JPS61173725A - Automatic water feed controller - 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 (Industrial Application Field) The present invention relates to an automatic water supply control device for plants, and in particular, at each time point after sunrise by a set time or before sunset by a set time, over a predetermined period of time,
The present invention relates to an automatic water supply control device for automatically supplying water or irrigation.

However, "water supply" may include not only water but also general fluids such as culture solution.

(Prior Art) An automatic water supply control device that considers sunrise or sunset as the starting point for each water supply control operation as the object of the present invention;
In other words, automatic water supply control devices that attempt to periodically and automatically supply water over the scheduled water supply time by delaying the sunrise by several hours or by advancing the water by several hours from sunset have conventionally been used. can't see.

Even the most similar conventional automatic water supply control devices simply use a timer to repeat the water supply operation at predetermined intervals.

For example, the inventions disclosed in the publications shown in (1) and (2) below fall under this category.

■Special Publication No. 40-20593 The water supply control device disclosed in this publication uses a 24-hour timer to water lawns, etc. at predetermined time intervals for a fixed period of time each time. If the humidity sensor detects humidity above a certain value in the soil, watering for that time is stopped at that point.

■Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-100442 This water supply control device also operates for a certain period of time at specified time intervals.
The use of a timer that outputs output is no different from the invention disclosed in item (■) above.The difference is that in the device (i) above, the timer directly operates the water supply operating device. In the water supply control device disclosed in this publication, the only point is that the timer first operates a humidity detection circuit, and it is determined whether or not to supply water based on the detection result.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) The biggest drawback of the above-mentioned conventional automatic water supply control device is that water supply can only be performed at predetermined time intervals;
In other words, water can only be supplied at fixed times of the day.

This is not necessarily a favorable result, considering the fact that changes in the four seasons, ie, changes in sunrise and sunset times and sunlight hours, are closely related to the growth of plants.

As is well known, in Japan, the sunrise and sunset times vary by up to two hours or more throughout the year. For example, in Tokyo, the sunrise time around the summer solstice is around 3.8 o'clock, while the sunrise time around the winter solstice is around 3.8 o'clock. It is about 6.2 o'clock, and during that time approximately C
There is a gap of 2 to 4 hours. Similarly, for Sun people, the sunset time around the summer solstice is 18.6 o'clock, while around the winter solstice it is 17.2 o'clock, which is also approximately C2,
There is a gap of up to 4 hours.

However, on the other hand, the time it takes for plants to enter the active state of photosynthesis with the onset of sunlight is determined by the seasonal Regardless, there is not that much of a change.

As you can see, when using a conventional automatic water supply control device, for example, at 7 o'clock in the morning or at 9 o'clock in the morning,
- If watering is done by specifying a specific time during the day, watering may be done before the plants have had enough time to "wake up" and enter the active state. On the other hand, there are inconveniences in that the state of water supply to plants changes depending on the season, such as not being supplied with water even though the plants are in a sufficiently active state.

In addition, especially in winter, if water is supplied just before sunset, it may cause freezing during the night; however, with the above-mentioned conventional device, water supply times that are set as appropriate in summer may become inappropriate in winter. For example, if you set the water supply time to around 5:00 pm in the summer, this time is still more than two hours before sunset in the summer; By then, there would be only a few hours left in the day, and freezing would be inevitable.

Furthermore, in certain plant cultivation systems, such as bonsai, even when there is no risk of freezing, such as in the summer, it may be advisable not to water the plant just before sunset in order to prevent unnecessary growth at night. There is also. In this case as well, the optimum time set in the summer will not be valid in the winter, as described above.

After all, as long as the above-mentioned conventional device is used, in order to maintain the optimal water supply time throughout the year, the set time of the timer must be continually adjusted and changed.

On the other hand, even when it comes to plants that are resistant to supercharged water or wood wilt, the above-mentioned conventional device may exhibit shortcomings in other ways.

For example, if a power outage occurs, the conventional device uses an electromechanical timer, so once the operating cycle of the timer goes out of order, it will continue to go out of order unless it is readjusted. If you leave this unnoticed,
No matter how resistant plants are to superhydration and tree blight, it becomes difficult to sustain life.

In summary, in order to provide an automatic water supply control device that saves the user's effort throughout the year and can always supply water at the appropriate timing for the plants to be watered, it is necessary to It can be seen that it is desirable to have a control device that takes the time as a starting point and can specify the water supply timing, such as how many hours after sunrise, or how many hours before sunset, when scheduled.

The present invention aims to provide an automatic water supply control device according to precisely such a control principle.

(Means for Solving Problems) In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a control device for an automatic water supply actuator that starts/stops water supply to plants by an electric water supply start/stop command signal, which comprises: sunrise or sunrise; a critical illuminance detection circuit that detects the ambient illuminance that should be considered as sunrise or sunset; a time counting circuit that outputs a water supply timing signal after a predetermined time has elapsed; outputting the water supply start command signal for a predetermined period of time according to the water supply timing signal from the time counting circuit; An automatic water supply control device is provided, comprising: a water supply time control circuit that outputs the water supply stop command signal after the certain period of time has elapsed.

Functions The automatic water supply control device of the present invention configured as described above operates as follows.

For example, when the above gist of the present invention is applied to sunrise,
The critical illuminance detection circuit detects the illuminance that can be considered as the exit of the mouth.

The configuration itself for doing this can be very easily assembled by a person skilled in the art by, for example, making use of the technology of known and existing automatic flashers for street lights. , illuminance 50L that can be recognized as sunrise etc.
! It is possible to use a circuit that emits a pulse of a logic level different from that up to that point at the point when the threshold is exceeded.

Strictly speaking, therefore, this critical illuminance detection circuit does not detect the exact moment of sunrise, but rather detects a time slightly later than that, but from sunrise until the set illuminance is reached. Since the time is approximately constant C regardless of the season, there is no particular problem in saying that the sunrise is being detected after all.

Therefore, correctly speaking, the critical illuminance detection circuit detects the time that should be regarded as sunrise, but for the sake of simplicity, we will simply write that it detects sunrise below. The same applies to the detection of the time that should be considered as sunset, which will be described later.

After the critical illuminance detection circuit detects sunrise, the one-hour counting circuit operates and counts the time, and the scheduled time elapses, which is fixed in advance, preferably set by the user's setting operation. Then, a water supply timing signal is output from the time counting circuit.

This water supply timing signal is given to a water supply time control circuit, which outputs a water supply start command signal and then outputs a water supply stop command signal for a scheduled period of time that is fixed in advance, preferably set by the user's setting operation. Output.

However, in general, the water supply start command signal and the water supply stop command signal are on one common signal line and can be expressed in correspondence to either logic "1" or logic "0". This is particularly the case when the electromechanical water supply actuator controlled by the control device is a conventional solenoid valve.

However, logic "l" and logic "0" can be either voltage dimension or current dimension, so simply speaking, water supply starts.

A command signal is generated when a voltage or current is generated on a specific signal line.
Water supply stop command signals are distinguished when no voltage or current is present on the same line. Of course, depending on the form of the subsequent electromechanical water supply actuator, these can also be represented separately on separate signal lines.

In any case, according to the water supply control device, when sunrise is used as the standard as described above, the control mode is maintained in which water is supplied for a certain period of time, which is several hours after sunrise, regardless of the season. be able to.

For example, if the counting circuit is set to two hours, water will be supplied at around 7:00 for sunrise at around 5:00 in the summer, and water will be supplied at around 1:30 for sunrise at around 6:30 in the winter.

The same thing can be said when the above gist of the present invention is applied to sunset.

At sunset, for example, the surrounding environment illuminance is less than 50L, so it can be uniformly installed regardless of the season, so when the illuminance falls below this illuminance, a pulse with a logic level different from that during daytime is output. If the critical illuminance detection circuit is configured in
A uniform water supply mode can be maintained regardless of the season. However, the sunset on that day will determine the timing of public water supply on the following day.

For example, if the set time is 22 hours, water will be supplied at around 5:00 p.m. the next day when the sun sets at around 7:00 p.m. in the summer, and when the sun sets around 5:30 p.m. in the winter. Water will be supplied at around 3:30 pm the next day.

In the above, the present invention has been explained as being applied individually to sunrise and sunset, but if the present invention is applied to both, it will be possible to apply the present invention to both sunrise and sunset. It is also possible to provide a device that can supply water twice a day in advance of a set time.

However, in this case, chattering is likely to occur if sunrise detection and sunset detection are performed using the same critical illuminance detection circuit and at the same illuminance, so there is an easy way to prevent this chattering without taking special circuit measures. For example, the critical illuminance for sunrise detection may be set to 50Lx, the critical illuminance for sunset detection may be set to 100Lz, etc.6.

Furthermore, according to the above summary structure, it can be seen that when the control device 2 of the present invention is assembled with a specific circuit, it can be easily made resistant to power outages. In other words, even if there is a power outage, operations will be disrupted that day or the next day.

Normal operation can be performed from the next day or the day after next. This is very different from conventional devices, which relied on timers and had the disadvantage of never self-recovering due to their inherent nature.

Examples) Examples of the present invention will be described below in detail in accordance with the attached drawings, but here, as already mentioned, the present invention is applied to both sunrise and sunset, and the present invention is applied to both sunrise and sunset. An automatic water supply control device shall be constructed that can supply water twice a day: after the set time of sunset and before the set time of sunset. As a result, a configuration example in either case becomes apparent as a matter of course.

FIG. 1 shows a basic embodiment or an example of the basic configuration of the automatic water supply control device of the present invention.

The time base generator l generates a pulse of a suitable fundamental period, for example a clock pulse CP of lH2. The switch Swl switches to the corresponding contact position depending on whether the commercial power frequency in the area where the device is used is 50 Hz or 80 Hz, and this is a common practice in this type of technology. However, of course, if another reference frequency oscillation source unrelated to the power supply frequency, such as a crystal oscillator, is used, such a switching operation according to the power supply frequency becomes unnecessary.

The critical illuminance detection circuit 5 outputs, for example, a logic "H" daytime signal from when the surrounding environment illuminance exceeds a predetermined critical illuminance, for example 50Lx, which can be considered as sunrise, and when daytime has passed, In the evening, when the surrounding environment illuminance falls below the critical illuminance, for example, 100LX, which can be considered as the sunset of the day, the logical “
This type of circuit can be easily constructed by those skilled in the art using known and existing circuit technology, and can be installed at sunrise and sunset, respectively. The purpose of varying the illuminance is to prevent chattering, as described above.

In such a case, the daytime signal and the nighttime signal are complementary to each other, but they are collectively indicated by the symbol Ss in the figure. Therefore, conversely, when the output signal Ss of the critical illuminance detection circuit 5 rises to logic "H", the rising point can be regarded as sunrise, and when it falls to logic "L", You can think of that point as a Japanese person.

The cloud 1 counting circuit 2 outputs the water supply timing signal Sa after the set time Ta set by the time setting circuit 21 from sunrise.
In order to capture the rising edge of s, the signal SS is received by a differentiating circuit 22.

That is, when the output signal S8 of the critical illuminance detection circuit 5 rises from the previous logic "L" to "H", the rising transition is differentiated and becomes a single pulse, which is sent to the reset input of the @1 counting circuit 2. temporarily granted.

As a result, in the cloud 1 counting circuit 2, after the reset pulse is released after a time determined by the time constant of the differentiating circuit 22, the clock pulse CP is counted, and the time setting circuit 2
After the set time Ta set in step 1, the water supply timing signal Sa is output. Of course, if the clock pulses CP were counted as they were, a large capacity would be required for the counter and the comparison unit with the set time.

An appropriate frequency dividing circuit may be provided.

The time setting circuit 21 is fixedly operated by the manufacturer of this device.
It may be possible to configure the settings, but of course, in order to increase versatility,
It is desirable that the user can set the desired value, but the resolution, that is, the minimum adjustable time width, does not need to be so fine.

It can be set not only for several minutes to several tens of minutes, but also every hour, etc. This also determines the frequency division ratio of the frequency dividing circuit described above. For example, if it is sufficient to be able to set it every hour, Divide the clock pulse of In2 by 3B00 to 1
If it is converted into a pulse train of 17 hours and counted, a small-capacity counter and comparator can be configured.

81 counting circuit 2 may further include a circuit such as a flip-flop that holds the output Sa after the set time Ta has elapsed, and this water supply timing signal Ss is, in the case shown in the figure,
After passing through the OR gate 73, it passes through the four-man AND gate 74 whose other inputs are all at logic "H" under normal conditions, and further passes through the OR gate 7B to control the water supply for each water supply. It is given to the water supply time control circuit 3 which defines the time.

The water supply time control circuit 3 has a time limit circuit 31,
This can be configured to include a general timer.

When the water supply timing signal Sa is applied to the effective enable terminal or load terminal of the time limit circuit 31, a timer built in the time limit circuit is activated, and the timer is fixedly set by the time setting circuit 32.

Preferably, the output signal SO remains at logic "H" only during a set time Td that is variably set by the user.

In this embodiment, when the output signal So is at logic "H", it functions as a water supply command signal, and when it is at logic "L", it functions as a water supply stop command signal.

Therefore, in the above case, when the water supply timing signal Sa arrives, the output signal So becomes logic "H" as the water supply command signal.
Then, the driver transistor 33 turns on and excites the driving relay R1 of the water supply operating device such as the solenoid valve.

As a result, the solenoid valve in the water supply path is opened, and the plants to be watered are supplied with water as expected.

After the start of water supply, the time T set in the time setting circuit 32
d (generally about several minutes to more than ten minutes), the one-hour limit circuit 31 sets its output So to logic "L" and issues a water supply stop command.

As a result, the driver transistor 33 is turned off, the relay R1 is demagnetized, the solenoid valve solenoid (not shown) is demagnetized, the water supply channel is closed, and the water supply to the plants to be watered is stopped.

Although a specific example of the water supply operating device is not shown in the figure, any electromechanical device, including the most common electromagnetic valve drive type mentioned above, can be controlled by the device of the present invention. Of course, depending on the water supply operating device used, the logical value relationship may be reversed between the water supply start command and the water supply stop command, and it is also conceivable that separate signal lines may be used.

The control sequence of this device that starts at sunrise has been described above, but the water supply in public during the day can be explained as follows.

When the critical illuminance detection circuit 5 detects the aforementioned critical illuminance regarding sunset, for example 100Lx, its output signal Ss falls to logic "L".

Then, this rising in the negative direction is changed into a rising in the positive direction by the inverter 71, and is converted into a pulse that temporarily becomes logic "H" by the differentiating circuit 42.

This pulse is given to the key 2 counting circuit 4, but the key 2
The circuit structure of the counting circuit 4 may be basically the same as the $1 counting circuit 2 described above.

Therefore, the s22 counting path 4 starts counting the clock pulses CP from this point, and after a time Tb fixedly set by the time setting circuit 41 or preferably variably set by the user has elapsed, the water supply timing signal sb is output. Output.

As can be seen immediately, this set time Tb is long, for example, 22 hours, and this is for specifying the time for public water supply on the next day. Therefore, when actually assembling the device, the scale of the time setting circuit 41 (24-T
b) How many hours in public on day 0 is it desirable to give a numerical value of
This allows you to make settings based on this feeling.

However, for other matters, the considerations mentioned earlier regarding Spirit 1 Counting Circuit 2 can be applied as is.

That is, when the water supply timing signal sb is output from the cloud 2 counting circuit 4 in front of people on the next day after a time Tb has elapsed after the first day of people, this same mechanism is activated for sunrise. The water supply timing signal sb, which is significant at logic "H", is given to the water supply time control circuit 3 or the time limit circuit 31 therein through each gate group 72, 73, 74, 78, and the above-mentioned schedule limit is applied. Only during the watering time Td, as the output signal So goes to logic "H", the driver transistor 33 turns on and energizes the relay R1, and only during that time the target plants are watered.

Note that it may be more convenient for the cloud 2 counting circuit 4 to adopt a subtraction method from 24 hours instead of an addition method. Also, since the water supply timing for one day is determined by the sunset time of the previous day, strictly speaking, a setting time error corresponding to the difference in one day's sunset time can be expected, but this level of error is can be completely ignored.

The circuit components related to the basic operation of the present invention have been explained above, but additional circuit components that are desirable will be explained next.

The Il temperature circuit 8a uses an appropriate temperature sensor, and when the surrounding environment is at a temperature unsuitable for water supply during each water supply after sunrise and in front of people on the day, the output is set to logic "L". is connected to the single power of AND Gate 74.

Therefore, as is obvious, even if the water supply timing signal Sa or sb is output from the $1 counting circuit 2 or the @22 counting circuit 4,
If the temperature is below the critical temperature at which water supply is allowed, the AND gate 74 remains closed, and therefore water supply is started without any significant signal being sent to the water supply time control circuit 3. Not at all.

Of course, the critical temperature can be set to a desired value by adjusting or changing the resistance value and other electrical quantities of the circuit section that processes the output signal of the temperature sensor, and this circuit configuration itself has already been developed. It is a publicly known thing.

Similarly, the Tate 2 temperature circuit eb is effective in determining a temperature different from the temperature determined by the Tate 1 temperature circuit 6a as the critical temperature during water supply in public on a day, and its output is @22 counting. It is input to the other input of an AND gate 72 inserted in the output line of line 4.

Therefore, even if the fog 2 counting circuit 4 issues the water supply timing signal sb, if the temperature environment is not suitable for water supply at that time,
This signal never passes through the gate 72.

Incidentally, these port 1 and s2 temperature circuits 8a and 8b can actually be assembled as a temperature circuit 6 that shares one temperature sensor.

The humidity circuit 8 makes its output logic "L" during high humidity such as rainy weather when water supply is not required, and logic "H" when water supply is required and low humidity is below the critical humidity. It is given to AND Gate 74's solo power.

Therefore, like the previous single degree circuit 6a, its output is a logic "
When the humidity is high at L'', the AND gate 74 is kept closed to prevent water from being supplied by the device.

As with temperature circuits, the critical humidity can be set finely and accurately continuously or stepwise using an appropriate humidity sensor and a slightly more sophisticated circuit, but it is easier to set the critical humidity by For practical purposes, it is sufficient to determine whether or not the two arranged electrodes are wet, that is, whether or not they are electrically conductive.

The switch Sw2 is used to initialize the circuit to its initial state when the power is turned on for the first time or after a power outage is restored, and it starts resetting the cloud 1 counting circuit 2 along the path shown in the figure, and if necessary resets the circuit in other circuits not shown. Also reset the system.

However, even if such an initialization means is not required, a circuit system that embodies the idea of the present invention is generally resistant to accidents such as power outages, and has the ability to self-recover within several days.

For example, if there is a power outage after sunrise on the 1st and it is restored before sunset, then, as the power outage is restored and the power is turned on again,
The critical illuminance detection circuit 5 sends a reset pulse to the cloud 1 counting circuit 2, so that the sl counting circuit 2 starts counting from that point.

Therefore, after the power is restored, the water supply time signal Sa is sent after the set time Ta has elapsed, and the water supply command signal So is sent from the water supply time control circuit 3, which disturbs the water supply time for that day, but at sunrise on the next day. After the reset, a completely normal sequence will be reproduced.

Similarly, if there is a power outage after sunrise and the power is restored before sunrise, but the power is out for a short period of time, the time will be different from the set time the next day before sunset. Water will be supplied at that point, but if the power is out for a long time, the next day's sunset will come before the time is up for the pass counting circuit 4 after restoration, so the water will be supplied to the The 2-meter circuit 4 is reset, and furthermore, the next day's water supply will be performed correctly as expected. In other words, it can be seen that even if water is not supplied to only a part of the area, it has already recovered by itself the next day.

The switch Sw3 is a manual test switch, and when it is turned on, the time control circuit 3 is connected via the OR gate 7B.
You can see it working and attempting to supply water.

FIG. 2 shows a specific example of a circuit configuration constructed in accordance with the basic embodiment shown in FIG. Corresponding circuit functional parts to those in FIG. 1 will be described with the same reference numerals.

In this circuit, a commercial power supply A is passed through a transformer T with an appropriate step-down ratio, then rectified by a rectifier bridge B, and then passed through a three-terminal regulator Ra, Rh and smoothing capacitors Ga-Cd to provide a stable DC power supply. The obtained diagram also shows a solenoid SD that directly opens and closes the valve part of the solenoid valve as a water supply operating device, and when the contact of the relay RF closes, this solenoid SD is energized and the valve is opened. .

The time base generator 1 utilizes, as an oscillation source, an AC frequency signal A' that has been stepped down to an appropriate voltage range by a suitable transformer (not shown) via a resistor R1 and a capacitor CI.

A clock pulse CP with a frequency of IHz is obtained as the output of the waveform shaping section ICI.

The critical illuminance detection circuit 5 has a photoconductive element 51 such as CdS and a series resistor 52, and also has a resistor 5 for determining the critical illuminance.
It also has a resistor network consisting of 3,54,55.

The connection node between the series photoconductive element 51 and the resistor 52 is connected to the positive phase input of the analog comparator 58, and the resistor 53゜54
The connection node of is connected to the negative phase input. A resistor 55 is inserted as a feedback resistor between the comparator output and the negative phase input to provide appropriate hysteresis.

For example, the resistor 53 and the resistor 54 divide the power supply voltage appropriately by adjusting the value by using the resistor 53 as a variable resistor.
The potential corresponding to the voltage generated at the connection node with the resistor 51 when receiving the signal is set as the value given to the negative phase input of the comparator 5B.

The resistor 55 is connected in parallel with the resistor 54 when the comparator output is "L II", but its value is determined in consideration of the output of the photoconductive element 51 in such a case. For example, the value is set such that a potential equivalent to 50Lx can be applied to the negative phase input of 58.

Therefore, from night to morning, the light input to the photoconductive element 51 is 50L! When the equivalent illuminance is exceeded, the output Ss of the comparator 5B is reversed from the previous logic "L" to H, and at the same time, the feedback resistor 55 is no longer equivalently parallel to the resistor 54, and the output Ss at the comparator input is The critical illuminance is changed to 100L! Then, in the evening, the ambient environment illuminance is 100L!
, at which point the comparator output again inverts to logic “L” and at the same time the critical illuminance at the input is 50L! will be reset to

The rise of the comparator output Ss to logic "H" in the morning is differentiated by the differentiating circuits C2 and R2, and the cloud! It is used as a single reset pulse to the counting circuit 2, and the fall of the comparator output to logic "L" in the evening is sent from the inverter 71 to the differentiating circuits C3 and R3.
, is used as a one-shot reset pulse to the s22 counter 4 via the buffer Bb.

The tl counting circuit 2 is configured to count clock pulses CP on the path leading to the decimal counter IC4 after the cascade connection of the hexadecimal counters IC2 and IC3. After receiving the pulse, the output of the decimal counter IC4 is 1.
A pulse train with a frequency of /3800 Hz, that is, one pulse train per hour, is obtained.

This pulse train is input to a decimal counter IC5.

Therefore, the parallel 4-bit output of this counter IC5 is incremented by "1" every hour.

Then, this parallel 4-beat 2-bit output is input to the BCD decimal decoder ICl0, and an output appears every hour from the "ON" terminal to the "9" terminal of the output of this decoder rcto. , BCD used here
Decimal decoder ICl0 produces a significant output at logic "L".

Therefore, if a terminal with a desired number is selected in advance with the selector 21 as the time setting circuit 21, the time corresponding to the number becomes the set time Ta, and the time from the time when the critical illuminance detection circuit 5 detects sunrise to the corresponding terminal is set. Logic “L” after the set time elapses
A falling signal is obtained, which is passed to the NAND gate 22.
, a differentiating circuit 23, and an inverter 24, and then applied to the set input S of a flip-flop 25 composed of two NAND gates, its Q output is inverted to logic "H" and stabilized, and at the same time its The rising edge is the differential circuit C4, R
4, and from the OR gate 73 to the integration circuit C5, R5, which is provided for the reason described later, and the AND gate 74.
, the water supply time signal Sa is applied to the water supply time control circuit 3 via the OR gate 78 in this order.

The flip-flop 25 is reset based on the detection signal of the critical illuminance detection circuit by inverting the output of the buffer Ba using the inverter 2B.

As mentioned above, the logic “L” of the comparator output in the evening
The falling edge from the inverter 71 to the differentiating circuit C3, R
3. It is sent as a single reset pulse to the cloud 2 counting circuit 4 via the buffer Bb, but after receiving it in the @22 counting circuit 4 as well, the period division groups IC8, IC? each consisting of a counter are sent. , up to the output of IC8 performs the same operation as the $1 counting circuit 2, and a pulse appears at the output of the final stage counter IC8 at a rate of one per hour.

The counters IC9a and IC9b each have a 4-bit capacity, and by setting the 4th and 5th bit data terminals of the cascade-connected 8-bit down counter to logic "H", 24"from"
A counter that counts down to θ″ is obtained.

The 4-beat 2-bit output of this counter IC9a is input to the BCD decimal decoder 1011, and this decoder ICI
An output appears every hour from the terminal "9" to the terminal "θ" of the output of I. However, the BCD decimal decoder ICII used produces a significant output at logic "L".

Therefore, if a terminal with a desired number is selected in advance using the selector 41 as the time setting circuit 41, the time corresponding to the number becomes the set time (24-Tb), and the critical illuminance detection circuit 5 After a time ↑b has elapsed since the detection of ``L'', a signal that falls to logic "L" is obtained, and this signal is sent to the inverter 42. After passing through the AND gate 72, the differentiating circuit C13, and Re, if the OR gate 73 is placed on the same signal path as the water supply timing signal Sa from the above-mentioned 11 counting circuit 2, the water supply time control circuit 3 receives water supply. This means that the timing signal sb can be given.

Note that the counters IC8, 107, and IC8 receive a reset pulse whose rise to logic "H" is significant, whereas the down counters l09a and IC9
Since b receives a load signal whose fall to logic "L" is significant, an inverter 43 is inserted in the reset signal path.

Whether based on sunrise or sunset, when either the water supply timing signal Sa or Sb is applied to the reset input R of the flip-flop 35 in the water supply time control circuit 3 via the inverter 34, the clip The Q terminal of the flop 35 becomes logic “H” and from that point on, the driver
As the transistor 33 turns on, the relay R1 is energized, the solenoid valve solenoid S[l is energized, the valve is opened, and water supply starts.

The duration of this water supply is determined by a time limit circuit 31 in the water supply time control circuit 3.

That is, this time limit circuit 31, which is activated in response to the water supply timing signals Sa and Sb, uses the frequency IHz from the time base generator l in the same way as the @l and s2 counting circuits.
The clock pulse CP is obtained as a timekeeping reference, and this is received by a cascade connection of a 10-decimal counter IC12 and a 12-decimal counter ICl3, and the frequency is divided into 17120 to create a pulse train every two minutes.

The decimal counter ICI4 that receives this uses the water supply timing signal Sa or sb as a load signal, and starts counting every time these are input.

Its 4-bit parallel output is a BCD decimal decoder IC
It is decoded into a decimal number by l3, and from the “0” terminal to “9”
A pulse output that falls to logic "L" appears every two minutes up to the terminal numbered "".

Therefore, in other words, the water supply time for each water supply can be selected by the user in two-minute increments between "0" and "18" minutes using the selector 32 as the time setting circuit 32.

When the time selected by the user elapses, the inverter 3B,
Differential circuit C? , the signal converted into a single pulse that rises to logic “H” at R7 is sent to the OR gate 37.
, is applied to the set input S of the flip-flop 35 via the inverter 38, so that the output of the flip-flop 35 (water supply start/stop command signal So) changes from the previous logic "H" to the signal significant as a stop command signal. The logic of “
L'', relay R1 and solenoid SD are demagnetized, and water supply is stopped.

In the above, each setting time interval and settable width are as follows:
It is obvious that it can be changed arbitrarily depending on factors such as the period of the clock pulse CP, the frequency division ratio, and the capacity of each counter.

Next, as an additional circuit, a specific configuration example of the temperature circuit 6 will be explained first.

This circuit has a suitable temperature sensor 81 such as a thermistor, and after passing its output through an operational amplifier B2,
The @1 comparator Ha corresponding to the 1st temperature circuit 8a and the S2 comparator 83b corresponding to the 2nd temperature circuit eb compare the temperature detected by the sensor and the lower critical limit preset by variable resistors VRI and VR2, respectively. Compare with temperature.

The health comparator 83a specifies the permissible water supply temperature when water is supplied after a set time of a or Tb has elapsed after sunrise or sunset, and if the temperature is undesirably low, the output will be " And gate 74 by becoming L”
The water supply time control circuit 3 functions to shut off the water supply timing signal Sa from being sent to the water supply time control circuit 3.

Similarly, the R2 comparator 83b specifies the permissible water supply temperature when water is supplied after a set time Tb has elapsed from sunset of the previous day, and if the temperature is undesirably low, the output will be When the signal becomes "L", the AND gate 72 is closed and the water supply timing signal sb is cut off from being sent to the water supply time control circuit 3.

In this embodiment, the humidity detection circuit 8 simply consists of a pair of electrodes 8.
A Schmitt trigger 83 is used to monitor whether or not there is continuity between 1 and 82 due to wetness, and its sensitivity can be adjusted using a variable resistor VR3. Therefore, when the electrodes become wet, such as during rainy weather when water supply is not necessary, the output of the inverted output type Schmitt trigger 83 becomes logic "L", and the AND gate 74 is forced to operate on its own. This gate 74 is set to logic "L" so that even if the water supply timing signal Sa or sb is sent, it cannot pass through this gate 74. That is, it is possible to avoid wasted water supply even during the water supply period.

Switch Sw2 is an initialization switch,
When this switch Swl is pressed after the power is turned on, a logic "L" level is given to the NAND gate 22 via the NAND gate 75, and at this time, the external power of the NAND gate 22 given from the selector 21 is logic "H". because there is,
Its output becomes a logic "H", which sets the flip-flop 25 and outputs a logic "H" at the Q output.
A pseudo signal corresponding to a single water supply timing signal is output from the differentiating circuit C4°R4.

However, this single-shot pseudo signal reaches the single power of the AND gate 74 with a slight delay in the integrating circuits C5 and R5, while the single power of the other AND gates 74 is generated by turning on the switch Sw2 before that. Logic from NAND gate 75“
Since the “L” signal is input, this pseudo logic “H”
The differential pulse signal that rises never passes through this gate 74. Therefore, after the fall of this pseudo signal, the circuit system enters a normal steady state and can stand by.

This is also effective after a power outage or when resetting. .

By manually turning on the test switch Sw3, the water condensation time control circuit 3 is activated via the OR gate 78.
This is a switch that can be used to try to operate.

Above, we have explained one specific example of circuit configuration.
The circuit configuration for embodying the present invention is of course not limited to this; for example, by using memory, digital comparators, etc., processing can be performed more digitally. - If a computer is used, it is also possible to realize the idea of the present invention through software measures.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the present invention, the following effects can be expected.

■ Instead of supplying water at fixed time intervals using a 24-hour timer, water is supplied from sunrise to sunset, or after a set time has elapsed from sunrise using both sunrise and sunset as starting points, and/or after sunset. Because the principle is to supply water an hour in advance (or after the set time from the person on the previous day),
Maintenance and inspection regardless of the season or changes in latitude.
It can be used throughout the year without the need for readjustment.

■ A rational water supply mode can be set based on the active state of the plants and the cultivation system.

■ Since the sunrise and/or sunset are the starting points, it is generally considered that the sunrise and sunrise are detected based on an optical sensor, and the circuit operation sequence is configured based on the detection results. It is easy to assemble a circuit system that is resistant to power outages.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a principle or basic embodiment of the automatic water supply control device of the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a circuit configuration of an embodiment that is a more concrete development of the basic embodiment shown in Fig. 1. Figure. In the figure, 1 is a time base generator, 2 is @1 counting circuit, 3 is water supply time control circuit, 4 is @22 counting path, 5
1 is a critical illuminance detection circuit, 6 is a temperature circuit, and 8 is a humidity circuit.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A control device for an automatic water supply actuator that starts/stops water supply to plants by an electric water supply start/stop command signal; ambient environment illuminance that should be regarded as sunrise or sunset. a critical illuminance detection circuit that detects; starts counting time from the time when the critical illuminance detection circuit issues a detection signal representing the time to be considered as sunrise or sunset, and after a predetermined time elapses; a time counting circuit that outputs a water supply timing signal; outputting the water supply start command signal for a predetermined fixed period of time according to the water supply timing signal from the time counting circuit; and outputting the water supply stop command after the fixed period of time has elapsed; An automatic water supply control device comprising: a water supply time control circuit that outputs a signal;