Rainwater collection device, and irrigation arrangement with such a collection device

Abstract

Rainwater collection device (3), • with a funnel-like collecting surface (14) which is designed to collect rainwater which falls during use, • and with an outlet (7) which, in use, is located at a geodetically low point of the collecting surface (14), • and with holding means (9) which are designed to hold the collecting surface (14) above an IBC container (2) in a horizontal orientation during use and which are connected to the container of the IBC container (2) or to its outer frame (4), characterized in that the collecting surface (14) has relief openings (18) which are designed to allow rainwater which accumulates in the funnel-like collecting surface (14) to flow away outside the outlet (7) during use.

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a rainwater collection device having a funnel-shaped collecting surface designed to collect incident rainwater during use, and having an outlet located at a geodetically low point of the collecting surface during use, and having holding means designed to hold the collecting surface above an IBC container in a horizontal orientation during use, and which are connected to the container of the IBC container or to its outer frame. While the actual container, which serves to hold bulk material or liquid, is typically made of plastic and forms a closed housing, the outer frame is typically made of metal and is designed in the manner of a grid or cage. In the context of the present proposal, the term "IBC container" includes both the actual container and the outer frame.

[0002] Such a collection device is commercially available under the name “ROSILUV” from the company Ecovore (www.ekovore.com / produit / rosiluv-collecteur-eau-pluviale) and consists of several folded and screwed steel sheets, which form an essentially square collection area of 4.3 m 2with a diagonal dimension of approximately 2.6 m. In addition to the option of bolting the collection device to the outer frame of an IBC container, the collection device provides connection options for securing the collection area to the ground outside the IBC container against wind forces using tensioning or lashing straps and ground anchors. While it is well-known and widespread practice to collect rainwater falling on the roofs of buildings and temporarily store it in collection containers, the collection device enables the construction of a water collection station independent of buildings and their roofs by setting up an IBC container at virtually any location and mounting the collection device on it.

[0003] A one-piece plastic IBC funnel with a capacity of 50 liters for safely collecting and discharging liquids into standard 1000-liter tank containers is sold under the name "IBC Funnel XL Falcon" by KAISER+KRAFT GmbH, Stuttgart (www.kaiserkraft.de / zubehoer / trichter / ibc-trichter-xl / aus-pe-volumen-50-l / p / M19574020). An optional lid allows the collection area to be covered when not in use.

[0004] The invention is based on the object of improving a generic rainwater collection device so that it supports the simplest, most maintenance-free operation possible and offers a high degree of stability. Furthermore, the invention is based on the object of providing an irrigation system that can be operated autonomously.

[0005] Features of the invention are defined in claims 1 and 19. Embodiments are the subject of the dependent claims.

[0006] The invention thus proposes that, in a generic rainwater collection device, the collection surface has relief openings designed to allow rainwater that accumulates in the funnel-shaped collection surface to flow outside the outlet during use. This prevents the funnel-shaped collection surface from filling with rainwater if no water can drain from the collection surface into the IBC container, for example, if the IBC container is completely full and / or the outlet of the collection device is blocked. Depending on the size and height of the collection surface, it can have a capacity in the three-digit liter range, resulting in a similar fill weight in kilograms.

[0007] Firstly, a heavy filling can mechanically overload the collecting surface, depending on how the collecting surface is designed in terms of material selection and shape.

[0008] Secondly, a heavy load can result in a high center of gravity for the overall assembly, since the collection device, when in use, is located above an IBC container, which typically rests on a pallet or has a pallet-like floor structure below the actual container with access pockets for a forklift truck. The outlet of the collection device is typically adapted to the opening of the IBC container and accordingly has a diameter of frequently 150 and at most 225 mm, frequently even smaller if a nozzle directs rainwater from the outlet of the collection device into an opening in the lid of the IBC container.If the outlet is blocked, for example by leaves including flower petals, dirt particles, or the like, the rainwater accumulates within the funnel-shaped collection area. An increasing level of rainwater exerts increasing pressure on the elements covering or blocking the outlet, so that the outlet remains closed with increasing reliability. If the water from the IBC container has been used up, but the accumulated rainwater remains in the funnel-shaped collection area, the overall arrangement has a disadvantageously high center of gravity, which compromises the stability of the overall arrangement and increases the risk of injury to living beings or damage to objects.

[0009] The relief openings, which the collection area has according to the invention, prevent rainwater from accumulating to a disadvantageous extent. By selecting the locations where the relief openings are arranged, the volume and thus the weight of the water that can accumulate in the collection area can be determined. In a profiled design of the collection area with horizontal and vertical sections, the relief openings can be arranged optionally in the horizontal or in the vertical sections of the collection area. Apart from the thus determined maximum water storage volume, the locations where the relief openings are arranged can also be selected based on their accessibility for cutting, milling, or punching tools in order to support the most problem-free and thus economical production of the collection device.

[0010] The collection device can be designed such that the relief openings are arranged at a distance from the outlet. Regardless of the fact that the additional relief openings already improve the passability of the outlet, the distance of the relief openings from the outlet increases the likelihood that any elements that could block the outlet will not reach all of the relief openings, so that the accumulated rainwater can drain from the funnel-like collection area via at least one, possibly several, and advantageously all of the relief openings.

[0011] The outlet can be located at virtually any point in the collection area. Using a connecting line, such as a hose, the rainwater can be guided from the outlet into the IBC container, for example, into a specially created inlet opening in the IBC container. Advantageously, the container opening already provided on top of the IBC container can be used as the inlet opening, allowing users who wish to mount a rainwater collection device on an IBC container to do so with as little manual effort as possible. However, the collection device can advantageously be designed such that the outlet is arranged in the collection area in such a way that it is aligned with the lid opening of the IBC container during use.This means that no connecting line is required between the outlet and the inlet of the IBC container, which simplifies installation work for the user and also reduces the risk of leaks, as as few components as possible are used that would have to be connected to each other in a watertight manner, such as the aforementioned connecting line that would otherwise be required.

[0012] The outlet can, for example, be arranged above the lid opening so that the rainwater can flow freely from the collection area and the outlet into the open lid opening. The outlet can advantageously be designed in the form of an outlet nozzle that extends into the lid opening of the IBC container. Firstly, this avoids losses that could otherwise be caused by the action of wind between the outlet of the collection area and the lid opening of the IBC container. Secondly, the positive connection of the collection device to the IBC container creates a guide for the collection device on the IBC container and undesirable lateral displacement of the collection device can be prevented or at least limited.Thirdly, the outlet nozzle can completely fill the lid opening of the IBC container, so that the lid opening is closed by the collection device and thus there is no risk of small animals entering the IBC container through the open lid opening and dying, as well as affecting the quality of the water stored in the container.

[0013] The collecting surface of the collection device can be designed with a smooth surface. However, the collection device can advantageously be designed with grooves, which stiffen the collecting surface and allow the collection device to be manufactured economically with a thin material. Furthermore, it is lightweight, which facilitates the construction of a water collection station and the installation of the collection device on an IBC container.

[0014] Advantageously, the gutters can run in different directions, lead to the outlet, and, during use, be geodetically lower than the areas of the collection area adjacent to the gutters. Because the collection device is exposed to wind influences due to its outdoor installation, there is a risk that rainwater that has reached the collection area could be blown off the collection area during its relatively long journey to the outlet in strong winds, for example, due to short-term strong gusts, without reaching the outlet of the collection device. The gutters in the collection area provide wind protection, allowing the rainwater in the gutters to flow smoothly to the outlet.In addition, the gutters collect rainwater that is blown from the elevated areas of the collection area during strong winds, so that this water is not blown down the edge of the collection area, but rather can be collected in a gutter, so that the water losses caused by wind can be significantly reduced and the efficiency of the collection device can be increased accordingly.

[0015] If the collection area has gutters, the path of the rainwater that has reached the collection area to the next gutter is significantly shorter than the path to the outlet at many points on the collection system, allowing the rainwater to quickly flow into a channel protected from the wind. The fact that the gutters run in different directions ensures that one or more gutters always run in a different direction from the wind, providing the desired wind protection.The fact that the low-lying areas of the collection area, namely the gutters, make up a small proportion of the collection area when viewed from above ensures that the gutters themselves do not make up an undesirably large proportion of the collection area and therefore offer a large surface area exposed to wind, but rather can fulfil their wind protection function for the water collected in the gutters.

[0016] If the collection surface has channels, the channel bottom of several or all of the channels can advantageously be designed to form a base on which the collection device rests on the IBC container, for example, by resting with the channel bottoms on the container itself or the uppermost horizontal strut of the outer frame. For example, where the channel bottoms are designed to rest on the IBC container, they can be flat rather than rounded, in order to ensure the largest possible contact area and thus the lowest possible surface pressure.

[0017] The holding means may be hooks, fitting plates, or other configured elements, which may be secured, for example, to the collecting surface of the collection device and / or to the outer frame of the IBC container using screws, rivets, or the like. However, the collection device may advantageously be configured such that the holding means are configured for tool-free operation. This facilitates the installation of a water collection station in several respects by placing an IBC container at the desired location and subsequently mounting the collection device on the IBC container.Since the water collection station is typically installed away from buildings and therefore sometimes at a very great distance from a workshop, this installation is simplified by the fact that, due to the tool-free installation option, no missing tools need to be procured first and the handling of the tools does not place specific demands on the personnel carrying out the installation.

[0018] A holding means can be attached to the collecting device by projections, threads or the like. However, the collecting device can advantageously be designed such that the collecting surface has a pair of two spaced-apart openings that are designed to guide an arc of a holding means. In this way, a connection option for holding means can be created with minimal machining of the collecting surface, for example by punching the openings. The two openings form a pair, i.e. they belong together functionally and are spaced apart, albeit closely, from one another. The holding means can be designed as a flexible, freely deformable band, for example in the form of a cord with a round cross-section or in the form of a belt with a flat cross-section, so that the arc of such a holding means is referred to as the bay of this band.Alternatively, the retaining means can have a defined shape and be designed, for example, as a U-shaped retaining clip made of metal, plastic, or a composite material, which can be secured to the IBC container at both ends, for example, by means of angled portions at both ends, or which can be secured to a counterpart similar to a two-part clamp. The retaining clip and / or the counterpart can be spring-loaded, allowing them to be clipped together without the need for tools.

[0019] The two openings of the aforementioned pair can have a round or polygonal cross-section. However, the collecting device can advantageously be designed such that the two openings of the pair are designed as slots. This allows the use of holding means with a flat cross-section, so that pressures prevailing at the contact points between the holding means and the collecting surface are distributed over a larger area, thus reducing the mechanical stress on both the holding means and the collecting surface.

[0020] Depending on the design of the IBC container and / or the collecting device and / or the holding means, the slots can run at a specific angle to one another in order to enable the collecting device to be attached to the IBC container with as little stress as possible. However, the collecting device can advantageously be designed such that the slots run parallel to one another. In this context, the invention is based on the consideration that, for most IBC containers found in practice, holding means can be guided from the collecting surface to the outer frame in such a way that a holding means with a flat cross-section can lie against the edges of the two parallel slots over as full a surface as possible, thus achieving the most even pressure distribution possible between the holding means and the collecting surface.

[0021] The collecting device can be designed in such a way that a depression runs in the collecting surface between the two openings of the pair, with a central axis running through the two centers of the two openings and the depression extending transversely to the central axis beyond the two openings. The depression acts like a bead or rib to stiffen the collecting surface in the area where the holding means adjoins the collecting surface, so that high holding forces can be transmitted without causing undesirable deformation of the collecting surface. The fact that the depression extends transversely to the central axis beyond the two openings results in load distribution over a larger area of the collecting surface because the area of the collecting surface located between the two openings is not the only area subjected to stress.

[0022] The above-mentioned recess already provides structural reinforcement of the collecting surface in the area of a pair of openings in which a holding means is connected to the collecting surface. This reinforcement of the collecting surface can be further improved by arranging a load distribution element in the recess. This allows even higher holding forces to be absorbed, since the holding means does not transfer the forces directly to the material of the collecting surface, but rather the forces are distributed over a larger area of the collecting surface by means of the load distribution element. If the recess is designed as an elongated groove, for example, the load distribution element can be designed as a tube, rod, or extruded profile in order to transfer the forces acting on the collecting surface from the holding means to the areas adjacent to the pair of openings.In this context, a correspondingly rigid design of the load distribution element, adapted to the forces to be transmitted, is advantageous. The load distribution element does not need to be attached to the collecting surface during production; rather, it can be inserted into the recess of the collecting surface by the assembly personnel during assembly of the collecting device on an IBC container, thus simplifying the production of the collecting surface and thus keeping the costs of the collecting device as low as possible.

[0023] The use of flexible retaining devices allows for easy adaptation to different distances between the openings, e.g., the slots, of the collection device and the points on the IBC container where the retaining devices are to be connected, typically points on the outer frame. This allows the collection device to be mounted on IBC containers of different designs, e.g., with different capacities. Compared to rigid retaining devices in the form of fitting plates, struts, or the like, flexible retaining devices in the form of cords, straps, chains, or the like can be easily adapted to the respective installation situation.

[0024] The collection device can be designed in such a way that the holding means are designed as lashing straps. Lashing straps have several advantages: first, they are economically available as mass-produced items. Second, they are already equipped with a strap clamping device and therefore require neither additional fastening or locking elements nor the creation of knots or the like. Third, unlike tensioning straps, they do not have a tensioning lever with a ratchet and thus do not allow for force amplification, which could cause overloading of the collection surface when installing the holding means.

[0025] The collecting surface of the collection device can be made of metal or plastic, whereby the term "plastic" in this context also includes composite materials, e.g., fiber-reinforced plastics such as glass-fiber or carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics. With appropriate UV stabilization, plastics can be used to manufacture the collecting surface, advantageously keeping the weight of the collection device as low as possible and providing the entire water collection station with a low center of gravity for high stability. For example, the collecting surface can be economically manufactured from plastic with a complex shape using a deep-drawing process.

[0026] The collection device can be designed such that the collection area has a solar cell at least in part. This allows for autonomous operation of the water collection station when installed at a considerable distance from buildings and where there may be an existing power supply, for example, by pumping the collected water to a point of consumption using an electric pump. In this case, the pump can be powered by electrical energy from an energy storage device in the form of an accumulator, which in turn is powered by the electrical energy from the one or more solar cells of the collection area.As an alternative to using the electrical energy generated by the collection area for the water collection station itself, this electrical energy can be used to supply energy to other electrical consumers that are independent of the water supply concept: for example, an electrical energy storage device can be filled that is used to operate an electric pasture fence, or a measuring station can be operated or the transmitters of such a measuring station can be set up in order to be able to transmit sensor data wirelessly, or a lighting device that is independent of the public power grid can be operated.

[0027] The arrangement of solar cells can be limited to flat surface sections of the collecting surface, whereby separate flat surface sections can be configured as a corresponding number of separate solar cells, or a single flat surface section can contain several individual solar cells. Depending on the design, for example, with crystalline or amorphous solar cells, uneven surface sections of the collecting surface can also be provided with a solar cell.

[0028] The collection device can have a filter that is designed to feed only filtered rainwater into the IBC container during use. Depending on the design of the outlet, the filter can be arranged in the outlet of the collection device, for example in an outlet nozzle that provides the installation space for the filter. Or the filter can be arranged upstream of the outlet, or it can be arranged downstream of an opening in the collection area, so that in this case the filter forms the outlet of the collection device. In one design, the filter can be designed as a coarse filter that retains leaves, twigs and small animals so that they do not get into the IBC container. In another design, the filter can be designed as a fine filter, for example to ensure drinking water quality by means of ultrafiltration.

[0029] The collection device can be designed in such a way that the collection surface is adjustable in size. This way, commercial transport costs for shipping the collection device can be kept as low as possible, and the smallest possible packing size of the collection device also facilitates transport to the respective installation site where a water collection station is to be set up. The size change of the collection surface can be achieved, for example, by making the collection surface inflatable, similar to an air mattress, or by having an inflatable frame with non-inflatable surface sections located between sections of the frame.In this context, inflatable also refers to a design of the collecting surface which can be filled not with a gas such as ambient air, but with another material, for example an expandable foam. In any case, the change in shape allows the collecting surface to have either smaller dimensions in favor of a small pack size or larger dimensions in order to provide a large area for collecting rainwater in use. Filling the cavities with gas, a foam or the like not only increases the dimensions of the collecting surface but also stiffens the fillable areas of the collecting surface so that it has sufficient dimensional stability in use. For example, the aforementioned expandable foam can be designed in such a way that it hardens after expansion.

[0030] As an alternative to enabling the size change of the collecting surface through its deformability, the collecting device can be designed such that the collecting surface consists of several elements that can be optionally separated from one another or connected to one another. In contrast to its deformability, the ability to disassemble the collecting surface allows individual sections of the collecting surface to be dimensionally stable, which can be advantageous, for example, for the arrangement of solar cells in these sections. Despite the dimensional stability of individual sections, it also allows the size change of the collecting surface between a small pack size and a large area for collecting rainwater.In addition, the division of the collecting surface into several individual, separate elements means that the individual elements not only have smaller dimensions but also a lower weight compared to the entire collecting surface, so that they can be handled in the simplest way possible.

[0031] As an alternative to the collecting surface consisting of several separable elements, the collecting device can be designed such that the collecting surface consists of several sections connected by hinges. In this case, the advantage of dimensionally stable individual sections of the collecting surface is combined with the advantage of the fastest possible erection of the collecting device, since connecting the individual sections of the collecting surface does not require separate elements to be connected; instead, the individual sections are already connected. The hinged connection allows the individual sections to be arranged in such a way that the collecting surface has a small pack size.In order to bring the collecting surface into its large-area use position, the sections simply need to be unfolded and do not need to be connected to each other, if necessary using separate connecting or fastening elements.

[0032] Such a collecting device with articulated sections of the collecting surface can be designed such that the collecting surface is made of plastic and the sections of the collecting surface are connected to one another by film hinges. This supports the most cost-effective provision of the collecting surface, since neither separate hinge components are required, nor do such hinge components have to be attached to adjacent sections of the collecting surface. Rather, appropriately small material cross-sections can be used to create lines in the collecting surface that serve as hinges, allowing the collecting surface to be folded, for example, like a fanfold.

[0033] The invention further relates to a self-sufficient irrigation arrangement, in the simplest case with a collecting device according to the invention and with an irrigation line connected to the IBC container. For example, the irrigation line can be laid in the ground and connected to the IBC container without a valve – or with a permanently open valve. Water accordingly flows from the IBC container into the irrigation line laid in the ground, and this initially releases the water into the surrounding soil until it is saturated with water, and then automatically whenever the soil begins to dry out and can therefore absorb more water. The irrigation system is self-sufficient in that it enables automatic irrigation and does not require access to open or close a valve or to fill the IBC container.

[0034] Such a self-sufficient irrigation arrangement can be further developed in such a way that it has a soil moisture sensor, as well as an electrically operated valve that selectively opens or closes the irrigation line, as well as a control unit that operates the valve depending on the sensor data, and which finally also has an electrical energy storage device that provides the energy to operate the control unit and to operate the valve.

[0035] The aforementioned energy storage device can be configured as a battery, or it can be rechargeable in the form of an accumulator or capacitor. If the collection device, as explained above, has one or more solar cells, a rechargeable energy storage device does not need to be removed from the irrigation system and charged elsewhere for charging, but can be charged by the collection device itself.

[0036] The self-sufficient irrigation system can be further developed to include sensors and a transmitting device, allowing certain states of the irrigation system to be monitored without having to visit the system. For example, the information can be transmitted via the mobile network. These states can relate to, for example, the fill level in the IBC container, the opening or closing state of the irrigation line valve, the sensor data from the aforementioned soil moisture sensor or other sensors such as a temperature sensor, the energy generation of the solar cells, or the energy content of the electrical energy storage device.

[0037] Further features, details, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the wording of the claims and from the following description of an embodiment based on the purely schematic drawings. They show: Fig. 1 a perspective view from above of a water collection station, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view from below of the water collection station of Fig. 1.

[0038] Fig. Figure 1 shows a water collection station 1, the two essential components of which are an IBC container 2 and a rainwater collection device 3 mounted thereon. A cage-like outer frame 4 extends around the actual container of the IBC container 2, which is connected to a pallet-like floor structure 5 below the actual container of the IBC container 2. In its lower area, the IBC container 2 has a valve 6, which is manually operated and can be opened or closed as required. At the top, the IBC container 2 has a filling opening, which Fig. 1 is not visible and is surrounded by a threaded nozzle as is typical for IBC containers.

[0039] An outlet 7 of the collecting device 3 extends into the threaded nozzle of the filling opening of the IBC container 2. This outlet is designed as an outlet nozzle and has a plurality of small outlet openings 8, so that the outlet 7 simultaneously forms a coarse filter. Because the diameter of the outlet nozzle is precisely matched to the threaded nozzle of the IBC container 2, the filling opening of the IBC container 2 is closed by the outlet 7, so that neither small animals nor objects can get past the coarse filter formed by the outlet 7 of the collecting device 3 and into the IBC container 2. Furthermore, the collecting device 3 is securely fixed to the IBC container 2 by the positive connection between the outlet and threaded nozzles.

[0040] The collection device 3 is secured against uplift forces on the IBC container 2 by a total of six retaining means 9, which are designed as lashing straps 10. The lashing straps 10 each run in an arc through two parallel slots 11 and over a groove-shaped recess 12, which runs parallel to and between the two slots 11 – i.e., transversely to an imaginary central axis extending through the two centers of the two slots 11 – and which protrudes beyond the slots 11 on both sides. A load distribution element 13 in the form of a steel pin is inserted into the recess 12. The lashing straps 10 each run downwards and around one of the horizontal struts of the outer frame 4. In the illustrated embodiment, the lashing straps 10 have been shortened after installation so that no protruding strap portions can whip in the wind under appropriate weather conditions.As delivered, the lashing straps are long enough to allow the collection device 3 to be attached to different IBC containers 2, for example, both IBC containers 2 with 600 l and those with 1,000 l capacity. In contrast to the illustrated embodiment, the lashing straps 10 can also extend to lower struts of the outer frame 4, for example, if the slots 11 do not run exactly above the outer frame 4 and the lashing straps 10 are to be as steep and as shallow as possible.

[0041] The collecting device 3 has a collecting surface 14, which in the illustrated embodiment is designed as a deep-drawn component, has a raised circumferential edge 15, higher regions 16 inclined funnel-like towards the outlet 7, and channels 17. The higher regions 16 have their lowest points where they are closest to the outlet 7. Near these lowest points, the higher regions 16 are each provided with a relief opening 18, through which the volume of water that can accumulate in the collecting device is limited to approximately the volume that can be accommodated in the channels 17.

[0042] Out of Fig.2, which shows the water collection station 1 obliquely from below, shows the lower area of a lashing strap 10 with its strap clamping device as well as the course of the lashing strap 10 around an upper strut of the outer frame 4. Furthermore, it can be seen that the channels 17 are designed such that they each form a support surface with their channel bottom, with which the collection device 3 stands on the outer frame 4 of the IBC container 2. The length of these support surfaces is dimensioned such that the collection device 3 can be mounted on different IBC containers 2, for example, on IBC containers 2 with both 600 l and those with 1,000 l capacity.

[0043] The invention is not limited to one of the above-described embodiments, but can be modified in a variety of ways. All features and advantages apparent from the claims, the description, and the drawings, including design details, spatial arrangements, and method steps, can be essential to the invention both individually and in a wide variety of combinations. This applies in particular to the design of the holding means as lashing straps, the recess in the collecting surface, and the possibility of inserting a load distribution element therein. List of reference symbols 1 water collection station 2 IBC containers 3 Collection device 4 outer frames 5 Floor construction 6 Valve 7 Outlet 8 outlet openings 9 Holding devices 10 lashing straps 11 Slot 12 Deepening 13 Load distribution element 14 Collecting area 15 Rand 16 higher range 17 gutter 18 Relief opening

Claims

[1] Rainwater collection device (3), • with a funnel-like collecting surface (14) which is designed to collect rainwater which falls during use, • and with an outlet (7) which, in use, is located at a geodetically low point of the collecting surface (14), • and with holding means (9) which are designed to hold the collecting surface (14) above an IBC container (2) in a horizontal orientation in use and which are connected to the container of the IBC container (2) or to its outer frame (4), characterized by that the collecting surface (14) has relief openings (18) which are designed to allow rainwater which accumulates in the funnel-like collecting surface (14) to flow away outside the outlet (7) during use. [2] Collecting device according to claim 1, characterized by that the relief openings (18) are arranged at a distance from the outlet (7). [3] Collecting device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by that the outlet (7) is arranged in the collecting surface (14) in such a way that, in use, it is aligned with a lid opening of the IBC container (2). [4] Collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the collecting surface (14) has grooves (17) which run in different directions, lead to the outlet (7) and, in use, are geodetically lower than the areas of the collecting surface (14) adjacent to the grooves (17). [5] Collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the holding means (9) are designed for tool-free operation. [6] Collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the collecting surface (14) has a pair of two spaced-apart openings which are adapted to guide a sheet of a holding means (9). [7] Collecting device according to claim 6, characterized by that the two openings of the pair are designed as slots (11). [8] Collecting device according to claim 7, characterized by that the slots (11) run parallel to each other. [9] Collecting device according to one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by , that in the collecting surface (14) there is a recess (12) between the two openings of the pair, where a central axis runs through the two centers of the two openings and the recess (12) extends transversely to the central axis beyond the two openings. [10] Collecting device according to claim 9, characterized by that a load distribution element (13) is arranged in the recess (12). [11] Collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the holding means (9) are designed as lashing straps (10). [12] Collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the collecting surface (14) is made of plastic. [13] Collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the collecting surface (14) has a solar cell at least in some areas. [14] Collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by a filter designed to feed only filtered rainwater into the IBC container (2) during use. [15] Collecting device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the collecting surface (14) is designed to be variable in size. [16] Collecting device according to claim 15, characterized by that the collecting surface (14) consists of several elements which can be optionally separated from one another or connected to one another. [17] Collecting device according to claim 15, characterized bythat the collecting surface (14) consists of several sections connected to one another in an articulated manner. [18] Collecting device according to claim 17, characterized by that the collecting surface (14) is made of plastic, and the sections of the collecting surface (14) are connected to one another by film hinges. [19] Self-sufficient irrigation arrangement, with a collecting device (3) according to one of the preceding claims, and with an irrigation line connected to the IBC container (2).

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