GB2574585A

GB2574585A - Irrigation device

Info

Publication number: GB2574585A
Application number: GB1809209.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: West Marcus
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2018-06-05
Filing date: 2018-06-05
Publication date: 2019-12-18
Also published as: GB201809209D0

Abstract

An irrigation device 100 comprises a reservoir 102, an aperture 106 arranged to dispense drops 108 of water from the reservoir, a support structure 110 arranged to support one or more objects 112 to be irrigated, and a dispersive surface 114 arranged to receive a drop of water dispensed from the aperture and to disperse, over the support structure, fragments of the drop of water as a plurality of water droplets 116. The dispersive surface may be located below the aperture. A channel (230, figure 2) may fluidly couple the reservoir and the aperture wherein the channel extends below a bottom of the reservoir. The aperture may be less than 1mm. Also disclosed is a method of irrigation comprising dispensing a drop of water from an aperture, receiving the drop at a dispersive surface and dispersing fragments of the drop as a plurality of water droplets.

Description

IRRIGATION DEVICE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an irrigation device and a method of irrigation.

Background

Irrigation of organic objects, such as plants or fungi, is important for their healthy growth. For example, seeds require irrigation in order to promote germination and growth of the sprouts.

Commonly, germination of seeds to grow sprouts is done using ajar covered with, for example, a muslin cloth onto which water is applied. Water seeping through the muslin cloth irrigates the seeds in the jar to hydrate them. However, such irrigation methods require regular rinsing of the jar and, in the process, risk damage to the sprouts, as the jar is moved during the rinsing process. Furthermore, this method can cause the sprouts to dehydrate because they are un-irrigated between rinsing. This can result in either the seedlings drying out or in the seedlings resting submerged in stale water, both of which may be non-optimal for healthy growth of the sprouts.

Another approach to irrigation of such objects is to provide trays on which to place seeds to sprout. The trays may be stacked, for example, above a tank, and water may be applied to the top of the stack. Water applied to the top of the stack may be allowed to drain through the stack (for example, by way of drain holes) to provide irrigation of the objects placed on each layer of the stack, with waste water eventually flowing to the tank. A disadvantage of this method of irrigation is that the flow of water through the system is relatively rapid and so there can be relatively long periods during which seedlings are dehydrated, which may be non-optimal for healthy growth of the sprouts. Furthermore, the relatively rapid flow of water through the system can dislodge seeds and/or disturb their growth.

A further approach to improve irrigation of such objects provides a seed tray and an electrically powered misting device which, periodically, generates a mist that covers the sprouting seeds. This method of irrigation may be arranged such that it does not dehydrate seedlings, or cause them to be submerged in stale water. However, this method of irrigation requires electrical power, making it susceptible to power failures.

Furthermore, devices performing such methods tend to be relatively expensive to purchase and to maintain, as compared to non-powered methods.

Summary

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an irrigation device comprising:

a reservoir;

an aperture arranged to dispense drops of water from the reservoir;

a support structure arranged to support one or more objects to be irrigated; and a dispersive surface arranged to receive a drop of water dispensed from the aperture and to disperse, over the support structure, fragments of the drop of water as a plurality of water droplets.

In some embodiments, the dispersive surface is located below the aperture so that, in use, the drop of water falls onto the dispersive surface under gravity.

In some embodiments, the dispersive surface is located substantially centrally with respect to an area defined by the support structure.

In some embodiments, the irrigation device comprises a channel, fluidically coupling the reservoir to the aperture, wherein the channel extends below a bottom of the reservoir to provide a first vertical separation between the bottom of the reservoir and the aperture.

In some embodiments, the vertical separation between the bottom of the reservoir and the aperture is at least equal to a maximum depth of the reservoir, such that a minimum ratio the first vertical separation and a second vertical separation between the aperture and a top of the reservoir is greater than or equal to 2:1.

In some embodiments, the channel provides a vertical separation between the reservoir and the aperture greater than or equal to 4 cm and the maximum depth of the reservoir is greater than or equal to 4 cm.

In some embodiments, the support structure is arranged to support the reservoir.

In some embodiments, the irrigation device comprises a removable lid arranged to cover a top portion of the reservoir.

In some embodiments, the support structure is arranged to support one or more support trays that are arranged to support the one or more objects to be irrigated.

In some embodiments, the one or more support trays each comprise a drainage hole.

In some embodiments, the support structure is arranged to support the one or more support trays at an angle with respect to horizontal.

In some embodiments, in use, the or each drainage hole is arranged at a lower end of the one or more support trays.

In some embodiments, the one or more support trays each comprise a plurality of ridges arranged to provide an indirect path from a higher end of the one or more support trays to the lower end of the one or more support trays.

In some embodiments, the support structure comprises a plurality of legs.

In some embodiments, the plurality of legs define a space under the support structure and wherein the irrigation device comprises a waste water receiver locatable within the space under the support structure.

In some embodiments, the support structure comprises a drainage channel arranged to receive water from the or each drainage hole.

In some embodiments, the drainage channel is arranged to channel water received from the or each drainage hole to the waste water receiver.

In some embodiments, the irrigation device comprises a container arranged to contain the plurality of water droplets.

In some embodiments, the container is supported by the support structure and the container supports the reservoir.

In some embodiments, the container is a cylinder.

In some embodiments, the aperture has a diameter less than 2 mm.

In some embodiments, the aperture has a diameter of 1 mm.

In some embodiments, the dispersive surface has a diameter greater than 1 mm.

In some embodiments, the irrigation device comprises a set of removably replaceable apertures, each aperture having a different diameter.

In some embodiments, the irrigation device comprises a mechanism for adjusting a rate of flow of water.

In some embodiments, the irrigation device comprises a mechanism for adjusting a diameter of the aperture.

In some embodiments, the aperture is greater than 20 cm above the dispersive surface.

In some embodiments, the dispersive surface is between 10 cm and 30 cm above the support structure.

In some embodiments, the irrigation device comprises a plurality of apertures and a plurality of dispersive surfaces.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of irrigation, the method comprising:

dispensing, through an aperture, a drop of water from a reservoir;

receiving, at a dispersive surface, the drop of water dispensed from the aperture; and dispersing, over a support structure, fragments of the drop of water as a plurality of water droplets.

Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, given by way of example only, which is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Figure lisa schematic cross-section of an irrigation device according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a schematic cross-section of an irrigation device according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 3 is a schematic plan view of an arrangement of support trays for use in embodiments of the present invention;

Figure 4a is a schematic cross-section of a reservoir;

Figure 4b is a schematic cross-section of a reservoir;

Figure 4c is a schematic cross-section of a reservoir;

Figure 4d is a schematic cross-section of a reservoir; and

Figure 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of irrigation according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Figure 1 shows a schematic cross section of an irrigation device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The irrigation device 100 comprises a reservoir 102 for holding a supply 104 of water for irrigating objects such as seeds, seedlings, sprouts, plants, fungi, or other biological material. The reservoir 102 is fluidically coupled to an aperture 106. The aperture 106 is sized to dispense a succession of drops 108 of water supplied from the reservoir 102. For example, the aperture 106 may be approximately 1 mm in diameter. In some examples, the aperture 106 may be less than 2 mm in diameter. In some examples, the aperture 106 may have a variable dimension for adjusting a rate of flow of water. For example, the apertures may include an adjustment mechanism such as a screw thread acting on a moveable opening. Once the reservoir 102 is empty, or close to empty, the reservoir 102 may be refilled with fresh water to provide a continuous supply of water to irrigate the objects.

The irrigation device 100 comprises a support structure 110 for supporting objects 112 to be irrigated. The irrigation device 100 also comprises a dispersive surface 114.

The dispersive surface 114 is located beneath the aperture 106 so that drops of water 108 dispensed from the aperture 106 fall, under gravity, onto the dispersive surface 114. Upon striking the dispersive surface 114, drops 108 of water are fragmented into a plurality of water droplets 116 and dispersed, around the dispersive surface 114, over the supporting structure 110. In some examples, the dispersive surface 114 is located substantially centrally with respect to the support structure 110, such that the water droplets 116 are dispersed evenly over the support structure 110 and any objects 112 supported thereon.

In this way, water may be dispersed as water droplets 116 substantially evenly around the dispersive surface 114 over the supporting structure 110 and over the objects 112 supported thereon. This provides a consistent method of irrigating the objects 112 which does not cause the objects 112 to become dehydrated or overwatered. Furthermore, dispersing water as water droplets 116 around the dispersive surface 114 bathes the objects and, as such, continuously rinses stale water from the surface of the objects 112 so that stale water that would otherwise adhere to the objects 112 is continuously rinsed away and replaced by fresh water.

The dispersive surface 114 may be circular (as viewed from above) and may have a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the drops 108 of water it is to disperse. For example, the diameter of the dispersive surface 114 may be greater than 1 mm. In some examples, the diameter of the dispersive surface 114 is significantly larger than the diameter of the drops 108 of water it is to disperse. For example, the diameter of the dispersive surface 114 may have a diameter in the range 10 mm to 20 mm.

The dispersive surface 114 shown in Figure 1 has a flat upper surface. In other examples, the upper surface of the dispersive surface 114 may be conical or pyramidal. Furthermore, in some examples, the dispersive surface 114 may be textured. For example, the dispersive surface 114 may comprise pits or protrusions to provide a more uniform dispersion of water droplets 116.

Figure 2 shows a schematic cross section an irrigation device 200 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The irrigation device 200 shown in Figure 2 may be placed on a surface 202, such as a table top. The irrigation device 200 comprises a support structure 204 arranged to sit on the surface 202. In particular, the support structure 204 includes a plurality of legs 206 extending below a support surface 208. The legs 206 define a space under the support structure 204. Although two legs 206 are shown in the cross-section depicted in Figure 2 it will be understood that the support structure will typically have three or more legs 206 to provide a stable platform for the irrigation device 200.

The support surface 208 of the support structure 204 is arranged to support one or more support trays 210. The support trays 210 are each arranged to support one or more objects 112.

In some examples, the support surface 208 may be a continuous surface arranged to support the one or more support trays 210. In other examples, the support surface 208 may only support peripheral edges of the support trays 210. For example, the support structure 204 may comprise a set of support arms, radiating from a central portion of the support structure 204, on which support arms the support trays 210 are supported. Such an arrangement of support arms may reduce the amount of material required to manufacture the support structure 204 and accordingly reduce the weight and/or cost of the support structure 204. In some examples, the support arms may be formed as gutters arranged to conduct water towards the edge of the support structure 204.

The support structure 204 is arranged such that the support trays 210 are inclined with respect to horizontal. This provides a gradient down which water that has been dispersed over the objects 112 but which has not been absorbed by the objects 112 can drain from the support trays 210. For example, water droplets 116 which are not absorbed by the objects 112 may coalesce to form larger water droplets 212 and those larger water droplets 212 may flow down the gradient provided to the support trays.

Figure 3 shows a plan view of an example of an arrangement 300 of support trays 210. Each of the support trays 210 has, on its upper surface, a series of raised ridges 302. The ridges 302 are arranged such that each ridge 302 extends across and down the slope provided by the support tray 210 when supported on the support structure 204. A lower end of each ridge 302 is located above an upper end of a lower ridge 302 such that the ridges provide a continuous path along which water that has been dispersed onto the support tray 210 can flow. The network of ridges 302 thus provides a path which is extended with respect to a path directly down the slope of the inclined support tray 210 between an upper (i.e. higher) end of the support trays 210 and a lower end of the support trays 210. This, in turn provides more opportunity for water to be absorbed by the objects 112 supported on the support tray 210. Furthermore, the ridges 302 provide additional support to the objects 112 supported by the support tray 210, to inhibit the objects 112 from sliding, rolling, or otherwise moving down the slope of the inclined support tray 210.

As shown in Figure 3, in some examples, the support trays 210 include drainage holes 304 located at their lower ends. The drainage holes 304 provide a path for water that has not been absorbed by the objects 112, and which has traversed the ridges 302, to drain away from the support trays 210.

Returning to Figure 2, the support structure 204 comprises a drainage channel 214 located around its peripheral edge, at a lower end of support surface 208. The drainage channel 214 is arranged to collect water 212 that has not been absorbed by the objects and has subsequently flowed down the inclined support trays 210. For example, the drainage channel may collect water 212 that has passed through the drainage holes 304 described above with reference to Figure 3.

The support structure 202 also includes one or more drainage spouts 216 arranged to direct the water 212 from the drainage channel 214 to a waste water receiver (referred to hereinafter as a waste water tank 218) for storing waste water 220. The waste water tank 218 is located underneath the support structure 204 in use. To empty the waste water tank 218, the tank 218 can be removed between the legs 206 of the support structure 204, emptied and replaced without disturbing the irrigation device 200.

The support structure 204 shown in Figure 2 also comprises a dispersive surface 222, which acts like the dispersive surface 114 described with reference to Figure 1 to disperse fragmented droplets 116 of water around the dispersive surface 222 and over the support surface 208 of the support structure 204. As shown in Figure 3, the dispersive surface 222 is arranged substantially centrally within an area defined by the support structure 204 such that the dispersive surface 222 can disperse water uniformly among the support trays 210.

The support structure 204 is arranged to support a container 224. The container 224 is arranged to contain the water droplets 116 and prevent the water droplets 116 from being dispersed onto the surface 202 on which the irrigation device 200 is placed. In some examples, the container 224 may be made from a transparent material such as Perspex or glass, allowing the objects 112 inside the irrigation device 200 to be observed.

The container 224 is arranged to support a reservoir 226 similar to the reservoir 102 described above with reference to Figure 1. In order to support the reservoir 226, the container 224 is made with sufficient structural rigidity to support the weight of a full reservoir 226. In some examples, the container 224 is cylindrical in shape, which provides a strong and stable support for the reservoir 226.

The irrigation device 200 comprises a lid 232 which covers the top of the reservoir 226. The lid 232 acts as a barrier to dust and other contamination that may otherwise contaminate the water 104 stored in the reservoir 226.

Similar to the reservoir 102 described above with reference to Figure 1, the reservoir 226 shown in Figure 2 holds a supply 104 of water and is fluidically coupled to an aperture 228. In the example shown in Figure 2, the reservoir 226 is coupled to the aperture 228 via a channel 230. The channel 230 extends below a bottom surface

226a of the reservoir 226 to provide a vertical separation between the bottom surface 226a of the reservoir 226 and the aperture 228.

The purpose of the channel 230 is explained with reference to Figures 4a to 4d. Figures 4a and 4b show the reservoir 102 described above with reference to Figure 1 in a full state (Figure 4a) and an empty state (Figure 4b). Figure 4c and 4d show the reservoir 226 described above with reference to Figure 2 in a full state (Figure 4c) and an empty state (Figure 4c).

For the reservoir 102 shown in Figures 4a and 4b, when the reservoir 102 empties as water is dispensed though the aperture 106, there is a change of pressure due to the changing height of the head of water. For the reservoir 102 shown in Figures 4a and 4b, the height of the head of water changes from the maximum depth, D, of the reservoir 102 to zero. There is a corresponding change in the pressure of the water at the aperture 106.

The frequency at which drops 108 of water are dispensed by the aperture 106 depends on the depth of the water above the aperture 106. In the case of the reservoir 102 described with reference to Figure 1, that depth is the depth of water remaining in the reservoir 102.

For the reservoir 226 shown in Figures 4c and 4d, when the reservoir 226 is full (as shown in Figure 4c), the depth of water above the aperture 228 is equal to the maximum depth of the reservoir, D, plus the length, L, of the channel 230. However, in contrast to the reservoir 102 shown in Figures 4a and 4b, when the reservoir 226 shown in Figures 4c and 4d is empty (as shown in Figure 4d), there is still a depth, L, of water above the aperture 228. For example, if the reservoir 226 is cylindrical and has a radius of 16 cm and a maximum Depth, D, of 4 cm, and if the length, L, of the channel 230 below the bottom surface 226a of the reservoir 226 is also 4 cm, then the maximum depth of water above the aperture 228 is 8 cm and the minimum depth of water above the aperture 228 is 4 cm. Therefore, the ratio of maximum to minimum pressures is 2:1, which is considerably less than that for the reservoir 102 shown in Figures 4a and 4b. This enables the aperture 228 shown in Figures 4c and 4d to dispense drops 108 of water at a more consistent frequency, as the water 104 in the reservoir 226 is dispensed, than the aperture 106 shown in Figures 4a and 4b.

The diameter of the channel 230 may be the same as, or similar to the diameter of the aperture 228, such that the channel 230 is elongated. This enables there to be a relatively low volume of water in the channel 230 (for a given depth of water in the channel 230) compared with an equivalent depth of water in the reservoir 226.

In the embodiments described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4 dispersal of the fragmented plurality of water droplets 116 over the objects 112 is affected by the height of the dispersive surface 114, 222 above the support structure 110 of Figure 1 and/or the support trays 210 of Figure 2, and the height of the aperture 106, 228 above the dispersive surface 114, 222. The skilled person will understand that these dimensions are interrelated and are also dependent on the dimensions of the aperture, and the desired area over which the irrigation device is to disperse droplets of water. In some examples, the height of the dispersive surface 114, 222 above the support structure 110 of Figure 1 and/or the support trays 210 of Figure 2 is between 10 cm and 30 cm. In some examples, the height of the aperture 106, 228 above the dispersive surface 114, 222 is greater than 20 cm.

Figure 5 is a flow diagram showing the steps of a method 500 of irrigation. The method 500 may, for example, be performed using an irrigation device such as the irrigation device 100, 200 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

At block 502, a drop of water is dispensed from a reservoir through an aperture.

At block 504, the drop of water dispensed from the aperture at block 502 is received at a dispersive surface, such as the dispersive surface 114 described above with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

At block 506, fragments of the drop of water are dispersed as a plurality of water droplets over a support structure.

The above embodiments are to be understood as illustrative examples of the invention. Further embodiments of the invention are envisaged. For example, the irrigation devices 100,200 described above with reference to Figures 1 to 4 may include a plurality of apertures and a corresponding plurality of dispersive surfaces.

Furthermore, although the embodiments described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 include apertures with a fixed dimension, in some embodiments, the apertures may have a variable dimension. For example, the apertures may include an adjustment mechanism such as a screw thread acting on a moveable opening. In other examples, the aperture may be arranged to receive one of a set of apertures each having a different size.

It is to be understood that any feature described in relation to any one embodiment may be used alone, or in combination with other features described, and 5 may also be used in combination with one or more features of any other of the embodiments, or any combination of any other of the embodiments. Furthermore, equivalents and modifications not described above may also be employed without departing from the scope of the invention, which is defined in the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. An irrigation device comprising:

a reservoir;

an aperture arranged to dispense drops of water from the reservoir;

2. An irrigation device according to claim 1, wherein the dispersive surface is located below the aperture so that, in use, the drop of water falls onto the dispersive surface under gravity.

3. An irrigation device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the dispersive surface is located substantially centrally with respect to an area defined by the support structure.

4. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, comprising a channel fluidically coupling the reservoir to the aperture, wherein the channel extends below a bottom of the reservoir to provide a first vertical separation between the bottom of the reservoir and the aperture.

5. An irrigation device according to claim 4, wherein the vertical separation between the bottom of the reservoir and the aperture is at least equal to a maximum depth of the reservoir.

6. An irrigation device according to claim 4 or claim 5, wherein the channel provides a vertical separation between the reservoir and the aperture greater than or equal to 4 cm and the maximum depth of the reservoir is greater than or equal to 4 cm.

7. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, wherein the support structure is arranged to support the reservoir.

8. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, comprising a removable lid arranged to cover a top portion of the reservoir.

9. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, wherein the support structure is arranged to support one or more support trays that are arranged to support the one or more objects to be irrigated.

10. An irrigation device according to claim 9, wherein the one or more support trays each comprise a drainage hole.

11. An irrigation device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the support structure is arranged to support the one or more support trays at an angle with respect to horizontal.

12. An irrigation device according to claim 11, wherein, in use, the or each drainage hole is arranged at a lower end of the one or more support trays.

13. An irrigation device according to any of claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the one or more support trays each comprise a plurality of ridges arranged to provide an indirect path from a higher end of the one or more support trays to the lower end of the one or more support trays.

14. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, wherein the support structure comprises a plurality of legs.

15. An irrigation device according to claim 14, wherein the plurality of legs define a space under the support structure and wherein the irrigation device comprises a waste water receiver locatable within the space under the support structure.

16. An irrigation device according to claim 14 or claim 15, wherein the support structure comprises a drainage channel arranged to receive water from the or each drainage hole.

17. An irrigation device according to claim 16, wherein the drainage channel is arranged to channel water received from the or each drainage hole to the waste water receiver.

18. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, comprising a container arranged to contain the plurality of water droplets.

19. An irrigation device according to claim 18, wherein the container is supported by the support structure and the container supports the reservoir.

20. An irrigation device according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein the container is a cylinder.

21. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, wherein the aperture has a diameter less than 2 mm.

22. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, wherein the aperture has a diameter of 1 mm.

23. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispersive surface has a diameter greater than 1 mm.

24. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, comprising a set of removably replaceable apertures, each aperture having a different diameter.

25. An irrigation device according to any of claim 1 to claim 23, comprising a mechanism for adjusting a rate of water flow.

26. An irrigation device according to claim 25, wherein the mechanism for adjusting a rate of water flow comprises a mechanism for adjusting a diameter of the aperture.

27. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, wherein the aperture is 5 greater than 20 cm above the dispersive surface.

28. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, wherein the dispersive surface is between 10 cm and 30 cm above the support structure.

10

29. An irrigation device according to any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of apertures and a plurality of dispersive surfaces.

30. A method of irrigation, the method comprising:

dispensing, through an aperture, a drop of water from a reservoir;

15 receiving, at a dispersive surface, the drop of water dispensed from the aperture;

and dispersing, over a support structure, fragments of the drop of water as a plurality of water droplets.