WO2002089560A1 - Accurate metering device for irrigation - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention concerns a device for metering accurately and individually for each plant, the amount of water supplied by an automatic or manual distributed watering system. It consists of three mutually combined elements: a head, which receives the water from an irrigation system and locks the water intake when the device is full, an intermediate body whereof the size determines the amount of water received by the device then redistributed to the plant, and a diffuser which diffuses the water in the soil. Figure 8 provides three examples (18), (19) and (20) for installing the device, connected to a water distributing system (21) and buried in the soil of a cultivated field, each capable of being assigned to a particular plant. The head is pale grey, the intermediate body is white, the diffuser is dark grey. The amount of water is defined for each installation by the size of the intermediate body, which may be left out.

Description

 DEVICE FOR PRECISE DOSING OF WATERING

The present invention relates to a device for metering precisely and individually to each plant the amount of water supplied by a distributed, automatic or manual watering system.

In the current state of technology, sprinkler sprinkler systems are based on two main elements:

- The distribution valve which, connected to the water distribution network, opens and closes, at programmed times in advance if it is automatic, or manually. During the opening, water feeds the capillary water diffusion system. - The capillary water distribution system, composed of an adapter which reduces the pressure to a value compatible with the distributed elements, and the distributed elements which include the pipes, the connection elements, and finally the drippers placed at the foot of the plants to water: crops, decorative plants in pots, etc. There may be drippers of different flow rates, which allows the amount of water to be distributed to each plant to be measured: drippers 1 1 H (liters per hour), 2 1 / H, etc.

This traditional solution of flow drippers has four major drawbacks:

- The actual flow rate of the drippers lacks precision, which means that the amount of water distributed to each plant is very approximate. We have seen that out of a set of 10 21 / H drippers sold in the same package, and placed under identical distribution conditions, the actual flow rate varied almost uniformly in a range from + 52% to - 14% compared at the theoretical value, with an average of 2.31 / H, and a difference of 76% between the most passing dripper (31 / H) and the least passing dripper (1.71 / H). - Water distribution takes place in real time during the opening phase of the distribution valve. The water flow is therefore important, hence possible overflow when it comes to a potted plant, and risk of obstruction of small openings (drippers) by impurities, because it is not possible to put buffers filtering without significantly and uncontrollably impacting the flow rate and therefore the quantity of water distributed. - The ideal dose of water to be received by each type of plant varies in considerable proportions, much more extensive than that offered by several types of drippers. Consequently, and except to install several networks of distribution with each its valve allowing to regulate independently the watering times, it is not possible to adapt exactly to each plant the quantity of water distributed.

- Finally watering is done on the surface, so it tends to develop surface roots exposed to the heat of the sun and therefore more fragile.

The device according to the invention overcomes these drawbacks. It is described in Figures 1 to 3. It consists of three elements which can be cylindrical and whose material can be plastic: a Head, a Diffuser, an Intermediate Body. The arrangement of the internal components of each of these three elements is given by way of example and could be different.

The Head (Figure 1) consists of an outer body (1), the lower part of which has a thread (2), a water inlet (3) connected to a pipe of the capillary water diffusion system d watering, of an air exhaust (4) which can be constituted by a dripper or by any other device capable of allowing air to pass and of limiting the passage of water, of a filter pad (5) made for example by a plastic foam and protecting the air exhaust from impurities potentially contained in the irrigation water to avoid obstructions. The place of the water inlet and the air exhaust can be on the side or on the top. They can be placed side by side on the top of the head so as to limit the visible part of the assembly.

- The Intermediate Body (Figure 2) consists of an outer body (11) whose upper and lower parts have threads (12) and (13) so that it can be screwed into the threads (2) respectively and (7) lower parts of the Head and upper part of the Diffuser. This intermediate body, apart from the threaded parts, can have any height H and diameter D. There can therefore be several models of Intermediate Body in terms of dimensions, but all can be screwed on the single model of Head and Diffuser.

- The Diffuser (Figure 3) consists of an outer body (6) whose upper part has a thread (7) so that it can be screwed into the threads (2) and (13) of the lower part of the Head or of the Intermediate body, of a sprinkler (8) constituted for example by a dripper or by any other device capable of limiting the passage of water, a filter pad (9) made for example by a plastic foam, a protective filter (10) constituted for example by fabric and which prevents the earth in which is inserted the diffuser or the roots from obstructing the sprinkler.

Figures 4 to 7 show a simplified drawing of the head (14), the diffuser (15) and two examples (16) and (17) of intermediate body, the lower part of which could be tapered until reaching the width of the diffuser, to facilitate penetration into the earth. Figure 8 shows three examples (18) ₅ (19) and (20) of mounting the device, connected to a capillary water distribution system (21) and buried in the soil of a plantation, each of which can be assigned to a particular plant, by being installed for example in its flower pot: the mounting "A" is a mounting without an intermediate body, intended for minimum watering, the mounting "B" is a mounting with an intermediate body of the same diameter as the head and the diffuser, the assembly "C" is an assembly with large diameter intermediate body. The amount of water distributed to the plant depends on the presence or not of the intermediate body, and on its volume if it is present, and can therefore be adapted to each plant. The assembly “B” also shows a case where the water inlet and the air exhaust are located at the top of the head to limit the visible part of the device.

The operation of the device is as follows: the assemblies "A", "B" and "C" are connected to the same capillary water distribution system, for example on the same connection pipe downstream of the pressure adapter . When the dispensing valve is open, the three elements are filled, because the air goes out through the exhaust from the head. As soon as the water reaches this exhaust, the flow rate is almost blocked: it is limited, if the air exhaust from the head and the sprinkler of the diffuser are produced with drippers, at the flow rate supplied by two drippers. With more sophisticated devices, this flow rate could be zero, but it turns out that this is not necessary because the duration of opening of the distribution valve, as will be seen below, is very short. The assembly (A), which has the smallest volume, is full on first, montage “B” comes after, then montage “C”. At this time, the valve can be closed, which leads to a valve opening time of around 40 seconds if element "C" contains one liter: the opening time is therefore set to the capacity of the the biggest mount. We understand that “Terror” due to the diffusion of the drippers of the “A” and “B” assemblies once these are full is very limited: it is around 25 ml when the largest assembly of the milk installation a liter, which is negligible: it is enough to take it into account to calibrate the different assemblies. Once the valve is closed, the water slowly diffuses into the soil at the base of the assembly and near the deep roots of the plant, which ensures gentle and regular watering, at the right temperature and, if it is of decorative plants in pots, without any overflow.

Compared to traditional systems, the advantages of the invention are understood:

- The quantity of water distributed no longer depends on the actual flow rate of the drippers, which lacks precision, it only depends on the size of the intermediate body.

- Water distribution is mainly delayed after closing the distribution valve. There is therefore no more overflow if it is a potted plant, or risk of obstruction of small openings (drippers) because these are only used at very low flow rate, hence possibility to put filter pads.

- The ideal dose of water to be received by each type of plant can be precisely defined by the size of the intermediate body.

- Watering is done in depth and therefore allows the development of deep roots, not subject to the heat of the sun.

It should be noted that the device described in the exemplary embodiment makes it possible, from standard head and diffuser sets, and from a collection of intermediate bodies of various sizes, to make metering devices of varied volume by simple assembly by means threads. It is understood that in other alternative embodiments, any other assembly means, such as glue, could be used, insofar as it allows the three elements to be combined (head, diffuser and intermediate body) . We can even imagine that, for economic reasons or for manufacturing optimization, the separation of the three elements is not physically carried out in practice or is only partially, and therefore that each assembly is made up of a head / intermediate body (optioιmel) / diffuser assembly that is physically unique or at least limited in number of separate parts, and including the functions of the three elements.

Claims

Claims Claim 1 Dosing device for watering characterized in that it consists of a standard head and a standard diffuser, as well as an optional intermediate body of which there may be several models whose volumes are different, these elements being able to be produced for example plastic. Claim 2 Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the head has an external body (1), a thread (2) at the base, a water inlet (3) which can be connected to a system capillary distribution of water of an automatic or manual sprinkling, of an air exhaust (4) produced for example by a dripper allowing the air to pass easily but blocking or significantly limiting the passage of water, a filter pad (5) protecting the air exhaust from impurities potentially contained in the irrigation water to avoid obstructions and made for example with plastic foam Claim 3 Device according to Claim 1, characterized in that the diffuser has an external body (6), a thread (7) at the top, a sprinkler (8) capable of gently letting the water escape and produced for example by a dripper, a filter pad (9) retaining the impurities potentially contained in the irrigation water to avoid obstructions of the sprinkler, a protective filter (10) at the base made for example with fabric preventing the soil in which the diffuser is inserted or the roots from obstructing the sprinkler. Claim 4 Device according to claim 1 characterized in that the intermediate body, the height H and the diameter D, that is to say the volume, can vary from one model to another, has an external body (11 ), a thread at the top (12), and a thread at the base (13). Claim 5 Device according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the threads of the head, of the diffuser and of the intermediate body are produced in such a way that the head can be screwed to the top of the diffuser or to the top of the intermediate body, the intermediate body can be screwed at the base of the head and at the top of the diffuser, that the (diffuser can be screwed at the base of the head or the intermediate body. Claim 6 Device according to claim 5 characterized in that the threads make it possible to produce various assemblies of sprinkler dispensers, examples of which are shown in FIG. 8, consisting of a standard head at the top, of a standard diffuser at the base, and an optional intermediate body in the middle, the size of which makes it possible to define the overall volume of the assembly and therefore the quantity of water which will be distributed by the assembly. Claim 7 Device according to claim 6 characterized in that an assembly consisting of the standard head, the standard diffuser, and possibly an intermediate body, is adapted to the amount of watering required by the plant for which it is intended by the by means of the absence or presence, and in the latter case of the size, of the intermediate body. Claim 8 Device according to claim 6 or 7 characterized in that the assembly is connected by the arrival of water from the head to the capillary water distribution system of an automatic or manual distributed sprinkler system, and pressed in the earth near of the plant to be watered in such a way that the part not sunk in the ground can be limited to the part of the head containing the water inlet and the air exhaust, as drawn in figure 8 for three examples mounting, and in such a way that watering is done at the level of the deep roots of the plant. Claim 9 Device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the system for fixing the elements can be produced by any other system than by threading, for example by glue, insofar as it allows the three to be combined elements (head, diffuser and intermediate body) to make a sprinkler metering assembly. Claim 10 Device according to Claim 2, characterized in that the water inlet (3) and the air exhaust (4) from the head can be located side by side on the upper face of the head so as to limit the visible part of the assembly, as shown in assembly B of FIG. 8. Claim 11 Device according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, for example for economic reasons or for manufacturing optimization, the separation of the three elements is not physically carried out in practice or is only partially done and therefore that each assembly is made up of an optional intermediate head-body assembly-physically unique diffuser limited in number of distinct parts and including the functions of the three elements. Claim 12 Device according to claims 2 and 3 characterized in that the air exhaust (4) and the sprinkler (8) are made by drippers which may not include any movable mechanical part, such as for example baffle drippers. Claim 13 Device according to Claims 1 to 5 and 12, characterized in that the distribution and metering of the water is done without any moving mechanical part in order to improve the robustness of the device Claim 14 Device according to claim 3, characterized in that, the flow of water in the earth taking place naturally and slowly after filling the device, the deposition of impurity on the filter pad (9) of the diffuser, far from block the sprinkler, serves as an additional filter pad.