FR2502811A1 - Flow control timer for agricultural cooperative water supply - uses volumetric counter to signal flow for comparison with demand value to command actuation of solenoid valve - Google Patents

Abstract

The arrangement has a counter (11) with a small magnetic head that produces pulses to measure volumetric flow in a supply pipe (10). The pulses are shaped (13) and applied to a counter (14). A digital display (12) shows the number of pulses corresponding to a predetermined volume of water and its output is applied to a comparator (15) fed with the counter output. When the predetermined volume of water is obtained the comparator output drives a control circuit (16) to close a solenoid valve (17) in the supply pipe. A clock timer (18), located between the counter and value control circuit, by-passes the comparator. Its electrical contacts determine the start and finish times for the period when the water is available to a partic. user.

Description

 The present invention relates to a preselector for the supply of water.

 The device which is the subject of the invention is intended above all for agricultural cooperatives where, from a common fund, a quantity of water is sent to each user of the cooperative. Water, in this case, is used for the irrigation of the fields and also for any other need of the user himself.

 Recently, in fact, the requirement has arisen in rural cooperatives to ensure that each user has at his disposal a certain volume of water, prefixed for each day.

 It is obvious that the quantity varies according to the area of the fields available to the various users.

 In addition, each user must have at his disposal a quantity of water for a certain number of hours of the day, during which the supply is interrupted, even if the user has not fully used the quantity of water at his disposal. provision, this to avoid accumulations and reserves over time.

 Thus, at the start of each day, each user will again have at their disposal the pre-set quantity of water to use to the best of their ability during the working day.

 The present invention therefore aims at a device making it possible to provide the services indicated above, that is to say a prefixed volume of water in a prefixed period of time.

The proposed device is also produced using components that are easy to find and assemble, in order to maintain a limited price for the entire device. For these reasons, it is also extremely reliable ot simple handling
The present invention proposes to produce a time volumetric preselector for the supply of water, characterized in that it is composed of the following elements:
A water volume meter inserted along the supply network; means suitable for converting the digital values taken from the counter into pulses; generator means which can be preset, in order to produce a pulse value, corresponding to the established volume of water to be supplied; means for comparing the pulses supplied by the counter and the value preset in these generating means for actuating means capable of closing a member intercepting the flow of water, inserted along the supply network when the value of the pulses supplied speaks counter corresponds to that imposed; time switch means capable of actuating the means capable of actuating the intercepting member, after a preset time from the start of the distribution, and capable, at the same time, of reducing the pulse counter to zero; are also provided manual electrical / mechanical means capable of controlling the closing of the valve.

The invention will be better understood, and other objects, characteristics, details and advantages thereof will appear more clearly during the explanatory description which follows, made with reference to an attached schematic drawing given solely by way of illustration. example, illustrating an embodiment of the invention and in which
- The single figure shows a preferred embodiment of the device according to the invention.

 - along a water supply pipe 10 is inserted uncoirtetr with a small magnetic head.

This counter 11, of a known type, has fixed on its indication needle a permanent magnet which, passing under contact in an inert atmosphere, excites it, closing it.

In this way, pulses are produced at each turn of the needle, which, according to the scale of the
count, correspond to a specific volume of water.

 On a digital pre-establishment means 12, indicated in the five-digit figure but obviously only by way of example, the number of pulses corresponding to the volume of water which one wishes to make available to this particular user is displayed . The pulses coming from the counter II, are put in the form of slots at 13 and then applied to a counter circuit 14 (in a number of decades corresponding to the figures of the pre-establishment means 12).

 The outputs of the counter 14 and those of the pre-establishment means 12 are applied to a comparator 15 intended to compare the two values. When the two values correspond, the command is automatically applied to a circuit 16 which operates on a valve 17, inserted along the line 10, to interrupt the distribution of water.

 A preferred, but non-limiting, form of embodiment of the valve control circuit 16 consists in using a small motor with reduction gear to which the control of the comparator 15 is applied and on which is mounted a cam which, while moving, actuates a piston , which acts on a hydraulic distribution slide which acts on the valve. To control the valve 17, advantageously the network water itself is used.

 This embodiment of circuit 16 is not illustrated, being of a type known to any person skilled in the art.

 it is possibly possible, with slight modifications to the circuit, to order for example a solenoid valve or of any other preferred type, without modifying the inventive concept.

 A first quantity for preselection of the water distribution was thus determined, that is to say the volumetric quantity; in fact with this first part of the device, it is determined exactly how much water a user has at his disposal.

The second quantity to be determined is the hourly quantity, that is to say at what period of the day the user can use the water at his disposal, it being understood that the duration is a quantity which intervenes only in the case where the user does not consume all the water at his disposal in a faster time than that which was assigned to him to consume it. To achieve this second goal, a time switch 18 is inserted, inserted between the sensor; sensor 14 and the valve control 16 in order to bypass the comparator 15. The switch 18, in known manner, comprises two jumpers, one of which is intended to control the start and the other end of the distribution during the part of the day when the user can withdraw water. When the switch 18 intervenes to interrupt the distribution, the counter 14 is automatically reset to zero, so that the next day the whole quantity of water for this specific usaaer is supplied again
By using several pairs of jumpers on switch 18, it is possible to take the volume of water prefixed during the day as many times as there are pairs of jumpers; this in the case where a certain volume of water must be made available several times in twenty four hours, but at the rate of smaller volumes
The valve 17 can also be operated by means of two external controls (shown diagrammatically in FIGS. 19 and 20), enagissazct on the circuit 16. A first electrical control 19, is that it intervenes on the circuit which acts on the valve 17 without influence the estimate which, as we can see, is carried out upstream of circuit 16.

 The operation by means of the electrical control 19 is in turn inhibited if the water supply has already been interrupted, to be validated only when the withdrawal is possible. This means that the electric control in 19 can other used only during the distribution of water and not during the idle times between two distributions, thing LU sahsbtée insofar as the volumetric or hourly limits of the daily distribution can be exceeded.

 However, in the case of a lack of voltage, one can intervene by means of the mechanical manual control 20 which acts on the motor of the circuit 16. This manual control is useful above all to be able to carry out maintenance on the device in the case degradation or simply for periodic cleaning checks.

 Manual control is also useful for testing and simulating operation. In any case, the device is predisposed so that, the flow of water having been interrupted because the volume has been reached or, because the time established for the sampling has elapsed or because of manual electrical or mechanical, the user can resume consumption at the established time of the following day or. of the following period.

 The device is built with CMOS integrated circuits and, for this reason, it is completely reliable and very low consumption; it is thus possible to power it by means of a small battery.

 The entire circuit, with battery, is contained in a waterproof metal case to which it is possible to place the seals to avoid violations.

Claims (4)

 1. Hourly volumetric pre-selector for the supply of water, characterized in that it consists of the following elements: a counter (11) of the volume of water which is inserted along the supply network; means (13) capable of converting the digital values recorded in the counter. in pulses; generator means (14) which can be preset so as to produce a pulse value corresponding to the established volume of water to be supplied; means for comparing (15) the pulses supplied by the counter and the value preset in said generating means for actuating m esa'er an intercepting member (17) of the flow of water, inserted. along the supply network, when the value of said pulses supplied by the counter. corresponds to the imposed value; time switch means (18) capable of actuating said means capable of closing the intercepting member, after a preset time from the start of distribution, and capable of resetting the pulse counter at the same time; and in that manual and electrical or mechanical means (19, 20) are also provided which are capable of controlling the actuation of the valve.  2. A preselector according to claim 1, characterized in that the pulse generator counter (ii) is followed by a slot shaping means (13) and a counter circuit (14) with decades.  3. Preselector according to claim 1, characterized in that the aforementioned comparator, when the values of pulses counted and imposed correspond, actuates a motor on which is mounted a cam which, by turning, actuates a piston, which acts on a drawer hydraulic distribution, which intervenes on the interception member (17) to close it.  4. Pre-selector according to any one of claims 1 or 3, characterized in that the aforesaid manual electrical and / or mechanical means intervene directly on the means capable of actuating the interception member (17) and in that their use causes the flow to be interrupted as long as the time switch is not preset to start the next dispensing.