JP2006230375A - Water sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve an irrational water supply that is positive water supply in which in an automatic water supply apparatus of pot or planter, a bottle charged with water and having a tapered nozzle is invertedly driven into soil in the pot or water is quantitatively supplied from a water supply pump at a time set by a timer and which is not water supply of perceiving the dry state of soil in the pot and to provide an automatic water supply apparatus suitable for growth of plants by developing a water sensor with which the dry state and the amount of soil in a pot are automatically perceived. <P>SOLUTION: The tubular water sensor having a water sensing part with a trick in which in a structure (4) that nips a revolving shaft and has a water absorption part equipped with a water retention material at one side and a weight to balance the water absorption part at the other, when the water retention part sufficiently absorbs water, the water absorption part is dropped downward and when the water retention part is dried, the weight is dropped downward is arranged at the bottom of a pot and is interlocked with a water supply pump. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a device for adjusting the water supply timing and the amount thereof for automatically supplying water to a flower pot or planter used for horticulture.

  Conventionally, a method of artificially using a watering shower hose connected to a watering can or a water faucet is commonly used for watering flowers and trees planted in a flower pot or a planter. However, in recent years, various automatic water supply devices have been developed.

  Regarding these automatic water supply devices, the first is a method of dropping water drops little by little from a tapered nozzle without using mechanical force, and a method of applying water drops from a piece of cloth to a flower pot by applying the siphon principle. is there. The second is roughly divided into methods of supplying water regularly using mechanical power and a timer.

The method of artificially supplying water with a watering can or a shower hose for watering is performed by human eyes according to the condition of the plant, so the timing and amount of water supply can be adjusted.
And the love of growing plants has had a great effect on the born people of relieving life stress.

  On the other hand, since a plant is a living thing, its situation is judged every day, and unless a timely and appropriate amount of water is supplied, there is a big problem that the plant will die and die, and the owner has time constraints. Moreover, now that the nuclear family is progressing and the neighborhood relationship is becoming scarce, it is difficult to request watering to a third party, so it is natural that it will take a long time, leaving home for a few days Even in difficult situations.

In view of this situation, an automatic water supply apparatus has been developed. The first of the methods is a water keeper manufactured by Horticulture Net Co., Ltd. and an automatic water absorption bag S manufactured by Bluescape Co., Ltd. The water keeper is a method in which a bottle with a tapered nozzle containing water is turned upside down, a nozzle is inserted into the ground from the surface of the flower pot, and water is dropped from the tip.
The automatic water absorption bag S is a method applying the siphon principle. One ribbon having a width of about 2 cm is placed in a water storage bag, the other is set in a flower pot, and water is continuously fed from the water storage bag to the flower pot little by little due to the water absorption and permeability of the ribbon.

  This first method is economical without using mechanical force, and the commercial value of each is low, but it is difficult to control the amount of water supply, and the size of the plant pot makes it difficult to set up the device. However, there is a drawback that root rot is induced depending on the type of plant.

  The second is an automatic watering device represented by Matsushita Electric Works. The feature of this method is that the user individually determines the amount of water supply according to the capacity of the plant pot or planter (hereinafter, both the plant pot and planter will be described as plant pots) and soil, and the time for supplying water to the apparatus. Next, the water supply amount determined for each plant pot and the timing of water supply are input to the machine to complete the preparation for the automatic water supply device operation. This operation requires considerable experience and is difficult for beginners.

In addition, since this automatic water absorption device has selected the method of automatically supplying water at the time, even if the soil in the flower pot is dry, water is not supplied unless it is on time, and the soil is low because the temperature is low and the humidity is high. Even if it contains enough water, water will be supplied if it is on time. This is a method that completely ignores the demands of plants.
In addition, there is a reputation that there are cases where the value on the market is expensive and there is a case to consider when purchasing.
As described above, both the first method and the second method have a great disadvantage that the moisture state of the soil in the flower pot most important for plants is not considered at all. This is because there is no appropriate moisture sensing device that senses the dry state of the soil and informs the automatic water supply device.

The present invention is a method that makes use of the advantages of manual operation that is performed artificially, automatically sets the amount of water supply according to the size of the flower pot, and enables water supply only when the soil in the flower pot is dry, and is currently commercially available Moisture sensing for automatic water supply equipment for flower pots, which has been researched and developed to eliminate the complexity of the above-mentioned operation of the second automatic water supply equipment and to enable price setting that is acceptable to the general public. Device.
That is, the moisture sensing device according to the present invention is very effective for providing an inexpensive automatic water supply device that matches the character of the plant, is easy to operate, and is easily accepted by the general public.

As a result of studying the process from the wet state to the dry state of the flower pot soil, which is the subject described above, the time from the wet state to the dry state is the temperature of the atmosphere, humidity, presence of wind, direct sunlight, etc. It depends on many factors.
Therefore, we decided to investigate the object that showed the same wet and dry process as the soil in the flowerpot, and decided to use this to determine the timing of water supply.

  From this research, the soil is of course the same wet and dry as the potted soil, but cellulosic sponges, synthetic resin sponges, charcoal, woven fabric, absorbent cotton, etc. can be used, and It has been found that the time required for the drying process and drying varies depending on the combination, form and thickness. These objects will be collectively referred to as a water retentate.

  Next, adjustment of the water supply amount. Artificial watering of flower pots is generally stopped after water begins to come out from the bottom of the flower pot. Therefore, it is only necessary to catch the timing at which water comes out from the bottom of the flowerpot and stop the water supply at that time.

  The above-mentioned water-retained material is installed at the bottom of the flower pot, and when the water-retained material is in a dry state without moisture, watering is instructed and water supply is started. And when the supplied water flows out from the bottom of the flower pot, it is possible to solve the problem as a moisture sensing device for an automatic water supply device by generating a signal and stopping the water supply.

  In the method of supplying water of a predetermined amount at a predetermined time, or a method of supplying a small amount of water continuously, ignoring the dry state of the soil, which is performed with a conventional automatic water supply device is there.

  By installing the moisture sensing device according to the present invention under the flower pot, the dry state of the soil in the flower pot is detected, and water is supplied at that time. And when the water supplied from the bottom of the flower pot flows out, the water supply stops.

  Therefore, the present invention is an excellent water supply method suitable for nature as a water supply method necessary for growing plants in a flower pot, and it is difficult to provide the water supply without the sensing device according to the present invention. It can be said.

Here, the contents described in the means for solving the problems of the present invention and the effects of the present invention will be described as specific embodiments.
FIG. 3 is a structural perspective view of the parts of the present invention. That is, the present invention comprises four parts, such as (3) a water collecting umbrella, (1) an upper portion of the moisture sensing device, (4) a moisture sensing portion, and (2) a lower portion of the moisture sensing device. Of these, except for the water collecting portion (3), when the layers are overlapped in the direction of the thick arrow in the figure, a slope view of the moisture sensing device of the present invention in FIG. 1 is obtained.

In FIG. 1, (5) is a hole for dropping water collected by a water collecting umbrella (explained in FIG. 3) to the moisture sensing unit, from which water flows down. FIG. 4 is a top view when the moisture sensing unit ((4) in FIG. 3) is attached to the lower part ((2) in FIG. 3) of the moisture sensing device of the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the moisture sensing unit (4) includes a water absorption unit (9), a balance weight (10), a suspension rod of the balance weight (11), and a water supply pump attached to the rotary shaft (21). The switch operating cam (6) for sending electricity to the (10), the balance weight (10) is made slidable up and down the hanging rod (11).

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the XY axis in FIG. 1 according to the present invention, and shows a state in which the water-absorbing part of the moisture sensing part is dried. In this state, the balance weight is at the bottom of the suspension bar (11). In this state, when water flows down from (5), water hits the water absorption part of (9), and a considerable amount of the water that has flowed down to the water retaining material in the water absorption part is absorbed, and the weight of the water (4) As shown in FIG. At this time, the balance weight is in the upper part, and the weight itself slides and is close to the rotation axis (21).

This vertical slide of the balance weight has an important meaning in the present invention. That is, in FIG. 7, the balance weight (10) is at the lowermost part of the hanging rod (11), and the mechanical moment of the water absorption part (9) is the maximum in order to rotate the entire moisture sensing part (4). is there.
Therefore, the amount of water in the water-absorbing part water retentate requires a large amount of water comparable to that. When the water-absorbing part water-retained material contains a large amount of water, the moisture sensing part is reversed and the balance weight moves upward as shown in FIG. This inversion of the moisture sensing unit due to water absorption is called water absorption inversion.

  And the balance weight (10) when water supply reversal is complete | finished slips off a suspension stick | rod (11), and becomes a position near the rotating shaft (21) of a moisture sensing part (4). At this time, the mechanical moment for the rotation of the moisture sensing unit by the balance weight is minimized. When the water content of the water-absorbing part water retentate (9) is equal to or smaller than the mechanical moment for this minimum rotation, the entire moisture sensing part is reversed to the state shown in FIG. This inversion due to moisture reduction is called drying inversion.

  Since the difference between the moment at the time of water absorption reversal and the moment at the time of dry reversal is proportional to the difference in the distance from the rotation axis of the balance weight, the time from the end of water absorption reversal to the start of drying reversal is the length of the hanging rod You can adjust it. Paradoxically speaking, when the balun is not a slide system, it is repeatedly reversed with water absorption and drying by a slight change in the amount of water, and water supply is repeated with a relationship far from the dry state of the soil in the original flowerpot. It becomes a defect.

  In FIG. 6, the angle (A) between the water absorbing portion (9) and the balance weight suspension rod (11) is in the range of 115 to 155 degrees, preferably in the range of 125 to 145 degrees. When (A) is larger than 155 degrees, it becomes difficult to receive water flowing from the hole (5) shown in FIG. 1, and this causes a problem that the moisture sensing unit is reversed. When the portion is inverted and the balance weight moves upward, the balance weight does not slide in the direction of the rotation axis, and the difference in moment between the water absorption reversal and the dry reversal by the balance weight, which is the original purpose, is eliminated.

FIG. 2 is a switch for transmitting the dry state of the moisture sensing unit of the present invention to the pump motor. In the state of FIG. 7 in which the water absorption part of the moisture sensing part is at the upper side and the balance weight is at the lower side, the pump (6) is energized and the pump motor is operated.
FIG. 9 is a wiring diagram of the electrical system of the present invention. The power supply, pump motor, and switch are connected in series.

What is necessary here is the relationship between the dry state of the soil in the flowerpot and the water retentate in the moisture sensing unit.
In the water absorption part (9), the water-retaining substance absorbs and retains water, and when it is in the air, it releases the water gradually into the air and dries the substance, or Is an object.
Substances and objects having the above properties are hydrophilic, and among them, an object composed of a substance having a large water retention amount per unit volume (hereinafter, this object is referred to as a good water retention product) is preferable.

  Examples of good water retentate include cellulose, and absorbent cotton, cellulose sponge and the like were good results. The time required for the cellulosic object to dry after water absorption varies depending on the volume and the surface area thereof, and the object having the same volume and a small surface area requires a longer time to dry. In addition, it has been found from experiments conducted below that it is easier to adjust the time until drying after water absorption when a polyester-based or nylon-based sponge is superimposed on the cellulose-based material.

上表に於いて重量はグラム、厚さはミリメートル、初期から４８時間までは水分を含んだ良保水物の重量の変化をグラムで示した。Here, the experimental results from the water absorption of the good water retentate to the drying are shown. The size of the sample is a semi-cylinder with a radius of 1.8 cm, and the area of the semicircular cut is 5.09 Cm ² . The experiment was conducted by changing the height of the half cylinder (referred to as thickness in the description of the present invention).
Experiments were conducted on absorbent cotton, cotton cloth, cellulosic sponge, nylon sponge, and charcoal as water-retaining materials.
The water retentate has a semi-cylindrical shape with a radius of 1.8 cm, and its thickness and weight are as shown in the table below. In the table below, the samples were allowed to absorb water sufficiently, and then left for 2 days in a state of 20 to 24 ° C. during the day and 10 to 15 ° C. during the night, and the change of moisture during that time was investigated.

In the above table, the weight is gram, the thickness is millimeter, and the change in the weight of the good water retaining material containing moisture from the initial stage to 48 hours is shown in gram.

As is apparent from the above table, the time required for drying varies depending on the water retentate.
It should be noted here that absorbent cotton and nylon sponges have a large moisture reduction rate in the first 5 hours. Absorbent cotton is an article in which the gap between fibers is widened by moisture, resulting in an excessive amount of moisture, and the moisture is dripped in a short time due to gravity.
This is because nylon itself is hydrophobic, and excess water temporarily stored in the gap of the sponge dripped off due to gravity.
Moreover, it became clear from this result that it was possible to adjust the time from drying to drying by adhering water-retaining materials having different properties, and that it was possible to adjust the water supply time depending on the type and nature of the plant. It was.

FIG. 10 shows an application as an automatic water supply device for a flower pot using the moisture sensing device of the present invention. The moisture sensing device (14) ((14) with the water collecting umbrella (3) attached to the lower part of the flowerpot (12) on which the plant (13) is planted and placed on the flowerpot stand (15) is shown in FIG. Are installed).
One of the moisture sensing devices is connected to a power source (16) by the electric wire (8), the other is connected to a water pump with motor (19), and the water pump with motor is finally connected to a power source (16).

First, if the soil in the flowerpot is dry and the moisture sensor inside the moisture sensor is also dry, the water pump switch ((7) in Fig. 1) of the device is in the connected state. A water pump with a motor operates, and water is supplied to the flower pot through the water pipe (17).
Next, the supplied water becomes sufficient inside the flower pot and flows down from the bottom of the flower pot. The dropped water is collected by the water collecting umbrella (3) and sent to the moisture sensing device.

Considering the situation of the water sent in FIG. 7 which is a longitudinal sectional view of the moisture sensing device, the water drops (5) from the hole to the water absorbing part of the moisture sensing part and is absorbed by the water absorbing part water retaining material.
Then, when the weight of the water-absorbing part is gradually increased and the mechanical moment for rotating the water-absorbing part becomes larger than the mechanical moment for stopping the balance weight, the entire moisture sensing part rotates and the water-absorbing part moves downward. Move, the state shown in FIG.
That is, water absorption reversal. As a result, the water pump switch is cut off, the water pump is stopped, and the water supply is stopped.

Next, when the water contained in the water-absorbing part in the water-sensing part evaporates and the mechanical moment for rotating the balance weight becomes larger than the mechanical moment for stopping the water-absorbing part, the entire water-sensing part is reversed. Returning from the state of FIG. 8 to the state of FIG.
That is, dry reversal occurs.
When this drying inversion is completed, the water pump switch is connected and water supply to the flower pot is started.

Since the water-retaining material in the water-absorbing part is selected to have a drying process as close as possible to the soil in the flower pot, the time from the water absorption reversal to the drying reversal that occurs here is close to the drying process of the soil in the flower pot.
Thus, the repetition of water reversal from drying reversal to drying reversal from water reversal to water reversal shown here was continuously performed while adapting to the state of the atmosphere in which the flower pot was placed.
As described above, it has been sufficiently proved that the present invention plays a role as a moisture sensing device of an automatic water supply device of a flower pot and is suitable for practical use.

  It is a slope view of the moisture sensing device of the present invention.   FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of a switch for transmitting a dry / wet state of a moisture sensing unit to a pump motor in the present invention.   It is a composition slope figure of parts of the present invention.   It is a top view when a water | moisture content sensing part is attached to the lower part of this invention.   It is a front view of the moisture detection part of this invention.   It is a side view of the moisture sensing part of the present invention.   FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the XY axis of FIG. 1 in the vertical direction in the present invention, and is a view when the moisture sensing unit is dry without containing moisture.   FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the XY axis of FIG. 1 in the vertical direction in the present invention, and is a view when the moisture sensing unit is wet and contains moisture.   It is a wiring diagram of the electric system of this invention.   It is the schematic at the time of actually applying as a water supply apparatus of a flower pot using the moisture sensing apparatus of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

(1) The upper part of the moisture sensor (2) The lower part of the moisture sensor (3) The water collecting umbrella (4) The moisture sensor (5) The hole for dropping the collected water into the moisture sensor (6) The moisture sensor Cam to connect and operate the switch to send electricity to the water pump motor (7) Switch to send electricity to the water pump motor (8) Power transmission line connecting the moisture sensing device, pump motor and power supply (9) Moisture sensing Water-absorbing part (10) Sliding balance weight with water-absorbing part in moisture sensing part (11) Hanging rod for balance weight (12) Flower pot (13) Plant (14) Moisture sensing device (15) Flower pot stand (16) Power supply (17) Water supply pipe (18) Water tank (19) Water supply pump with motor (20) Metal plate of switch for power transmission to pump motor (21) Moisture sensing unit rotation shaft

Claims (2)

    A water absorption part with a good water retentate attached to one end of the rotating shaft, a balance weight that balances the water absorbing part on the other side, and a moisture sensing part that consists of a rod that suspends and incorporates a moisture sensing part centered on the rotation axis In a cylindrical structure having a switch that can freely rotate and turn on and off electricity by the rotation, the angle between the water absorption part sandwiching the rotating shaft and the suspension rod of the balance weight ranges from 115 degrees to 155 degrees A cylindrical structure with a built-in moisture sensor.     The balance weight according to claim 1 has a structure in which the balance weight slides easily on the suspension rod, the water-absorbing portion contains water, the moisture sensing portion rotates by its weight, and the balance weight and the suspension rod are at the top. A cylindrical structure with a built-in moisture sensing portion in which the balance weight slides in the direction of the rotation axis when moved to.

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