JP3183738U - Simple automatic water dispenser - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a simple automatic water supply device for automatically supplying water to a planter or the like when the user is away for several days during a trip or the like.
A simple automatic water supply 10 includes a water guide material 1 for guiding water to a place where water is to be supplied from a water supply source by utilizing a capillary phenomenon, and surroundings of the water guide material 1 except for both ends of the water guide material 1. The spiral tube 11 is covered, and a combination of values in which the outer dimension in the cross-sectional direction of the water guide material 1 and the inner diameter dimension in the cross-sectional direction of the spiral tube 11 are set is combined. Assuming that pressure is applied to 1, the amount of water flow per water supply period is set.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a simple automatic water dispenser for automatically supplying water to a planter or the like when the user is away for several days during a trip or the like.

Conventionally, there is a method in which water is put in a bucket, a plastic bottle or the like, and water is supplied to a planter or the like using a piece of cloth as a water guiding material. Such a conventional configuration is shown in FIGS. FIG. 1 is a front view showing a configuration for supplying water to a flower pot 45 from a plastic bottle as a water supply source 30 using only a piece of cloth or the like as a conventional technology for the water guide material 1. Similarly, FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration in which water is supplied to the planter 40 from a bucket as the water supply source 20 by using only a piece of cloth, which is a conventional technique, for the water guide material 1. 1 and 2 will be further described. In FIG. 1, water in the water supply source 30 is obtained by using a plastic bottle as the water supply source 30, immersing one of the water conveyance materials 1 made of cloth or the like in the water supply source 30 and burying the other in the soil of the flower pot 45. Water can be supplied to the flower pot 45 until there is almost no remaining. FIG. 2 shows a configuration in which a bucket is used as the water supply source 20 and water is supplied to the planter 40 using the water guide material 1. 1 and the bucket of the water supply source 20 in FIG. 2 are such that the height positions of the plant pot 45 and the planter soil and the bottoms of the water supply sources 20 and 30 are substantially the same. It arrange | positions on the adjustment stand 50 adjusted to. All of these are arranged on a floor surface 60 such as a veranda.
In the conventional configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the water guide material 1 having a shape in which a piece of cloth is rounded is generally used as it is. For this reason, evaporation from a piece of cloth or the like may occur, and the number of days that water can be supplied is small. Furthermore, when water is supplied to a plurality of planters at the same time, a piece of cloth or the like hangs down in the gap between the water supply container and the planter, and water for supplying water may leak due to contact with various devices. . In addition, there is a problem that the aesthetic appearance is impaired because the cloth is easily broken or unraveled. Furthermore, as described above, the evaporation of moisture occurs from the whole of a piece of cloth and the like, so that the amount of water that can be effectively used is reduced.
In response to these problems, a structure using a bendable tubular member surrounding the periphery of the water-permeable member, specifically, a structure using a hose or the like as the tubular member is disclosed (see Patent Document 1). Moreover, the structure which consists of a metal wire of predetermined length, and was equipped with the core material which can be bent and a water-transfer material is also disclosed (refer patent document 2). As a result, inconvenience and aesthetic problems caused by contact with planters and the like were improved.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-81240 JP 2001-25326 A

In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, evaporation from the water passing member can be prevented by using the cylindrical member, and the aesthetics are also improved. However, this plant water supply device is obtained by inserting a long and narrow water-permeable member made of a fiber material into a cylindrical member, and the water-permeable member does not receive pressure that is tightened from the cylindrical member. For this reason, depending on the shape of the water flow member, only water flows from the bucket etc. into the flower pot due to capillary action, and the amount of water supplied to the flower pot and planter is controlled by applying pressure to tighten the water flow member. There is no disclosure or suggestion about doing.
Moreover, since patent document 2 can prevent that a water transfer material droops, aesthetics are improved. However, the fiber water transfer material is basically exposed, and thus evaporation occurs from the whole. In order to suppress this evaporation, it is described that a thin resin material may be wound around the outermost side to prevent evaporation and to prevent the cross section from becoming flat. If such a vinyl pipe-shaped film is wound, it is assumed that a certain amount of pressure is applied to the water transfer material. However, this Patent Document 2 does not disclose or suggest that the amount of water supplied to the flower pot or the planter is controlled by applying pressure to the water transfer material.
In the above-mentioned prior literature, when water in a bucket or the like as a water supply source is supplied to a bucket or a flowerpot using the capillary phenomenon of a fiber material, it is intended to prevent evaporation or drooping in the middle. The amount of water that can be supplied by each water supply is not specifically disclosed. For this reason, if you are absent for a relatively long period of time or if you are going to supply water to multiple planters, the amount of water to be stored in the water supply source or how many water supply units are needed for one planter, etc. Had a problem that no one could use it without failure.

In order to solve such a problem, the simple automatic water dispenser of the present invention excludes a water guiding material for guiding water using a capillary phenomenon to a place where water should be supplied from a water supply source, and both ends of this water guiding material. A spiral tube that covers the periphery of the water-conducting material, and by combining the outer dimension in the cross-sectional direction of the water-conducting material and the inner diameter dimension in the cross-sectional direction of the spiral tube, As a state in which pressure is applied to the material, the water flow rate per water supply period is set to a set value.
The water guiding material is not particularly limited as long as it efficiently produces a capillary phenomenon, and for example, a natural fiber cloth material, a sponge material, or the like having good water absorbability can be used. As the spiral tube, for example, a commercially available polyethylene spiral tube can be used. In order to set the water flow rate for a certain period of time, the tightening force can be set by appropriately setting the combination of the outer diameter dimension in the cross-sectional direction of the water conveyance material and the inner diameter dimension in the cross-sectional direction of the spiral tube. It is.

The simple automatic water dispenser of the present invention has a configuration in which a spiral tube is wound around a water conveyance material, and the inner diameter (symbol D) of the spiral tube is slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the water conveyance material. A constant pressure can be applied to the material. This makes it possible to average and stabilize the amount of water supply per day, and to select a simple automatic water supply device having an optimal shape according to the shape of the planter or the like. In addition, the required amount of water can be calculated in advance according to the number of absent days, the shape and number of planters, and the convenience of the user can be greatly improved.

It is the front view which showed the structure which supplies water to a flowerpot from the plastic bottle as a water supply source, using only a piece of cloth etc. which is a prior art as a water conveyance material. It is the front view which showed the structure which supplies water to a planter from the bucket as a water supply source, using only a piece of cloth etc. which is a prior art as a water conveyance material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a front view which shows the structure of the simple automatic water feeder of the Example of this invention, and has shown partly cut away and partly. It is a front view which shows the use condition of the simple automatic water feeder which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the other use condition of the simple automatic water feeder based on the Example of this invention, and is a figure which shows the state inserted in the soil of a planter. It is a front view which shows the other use condition of the simple automatic water feeder which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view which shows the use condition of the simple automatic water feeder which concerns on the Example of this invention, and is the figure which showed the state fixed to the soil surface part of the flower pot. It is a front view which shows the use condition which supplies water to a large capacity planter using two or more simple automatic water feeders concerning the Example of this invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of the simplified automatic water dispenser 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is a front view showing a part thereof as a cross section and a part thereof being cut away. As shown in FIG. 3, a simple automatic water dispenser 10 according to the present invention includes, for example, a tightly wound polyethylene spiral tube 11 having weather resistance on a water guide material 1 formed by rolling a cloth made of natural fibers or the like. Constructed by wrapping. In this case, by setting the inner diameter (symbol D) of the spiral tube 11 and the outer diameter of the water guide material 1 to appropriate sizes, an appropriate tightening pressure by the spiral of the spiral tube can be applied. This makes it possible to average and stabilize the amount of water supplied during the water supply period per day and to supply water over a relatively long period of time.
Moreover, if the simple automatic water feeder 10 of an appropriate size is selected in consideration of the size of the planter, the necessary period of water supply, and the like, it is possible to prevent the water from running out during the absence period and being withered. More specifically, the amount of water required for the planter or the like is supplied over a longer period of time using the same amount of water from the water supply source than when the water guide material 1 is used in a state where no pressure is applied. be able to. For example, if the shape of the simple automatic water feeder 10 is selected with the goal of the number of days until the tentative minimum required water amount per day immediately before the plant weakens due to lack of water in the absence of travel, etc., the water supply amount is remarkably controlled. The water supply period can be extended.
A specific embodiment will be described. Experiments were conducted on various inner diameter dimensions of the spiral tube 11 using a face towel generally used as the water guiding material 1 under the condition that the provisional minimum required water amount was 100 milliliters (mL). The amount of water supplied from the water supply source is the same.
(1) When the inner diameter (symbol D) of the spiral tube is set to 8 mm, and the face is a water guide material 1, the face towel is thick and loose so that no pressure is applied.
The amount of water supplied to the planter was 425 mL on the first day, 185 mL on the second day, and 90 mL on the third day. If such a simple automatic water dispenser is used, the amount of water supply will be insufficient on the third day of the water supply possible period and will be about two days.
(2) When the inner diameter of the spiral tube is 6 mm and a certain pressure is applied to the face towel as the water guide material 1.
The amount of water supplied to the planter was 225 mL on the first day, 175 mL on the second day, 150 mL on the third day, and 100 mL on the fourth day. Therefore, when a constant pressure was applied in this way, 100 mL of water was supplied even on the fourth day instead of reducing the amount of water supplied from the first day. If such a simple automatic water feeder is used, the water supply possible period will be about 4 days.
(3) When the inner diameter of the spiral tube is 4 mm and the pressure is applied to the face towel as the water guide material 1 too much.
The amount of water supplied to the planter was drastically reduced, and the required amount of water could not be supplied from the first day.
As described above, it was found that if the outer diameter of the water guiding material 1 and the inner diameter of the spiral tube are appropriately set, the water supply period can be extended while limiting the amount of water supplied from the first day.
The water supply value in milliliters (mL) is not the total amount of water supplied into the soil, but includes the amount of evaporation from the gaps in the spiral tube and the surface of the soil.
Hereinafter, the Example at the time of using the simple automatic water feeder of this invention for the flower pot and planter of various shapes is described.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a usage state of the simple automatic water feeder according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining the details of this use state, and shows a state where the use state is inserted into the soil of the flower pot.
This example is an example in the case of supplying water to a flower pot, and a flower pot having a soil capacity of 1 liter (L) or less was used. For this reason, the necessary minimum amount of water per day is about 100 (mL), and it is until it can supply 100 mL as a water supply possible period.
The water conveyance material 1 is 100% cotton, which is a commercial product, and a face towel with a width of about 33 cm and a length of about 80 cm is cut into a width of about 20 mm to 25 mm, and the cut portion is unraveled with a sewing machine and rounded. And used as a water guiding material 1. The outer diameter of the water guiding material 1 at this time was about 7 mm to 8 mm. The spiral tube 11 was made of a polyethylene material, and was wound so that one side of the water guide material 1 was exposed about 20 mm and the opposite side was exposed about 80 mm. In the following comparative evaluation test, as shown in FIG. 4, as a water supply source 30, a 2L capacity PET bottle is placed on the adjustment table 50 placed on the floor 60, and a plant pot in which a plant having a soil capacity of 1L or less is planted. This is the case where water is supplied to one. In addition, in the plastic bottle of the water supply source 30, almost one cup of water 2 is put, and about 1L of soil 4 is put in the flower pot. In this embodiment, one end of the simple automatic water dispenser 10 is immersed in the water 2 and the other end is embedded in the soil 4. In order to stabilize this embedded state, a pressing metal 5 is attached.
Although the amount of water supplied per day is affected by the height of the water supply surface, the season, the weather, and the like, in this embodiment, the results are obtained under conditions where it does not rain outdoors in late October. Other detailed comparative test conditions are shown in Table 1.
(1) When the inner diameter of the spiral tube is 8 mm and no pressure is applied to the water guiding material 1.
The amount of water supply on the first day was 425 mL, 185 mL on the second day, and 90 mL on the third day. Therefore, when pressure was not applied in this way, it was found that the water supply possible period was about 2 days.
(2) When the inner diameter of the spiral tube is 4 mm and a large pressure is applied to the water guiding material.
The amount of water supply decreased extremely, and the water supply amount became insufficient from the first day.
(3) When the inner diameter of the spiral tube is 6 mm and an appropriate pressure is applied to the water guiding material.
On the first day, 225 mL of water was supplied, 175 mL on the second day, 150 mL on the third day, and 100 mL of water on the fourth day.
From the above comparative test results, it was found that by applying an appropriate pressure to the water guiding material, the required amount of water can be supplied over a longer period while suppressing the amount of supplied water from the first day. In the case of the present Example, the water supply possible period was able to be set to about 4 days by using what used the inside diameter of a spiral tube 6 mm, and added the appropriate pressure to the water conveyance material. In addition, although the PET bottle was used as the water supply source 30 in the present Example, it cannot be overemphasized that a water supply possible period can further be extended if a larger sized bucket, a tank, etc. are used.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing another usage state of the simple automatic water dispenser according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view for explaining more details of the use state, and shows a state in which the planter is fixed to the soil surface portion of the planter. 6 and 7, one end of the simple automatic water dispenser 10 is immersed in the water 2 in a bucket that is a water supply source 20, and the other end is near the surface of the soil 4 with the presser fitting 5 on the planter 40. It is fixed with a presser fitting 5. By fixing in this way, the area where the simple automatic water dispenser 10 comes into contact with the soil 4 increases, so that both the penetration of water from the spiral cut of the spiral tube 11 and the penetration of water from the tip of the water guiding material 1 are performed. Can be used to supply water. Further, as another method for infiltrating water into the soil 4, a part of the simple automatic water feeder 10 may be inserted by making a hole in the lateral direction in the soil 4. Thereby, ineffective evaporation of moisture can be reduced.
In addition, the simple automatic water feeder 10 is simply fixed to a bucket which is a water supply source 20 by, for example, a commercially available bifurcated laundry scissors 3. However, such simple fixing is not particularly required if the simple automatic water feeder 10 does not move due to wind or the like.
In this embodiment, it corresponds to the case of supplying water to a medium capacity planter for soil capacity of 16 liters (L) or less, and the minimum amount of water necessary for this planter is about 400 milliliters (mL). For this purpose, a commercially available 100% cotton face towel with a width of about 33 cm and a length of about 80 cm is cut into a width of about 45 mm to about 55 mm as the water guide material 1, and the cut portion is unraveled with a sewing machine, etc. Used as Material 1. In this case, the outer diameter of the water guide material 1 was about 9 mm to 10 mm.
The spiral tube 11 was made of a polyethylene material and was wound so that one side of the water guide material 1 was exposed at about 20 mm and the opposite side was exposed at about 80 mm. In addition, the following comparative evaluation test was performed about the case where a 4L capacity bucket is placed at a height near the floor surface 60 and water is supplied to one planter planted with a soil capacity of 16L or less as shown in FIG. Is. The bucket which is the water supply source 20 was placed on the adjustment table 50 arranged on the floor surface 60.
Although the amount of water supplied per day is affected by the height of the water supply surface, the season, the weather, and the like, in this embodiment, the results are obtained under conditions where it does not rain outdoors in late October. Other detailed comparative test conditions are shown in Table 2.
(1) When the inner diameter of the spiral tube is 10 mm and no pressure is applied to the water guiding material 1.
The amount of water supply on the first day was 1800 mL, the second day was 800 mL, the third day was 450 mL, and the fourth day was less than 400 mL. Therefore, when pressure was not applied in this way, it was found that the water supply possible period was about 3 days.
(2) When the inner diameter of the spiral tube is 6 mm and a large pressure is applied to the water guiding material.
The amount of water supply decreased extremely, and the water supply amount became insufficient from the first day.
(3) When the inner diameter of the spiral tube is 8 mm and an appropriate pressure is applied to the water guiding material.
The water supply amount on the first day was 900 mL, the second day was 800 mL, the third day was 600 mL, and the fourth day was 400 mL of water. That is, by applying an appropriate pressure to the water guiding material, it is possible to supply the necessary amount of water over a longer period while suppressing the amount of supplied water from the first day. In the case of the present Example, the water supply possible period was able to be made into about 4 days by using what used the appropriate pressure to the water conveyance material by making the internal diameter of a spiral tube into 8 mm. In addition, although the bucket was used as the water supply source 20 in the present Example, it cannot be overemphasized that a water supply possible period can further be extended if a larger sized bucket, a tank, etc. are used.

FIG. 8 is a front view showing a use state of supplying water to a large-capacity planter using a plurality of simple automatic water dispensers according to the embodiment of the present invention. In this example,
This is a case where water is supplied to a large-capacity planter having a soil capacity of about 36 liters (L), and the necessary minimum amount of water per day is about 600 mL. For this purpose, two simple automatic water feeders 10 described in the second embodiment are used. Other configurations are the same as those in the second embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
The amount of water supplied per day was related to the height of the water supply, the season and the weather, etc., but it was carried out in the condition that it would not rain outdoors in late October. As a result, the amount of water supplied on the first day was 1300 mL, the second day was 1100 mL, the third day was 800 mL, and the fourth day was 600 mL of water. Therefore, even if a large-capacity planter was used, it was found that if two simple automatic water feeders 10 of the present invention were used, water could be supplied for about 4 days.

As described in the above three embodiments, by using the simple automatic water feeder of the present invention, the amount of water supplied from the first day can be suppressed, and the amount of water supplied per day can be leveled. The required amount of water can be supplied over a period of time.
Needless to say, in order to supply the required amount of water over a longer period of time, the shape of the water supply source may be increased to increase the amount of stored water.
Even if the simple automatic water feeder of the present invention is used, the amount of water supply is also affected by the height of the water surface contained in a bucket or the like as a water supply source as described in the embodiment. That is, at the beginning of water supply, the water level in the bucket or the like is high, the water pressure is added, and the amount of water supplied per hour increases. On the other hand, when the water level drops, the water pressure gradually decreases, so the water supply amount decreases. However, as described above, the amount of water supplied in the initial stage of water supply can be suppressed and the amount of water supplied per day can be leveled by using the simple automatic water supply device of the present invention.

In order to further reduce fluctuations in the amount of supplied water due to the height of the water surface, for example, it is possible to change the thickness and width of a piece of cloth or use a plurality of pieces having a small cross-sectional area. For this reason, if a plurality of combinations of the outer dimension of the water guiding material and the inner diameter dimension of the spiral tube are prepared and the indication of the water supply possible amount is described for each, the convenience of purchase can be improved for the user.

The simple automatic water dispenser of the present invention is inexpensive and can control the amount of water supplied from the first day and level the amount of water supplied per day, so that it can supply the required amount of water for a long time compared to the conventional one. It can be used in the water supply field for plant cultivation, including use.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Water-conducting material 2 Water 3 Bifurcated scissors 4 Soil 5 Holding metal 10 Simple automatic water dispenser 11 Spiral tube 20, 30 Water supply source 40 Planter 45 Flower pot 50 Adjustment stand 60 Floor

Claims (1)

A water-conducting material for guiding water to the location to be supplied from a water source using capillary action, and a spiral tube that covers the periphery of the water-conducting material except for both ends of the water-conducting material;
A state in which pressure is applied to the water guide material by a tightening force by a spiral of the spiral tube by combining the outer dimension in the cross section direction of the water guide material and the inner diameter dimension in the cross section direction of the spiral tube. As a simple automatic water dispenser characterized in that the water flow rate per water supply period is set as a value.