JPS6030624A - Float pot type automatic irrigation apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in a precision automatic watering device for flowerpots used in research on plants and soil or in plant cultivation operations.

Conventionally, when growing plants in flowerpots, it has been necessary to constantly replenish the soil moisture lost through transpiration and evaporation from the soil surface by watering the plants in an appropriate amount, and to maintain a constant soil moisture content in the plants and soil. It is often necessary in research related to this, and is also often desired in various plant cultivation projects.

Since it takes a lot of effort to do this properly, attempts have been made to automate it for a long time, and a wide variety of automatic irrigation methods have been proposed.

By the way, the principle of these automatic irrigation methods is to use some event related to soil water loss to start and stop water supply, and these events include the total weight of flower pots and soil water tension.

It covers a wide range of fields, including soil electrical resistance, soil thermoelectricity, humidity above plant leaves, water content within plants, stomata opening, amount of sunlight, and amount of water surface evaporation.

However, no matter which method is used, there are advantages and disadvantages, and the various devices proposed to date are not completely satisfactory in terms of sensitivity, accuracy, range of application9 price, required energy, operating costs, etc. It doesn't seem like a kimono.

For example, the constant gravimetric method, which is one of the methods mentioned above, is more effective than other indirect methods because soil water loss is directly detected by weight using a scale and watering is normally performed. Although it is accurate, it requires a complex and precise machine that combines a scale to detect weight changes and equipment to transmit the detection results and supply water, so its major drawback is that it is not economical. ing.

Another major disadvantage of this method is that the scale has a certain weighing limit, and the sensitivity is also fixed depending on the weighing limit, so it is impossible to use flower pots that weigh more than the weighing limit, and it is impossible to use flowerpots that weigh less than the weighing limit. If a flower pot is used, the accuracy will be reduced, which means that the range of application is narrow. For this reason, if you try to use flower pots of various sizes and set the soil weight and soil moisture in the pots in various ways depending on the purpose of cultivation, you will need a variety of equipment equipped with scales of various sizes, leading to the inconvenience. There is.

Furthermore, the equipment requires a flat and solid stand to properly install, and the space occupied by the equipment reduces the number of flower pots that can be accommodated in a given area, which is disadvantageous for cultivation using a large number of flower pots. At the same time, regular inspections are essential when using complex equipment.

In the long term, a decrease in sensitivity and malfunction due to parts wear, fatigue, aging, etc. are unavoidable, and the temperature and humidity conditions of plant cultivation,
In particular, the growing conditions for test cultivation are not necessarily favorable for the equipment, and there are also problems with handling and durability, which can lead to poor growth or cultivation failure due to unexpected breakdowns or unexpected stoppages due to power outages. Ta.

Although the constant weight automatic irrigation method using the above-mentioned scale has the advantage of being able to perform accurate irrigation as a direct method as mentioned above, it has not become widespread and has only been used in very limited research. It is thought that the reason why it was used only for test cultivation was based on such economic and technical reasons.

In view of the above, the present invention has been developed based on repeated studies on constant weight automatic irrigation equipment, which belongs to the direct method, which has excellent accuracy, and has developed a buoyancy method, which can be said to be one of the weight detection methods used in various fields. Through application and application, a suitable automatic irrigation system was developed. That is, in the present invention, first, a flowerpot filled with soil containing a predetermined plant is formed from a material that is impermeable to water, and a predetermined float is tied to the pot and floated on the water surface in an aquarium. In this case, generally
If the position and posture of the flower pot is unstable, it is not desirable for automatic irrigation, so floating flower pots (or related floats) are often provided with a guide mechanism that allows movement only in the vertical direction, for example. In addition to using a specially structured guide mechanism, it is also possible to use the wall of an aquarium, or a weight connected to a flower pot with a wire via a pulley. However, this guide mechanism does not need to be strict.

Then, when water loss occurs due to evapotranspiration and the total weight of the flower pot decreases, the flower pot floats up due to buoyancy, that is, the floating and sinking of the flower pot due to the change in weight of the flower pot floating in water is used to start and stop water supply. It is something. When watering is performed, the total weight of the flowerpot increases, so the flowerpot sinks. This water supply machine, which operates by directly or indirectly receiving vertical movement due to changes in the weight of the flower pot, can be operated using various known methods such as mechanical means such as a ram, and photoelectric and electromagnetic systems that use electricity, magnetism, and light. For example, an electric contact may be provided as a detection unit so that when the flower pot floats, the contact contacts, and when the flower pot sinks, the contact separates, and this is connected to a relay, etc. It is connected to a solenoid valve, which is a water supply valve, through a suitable electric circuit, and the electric circuit closes and opens as the flowerpot moves up and down.
The electromagnetic valve may be opened and closed to start and stop water supply. However, since the above-mentioned vertical movement of the flower pot is based on the water surface, the detection unit must always maintain a constant vertical positional relationship with respect to the water surface. In other words,
It is essential to configure an aquarium that constantly corrects changes in the amount of water in the aquarium and maintains the water surface at a constant position, or to configure a detection unit that is not affected by changes in the amount of water in the aquarium. That's what it means.

Therefore, in the present invention, the former is achieved by the overflow method or other method, and the latter is achieved by attaching the detection section to a suitable float and floating it in the same water.

The present invention enables the floating and sinking of flowerpots suspended on the water surface,
It can be used directly as it is to open and close the valves of water supply equipment, and it can also be used indirectly.
This is used to operate the water supply system by detecting the ups and downs of the flowerpot as a change in position relative to the reference water level, and this enables highly sensitive and excellent automatic irrigation as described later.
However, by configuring the water supply device as follows, an automatic irrigation method that does not require not only a scale but also any equipment can be suitably realized. That is, an open pipe is attached to the bottom of the flower pot, and a water supply valve that opens and closes the open pipe by vertical movement as the weight of the flower pot changes is installed at a certain water depth, and the water that floats the flower pot is supplied through the pipe during this time. This is realized by According to this configuration, when the total weight of the flowerpot is above a certain level (that is, when the soil moisture content is sufficient), the valve is located at a certain depth from the water surface and always closes the open pipe, and the flowerpot is closed. Due to water loss due to evapotranspiration, the plant loses weight and floats up, opening the open pipe, allowing water to flow through the open pipe and enter the flower pot.Water is further supplied to the flower pot, which increases its weight and sinks, causing the open pipe. When the lower end reaches the same water depth as before, the valve closes the open pipe again, so the water stops flowing in, and the volume of the flowerpot under water is the same as before, so the weight is also the same as before. Needless to say, it is. This is repeated, so as long as the valve is at a constant water depth, the flower pot will be automatically irrigated to maintain a constant weight.

Of course, by choosing the valve position appropriately, the desired constant weight can be achieved. The valve (corresponding to the passive part of the floating and sinking water supply), which is located at a constant water depth and opens and closes in response to the floating and sinking of the flower pot, can be configured, for example, as follows. In other words, a mechanical valve or a mercury reservoir is installed at the bottom of an overflow-type water tank; An open tube 4-1 is provided, during which the lower end of the tube is connected to the mercury stagnant in the valve or mercury reservoir. When using this mercury, it is necessary to prevent the mercury from entering the lower end of the open pipe.
The contact may be configured so that when the soil water in the flower pot decreases due to transpiration or the like, the flower pot floats up to separate and break the contact, and the water in the aquarium can infiltrate from below into the flower pot through the pipe during this time. With such a configuration, watering a flower pot can be accomplished extremely simply without using any other equipment.

To summarize the various configurations of the present invention described above, the present invention basically consists of the following A.

First, it is divided into B2 format.

A: Use a closed-bottom flowerpot made of non-water-permeable material that is suspended in an aquarium.

B: A flower pot made of non-water permeable material that is suspended in an aquarium and has an open pipe for water supply at the bottom is used.

The former type A is divided into two types: those that use the ups and downs of flower pots to directly open and close the valves of the water supply system (A1), and those that use MI directly using electric circuits (A2). The valve is divided into mechanical type (βl) and valve made of mercury (B2), and these A I +
A2 *For each of B and B2, there are two types: one in which the water level in the aquarium is kept constant using overflow method, etc., and the other in which the relative change between the water level and the flowerpot is used without being affected by changes in the amount of water in the aquarium. It can be divided into For aquariums that can be used with each of these methods, if the detection unit is of the type that follows changes in the water surface, the aquarium can simply hold water;
Any aquarium that is deeper than the flowerpot will do. However, if the detection unit is fixed and the water level is kept constant, the aquarium must be equipped with a device to keep the water level constant. The simplest method for this purpose is the overflow method, in which a hole or cutout is made at the water level on the side wall of the aquarium to serve as an overflow port, and when the water surface rises above this point, it overflows. If you pour water over this, the water level will always remain constant. Alternatively, a method using a float valve can also be applied. This is commonly known as the method used in flush toilets, where water is supplied from a separate reservoir. Also, a method similar to that used for the Maryott bottle can be applied. This system supplies water from a closed water tank, and the water level in the tank can be adjusted to be at the same level as the lower end of the air supply pipe that communicates with the outside air. A float is floated on the water surface of the low water tank, and when the water level drops, the float also falls, and this drop causes the electrical contacts to come into contact, closing the electrical circuit, and opening the solenoid valve of the other water tank to drain the water. Can be refilled in the tank. Any other method may be used.

The present invention will be described below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a method for floating a flower pot in water and supplying water from an external water supply device via a detector. 1 is a water tank, and 2 is a flowerpot molded from a water-impermeable material, the inside of which is filled with soil and suspended in the water tank 1 filled with water. Reference numeral 4 denotes a float as an immovable member relative to the water surface.A detection unit 5 is attached to the float 4, and detects the relative ups and downs displacement of the flower pot 2. It is designed to supply water to the Note that if the water surface 3 is always kept at a constant position by the overflow method, the detection unit 5 may be fixedly attached to the water tank 1.

Here, the above-mentioned detection unit 5. Transmission part 6. To give an example of the configuration of the water supply section 7, an electric contact is provided as a detection section so that when the flowerpot floats, the contact comes into contact, and when it sinks, the contact separates, and this is connected to a solenoid valve via an electric circuit such as a relay. Connect to. Then, as the flowerpot moves up and down, the electric circuit closes and opens, the solenoid valve opens and closes, and water supply can be started and stopped.

There are two methods for watering flowerpots: the top watering method, in which water is sprinkled like rain from above the pot through a nozzle, and the soil watering method, in which water is guided to the soil in the flowerpot through a pipe and released on the soil surface, into the soil, or at the bottom of the soil. Apply one of the following. In the former case, a portion of the sprayed water may scatter outside the flowerpot, which increases the amount of water in the aquarium and may cause the water level to rise. Therefore, when applying the upward sprinkling method, it is recommended to provide an overflow port in the tank to remove excess water from sprinkling. However, even in the case of the upward water spray type, an overflow port is not required if the detection unit is mounted on a float and is not affected by fluctuations in the water level.

The operation and effect of the floating irrigation mechanism having the above structure will be described. At the moment when water droplets start irrigation, the flower pot floats a distance necessary for the passive section or the detection section to react. Therefore, the product of this distance multiplied by the cross-sectional area of the flowerpot at the water surface is the amount of weight loss of the flowerpot at the start of irrigation, and this is the detection sensitivity equivalent to the sensitivity of the conventional scale. 0.1mm based on this distance
When calculating the sensitivity when using a flower pot of the same size as the 1/2000 are Wagner type flower pot normally used for cultivation tests, the side wall thickness of the flower pot is assumed to be 5II11, and the cross-sectional area of the flower pot is 540 cm2. Therefore, the sensitivity is 5.4g. This is two to three times more sensitive than the normal sensitivity of a scale weighing 10 kg to 20 kg.

Generally, when the total weight of the flower pot exceeds 15 kg, the buoyancy is insufficient, so a float is attached to the top of the flower pot, but the total cross-sectional area of the float and the cross-sectional area of the flower pot is 130
m2, its sensitivity is 13g, and the normal sensitivity of a 20kg scale that can weigh this flower pot is 20g.
It is more sensitive. Accuracy is expressed as the ratio of the amount of weight loss of the flowerpot at the start of irrigation to the internal soil weight or internal soil moisture content.
Assuming 2kg, the accuracy for this is 0.0IllXNLO, 05% Tona 4J, and assuming the soil moisture content is 2kg to 8kg, the accuracy for this is 0.27%NaL 0.07%ToA'. Against Koreni,, 10kg
When using the conventional method using a scale of n amount, the soil type is 8 kg.
4. : vs. 0.17L soil moisture content vs. 2kg vs. 1.0
．． The accuracy is 51, and when using a scale with a capacity of 15 kg, the soil weight is 12 kg 4. The accuracy is 0.1'3% for m, and 0.19% for soil moisture of 8kg, both of which are less than water droplets. This can be said to be an advantage over the conventional water droplet method, especially in the case of test cultivation for research that requires high precision. Furthermore, unlike conventional methods, water droplets do not have any restrictions on flower pot size, soil weight, or soil moisture.
It has the major feature of being extremely versatile as it can be selected depending on the purpose of cultivation. In addition, with the conventional method of using a scale, there are conditions such as installing it horizontally on a solid stand, but with water droplets, even if the aquarium is slightly tilted, it will not affect the function, so you need to be careful about the installation location and installation method. In addition, flower pots float on water and only float up and down slightly, so unlike scales, there is no loss of sensitivity or failure due to wear and tear even after long-term use, so maintenance and maintenance of this part is important. It is superior to conventional methods in that it is easy to handle, saves the labor of inspection, and is highly durable.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment (belonging to B2) of the present invention in which a flower pot with an open pipe attached to the bottom is placed in water, and a valve for opening and closing the open pipe is installed at a certain water depth, and water is supplied through the pipe during this time. This is what is shown.

In this example, 10 is an aquarium filled with water, and within this aquarium 10, a floating body 11 that is suspended by a float 13 so as to maintain a constant positional relationship with the water surface is arranged.
Separately, a flowerpot 12 filled with soil and provided with an open tube 16 protruding from the bottom is floated. Note that water is supplied to the floating body 11 so as to correspond to and be located below the open pipe 16 of the flowerpot 12.

A mercury reservoir 14 is provided to constitute a valve, and the lower end of the mercury reservoir 16 can enter and exit the mercury 15 stored therein. In other words, the open tube 16 at the bottom of the flowerpot is
As the flowerpot 12 rises and falls, mercury 15 flows in and out of the mercury reservoir 14, and this mercury 15 and open pipe 16 function as a valve. When the flower pot floats up due to weight loss due to soil water loss due to evapotranspiration and the open tube separates from the mercury, water in the aquarium is supplied to the flower pot through the open tube. When the flower pot sinks due to its weight increase due to the increase in soil moisture due to water supply, the open pipe comes into contact with mercury, and the water pressure causes the mercury to rise inside the open pipe, thereby stopping the water supply. This valve always supplies a constant amount of water. Note that the float 17 is attached to increase buoyancy when the flowerpot is too heavy.

There are no restrictions on the shape, size, material, etc. of the flower pot as long as it has an appropriate buoyancy relative to the total weight including soil and plants and stably floats on water.

However, it is essential that no water enters the sides or the bottom from the outside, so if the material is permeable, the outer surface should be made impermeable by painting, etc. If the buoyancy is insufficient, attach an appropriate float to the top of the flowerpot, and if the weight is insufficient or unstable, attach an appropriate weight to the bottom. In addition, the open tube at the bottom of the flower pot should be impermeable, and the diameter of the open tube should be such that it does not prevent the free entry and exit of mercury, and its length should be slightly longer than 1/13.5 of the specified water depth to the mercury surface. The inner wall should be as rough as possible and should have a high degree of precision so that when the flowerpot is floated on water, the open tube is vertical and its lower end is horizontal. Note that the location for attaching the open tube is not limited to the center of the bottom; it may be placed anywhere on the bottom, or even at the bottom of the side wall, as long as the flower pot does not tilt. To prevent soil particles from falling into the open pipe, it is best to cover the top of the open pipe with a porous material, but if the soil is dense, to speed up the inflow of water, cover the top of the open pipe to the soil surface. All you need to do is attach several perforated tubes or sponge sets.

In addition to the above-mentioned type of water supply valve that uses mercury,
Any other type of mechanical valve may be used as long as it can effectively open and close the pipe according to the ups and downs of the flower pot, so needle valves and other commonly known valves may be used. It is effective to use mercury contained in a mercury reservoir as described above as a valve. The mercury reservoir shall have a cross-sectional area that is sufficiently large compared to the cross-sectional area of the open tube, and shall have an opening at the top large enough to not impede the vertical movement of the open tube. It is necessary that a sufficient amount of mercury remains in the mercury reservoir even if the mercury rises.

When the open tube of a flowerpot comes into contact with mercury, the mercury rises inside the open tube due to water pressure, and as a result, the level of residual mercury in the mercury reservoir decreases, and the height of the mercury column in the tube balances with the water pressure and becomes stable. Since the inflow of water is stopped, the mercury level is set so that the residual mercury level in the mercury reservoir at this time is at a predetermined water depth. The rising height of mercury is the quotient of water depth divided by the specific gravity of mercury.
The product of this multiplied by the cross-sectional area of the open pipe is the rising amount of mercury, so
The quotient obtained by dividing this by the cross-sectional area of the mercury reservoir is the amount of reduction in the residual mercury level in the mercury reservoir, so if the mercury reservoir is fixed, the mercury surface is set shallow in advance by this amount of decrease. When suspended from a float, the side walls of the float and the inner wall of the mercury reservoir should be vertical, and the cross-sectional area ratio of the float to the mercury reservoir should be equal to the difference in specific gravity between mercury and water.
The mercury level is set at a predetermined water depth from the beginning, since the levitation associated with the decrease in residual mercury offsets the drop in the mercury level.

The flowerpot described above is floated in still water so that its open tube is directly above a mercury reservoir installed at a predetermined depth of water, and horizontal movement is then restricted so that the mutual horizontal positional relationship does not change. In this way, irrigation will be performed automatically according to the principle described above. At the moment when the irrigation is started, the flower pot is floating the distance required for the valve to operate. The product of this distance multiplied by the cross-sectional area of the flower pot at the water surface (including the cross-sectional area of the float in flower pots equipped with floats) is the amount of weight loss of the flower pot at the start of irrigation, which indicates the sensitivity. Therefore, sensitivity can be improved by reducing the cross-sectional area of the flower pot near the water surface and using a sensitive valve. - When using mercury as a valve, the sensitivity varies depending on the condition of the inner wall of the open tube. If the inner wall is smooth,
The floating distance until the start of irrigation takes a constant value, which is controlled by the size of the inner diameter of the open pipe. The value is approximately 2 mm when the inner diameter of the open tube is 5 mm.

When it is 10mm, it is about 1.5ta+, and when it is 20mm, it is about 1mm. If the inner wall of the open pipe is rough or has V-shaped vertical grooves, the fine parts will not be filled with mercury and will become a passageway for water, and even the slightest rise will cause water to immediately enter the open pipe. do. In other words, the sensitivity is extremely good. When the floating distance of the flower pot is small, the rate of water invasion is small, so if the evapotranspiration rate is high, the flower pot will continue to float. The larger the distance between the floating flower pot and the water, the faster the water enters.
When the two become equal, the flower pot will stop floating. The floating distance of the flowerpot up to this point is the cross-sectional area of the flowerpot at the water surface (for flowerpots equipped with floats, the cross-sectional area of the float is included)
The product multiplied by is the amount of weight loss of the flowerpot during water supply, which indicates accuracy. Accuracy varies depending on the rate of evapotranspiration, but accuracy can be improved by reducing the cross-sectional area near the water surface of the flower pot and increasing the rate of water intrusion. The rate of water intrusion increases as the roughness of the inner wall increases, and when the roughness is the same, the rate of water intrusion increases as the relationship increases. When the V-shaped longitudinal grooves are cut, a much higher penetration velocity is obtained than when they are not cut. The penetration speed increases as the size and number of V-shaped grooves increases. A pipe with a V-shaped vertical groove of 0.5 mm in width and depth has an intrusion speed that is approximately three times that of a 0.3 mm+ pipe, and when a V-shaped groove of the same size is carved, the intrusion speed is It was directly proportional to the number of V-shaped longitudinal grooves. Therefore, by using a flowerpot with an open tube with many deep V-shaped vertical grooves, highly accurate automatic irrigation can be achieved.

To describe the effect of this example, for example, the inner diameter of a V-shaped vertical groove with a width and depth of 0.5 ml 1.
．． Close the top end of an open polyethylene tube with a length of 4 cm and 50 crrr, insert it vertically into water, let the tip contact the mercury surface at a depth of 23 cm, then open the open tube and let the mercury move inside the open tube to a height corresponding to the water depth. When the open tube was pulled up and the tip was brought to a distance of 0.1 mm from the mercury surface after it had risen to a certain point and stabilized, the rate at which water entered the open tube was 0.5 g/min. If the evapotranspiration rate of a 1/2000 are flower pot with a similar open pipe is 0.5 g per minute, this flower pot will float to the surface by 0.1 m + a, and the water intrusion rate will balance the amount of evapotranspiration. , levitation will stop. The amount of weight loss of the flower pot at this time was 5.4 g, the same as in the previous example, and 0.01]%NiL for the soil weight in the body of 6 kg to 12 kg.
O,05%, 0.27g to 0.07N for 2kg of soil moisture and 8kg of Lr'L. If the evapotranspiration rate is lower than this, the accuracy will be even higher. If the evapotranspiration rate is higher than this, to obtain the same accuracy, the V-shaped grooves on the inner wall of the open tube must be The number of mold longitudinal grooves may be increased. The inner wall of the open tube with an inner diameter of 1.4 cm has a width of 0.5 m.
M of m: Since 80 grooves can be carved, the evaporation rate is 1 g per minute.
However, the same accuracy as above can be obtained. As described above, the powder method provides higher accuracy than the conventional method and is suitable for precise test cultivation.

In addition, the final method is similar to the above-mentioned example in which a flower pot without an open tube at the bottom is floated in water and water is supplied from an external water supply device.
Not only is it superior to conventional methods in terms of ease of handling, versatility, durability, and accuracy because it does not use a scale, but it is also superior in the following points because it does not use a cutting instrument. There is. In other words, since there are no mechanically operating parts that turn off, there is no possibility of sensitivity loss or failure due to wear or fatigue, there is no need for maintenance or repairs, and the product is easy to handle and highly durable. . Since it does not use electricity, there is no need to worry about electrical leakage or other accidents due to aging wiring, etc., and there is no interruption in operation due to power outages. Since the flowerpot floats on the water and only moves slightly up and down, there is no noise. Since the device is not bulky, it is possible to choose the installation location and accommodate a large number of flower pots for cultivation in a limited area. It is also easy to move the fish to another aquarium during the cultivation period if necessary.

Note that the device of the final method has a relatively simple structure and does not require special materials, so it is easy to manufacture and can be mass-produced.

As described above, it not only has high precision but also excellent versatility, ease of handling, and durability, so it is thought that it can be widely used not only for test cultivation for research but also for commercial cultivation.

A specific test example according to this example will be explained as follows.

The flower pot is made of synthetic resin with a capacity of 3E1Ocm3, and has an open synthetic resin tube with an inner diameter of 0.5cm and a length of 1cm in the center of the bottom, and a 10cm x 10cm x 2. °5c+
A float was hollowed out in the center of a Styrofoam board (W) and filled with 300,013 volcanic ash soil. The mercury reservoir has a bottom surface a of 2.4 cm2 and a bottom area of 30.24 cm.
The mercury reservoir was suspended from a styrofoam float of m2 using a metal wire, and the water depth to the mercury surface was 8 cm.
Three people were 1.5cm deep.

For comparison, a flower pot that is exactly the same except for the scenery without an open tube,
Both were floated in the same water tank, pulled up once a day, and their weights were measured using a scale with a sensitivity of 1 g. The results are shown in the table below: The weight of the flower pot with the open tube did not change for 17 days.
It was recognized that irrigation was carried out appropriately.

Weight (g) Number of days passed 012'31? Flowerpot with open tube 281* 28326326328
3 controls (no open tubes) 270 bottles 285258241219
(* Immediately before floating in water) Regarding the automatic irrigation method described above, plants, soil,
Since the total weight including everything in the flowerpot is kept constant, if the plant grows and its zero weight increases, the weight must be increased by that amount in order to maintain the same soil moisture.

In addition, soil moisture may be changed due to needs for plant growth. If it is necessary to change the weight of the flower pot during the growing process, the weight up to the mercury level should be equal to the quotient of the changed weight divided by the cross-sectional area of the flower pot (including the cross-sectional area of the float for flower pots equipped with floats). Increase the prescribed water depth. When using a mercury reservoir attached to a float, a fine adjustment weight is mounted on the float in advance, and by increasing or decreasing this as necessary, the water depth to the valve can be easily changed. In this case, the increase or decrease is the product of the water depth change multiplied by the float cross-sectional area.

Figures 3 and 4 show the outline of the configuration when the possible embodiments of the present invention are divided into A+, A2, B+, and B2, and each of these is a float type and an overflow type. .

In addition, in these figures, 101 is an aquarium, 102 is a flower pot, 103 is a water surface, 104 is a float, 105 is a valve, 106 is a rod, 107 is a water supply tank, 108 is a water nozzle, 109 is a water overflow port, and 10 is an overflow port. Water supply pipe, lll is a detection part, 112 is a transmission part, 113 is a water tank for detecting water level fluctuation, l
4 is a flow I for detecting water level fluctuations, 115 is a detection unit, 1
16 is a transmission part, 117 is a valve, 118 is an open pipe, 119 is an arm, 120 is a valve, 121 is a water tank for water level correction, 122 is a mercury reservoir, and 123 is mercury.

As described above, the automatic irrigation method according to the present invention has a simple device, does not require special techniques for handling, and can reliably perform automatic irrigation with sufficient precision for practical use. Since the device can be manufactured and used in an appropriate size and shape depending on the type and size of the plant to be grown, it has a wide range of applications.

Manufacturing does not require special materials or special techniques, and can be easily manufactured at low cost. Furthermore, it does not require any energy to perform automatic irrigation.
A major feature is that it is extremely economical. .

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram when using a flowerpot without open pipes, Figure 2
The figure is a conceptual diagram of a combination of a flowerpot with an open pipe and a submerged valve. FIGS. 3 and 4 are conceptual diagrams illustrating various examples of embodiments of the present invention. 1...Aquarium 2...Flower pot 3...Water surface 4...Float 5...Detection section 6...Transmission section 7...Water supply section 8...Water supply nozzle lO...Aquarium 11 ... Floating body 12 ... Flower pot 13 ... Float 14 ... Mercury reservoir 15 ... Mercury 1B ... Open tube 17 ... Float 101 ... Water tank 102 ... Flower pot 103 ...・Water surface 104...Float 105...Valve 10fi...
- Rod 107...Water tank 108...Water nozzle 10
9... Overflow port 110... Water supply pipe 111... Detection section 112... Transmission section 113... Water tank for water level change detection 114... Float for water level change detection 115... Detection section 116. ...Transmission section 117...
Valve 118... Open pipe 119... Arm 120... Valve 121... Water level correction water tank 122... Mercury reservoir 1
23...Mercury procedural amendment dated 787, 1939, Showa 2, 2013 Patent Application No. 1/407θ2 3, Relationship with the case of the person making the amendment Applicant 4, Agent Address: Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 2-6-2 Marunouchi to Shigesu Building 33? , 1 □□□1 Amendment Clerk 1, page 14, line 1, ``4 is relative to the water surface'' is corrected to ``4 is relative to the water surface 3.'' 2. In the fourth line at the bottom of page 23, the statement ``If the roughness is the same, there is no relationship'' should be corrected to ``If the roughness is the same, the pipe diameter is the same.'' 3. On page 29, line 13, it says "110 is a water supply pipe," which should be corrected to "110 is a water supply pipe for water level correction." 4. In the 9th line of page 31, the text "11O...water supply pipe" is corrected to "110...water level correction water supply pipe". 5. "Figure 4" in the drawing will be corrected to the drawing submitted today.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1: an aquarium filled with water; a flowerpot molded from an impermeable material and filled with soil; a water supply device including a fixed member that does not move vertically relative to the water surface in the aquarium; a normally closed water supply valve that is normally closed and opens when water is supplied; and a detection means for detecting this, and is configured to open the water supply valve of the water supply device via the detection means when the flower pot rises a certain amount relative to the immovable member on the water surface due to weight loss. A floating bowl type automatic irrigation system. 2. The floating bowl type automatic irrigation device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the immovable member with respect to the water surface is a float. 3. The floating bowl type automatic irrigation device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the water tank is of an overflow type and the immovable member is fixed at the water surface position of the water tank. 4. An aquarium filled with water, a flowerpot molded with non-permeable material and filled with soil, and suspended so that it can float and settle on the water surface in the aquarium, and a flower pot that is always on the water surface in the aquarium. a stationary member that is disposed at a constant water depth and does not move vertically relative to the water surface, and a normally closed water supply valve that is attached to the stationary member and is normally closed and opens when water is supplied. The valve is provided in a penetrating cylindrical opening formed to protrude downward from the bottom of the flower pot, and opens a flow passage within the water supply valve by relative movement with a stationary member when the flower pot rises above a certain level above the water surface. A floating bowl type automatic irrigation device characterized by being configured as follows. 5. The floating automatic irrigation system according to claim 4, wherein the immovable member with respect to the water surface is a mercury reservoir, and the water supply valve is mercury stored in the mercury reservoir. 6. The floating automatic irrigation system according to claim 4, wherein the immovable member relative to the water surface is suspended from a float. 7. The floating automatic watering device according to claim 4, wherein the water tank is of an overflow type and the immovable member is fixed to the bottom of the tank.