JP7493291B1 - Tree irrigation pipes and tree irrigation systems - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a tree irrigation pipe that is less likely to become clogged and is easy to maintain, and a versatile tree irrigation system that uses the irrigation pipe. [Solution] A tree irrigation system 1 includes a composite pipe 110 and a water supply device 150 for supplying water to the composite pipe 110. The composite pipe 110 is a pipe in which tree irrigation pipes 2 and connecting pipes 30 are alternately connected in series. The tree irrigation pipes 2 and connecting pipes 30 are detachably connected via connecting parts 12 provided at both ends of the tree irrigation pipe 2. One end of the composite pipe 110 is connected to a supply tank 151 via a valve 155, and the other end is connected to a storage tank 152. The water supply device 150 includes a supply tank 151 that supplies water to the composite pipe 110, a control unit 130 that controls the supply of water to the composite pipe 110, and the like. The supply tank 151 pumps up groundwater using a pump 155A and stores it. [Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a tree irrigation pipe, which is a pipe for irrigating trees, and a tree irrigation system that uses this tree irrigation pipe.

It is important to water tree seedlings immediately after planting and during the hot, dry summer months to keep the soil from drying out. Generally, plant roots are thought to spread out in the soil to the same extent as the branches and leaves, and because they absorb more water from the tips of the roots, it is necessary to water generously, not just at the base of the plant, but also below the spreading branches and leaves. At this time, care must be taken with the method of irrigation. If the soil is only watered to the extent that it becomes wet, the soil near the surface will absorb the water and it will not reach the roots, so it is necessary to irrigate generously over a period of time so that enough water reaches the roots.

Irrigation is not just for the purpose of soaking the soil and supplying water to the roots of plants. It also plays a role in pushing out old water and air and supplying new water and new air to the soil. When irrigating seedlings, it is necessary to pay attention to the points mentioned above. With this in mind, various tree irrigation devices have been proposed.

Patent Document 1 proposes an irrigation container that is buried around trees. This irrigation container has an openable water supply opening at the top, and multiple small holes (5) are formed on the top and bottom of the peripheral wall.

Patent Document 2 proposes a method of irrigating a planting area on a road or the like, in which the inside of a curb adjacent to the planting area is formed as a waterway, and the planting area is irrigated from a permeable section formed on the side of the curb facing the planting area that communicates with the waterway, and a curb with irrigation function is proposed in which a space is formed in one or more units of a block-shaped curb of a specified length, this space is formed as a waterway, and the curb is provided with a water supply port that connects to the waterway and a permeable section that communicates with the waterway on the side facing the planting area.

Patent Document 3 proposes an irrigation device that includes an irrigation unit that irrigates grapevines, a control unit, and a solar radiation detection means that detects the amount of solar radiation on the grapevines, and the control unit controls the amount of water irrigated to the grapevines based on the detected amount of solar radiation. This irrigation device is provided with a moisture content detection means that detects the moisture content in the trunks of the grapevines, and the control unit controls the amount of irrigation according to the amount of solar radiation and moisture content.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-177828 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-163882 JP 2011-92152 A

However, the irrigation structural members proposed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are intended to be buried underground, and so there is a problem that the parts that supply water to the ground, specifically the holes or permeable parts, can become clogged, reducing the irrigation function. Furthermore, replacing clogged parts requires a great deal of effort.

The irrigation device proposed in Patent Document 3 measures the water content of grapevine trees by damaging part of the trees, which has the problem of possibly having some effect on the growth of the trees. In addition, its use is limited to grapevine trees.

The present invention was made with a focus on these problems, and aims to provide a tree irrigation pipe that is less prone to clogging and is easy to maintain. Furthermore, it aims to provide a versatile tree irrigation system that utilizes this irrigation pipe.

The invention to solve the above problem is a tree irrigation pipe that is installed on the ground and includes a water pipe with connectors at both ends for connecting connecting pipes, and an irrigation section with one end located inside the water pipe and the other end protruding from the water pipe toward the outside space, and the irrigation section is characterized in that it can discharge water present in the water pipe to the outside space by the action of capillary action and the siphon principle.

According to this configuration, since the water passage section has connection sections at both ends for connecting the connecting pipes, even if the irrigation function is impaired for some reason, the tree irrigation system can easily and quickly replace only the tree irrigation pipe that is impairing the irrigation function, thereby saving labor in replacement work. In addition, since it is installed above ground, there is no need to excavate the ground when replacing it. In addition, the irrigation section discharges water in the water passage pipe to the outside space by the action of capillary action and the siphon principle, so a constant amount of water can be continuously supplied to the ground. This allows water to be supplied deep into the ground and prevents the runoff of topsoil.

Preferably, the irrigation section is an irrigation sheet having a first surface and a second surface that are arranged opposite each other, the first surface having a number of recesses arranged in a row that are connected to both one end and the other end of the sheet, and the recesses are characterized in that they can discharge water present in the water pipe to the outside.

According to this configuration, the irrigation section is an irrigation sheet with a surface area that has a first surface and a second surface that are arranged opposite each other, making it possible to irrigate a wide area. In addition, the first surface has a number of recesses arranged in a row that are connected to both one end and the other end of the sheet, and the recesses can discharge water present in the water pipes to the outside, making it possible to irrigate uniformly across the entire front surface of the sheet.

Preferably, the recess has an opening that opens from the second surface toward the first surface and a water flow section that communicates with the opening, and the water in the water pipe is taken into the water flow section through the opening by the action of capillary action, and flows out into the external space through the water flow section by the action of the siphon principle, and can be discharged onto the ground at the part where the opening comes into contact with the ground.

With this configuration, the irrigation flow rate can be adjusted by appropriately selecting the shape of the opening, the shape of the running water section, the area of the opening that comes into contact with the ground, etc.

Preferably, the second surface is a flat surface that covers the first surface.

With this configuration, the second surface is a flat surface that covers the first surface, so evaporation of water from the second surface can be suppressed. This allows for efficient irrigation.

Another aspect of the invention for solving the above problem is a tree irrigation system, characterized in that it comprises a composite pipeline having a plurality of the above-mentioned tree irrigation pipes and connecting pipes that connect the tree irrigation pipes to each other, and a water passage device that is connected to the composite pipeline and can pass water through the composite pipeline.

According to this configuration, the tree irrigation system includes a composite pipeline having a plurality of the above-mentioned tree irrigation pipes and connecting pipes that connect the tree irrigation pipes together. For example, by making the connecting pipes flexible, the shape of the composite pipeline can be freely set. This allows for appropriate piping depending on the type and size of the trees to be irrigated.

Preferably, the water passing device has a supply tank for supplying water to the composite pipeline, and a control unit for controlling the water supplied from the supply tank, the control unit having a sensor for measuring the water content in the ground, and a controller, the controller instructing water to pass through the composite pipeline when the measured value measured by the sensor falls below a first threshold value, and instructing water to stop passing through the composite pipeline when the measured value measured by the sensor exceeds a second threshold value.

According to this configuration, the water passage device has a supply tank for supplying water to the composite pipeline and a control unit for controlling the water supplied from the supply tank. The control unit has a sensor for measuring the moisture content in the ground and a controller. The controller commands water to be passed through the composite pipeline when the measured value measured by the sensor falls below a first threshold value, and commands water to be stopped from being passed through the composite pipeline when the measured value measured by the sensor exceeds a second threshold value, thereby making it possible to maintain the moisture content in the ground within a certain range.

Preferably, the water passage device has a storage tank for storing water passed through the composite pipe.

This configuration has a storage tank that stores the water passed through the composite pipeline, allowing water to pass smoothly through the composite pipeline.

1A is a plan view of the tree irrigation system according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view showing a state where water is passed through the water pipe, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the water in the water pipe has been discharged to the outside space. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the irrigation section. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a control unit. 4 is a flowchart illustrating control of the tree irrigation system in this embodiment. This is a modified tree irrigation system.

Below, an embodiment of the tree irrigation pipe 2 and the tree irrigation system 1 using the tree irrigation pipe 2 of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 to 3.

1(a) and (b), the tree irrigation system 1 includes a composite pipeline 110 and a water supply device 150 for supplying water to the composite pipeline 110. The composite pipeline 110 is a pipeline in which tree irrigation pipes 2 and connecting pipes 30 are alternately connected in series. The tree irrigation pipes 2 and connecting pipes 30 are detachably connected via connecting parts 12 provided at both ends of the tree irrigation pipe 2. For example, even if one of the multiple tree irrigation pipes 2 becomes clogged and irrigation is not possible, it is structured so that only the clogged tree irrigation pipe 2 can be replaced without the need to replace the entire composite pipeline 110. In addition, one end of the composite pipeline 110 is connected to a supply tank 151 via a valve 155, and the other end is connected to a storage tank 152.

The composite pipe 110 is arranged in a U-shape to surround the tree 100. Specifically, the tree irrigation pipes 2 are arranged on both sides of the tree 100, and the connecting pipes 30 connect the tree irrigation pipes 2 arranged on both sides of the tree 100.

In this embodiment, sakaki seedlings and blueberry seedlings are exemplified as the trees 100 to be irrigated, but the present invention is not limited to these. Sakaki seedlings can be grown in the shade, so they may be planted directly under solar panels. This allows for efficient use of land.

The water supply device 150 includes a supply tank 151 that supplies water to the composite pipeline 110, and a control unit 130 that controls the flow of water to the composite pipeline 110. The supply tank 151 pumps up groundwater using a pump 155A and stores it. The water level stored in the supply tank 151 is maintained at a predetermined height by a floater 156 shown in FIG. 1(b).

The supply of water stored in the supply tank 151 to the composite pipeline 110 is controlled by opening and closing the valve 155. When the valve 155 is opened, the water stored in the supply tank 151 flows through the composite pipeline 110 and is stored in the storage tank 152. Due to energy losses that occur in the composite pipeline 110, the water level stored in the storage tank 152 is slightly lower than the water level stored in the supply tank 151, but by keeping the water level stored in the supply tank 151 within a specified range, the water pressure in the composite pipeline 110 can be maintained within a constant range.

To reduce the water pressure difference of the water filled in the composite pipeline 110, it is preferable to make the water level of the storage tank 152 the same as the water level of the supply tank 151. In this case, this can be solved by introducing a device that supplies water to the storage tank 152. That is, a pump for drawing up groundwater and a floater can be attached to the storage tank 152. In this case, the pressure head at the center of the composite pipeline 110 will be the lowest compared to other parts.

The opening and closing of the valve 155 is controlled by the control unit 130. The control unit 130 has a sensor 131 and a controller 132. The sensor 131 is a soil moisture meter that measures the water content WC in the ground. The sensor 131 is preferably installed deep underground at a depth at which the seedlings of the tree 100 take root. For example, in the case of a sakaki seedling, it is preferable to install the sensor 131 at a depth of 40 cm to 50 cm from the ground surface 101. Note that, although the number of sensors 131 installed in this embodiment is one, this is not limited to this and multiple sensors may be installed.

The controller 132 is for commanding the opening and closing of the valve 155 based on the value of the water content WC (see FIG. 5) of the ground 102 measured by the sensor 131.

2(a) and (b), the tree irrigation pipe 2 is composed of a water pipe 11 and an irrigation sheet 20 (irrigation section). The water pipe 11 is full when the composite pipe 110 is running (see FIG. 2(a)). The water pipe 11 is placed on a support base 15 to increase its height from the ground 101. The water pipe 11 placed on the support base 15 is surrounded by fixing bands 17 arranged at a predetermined interval, and both ends of the fixing bands 17 are integrated with the support base 15 by fixing piles 16 driven into the ground 102. This prevents the water pipe 11 from moving, and the position of the water pipe 11 will not move even if the water pipe 11 is suddenly subjected to an external force due to water flow. The height of the support base 15 and the interval at which the fixing bands 17 are attached may be set appropriately, taking into account the speed of irrigation and the water level stored in the supply tank 151.

The connection pipe 30 has a structure similar to that of the water pipe 11 and is supported on the ground 101 via a support base 15 similar to that of the water pipe 11, so a detailed explanation is omitted.

One end of the watering sheet 20 is located on the bottom surface inside the water passage pipe 11, protrudes into the external space 105 via a slit 13 provided in the water passage pipe 11, and the other end is in contact with the ground 101. The surface that comes into contact with the ground 101 is the first surface 21 on which the recess 25 is provided. The position of the slit 13 is preferably higher than the center of the water passage pipe 11. This increases the contact area between the watering sheet 20 and the water W present in the water passage pipe 11. Furthermore, since the water pressure at the position of the slit 13 can be relatively reduced, the effect of water leakage from the gap between the slit 13 and the watering sheet 20 can be suppressed.

The irrigation sheets 20 are provided symmetrically on the left and right sides, but this is not limited to this. They may be provided on either the left or right side. In addition, two irrigation sheets 20 are provided on each side of the water passage pipe 11, for a total of four irrigation sheets 20 (see FIG. 1(a)), but this is not limited to this. One irrigation sheet 20 may be provided on each side, or three or more may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 3, the irrigation sheet 20 has a first surface 21 and a second surface 22 that are arranged opposite each other. On the first surface 21, a number of recesses 25 are arranged in parallel in a row with close spacing between adjacent recesses in the left-right directions L1 and R1 in the figure. The recesses 25 extend over the entire length Lx from one end of the irrigation sheet 20 to the other end.

The recess 25 is composed of an opening 24 at the bottom as shown and a water flow section 23 at the top as shown. The opening 24 defines a space that opens from the second surface 22 toward the first surface 21. The water flow section 23 is connected to the opening 24 and defines a space that is wider than the opening 24. The shape of the water flow section 23 is circular in cross section, but is not limited to this and can be changed in various ways, for example, to an open-loop elliptical shape or an inverted triangular shape in cross section. In addition, the shape of the opening 24 is a narrow gap shape in cross section, but is not limited to this.

The water in the water pipe 11 is sucked up to the opening 24 by the action of capillary action and collected in the running water section 23. The water collected in the running water section 23 flows out into the external space 105 by the action of the siphon principle, using the running water section 23 as a waterway.

Therefore, the shapes of the opening 24 and the running water section 23 can be appropriately determined within the range where the capillary action and siphon action function.

The second surface 22 is a flat surface and is attached to the water pipe 11 in a state where it faces the same direction as the ground surface 101. That is, the other end of the recess 25 is covered by the second surface 22 and is in contact with the ground surface 101 (see FIG. 2(a)). This makes it possible to suppress the evaporation of water sucked up from the watering sheet 20 as it flows out into the external space 105.

In this embodiment, a flexible sheet is exemplified as the material for the watering sheet 20, but the material is not limited to this. A rigid sheet may be used, or a composite sheet formed by laminating a flexible sheet and a rigid sheet may be used. When using a composite sheet formed by laminating a flexible sheet and a rigid sheet, it is preferable that the first surface 21 is a soft sheet and the second surface 22 is a rigid sheet. It is also preferable that the material is weather resistant.

The processing operation of the tree irrigation system 1 is explained.

The opening and closing operation of the valve 155 is controlled by the control unit 130. The control unit 130 has a sensor 131 and a controller 132. The sensor 131 measures the water content WC of the ground 102. The controller 132 decides whether to operate the valve 155 based on the measured value measured by the sensor 131 and issues a command to the valve 155.

Figure 4 shows the configuration of the control unit 130. The controller 132 is composed of a microcomputer including a CPU, RAM, ROM, and an I/O interface (all not shown). The sensor 131 is connected to the controller 132, and the measurement signals thereof are input sequentially. The valve 155 is connected to the output side of the controller 132.

Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining the control in this embodiment. This process is continuously and repeatedly executed by the controller 132.

In this process, in step 1 (illustrated as "S1"; the same applies below), the sensor 131 measures the moisture content WC of the ground 102. It is determined whether the measured moisture content WC is below a first threshold value TR1.

When the controller 132 determines that the measured value of the water content WC of the ground 102 measured by the sensor 131 falls below the first threshold TR1, the process proceeds to step 2. If the determination result is NO, the measurement continues.

In step 2, the valve 155 is opened and water is supplied from the supply tank 151 to the composite pipeline 110. Furthermore, the water sent to the composite pipeline 110 is sent to the storage tank 152 while discharging the air present in the composite pipeline 110.

On the other hand, the water level in the supply tank 151 drops. The water level in the supply tank 151 is configured to be checked by the floater 156, so when the floater 156 falls below a certain height, the pump 155A operates to supply water to the supply tank 151. Also, when the height of the floater 156 exceeds a predetermined height, the operation of the pump 155A stops. This allows the height of the supply tank 151 to be controlled within a predetermined range.

As water is continuously supplied to the ground 101 through the irrigation sheet 20, the water content WC of the ground 102 increases.

The water level of the supply tank 151 and the water level of the storage tank 152 are approximately the same height. Strictly speaking, the water level of the storage tank 152 is lower than the water level of the supply tank 151 in a range equivalent to the head loss in the composite pipeline 110. In order to eliminate this difference in height, it is preferable to introduce equipment such as a floater and a pump similar to that of the supply tank 151 into the second tank 152. In this case, the pressure head in the center of the composite pipeline 110 will be the lowest compared to other parts, but the difference in pressure head will be approximately half compared to the configuration of this embodiment.

In step 3, the sensor 131 measures the moisture content WC of the ground 102. It is determined whether the measured moisture content WC exceeds the second threshold TR2.

When the controller 132 determines that the measured value of the moisture content WC of the ground 102 measured by the sensor 131 exceeds the second threshold value TR2, the process proceeds to step 4. If the determination result is NO, the measurement continues. The second threshold value TR2 is set to a value greater than the first threshold value TR1.

In step 4, the valve 155 is closed and water is no longer supplied from the supply tank 151 to the composite pipeline 110. If this state continues for a certain period of time, the water level in the composite pipeline 110 and the water level in the storage tank 152 will gradually drop, and as shown in Figure 4, there will be almost no water in the composite pipeline 110 and the storage tank 152. When this state is reached, the supply of water from the composite pipeline 110 to the external space 105 is stopped. As this state continues, the water content WC of the ground 102 will gradually decrease.

This embodiment is merely an example, and can of course be modified without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. For example, as shown in the modified example in FIG. 6, the composite pipeline 110 may be configured such that a water pipe 11 spans between the connecting pipes 30. In addition, the composite pipeline may be networked by combining multiple composite pipelines, multiple supply tanks 151, and multiple storage tanks 152.

The tree irrigation system 1 according to the present invention has great industrial applicability because it can easily irrigate seedlings grown directly under solar panels and can reduce the number of people required for irrigation.

1: Tree irrigation system 2: Tree irrigation pipe 11: Water pipe 12: Connection part 20: Irrigation sheet (irrigation part)
21: First surface 22: Second surface 23: Water flow section 24: Opening 25: Recess 30: Connection pipe 101: Ground 102: Underground 105: External space 130: Control section 131: Sensor 132: Controller 150: Water passing device 151: Supply tank 152: Storage tank TR1: First threshold TR2: Second threshold W: Water WC: Water content

Claims (6)

A tree irrigation pipe for installation above ground,
a water pipe having connection parts at both ends for connecting the connection pipes;
a water supply section having one end located inside the water pipe and the other end protruding from the water pipe toward an external space,
The irrigation section is a sheet having a first surface and a second surface arranged opposite each other, the first surface has a plurality of recesses arranged in a row connected to both the one end and the other end, and the recesses are capable of discharging water present in the water pipe to the outside space by the action of capillary action and the siphon principle. The recess has an opening that opens from the second surface toward the first surface and a running water portion that communicates with the opening,
The tree irrigation pipe according to claim 1, characterized in that the water in the water pipe is taken into the flowing water section through the opening by the action of capillary action, and flows out to the outside space through the flowing water section by the action of the siphon principle, and can be discharged to the ground at the part where the opening contacts the ground. 2. The tree irrigation pipe according to claim 1 , wherein the second surface is a flat surface covering the first surface. A composite pipe including a plurality of tree irrigation pipes according to claims 1 to 3 and a connecting pipe for connecting the tree irrigation pipes to each other;
A tree irrigation system comprising: a water passage device that is connected to the composite pipe and can pass water through the composite pipe. The water passing device includes a supply tank for supplying water to the composite pipe, and a control unit for controlling the water supplied from the supply tank,
The control unit includes a sensor for measuring the moisture content of the ground and a controller.
5. The tree irrigation system according to claim 4, wherein the controller commands the flow of water to the composite pipe when the measurement value measured by the sensor falls below a first threshold value, and commands the stop of the flow of water to the composite pipe when the measurement value measured by the sensor exceeds a second threshold value. 6. The tree irrigation system according to claim 5 , wherein the water passing device has a storage tank for storing the water passed through the composite pipe.

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