JPH04229116A - Apparatus for supplying culture water to planter - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the maintainability in the culture of a plant in a planter placed in a place shielded from natural environment, e.g. in a building, by supplying water to the planter in high efficiency. CONSTITUTION:Water is supplied to each planter 10 by intermittently driving a pump 44 and stored in a water reservoir 36. Residence gas generated from seeds is moved by passing the water through rock wool 60 to keep the environment around the seed in an optimum state. When the water level in the water- reservoir 36 rises beyond a through hole 38, the water is transferred to the adjacent planter through an overflow pipe 40. Water above the through hole 38 of the water-reservoir 36 of the planter 10C is returned to a water tank 42. The generation of waste effluent of supplied water is prevented and a definite amount of water is always stored in the system to enable the supply of optimum amount of water to the plant.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying nutrient water to planters used in hydroponic cultivation.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventionally, plants are cultivated in planters by filling the planter with soil, planting plant seeds into the soil, and growing them by supplying a predetermined amount of water. By the way, the soil filled in the planter needs to be replaced regularly or nutrients need to be supplied, making it difficult to maintain when growing plants in an office building or the like. Furthermore, as described above, the planter can only be placed on a flat surface such as the floor, and cannot be installed on the wall or ceiling of an office building, for example.

[0003] In order to solve this problem, it has been proposed to use a mesh-shaped planter and fill the mesh with soil for cultivation. According to a planter having such a structure, the amount of soil can be reduced because the roots are spread through the mesh, and maintenance efficiency can be improved. Also,
This mesh-shaped planter can be installed on walls etc. using hanging hardware, and the space for plant cultivation is not limited to flat surfaces, but can be expanded to vertical, sloped surfaces, etc., making it easy to grow plants in office buildings. .

0004

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the planter of the conventional structure described above, the supplied water drips down, and therefore, equipment for recovering this dripped water is required. In addition, since the entire planter is mesh-shaped,
The supplied water tends to evaporate easily, resulting in a lot of wasted water.

[0005] The present invention takes the above-mentioned facts into consideration, and improves maintenance efficiency by efficiently supplying water when cultivating plants by installing a planter in a place where the natural environment is obstructed, such as a building. The purpose is to obtain a device for supplying nutrients and water to planters.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A device for supplying nutrient water to a planter according to the present invention includes a storage tank storing water to be supplied to the planter, and a supply means for supplying water stored in the storage tank into the planter. a driving means for driving the supplying means so that water is intermittently supplied; and a driving means for driving the supplying means so that water is intermittently supplied; It has an overflow pipe that guides the pipe.

[0007]

[Operation] According to the present invention, supplied water is stored in the planter. Therefore, water will not drip from the planter, and water recovery equipment will not be necessary.

[0008] When water is supplied to the planter, the supply means is driven. Since this supply means is intermittently driven by the drive means, water in the storage tank is supplied to the planter at predetermined intervals. The supplied water is stored, and when it exceeds a predetermined water level, it is returned to the storage tank via an overflow pipe. As a result, the water stored in the planter can be maintained at a constant level, and nutrients can be supplied to the plants in just the right amount.

[0009]

Embodiment (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a plurality of (three in this embodiment) planters 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In addition, only when a plurality of planters 10 are explained separately, A, B, and C are added to the end of each reference numeral for convenience.

The planters 10 are placed on storage stands 14 each having a surface parallel to the floor 12. The planter 10 includes a casing 16 that has a box-like appearance.

As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 16 includes:
The material is breathable, and an opening 18 is provided above. A mesh-like lid 20 is attached to the opening 18 . A heat insulating material 22 is pasted around the casing 16 and the lid 20 as necessary to improve the heat retention effect. Note that the heat insulating material 22 is preferably made of a material that is breathable.

A hole 26 is provided in the center of the bottom plate 24 of the casing 16, and a cylindrical body 28 is formed to protrude upward from the periphery of the hole 26. This cylinder 28
The protrusion height dimension is approximately 1/4 of the entire height dimension of the casing 16.

From the tip of the cylindrical body 28 in the protruding direction, the rock wool 60 is gently inclined toward the vertical wall 30 of the casing 16 so as to gradually approach the bottom plate 24 from the center to the circumferential direction. An intermediate bottom plate 32 is formed so that water flowing down therein can easily flow to a water reservoir part 36. Note that a predetermined interval is provided between the peripheral end of the intermediate bottom plate 32 and the vertical wall 30.

Here, a shielding member 34 is attached to the casing 16 below the same height as the cylindrical body 28 to cut off ventilation. That is, the shielding member 34 is attached to the entire surface of the bottom plate 24, the cylindrical body 28, and the intermediate bottom plate 32 of the casing 16, and to a portion of the vertical wall 30 from the bottom plate 24 to 1/4, thereby forming a water reservoir portion 36. . Therefore, water flowing down from above the planter 10 is stored in this water reservoir 36.

A through hole 38 is formed in the vertical wall 30 constituting the water reservoir portion 36 of the planter 10A, and an overflow pipe 40 is bridged between the through hole 38 provided in the vertical wall 30 of the adjacent planter 10B. has been done. One end of the overflow pipe 40 is attached to the through hole 38 of the final stage planter 10C, and the other end of the overflow pipe 40 is attached to a water storage tank 42.
It is located at Therefore, when the water level stored in the water reservoir 36 exceeds the through hole 38, the stored water is sequentially guided to the water reservoir 36 of the adjacent planter 10B (or 10C) by the overflow pipe 40, and reaches the final stage. When the water level exceeds a predetermined level in the water reservoir section 36 of a certain planter 10C, the water is guided to a water storage tank 42.

A pump 44 constituting a part of supply means is disposed in the water storage tank 42. Electric power is supplied to the pump 44 via a timer circuit 46 that constitutes a part of the driving means.

The timer circuit 46 is configured to supply power to the pump 44 for a predetermined period of time at predetermined intervals. One end of a water supply pipe 50, which together with the pump 44 constitutes a supply means, is attached to the discharge port 48 of the pump 44. This water supply pipe 50
The other end is connected to each planter 10A, 10B, 10
It is fitted into a through hole 52 provided near the upper end of the vertical wall 30 of the casing 16 at C. Therefore, when the pump 44 is driven, water in the water storage tank 42 is guided into the casing 16.

A ring-shaped pipe 54 is attached near the opening 18 of the casing 16. A plurality of holes (not shown) are provided in the downwardly facing peripheral surface of the annular pipe 54. Further, a hole 56 coaxial with the through hole 52 is provided at a position corresponding to the through hole 52, and communicates with the pipe line of the water supply pipe 50.

That is, water guided from the water storage tank 42 by the water supply pipe 50 is sent into the annular pipe 54 and is discharged from the plurality of holes.

The casing 16 is filled with hydroballs 58 as a granular filler. The hydro balls 58 are filled in the casing 16 in advance, and are located in the water reservoir 36 and the intermediate bottom plate 32 in plan view.
Filled in other parts.

[0021] By filling in this way, countless communicating spaces are formed in the filled portion of the hydroball 58. Furthermore, an accommodation groove 62 is formed above the intermediate sole plate 32 to accommodate rock wool 60 as a fibrous filler.

[0022] Before the rock wool 60 is accommodated in the storage groove 62, plant seeds are planted in advance, so that the seeds can be planted at another location. With the seeds planted, the rock wool 60 is placed in the storage groove 6.
2, the rock wool 60 is deformed according to the shape of the housing groove 62 and is tightly housed.

[0023] This rock wool 60 has the role of a potting soil, on which the roots of plants will grow. Further, the water stored in the water reservoir 36 is sent into the rock wool 60 through the communication space of the hydro ball 58 by capillary action, and the air that has passed through the vertical wall 30 is distributed. has a structure that allows for sufficient absorption of nutrients.

The operation of the first embodiment will be explained below. First, the hydroballs 58 are filled into the casing 16. At this time, the hydro balls 58 are filled in areas other than the water reservoir 36 and the intermediate bottom plate 32 in the upper direction. This results in
Numerous communication spaces are formed in the area filled with the hydro balls 58, and the storage groove 62 of the rock wool 60
can be formed.

Next, the storage groove 62 is filled with rock wool 60 in which seeds have been planted in advance. At this time, the natural shape of the rock wool 60 is different from the shape of the accommodation groove 62;
By stuffing into the receiving groove 62, the rock wool 60 is deformed and can be tightly accommodated in the receiving groove 62. After storing the rock wool 60, the lid 20 is attached to the opening 18, and planting in the planter 10 is completed.

Planter 10 constructed in this way
is placed on the storage stand 14, the overflow pipe 40 is attached to the through hole 38, the water supply pipe 50 is attached to the through hole 52, and when power is applied to the pump 44, the pump 44 is interposed between the pump 44 and the power source. Timer circuit 46 is activated. The timer circuit 46 supplies power to the pump 44 for a certain period of time and cuts off the power supply for a certain period of time. Therefore, the pump 44 is driven intermittently.

When the pump 44 is driven, the water storage tank 4
2 is supplied to each planter 1 via a water supply pipe 50.
Ring-shaped pipe 5 inside casing 16 of 0 (A, B, C)
Sent to 4. Therefore, water is discharged from the annular pipe 54 to the hydro ball 58. Most of the water passes through the communication space of the hydroball 58 and moves to the water reservoir 36, where it is stored. In addition, a ring-shaped pipe 5
The water discharged from the rock wool 60 is also immersed in the rock wool 60 through the communication space, passes through the rock wool 60, and becomes nutrients for the seeds.

[0028] Here, as the water passes through the rock wool 60, the gas generated from the seeds and stagnant therein is moved, so that the environment around the seeds can be maintained in an appropriate state.

On the other hand, when the level of water stored in the water reservoir 36 exceeds the through hole 38, the amount becomes an overflow.
Planter 1 adjacent by overflow pipe 40
0B is then sent to the planter 10C, and when the water level exceeds the through hole 38 in the water reservoir section 36 of the planter 10C, which is the final stage, it is returned to the water storage tank 42. Therefore, a certain amount of water supplied by the intermittent driving of the pump 44 is always stored in the water reservoir 36 in all of the plurality of planters 10, and is sucked up as nutrients for the seeds by capillary action.

[0030] As the seeds grow, roots develop, which are covered with rock wool 60. Therefore, the planter 10 of this embodiment does not require soil and is easy to maintain, so it can be placed in an office building or the like. In addition, water can be supplied automatically by intermittent driving of the pump 44, and the supplied water is stored in the water reservoir 36 without dripping, so a dedicated manager is not required.

Furthermore, since a fixed amount of water is always stored in the water reservoir 36 by installing the overflow pipe 40, water can be supplied in just the right amount, making management easy.

[0032] Even if it becomes necessary to replant the seeds,
Only the rock wool 60 needs to be replaced, and the work can be done efficiently.

[0033] In this embodiment, the case where the planter 10 is placed on a storage stand parallel to the floor has been explained.
It is also possible to install it on a wall surface 64 of a building as shown in FIG. 3, or to hang it upside down on a ceiling surface 66 as shown in FIG. Note that when installing on a wall surface 64 or on a ceiling surface 66, the casing 16
Since their structures are slightly different, each structure will be explained in detail below. Components that are the same as those in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals, and description of the configuration will be omitted.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, the casing 7 of the planter 68 to be installed on the wall surface 64 of a building, etc.
0A, B, and C are placed on a substantially L-shaped angle 72 attached to the wall surface 64.

The structure of the water reservoir section 36 is the same as that when placed on the storage table 14, so a description of the structure will be omitted. Further, the overflow pipe 40 and the water supply pipe 50 are piped to the water storage tank 42 by penetrating the wall surface 64.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4, casings 80A, B, and C of the planter 78 to be installed on the ceiling surface 66 of a building or the like are placed on the upper part of the ceiling surface 66. A through hole 84 coaxial with the hole 26 is formed in the ceiling surface 66 .

[0037] In the casing 80, the stem of the plant is placed in the water reservoir part 3.
It passes through the inside of the cylindrical body 28 forming the cylindrical body 6 and grows downward from the ceiling surface 66.

When installing the planters 68 and 78 on the wall surface 64 and ceiling surface 66, it is preferable to install the planters after they have grown to a certain extent because the roots of plants tend to grow in the direction of gravity.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the planters 10, 68
, 78 was filled with a double structure of a granular filler (Hydro Ball 58) and a fibrous filler (Rock Wool 60), but a mixed filler obtained by mixing these may also be filled.

Furthermore, in this example, the above-mentioned filler was used in order to optimize the maintainability of the plant cultivation as a whole, but it is also possible to cultivate planters in places where cultivating soil can be used, such as roofed entrances around buildings. If this is the case, cultivation may be carried out in the conventional manner using soil without applying filler. In this case, water is supplied automatically and in an optimal amount, so all that is needed is to manage the soil. (Second Embodiment) A second embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and the explanation of the configuration will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the feature of the second embodiment is that a pipe 90 supplies water from the water supply to the water storage tank 42.
A float valve 92 is provided at the tip of the float valve 92.

The float valve 92 has a valve body 93 and a float portion 94 connected by an arm 95. The valve body 93 is attached to the tip of the pipe 90 and opens and closes the opening at the tip of the pipe 90. The float portion 94 floats on the liquid level stored in the water storage tank 42 and moves up and down in response to changes in the liquid level. The vertical movement of the float portion 94 is transmitted to the valve body 93 by the arm 95, and when the float portion 94 exceeds a predetermined water level, the valve body 93 closes the opening of the pipe 90, and when the water level falls below the predetermined water level, the valve body 93 closes the opening of the pipe 90. The opening is opened and new water is supplied to the water storage tank 42.

[0043]Thereby, a certain amount of water is secured in the water storage tank 42, and a certain amount of water is always stored in the water storage portion 36 of each planter 10A, 10B, 10C by the overflow pipe 40. It turns out. Therefore, the plants will not dry out.

[0044]

Effects of the Invention As explained above, the nutrient water supply device for planters according to the present invention can efficiently supply water when cultivating plants by installing planters in places where the natural environment is obstructed, such as buildings. This has the excellent effect of improving maintainability by supplying

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a planter and a water supply device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the planter according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the planter installed on a wall.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the planter installed on the ceiling.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a water supply device when a float valve is provided in a water storage tank.

[Explanation of symbols]

10A Planter 10B Planter 10C Planter 16 Casing 18 Opening 36 Water reservoir 38 Through hole 40 Overflow pipe 42 Water storage tank 44 Pump 50 Water supply pipe 54 Ring-shaped pipe

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A storage tank in which water to be supplied to the planter is stored, a supply means for supplying the water stored in the storage tank into the planter, and the supply means is driven so that water is intermittently supplied. A device for supplying nutrient water to a planter, comprising: a driving means; and an overflow pipe, one end of which is disposed at a position at a predetermined water level in the planter and guides water exceeding the predetermined water level in the planter to the storage tank.