JPH05284863A - Method for watering plant and watering device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To most suitably water a plant corresponding to growing steps of the plant by changing watering position corresponding a period after setting of seedlings. CONSTITUTION:Seedlings of a plant 3 are set into soil 2 in a culture tank 1 at a definite interval and watering is carried out from above the seedlings during a definite period. Then, watering is carried out using a water sprinkling nozzle 22 along a circular locus 4 centering a plant stock and radius R of the circular locus is gradually made larger corresponding to growth of the plant.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for watering plants. More specifically, it relates to a method for effectively irrigating plants and the like planted in a greenhouse, and an irrigation apparatus suitably used for the method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As shown in FIG. 20, high-grade crops such as melons have long tank-shaped containers or planters (hereinafter referred to as "cultivation tanks") 1 arranged in a greenhouse in which a soil (cultivation tank) 2 is placed. Plant 3 plants at regular intervals and plant 1
It is carefully raised for each stock. Moreover, such crops
It is undesirable to have water on the leaves. Therefore, it is not possible to water the plants 3 with a sprinkler or supply water along with nutrients to the entire field, and the worker uses a long Joro (Jiro) J In addition, it is done by sprinkling the soil near the root of the seedlings.

[0003]

However, since the number of strains in the greenhouse is large and the temperature is high (for example, around 40 ° C.), the burden on the operator is heavy. In particular, as shown in FIG. 20, in the case of arranging a large number of cultivation tanks 1 in a stepwise manner, it is difficult to carry out the irrigation work because of sunlight and drainage. Furthermore, since the time suitable for irrigation is set, it is necessary to irrigate a large amount in a short time every day at a fixed time, and irrigation work is a bottleneck for melon cultivation in combination with simple repeated work. .. In addition, since water is manually sprinkled, there are many variations in the amount of water and the position of watering. Therefore, the amount of irrigation water required for growth may be insufficient, or the roots may be unevenly spread. In addition, the movement of the worker's hand is not accurate, and the jolo may contact and damage the leaves of the crop, which may adversely affect the yield and quality of the crop. The present invention solves the conventional problem of manual irrigation, finds a method of irrigation most appropriately according to the growth stage of a plant, and further provides a irrigation device that efficiently performs such a method. Is.

[0004]

The method of irrigation according to claim 1 is
For a certain period of time after planting the plant, irrigate from just above the seedling, then irrigate along a circular trajectory centered on the plant, and gradually increase the radius of the circular trajectory according to the growth of the plant. It is characterized by doing. The irrigation method according to claim 2 is a method of irrigating plants planted in one row at intervals with each other while moving along the rows in order for each plant, and running a certain plant. Place a sprinkling nozzle on the right or left side of the direction, and from that position, irrigate the ground clockwise or counterclockwise along a circular path centered on the plant and return to the original position, then sprinkle water. It is characterized in that the nozzle is advanced along the row to reach the right side or the left side in the advancing direction of the next stock.

A irrigation method according to a third aspect is a method for performing the irrigation method according to the second aspect from a lateral passage of a cultivation tank, wherein the watering nozzle is provided at a tip of a support member having a diameter longer than the circular locus. Along with holding it, the support member is supported so as to intersect the row of plants, and with respect to the certain plant, in a state in which the support member is approached from the rear in the traveling direction, and sprinkling water from the position extended to the most tip side. First, the support member is rotated in parallel while drawing a circular locus with a watering nozzle, and then the support member is advanced along the row of plants to approach the next plant. is there.

The irrigation device of the present invention is a device for sequentially irrigating plants planted in one row at intervals with each other for each plant, in which rows of the plants are lined up. A traveling mechanism that travels in parallel with the supporting mechanism, a supporting member that is retained by the traveling mechanism so as to intersect the row, a sprinkling nozzle that is supported at the tip of the supporting member, and the supporting member that the sprinkling nozzle is a plant In order to make a circular trajectory centered on the stock and to turn while maintaining parallel to the clockwise or counterclockwise direction when looking at the stock to the right or left in the traveling direction of the traveling mechanism, respectively. The support member revolving mechanism of 1) is provided (Claim 4).

In such an irrigation system, the support member revolving mechanism includes the frame of the traveling mechanism, two revolving links rotatably provided on the frame about a vertical axis, and the two revolving links. The four-link parallel link mechanism, which is composed of a parallel swing link whose both ends are rotatably coupled to the vicinity of the front end of the rotary link, holds the support member on the parallel swing link, and It is preferable that the effective radius of gyration of the rotary link is adjustable. Further, the support member turning mechanism may be constituted by a lateral movement mechanism in the extension / contraction direction of the support member, a vertical movement mechanism in the traveling direction of the traveling mechanism, and a control means for synchronizing the movements of the lateral movement and the vertical movement. Yes (claim 6).

[0008]

[Function] The seedlings after planting are low in height and have almost no leaves.
Therefore, as in the method of claim 1, it is convenient to irrigate from immediately above during that period, and there is no fear of damaging the leaves. Also, since the roots have not grown, intensive watering of the seedlings themselves can prevent wasteful watering and promote deep rooting. When the plant grows after a certain period of time, water can be prevented from being applied to the leaves by irrigating the ground along a circular trajectory centered on the plant strain, and the roots can be evenly distributed. Helps spread in the direction. In such a case, if the water is irrigated to some extent outside the spreading tip of the root, the root will try to extend further outward in search of water. Therefore, plants such as melon stand well and can be grown in a well-balanced manner.

When irrigating each strain of a group of plants in which a large number of plants are planted in a row with the circular locus, the sprinkling nozzle may be replaced by the Greek letter "reverse Ω", as in the method of claim 2.
If it is moved so as to draw continuously, it is possible to continue the irrigation by the circular locus with a single stroke.
Therefore, there is no waste of reciprocating the water spray nozzle in the same trajectory, and the watering work can be performed efficiently. At this time, irrigation may be continued even when moving along the lines between the stocks.

According to the irrigation method of the third aspect, the one-stroke movement of the water spray nozzle can be efficiently performed from the passage between the cultivation tanks. That is, hold the base end side of the support member on the passage, hold the support member so as to intersect with the ridges or cultivation tanks to approach the plant, and position the watering nozzle on the side opposite to the plant with respect to the plant. Every time, it moves from that position in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction so as to draw a circular locus around the stock, and then returns to the original position before heading to the next stock. In this way, the sprinkling nozzle moves just above the ground avoiding the leaves and stems, so that it is possible to perform irrigation with a narrow width along an accurate circular trajectory. Further, irrigation can be continuously continued along the one-stroke writing path without causing the long support member to interfere with the plant.

The apparatus according to claims 4 to 6 is for mechanically performing the irrigation method according to claim 3, and is particularly capable of automatically and efficiently performing irrigation. Of these, the apparatus according to claim 5 easily realizes a circular locus centering on the above-mentioned stock with four-section parallel links. That is, when the pair of rotary links make one rotation, the parallel movement link and the support member held by the pair of rotary links make a parallel orbital motion with a circular locus having a radius of the effective rotation radius of the rotary link and at the same angular velocity as the rotary link. .. At this time, if the effective length of the support member (the length from the tip to the attachment portion to the parallel movement link) is made to coincide with the distance between the center line of the plant row and the rotation center of the rotation link, the water sprinkling is performed. The center of swirling of the nozzle lies on the centerline of the row of plants. Therefore, when the running mechanism is stopped so that the support member passes through the center of the plant in a state where the rotation link is orthogonal to the row of plants, the sprinkling nozzle has a rotation link centered on the plant stock. Draw a circular locus with the same radius of gyration.
Moreover, even when the effective turning radius of the turning link is changed,
The center of rotation of the water spray nozzle does not change, and always draws a circular locus centered on the plant. Furthermore, since the water spray nozzle can be rotated at a constant speed simply by rotating the rotation link at a constant speed,
Uniform irrigation can be easily applied on the circumference.

[0012]

EXAMPLES Next, the irrigation method and irrigation apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1A to 1C are plan views showing an embodiment of the irrigation method of the present invention in that order. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is an elongated cultivation tank (see FIG. 20), a soil 2 is put in the cultivation tank 1, and plants 3 are planted at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the cultivation tank 1. In this example, the form of sprinkling changes in the following three periods. Phase 1 (Fig. 1a) In a certain period after planting of the plant 3 (about 5 to 10 days in the case of melon), that is, in the state of still seedlings, the watering nozzle 22 is arranged right above the plant 3 and directed downward. Water the plant 3 itself. At this time, since the height of the seedlings is low, even if the sprinkling nozzle 22 is placed directly above the plant 3, the plant is not touched. Further, the irrigation pipe 19 that also serves as a support member that supports the water spray nozzle 22 does not particularly obstruct.

Second stage (FIG. 1b) After the lapse of the certain period, the plant 3 has some leaves and roots. At this time, first, the water spray nozzle 22
Is placed at a position on the opposite side of the plant 3 when viewed from the side supporting the irrigation pipe 19, and sprinkling is started. For example, the soil 2 is irrigated by drawing a circular locus 4 as shown by an arrow S. .. As a result, the roots of the plant 3 spread out substantially evenly, aiming for a place with high water content. Since the height of the plant 3 is not yet high in this second period, the irrigation pipe 19 can be passed over the plant 3. During this second period,
The radius R of the circular locus 4 is gradually increased according to the growth stage of the plant 3. This allows the roots to be spread evenly and firmly.

Third period (FIG. 1c) This period is basically the same as the second period. However, as the plant 3 grows and becomes taller and the leaves 3a grow more, the water supply pipe 19 is provided at the beginning (solid line) and the end (imaginary line) of the watering as shown in FIG. Pass through the lower side and approach it within a range that does not touch the trunk 3b. At this time, the irrigation pipe 19 may be inclined with respect to the axis of the cultivation tank 2. Also in the case of the third period, as in the second period, the radius R of the circular locus 4 is gradually increased according to the growth of the plant.

The irrigation method for one strain of the plant 3 has been described above, but in the case where a large number of plant 3 strains are planted in the long cultivation tank 1 as shown in FIG. After watering one strain, as shown by the arrow P in ~ c, it may be moved in parallel to the axis of the cultivation tank 1 toward the next strain. As described above, if the irrigation is sequentially performed in a one-stroke manner, it is possible to efficiently irrigate a large number of plants 3 without making unnecessary movements. Note that in the embodiment of FIG. 1, water is sprinkled in order from the right to the left in the drawing, that is, while looking at the right side of the plant in the direction of travel, so a circular locus 4 is drawn in a clockwise direction. When you look at the plant to the left toward the direction, draw a locus counterclockwise. Also, when moving from stock to stock, sprinkling by the sprinkling nozzle 22 may be continued without stopping, thereby avoiding the trouble of alternately repeating water supply and water interruption. In particular, it is possible to avoid a failure of the electromagnetic valve 21 when water passage and water interruption are frequently repeated by opening and closing the electromagnetic valve 21, and it is possible to avoid undesired fluctuations in water pressure. In the sprinkling method, an operator sprays a sprinkling nozzle 2 which is connected to, for example, a long joro or hose.
It can be carried out by using the irrigation pipe 19 provided with two, but according to the irrigation apparatus of the present invention described below, it can be carried out automatically or semi-automatically.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the watering apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a side view thereof. The irrigation device 5 is roughly divided into carts (running mechanism) A that run along the cultivation tank 1.
And a parallel turning mechanism provided on the carriage A (hereinafter,
(Referred to as a turning mechanism) B. First, the turning mechanism B will be described. The swivel mechanism B has a base plate 8 provided with two rotary shafts 6 and 7 which are vertically provided in parallel with each other.
Have. The base plate 8 is a part of the frame of the carriage A. The rotating shafts 6 and 7 are rotatably supported by two bearings in the middle thereof, and a pair of chain wheels 10 and 11 having the same number of teeth are fixed to the lower ends thereof, respectively. At the upper end, a pair of arms 1 forming a rotation link of a four-bar parallel link.
2 and 13 are fixed so that they are parallel to each other. Further, a deceleration motor with a brake (hereinafter referred to as a turning motor) 14 having a vertical motor shaft is attached to the base plate 8, and a small-diameter chain wheel 15 fixed to the motor shaft is attached to the pair of chain wheels 10. , 11 meshes with the chain 16 hung over. As a result, when the turning motor 14 rotates, the pair of arms 12 and 13 synchronize with each other and rotate at the same speed in the same direction.

Joints 56 and 57 having vertical pins 54 and 55 are inserted near the tips of the pair of arms 12 and 13 so as to be adjustable in the longitudinal direction of the arms 12 and 13, respectively. Both ends of the parallel swing link 18 are rotatably fitted to the shaft 55. As a result, the pair of arms 12, 13, the parallel turning link 18, and the base plate 8 constitute a four-bar parallel link mechanism using the base plate 8 as a fixed link. The joints 56 and 57 ensure the parallelism between the line connecting the two rotating shafts 6 and 7 and the line connecting the two pins 54 and 55, and the effective rotation radius R of the arms 12 and 13, and thus the irrigation nozzle. It is for adjusting the turning radius of 19.

A support portion 20 for holding the irrigation pipe 19 is provided at the center of the parallel pivot link 18 so as to be substantially orthogonal thereto. As shown in FIG. 3, the irrigation pipe 19 has a hole (20 in FIG. 11) penetrating the bearing 20.
(See a) and is fixed so that the length can be adjusted.
At the base of the irrigation pipe 19, that is, a position before entering the support portion 20, an electromagnetic valve 21 for supplying and blocking water passing through the irrigation pipe 19 is attached.
A watering nozzle 22 that opens downward is provided at the tip of the watering pipe 19, and a water distribution pipe (reference numeral 66 in FIG. 4) described later is connected to the base end. The one arm 1
A detection piece 23 for a proximity switch is attached to 3 and three proximity switches 2 for detecting the detection piece 23 are attached to the base plate 8.
4, 25, and 26 are provided for detecting the temporary stop position of the arm 13, or for detecting the backward limit position of the irrigation pipe 19 as described later.

In the swing mechanism B configured as described above, as shown in FIG. 5, when the pair of arms 12 and 13 rotate around the rotary shafts 6 and 7, respectively, the parallel swing link 18 is moved.
And the irrigation pipe 19 turns without changing the direction while maintaining the state parallel to the center line Q connecting the rotating shafts 6 and 7. Therefore, the sprinkling nozzle 22 is centered on the point C, and the arm 1
Draw a circular locus with the same radius R ₁ as the effective radii R _{1 of} 2 and 13. Here, the point C is the position P ₁ of the water spray nozzle 22 when the arms 12 and 13 are at right angles to the center line Q, and 1 from there.
This is the midpoint between the position P ₂ when rotated by 80 °. Therefore, the pair of joints 56 and 57 are respectively connected to the arm 12,
The center of rotation C does not change even if the turning radius of the water spray nozzle 22 is changed to R ₂ by shifting the turning direction along arrows 13 in the directions of arrows E ₁ and E ₂ and the turning start position is accordingly shifted. Therefore, once the stop position of the carriage and the length of the irrigation pipe 19 are set to determine the turning center C, the joint 56,
The circular locus 4 of the water spray nozzle 2 can be changed in concentric circles only by adjusting 57 in the directions of the arrows E ₁ and E ₂ . If the effective length of the irrigation pipe 19 is adjustable, the irrigation pipe 19 can be easily adapted even if the width of the cultivation tank 1 is different.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4, the portion of the dolly A of the irrigation system 5 (running mechanism) will be described. The base plate 8
On the front side, that is, on the side of the cultivation tank 1, a downward plate 8a extends, and bearings 27 and 28 are provided on the plate 8a. The bearings 27 and 28 rotatably support the axles of wheels 29 and 30, respectively. Further, one wheel 29 has a brake reduction motor (hereinafter referred to as a traveling motor) 3
One motor shaft is connected, and the axle of the other wheel 30 is connected to the chain wheel 3 from the axle of the one wheel.
2. A chain wheel 34, to which rotation is transmitted via the chain 33, is attached. The wheels 29, 30 have V-shaped grooves or flanges, and in this embodiment, the upper side 35 of one wall of the cultivation tank 1 is used as a rail. However, rails may be provided separately. Two other downward-facing plates 8b are provided on the rear side of the base plate 8, and the lower ends of these plates are wheels 36 that freely roll on the passage,
37 is rotatably supported.

Further, on the front side of the base plate 8, a proximity switch 38 for confirming the position in the traveling direction is attached.
Corresponding to this, a detection piece 39 for a proximity switch is provided on the wall of the cultivation tank 1. The detection piece 39 is provided for each position of the plant 3 so that the running irrigation device 5 can be stopped in front of the plant body. The mounting position of the proximity switch 38 can be adjusted along the traveling direction. This makes it possible to deal with the case where the irrigation device 5 is stopped at a position displaced from the front of the plant 3 by a required length as described later. 2 to 3, reference numeral 40 is a control box that houses electrical components of the irrigation device 5. For supplying and supplying water to the irrigation device 5, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, flexible electric wires and water distribution pipes (hoses) hung in a corrugated manner on a large number of hooks 42 that can move along rails 41 hung on the ceiling. It is preferable to carry out by 66. As a result, the corrugated electric wire and the water distribution pipe 66 freely follow the movement of the irrigation device 5.

In the above embodiment, the turning motor 14 to the arm 1
Although the transmission to the rotating shafts 6 and 7 of 2 and 13 is performed by the chain wheels 10 and 11 and the chain 16, they may be performed by a toothed belt and a toothed pulley. This is the same when the wheels 29 and 30 of the trolley A are driven to rotate. The motor shaft of the turning motor 14 may be directly connected to one of the rotary shafts 6 and 7. Further, both the turning mechanism B and the carriage A have two rotating shafts 6 and 7 and two wheels 29 and 30.
Only one of them may be driven and the other may be free. Next, one embodiment of the relationship between the movement of the swivel mechanism B of the irrigation device 5 and the carriage A configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 2-3. The irrigation device 5 travels in the longitudinal direction (direction of arrow 47) of the cultivation tank 1 by the rotation of the traveling motor 31, and the proximity switch 38 detects the position of the proximity switch detection piece 39 and is placed in front of the plant 3 to be watered. Stop. When stopped, the arms 12 and 13 are at positions rotated by an initial angle θ from a reference position (P _{1 in} FIG. 6) orthogonal to the cultivation tank 1 so that the irrigation pipe 19 does not interfere with the stem of the plant 3. .. As a result, the sprinkling nozzle 22 is at a position 52, which is the starting position 52 in FIG. 6, that is, a position P ₁ where the irrigation pipe 19 is most protruded to the distal end side, as shown in FIG. The irrigation device 5 has already sprinkled water up to the start position 52. Immediately after the irrigation device 5 is stopped, the turning motor 14 is activated to turn the parallel link mechanism and turn the water spray nozzle 22 in the direction of arrow 44 in FIG. 6 by an angle θ ₂ . When the water spray nozzle 22 reaches the position 53, the proximity switch 26 of FIG. 2 detects the proximity switch detection piece 23, whereby the traveling motor 31 is activated and the irrigation device 5 travels in the direction of the arrow 47, and the next Stop at the front of the plant 3. After that, while moving along the cultivation tank 1, the aforementioned irrigation action is sequentially repeated for each strain. The reason why the water is sprayed while traveling in the direction of the arrow 47 is that the frequent opening / closing operation of the electromagnetic valve 21 tends to cause a failure, and fluctuations in water pressure are also undesirable. Also, sprinkling water during that time will not adversely affect the plants.

While the watering device 5 is moving between the stocks in the direction of arrow 47, the arms 12 and 13 continue to rotate in the same direction. In this case, the ratio of the moving speed of the irrigation device 5 to the link rotation speed is adjusted so that the arms 12 and 13 finish rotating the remaining angle θ ₃ before the irrigation device 5 reaches the front of the next plant and stops. Is set. When the rotation of the remaining angle θ ₃ is completed, for example, the proximity switch 24 is used to detect the detection piece 23 on the arm 13.
The approach is detected. If the rotation of the remaining angle θ ₃ is completed and the movement of the irrigation device 5 is completed at the same time, the rotation of the arms 12 and 13 is not stopped, and the stock is continuously circled in the direction of the arrow 44. The trajectory 4 can be turned. In this case, the trolley A intermittently travels while stopping in front of the plant 3, but the turning mechanism does not stop, and the plants in one row are successively watered while continuously rotating. The locus of movement of the sprinkling nozzle 22 during movement of the irrigation device 5 is a curved locus indicated by reference numeral 45 that is a combination of the circular arc-shaped rearward movement of the arms 12 and 13 and the linear forward movement of the irrigation device 5. However, when the rotation speed is higher than the movement speed, the straight movement starts from the middle as indicated by reference numeral 45a in FIG. On the contrary, when the rotation speed is small, the water spray nozzle 22 and the irrigation pipe 19 may come into contact with the next plant. Therefore, in order to prevent such a situation, the rotation end should be at the same time as the movement end at the latest. It is preferable to define the speed ratio.

8 to 10 show that in the irrigation system 5 of FIGS. 2 to 3, the water spray nozzle 22 draws a motion locus different from that of FIG. 6 by changing the control timing of the turning of the turning mechanism and the traveling of the carriage. FIG. In the case of FIG. 8, the irrigation device 5 travels from the right side of the drawing of the plant 3 and stops at a position 52 in front of the plant 80 by a certain distance 80. This can be realized by changing the mounting position of the proximity switch 38. The proximity switches 24 and 26 that determine the stop position of the parallel link mechanism are also changed to one. Thereby, the initial angle θ ₁ of the water spray nozzle 22
Is 0 (perpendicular to the traveling direction), and is in the most protruding state. However, since it is located at the same position as the reference numeral 52 in FIG. 5 with respect to the plant 3, it does not interfere with the trunk. Immediately after stopping, the turning motor 14 is activated to move the parallel link mechanism,
The water spray nozzle 22 is rotated 180 ° in the direction of arrow 44.
When the position 82 on the most front side is reached, this is detected by the proximity switch (reference numeral 25 in FIG. 2), the turning motor 14 is once stopped, and the rotation of the parallel link mechanism is stopped. At the same time, the traveling motor 31 is activated and the irrigation system 5 travels in the direction of the arrow 83 and stops at a position 84 which is a certain distance from the plant 3.

Simultaneously with the stop, the turning motor 14 is restarted to rotate the water spray nozzle 22 by 180 ° in the direction of arrow 85 and stop at the position 86. For stopping the traveling motor 31 at the stop position 84 of the carriage A, a proximity switch (not shown) having the same function as the position detection proximity switch 38 is additionally provided in the irrigation device 5. The position is detected with the detection piece 39 of the cultivation tank 1. Watering nozzle 22
Is rotated in the direction of arrow 85 and stopped at the position 86 by the proximity switch 26, the traveling motor 31 is activated again and the irrigation system 5 travels toward the next plant 3. The parallel link mechanism is stopped during this traveling. As a result, the water spray nozzle 22 draws a track-shaped approximate elliptical locus passing through the positions 52, 82, 84, and 86 around the plant 3. The circular locus referred to in the claims is a concept including such an approximate ellipse. In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the turning mechanism is stopped while the plant 3 travels from one plant to the next as described above. Therefore, irrigation pipe 1
9 and the plant 3 do not interfere with each other. In addition, since the sprinkling nozzle 22 does not swing laterally during the traveling between the stocks and makes an accurate rectilinear motion, a linear watering locus 45b is obtained.

FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which a locus closer to a circle is drawn than the approximate ellipse shown in FIG. As in the case of FIG. 8, the irrigation device 5 runs from the right side of the plant while sprinkling the water, and comes to a position 80 away from the front of the plant 3 in front of the plant 3. The sprinkling nozzle 22 is in the most protruding state when the initial angle θ ₁ of the parallel link mechanism is 0. When reaching the position 52 before this, the irrigation system 5 activates the parallel link mechanism while continuing the traveling of the trolley, and during the traveling of the distance 80, 90
The water spray nozzle 22 reaches a position 87 by rotating. At that time, the irrigation device 5 reaches the front of the plant 3 and stops. However, the parallel link mechanism continues to rotate and moves from position 87 to 18
When the water is rotated by 0 ° and reaches the position 88, the irrigation device 5 is activated and the traveling is restarted, and the rotation is stopped at the position 89. At that time, the car continues to run and moves toward the next plant. Thus, the sprinkling nozzle draws a locus close to a circle passing through the positions 52, 87, 88, 89 centering on the plant.
This also has an advantage that the watering locus 45c between plants is a straight line and the locus around the plant 3 is closer to a circle than in the case of the embodiment of FIG.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 10 is basically the same as the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, except that the arms 12, 13 make an angle θ ₄ smaller than 90 ° while the irrigation system 5 travels within the range of distance 80. Turn only (60 ° in the figure). Also, while the vehicle is stopped, it turns by an angle θ ₅ larger than 180 ° (240 ° in the figure). This can draw a locus closer to a circle than the embodiment of FIG. In this case as well, the watering trajectory 45d during the movement between the plants 3 is a straight line. In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, the rotation speed of the link and the traveling speed of the watering device are constant, but if these are set to variable speeds, it is possible to perform more various motions. In addition, the electromagnetic valve 21
A more desirable amount of irrigation can be provided by interlocking the opening degree of the nozzle with the movement of the nozzle and increasing the opening degree of the nozzle at a necessary portion (for example, a portion where the moving speed of the nozzle is fast).

As described above, by selecting the combination of running of the irrigation system and rotation of the parallel link mechanism, and changing the watering radius, it is possible to obtain the most suitable watering nozzle locus according to the growth stage. Can perform more desirable watering by changing gears and interlocking changes in water supply. Next, additional improvements of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 11 shows an embodiment in which the irrigation pipe 19 is slidably inserted into the support portion 20 of the parallel turning link 18. FIG. 12 shows another embodiment of this portion, in which guide rollers 48 and 49 are rotatably provided above and below the support portion 20, and the guide rollers 48 and 49 support the irrigation pipe 19 movably in the axial direction. It is a thing.

Further, these irrigation pipes 19 are configured to be axially reciprocally driven by an actuator such as a deceleration motor or an air cylinder (not shown). Therefore, by combining the traveling of the dolly and the expansion / contraction operation of the irrigation pipe 19 or the movement of the parallel link mechanism, it is difficult to achieve a trajectory of the water spray nozzle with a link mechanism such as a circular motion, an elliptic motion or a U-shaped motion. Can be drawn. Further, as will be described later, when the irrigation device is moved to the next cultivation tank, the irrigation pipe 19 can be retracted to the main body side to reduce the space occupied by the irrigation device. Proximity switch 25 of FIG.
Is for stopping the water spray nozzle 22 at the most retracted position, including the case of the embodiment of FIG.

In the above embodiment, the irrigation pipe 19 is stopped somewhere in front of the trunk of the plant 3 in order to avoid interference with the trunk of the plant 3, and some rotation is made in the front so as not to interfere with the trunk of the plant 3. I have stopped. Therefore, a non-irrigation area is formed in the rear part of the plant 3 (for example, F in FIG. 6 or FIGS. 8 to 10). FIG. 13 shows these non-irrigation areas F
13A shows an embodiment for reducing the amount of water as much as possible, and FIG. 13A shows a fan-shaped gear 50 concentrically provided on the irrigation pipe 19 in which the irrigation pipe 19 is rotatable about its own axis with respect to the bearing 20. And the pinion 51a fixed to the motor shaft of the reduction motor 51 are meshed with each other, whereby the downward angle of the water spray nozzle 22 can be changed. When the sprinkling nozzle 22 reaches the arrival position 52 in FIG. 6 or FIGS. 8 to 10, or while continuing the sprinkling from the front, the sprinkling nozzle 22 swings in the direction of the arrow 58 to rotate the sprinkler nozzle. The feasible area F can be reduced. When the turning of the irrigation pipe 19 starts, the watering nozzle 22 is returned downward again. Next, when the turning is completed and the vehicle reaches the starting position, conversely, the head can be driven to swing in the direction of the arrow 58 'to reduce the non-irrigation area F.

In these cases, even if the irrigation device 5 reaches the position 52, the sprinkling nozzle 22 is not swung immediately, but is swung in the direction of the arrow 58, returned to the downward direction, and then started to rotate again. It is desirable that the irrigation device does not start moving immediately after reaching the 53 position, but the nozzle is swung in the direction of the arrow 58, and the nozzle is returned to the downward direction before the traveling is started. On the other hand, the mechanism of FIG. 13B has two swinging mechanisms 50A of FIG. 13A and a crank-shaped irrigation pipe 19.
This is a combination of A and A, and synchronizes the rotation of the arms 12 and 13 with the 180 ° rotation of the two swing mechanisms 50A. In this device, a watering nozzle can be located at the back of the trunk to substantially eliminate the non-irrigation area.
In the above description, the positions 52, 4, 53, 45, 5 of FIG.
Although it has been described that the sprinkling is continued throughout the entire cycle such as 2 ′, the sprinkling may be stopped by closing the electromagnetic valve 21 in the running section 45 of the irrigation device 5 as necessary. It is also possible to easily change the opening amount of the electromagnetic valve to change the watering amount according to the section.

Thus, as shown in FIG. 14, only immediately above the seedlings of the plant 3, water was irrigated immediately after planting, and the radius was gradually increased in the order of trajectories 94, 95, and 96 in accordance with the growth thereafter. Watering and locus between plants 3 is 9
As in No. 7, it is possible to irrigate in a substantially straight line. 15 and 16 show an embodiment in which the irrigation pipe is bifurcated. In this structure, a rotary support portion 100 parallel to the traveling direction is provided on the parallel rotation link 18, a hollow shaft 101 is fitted to the rotation support portion 100, and the rotation support portion 100 is attached so as to be rotatable by 90 ° with respect to the support portion 100. The hollow portion of the hollow shaft 101 serves as an irrigation passage,
An electromagnetic valve 102 and a flexible pipe 103 are provided in front of the support portion 100, and irrigation pipes 104 and 105 branch at an angle of 90 ° at the exit of the support portion 100, and the manual valves 106 and 107 immediately after the branch. Is provided, and the tips are provided with first and second water spray nozzles 108 and 109, respectively.
Is provided. Therefore, if the hollow shaft 101 is rotated and fixed in the direction of the arrow 110, the first water spray nozzle 109 is at the position of reference numeral 112, and the second water spray nozzle 108 is at the position of reference numeral 1.
Move to position 11.

In the greenhouse, for example, as shown in FIG. 19 or 20, a large number of cultivation tanks 1 in which plants 3 are lined up are arranged. When the irrigation device 5 is moved to the next tank row, as will be described later. Although it is lifted and moved at the end of the row, in this embodiment, after one row of irrigation is completed, the forked irrigation pipe 104,
105 is rotated 90 degrees and fixed, and manual valves 106, 1
By switching 07 and running in the opposite direction, water can be irrigated to the adjacent cultivation tank. That is, water can be irrigated to the two rows of cultivation tanks by making the watering device 5 reciprocate once, and the number of lifting movements is halved. In addition, even if one irrigation pipe 19 can be inverted by 180 ° around the horizontal axis, the same effect as above can be obtained. In this case, the direction of the water spray nozzles can be changed between the front and back by a mechanism similar to that of FIG. 13, or a pair of water spray nozzles that can be opened and closed are provided on each of the front and back. FIG. 17 is a skeleton diagram showing another embodiment of the swivel mechanism, which is different from the parallel swivel link 18 provided with the irrigation pipe 19 at a right angle as described above in the extension direction of the parallel swirl link 18. An irrigation pipe 19 is provided, and a tip thereof is a watering nozzle 22. This type is convenient when the spacing between the cultivation tank rows is wide and it is desired to reduce the space in the longitudinal direction of the carriage A. The structure and operation and effect are exactly the same as those described above. When the greenhouse is large and the cultivation tank is long, the mileage of the irrigation device becomes long, and it requires extra power to move while following the flexible electric wire and the water distribution pipe as shown in FIG. Moreover, since the electric wires and water pipes are moved while following them, the visibility and lighting in the greenhouse are obstructed, and installation of other equipment may be inconvenient. FIG. 18 shows another embodiment in which these drawbacks are eliminated, in which the battery 59 and the water supply tank 60 are mounted on the irrigation device 5 instead of supplying electricity and supplying water from the outside. The battery 59 may be charged by a known device after the work is completed, and the battery itself may be replaced if necessary. In addition, as shown in FIG. 19, water may be supplied to the water tank by providing a water supply point having a pipe 61 and a valve 61a at the side end of the greenhouse and supplying water as needed. As shown in FIG. 19, since a large number of rows of cultivation tanks 1 in which the plants 3 are planted are provided in the greenhouse, it is necessary to move the irrigation device to the next row to be irrigated. This transfer method and apparatus will be described with reference to the embodiment shown in FIGS. In this embodiment, a hoist rail 62 and a hoist 63 are installed above one side of the greenhouse and a hoisting tool 64 is hung. The hoist rail 62 is orthogonal to the row of cultivation tanks. On the irrigation system 5, a hanging tool 65 that engages with the lifting tool 64 is installed. To use this, irrigate up to the end of the cultivation tank 1 and irrigate the irrigation device 5 with a hoist 6.
3 and hoist it down to the next row, engage the upper side 35 of the wall of the cultivation tank 1 with the wheels 29, 30 of the irrigation device 5 as shown in FIG. 3, and supply water to the plant 3 of the next cultivation tank 1. To enable. Note that a lifter for lifting the watering device on the ground in the greenhouse may be used, but if there is a step in the greenhouse as shown in FIG. 20, it is lifted by a hoist and carried to the next cultivation tank and lowered. The 19 methods and devices are more convenient.

In the above embodiment, the case of sprinkling water as "sprinkling water" was mainly described, but it is needless to say that it may be applied to liquid fertilizer, pesticide spraying and the like. Further, an apparatus for observing a plant may be attached to the apparatus of the present invention in place of the watering nozzle to automatically observe the plant. In addition, it is possible to automatically perform the work of spraying the disinfectant solution of the leaves with the spray nozzle. Furthermore, the humidity of the soil in the cultivation tank and the temperature in the greenhouse are input as data and calculated, and as a result, the flow rate of the water supply valve is calculated. It can also be made to act as a so-called cultivation robot that centrally manages greenhouse cultivation, such as automatically controlling.

[0035]

According to the irrigation method of claim 1 of the present invention, since the watering is carried out from directly above the seedlings, the plant roots deeply and firmly,
As the plant grows, it irrigates the ground with a circular locus with a large radius centered on the plant, so that the roots spread evenly laterally in the cultivation tank. As a result, the plant grows well, yields are increased and quality is improved. According to the irrigation method of claim 2, it is possible to efficiently irrigate a large number of plants lined up in a row by the method of claim 1 without unnecessary movement. According to the apparatus of the third aspect, a large number of plants lined up in a cultivation tank of a greenhouse can be watered in a substantially circular shape centered around a plant and evenly, and automation is easy. According to the apparatus of claim 4, the irrigation method can be implemented by a simple mechanism,
Moreover, the turning radius of the water spray nozzle can be easily adjusted.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a watering method of the present invention in that order.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the watering apparatus of the present invention.

3 is a side view of the device of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a state of wiring and piping in the apparatus of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a plan view for explaining a turning radius adjusting method according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing an example of a trajectory of a watering nozzle of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing another example of the trajectory of the watering nozzle of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing still another example of the trajectory of the watering nozzle of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing still another example of the trajectory of the watering nozzle of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing still another example of the trajectory of the watering nozzle of the apparatus shown in FIGS.

FIG. 11 is a front view showing an embodiment of an expansion and contraction guide mechanism for an irrigation pipe according to the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a front view showing another embodiment of the expansion and contraction guide mechanism of the irrigation pipe according to the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing an embodiment of a water spray nozzle swing mechanism according to the present invention and a skeleton view showing an application example thereof.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a watering method using the device of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a side view showing an embodiment of an irrigation pipe reversing mechanism according to the present invention.

16 is a front view of the irrigation pipe reversing mechanism of FIG.

FIG. 17 is a skeleton diagram showing another embodiment of the water spray nozzle swivel mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a front view showing another embodiment of the watering apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic plan view of the device of FIG.

FIG. 20 is a perspective view showing an example of an arrangement state of cultivation tanks according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Plants 4 Circular locus 5 Irrigation device 12 Arms 13 Arms 18 Parallel turning link 19 Irrigation pipe 22 Sprinkling nozzle 36 Wheels 37 Wheels

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A irrigated water from directly above the seedlings for a certain period after planting the seedlings, and then irrigated along a circular locus centering on the plant, and further, according to the growth of the plant, the circular locus. How to irrigate plants with increasing radius. 2. A method of irrigating plants planted in one row at intervals with each other while moving along the row, in order for each plant to run in the running direction. Place the sprinkling nozzle on the right or left side, and from that position,
Irrigate the ground clockwise or counterclockwise along the circular path centering on the stock to return to the original position, then advance the watering nozzle along the row, in the advancing direction of the next stock. How to irrigate plants to the right or left.
The method according to claim 2, wherein 3. A support member for a certain plant, wherein the watering nozzle is held at the tip of a support member longer than the diameter of the circular locus, and the support member is supported so as to intersect a row of plants. While approaching from the rear of the traveling direction,
Moreover, sprinkling is started from the position most extended to the front end side, a circular trajectory is drawn by the sprinkling nozzle by making a parallel swivel motion while maintaining the orientation of the support member, and then the support member is advanced along the row of plants and then 2. The stock is brought closer to
The method described. 4. A device for sequentially irrigating plants planted in one row at intervals with each other, wherein the plants run laterally in parallel to the row of the plants. A traveling mechanism, a supporting member held by the traveling mechanism so as to intersect with the row, a sprinkling nozzle supported at the tip of the supporting member, the supporting member, and the sprinkling nozzle centering on a plant stock. Support member swivel mechanism for swiveling while keeping parallel to the clockwise or counterclockwise direction when looking at the stock to the right or left toward the traveling direction of the dolly so as to draw a circular trajectory. And a watering device for a plant having. 5. The support member turning mechanism includes a frame of a traveling mechanism, two turning links provided to the frame for turning about a vertical axis, and tips of the two turning links. A four-joint parallel link mechanism including a parallel pivot link whose both ends are rotatably coupled is provided in the vicinity, and the parallel pivot link holds the support member, and further the two pivot links. 5. The device of claim 4, wherein the effective radius of gyration of said is adjustable. 6. The support member turning mechanism includes a lateral movement mechanism for extending and contracting the support member, a vertical movement mechanism for the traveling direction of the traveling mechanism, and a control means for synchronizing the movements of the lateral movement and the vertical movement. The apparatus of claim 4 comprising.