JPS6182216A - Automatic water feed device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent an excessive humidification of a plant, and to protect it exactly from dryness by leading in a water feed mode and an additional water feed mode. CONSTITUTION:A dry and wet detecting sensor 7 for detecting a dry or wet state of soil in a flower pot 5 is installed at a suitable part of the pot concerned. A controlling circuit 9 detects a fact that the soil in the pot has dried and the dry and wet detecting sensor 7 is turned off, and opens the valve by energizing a solenoid 6d of a solenoid opening and closing valve 6. As a result, water flows to the downstream part of a control pipe from the solenoid opening and closing valve 6, and water is fed to the flower pot 5. When the dry and wet detecting sensor 7 is wetted by feed water, and goes to an on-state, the device enters into an additional water feed mode after that time point, and a timer 18 is operated. When the timer 18 is turned off after the time set in advance has elapsed, the controlling circuit 9 stops an electric conduction to a relay R, opens a contact Sr, opens the solenoid opening and closing valve 6, and stops the feed water to the flower pot.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] <Industrial Application Field> This invention detects the dry/wet state of soil or a predetermined area in a container using a single dry/wet sensor, and automatically supplies water or irrigation if it is dry. The present invention relates to an automatic water supply device that can continue supplying water for a necessary period of time even after the sensor detects wetness.

However, the term "water supply" may include not only water but also the supply of a culture solution.

<Prior Art> As a conventional automatic water supply device, there are typically those shown in the following publications.

■Special Publication No. 40-20593 The water supply device disclosed in this publication uses a 24-hour timer to water lawns, etc. at predetermined time intervals for a fixed period of time each time. If the humidity sensor detects humidity above a certain value in the soil, watering is stopped at that point.

■Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 51-100442 This water supply device is similar to the invention disclosed in item (■) above in that it uses a timer that outputs an output for a certain period of time at specified time intervals, but the device in item (1) above is similar to the invention disclosed in item (ii) above. In contrast, in the water supply device disclosed in this publication, the timer first operates the humidity detection circuit, and water is supplied according to the detection result. The difference is in determining whether or not.

That is, the humidity detection circuit is enabled for detection operation for a certain period of time at certain time intervals, and if the target soil or the like is dry at that time, water supply is started, and if it is wet, water supply is stopped. Therefore, there is no need to constantly supply power to the humidity detection circuit, which is said to result in energy savings.

■Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 50-40328 This water supply device attempts to control the water supply only based on dry/wet detection information generated by a single dry/wet detection sensor, and does not include the concept of time such as a timer element. That is, water supply is started when the sensor detects a dry state, and as a result, water supply is stopped when the sensor eventually detects a wet state.

■Utility Model Publication No. 50-48638 In this publication, one for dry detection and one for wet detection,
Although a water supply device using a total of two sensors is disclosed,
Its operating principle is almost the same as the device disclosed in Publication No. 2, which starts water supply when a dryness detection sensor installed near the bottom of the container detects dryness, and as a result, water accumulates in the container. When the water reaches a specific water surface, a moisture detection sensor installed at the specific water surface level detects this and stops the water supply.

■ Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 49-148145 and ■ Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 52-104871 The water supply devices disclosed in these two publications detect the dry state using a humidity sensor, and then operate the timer circuit from that point on. The system continues to supply water for the scheduled time set in the timer circuit. That is, water supply starts when dryness is detected, and water supply is automatically stopped after a certain period of time has elapsed.

(Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-27E130) This water supply device uses two timers, a first timer and a second timer, and when the humidity detection sensor detects a dry state, the first timer is activated first.

While this first timer is in operation, water is not supplied, it is in a standby state, and only an alarm is issued.

This is to prevent confusion in the event that water is suddenly supplied to a park, etc.

When the first timer times out, water supply operation occurs,
At the same time, the second timer starts operating. The time set in this second timer is the scheduled water supply time, and therefore, when the second timer times out, the water supply for that time is stopped.

In other words, if we exclude the consideration of issuing an alarm prior to the start of water supply, this water supply system will eventually operate upon detection of dryness, similar to the systems disclosed in Publications ① and ① mentioned above. A control mode is adopted in which the water supply is controlled from start to finish only by a timer.

If conventional automatic water supply devices such as those disclosed in these publications are classified based on their functions and operating principles, they can be roughly divided into the following three types.

[Group 1] As shown in the above-mentioned publications (■) and (■), the water supply operation is performed at regular intervals for a fixed period of time in principle.

[Group 2] As shown in the above publications (■) and (■), whether one sensor is used for both dry and wet detection, or there are two dedicated to each sensor, in any case, depending on the output signals of those sensors, only, those that specify water supply operations. In other words, if the sensor detects dryness, water supply starts, and if it detects wetness, water supply is immediately stopped.

[Group 3] As shown in the above publications ■, ■, and ■, if the dryness detection sensor detects dryness, at least use this as an opportunity to operate a timer that defines the water supply time, and when the timer expires, water supply starts. Something to stop. In other words, the water supply is completely regulated only by the timer from the beginning to the end.

Although there are many existing automatic water supply devices other than those shown in the above-mentioned publications, all of them can be classified into one of the three groups mentioned above in terms of their basic principles.

<Problems to be Solved by the Invention> The biggest drawback of conventional automatic water supply devices belonging to [Group 1] is that unless a predetermined time interval has elapsed, even if the water is in a dry state that requires water supply midway through, Even if it materializes, it will not be able to meet this demand.

Conversely, even if the device is in a sufficiently wet state that does not require water supply, the water supply start operation or dry/wet detection operation will always occur once the time comes, which is not rational.

``Group 2'' is characterized by the fact that water supply can be started only when necessary when the dryness detection sensor detects dryness, not periodically in response to time deviations, but asynchronously. Although it is superior to conventional devices belonging to [Group 1], it is possible to determine when to stop water supply by using a moisture detection sensor (as mentioned above, there are cases where a dry detection sensor also serves as this sensor, and cases where a dry detection sensor is installed independently). ) detects moisture, so
However, some drawbacks still arise.

For example, when considering watering lawns, fields, etc., the humidity sensor is usually installed on the surface of the soil where lawns, vegetables, etc. are planted, while water is normally supplied from the surface of the soil. Under such conditions, even if the moisture detection sensor detects moisture, it only means that the soil surface on which the sensor is installed has become wet, but not sufficiently wet to the required depth. No guarantees can be obtained.

The same thing can be said about potted plants. For example, a moisture detection sensor is installed at the bottom of a pot, and the water supply is stopped when water overflows from the bottom of the pot! Even if you do this, there is no guarantee that if water overflows from the bottom of the pot, the water will be evenly distributed throughout your body. Since the supplied water follows the path with the least fluid resistance to the outlet, sufficient moisture is provided along a specific depth path from the soil surface inside the body to the outlet at the bottom of the pot. However, it is quite possible that the area around it is still dry.

In addition, in the aerohydroponic cultivation method in which the plant to be cultivated is held at the top of the container and the exposed roots are immersed in the nutrient solution in the container, the uppermost water surface of the nutrient solution is kept at a certain level relative to the plant. The height position must be maintained, but this [Group 2]
When a device belonging to the above is applied to such a cultivation method, the top height of the nutrient solution is limited to the height position where the humidity detection sensor is installed, and therefore the sensor installation position and the height of the support device that holds the plants to be cultivated are limited. There are restrictions on the position of the container, and it cannot be reused if the container or support device changes, resulting in a lack of versatility. Furthermore, devices in this group that use two sensors are not only disadvantageous in terms of cost, but also tend to be difficult to determine the relative installation relationship between the two sensors and the wiring. . It is better to use only one sensor if possible.

On the other hand, the conventional device belonging to the above [Group 3] is "-
Compared to the devices belonging to Group 1 and Group 2, this device can be given the highest rating in terms of versatility. This is because the time period for which water supply continues after the dryness detection sensor detects dryness, and therefore the total amount of water supply per time, can be set in any way in principle by adjusting the setting time of the timer.

However, since the water supply is controlled only by a timer from the start to the end, the following drawbacks cannot be avoided.

Generally, when using this type of automatic water supply device, the piping used for water supply is often installed so that the water is automatically drained every time the water supply is finished. This is to prevent freezing and algae growth. Therefore, in such a case, before the timer operates and water supply starts, air will be in the water supply pipe.

Therefore, even if the timer is activated, water is not immediately supplied from the piping terminal, and a response delay occurs for the time it takes for the inside of the piping to be completely scavenged by the water being sent out.

If the location of use is determined, even if there is a time delay like this, you can calculate the time delay in advance and determine the timer setting time, but if the length of the piping changes, of course
I have to reset it.

Furthermore, even if you take the air scavenging time into consideration in advance, for small potted plants that generally only require a short watering time, the air scavenging time is often much longer than the effective watering time that is required. Setting the time becomes extremely difficult.

Furthermore, it goes without saying that if the timer, which is an electronic component with a relatively high probability of failure, fails, water supply will become completely impossible.

In view of the actual situation of automatic water supply devices according to various conventional operating principles as described above, the present invention provides an automatic water supply device that is overall satisfactory by taking advantage of the advantages of each of the above groups while overcoming their drawbacks. This was done as a temporary measure.

Specifically, we have introduced a new concept called "chasing water," so to speak, where a moisture detection sensor installed at a specific area to be watered detects moisture, and at least that area is damp. It is possible to supply additional water for a set period of time.

<Problem Solving Means> In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes: a single dry/wet detection sensor that electrically generates different outputs depending on dryness/wetness; a control circuit having a timer; the control circuit comprising: , the water supply operating devices such as the water supply pump motor and electromagnetic on-off valve are operated according to the electrical output when the dryness/wetness detection sensor detects dryness, while the electrical output when the dryness/wetness detection sensor detects wetness is operated. The present invention provides an automatic water supply device that can trigger the timer by the output of the sensor, and keep the water supply operation device 1 in operation for the time period set in the timer. do.

<Function> The automatic water supply device of the present invention configured as described above operates as follows.

A first electrical output indicating that a dry/wet sensor that can detect both dryness and wetness detects dryness, such as a logic “L”
11 or "0"', in response, the control circuit activates the water supply actuator to begin supplying water to the location to be supplied.

The dryness/wetness detection sensor can be attached to a specific location to which water is to be supplied, for example, a location where you wish it to be damp at least up to this point, but if the sensor installation location gets wet as a result of water supply, the timer in the above configuration will start. It is triggered, and from this point on, the system enters the additional water supply mode, that is, the additional water supply mode.

Therefore, even after the area where the dryness/wetness detection sensor is installed becomes wet, water supply can be continued for the necessary time.
The water supply is stopped only after the timer has expired.

Therefore, the device of the present invention can be applied to an extremely wide range of uses.

Unlike the prior art examples belonging to [Group I] mentioned above, water supply does not start until a certain time has passed, and the water supply mode is immediately entered when the dryness/wetness detection sensor detects dryness. I can do it.

On the other hand, once the water supply starts, if the water reaches the height of the sensor installed at a specific location, as in the case of conventional devices belonging to [Group 2], the water supply will always stop at that point. After that, you can go into re-watering mode and continue watering for the time you set on the timer. For example, if you have a potted plant, etc., and the sensor is installed on the surface of the soil inside the plant, you can It is also possible to continue watering until the so-called oak space between the soil surface of the body and the top of the pot is filled with water. This is also effective in aerodynamic cultivation equipment, etc., where the height position of the support for the cultivated plant changes even though the sensor is installed in a fixed position relative to the container, or the roots are left exposed to the air. Even when changing the length of the section, the timer can be set to supply an additional amount of culture solution beyond the sensor position to the optimum liquid level at that time. , it is possible to secure the optimum liquid level position for the cultivated product.

Furthermore, compared to the conventional example of [Group 3], which is the same in that the water supply stop is managed by a timer, in the case of the present invention, the system enters the additional water supply mode from the state where the water is already flowing and starts time counting. Therefore, the time set in the timer is almost completely equal to the actual water supply time.

In other words, in the devices belonging to [Group 3], the total amount of water supplied is greatly affected by fluctuations in the purging time in the piping, whereas in the present invention, the time from dry detection to wet detection is not fixed. Therefore, even if the time it takes for a sensor that detects dryness to become wet again changes each time, at least it is possible to unambiguously determine the moisture distribution situation in the surrounding area when the area where the sensor is installed becomes wet. Since the additional water supply mode is entered in which there is no influence of the scavenging time, the required total water supply amount can be supplied with less error compared to the scheduled water supply amount.

<Embodiment> The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 shows a case where water is supplied to soil in a flowerpot 5 by the apparatus of the present invention.

The water from the faucet l is branched into an irrigation main pipe 3 and a small-flow control pipe 4 by a branch valve 2, and the water flowing through the irrigation wood pipe 3 is used to water bonsai shelves, lawns, fields, etc. A control pipe 4 supplies water into a flower pot 5 containing soil.

As shown especially in FIG. 2, an electromagnetic on-off valve 6 is connected in the middle of the control pipe 4, and when the electromagnetic on-off valve 6 is closed, a portion 4a of the control pipe 4 upstream of the electromagnetic on-off valve 6 is connected. The resulting water pressure stops the flow of water to the irrigation main pipe 3.

For this reason, the electromagnetic on-off valve 6 has a valve chamber 6' having, for example, an inlet 6a that connects the flow section 4a of the control pipe 4, and an outlet 6b that connects the downstream section 4b of the control pipe 4. A valve body 6C is provided in the valve chamber to close the inlet or outlet (in this case, the outlet) by its own weight or biased by a spring, and the valve body 6c is operated against the bias by energizing the solenoid 6d. The inlet or outlet should be opened.

The branch valve 2 also includes an inflow path 2 into which water from the faucet 1 flows.
a, a first branch chamber 2b having a connection port for the irrigation main pipe 3,
It has a second branch chamber 2C having a connection port for the control pipe 4, and a diaphragm 2d isolates the second branch chamber 2C from the inflow path 2a and the first branch chamber 2b. This diaphragm has a small hole 2d' that communicates the inflow path 2a with the second branch chamber 2C.

Therefore, when the electromagnetic on-off valve is open, a part of the water flowing into the inflow channel from the faucet 1 enters the second branch chamber 2c through the small hole 2d' of the diaphragm, passes through the electromagnetic on-off valve 6, which is open, and passes through the control pipe. 4 and is supplied to the flowerpot 5, and most of the remainder of the water that has flowed into the inlet channel is pushed open by the diaphragm and flows into the first branch chamber 2b, which flows through the irrigation main pipe 3 and is supplied with water.

Furthermore, when the electromagnetic on-off valve is closed, water stops flowing to the downstream section 4b of the control pipe, and at the same time water pressure generated within the upstream section 4a of the control pipe acts as back pressure on the diaphragm 2d, causing the diaphragm to move into the first branch chamber. Since it is pressed against 2b-1-,
Water can no longer flow into the first branch chamber from the inflow channel, and the flow of water to the irrigation main pipe is stopped.

A wet/dry detection sensor 7 for detecting the wet/dry state of the soil within the body is installed at an appropriate location within the flowerpot 5. In the illustrated case, it is near the soil surface, but as shown by the imaginary line, a hygroscopic body 32 such as a lei is suitable for a part other than the water supply target, for example, a part of the ground 33 that has a strong correlation with the wet and dry condition of the water supply target. It is also possible to arrange a moisture absorption body 32 and install a moisture/dryness detection sensor on this moisture absorbent body 32.

In addition, in this embodiment, the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 is installed separately.
The device consists of a pair of electrodes, and detects wetness or dryness depending on whether or not the electrodes are electrically connected due to moisture in the soil within the body, or whether they are in a low resistance state or a high resistance state. However, it is of course possible to selectively select one of the existing sensor groups having an appropriate configuration.

This dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 is connected to a control circuit 9 . This control circuit is controlled by power switching means such as a relay R electrically connected to the solenoid 6d of the electromagnetic on-off valve 6 or the electric motor of the water supply pump, and by operating a variable resistor 28, for example, to switch between the replenishing water mode and the additional water supply mode. It has a timer 18 that can set the set delay time t as desired.

Assuming that the power switching means is a relay R in this embodiment, the control circuit 9 energizes the relay R when the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 is off or in a high resistance state, that is, when the soil inside the body is dry. In this embodiment, the solenoid 6d of the electromagnetic on-off valve is energized and opened. Therefore, water flows from the electromagnetic on-off valve 6 to the downstream part of the control pipe, and at the same time water starts being supplied to the flower pot 5, the back pressure applied to the diaphragm 2d in the branch valve disappears, so that the water flows into the inflow path 2a. Most of the water that has flowed in pushes open the diaphragm 2d and flows through the main water supply pipe 3 to supply water.

Eventually, the wet/dry detection sensor 7 is moistened by water supplied to the flowerpot and becomes an on state or a low resistance state, and from this point on, the water replenishment mode is entered and the timer 18 is activated.

Even under this water replenishment mode, the water supply to the flowerpot continues as described above, but when the timer is up after the set time t has elapsed, the control circuit 9 is activated by the relay R. The energization is stopped, the contact Sr is opened, and the electromagnetic on-off valve 6 is closed.

This stops the water supply to the flower pot, and at the same time, the diaphragm of the branch valve closes the first branch chamber with back pressure, so the water supply through the water pipe also stops.

The setting time of the timer 18 can be arbitrarily set from about zero to 20 minutes, for example, and the additional water supply time and further the additional water supply amount can be arbitrarily set depending on what purpose the water device is used for. can. For example, in the illustrated case, the time is set to be long enough for the water space above the soil to fill up after the water has uniformly circulated in the soil within the body.

A specific example of the control circuit 9 suitable for carrying out the functions described above will be explained with reference to FIG.

The organic relationship between the components in this control circuit will become clearer if the operation of this circuit is explained in sequence.

Therefore, the explanation will begin from the point where the power supply Vcc is turned on to the control circuit 9, but this initial state can be further divided into cases such that when the power supply is turned on, the dryness/humidity detection sensor 7 is in a high resistance state or an off state. That is, we will consider two cases: a case in which a dry state requiring water supply is detected and a case in which a wet state in which water supply is not required or should not be detected is detected.

First, when the power supply Vcc is turned on, the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7
If it detects a dry condition that requires water supply, then
Since the input terminal T1 related to the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 is placed in the same state as if it were not connected to anything in terms of potential, it is connected to two series NAND gates each connected to an inverter.
The input of the impedance buffer 1B consisting of 14.15 is simply dropped to ground via the resistor string 17. In other words, the dryness/wetness detection signal SO from the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 is at logic "L'' representing the dry state.

Therefore, the output logic of buffer 1B also changes as soon as the power is turned on.
L II, which is applied to the first input terminal (2) of one NAND game (11) constituting the flip-flop circuit 10.

Then, regardless of the logic value in the second input of the NAND gate 11, the output logic of the NAND gate 11 to the flip-flop circuit 10 becomes "HIT", and the npn type driver transistor as a power switching means is activated. 13 is turned on and relay R is activated.

Therefore, as shown by the jumper wires Jl and J2, the solenoid 6d for driving the electromagnetic on-off valve connected to the AC type [A, C, Water supply to 5 and irrigation from water main 3 begin.

In this way, if the dry/humidity detection sensor detects a dry state, the water supply operation will occur when the power is turned on, regardless of the logical value of the second human power (■) of the NAND gate 11.
For later explanation, the flip-flop circuit 1 from the time when the power is turned on until the water supply operation starts and enters a steady state is explained below.
0 input state and the Nando game) 11 second human power ■
Let us consider the signal path leading to .

In this embodiment, a monostable multivibrator 21 that is triggered by a pulse rising in the negative direction is used as a time measurement element in the timer circuit 18, which is useful in the water replenishment mode as described later. When the output logic of the buffer 16 described above is "L", no differentiation factor is given to the differentiating circuit or the wet pulse generating circuit 19, and the input is grounded by the resistor r3 in the differentiating circuit. , the output of the inverter-connected NAND gate 20 shows a logic "Ho", and therefore, in principle, the monostable multivibrator 21 is not triggered and the output logic shows "L".

Therefore, the output of the inverter 23 on the vibrator output side expresses the logic "HII" when the power is turned on, and the rising edge thereof is differentiated by the differentiating circuit 24 and momentarily becomes the logic "II H1".
A differential pulse that rises to 1 is generated, but returns to logic "L" after the differential time constant has elapsed.

The behavior of the output in this differential circuit is the second human power of the first NAND gate 11 in the flip-flop circuit 10.
given to.

However, if we consider it more strictly, during the unstable period after the power is turned on until the circuit system settles into a steady state, the monostable multivibrator 21 may be erroneously triggered.
An unintended logic "H" may be output.

This is, of course, undesirable, so generally a power-on reset circuit 34 with an appropriate time constant circuit is installed in the monostable multivibrator 21 as shown in the figure, so that it can be reset quickly even if it is accidentally triggered. We are aiming to

Looking at this from the output of the inverter 23 on the timer output side, we get
After the logic "Ho" occurs when the power is turned on, if an unexpected trigger occurs, the logic becomes "L" momentarily, and the logic "H" again occurs as the vibrator is forcibly reset. Therefore, the output of the differentiating circuit 24, that is, the second input of the first NAND gate 11 of the flip-flop circuit 10, becomes logical ") (II, 11) in a short period of time.
After the chattering of L 11 and +1 HII occurs, a change is observed in which the logic becomes "L" and becomes a steady state.

However, in this embodiment, as will be explained in detail later, the differential capacitor c3 is connected to the differential capacitor c3 in order to prevent the water supply operation from erroneously occurring if the dryness/wetness detection sensor detects a wet state when the power is turned on. Since it is set up, in reality,
Regardless of the output of the differentiating circuit 24, when the power is turned on, the second input voltage of the first NAND gate 11 is at least once connected to the logic "HII", and then the differentiating circuit 2
4 through resistor r4 to logic "L11".

After all, if the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 detects a dry state when the power is turned on, regardless of the input logic of the second human power ■ of Nando Game) 11, the logic "L" of the first human power ■
Even if the water supply operation starts at '° and the signal given to the second input of the NAND gate 11 shows a temporary fluctuation immediately after the power is turned on as described above, the logic " It can be seen that the value settles down to L'' and becomes a steady state.

Incidentally, the stable state of the clip-flop circuit 10 after reaching this steady state depends on the following signal relationship between the terminals.

Nando Gate 11's first human power■=゛L'' Same as above Second human power■=“L'' Same as above Kami "H" Nando Gate 12's first human power■Mi"HII Same as above second human power■=Nand Game) 11 Output = II HII Do'2 Kaninand Ge) 11 Second human power ■ =゛L 11 However, when the water supply to the flowerpot starts due to the above initial operation,
The dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 provided in the area moistened by the water supply will eventually become wet. This change is represented by a transition from an on state to a low resistance state between both electrodes of the sensor 7 in this case.

Then, the dryness/wetness detection signal S regarding this dryness/wetness detection sensor 7
o is logic II H11 indicating that a wet state has been detected
Accordingly, the output of buffer IB also becomes logic “H++”.
This logic is based on the 11 best human skills.
H” is given.

However, at this point, the signal logic of the second input of the NAND gate 11 remains at the logic "L11" as before, so the signal logic from the NAND gate 11 to the flip-flop lO The output logic remains "H11", and the driver transistor 13 and relay R
is also kept in the energized state, and water supply to the flowerpot and water supply from the water mains continues.

However, from this point on, the "additional water supply mode" which is characteristic of the present invention substantially starts, and the water supply stop point is defined by the time set in the timer circuit 18.

That is, the inversion of the output logic of the input buffer circuit 18 to "H" due to the wetness detection by the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 causes a trigger signal to rise in the negative direction via the differentiating circuit 18 and the inverter 20.
A pulse is generated, which triggers the monostable multivibrator 21 in the timer circuit 18.

As a result, the timer output rises to logic “H”, but
This rising transition itself does not affect the circuit system after the flip-flop. Even if the output of the inverter 23 is inverted from "H" to "L'" and the transient state is caught by the differentiating circuit 24, the second input (2) of the NAND gate 11 is already in the logic "'" state as described above. This is because it is fixed at L°°.

Therefore, after the timer 18 is triggered, the output logic of the clip-flop 10 remains unchanged until the set time t corresponding to 1 has elapsed with the time constant determined by the time constant circuit 22 composed of the resistor string ``1'' and the capacitor c1. There is no change, and water supply will continue as "additional water supply mode°°".

However, after that, when the timer setting time t has elapsed, the output logic of the monostable multivibrator 21 returns to °L, and accordingly, the output logic of the output side inverter 23 also goes to "H". Ru.

This rising transition is detected by the differentiating circuit 24, and the logic “
The pulse waveform is converted into a pulse waveform that temporarily rises and rises toward H'', and this is applied to the second input of the NAND gate 11 in the flip-flop circuit 10.

Then, at this moment, the power of both people of the Nando Gate 11■
, ■ are both at logic "HII", so the output is inverted and becomes logic "L11", and the tetrabar transistor 13 is forcibly turned off. When the driver transistor 13 is turned off, the relay R is demagnetized, its contact Sr is opened, and the solenoid 6d is also demagnetized, and the water supply to the flowerpot and the water supply via the water supply pipe are stopped at that point. do.

As described above, according to the present control circuit 9, even after the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 detects humidity, additional water supply can be continued for the set time t set in the timer circuit 18. When the time has elapsed, you can definitely stop the water supply.

The second human input signal to the NAND gate 11 is a pulse as described above, but if the output logic of the NAND gate 11 is inverted to "L11" even once due to this pulse input, the flip-flop This is because the other NAND gate 12 in the flop circuit 10 receives this logic "L" signal from the other power source (2) under the condition that the first power source (2) is always pulled up to the power supply potential Vcc. , its output logic becomes "H".

Therefore, this H" level continues to be applied to the second input of the NAND gate 11 through the diode 25, so that the output logic of the NAND gate 11 becomes L".
Maintain °.

Conversely, it is because of this function that the circuit portion 10 consisting of NAND G.11 and 12 is called a flip-flop circuit.

As a result of the water supply being stopped, the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7
When the body detects dryness again, the circuit will start rehydrating as planned.

When the wet/dry detection sensor 7 electrically cuts off the electrodes as it dries, and the supply of the power supply potential Vcc from the terminal TO to the terminal TI via the sensor 7 is cut off, the output logical value of the buffer 1B becomes "L 11" again. to be reversed.

Then, regarding the flip-flop circuit 10, only the first human power of NAND game) 11 becomes the logic "Lo" again.
Therefore, its output logic becomes “H1” again.
1, the driver transistor 13 is turned on, the relay R is energized, the electromagnetic on-off valve is opened via the solenoid 8d, and the water supply to the flower pot and the water supply through the water pipe are restarted.

At the same time, the output logic of this first NAND gate 11 is “HI”.
I is given to the second human power ■ of the second NAND gate 12,
Therefore, the output of the second NAND gate 12 is logic “L”.
11, and this logic L11 is fed back to the second NAND gate 11 and stabilized.

The stable state of the flip-flop circuit 1° under this condition is exactly the same as the state of the main control circuit 9 when it reaches a steady state after drying is detected after the power is turned on as described above.

Therefore, the operation cycle that starts with re-dry detection by the dry-wet detection sensor 7, starts water supply again, and ends with wet detection, additional water supply, and water supply stop is also repeated as described above, and such an operation cycle is executed every time dryness is detected. It turns out.

Hereinafter, we have explained the operation of this circuit after the power is turned on at the time of detecting dryness. That is, a case will be considered in which the power is turned on to this circuit when the target soil is in a wet state and does not require or should not be supplied with water.

If the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 detects wetness when the power is turned on, the logic "H" is given to the first input of the NAND gate 11 via the buffer 16. Therefore, the output of the flip-flop circuit 10,
It is controlled by the logic value of the second input (2) of the gate 11.

Therefore, sufficient attention must be paid to this point.

This is because, under the transient state associated with power-on, as mentioned above, in response to the timing when logic "H" is given to the NAND gate's first human power ■, logic is applied to the second human power ■.
This is because if the logic level "L" is applied, the output of the flip-flop circuit 10 becomes logic "H" and water supply operation occurs.

However, if no precautions are taken, accidents like this can still occur.

For example, as mentioned above, the monostable multivibrator 21 may be erroneously triggered before it enters a steady state upon power-on. In particular, if the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 detects moisture when the power is turned on, the output of the inverter 20 on the vibrator input side may temporarily become logic "L", and in such a case, of course, the monostable Multivibrator 21 is falsely triggered.

Even if the monostable multivibrator 21 itself is erroneously triggered in this way, there is no problem because it is reset by the power-on reset circuit 34 as described above, but if the output is temporarily 11 H11, the problem is that the output of the output side inverter 23 may show a logic "Lo" immediately after power is turned on. This is because water supply operation occurs due to the above reason.

Also, due to other unstable factors, external noise, etc.
It is quite conceivable that the re-input relationship of the NAND gate 11 will be undesirable.

Therefore, as a countermeasure against this, in this embodiment, a differential capacitor c3 is inserted between the power supply line and the second input of the NAND gate 11, and the rise of the power supply potential Vcc upon power-on is captured, and once the Logic “After becoming HII,
A configuration is adopted in which a signal that becomes logic 11L'' is formed and this signal is applied to the second input of the NAND gate 11.

Therefore, in the initial transient state immediately after the flip-flop circuit 1O is powered on, the dryness/wetness detection sensor detects wetness, and the logic "H"
Even if a signal of “'' is given, a signal of logic “H” is initially given to the second human power via the differential capacitor c3, so the output logic of the NAND gate 11 is “L”.
II.

At this time, the signal logic relationship at each terminal (1) to (2) of the flip-flop circuit 10 is as follows, and is stable in this state.

Nando Gate 11's first human power ■ = "H" Same as above Second human power ■: "H" Same as above output = "L" Nando Gate 12's first human power ■ = "H°゛ Same as above Second human power ■ = Nando's Gate 11 output = "L" output = "NAND gate 11 second input = ゛H" After that, even if the signal logic via differential capacitor c3 is returned to "L", the above signal relationship can be seen. As shown, the output of the second NAND gate 12 is "H" in the previous stage, and the second input voltage of the first NAND gate 11 is maintained at the logic "H" through the diode 25. Therefore, there is no change in the state.

After entering a steady state in such a signal relationship, when the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 detects dryness, as already explained, the buffer! 6 through flip-flop circuit 10
The first nand gate 11's first human power ■ has logic “T,
II is given.

Then, the output logic of the first NAND gate 11 becomes H”
, the relay R becomes conductive via the driver transistor 13, and a water supply operation occurs.

At the same time, an inversion of the signal logic occurs in the flip-flop circuit 10, and the output logic of the second NAND gate 12 becomes °'
L"° is returned to the second input of the second NAND gate, and both inputs of the first NAND gate become logic "I L
11. Therefore, the output is stable at logic "H", and the water supply operation that has started can be continued stably.

In the above explanation, which started from the case where the power was turned on when detecting an outcome, this state occurs when the sensor reaches a steady state after the power is turned on, and after the first operation cycle and the water supply is stopped, the sensor restarts. This is exactly the same as the initial steady state of the mechanism that begins when dryness is detected.

Therefore, in this case as well, when the sensor detects rewetting after water supply has started, the system enters the additional water supply mode from that point on, the timer circuit 18 is started, and when the scheduled time t has elapsed, the water supply is stopped, and thereafter. This operation cycle is repeated as expected each time the sensor detects redrying.

3, it can be seen that the present control circuit 9 has a circuit configuration sufficient to satisfy the functions necessary for the present invention, but the additional water supply time under the additional water supply mode, that is, the timer setting time t, is a time constant. The resistance value of the resistor array rlc7) in the circuit 22 and/or the capacitance value of the capacitor cl can be changed freely within a range. In this embodiment, this is generally achieved by a variable resistor 2G provided in the resistor string TI in the time constant circuit 22.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a test switch 27 is provided, and even if the inside of the body is in a humid state when the dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 is installed, when this switch 27 is turned on, the NAND intervening between the power supply line and - The output of the gate 28 is forced to logic "L11", and therefore the dry/wet detection signal S
Since o also goes to the same logic "L" state as when dryness is detected, this can be used to forcibly operate the circuits after flip-flop circuit 10 to test water supply to the flowerpot. There is.

Note that the input impedance section 17 of the buffer circuit 16 is provided with a variable resistor r2, which adjusts the input sensitivity and can set a threshold between a high resistance state and a low resistance state. . Further, a capacitor c2 inserted between the terminal TI and the power supply circuit is for removing external noise. This may be inserted between the ground and the ground, but as mentioned above, it has a time constant with the input impedance 17, causing a signal delay, so if this delay is a problem, it is better to do as shown in the figure. is good.

Furthermore, regarding the power supply circuit, it goes without saying that the present invention does not directly specify this, and depending on the case, it is also possible to consider using a solar battery or a storage battery in addition to the commercial power supply.

However, in the case shown in Figure 3, commercial power is used, and after passing through a normal transformer 29 and a bridge rectifier 30, a three-terminal regulator 3, which is inexpensive but has good performance on the market these days, is used.
1 to obtain a stable power supply potential Vce.

By the way, when considering such a water supply system, if possible, it would be desirable to be able to prevent irrigation or water supply when the ambient temperature is undesirable. This is because watering plants at low temperatures, such as below 5°C, may cause frost damage.
On the other hand, if water is supplied at a high temperature of, for example, about 40° C. or higher, there is a risk of root sagging.

Therefore, the minimum allowable temperature Kmin and the maximum allowable temperature Kmax
By setting the temperature range between these ranges as the normal operating temperature range, and adding an operating temperature range setting circuit that prevents water supply or irrigation above or below this range, this device becomes even more practical. Become something.

In terms of circuits, such improvements involve, for example, adding the following additional configuration to the circuit system shown in FIG.

In FIG. 3, nodes ■ and ■ are on the signal line of the laritub flop circuit 10 to the first power source ■, and the timer 18
■ There are nodes in the signal line regarding.

(3) are shown, and in the explanation so far, the line portions L1 and L2 between the two sides have of course been explained as being connected together, but these line portions L1. By removing L2 and inserting the operating temperature range setting circuit 40 shown in FIG.

In this case, a thermistor TH is used as a sensor for detecting the ambient environment temperature, and a series resistor 41 is used.
A temperature conversion voltage signal Et is extracted from the connection point.

This signal Et is input to the non-inverting input (+) of the first comparator 42 and the inverting input (-) of the second comparator 43.

The first comparator 42 sets the minimum allowable temperature Ktain, and converts the voltage value corresponding to this minimum allowable temperature Kmin to the power supply potential Vcc via the potentiometer 44.
The divided voltage is obtained at its inverting input (-).

On the other hand, the second comparator 43 reaches the maximum allowable temperature +*a
x, and the voltage value corresponding to the maximum allowable temperature Kmax is set via the potentiometer 45 to the power supply potential V.
A voltage divided form of cj is obtained at its non-inverting input (+).

The outputs of the first comparator 42 and the second comparator 43 are both input to the first and second NAND gates 46 and 47 for signal line switching, and the remaining outputs of each of the remaining NAND gates 4B and 47 are The two input terminals are connected to node ■ through inverters 48 and 49.
and the node ■, and the output terminal is connected to the node ■ and the node ■.

Therefore, if the ambient environment temperature is in a temperature range suitable for supplying water to flowerpots or for irrigation through irrigation pipes, in other words, the ambient environment temperature Ko is the minimum allowable temperature Kmin<Ko.
<If the maximum allowable temperature Kmax is satisfied, both comparators 4
2. Since the outputs of 43 both maintain logic "'H",
The output state of 48.47 is determined by the remaining inputs.

Therefore, the signal logic appearing at the input nodes (2) and (2) is transmitted as is to the output nodes (2) and (2). If logic “H” is given to input side nodes ■ and ■, inverter 4
Each corresponding NAND gate 48.47 through 8.49
48. The output of 47 becomes "H", and the signal logic at the output nodes ■ and ■ is also "H", which is the same as that on the input side.
", and if a signal of logic L 11 is given to the input nodes ■, ■, all inputs of the NAND gate 4 [(, also becomes the same logic "L"' as on the input side.

Therefore, when the ambient temperature is within the normal temperature range, the operating temperature range setting circuit 40 functions as a mere signal transmission line, just like the signal lines L'l and L2 shown in FIG. The control circuit 9 shown in FIG. 3 operates according to the mechanism described above.

Therefore, when the ambient environment temperature Ko is lower than the minimum allowable temperature Kmin or conversely exceeds the maximum allowable temperature Kmax, the first comparator 42
When the output of the second comparator 43 exceeds the maximum allowable temperature -L times, the output of the second comparator 43 inverts its logic and becomes L''.

Then, the first and second NAND game for opening and closing the signal line)
116.47 is the first comparator 42 among its three inputs.
Since - in the signal from the second comparator 43 is fixed at logic "L", the logic of the signal sent from the input nodes (2) and (2) via the inverter 118. 1. A state in which the output logic is constrained to “H°′,”
That is, the logic of the output nodes (2) and (2) is fixed at "H''.

As a result, in these undesirable temperature ranges,
Flip flop circuit 1 in the circuit system shown in Figure 3
Both inputs of the NAND gate 11 constituting 0 are forced to be fixed at logic "H'", and the driver transistor 13 is forced to be turned off. In other words, if the water supply or irrigation operation is occurring in the on state, it will be stopped immediately, and if it is in the standby state, the water supply or irrigation operation will be stopped even if dryness information is sent from the dry/wet detection sensor 7. It will be made sure that it will not happen.

Of course, the minimum and maximum allowable temperatures Kmin and Kmax are as follows:
It can be set arbitrarily within the range of each potentiometer 44,45.

In particular, when the wet/dry detection sensor 7 uses two electrodes as in the previously described embodiments, the operation limiting circuit regarding the minimum temperature functions extremely effectively.

This is because, under low temperatures that cause freezing, the interelectrode resistance value of such sensors tends to show a high resistance state that is almost electrically open. This is because the water supply operation automatically occurs regardless of whether it is necessary or not.

In general, water supply is not necessary or should not be performed under such conditions. Therefore, the circuit 40 that detects such conditions and forcibly maintains the water supply operation in an OFF state not only protects the target of water supply but also electromagnetic This is of great significance in that it prevents the valve mechanism from operating for a long period of time and prevents damage to the nozzle and joint due to freezing and expansion of water remaining after the water supply is stopped.

Still other practical considerations are shown in FIG. 5, which are of course not relevant to the subject matter of the present invention, but are useful circuits to have. In other words, when the device of the present invention is operated with water stored in a tank indoors, this is an alarm circuit that notifies the user that the amount of water is running low or has run out.

This alarm circuit 50 has a suitable water level sensor W, such as a sensor consisting of a pair of electrodes immersed in a tank, and when this sensor W detects that the water has run out or has become low, the inverter 51 is activated. (via Nando Ge) 5
An oscillator 54 of a normal configuration using a feedback time constant circuit consisting of 2.53 and OR is operated, and its output drives a suitable sounding body 55 such as a speaker. Of course, a visual alarm means such as a light emitting diode may be substituted, or these may be used in combination.

In addition, by using the same circuit configuration as shown for the operating temperature range setting circuit 40 above, the water supply operation is forcibly stopped in the above-mentioned alarm mode to prevent seizure etc. due to dry operation of the water supply pump, etc. It's okay.

As already noticed, in each of the circuit systems shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, NAND gates are used as constituent elements such as gates, inverters, buffers, and oscillators.

This is because a commercially available integrated circuit module is usually an array of an appropriate number of gates of the same type integrated, such as only AND gates if they are AND gates, or only NAND gates if they are NAND gates. Therefore, it is necessary to use such a NAND circuit to realize the circuit of this embodiment.
This is because I thought that purchasing a gate array would be sufficient. Therefore, in principle, there is no reason to be bound by this, and you may make any design choices you like, such as using an integrated circuit dedicated to the inverter or using an AND gate module where an AND function is required. .

Moreover, if the operating temperature range setting circuit 4o shown in the fourth figure is incorporated into the control circuit 9 shown in the third figure from the beginning, it is obvious from the above signal relationship that the inverter 49 on the No. 10 point side
can be shared by the inverter 14 in the input buffer 1B. That is, the signal line to node (2) can be taken out from the output of the inverter 14.

Further, the power switching means is not limited to the illustrated relay R, and semiconductor switching elements such as SIRISK and power transistors may also be used.

Regarding the device, in the illustrated embodiment, the water from the faucet l is diverted by the branch valve 2 into the control pipe 4 that supplies water to the flowerpot and the irrigation main pipe 3 that performs irrigation. figure,
It is also possible to flow only into the irrigation main pipe, so that some of the water from the irrigation wood pipes is supplied to the flower pots. As mentioned above, the control circuit 9 may control a irrigation pump motor or the like instead of the solenoid 6d of the electromagnetic on-off valve 6.

Furthermore, the number of flowerpots is not limited to one, for example, as shown in Figure 6, multiple flowerpots may be hung downward, and the water overflowing from the bottom of the pot can be drained by watering the topmost flowerpot. You may also supply water to the flowerpot. Even in this case, according to the automatic water supply device of the present invention, the additional water supply time after the wet/dry detection sensor is re-wetted, and therefore the additional water supply amount, can be set arbitrarily, so the sensor 7 is indicated by a solid line in the figure. It may be placed on the soil surface in the second-most flowerpot, as shown in FIG.

That is, this also shows that the device of the present invention has an extremely high degree of freedom in sensor installation.

Further, as mentioned earlier, one of the functions of the sensor is to detect the dryness of the water supply target, that is, to detect the timing of water supply, so the sensor can be installed anywhere as long as this function is satisfied. In addition to the cases shown by the imaginary lines in Figure 2, sensors are generally installed at locations that have a temporal correlation with the dryness of the water supply target and where part of the water is supplied to the water supply target. Just leave it there.

To put this into perspective, any element that is correlated with a change in water content, such as the absolute water content of the water supply target, the weight or transpiration rate proportional to this, and even the light reflectance of the soil surface, can be detected. Therefore, the sensor itself is not limited to the one shown in the illustrated embodiment, and various suitable sensor usage and installation methods can be considered.

Further, the automatic water supply device of the present invention can also be applied to the nutrient solution circulation control of an intermittent operation type aerocultivation device, as shown in FIG.

Cultivation container 6 installed above the liquid level of the nutrient solution tank 61
2 has an orifice 62' at the bottom and is connected to the nutrient solution tank 61 through a discharge pipe 63, and the nutrient solution in the nutrient solution tank 61 is pumped up by the pump 64 through the solution lift pipe 65 into the cultivation container 62, The water is returned to the nutrient solution tank via the orifice 62' and the drain pipe 63. Further, a valve 66 for controlling the flow rate is provided in the drainage p63.

The cultivation container 62 has a cultivation bed 67 for holding the plant therein separated upward from the bottom, and the roots of the plant are grown between this cultivation bed 67 and the container 6.
It grows in the space between the bottom of the two. In air-liquid cultivation, these roots are exposed to air intermittently.

Therefore, if this water supply device is used and the wet/dry detection sensor 7 is installed at an appropriate location in the container, the pump 64 will be activated when the amount of the nutrient solution in the container drops below the sensor installation position. . When the nutrient solution is circulated and the sensor 7 becomes wet again, the control circuit 9 enters the additional water supply mode.
For the reasons mentioned above, additional nutrient solution is supplied for the time set on the timer.

In the present invention, in the additional water supply mode, there is no problem with the air purging time in the piping, so no matter where the sensor 7 is installed, the highest water surface position can be specified at a constant and desired height. .

For example, in the diagram, the height H from the bottom of the container is the highest point.
If the sensor 7 is at the position indicated by the solid line in the figure, and there is a head difference between it and the third water surface position, the nutrient solution supplied by the pump will fill up the head. It is sufficient to set the time in the additional water supply time setting timer □ timer 18 (Fig. 3), and the head h' is set as shown by the virtual line in the figure.
If the position is changed, all that is required is to change the timer setting time to the time required to satisfy the head h'.

Therefore, it is also possible to respond well to cases where the height of the cultivation bed changes or the exposed length of the roots changes depending on the plant to be cultivated.

Note that by adjusting the flow rate control valve, the rate of descent of the nutrient solution level can be adjusted, thereby making it possible to appropriately adjust the root exposure time appropriate for each plant to be cultivated.

In addition, a plurality of cultivation containers 62. of approximately the same capacity are provided in the nutrient solution tank e1-+-. ．． ．． ．． and drain pipe 6 of each cultivation container.
The lower end of 3 is opened into the nutrient liquid tank, and the liquid lifting pipe 6
5 can be branched, and each of its two ends can be opened to one cultivation container, and one pump 64 and one dryness/wetness detection sensor 7 can supply liquid to these plurality of cultivation containers. (If there are multiple nutrient solution tanks equipped with pumps 64 that supply and circulate nutrient solution to cultivation containers of the same capacity,
It is also possible to connect the pumps of each nutrient solution tank to one control circuit 9 and control these plurality of pumps as required based on the detection operation of a dryness/wetness detection sensor installed in one of the plurality of cultivation containers. can.

(Effects of the Invention) The present invention configured as described above is completely different from the conventional automatic water supply device group belonging to [Group I] to [Group 3] mentioned at the beginning in terms of its principle. By introducing the new concept of modepa or "additional water supply mode," we have succeeded in eliminating all of the drawbacks of these conventional groups.

Furthermore, while each of the conventional groups described in ``--'' had a substantially limited scope of use, such as for irrigation of lawns and fields, for flower pots, and for use in air-liquid cultivation devices, the configuration of the automatic water supply device according to the present invention is It is versatile enough to be applied to any purpose.

In other words, it has all the individual effects required for an automatic water supply device that is both versatile and highly reliable.

Listing these will look like this:

■ Instead of watering at fixed time intervals, watering is started upon detecting dry conditions that require watering, making it possible to avoid over-humidification of plants and reliably protect them from drying out.

■ Since a single sensor can detect dryness and wetness, it is not only advantageous in terms of cost, but also simplifies wiring work and provides a good space factor.

■ To ensure that water is always supplied to a specified depth or water level, the total amount of water supplied can be determined by setting the additional water supply time in the additional water supply mode, so the installation position of the sensor and the planting position of the plants can be adjusted. There are no restrictions, and it can be used even if the container or irrigation target changes.

■ When specifying the amount of additional water supply, the timer that determines the additional water supply time is activated after the water or culture solution reaches the sensor, so there is no need to take into account the time for purging the air in the pipes, etc. There is no room for fluctuation factors such as a change in water supply amount due to a change in water temperature. Therefore, water can be supplied with less error relative to the target amount.

■ Since we do not rely solely on a timer to start and stop water supply, even if the timer fails, which is a relatively common cause of failure in the worst case, water can still be supplied to at least the position where the dryness/wetness detection sensor is installed. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where the water supply target completely dries up.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of the first embodiment in cross section, and FIG. 3 is an example of a control circuit that can be used in the first embodiment. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a circuit for setting the operating temperature range, FIG. 5 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example of a water level alarm circuit, and FIG. 6 is another example of plant cultivation. FIG. 7 is a side view of the container and is an explanatory diagram of still another embodiment of the present invention applied to a hydroponic cultivation apparatus. In the figure, ■ is a faucet, 2 is a branch valve, 3 is an irrigation pipe, 4 is a control pipe, 5 is a flower pot, 6 is an electromagnetic on-off valve, 7 is a dry/wet detection sensor, 9 is a control circuit, and 18 is an addition in the control circuit A timer circuit for setting water supply time, 40 an operating temperature range setting circuit, and 50 a water level alarm circuit. Patent applicant Naohiko Akatsuka Procedural amendment (voluntary) October 25, 1980

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A single dry/humidity detection sensor that electrically produces different outputs depending on dryness or humidity; and a control circuit having a timer; While operating water supply operating devices such as the water supply pump motor and electromagnetic on-off valve according to the electrical output at the time, the timer is triggered by the electrical output when the dry/wet detection sensor detects wetness. An automatic water supply device that can continue to operate the water supply operating device for a period of time set in the timer even after the sensor detects humidity.