Fluid handling – Ambient condition change responsive – For controlling soil irrigation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-07-19
2004-10-19
Chambers, A. Michael (Department: 3753)
Fluid handling
Ambient condition change responsive
For controlling soil irrigation
C239S069000, C239S070000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06805147
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an automatic water supply system for automatically supplying water to an object of water supply such as soil in a planting facility of, for example, pots or planting mats, mainly relates to an automatic water supply system for detecting presence or absence of water of an object of water supply and automatically supplying water based on a result thereof.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Conventionally, in a planting facility by, for example, pots or planting mats, as a technology with regard to supplying water to an object of water supply such as soil, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 17054/1990, there are pots for detecting a content of water in soil by electric resistance between opposed electrodes and provided with a lamp or a buzzer for informing start of water supply.
However, when a person for supplying water is absent for a long period of time, the informing by a lamp or a buzzer cannot contribute to water supply at all and therefore, there is brought about a drawback that even when the pots are used, the plant is killed. Further, according to the pots, there is not disclosed with regard to a special water supply method or the like at all, water is supplied artificially in accordance with informing by the informing means and therefore, there is also brought about a drawback that in the case of a wide planting area, there is needed enormously laborious water supply operation.
Further, in order to resolve the above-described drawbacks, there have been proposed an automatic water supply system for automatically supplying water at previously determined intervals of time as shown by, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 16257/1987, an apparatus of detecting an amount of water in soil and supplying water automatically in accordance with a result of detection as shown by, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4862/1993, and an automatic water supply system of mounting a pot in a water supply tank, detecting an upper limit and a lower limit state of water in the water supply tank and starting to supply water after elapse of a constant time period after water reaches a lower limit value as shown in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 74359/1986 and so on.
However, also in the above-described automatic water supply systems, no consideration is given at all to a state of a plant which is to constitute a basis of determination of necessity and unnecessity of water supply and water is supplied by the same processing for all of plants having time which needs much water and time which hardly needs water. Therefore, when the water supply processing is set to adapt to, for example, time which needs much water, a large amount of water is supplied at time which hardly needs water, such a large amount of water causes root rot and therefore, there is brought about a drawback that the plant is finally killed. Further, since extra water is supplied, there is also brought about a drawback that water cost becomes enormous. Conversely, when the water supply processing is set to adapt to time which hardly needs water, water is hardly supplied at time which needs much water, as a result, there is brought about a drawback that the plant is killed as a result.
As the above-described time which needs much water, for example, there is time immediately after mounting cut turf or the like on soil in a planting facility of mounting the cut turf on the soil. Immediately after mounting cut turf on soil, there is brought about a state in which the root of lawn does not adapt to soil and does not take root deep into the soil, an air layer is formed between the root of the cut turf and the soil, which is a state in which the turf is the weakest. Therefore, this is time having high possibility of killing plant since water is deficient and much water is needed for making the lawn take root deep into the soil fastly.
Conversely, as time which hardly needs water, for example, there is time in which the cut turf takes root deep into the soil in the planting facility of mounting the cut turf on the soil. After the cut turf takes root deep into the soil in the planting facility of mounting the cut turf on the soil. After the cut turf takes root deep into the soil, there is brought about a state of strong water absorption power and therefore, it is preferable to grow plant in a state as near to the nature as possible, which is time having high possibility of causing root rot or growing poor turf by excessive water supply. Further, in order to grow a robust plant, it is significant to give constant water stress and it is not necessary to supply so much water in such a time.
Further, in order to resolve the above-described drawback in consideration of a state of a plant, there is a technology disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 313675/1998. According thereto, seeds of lawn or lawn at an initial stage of growing is planted in artificial soil, a water level at inside of the artificial soil is maintained to a high water level and successively the water level is lowered in accordance with growth of root of the lawn.
Meanwhile, according to the technology of Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 313675/1998, the water level is not controlled automatically in accordance with a state of the plant but a state of growing root of lawn is confirmed by optical observation and therefore, it is necessary to monitor the state of the turf from time to time, further, the water level is adjusted artificially and there is brought about a drawback that water supply administration becomes troublesome. Further, the artificial soil is maintained in a state of always being immersed in water and therefore, grown turf can also absorb water from time to time, as a result, poor turf is constituted. Further, according to the constitution of adjusting the water level such that the artificial soil is immersed always in water, it is necessary to supply water even at time which does not need water so much and there is brought about a drawback that the water cost becomes expensive.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The invention has been carried out by paying attention to the above-described problem and it is an object thereof to provide an automatic water supply system capable of carrying out water supply administration efficiently and by constituting a state of being as proximate to be natural as possible in accordance with a state of a plant by detecting a water content amount of an object of water supply as accurate as possible and as a result, capable of cultivating a robust plant.
Further, it is an object thereof to provide an automatic water supply system capable of firmly cultivating a plant by minimum water supply and capable of eliminating waste of water as less as possible.
An automatic water supply system according to the invention is characterized in that at least deficiency of water of an object of water supply is detected by a water content sensor, a first predetermined time period is measured by a first timer portion in accordance with the detection, when sufficiency of water is not detected by the water content sensor within the first predetermined time period, water is supplied by water supply means and when sufficiency of water is detected within the first predetermined time period, the first timer portion is initialized. For example, the automatic water supply system includes the water content sensor for detecting presence or absence of water of the object of water supply, and control means for controlling operation of the water supply means in accordance with a measured value of the water content sensor, and the control means includes the first timer portion for measuring the first predetermined time period in accordance with input of a result of detection of absence of water by the water content sensor to the control means, when a predetermined amount of water is not detected by the water content sensor during a time period until finishing to measure the first predetermined time period by the first timer portion, a water
Yoshida Minoru
Yoshioka Takaharu
Armstrong Kratz Quintos Hanson & Brooks, LLP
Kyodo Ky-Tec Corp.
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