JPS6279723A - Automatic liquid feeder - 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 greatly simplifies automatic supply of nutrient solution in hydroponic cultivation, reduces equipment costs, maintenance costs, etc., and reduces management effort. , trying to reduce the production costs of these agricultural products.

``Prior Art'' Most of the automatic nutrient solution supply devices up to now have been complicated and expensive, using many switches, valves, and other electrically connected devices, and require careful management, making it difficult for them to become widespread. There were many.

``Problems that the invention seeks to solve'' A common feature of conventional technologies is that the proportion of utilizing the natural power of water is extremely low. For example, a pump or the like is often used to suck up and circulate the nutrient solution, or to spray it out.

``Means for Solving the Problems'' The present invention allows nutrient solution to be naturally released from the tip of a pipe connected to a nutrient solution source into a cultivation tank, etc., and stops the release when the water level in the tank exceeds a predetermined level. In the following, we will start the discharge, and this repeated action will depend on the water level of the nutrient solution source, etc., without receiving electric power or other forces.

``Function'' When the water level of the nutrient solution source is always maintained at a predetermined height and the tip of the pipe is engaged with a floating body and placed in the cultivation tank, the released nutrient solution will eventually accumulate in the tank. The release stops when it reaches the predetermined height, and starts again when it starts to decrease. The key point is to consider how easily and sensitively the floating body can move up and down the pipe, which has become heavy once filled with liquid.

``Example'' ■The present invention first involves guiding and releasing liquid such as water in a water storage tank into a cultivation tank or the like from the tip of a pipe connected directly or indirectly to a water storage tank (hereinafter referred to as a liquid storage tank). The tip of the tube is arranged so that the floating body arranged in the cultivation tank etc. is engaged with the tip of the tube, so that it can rise and fall together according to the increase and decrease of the liquid released by the above into the cultivation tank etc., The liquid level (hereinafter simply referred to as water level) in the liquid storage tank is made in advance so that it can almost always be kept at a predetermined level, and the inner bottom of the pipe, such as near the tip of the pipe, is kept at or above the predetermined height in the liquid storage tank. At certain times, the discharge of liquid from the tip of the tube is made to stop naturally, and when the inner bottom of the tube is below the predetermined height, the discharge of liquid is made to occur naturally, and the stopping and starting of these discharges are automatic. This is an automatic supply device for liquids such as nutrient solutions that can be repeated repeatedly.

The drawings will be explained below regarding the above.

■In Figures 1 and 2, a liquid storage tank 3 is placed on legs 2 placed on a roughly horizontal base 1, and a liquid distribution main pipe (hereinafter simply referred to as main pipe) is placed on the liquid storage tank 3. 4, connect a liquid distribution branch pipe (hereinafter simply referred to as a branch pipe) 5 to the main pipe 4, connect a liquid distribution soft pipe (hereinafter simply referred to as a soft pipe) 6 to the branch pipe 5, and connect it to the cultivation tank 7. The soft tube tip 6 is extended to maintain approximately a predetermined height. The soft pipe 6 is made of a flexible material made of rubber or plastic (including foam), but the main pipe 4 and branch pipes 5 may also be made of flexible material. It is also possible to attach the soft pipe 6 to the main pipe 4 regardless of the presence or absence of the branch pipe 5.

In addition, legs similar to the legs 2 can be arranged on the main pipe 4 and the branch pipes 5.

The soft tube 6 can be made of a thin, flexible and lightweight material, such as a polyethylene film, so that it can be easily compressed and deformed when there is no liquid inside.

At the tip 6 of the soft tube, a retaining ring 62 made of plastic or the like can be disposed along the outer circumference of the tube and can maintain approximately its shape. It is possible to arrange a long arm 8 which can attach to the lower half of the soft pipe 6 and can detachably receive a part of the soft pipe 6 from the main pipe 4 side.
In the figure, one end of the long arm 8 on the main pipe 4 side is an annular base 81, and the branch pipe 5. This is an example where it is attached in an encircling manner.

A box 9 is placed in the cultivation tank 7, and on the extension of the combination of shafts 10 and 102 attached above the floating body 10 placed inside the box 9, which can be raised and lowered freely, a receiving arm 11 of a two-stage upper and lower type is attached. 112 is attached, and a part of the soft tube 6, such as near the soft tube tip 61, is received at the lower stage 11□ of the receiving arm 11.

The receiving arms 11 and 112 both form a U-shape that almost follows the circumference of the soft pipe 6 so that a part of the soft pipe 6 can be accommodated from the side, and one side of the U-shape is made lower so that the soft pipe 6 can be accommodated from the side. The lowered side shall be designed to make it easier to enter and exit. A part of the above-mentioned retaining ring 62 may be caught on a part of the U-shape of the receiving arms 11 and 11□, thereby preventing the soft pipe 6 from being pulled out and falling to the side of the branch pipe 5. I can do it. The combination of shaft 10.10□ is screw 10. It is possible to adjust the expansion and contraction as appropriate by attaching a .

A required number of vertically elongated or other water passage holes 12 are bored on the circumferential side of the box 9. The bottom wall 91 of the box 9 can be discarded.

The base 1 around the lower part of the box 9 is provided with a recess 11 in a desired range in order to prevent flooding, but a plate or other material is placed between this recess 11 and the lower edge of the box 9 to raise and lower the position of the box 9. It can also be adjusted. Dent 1 can be abolished.

A tank 14 is placed on legs 13 placed on a base 1, a liquid draining pipe 15 is connected below the tank 14, and the opening lower end of the pipe 15 is placed at a predetermined height X in the liquid storage tank 3. In FIG. 2, the lower end of the opening 15. and the upper surface of the liquid storage tank 3 are aligned horizontally,
An example of the explanation using the predetermined height X will be shown.

However, an example is also shown in which the inner bottom a of the tube near the tip 61 of the soft tube is set to be below the predetermined height X before the start of use of the present invention.

A liquid inlet pipe 16 is installed upright on the tank 14, and a funnel-shaped liquid inlet 16 is provided above it. It is assumed that the . A stopper 162 is provided on the liquid inlet pipe 16, and a stopper 152 is provided on the liquid outlet pipe 15.
and a shutoff valve 41 is attached to the main pipe 4, respectively.

Figures 1, 2, and 3 are for the sake of explaining the gist of the present invention in a concise manner, and it is assumed that there is a lack of balance in terms of size, thickness, etc.

■Describing how to use and operate the device of the present invention... Close the stopper 15□4, open the liquid inlet 16□, and open the liquid inlet 16. The tank 14 is filled with a nutrient solution etc. prepared separately from
Close □. A downwardly tapered cylindrical inner cavity (not shown) is provided above the opening/closing stopper 16□, and a downwardly tapered rubber stopper or the like is arranged inside this, and when liquid is added, it is raised and then lowered to seal it. You can arrange it as you like.

A part of the separately prepared nutrient solution is poured into the liquid storage tank 3 up to the predetermined height Raise and open lower end 1
51, that is, when the height is made to match the predetermined height X, air stops flowing into the tank 14 from the lower end of the opening 151, and the nutrient solution also stops flowing out.

Therefore, open and close the valve 4. When opened, the nutrient solution will fall from the soft tube tip 61 into the cultivation tank 7 as shown by the right arrow W in Fig. 15. As air enters the tank 14, the nutrient solution falls out and the water level (nutrient solution level) rises, causing the lower end of the opening 15. After that, the same thing will be repeated.

In this way, the nutrient solution accumulates in the cultivation tank 7, passes through the water hole 12 as shown by W2 in FIG. It rises like □, reaches the predetermined height X and stops, and the release of the nutrient solution stops.

For convenience of illustration, FIG. 3 shows a shape in which the soft tube 6 maintains a cylindrical shape even if the nutrient solution in the soft tube 6 reaches the state shown in W3, but in reality it is a thin film tube made of polyethylene, etc. In this case, the soft tube 6 is narrowed, collapsed, bent, and deformed, resulting in the soft tube tip 6. is the receiving arm 1
1.11□ It often hangs outside.

As the nutrient solution in the cultivation tank 7 decreases due to absorption by the crops or other reasons, the receiving arms 11 and 11□ descend together with the floating body 10.
As shown in the second figure again (release of the nutrient solution from the soft tube tip 61 begins).

(2) It is not precluded that the device according to the present invention may be modified, added or omitted, and its operating method may be modified or added within the scope of making the most of the gist of the present invention.

That is, connect a plurality of main pipes 4 to the liquid storage tank 3, a plurality of branch pipes 5 to the main pipe 4, and a plurality of soft pipes 6 to the branch pipes 5, and accordingly increase the number of boxes 9, etc. including the long arms 8 and other floating bodies 10 as desired. I can do it.

A plurality of liquid drain pipes 15 are attached to the tanks 14, and the opening lower end 15. of different heights. You can tighten it. Accordingly, it is also possible to provide a plurality of liquid storage tanks 3 and make the predetermined height X of the nutrient liquid level different from each other. Accordingly, necessary and natural changes can be made to the main pipe 4 and other parts.

It is also possible to have multiple tanks 14.

Four main pipes 5 with different predetermined height X relationships in the same cultivation tank 7
When engaging the soft pipe 6, etc., the on-off valve 4.152, etc. should be electrically connected to an electromagnetic on-off valve or the like, and the device should be automatically operated when switching the water level at a predetermined height X to one high and the other low. I can do it.

Although the cultivation tank 7 is shown to have a rigid surface shape in the figure, a thin film such as a film may be added to it, or the cultivation tank 7 itself may be made of a flexible material such as a film. The box 9 can be placed buried in gravel, peat moss, rock wool, etc., or placed exposed next to them, seedlings, etc. as desired.

"Effects of the Invention" As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

1. Nutrient solution can be supplied automatically and easily,
It does not require complicated and expensive equipment, does not require electricity charges, and requires fewer management inspections and other procedures, reducing production costs.

Since the nutrient solution can be completely divided between the two cultivation tanks, each crop can be managed according to its growth condition, and even if a lesion develops in one part, there is no risk of it spreading to the other cultivation tanks.

It is possible to completely eliminate the loss caused by the loss of filtered nutrient solution.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figure 1 is a plan view of an example of the automatic liquid supply device of the present invention, Figure 2 is a sectional view of the one in Figure 1 taken along the I-I arrow, and Figure 3 is a partial quotation from Figure 2. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the operation of the present invention.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Arrange the pipe so that it can lead and release liquid such as water in the water tank from the tip of the pipe directly or indirectly connected to the water tank, and place the above on the floating body placed in the culture tank, etc. The liquid level in the water storage tank can be maintained at a predetermined level at almost all times by engaging near the tip of the pipe so that it can rise and fall as the liquid released into the cultivation tank increases or decreases. When the inner bottom of the tube, such as near the tip of the tube, is above the predetermined height in the water storage tank, the discharge of liquid from the tip of the tube is stopped naturally, and the inner bottom of the tube is lowered to below the predetermined height. An automatic liquid supply device characterized in that the liquid is discharged naturally at certain times, and the stopping and starting of these discharges can be automatically repeated.