JP3356372B2 - Automatic additive mixing device and watering system using the same - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic additive mixing apparatus and a watering system using the same, and more particularly to an automatic additive mixing apparatus for automatically mixing a desired additive into a liquid passing through a supply pipe. And a system for sprinkling a liquid mixed with the additive.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, watering plants, pots, lawns, vegetable gardens, and the like has been performed using a watering can, a hose directly connected to a water supply, a sprinkler, or the like.
Since watering by this conventional method requires human power at the time of watering, if the absence of watering is carried out for a long time or if watering is forgotten, watering of the plants will not be performed during this period. As a result, there is a problem that these plants die. Watering using a watering can or a hose directly connected to the water supply also has a problem that it takes time and effort.

Therefore, in recent years, a watering system has been developed in which a sprinkler is connected to a timer for setting the watering time to automatically water the water at a predetermined time.

[0004] On the other hand, when spraying a fertilizer or a disinfectant (pesticide) on the plant, a sprayer is usually used, and apart from watering, the spraying is performed manually. Here, when spraying fertilizers and disinfectants on vast fields, orchards, forests, etc.,
Although it is possible to spray these using a helicopter or the like, it is costly and also requires human power, which is not a fundamental solution. This method is also unsuitable for pot planting having a small spray area, watering a lawn, a vegetable garden or the like.

[0005]

Spraying a fertilizer or disinfectant on plants planted in a relatively small place as described above takes time and labor, and requires a worker to apply the fertilizer or disinfectant during spraying. There is a problem that is easy to inhale. Therefore, it is desired to develop a method that can easily and efficiently spray fertilizers and disinfectants at a low cost without direct involvement of an operator at the time of spraying.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve such a conventional problem, and simultaneously, automatically and simply, spraying water on plants and spraying fertilizers, disinfectants and the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide an additive automatic mixing device which can be performed at a low cost, and a watering system using the same.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided an automatic additive mixing apparatus which is installed in a supply pipe for supplying a liquid and mixes the additive with the liquid.
A connecting portion connected to the supply pipe and allowing the liquid to pass therethrough, a rotating member provided at the connecting portion and rotating in one direction in accordance with the flow of the liquid, and a screw connected to a rotating shaft of the rotating member A shaft, a housing tube that houses the screw shaft and communicates with the connecting portion, and an additive storage portion that stores the additive and supplies the additive to the housing tube, and the screw shaft includes: Another object of the present invention is to provide an additive automatic mixing device in which an additive passage is formed spirally in the rotation direction and is in contact with the housing tube.

[0008] The screw shaft may be formed integrally with the rotating shaft of the rotating body, or may be connected to the rotating shaft using a connecting member such as a gear.

[0009] Further, the screw shaft may be provided so as to be located above the rotating body, and the additive accommodating portion may be provided above the screw shaft. and again,
An adjustment valve for adjusting the additive supply amount can be provided between the additive storage section and the screw shaft. Also,
The additive storage section may be provided detachably on the housing tube. The additive may be a liquid or a powder having a desired particle size.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a liquid supply source, a supply pipe connected to the liquid supply source and supplying the liquid, and installed in the supply pipe. And a sprinkling system provided with the additive automatic mixing device according to (1). The supply pipe includes an inlet supply pipe disposed on an inlet side of the liquid and an outlet supply pipe disposed on an outlet side. It is arranged between the side supply pipes, and both supply pipes can communicate with each other.

In the present invention, the side close to the liquid supply source,
That is, the side into which the liquid enters is referred to as an "inlet", and the side from which the liquid is discharged is referred to as an "outside".

In the watering system, a plurality of the supply pipes may be provided, and the supply pipe may be provided with an adjusting valve for adjusting a supply amount of the liquid. Further, the opening and closing of the regulating valve is performed by remote control, and a timer for controlling the opening and closing time can be connected to the regulating valve.

[0013]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a watering system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2, and FIG.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line IV-IV of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG.

A watering system 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a water supply 2 serving as a liquid supply source and a supply pipe 4 connected to a faucet 3 of the water supply 2.
And an automatic additive mixing apparatus 5 installed in the supply pipe 4, a solenoid valve 7 installed in the supply pipe 4, and a timer 8 connected to the solenoid valve 7.

The supply pipe 4 includes a first supply pipe 41 connected to the faucet 3 of the water supply 2, a branch pipe 42 connected to the outlet of the first supply pipe 41, and a branch pipe 42 connected to the outlet of the branch pipe 42. Connected second
, And a third supply pipe 44 connected to the second supply pipe 43 via the additive automatic mixing device 5.

The first supply pipe 41 has a substantially L-shaped cross section in the longitudinal axis direction, and one end thereof is detachably connected to the faucet 3 by a joint 9. The branch pipe 42 has a structure that branches in three directions.
An adjusting valve 11 for adjusting the amount of water is installed in each of 42b and 42c. As described above, by branching in three directions by the branch pipe 42, a sprinkler or a nozzle shown in FIG. 6 which will be described in detail later is provided to the third supply pipe 44 connected to the outlet side of each of the branch parts 42a to 43c. 150 or FIG.
It is possible to connect different watering heads such as the branch hose 160 shown in FIG. Therefore, the versatility of the watering system 1 can be improved.

In the present embodiment, each branch pipe 4
The second supply pipe 43, the additive automatic mixing device 5, the third supply pipe 44, the solenoid valve 7, and the timer 8 each having the same configuration are connected to the outlet sides of 2a, 42b, and 43c. . Therefore, by describing the outlet side of the branch pipe 42b, description of the outlet sides of the branch pipes 42 and 42c is omitted.

The automatic additive mixing apparatus 5 is shown in FIGS.
As shown in the figure, the inlet side is connected to the outlet side of the second supply pipe 43, and the outlet side is connected to the inlet side of the third supply pipe 44; (Rotating body) 52 that rotates in one direction in accordance with the direction of rotation, a screw shaft 54 that is integrated with the rotation shaft of the water turbine 52 and serves as the rotation shaft of the water wheel 52, ,
The housing tube 53 accommodating the screw shaft 54 and an additive storage 55 for supplying the stored additive to the housing tube 53 are provided.

The connecting portion 51 has a concave portion 101a at its center.
And a water wheel chamber 101 having an opening on a side facing the concave portion 101a. On both sides (see FIGS. 4 and 5) on the same straight line shifted (displaced) in parallel from a position corresponding to the diameter portion of the water turbine room 101, supply pipe connecting portions 102 and 1 communicating with the water turbine room 101 are provided.
03 is formed.

The supply pipe connecting portions 102 and 103 are
The reason for the deviation from the diameter position of the water turbine room 101 is as follows.
This is because the water supplied from the second supply pipe 43 via the supply pipe connecting portion 102 is sequentially applied to the respective wings 106 of the water turbine 52 described in detail later, so that the water turbine 52 is rotated efficiently.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the water wheel 52 has a structure in which eight wings 106 are fixed and arranged at equal angles radially around a lower portion of a screw shaft 54 serving as a rotation shaft thereof. Have. Lower end 105 of screw shaft 54
Is rotatably disposed in the recess 101 a of the water turbine room 101, and the water wheel 52 is rotatable in the water turbine room 101. The water turbine 52 is driven by the flow of water (indicated by an arrow X in FIG. 5) supplied from the supply pipe connecting portion 102 to form a wing 106
Is rotated in the direction of the arrow Y shown in FIG. 5 (that is, counterclockwise). In addition, the water wheel 52 rotates in the same direction (in the present embodiment, the direction of the arrow Y shown in FIG. 5; counterclockwise) as long as water is supplied from the supply pipe connecting portion 102 side, so that the screw shaft 54 is rotated. Rotate in the same direction. Since the screw shaft 54 is rotated only by the rotational energy of the water wheel 52, a power source other than the rotational energy is not required for rotation. Therefore, running cost is not required and it is very economical.

Between the upper end of the screw shaft 54 and the installation position of the water wheel 52, an additive passage 54a is formed spirally in the same direction (counterclockwise) as the rotation direction of the water wheel 52.
That is, the screw shaft 54 is formed with a counterclockwise left-handed screw, that is, a counterclockwise spiral additive passage 54a. Depth of this additive passage 54a (depth of thread groove)
May be arbitrarily determined according to the amount and form of the additive added from the additive storage 55. Screw shaft 54
In addition, by forming such an additive passage 54a, the additive passage 54a is
It will proceed in a pseudo manner in the direction.

More specifically, the additives (for example, liquid fertilizer or disinfecting liquid) stored in the additive storage 55 are added to the additive passage 5 of the screw shaft 54 as the screw shaft 54 rotates.
Forcibly moved in the direction of the water wheel 52 along 4a, and is added to the water supplied from the second supply pipe 43.
At this time, since the additive storage section 55 is located above the screw shaft 54 and has a structure in which the water flows below the screw shaft 54, the additive moves without opposing gravity. Is done.

Here, as described above, the water wheel 52 rotates in the same direction as long as water is supplied from the supply pipe connecting portion 102 side, and thus the screw shaft 54 also rotates in the same direction. Can be prevented from flowing back into the additive storage section 55. When the rotation of the water wheel 52 is stopped, the additive is not added to the water supplied from the second supply pipe 43.

The housing tube 53 has a substantially cylindrical shape longer than the screw shaft 54, and is connected by fixing a flange 53 a formed on the lower end surface thereof to the outer periphery of the upper opening of the connecting portion 51 with a screw 107. It communicates with the part 51. In the hollow portion 53b of the housing tube 53,
The screw shaft 54 is housed in a state where the outer diameter portion is in contact with the screw shaft 54. Therefore, the liquid supplied from the additive storage part 55 to the hollow part 53 b is supplied to the additive passage 54 of the screw shaft 54.
a moves as a passage.

Between the upper end of the screw shaft 54 and the upper end of the hollow portion 53b of the housing tube 53, there is provided an adjusting valve 56 for adjusting the supply amount of the additive described later in detail. The adjustment valve 56 is designed to open and close by rotating the handle 108. A seal member 109 is provided at the upper end of the hollow portion 53b.

The upper end of the housing tube 53 has a structure in which the additive storage section 55 can be detachably fixed by a joint 57. It should be noted that a commercially available liquid fertilizer or disinfectant (for example, one stored in a plastic bottle or bottle) can be used as the additive storage unit 55. That is, in the present embodiment, the diameter of the upper end of the housing tube 53 is designed to be substantially the same as the diameter of the mouth of a bottle or bottle containing liquid fertilizer or disinfectant. Therefore, the bottle (bottle) is inverted, the mouth of the bottle (bottle) is aligned with the upper end surface of the housing tube 53, and the two are fixed by the joint 57. It can be fixed to the tube 53 and can be used as a disposable additive storage part 55.

The third supply pipe 44 connected to the supply pipe connection part 103 of the connection part 51 is provided with an electromagnetic valve 7 for adjusting the amount of water supplied from the third supply pipe 44. The solenoid valve 7 is connected to a timer 8 for automatically opening and closing the solenoid valve 7 at a predetermined time. By setting the timer 8, the spraying of the water to which the additive has been added can be automatically started at a predetermined time.
The spraying can be automatically stopped at a predetermined time. The automatic spraying and stopping of the water is automatically performed every day by setting once, so that no labor is required, and the plants do not die even if the user is away for a long time. A commercially available sprinkler was installed on the outlet side of the third supply pipe 44.

As shown in FIG. 6, a nozzle 150 having a plurality of holes 151 is provided in a third supply pipe (not shown) connected to the outlet side of the branch portion 42a. By burying the nozzle 150 in a desired position such as a vegetable garden, for example, the water is dispersed and discharged from the plurality of holes 151, so that the water can be supplied uniformly without being concentrated in one place. it can.

A third supply pipe (not shown) connected to the outlet side of the branch portion 42c has a branch hose 16 shown in FIG.
0 was set. The branch hose 160 includes a connector 162 connected to the third supply pipe, and a plurality of hoses 161 branched from the connector 162. The branch hose 160 is formed by inserting the tip of each hose 161 into the soil of the flower pot 163 so that
3 can be supplied with water.

It is a matter of course that, besides these watering heads, watering heads of any shape may be used on the outlet side of the third supply pipe. Next, a specific operation of the watering system 1 having the above-described structure will be described. Here, the additive storage unit 5 in which liquid fertilizer is stored as an additive is used.
5 will be described.

First, the tip of the first supply pipe 41 is fixed to the faucet 3 of the water supply 2 by the joint 9. Next, the timer 8 is set to a predetermined time, the regulating valves 11 and 56 are opened in a desired range, and the faucet 3 of the water supply 2 is opened in a desired range. At this time, since no current is supplied to the solenoid valve 7 according to the setting of the timer 8, the solenoid valve 7 is in a closed state, and as a result, water stops before the solenoid valve 7. In the present embodiment, when the predetermined time has elapsed, the timer 8
Thus, the current supplied to the solenoid valve 7 flows to open the solenoid valve, and thereafter, when a predetermined time has elapsed, the supply of the current is stopped and the solenoid valve 7 is set to the closed state.

When a current is supplied to the solenoid valve 7 by setting the timer 8, the solenoid valve 7 is opened, and water is supplied from the water supply 2 to the supply pipe 4. This water flow causes the water wheel 52 to rotate in the direction of the arrow Y shown in FIG. By the rotation of the screw shaft 54,
The liquid fertilizer stored in the additive storage section 55 gradually moves toward the water wheel 52 along the additive passage 54a of the screw shaft 54, and is added to the water supplied from the second supply pipe 43, and this is added to the water. 3 is supplied to the supply pipe 44. As described above, the rotation of the water wheel 52 automatically adds the liquid fertilizer to the water, and the water to which the liquid fertilizer is added is automatically and periodically sprinkled through the sprinkler, the nozzle 150, and the branch hose 160. Is done. Therefore, the liquid fertilizer and the water can be sprayed at the same time without bothering humans.

When a predetermined time has elapsed from this state, the supply of current to the solenoid valve 7 is stopped according to the setting of the timer 8, the solenoid valve 7 is closed, and the supply of water from the water supply 2 is stopped.

In the present embodiment, the water supply 2 is used as the liquid supply source. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the water supply may be water such as water in an irrigation canal, river water, or water stored in a storage pool. Other water sources may be used as long as a water flow (water pressure) is obtained from the side toward the outlet side.

In this embodiment, the branch pipe 42 is used as a part of the supply pipe 4. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the supply pipe 42 does not necessarily have to be branched. In the case of branching, the number of branches is not limited to three, but is two or four.
One or more can be set arbitrarily.

In this embodiment, the water turbine 52
The rotation direction of the water wheel 52 is not limited to this, but is not limited thereto.
May be installed clockwise. In this case, the spiral direction of the additive passage formed in the screw shaft 54 may be clockwise (clockwise).

Further, in this embodiment, the screw shaft 54 integrally formed with the rotating shaft of the water wheel 52 is used.
The invention is not limited thereto, and the screw shaft may be connected to the rotation shaft of the water wheel 52 using, for example, a gear. In the present embodiment, a liquid fertilizer or a disinfectant which is commercially available in the form of a plastic bottle, a bottle, or the like is used as the additive storage unit 55. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Then, a commercially available liquid fertilizer, disinfecting liquid, or the like may be stored in this. In this case, an additive opening that can be freely opened and closed may be provided above the additive storage unit.

Further, the additive used in the present invention may be a liquid of a liquid fertilizer or a disinfectant (pesticide), or a liquid supplied to a supply pipe through an additive passage formed in a screw shaft. It may be a powder as long as it can be added to and mixed with the powder.

[0040]

As described above, the additive automatic mixing apparatus according to the present invention can rotate the screw shaft by the rotational energy of the rotating body which is rotated by the flow of the liquid supplied from the supply pipe. Thereby, the additive can be automatically mixed into the liquid along the additive passage formed on the screw shaft. As a result, the addition of the additive can be easily performed without any labor and without using a power source other than the flow of the liquid, which is very economical.

Further, by extending a screw shaft from the upper part of the rotating body and providing an additive storage portion above the screw shaft, the additive can be mixed into the liquid without opposing gravity. As a result, in addition to the effects described above, it is possible to mix the additives more efficiently.

Further, by providing an adjusting valve between the additive accommodating portion and the screw shaft, in addition to the above effects, the amount of the additive mixed can be arbitrarily adjusted.

Further, by providing the additive storage portion detachably, a commercially available additive (fertilizer, pesticide, etc.) having a bottle form or a bottle form can be used as it is and can be disposable. .

According to the watering system using the automatic additive mixing apparatus, the spraying and watering of the fertilizer and the disinfecting solution can be performed automatically, simultaneously, at a low cost, and without any trouble. Can be. Also, by providing an electromagnetic valve at a desired position in the liquid channel of the watering system and setting a timer there, the watering can be automatically performed at an arbitrary time and for an arbitrary period.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a watering system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line III-III of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line VV of FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a watering head used in a watering system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a watering head used in a watering system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sprinkling system 2 Water supply 3 Faucet 4 Supply pipe 5 Additive automatic mixing apparatus 7 Solenoid valve 8 Timer 51 Connecting part 52 Waterwheel 53 Housing pipe 54 Screw shaft 55 Additive storage

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] 1. An additive automatic mixing device which is installed in a supply pipe for supplying a liquid and mixes an additive into the liquid, wherein the connection part is connected to the supply pipe and allows the liquid to pass therethrough; A rotating body that is provided in a portion and rotates in one direction in accordance with the flow of the liquid, a screw shaft connected to a rotating shaft of the rotating body, and a housing tube that houses the screw shaft and communicates with the connecting portion. And an additive storage unit for storing the additive and supplying the additive to the housing tube, wherein the screw shaft has an additive passage formed spirally in the rotation direction, and the housing tube Automatic additive mixing device that comes in contact with the inner wall of 2. The automatic additive mixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said screw shaft is formed integrally with said rotary shaft. 3. The automatic mixing of additives according to claim 1, wherein the screw shaft is disposed above the rotating body, and the additive storage section is provided above the screw shaft. apparatus. 4. The automatic additive according to claim 1, further comprising an adjusting valve for adjusting a supply amount of the additive between the additive storage unit and the screw shaft. Mixing device. 5. The automatic additive mixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additive storage section is detachably provided. 6. The automatic additive mixing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the additive is a liquid. 7. The liquid supply source according to claim 1, further comprising a liquid supply source, a supply pipe connected to the liquid supply source, and supplying the liquid, and installed in the supply pipe. A watering system including an automatic mixing device. 8. The supply pipe includes an inlet supply pipe arranged on the liquid inlet side, and an outlet supply pipe arranged on the outlet side.
The watering system according to claim 7, wherein the additive automatic mixing device is disposed between the inlet-side supply pipe and the outlet-side supply pipe, and connects both supply pipes. 9. The watering system according to claim 7, wherein a plurality of the supply pipes are provided. 10. The watering system according to claim 7, wherein an adjusting valve for adjusting the supply amount of the liquid is provided in the supply pipe. 11. The watering system according to claim 10, wherein the opening and closing of the regulating valve is remotely controlled, and a timer for controlling the opening and closing time is connected to the regulating valve.