JP2014183783A - Automatic water server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic water server having a simple structure in which electricity and machine are not used and capable of overcoming excessive dry and excessive supplementation of water.SOLUTION: A water server comprises: a horizontally long sealed tank 5 capable of storing water in its inner section in a sealed manner; a small tank 6 arranged on bottom side in the sealed tank 5 and comprising a back hole 61 and a bottom hole 62; water supply tubes 7, 8 connected to small tank 6 and approximately horizontally drawn out to the outside; a water supply mat 3 connected to the water supply tube 8; an air syringe 9 connected to the sealed tank 5 at a higher position than the water supply tube 7; an air vent hole 10 for releasing air which has entered from the air syringe 9 into the sealed tank 5, in which the air vent hole 10 has opening at a lower position than upper surface 5a of the sealed tank 5.

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic water feeder that can automatically supply appropriate water into soil such as a planter or a flower pot.

  Conventionally, as a water feeder which supplies water to a cultivated plant automatically, there exist a water feeder as disclosed by patent document 1, for example, or a water feeder as disclosed by patent document 2. FIG.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-46450 Japanese Patent No. 3884419

In the water supply device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to dispose a water supply tank in a suspended manner above a flower pot or the like, and a special installation space is required.
Further, the water supply device disclosed in Patent Document 2 has a problem that the structure is complicated and the cost is high.

An object of the present invention is to provide an automatic water dispenser having a simple structure that can be easily installed without having to be hung and that can eliminate over-drying and over-watering without using electricity or machinery. The following measures were taken to achieve the part.
The automatic water dispenser of the present invention is
A sealed tank that can store water in a sealed state,
A small tank disposed on the bottom side of the sealed tank and having an upper back hole and a lower bottom hole;
A water supply tube connected to the small tank and drawn out of the sealed tank;
A water supply mat connected to the outer end of the water supply tube and buried in the soil of a planter or the like;
An air cylinder that is connected to the closed tank and opens above the upper surface of the closed tank;
The gist of the present invention is to provide an air vent hole opened in the vicinity of the lower end of the air cylinder in order to let air entering the sealed tank from the air cylinder to the outside.

  Water can be installed easily in the sealed tank, and the water in the sealed tank is automatically fed by the balance between the water penetration effect due to the capillary action of the water supply mat and the pressure reducing action in the sealed tank. It can be supplied moderately to eliminate over-drying of soil and excessive water in the planter, etc., and it can be manufactured inexpensively with a simple structure that does not use electricity or machinery.

In the automatic water dispenser of the present invention,
A horizontally long sealed tank that can store water in a sealed state,
A small tank disposed on the bottom side of the sealed tank and having an upper back hole and a lower bottom hole;
A water supply tube connected in communication with the small tank and drawn out substantially horizontally to the outside of the sealed tank;
A water supply mat connected to the outer end of the water supply tube and buried in the soil of a planter or the like;
An air cylinder connected to the closed tank at a position above the water supply tube and opening above the upper surface of the closed tank;
An air vent hole opened at a position lower than the upper surface of the closed tank near the lower end of the air cylinder in order to let the air entering the closed tank from the air cylinder to the outside can be provided. .
In this way, water can be easily installed in a horizontal state with water in the closed tank, and the balance between the water penetration effect due to the capillary action of the water supply mat and the pressure reducing action in the closed tank allows The water is automatically supplied to the water supply mat appropriately to eliminate over-drying of the soil in the planter and excessive water, and it can be manufactured inexpensively with a simple structure that does not use electricity or machinery. be able to.

Moreover, the automatic water feeder of this invention WHEREIN: The internal diameter of the said air vent hole can also be set to 2-4 mm.
If it carries out like this, moderate water will be satisfactorily supplied to the water supply mat side, and it will be possible to eliminate over-drying and excessive water.

In the automatic water dispenser of the present invention, the closed tank may have an inclined surface formed between the upper surface of the closed tank and the air vent hole.
In this way, the air that has entered the sealed tank from the air cylinder is well escaped from the air vent hole, and the generated foam is well fed into the sealed tank so that the water in the small tank can be satisfactorily supplied to the water supply mat side. It can be pushed out to.

Moreover, the automatic water feeder of this invention WHEREIN: The hole diameter of the back hole and bottom hole of the said small tank, and the internal diameter of the said water supply tube can each be set to 4 mm.
If it carries out like this, moderate water can be supplied to the water supply mat side.

Moreover, the automatic water feeder of this invention WHEREIN: The internal diameter of the said air cylinder can also be set to 8 mm.
If it carries out like this, when the water level in a small tank falls, air will be able to be satisfactorily put into an airtight tank from an air cylinder.

Moreover, the automatic water feeder of this invention WHEREIN: The said water supply mat shall be formed with the nonwoven fabric of pulp and a polypropylene main body.
By doing so, the water supply mat has a property of being easily dried and wettable, and exhibits a good capillary phenomenon, so that water is supplied to the water supply mat satisfactorily.

It is a whole block diagram of the installation state of the automatic water feeder connected to the water supply mat embed | buried under the soil in a planter. It is an expanded block diagram of an automatic water feeder. It is a block diagram of the automatic water feeder when a small tank is lost. It is a block diagram of the automatic water feeder when an air vent hole is lost.

Next, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using an Example.
FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an installation state of an automatic water feeder.
The planter 1 is filled with soil 2, and the plant roots absorb water from the soil 2 and the plant is cultivated in the planter 1. A water supply mat 3 is laid in the soil 2 on the bottom side of the planter 1.
The water supply mat 3 is formed of a wet nonwoven fabric mainly composed of pulp and polypropylene (olefin fiber), for example, and has a property of being easily dried and easily wetted. An automatic water feeder 4 is installed outside the planter 1 to supply water to the water supply mat 3.

The automatic water feeder 4 has a horizontally-closed plastic bottle-shaped sealed tank 5, a small tank 6 disposed on the bottom side of the sealed tank 5, and a left end side connected to the small tank 6 so as to extend substantially horizontally. The right end side includes an inner water supply tube 7 protruding outward from the sealed tank 5 and an outer water supply tube 8 connected to the inner water supply tube 7 from the outside and extending substantially horizontally. The outer water supply tube 8 is a side surface of the planter 1. Is connected to the water supply mat 3.
Further, an air cylinder 9 is provided on the right end side of the closed tank 5 so as to be inclined upward, and an air vent hole 10 is formed in the closed tank 5 on the lower end side of the air cylinder 9. .

The automatic water feeder will be enlarged and described in detail in FIG.
When installing the automatic water feeder 4, water is put into the sealed tank 5 until it is almost full, and a cap 72 is tightened on the sealed tank 5.
A small tank 6 is connected in advance to the left end of the inner water supply tube 7 in the figure, and the right end of the inner water supply tube 7 is attached to the cap 72 so as to protrude slightly outward.
In other words, when the sealed tank 5 is filled with water and the cap 72 is attached, the small tank 6 is disposed on the bottom side of the sealed tank 5 when the sealed tank 5 is placed horizontally. The inner water supply tube 7 extends substantially horizontally, and the right end side of the inner water supply tube 7 protrudes slightly from the cap 72.

A connecting portion 8a is provided at the right end of the inner water supply tube 7 so as to protrude to the outside of the cap 72, and in a state in which water has been discharged from the connecting portion 8a to the outside, the outer water supply tube 8 is connected to the connecting portion 8a from the outside. To connect the inner water supply tube 7 and the outer water supply tube 8.
The water supply mat 3 is connected to the right end of the outer water supply tube 8 in advance. The water supply mat 3 is gradually wetted by the water supply, and water is absorbed from the water supply mat 3 into the soil 2.

In addition, when the sealed tank 5 is placed in a horizontal state after adding water, the height of the water supply mat 3 and the small tank 6 embedded in the soil 2 in the planter 1 is substantially the same height. Adjust and place horizontally.
The sealed tank 5 is formed in the shape of a plastic bottle, and the inclined surface 5c is formed in an inclined shape on the cap 72 side from the right end side of the upper surface 5a and the bottom surface 5b, and the cap 72 is attached in a sealed manner. The right end side is lower than the upper surface 5a and higher than the bottom surface 5b.

The inner diameters of the inner water supply tube 7 and the outer water supply tube 8 are set to 4 mm. The small tank 6 is formed with two holes, a back hole 61 and a bottom hole 62, which are formed above the bottom hole 62.
That is, the back hole 61 is located above the connection part of the inner water supply tube 7, and the bottom hole 62 is located below the connection part of the inner water supply tube 7. Is set to 4 mm.

In addition, an air cylinder 9 extending upwardly and incliningly is connected to the upper surface side of the cap 72. The air cylinder 9 has an inner diameter of 8 mm, and the lower end of the air cylinder 9 is the inner water supply tube 7. In addition, the opening at the upper end of the air cylinder 9 is located at a position higher than the upper surface 5 a of the sealed tank 5.
An air vent hole 10 is formed through the top surface of the cap 72 near the lower end of the air cylinder 9, and the inner diameter of the air vent hole 10 is set to 2.4 mm or 3.1 mm, for example. ing. The height of the air vent hole 10 is lower than the air layer S below the upper surface 5 a of the sealed tank 5.

Next, the operation of the automatic water feeder 4 configured as described above will be described.
In a state where the sealed tank 5 is placed horizontally, the back hole 61 of the small tank 6 is normally closed with water, and no air enters the small tank 6. In this state, when water gradually comes out from the small tank 6 to the water supply mat 3 side by capillary action, the amount of air in the air layer S existing on the upper surface 5a side in the sealed tank 5 does not change, but gradually closes. As the water level in the tank 5 falls, the air layer S gradually expands, the inside of the sealed tank 5 becomes depressurized, and finally becomes close to a vacuum state. In this case, when the strength of the inner wall of the sealed tank 5 is low, it can be seen that the inner wall of the sealed tank 5 is pulled inward to be in a concave state, and the inside is depressurized.

Thus, when the inside of the sealed tank 5 is in a decompressed state, the force that the air layer S tries to pull up the water works, so that water does not come out from the small tank 6, and water supply from the small tank 6 to the water supply mat 3 is performed. The water stops and the water supply mat 3 is not over-watered, resulting in a water-saving state.
However, the water supply mat 3 is embedded in the soil 2 of the planter 1 or the like, and when the soil 2 absorbs water and the roots of the plants absorb the water, the soil 2 dries again, so that the soil 2 again By sucking water by the capillary phenomenon and repeating this, water gradually comes out from the small tank 6 to the water supply mat 3 side by the capillary phenomenon, the water in the small tank 6 decreases, and the water level in the small tank 6 decreases. When it falls below the back hole 61, air then enters the cap 72 from the air cylinder 9, and the air that has entered inside escapes outward from the air vent hole 10 near the lower end of the air cylinder 9. The bubbles B accumulate in the air layer S on the upper surface 5a side along the inclined surface 5c.

The amount of air in the sealed tank 5 increases by the amount of air in the bubble layer B into the air layer S, the pressure is increased, and the water is pushed, and the water enters the small tank 6 from the bottom hole 62 of the small tank 6. As a result, the water level in the small tank 6 rises and the back hole 61 of the small tank is closed.
In this state, the inflow of air from the air cylinder 9 stops, the inside of the sealed tank 5 is again decompressed, and a water-saving state is reached in which the water in the small tank 6 does not flow out to the water supply mat 3 side.

By repeating such a cycle, when the water in the sealed tank 5 gradually decreases and finally all the water comes out into the soil 2, the inside of the sealed tank 5 becomes an atmospheric pressure state.
Thus, the supply of water to the water supply mat 3 can be automatically controlled by the balance between the pressure reducing action in the sealed tank 5 and the water permeation action by capillary action on the water supply mat 3 side. The water supply mat 3 is automatically maintained in an appropriate moisture state without using the water supply mat 3, so that the water supply mat 3 can be prevented from being excessively dried or excessively watered to the water supply mat 3.

The sealed tank 5 may be replenished with water about once a week, and a water-saving effect can be expected.
In addition, the inventors have changed the inner diameter of the air vent hole 10 and repeated various experiments. As a result, when the inner diameter of the air vent hole 10 is 2.4 mm or 3.1 mm, an optimum result is obtained. If the inner diameter of the air vent hole 10 is 4.5 mm, water will continue to leak to the water supply mat 3 side, and it will be confirmed that if the inner diameter of the air vent hole 10 is 4 mm or more, a good control function cannot be exhibited. ing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the inventors have also conducted experiments in the case where the small tank 6 is eliminated. When the structure in which the small tank 6 is not provided is employed, the water in the sealed tank 5 is Flows too much to the water supply mat 3 side, and the water flows down to the water supply mat 3 side. As a result, the inside of the sealed tank 5 is emptied early, and when there is no small tank 6, a good water control function is achieved. The result that cannot be demonstrated.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4, as a result of an experiment with no air vent hole 10, in the structure shown in FIG. 4, the water in the sealed tank 5 is gradually increased due to the siphon phenomenon on the water supply mat 3 side. As a result, the water supply mat 3 becomes sticky. This is presumably because air enters the sealed tank 5 from the air cylinder 9 and pushes water to the water supply mat 3 side.

As described above, by optimizing the arrangement position and the hole diameter of the sealed tank 5, the small tank 6 inside it, the air cylinder 9, and the air vent hole 10, the pressure reducing action and water supply in the sealed tank 5 are achieved. It becomes possible to automatically control the balance of the water permeation effect due to the capillary phenomenon on the mat 3 side.
In addition, by adjusting the hole diameter of the air cylinder 9 and the air vent hole 10, the amount of water supplied to the water supply mat 3 side can be changed, and the inner diameter of the air cylinder 9 is not limited to 8 mm.
Note that a water replenishing port may be separately provided in the closed tank 5 so that the closed tank 5 can be replenished with water while the cap 72 is attached.

  Furthermore, in this example, the horizontally long sealed tank 5 is installed in a horizontally placed state, but the vertically long sealed tank 5 is installed in a vertically placed state, and a small tank 6 inside thereof, an air cylinder 9, By optimizing the arrangement position and the hole diameter of the air vent hole 10, it is possible to automatically control the balance between the pressure reducing action in the sealed tank 5 and the water permeation action due to the capillary phenomenon on the water supply mat 3 side. good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Planter 2 Soil 3 Water supply mat 4 Automatic water dispenser 5 Sealed tank 5a Top surface 5b Bottom surface 5c Inclined surface 6 Small tank 7 Inner water supply tube 8 Outer water supply tube 8a Connection part 9 Empty cylinder 10 Air vent hole 61 Back hole 62 Bottom hole S Air Layer B foam

Claims (7)

A sealed tank that can store water in a sealed state,
A small tank disposed on the bottom side of the sealed tank and having an upper back hole and a lower bottom hole;
A water supply tube connected to the small tank and drawn out of the sealed tank;
A water supply mat connected to the outer end of the water supply tube and buried in the soil of a planter or the like;
An air cylinder that is connected to the closed tank and opens above the upper surface of the closed tank;
An automatic water supply device comprising: an air vent hole opened near a lower end of the air cylinder in order to let air entering the sealed tank from the air cylinder to the outside. A horizontally long sealed tank that can store water in a sealed state,
A small tank disposed on the bottom side of the sealed tank and having an upper back hole and a lower bottom hole;
A water supply tube connected in communication with the small tank and drawn out substantially horizontally to the outside of the sealed tank;
A water supply mat connected to the outer end of the water supply tube and buried in the soil of a planter or the like;
An air cylinder connected to the closed tank at a position above the water supply tube and opening above the upper surface of the closed tank;
An air vent hole opened at a position lower than the upper surface of the closed tank near the lower end of the air cylinder in order to let the air entering the closed tank from the air cylinder to the outside. Item 2. An automatic water dispenser according to item 1.   The automatic water feeder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein an inner diameter of the air vent hole is set to 2 to 4 mm.   The automatic water feeder according to claim 2 or 3, wherein an inclined surface is formed between the upper surface of the closed tank and the air vent hole in the closed tank.   The automatic water feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a hole diameter of a back hole and a bottom hole of the small tank and an inner diameter of the water supply tube are each set to 4 mm.   The automatic water feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein an inner diameter of the air cylinder is set to 8 mm.   The automatic water feeder according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the water mat is formed of a nonwoven fabric mainly composed of pulp and polypropylene.

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