JP2005348695A - Automatic water supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a water supply device intended for solving such problems that a conventional automatic water supply device is not used for automatically executing complicated watering management such as intermittent watering, so it extremely takes time to perform such intermittent watering by manpower and there is a fear of causing the case when water supply to rice fields is not performed in an appropriate period because of human error. <P>SOLUTION: This automatic water supply device 10 is such one that mainly a controller 20, a solenoid valve 30 and a solenoid valve cover 41 are each set on a platform 40 and a front sensor 70 is set outside the platform 40. The controller 20 performs switching operation of the solenoid valve 30. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic water supply apparatus for irrigation of paddy fields.

Conventionally, there is a technology of an automatic water supply device for irrigation of paddy fields as shown in Patent Document 1 below.
The automatic water supply apparatus shown in Patent Document 1 automatically performs water level adjustment in irrigation management in paddy fields (management related to water in paddy fields).
Specifically, the automatic water supply device measures the water level of a paddy field with a float sensor, and when the water level is lower than a predetermined water level, the valve (solenoid valve) is opened to supply water to the paddy field. On the other hand, when the water level reaches the predetermined water level, the valve is closed to stop water supply.
By performing such control, it is possible to adjust the water level of the paddy field to be a predetermined water level determined in advance.
JP-A-7-203780

By the way, in recent years, research on rice growth, etc., it is not always necessary to irrigate paddy fields constantly depending on rice varieties, and it is desirable that there is a period of intermittent irrigation (hereinafter referred to as “intermittent irrigation”). Generally known.
Specifically, it has been found that intermittent irrigation as shown in FIG. 5, for example, is desirable, although it varies somewhat depending on rice varieties and regions.
In FIG. 5, the growth process of rice is divided into “establishment period”, “separation period”, “seed development period”, and “fruiting period”, and it is desirable to adjust the water level as follows. It has been known.
In this case, it is desirable that the paddy field is always kept irrigated (the state of “shallow water” in FIG. 5) from the establishment period to the middle stage of the tilling period.
From the middle of the tillering stage to the early stage of the seed development period, it is desirable that the paddy field is drained (the state of “drying” in FIG. 5).
From the beginning of the seed development period to the middle of the fruiting stage, it is desirable to put water in the paddy field for a certain period (for example, 3 days) and to remove water for a certain period (for example, 2 days).
And after the middle stage of the fruiting period, it is desirable that the paddy field is drained and ready for harvesting ("falling water" in FIG. 5).
In other words, the above-mentioned irrigation management changes the pattern of irrigation management depending on the season, and complicated irrigation management is required. Especially during the above-mentioned intermittent irrigation, water supply and water supply are frequently stopped ( It is necessary to carry out processing (including the work of removing).
However, the above-mentioned irrigation management cannot be automatically executed by an automatic water supply apparatus as shown in Patent Document 1 above.
That is, although the automatic water supply apparatus described in Patent Document 1 can keep the water level of the paddy field at a predetermined water level, complicated watering management as shown in FIG. 5 is performed depending on the time. This is because it is not automatically executed.
Therefore, if such irrigation management is performed manually, it is very time-consuming, and there may be a case where water cannot be supplied to the paddy field at an appropriate time due to human error.
Such a human error may affect the growth of rice and cause the quality of the rice itself to deteriorate, so it is desirable to make it automatically without human intervention.
In addition, since the conventional automatic water supply device is configured such that the water tap and the control unit are separately provided, when such an automatic water supply device is used, the water tap and the control unit are connected to each other. It was necessary to carry out the construction work, and the installation was time-consuming.
Furthermore, in the conventional automatic water supply device, since the driving power source of the solenoid valve is a secondary battery or the like, it is necessary to frequently perform maintenance such as replacement of the charging circuit or the battery itself, which is troublesome.
Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its object is to automatically perform irrigation management as described above, and to perform maintenance without using a secondary battery or the like. It is to provide an automatic water supply device that can easily perform such operations.

  The problem to be solved by the present invention is as described above. Next, means for solving the problem will be described.

  In claim 1, in the automatic water supply apparatus that automatically supplies water for irrigation such as paddy fields by controlling the electromagnetic valve, the storage means for storing the water supply pattern such as the time and period of the water supply And a control means for controlling the solenoid valve based on the water supply pattern stored in the storage means.

  In the present invention, the electromagnetic valve is driven by a pulse.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a float sensor is connected to the control unit to measure the water level in a paddy field or the like, and the acquisition timing of the detection signal of the float sensor is preset in the control unit.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the electromagnetic valve is connected to an existing water faucet or the like.

  As effects of the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

  According to the configuration of claim 1, since the electromagnetic valve opening / closing operation processing is automatically performed, even during intermittent irrigation, irrigation management during intermittent irrigation can be performed stably without bothering the operator. Can be performed. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the work burden on the worker and mistakes in irrigation management.

According to the configuration of the second aspect, it is possible to reduce the amount of power consumed for driving the electromagnetic valve as compared with the conventional one, and the electromagnetic can be simply performed using the primary battery without using the secondary battery. It becomes possible to drive the valve.
Further, since the secondary battery is not used, the maintenance of the charger or the like is not necessary, and the maintenance is completed simply by replacing the primary battery, so that the work efficiency of maintenance and the like is improved as compared with the conventional case.

  By acquiring the detection signal of the float sensor at such timing according to the configuration of claim 3, ignoring the water level change that changes due to the water surface rippling by wind or the like, and stably measuring the water level Is possible.

  According to the configuration of claim 4, since the solenoid valve is connected to the existing water faucet, it is possible to easily install the automatic water supply apparatus of the present invention, and the construction cost when installing the automatic water supply apparatus Etc. can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention. The following best mode for carrying out the present invention is an example embodying the present invention, and is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the external appearance of the automatic water supply apparatus 10 of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the external appearance of the operation unit 23 in the controller 20, and FIG. 3 is a configuration related to the control of the automatic water supply apparatus 10 of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration related to the control shown in FIG. 3 in more detail, and FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram related to irrigation management during rice growth.

<Outline configuration>
First, the schematic structure on the external appearance of the automatic water supply apparatus of this invention is demonstrated using FIG.
1A is a front view of the automatic water supply apparatus 10, FIG. 1B is a float sensor 70 of the automatic water supply apparatus 10, and FIG. 1C is a view of the automatic water supply apparatus 10 from the white arrow A. Figure.
As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1C, the automatic water supply apparatus 10 is mainly provided with a controller 20, a solenoid valve 30, and a solenoid valve cover 41 on a platform 40. Further, a float sensor 70 ( 1 (b)) and is schematically configured.
The electromagnetic valve 30 is a pulse-driven electromagnetic valve, and is configured to be easily connected to, for example, an existing water faucet 60 indicated by a dotted line in FIG. (For example, they may be connected to each other by a machino joint or the like.)
The electromagnetic valve cover 41 covers the upper part of the electromagnetic valve 30.
The controller 20 is provided on the lower surface side of the electromagnetic valve cover 41 and is a controller having a determination function, a calculation function, a memory function, etc. for controlling the electromagnetic valve 30.
The platform 40 (shown by a dotted line in FIG. 1) is made of a material having a robust structure such as a metal material. The platform 40 is provided with the above-described elements stably, and as shown in FIG. The existing water faucet 60 may be enclosed by providing legs.
Of course, the platform 40 itself may be configured to cover the controller 20 and the electromagnetic valve 30 without using the electromagnetic valve cover 41.
Further, the float sensor 70 having a configuration other than the platform 40 is fixed to a fixed rod 71 that is fixed by being pierced with respect to the tiller as shown in FIG.
In this way, the float sensor 70 is for measuring the water level of the paddy field by detecting the vertical position of the float floating on the water surface of the paddy field.

<Appearance of controller 20>
Next, the external appearance of the controller 20 will be described.
2A is an external view of the operation surface of the operation unit 23 of the controller 20, and FIG. 2B is an example of a control period of intermittent irrigation. For example, FIG. This is seen from the direction of the extraction arrow B.
The external appearance of the operation unit 23 includes a push-down type selection switch 211 for selecting an operation mode of “maintain constant” or “intermittent irrigation”.
Here, “constant maintenance” is an operation mode for controlling the water level of the paddy field to always be a predetermined water level as in the conventional automatic water supply apparatus.
On the other hand, “intermittent irrigation” is an operation mode in which, as shown in FIG. 2B, for example, the control is repeated such that the irrigation period is 3 days and the water supply stop period is 2 days.
That is, the paddy field is always filled with water by the water supply of the automatic water supply apparatus 10 during the irrigation period, while the water supply is stopped by the automatic water supply apparatus 10 during the water supply stop period, and there is no water in the paddy field by discharging water separately. It becomes.
In the case of the above-described specific example, in FIG. 2A, the irrigation period is displayed on the operation unit 23 as “3” on the display unit 213, while the water supply stop period is displayed as “2” on the display unit 214. It will be.
In this case, it is desirable that selection means such as a jog dial or a numeric keypad be provided in the operation unit 23 so that the selection days (periods) can be selected to a desired value.
Further, the operation unit 23 is provided with a setting button 212 for finally setting a value selected by the selection means such as the jog dial or the numeric keypad.

<Configuration related to control>
Next, in the automatic water supply apparatus 10 of the present invention, a configuration related to control centering on the control unit 21 provided in the controller 20 will be described with reference to a block diagram shown in FIG.
First, the control unit 21 is provided in the controller 20 and is a part that plays a role of a determination function, a calculation function, and a memory function that the controller 20 plays.
Specifically, the control unit 21 performs overall control of the above functions by further providing a counter function and a clock function (timer function).
As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 21 is connected to a memory 22, an operation unit 23, a sampling unit 24, a pulse generator 25, and the like.
Therefore, the controller 20 may be configured to mainly include the control unit 21, the memory 22, the operation unit 23, the sampling unit 24, and the pulse generator 25.

<Memory 22>
The memory 22 has a function of storing an operation program, setting data, and the like of the controller 20, and specifically, a water supply pattern such as a timing and a period for supplying water with the automatic water supply apparatus 10 as described below. It is an example of the memory | storage means which memorize | stores these data.
That is, as will be described in detail below, the control unit 21 can automatically open and close the electromagnetic valve 30 based on the water supply pattern stored in the memory 22.
As described above, the operation unit 23 is a part for performing operation input and display of the controller 20, and by providing a power switch or the like (not shown), the controller 20 may be turned on / off.

<Sampling unit 24>
The sampling unit 24 has a function of acquiring the detection signal of the float sensor 70 at a predetermined acquisition timing (hereinafter referred to as “sampling period”), and the sampling period can be set in advance by an operator or the like. It is desirable that
As a specific setting example of the sampling period, for example, a sampling period of about 30 minutes to 60 minutes may be used.
By acquiring the detection signal of the float sensor 70 at such a timing, it becomes possible to stably measure the water level by ignoring the water level change that changes due to the water surface being swollen by wind or the like.

<Pulse generator 25>
The pulse generator 25 is connected to the electromagnetic valve 30 and generates a single pulse or a predetermined number of predetermined pulses and sends them to the electromagnetic valve 30.
That is, the solenoid valve 30 is configured to open and close the valve according to the number of pulses generated by the pulse generator 25.
By adopting a solenoid valve that operates in this way, it becomes possible to reduce the amount of power consumed for driving the solenoid valve than before, without using a secondary battery, etc. It becomes possible to drive the solenoid valve 30 simply using a primary battery or the like.
Further, since the secondary battery is not used, the maintenance of the charger or the like is not necessary, and the maintenance is completed simply by replacing the primary battery, so that the work efficiency of maintenance and the like is improved as compared with the conventional case.

<Solenoid valve 30>
Further, as already shown in FIG. 1, the solenoid valve 30 is preferably configured to be easily connected to the existing water faucet 60 and the hose 50, specifically, a so-called “Machino joint” or the like. It is desirable to connect by a connection method.
In this way, by connecting the electromagnetic valve 30 of the automatic water supply device 10 to the existing water tap 60, it is possible to effectively use the existing water tap 60 that has existed in the past, and to reduce initial costs such as construction costs. It becomes possible to suppress.
In general, since the above-described components are connected to the control unit 21, the control unit 21 is acquired by the operation mode selected by the selection switch 211 in the operation unit 23 described in FIG. By determining from the detection signal of the float sensor 70 and the water supply pattern and operation program stored in the memory 22, it is possible to send a command to the pulse generator 25 to open and close the solenoid valve 30. ing.

<Control method during intermittent irrigation; FIG. 4 (a)>
Here, a control method when intermittent irrigation is selected as the operation mode by the selection switch 211 of the operation unit 23 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the control unit 21 operates the irrigation period (irrigation days) stored in the memory 22, the clock circuit (timer) and the counter function, the selection switch 211, the power switch, and the like. Depending on the operation state of the unit 23, it is determined whether or not the irrigation period should be entered.
Here, the control part 21 sends out a water supply signal (signal (1)), when it is judged as an irrigation period (water supply).

<Control method during intermittent irrigation; Fig. 4 (c)>
On the other hand, the signal (1) and the specified time pulse are input to the AND circuit 84, and the result is input to the control unit 21.
The specified time pulse may be transmitted from a separately provided timer circuit or memory, for example.
The transmission timing of the designated time pulse may be a designated time set in advance in the timer circuit or the memory by the user, specifically, a time when intermittent irrigation is started.
With this configuration, when the designated time pulse and the signal (1) are input, the AND circuit 84 sends a signal to the control unit 21.
That is, the AND circuit 84 sends a signal to the control unit 21 during the intermittent irrigation period and during the irrigation period (water supply).
In other words, sending the signal by the AND circuit 84 means that the control unit 21 is informed that it is currently in the intermittent irrigation period and in the irrigation period (water supply).
Furthermore, the control unit 21 operates the operation unit 23 such as a water supply stop period (number of water supply stop days) stored in the memory 22 together with a signal transmitted from the AND circuit 84, a counter function, a selection switch 211, and a power switch. Depending on the state, it is determined whether or not to stop water supply.
That is, in a state where no signal is transmitted from the AND circuit 84 (for example, in a state where water supply is stopped by intermittent irrigation), the control unit 21 supplies water according to the water supply stop period of the memory 22 and the counter number of the counter function. It is determined whether or not the stop should be released (that is, water supply start).
When it is determined in this determination that the water supply stop is maintained, the control unit 21 does not output the signal (2).
On the other hand, when it is determined in this determination that the water supply stop is canceled, the control unit 21 outputs a signal (2).

<Control method during intermittent irrigation; FIG. 4 (b)>
Further, the signal (1) and the signal (2) are input to the AND circuit 81.
In this case, the signal (1) and the signal (2) are transmitted in the water supply as described above.
Therefore, the AND circuit 81 sends a signal to the AND circuit 82 during water supply.
On the other hand, the water level signal is input to the AND circuit 82 and the AND circuit 83.
In this case, the water level signal is output from the float sensor 70, and the signal is transmitted when the water level of the paddy field is equal to or lower than a predetermined water level.
The water level signal transmitted from the float sensor 70 is input to the AND circuit 82 and the AND circuit 83 via the sampling unit 24 described above, and the input timing thereof is the sampling cycle (30 minutes to 60 minutes).
Therefore, the AND circuit 82 outputs a signal to the OR circuit 85 when “water supply is in progress and the water level is equal to or lower than the predetermined water level”.
The AND circuit 83 receives a signal transmitted from the water level signal and a signal indicating that the operation mode of “maintain constant” (when not intermittent irrigation) is selected by the selection switch 211.
Therefore, the AND circuit 83 outputs a signal to the OR circuit 85 when “the water level is maintained constant (when intermittent irrigation is not performed) and the water level is equal to or lower than the predetermined water level”.
The OR circuit sends out a signal to the control unit 21 when a signal is output from either the AND circuit 82 or the AND circuit 83.
Therefore, when “when water is being supplied and the water level is below the predetermined water level” or “when the water level is being maintained at a constant level (when not intermittent irrigation) and the water level is below the predetermined water level” The OR circuit 85 sends a signal to the water supply determination circuit function in the control unit 21.

Then, the control unit 21 sends a signal to the pulse generator 25 based on the determination by the water supply determination circuit function.
In this case, for example, the control unit 21 may transmit a signal to the pulse generator 25 when a signal is transmitted from the OR circuit 85.
When the pulse generator 25 receives a signal from the control unit 21, the pulse generator 25 sends out a pulse signal for opening / closing the electromagnetic valve 30 based on the content of the received signal.
The electromagnetic valve 30 is opened and closed based on the pulse signal sent out by the pulse generator 25.
That is, since the solenoid valve 30 is driven by a pulse signal, it is possible to suppress power consumed by the drive.
The AND circuits 81, 82, 83, 84, and 85 described above may be included in the control unit 21.
As described above, a specific opening / closing operation process of the electromagnetic valve 30 is automatically performed by the control unit 21 and a circuit related to the control unit 21, so that even during intermittent irrigation, the operator Therefore, it is possible to stably perform irrigation management during intermittent irrigation without bothering the hands.
For this reason, it is possible to reduce the work burden on the operator and mistakes in irrigation management.
Moreover, as already mentioned above, since the solenoid valve 30 is connected to the existing water faucet 60 via the hose 50 or the like, the automatic water feeder 10 of the present invention can be easily installed.
Therefore, since it is possible to reduce construction costs and the like when installing the automatic water supply apparatus 10, it is possible to realize the above-described automation of intermittent irrigation at a low cost.

The schematic block diagram which shows the external appearance of the automatic water supply apparatus 10 of this invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an external appearance of an operation unit 23 in the controller 20. The block diagram which shows an example of the structure regarding control of the automatic water feeder 10 of this invention. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating the configuration related to the control shown in FIG. 3 in more detail. Explanatory drawing about irrigation management in the growth of rice.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Automatic water supply apparatus 20 Controller 21 Control part 22 Memory 23 Operation part 24 Sampling part 30 Solenoid valve 40 Platform 70 Float sensor

Claims (4)

In an automatic water supply device that automatically supplies water for irrigation such as paddy fields by controlling a solenoid valve,
Storage means for storing a water supply pattern such as the time and period of the water supply;
Control means for controlling the solenoid valve based on the water supply pattern stored in the storage means;
The automatic water supply apparatus characterized by comprising.   The automatic water supply apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic valve is driven by a pulse.   A float sensor is connected to the control unit for measuring a water level in a paddy field or the like, and the acquisition timing of the detection signal of the float sensor is preset in the control unit. Automatic water supply apparatus of description. The automatic water supply apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electromagnetic valve is connected to an existing water faucet or the like.

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