types with different diameters of the annular portion according to the size (number) of the flower pot, and is selected according to the flower pot to be applied. As an example, the water supply pad 1 is provided with a water intake 1a for receiving water supply from the water supply tank 2 at one place, and a plurality of water discharge holes 1b are formed on the inner surface of the annular portion. .. The water discharge hole 1b may be formed on the lower surface of the annular portion.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 2 (b) and (c), the water discharge hole 1b performs intermittent water discharge so that each water discharge amount becomes constant when the water discharge amount per one time is small. In addition, the diameter φ is formed to be larger as the distance from the water intake hole 1a increases. This diameter φ is determined in consideration of the water discharge time per time, the interval between the water discharge holes 1b, the capacity of the pump 4, and the like. In the example shown in FIG. 2 (c), the water discharge amount per unit time gradually increases from the water discharge hole 1A closest to the water intake hole 1a to the water discharge hole 1E farthest, and as a result, in one water discharge. It shows that each water discharge amount becomes constant.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the water discharge amount may be constant by forming the annular portion by inclining from the water intake hole 1a (angle θ shown). The diameter φ and the angle θ are determined in consideration of the water discharge time per time, the interval between the water discharge holes 1b, the capacity of the pump 4, and the like. Next, the intermittent water discharge will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. 4 shows a circuit configuration of the control block 5. The sensor unit 10 detects the ambient temperature of the container such as a flower pot or the temperature in the soil, the humidity sensor 6 for detecting the humidity in the soil in the container, and the ambient light. Is composed of an optical sensor for detecting day and night, and various sensors such as a water leak sensor for detecting water leak on the drain tray 3 and water leak in the pipe, and the amount of water in the water supply tank 2 is a tank. It is detected by the sensor 10 a.

As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the setting unit 11 is provided with a knob 11a for setting a threshold value for determining the temperature detected by the temperature sensor, and a threshold value for determining the temperature detected by the humidity sensor 6 and the like. It has knobs 11b and 11c, a knob 11d for setting a threshold for day and night discrimination by an optical sensor, and a knob 11e for setting a water supply time suitable for plants, and the output of each sensor is this knob. It is taken into the control unit 12 according to the set thresholds of 11a to 11e. The setting unit 11 also includes an absent / at-home setting switch 11f for selectively setting an absent mode for automatically supplying water and a at-home mode for not performing automatic water supply, a reset switch 11g, and a buzzer for warning of water supply in the at-home mode. There is a sound stop switch 11h for stopping the sound, and the setting states of these switches 11f to 11h are also taken into the control unit 12.

As shown in detail in FIG. 5, the display unit 13 includes an optical indicator lamp 13a, a temperature indicator lamp 13b, a humidity indicator lamp 13c, and a water leak sensor when the optical sensor, the temperature sensor, and the humidity sensor detect the respective threshold values. Drainage tray lamp 13d when water leakage on the drainage tray 3 or water leakage in the pipe is detected, tank lamp 13e for warning of insufficient remaining amount in the water supply tank 2, and water supply when the home mode is set. It has a water supply lamp 13f for warning the user, an absent mode setting lamp 13g, a home mode setting lamp 13h, and the like. The display unit 13 and the setting unit 11 are attached to the surface of the control block 5 shown in FIG.

Returning to FIG. 4, the storage unit 14 is composed of a RAM (random access memory) having an area for storing various data, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which the control program of the control unit 12 is stored in advance. The control unit 12 performs control as shown in FIG. 6 based on the control program of the ROM. The clock unit 15 measures the current time, and the power supply unit 16 supplies the necessary power to the control block 5 by rectifying commercial power, for example.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment, particularly the operation of the control unit 12, will be described with reference to FIG. In steps S1 and S2, the humidity detected by the humidity sensor is monitored, and when the detected humidity exceeds the set humidity and the humidity sensor outputs a signal, the process proceeds to step 3. In step S3, it is monitored whether or not the current time of the clock section 15 has reached the set time, and when the set time is reached, the first timer for measuring the water supply time of the intermittent water supply is started, and the step S4 and subsequent steps are started. Proceed to. The first timer is configured to count, for example, 5 seconds.

In step S4, the solenoid valve is opened and the pump 4 is driven to start water supply, and in step S5, a counter for counting the number of intermittent water supply is set to "1". Then, when the first timer is in operation, the process returns from step S6 to step S4 to continue the water supply, and after 5 seconds has elapsed, the process proceeds from step S6 to step S7 to close the solenoid valve and stop driving the pump 4. In addition, a second timer is started to measure the waiting time for intermittent water supply. The second timer is configured to count for 5 seconds, for example.

In the following step S8, it is determined whether or not the number of times of intermittent water supply is a predetermined number of times, and if it is not the predetermined number of times, the process proceeds to step S9. In step S9, it is determined whether or not the second timer is operating, and if it is operating, the process returns to step S7. When the waiting time for intermittent water supply elapses, the process returns to step S4 to start the second water supply of intermittent water supply, the counter is incremented, and when the second water supply time elapses, the process proceeds from step S6 to step S7. Stop water supply. Then, in step S8, when the number of intermittent water supply reaches a predetermined number, the process returns to step S1.

An example of this operation will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In this example, the water supply time is set to 9:00 AM. Then, for example, at AM 1:00, water is not supplied even if the humidity detected by the humidity sensor falls below the set humidity, and water supply is started when the detected humidity is below the set humidity and the water supply time reaches the set time. Then, in this example of water supply, intermittent water supply is performed three times every five seconds.

Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, when intermittent water supply is performed, the diameter φ is formed so as to increase as the distance from the water intake hole 1a increases so that each water discharge amount of the water discharge hole 1b becomes constant. , First of all, we can wait for the first water supply to moisten the whole area near the surface of the soil and allow the water to permeate into the soil. Then, the second and subsequent water supply can gradually permeate the water into the whole soil. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the root tips from being dried and the plants from being withered.

In the above embodiment, the water discharge hole 1b is formed in the annular water supply pad, but it may be formed in a square, elliptical, or one or a plurality of rod-shaped members. Also in this case, similarly, the diameter of the water discharge hole 1b is determined in consideration of the water discharge time per time, the interval between the water discharge holes 1b, the capacity of the pump 4, and the like.

[0023]

[Effect of the device]

 As described above, according to the present invention, the diameters of the plurality of water discharge holes are formed so as to increase as the distance from the water intake increases. Water can be evenly discharged.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing a water supply pad which is a main part of an embodiment of an automatic watering apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a comparative example of a water supply pad of a conventional example and a water supply pad of this example.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of an automatic watering device in which the water supply pad of FIG. 1 is used.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control block of the automatic watering apparatus of FIG.

5 is an explanatory view showing the operation and display panel of the automatic watering apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the automatic watering device of FIG.

7 is a timing chart for explaining an example of the operation of the automatic watering apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Water supply pad 1a: Water intake 1b: Water discharge hole 2: Water supply tank 3: Drain tray 4: Pump 5: Control block 6: Humidity sensor 7: Water supply pipe 10: Sensor part 10a: Tank sensor 11: Setting part 11a -11e: Setting knob 11f: Absence / at-home mode setting switch 11g: Reset switch 11h: Sound stop switch 12: Control section 13: Display section 13a to 13h: Indicator light 14: Storage section 15: Clock section 16: Power supply section

Claims (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An automatic irrigation apparatus having a water supply pad arranged at the upper part of a container for supplying water to soil in the container through a plurality of water discharge holes, wherein the diameter of the water discharge hole of the water absorption pad is one when water is discharged once. An automatic irrigation device, characterized in that it is formed so that the amount of each water discharge becomes constant, and the amount increases as the distance from the water intake increases. 2. The water discharge is performed intermittently, and the diameter of the water discharge hole is formed so that each water discharge amount in one discharge of the intermittent water discharge becomes constant. The automatic irrigation device described.