JP3036609B2 - Aquarium water purification equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an aquarium water purification apparatus provided with an automatic feeder.

[Prior art]

[0002] In recent years, an automatic feeding device for automatically feeding food to fish in an aquarium, for example, appreciation fish such as goldfish and breeding fish (hereinafter referred to as fish) has been adopted. This device is configured so that a predetermined amount of food is dropped into a water tank at a predetermined time, and the dropped food is eaten by fish while falling naturally while floating in water. By the way, this device, if there is no fish on the fall trajectory while dropping and it falls, if the predetermined time,
It was automatically dropped.

[0003]

However, fish have a habit of eating food falling, but not eating food that sinks to the bottom. For this reason, even if the food is dropped by the automatic feeding device, if there is no fish near the falling locus, the food is not eaten by the fish and is deposited on the bottom. As a result, conventionally, this amount of food has been wasted. Moreover, the bait deposited on the bottom became sludge with the passage of time, which caused deterioration of water quality. In the worst case, fish deteriorated due to the deterioration of water quality.

Further, fish excrement also accumulates on the bottom of the aquarium. For this reason, the accumulated food and excrement were combined, and the deterioration of the water quality was further severe.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a water purifying apparatus for an aquarium that can prevent waste of food and prevent deterioration of water quality due to accumulation of fish excrement and food. To provide.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a water tank for containing fish, an automatic feeding device for feeding food to the fish in the water tank, and a bottom provided in the water tank. A circulation path that returns from the intake to the upper part of the water tank via a pump, a branch path that branches from the circulation path and returns to the water tank again through a filter, and a control valve that is disposed in the circulation path or the branch path. An excrement sensor for detecting excrement in the aquarium and a bait sensor for detecting the passage of food are provided, and when the excrement sensor detects excrement, the control valve controls the inlet and the filter. When the bait sensor detects bait, the control valve cuts off the connection between the intake and the filter and returns the water to the water tank via the circulation path.

[0007]

The excrement sensor and the bait sensor are installed in the water tank. When the excrement sensor detects the excrement, the water from the pump is guided to the filter, where the water is purified and returned to the water tank.
When the bait sensor detects the bait, the bait deposited on the bottom of the aquarium is sucked together with water by a pump and returned to the top of the aquarium. The returned bait falls again in the water and is used for fish.

[0008]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing the overall configuration of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control mechanism of the automatic feeding device and the water purification device. FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control mechanism of the automatic feeding device and the water purification device.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a water tank. The water tank 11 is filled with water and fishes are released. Upper part 11 of this water tank 11
A has a feeder 23 which forms a part of the automatic feeder 21.
The feeder 23 is controlled by a controller 25 installed at a position away from the water tank 11 in terms of feed amount, feed timing and time. Therefore, the automatic feeding device 2
1 comprises a controller 25 and a feeder 23.

A feed container (not shown) for storing the feed and a feed motor 27 for dropping the feed from the feed container into the water tank 11 are arranged in the feeder 23. The feeding motor 27 is controlled by the controller 25 as will be described later, and operates for a predetermined time according to a command signal from the controller 25, and drops a predetermined amount of food from the food container into the water tank 11. The drop amount increases or decreases according to the operation time of the feeding motor 27. That is, if the operation time is long, the drop amount increases, and if the operation time is short, the drop amount decreases.

On the lower surface of the feeder 23, a lamp 31 which blinks to inform a fish of a feeding time and a feeding position and a speaker 33 which sounds and performs the same function are arranged.
The lamp 31 and the speaker 33 are controlled by the controller 25, similarly to the feed motor 27.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bottom portion 11B of the water tank 11 is slightly inclined downward toward the center, and an intake port 51 which opens upward is provided at the lowermost end. A circulation path 53 connected upstream to the intake port 51 extends horizontally, further extends upward, and a downstream end thereof is connected to the upper part 1 of the water tank 11.
1A and is open near the feeder 23. A pump 55 and a control valve 57 including an electromagnetic valve are sequentially arranged in the middle of the circulation path 53 from the upstream. The pump 55 discharges water in the circulation path 53 from upstream to downstream. A branch path 61 is connected to the circulation path 53 via a control valve 57, and this branch path 61 is opened to the inside of the water tank 11 at the upper portion 11 </ b> A of the water tank 11 via a filter 59, similarly to the circulation path 53. Here, the filter 59 has a function of filtering excrement such as fish droppings contained in the water in the branch path 61. The control valve 57 is a so-called three-way valve type valve, and has an upstream circuit 53A of the control valve 57 and a downstream circuit 53B of the control valve 57.
The communication between the upstream circuit 53A and the downstream circuit 53B is interrupted in accordance with a command signal from the controller 25, and the upstream circuit 53A and the branch circuit 61 are connected. When there is no command signal from the controller 25,
The control valve 57 returns to the original position, interrupts the communication between the circulation path 53 and the branch path 61, and connects the upstream circulation path 53A and the downstream circulation path 5A.
3B communicates.

The filter 59 has a filter (not shown) inside.
Is built in so that water can be taken in from the side and removed from the lower outlet through a filter. Note that, in the present embodiment, the downstream end of the branch path 61 is an upper part 11A
However, it may be opened to the bottom 11B of the water tank 11. In this case, it is more preferable that the excrement be collected so as to be collected in the direction of the entrance 51 to collect the excrement. However, care must be taken to prevent the excrement deposited on the bottom 11B from rising.

An ultrasonic oscillator 75 and a bait sensor 73 comprising an ultrasonic sensor are provided in a circulation path 53 very close to the intake 51 so as to face each other. The bait sensor 73 transmits ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic oscillator 75. It senses and detects whether or not food is included in the water flowing in the circulation path 53. Note that the ultrasonic oscillator 75 is connected to the controller 25 and the controller 2
The ultrasonic wave is oscillated in the circulation path 53 based on the command signal from the controller 5.

An excrement sensor 71 for detecting fish excreta deposited on the bottom 11B is provided near the inlet 51 of the bottom 11B of the water tank 11. This excrement sensor 71
Is sent to the controller 25. Similarly, the signal of the bait sensor 73 is also sent to the controller 25. Specific examples of the excrement sensor 71 include an ultrasonic sensor for detecting sediment, a pH sensor for detecting water quality, a nitrogen compound sensor, an ammonia sensor, a nitrite sensor, and a nitric acid sensor, depending on the fish species and the environment. Adopt it.

The connection relationship of the controller 25 will be described again with reference to FIG. A portion surrounded by a broken line in FIG. The controller 25 receives information from various sensors 71 and 73 through an input interface, processes the information by a microcomputer, and outputs terminals 31, 33, 27, 55, and 57 through an output interface.
Output to 75. The microcomputer is RO
M, RAM and oscillation circuit. The microcomputer and the input / output interface are supplied with power from a constant voltage circuit.

The above-mentioned various sensors include a timer circuit 41 and a switch 43 in addition to those already described.
In addition, the terminals include a clock display unit 35 in addition to those described above. Here, the timer circuit 41 mainly determines the operation timing of the automatic feeding device 21 and various terminals. The clock display unit 35 digitally displays the time, and is installed on the feeder 23.

The operation of the automatic feeding device 21 and the water purification device 50 will be described with reference to FIG. When started, the timer circuit 41 is set in step 81, and the excrement sensor 71 is turned on in the next step 82. Then, in step 83, the result of the excrement sensor 71 is determined. If YES, that is, if excrement is detected, it is determined in step 96 whether or not the timer circuit 41 has reached the set time.
In the case of O, the process proceeds to a step of operating the water purification device 50. That is, the control valve 57 switches the upstream circulation passage 53A to the branch passage 61 side (step 97).
5 is started (step 98). Thereby, the water tank 11
The excrement deposited on the bottom 11B of the
Of the upstream side circulation path 53 sequentially from the intake port 51.
A, the control valve 57 is guided to the filter 59 through the branch path 61, where the excrement is separated by a filter, and the remaining water is returned to the upper part 11A of the water tank 11 through the branch path 61. Therefore, only the water from which the excrement is removed is returned to the water tank 11, and the water in the water tank 11 can be purified. Since the water is returned to the water tank 11, the water in the water tank 11 does not decrease.

After the pump 55 is turned on, the excrement is detected again by the excrement sensor 71 (step 83).
In the case of ES, it is further determined whether or not the timer circuit 41 has reached the set time (step 96). In the case of NO, the same operation as described above is repeated. If YES, the feeding operation is started. That is, the process proceeds to step 85,
The lamp 31 flashes, the speaker 33 sounds, and the water tank 11
Inform the fish within that it is the feeding time and the dropping position of the food. Further, the feed motor 27 is turned on, and the feed is dropped from the feeder 23 into the water tank 11. Further, in the next step 86, the control valve 57 is connected to the upstream side and the downstream side of the circulation path 53. When no command signal is sent from the controller 25, the control valve 57 keeps this state at all times, so that the above-mentioned step is also an operation performed in a confirming manner. In the next step 87, the pump 55 is turned on, and the food left over with the water in the water tank 11 is returned to the upper part 11A of the water tank 11 from the intake port 51 via the circulation path 53. At this time, since the branch path 61 is not connected to the circulation path 53, the water containing the bait is guided to the filter 59 and does not cause clogging of the filter.

In the next step 88, the feed motor 27
Is turned on for a predetermined time, and in the case of YES, the feeding motor 27 is turned off (step 89).
If the switch has not been turned on for a predetermined time, step 88 is repeated until the switch reaches the predetermined time. In step 89, the feeding motor 88 is turned off. Then, the process proceeds to the next step 90, in which the ultrasonic oscillator 75 is turned on and oscillates. In the next step 91, the bait sensor 73 checks the presence or absence of bait in the circulation path 53, and if YES, repeats this step. Do.
When the bait sensor 73 is NO, that is, when the bait is no longer detected in the circulation path 53, the process proceeds to the next step, the pump 55 is turned off, and the lamp 31 and the speaker 33 are turned off.
F, END, and the feed recycling operation stops.

If the excrement sensor 71 does not detect the excrement in step 83, the process does not proceed to step 96 but jumps to step 84, where it is determined whether or not the timer circuit 41 has reached the timer time. In the case of YES, the process proceeds to step 85 and the above-described operation is performed. In the case of NO, the process jumps to step 95, keeps the pump 55 off, and returns to step 83 again.

In step 96, when it is determined that the set time of the timer circuit 41 has come, the excrement sensor 7
Even if 1 detects excrement, it does not proceed to the step of operating the water purification device 50, and returns to step 85.

As described above, when fish excrement accumulates on the bottom 11B of the water tank 11, the excrement sensor 71 detects this and if the timer circuit 41 has not reached the set time, the control valve 57 is activated. Switch over and turn on pump 55
Then, the excrement in the water tank 11 is sucked out together with the water from the intake port 51 by the pump 55, the excrement is separated by the filter 59, and only the water from which the excrement is removed is returned to the water tank 11. Therefore,
The excrement deposited on the bottom 11B of the water tank 11 is eliminated, and the water in the water tank 11 is constantly purified and maintained.

Even if the excrement is detected in step 83, if the set time of the timer circuit 41 has come, the water purifying device 50 does not operate, the process proceeds to step 85, and the operation proceeds to the feeding operation. Although configured in the embodiment, in the present invention, step 83 to step 96 may be skipped and the process may proceed to step 97.

In this embodiment, after the feeding motor 27 has been turned on for a predetermined time, it is turned off, the ultrasonic oscillator 75 is oscillated, and the feed sensor 73 detects the presence or absence of the feed. That is, after the feeding motor 27 is turned off, while the food circulating in the circulation path 53 contains the food, the operating state of the pump 55 is maintained, and the food deposited on the bottom 11B is returned to the upper part 11A of the water tank 11 again. And serve as fish feed. Therefore, even if the food dropped from the automatic feeder 21 accumulates on the bottom 11B, it is immediately recirculated and does not accumulate for a long time.
Therefore, it can prevent sludge and decrease in water quality.

In this embodiment, one three-way valve is used as a control valve. However, two ON / OFF control valves are arranged in both the branch path 61 and the circulation path after branching. There may be.

In this embodiment, the water tank is of a closed vessel type. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the water tank may be surrounded by a net or the like so that the seawater enters and exits the tank. May be used.

As the bottom of the water tank, the lowermost portion of the water tank is exemplified in the embodiment, but it is needless to say that the bottom may be located slightly above the lowermost end of the water tank.

[0029]

According to the present invention, waste of bait can be prevented,
Water quality deterioration due to excrement and accumulated food can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall view showing an overall configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control mechanism of the automatic feeding device and the water purification device.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a control mechanism of the automatic feeding device and the water purification device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11 · · · · water tank 11A · · · · top of the water tank 11B · · · · bottom of the water tank 21 · · · · automatic feeding device 23 · · · feeder 25 · · · · controller 27 · · · ·. ... Feeding motor 31 ... Lamp 33 ... Speaker 41 ... Timer circuit 43 ... Switch 50 ... Water purification device 51 ... ············ Circuit 53A ····· Upstream circuit 53B ···· Downstream circuit 55 • ·· Pump 57 ···· Control valve 59 ···· Filtration Container 61 ··· Fork 71 ··· Excrement sensor 73 ··· Food sensor 75 ··· Ultrasonic oscillator

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An aquarium for storing fish, an automatic feeder for feeding food to the fish in the aquarium, and a circulation path for returning to the top of the aquarium via a pump from an inlet provided at the bottom of the aquarium. An excrement sensor for detecting excrement in the aquarium, a fork sensor for detecting excrement in the aquarium, and a bait provided with a fork that branches from the circulation path and returns to the water tank again through a filter; A feed sensor for detecting passage of the food, and when the excrement sensor detects excretion, the intake valve and the filter are connected by a control valve. When the feed sensor detects food, a control valve is provided. A water purifier for a water tank, wherein a connection between the inlet and the filter is cut off by the above method and the water is returned to the water tank via the circulation path.