Rainfall testing device and rainfall testing method

Abstract

To achieve a rainfall test for reproducing rain with weak rainfall intensity.SOLUTION: The rainfall testing device 10 includes a nozzle 20, a water supply unit 22 for supplying water to the nozzle 20, and an air supply unit 24 for supplying air to the nozzle 20. The nozzle 20 has an injection part 29 which repeats bending deformation by reaction force by injection of water and air from the water supply part 22 and the air supply part 24.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a rainfall test device and a rainfall test method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, for example, a rainfall test device has been known that artificially recreates a rainfall environment by spraying water from an artificial rainfall nozzle. The artificial rainfall nozzle disclosed in Patent Document 1 is constructed of a flexible tube, the body of which has a tip opening and is partially made of a highly flexible material. As described in paragraph 0020, this flexible tube remains generally stationary when the water supply pressure is 0.05 MPa or less, but begins to vibrate when the pressure is further increased. When water is sprayed in this vibrating state, the water breaks up, resulting in scattered droplets being released, thereby recreating a rainfall environment. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5827667 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the self-oscillating nozzle disclosed in Patent Document 1, reducing the water supply rate to conduct a weak rainfall test results in the flexible tube no longer self-oscillating. This is due to a decrease in the water supply pressure. Therefore, it is difficult to reproduce weak rainfall intensity using a self-oscillating nozzle. While it is possible to use nozzles other than self-oscillating nozzles in rainfall test equipment, when conducting a weak rainfall test using a single-fluid nozzle, the water droplets do not spread out, making it difficult to reproduce natural rain. Furthermore, attempts were made to supply air to the single-fluid nozzle, but in this case, water was sprayed near the center while air was sprayed around it, making it difficult to reproduce natural rain. Furthermore, when a two-fluid nozzle was used to reduce the rainfall volume, the droplet size became very small, resulting in a drizzle.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned prior art, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to realize a rainfall test that reproduces rainfall of weak intensity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the rainfall test device according to the present invention includes a nozzle, a water supply unit for supplying water to the nozzle, and an air supply unit for supplying air to the nozzle. The nozzle has an injection unit that repeatedly flexes and deforms due to reaction forces caused by injection of water and air from the water supply unit and the air supply unit.

[0007] In the rainfall test device according to the present invention, when the nozzle jetting portion jets water and air, it repeatedly flexes and deforms due to the reaction force of the jetting water and air. That is, by supplying air from the air supply portion, the jetting pressure from the jetting portion is ensured even when the flow rate of water supplied from the water supply portion is low. This allows water to be jetted while inducing flexural deformation of the jetting portion. Furthermore, as the jetting portion repeatedly flexes and deforms, the water jetted from the jetting portion is broken into droplets, and the droplets are released in a scattered manner. Therefore, natural rain can be reproduced even when conducting a rainfall test with a weak rainfall intensity.

[0008] The rainfall test device may include a receiving unit that receives rainfall intensity, and a control unit that controls the water supply unit to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit, and controls the air supply unit to supply air to the nozzle when the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is equal to or less than a preset value.

[0009] In this aspect, the water supply unit is controlled to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit. At this time, if the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is equal to or less than a preset value, air is supplied from the air supply unit to the nozzle. Therefore, when conducting a rainfall test with a rainfall intensity weaker than a predetermined rainfall intensity, it is possible to prevent the nozzle from spraying water without deflecting or deforming. The control unit may supply air to the nozzle not only when the received rainfall intensity is equal to or less than a preset value, but also when the received rainfall intensity exceeds the preset value.

[0010] The rainfall test apparatus may include a receiving unit that receives rainfall intensity and a control unit that controls an air supply unit. In this case, when the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is a second value smaller than the first value, the control unit may control the air supply unit so that the air pressure or the air flow rate is increased compared to the air pressure or the air flow rate when the rainfall intensity is the first value.

[0011] In this aspect, when the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is the second value, the air supply pressure or flow rate is adjusted to be higher than when the rainfall intensity is the first value. Therefore, when the amount of deflection of the spraying unit due to the water spray pressure tends to be small, the amount of deflection of the spraying unit can be increased by utilizing the air pressure or flow rate.

[0012] The rainfall test device may include a receiving unit that receives rainfall intensity; a memory unit that stores a correlation between rainfall intensity and water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of a flow rate adjustment mechanism provided in the water supply unit; and a control unit that controls the water supply unit to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit, and controls the air supply unit to supply air to the nozzle when the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit and the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism obtained from the correlation stored in the memory unit is equal to or less than a preset value.

[0013] In this aspect, the water supply unit is controlled to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit. At this time, air is supplied from the air supply unit to the nozzle when the water flow rate, water pressure, or flow rate adjustment mechanism control data obtained from the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is equal to or less than a preset value. That is, the memory unit stores a correlation between rainfall intensity and the water flow rate, water pressure, or flow rate adjustment mechanism control data corresponding to the received rainfall intensity. Air is then supplied to the nozzle when the derived water flow rate, water pressure, or flow rate adjustment mechanism control data is equal to or less than a preset value. Therefore, when conducting a rainfall test with a rainfall intensity weaker than a predetermined rainfall intensity, it is possible to avoid spraying water without the nozzle's spraying section being deflected. The control unit may supply air to the nozzle not only when the water flow rate, water pressure, or flow rate adjustment mechanism control data related to the received rainfall intensity is equal to or less than a preset value, but also when it exceeds the preset value.

[0014] The control unit may control the air supply unit so that, when the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data obtained from the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is a second value smaller than a first value, the air pressure or air flow rate is increased compared to the air pressure or air flow rate at the first value.

[0015] In this embodiment, when the amount of water, water pressure, or control data value is small and the amount of deflection deformation of the jetting portion due to the jetting pressure of water is likely to be small, the amount of deflection deformation of the jetting portion can be increased by utilizing the pressure or flow rate of air.

[0016] The rainfall test method according to the present invention includes the steps of: adjusting the water supply unit so that a flow rate of water corresponding to the required rainfall intensity is supplied to the nozzle; adjusting the air supply unit so that air is supplied to the nozzle when the flow rate is such that the injection part of the nozzle does not bend or deform due to the reaction force caused by the injection of water alone; and injecting water droplets while scattering them as the injection part of the nozzle repeatedly bends or deforms due to the reaction force caused by the injection of water and air.

[0017] The rainfall test method may further include a step of receiving a rainfall intensity by a receiving unit. In this case, the step of adjusting the water supply unit may include adjusting the water supply unit so as to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit, and the step of adjusting the air supply unit may include adjusting the air supply unit so as to supply air to the nozzle when the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is equal to or less than a preset value.

[0018] The rainfall test method may further include a step of receiving a rainfall intensity by a receiving unit. In this case, the step of adjusting the water supply unit may include adjusting the water supply unit so as to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit, and the step of adjusting the air supply unit may include adjusting the air supply unit when a water flow rate, a water pressure, or control data for a flow rate adjustment mechanism provided in the water supply unit obtained from the correlation between the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit and stored in a memory unit is equal to or less than a preset value.

[0019] In the rainfall test method, in the step of adjusting the air supply unit, when the obtained water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism is a second value smaller than a first value, the air supply unit may be adjusted so that the air pressure or air flow rate is increased compared to the air pressure or air flow rate at the first value. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] As described above, according to the present invention, a rainfall test that reproduces rainfall of weak intensity can be realized. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a rainfall test device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a nozzle, a water supply unit, and an air supply unit provided in the rainfall test device. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the particle size distribution of water droplets (or raindrops). [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a rainfall test method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a nozzle, a water supply unit, an air supply unit, and a controller provided in the rainfall test apparatus according to the second embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a rainfall test method according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0023] (First embodiment) As shown in FIG. 1, the rainfall test apparatus 10 according to this embodiment is a test apparatus configured to be able to reproduce a rainfall environment with a weak rainfall intensity (for example, a rainfall intensity of 8 mm / h or less, preferably a rainfall intensity of 5 mm / h or less). This test apparatus 10 can be used to evaluate the characteristics of a test specimen TP in response to rainfall. Note that a rainfall test can be performed with a rainfall intensity of, for example, 1 mm / h or more. Furthermore, the rainfall test apparatus 10 can not only perform tests with a weak rainfall intensity, but can also reproduce a rainfall environment with a stronger rainfall intensity (rainfall intensity exceeding 8 mm / h).

[0024] A test area 12 may be set within the test chamber 14 for conducting the rainfall test as an area where a predetermined rainfall intensity can be obtained, but the test area 12 does not have to be set. In other words, a nozzle 20 (described below) may be set so that the predetermined rainfall intensity can be obtained throughout the entire test chamber 14, or alternatively, the nozzle 20 may be set so that the predetermined rainfall intensity can be obtained at least within the test area 12.

[0025] The rainfall test apparatus 10 includes a nozzle 20, a water supply unit 22 for supplying water to the nozzle 20, and an air supply unit 24 for supplying air to the nozzle 20. The rainfall test apparatus 10 may include one nozzle 20 or multiple nozzles 20. When multiple nozzles 20 are provided, the water supply unit 22 is set so that a predetermined rainfall intensity is obtained by the multiple nozzles 20.

[0026] 2, water supply unit 22 includes water supply pipe 22a connected to a water supply source (not shown). Water supply unit 22 also includes flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b arranged on water supply pipe 22a and configured to adjust the flow rate of water. Flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b may include a valve or a pump.

[0027] The air supply unit 24 includes an air supply pipe 24a connected to an air supply source (not shown). The air supply unit 24 also includes a flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b arranged in the air supply pipe 24a and configured to adjust the flow rate of air. The flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b may include a valve or a compressor.

[0028] The downstream end of the water supply pipe 22a and the downstream end of the air supply pipe 24a are connected to the junction 26. The junction 26 joins the water flowing in through the water supply pipe 22a and the air flowing in through the air supply pipe 24a. When air is not supplied from the air supply pipe 24a, the junction 26 allows only the water from the water supply pipe 22a to flow.

[0029] Nozzle 20 includes a main body 28 that is fixed to a fixed body such as ceiling 16 of test chamber 14, and a jetting part 29 that is connected to main body 28 and has an opening at its tip as jetting port 29a. Main body 28 is connected to confluence 26 and is configured to circulate water and air sent from confluence 26.

[0030] The jetting portion 29 jets water and air from the jet nozzle 29a at the tip as the water and air flow through the main body 28. The jetting portion 29 is thin and flexible so that it can be easily bent in any direction by the reaction force it receives from the jetting water and air. Therefore, as the jetting portion 29 continues to jet water and air, it repeatedly bends and deforms in any direction with the main body 28 as a support point.

[0031] As the jetting portion 29 is repeatedly deformed, the water jetted from the jetting portion 29 is broken up. As a result, the water jetted from the jetting port 29a becomes droplets, and these droplets are released in a scattered manner. The jetting portion 29 is configured to bend due to the reaction force of the jetted water and air, so the amount of deformation and vibration frequency of the jetting portion 29 change depending on the supply water pressure. Although the jetting portion 29 is thin and flexible, it is maintained in its natural position when not jetting water.

[0032] Even when air is not supplied from the air supply unit 24, if the water flow rate from the water supply unit 22 is large (or the water pressure is high), the spray unit 29 will repeatedly bend and deform as it sprays water. For this reason, when conducting a heavy rainfall strength test, it is possible to conduct the rainfall test by spraying water from the nozzle 20 without supplying air from the air supply unit 24. Therefore, when conducting a test of the required rainfall strength, it is sufficient to conduct a preliminary test to determine whether air supply is necessary and to confirm in advance whether air supply is necessary and the required air pressure.

[0033] When conducting a rainfall test with a weak rainfall intensity, not only water but also air is supplied to the nozzle 20, and the jetting part 29 is repeatedly deflected in any direction by the reaction force from the jetted water and air. As a result, the size of the jetted water droplets is larger than that of the water droplets (drizzle) when a two-fluid nozzle is used.

[0034] Here, we present an example of the results of investigating the size of water droplets (or raindrops) when water and air are ejected using the nozzle 20. Figure 3 compares the size distribution of water droplets in a rainfall environment simulated by the rainfall test device 10 at a rainfall intensity of 1.6 mm / h with the size distribution of water droplets during natural rainfall (1.3 mm / h). From these results, it can be seen that the size distributions of water droplets in both environments are very similar, demonstrating that the rainfall test device 10 can simulate natural rain at a weak rainfall intensity. Note that in the case of weak rainfall intensity, more than half of the water droplets have a size between 0.1 mm and 1 mm. This distribution has larger size droplets overall than the size distribution obtained using the two-fluid nozzle. When the rainfall intensity is stronger than 1.6 mm / h, the size distribution shifts toward larger droplets (to the right in Figure 3).

[0035] Next, a rainfall test method using the rainfall test device 10 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0036] In the rainfall test, it is necessary to conduct the test at a required rainfall intensity, so the water supply unit 22 is adjusted so that a water supply flow rate corresponding to the required rainfall intensity is obtained (step ST11). At this time, the tester operates the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b provided on the water supply pipe 22a so that a water flow rate corresponding to the required rainfall intensity is obtained.

[0037] If the requested rainfall intensity is a rainfall intensity that requires the supply of air, the air supply unit 24 is adjusted so that air is supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20 (step ST12). At this time, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply unit 24 is operated to enable air to be supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20. Note that if air supply is not required, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b is adjusted so that air is not supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20.

[0038] When air is supplied, air supply unit 24 may be adjusted so that when the rainfall intensity is a second value smaller than the first value, the pressure of the air supplied to nozzle 20 is higher than the pressure of the air when the rainfall intensity is the first value. Alternatively, as long as deflection deformation of injection unit 29 is obtained, air supply unit 24 may be adjusted so that air at a predetermined pressure is supplied to nozzle 20 regardless of rainfall intensity. Furthermore, when the rainfall intensity is a second value smaller than the first value, air supply unit 24 may be adjusted so that the flow rate of air supplied to nozzle 20 is higher than the flow rate of air when the rainfall intensity is the first value.

[0039] Water with a flow rate or pressure adjusted by the water supply unit 22 and air with a flow rate or pressure adjusted by the air supply unit 24 are supplied to the nozzle 20 through the confluence 26. The water and air supplied to the nozzle 20 are sprayed from the nozzle 29a of the spray unit 29 (step ST13). At this time, the water and air are sprayed while the spray unit 29 repeatedly bends in any direction due to the reaction force received from the sprayed water and air. Therefore, the water is sprayed in the form of droplets that scatter, creating a rainfall environment around the specimen TP that is similar to natural rainfall.

[0040] It should be noted that, although air is not supplied to the nozzle 20 when the rainfall intensity exceeds a set value, alternatively, air may be supplied to the nozzle 20 even when the rainfall intensity exceeds a set value.

[0041] As described above, in this embodiment, when the jetting portion 29 of the nozzle 20 jets water and air, the jetting portion 29 repeatedly flexes and deforms due to the reaction force caused by the jetting of water and air. That is, by supplying air from the air supply portion 24, the jetting pressure from the jetting portion 29 is ensured even when the flow rate of water supplied from the water supply portion 22 is low. This makes it possible to jet water while inducing the flexural deformation of the jetting portion 29. Furthermore, by repeatedly flexing and deforming the jetting portion 29, the water jetted from the jetting portion 29 breaks up into droplets, and the droplets are released in a scattered manner. Therefore, natural rain can be reproduced even when conducting a rainfall test with a weak rainfall intensity.

[0042] (Second embodiment) 5, the second embodiment is provided with a receiving unit 42 that receives rainfall intensity and a control unit 43 that controls the air supply unit 24. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0043] The rainfall test apparatus 10 is equipped with a controller 40 that controls various operations of the rainfall test apparatus 10. The controller 40 is composed of a computer equipped with an input device 41, a CPU that executes arithmetic processing, a ROM that stores processing programs and data, and a RAM that temporarily stores data. Functions of the controller 40 executed by the CPU include a reception unit 42 that receives rainfall intensity, a control unit 43 that controls the air supply unit 24 based on the rainfall intensity received by the reception unit 42, and a memory unit 44 that stores information used when controlling the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b.

[0044] The receiving unit 42 receives information indicating rainfall intensity input through the input device 41. That is, when a tester inputs rainfall intensity into the input device 41, the information indicating the rainfall intensity is stored in the receiving unit 42.

[0045] The control unit 43 is configured to execute judgment control, air supply control, and water supply control. In the judgment control, it is determined whether the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit 42 is equal to or less than a preset value (set value). In the air supply control, when the received rainfall intensity is equal to or less than the set value, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply unit 24 is controlled so that air is supplied to the nozzle 20. In the water supply control, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b of the water supply unit 22 is controlled so that a water supply flow rate according to the received rainfall intensity is obtained.

[0046] The rainfall intensity setting value for determining whether or not air supply is required can be determined in a preliminary test. That is, whether or not the jetting portion 29 of the nozzle 20 generates the desired bending deformation even when the water flow rate or water pressure from the water supply portion 22 drops to a certain level may vary depending on individual differences in the nozzle 20 or the current conditions. For this reason, a preliminary test can be conducted and a rainfall intensity setting value that serves as a boundary value for determining whether or not air supply is required can be stored in the memory unit 44 of the controller 40. The tester can input the setting value through the input device 41, and the input setting value is stored in the memory unit 44 of the controller 40.

[0047] In the air supply control, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply pipe 24a may be adjusted so that the pressure of the air supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20 becomes a predetermined value. In this case, air is supplied at a constant pressure or flow rate regardless of the rainfall intensity. Alternatively, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply pipe 24a may be controlled so that when the rainfall intensity is a second value smaller than the first value, the air pressure becomes higher than the air pressure when the rainfall intensity is the first value. In this case, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b is adjusted so that a small amount of air is supplied when the rainfall intensity is greater than a predetermined intensity, and the air pressure or air flow rate is increased when the rainfall intensity falls below the predetermined intensity.

[0048] In the water supply control, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b of the water supply unit 22 is controlled so as to obtain a water supply flow rate that corresponds to the rainfall intensity. That is, the memory unit 44 of the controller 40 stores a correlation between the rainfall intensity and the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data for the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b. In the water supply control, this stored correlation is used to control the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b so that water is supplied to the nozzle 20 at a flow rate that corresponds to the rainfall intensity. Note that the control data for the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b may include, for example, data regarding the aperture of a valve that constitutes the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b. That is, it may include control data that affects the water flow rate or water pressure. In this case, the correlation between the valve aperture and rainfall intensity, which indicates the valve aperture that will obtain a specified rainfall intensity, is stored in the memory unit 44.

[0049] Here, a rainfall test method using the rainfall test device 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. It is assumed that the rainfall test device 10 already stores a set value of rainfall intensity for determining whether or not air supply is required.

[0050] First, the tester inputs the rainfall intensity through the input device 41. As a result, the receiving unit 42 receives the rainfall intensity, and information indicating the rainfall intensity is stored in the storage unit 44 of the controller 40 (step ST21).

[0051] In the rainfall test, the controller 40 controls the flow rate adjusting mechanism 22b of the water supply unit 22 so as to obtain a water supply flow rate according to the received rainfall intensity (water supply control, step ST11).

[0052] The control unit 43 of the controller 40 determines whether the received rainfall intensity is equal to or less than a set value (determination control, step ST22). If the received rainfall intensity is equal to or less than the set value, the controller 40 controls the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply unit 24 so that air is supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20 (air supply control, step ST12). On the other hand, if the rainfall intensity exceeds the set value and air supply is unnecessary, the controller 40 controls the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b so that air is not supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20 (step ST12). Note that the determination control (step ST22) may be executed before the water supply control (step ST11) is executed.

[0053] Although air is not supplied to the nozzle 20 when the rainfall intensity exceeds a set value, alternatively, air may be supplied to the nozzle 20 even when the rainfall intensity exceeds the set value. In this case, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b may be controlled so that the air pressure or air flow rate is reduced when the rainfall intensity exceeds the set value to a large extent compared to when the rainfall intensity does not exceed the set value.

[0054] Water at a flow rate adjusted by the water supply unit 22 and air adjusted by the air supply unit 24 are supplied to the nozzle 20 through the confluence 26. The water and air supplied to the nozzle 20 are sprayed from the nozzle 29a of the spray unit 29 (step ST13). At this time, the water and air are sprayed while the spray unit 29 is deflected in any direction due to the reaction force received from the sprayed water and air. At this time, the water is sprayed in the form of droplets that scatter, creating a rainfall environment around the specimen TP that is similar to natural rainfall.

[0055] Therefore, in this embodiment, the water supply unit 22 is controlled to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit 42. At this time, if the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit 42 is equal to or less than a preset value, air is supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20. Therefore, when conducting a rainfall test with a rainfall intensity weaker than a predetermined rainfall intensity, it is possible to prevent the spraying portion 29 of the nozzle 20 from spraying water without being deflected.

[0056] Although the description of other configurations, actions, and effects will be omitted, the description of the first embodiment can be applied to the second embodiment.

[0057] (Third embodiment) In the second embodiment, the control unit 43 of the controller 40 determines whether the received rainfall intensity is equal to or less than a set value (determination control, step ST22), and when the received rainfall intensity is equal to or less than the set value, controls the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b so that air is supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20 (air supply control, step ST12). In contrast, the control unit 43 in the third embodiment controls the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b so that air is supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20 when the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data for the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b derived in accordance with the received rainfall intensity is equal to or less than a preset value. Note that the same components as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0058] In the third embodiment, as in the second embodiment, the storage unit 44 of the controller 40 stores the correlation between rainfall intensity and the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b.

[0059] In the determination control of step ST22, it is determined whether the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b derived from the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit 42 is equal to or less than a preset value (set value).

[0060] In the air supply control of step ST12, when the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b derived from the received rainfall intensity is below a set value, the controller 40 controls the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply unit 24 so that air is supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20.

[0061] In this case, the air supply control may adjust the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply pipe 24a so that the pressure of the air supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20 becomes a predetermined value. In this case, air is supplied at a constant pressure or flow rate regardless of the rainfall intensity. Note that the configuration is not limited to one in which air is supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20 at a constant pressure or flow rate. For example, the pressure or flow rate of the supplied air may be adjusted in accordance with the rainfall intensity, the water flow rate, the water pressure, or the control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b. That is, when the rainfall intensity, the water flow rate, the water pressure, or the control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b is a first value, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply pipe 24a may be controlled so that the air pressure becomes a first pressure. In this case, when the rainfall intensity, the water flow rate, the water pressure, or the control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b is a second value smaller than the first value, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply pipe 24a may be controlled so that the air pressure becomes a second pressure higher than the first pressure. Alternatively, when the rainfall intensity, water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b is a first value, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply pipe 24a may be controlled so that the air flow rate becomes a first flow rate. In this case, when the rainfall intensity, water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b is a second value smaller than the first value, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b of the air supply pipe 24a may be controlled so that the air flow rate becomes a second flow rate larger than the first flow rate. In these cases, a small amount of air is supplied when the rainfall intensity is greater than a predetermined value, the water volume is greater than a predetermined value, the water pressure is higher than a predetermined value, or the control data is greater than a predetermined value. On the other hand, when the rainfall intensity is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the water volume is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the water pressure is equal to or less than a predetermined value, or the control data is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the flow rate adjustment mechanism 24b is adjusted so that the air pressure or air flow rate increases.

[0062] Therefore, in this embodiment, the water supply unit 22 is controlled to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit 42. At this time, if the water flow rate or water pressure based on the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit 42 is equal to or less than a preset value, air is supplied from the air supply unit 24 to the nozzle 20. That is, the memory unit 44 stores a correlation between rainfall intensity and the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data for the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b, and is configured to obtain the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data for the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b corresponding to the received rainfall intensity. Then, if the derived water flow rate, water pressure, or control data for the flow rate adjustment mechanism 22b is equal to or less than a preset value, air is supplied to the nozzle 20. Therefore, when performing a rainfall test with a rainfall intensity weaker than a predetermined rainfall intensity, it is possible to avoid water being sprayed without the spray portion 29 of the nozzle 20 being deflected and deformed.

[0063] Although the description of other configurations, actions, and effects will be omitted, the descriptions of the first and second embodiments can be applied to the third embodiment.

[0064] (Other embodiments) It should be noted that the embodiments disclosed herein are illustrative in all respects and should not be considered limiting. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and improvements are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the confluence portion 26 is provided, but alternatively, the confluence portion 26 may be omitted, and the water supply pipe 22a and the air supply pipe 24a may be directly connected to the nozzle 20. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 10: Rainfall test equipment 20: Nozzle 22:Water supply section 24: Air supply section 29: Injection part 42: Reception 43: Control section 44: Storage section

Claims

1. A nozzle; a water supply unit for supplying water to the nozzle; an air supply unit for supplying air to the nozzle; Equipped with The nozzle has an injection part that repeatedly undergoes deflection deformation due to a reaction force caused by the injection of water and air from the water supply part and the air supply part.

2. a reception unit that receives rainfall intensity; 2. The rainfall test apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls the water supply unit so as to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit, and controls the air supply unit so as to supply air to the nozzle when the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is equal to or less than a preset value.

3. a reception unit that receives rainfall intensity; a control unit that controls the air supply unit, 2. The rainfall test apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is a second value smaller than the first value, the control unit controls the air supply unit so that the air pressure or air flow rate is increased compared to the air pressure or air flow rate when the rainfall intensity is the first value.

4. a reception unit that receives rainfall intensity; a storage unit that stores the correlation between rainfall intensity and the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of a flow rate adjustment mechanism provided in the water supply unit; 2. The rainfall test apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a control unit that controls the water supply unit so as to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit, and controls the air supply unit so as to supply air to the nozzle when the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism obtained from the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit and the correlation stored in the memory unit is equal to or less than a preset value.

5. 5. The rainfall test apparatus according to claim 4, wherein when the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data obtained from the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is a second value smaller than a first value, the control unit controls the air supply unit so that the air pressure or air flow rate is increased compared to the air pressure or air flow rate when the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data obtained from the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is the first value.

6. adjusting the water supply unit so that water is supplied to the nozzle at a flow rate corresponding to the required rainfall intensity; adjusting an air supply unit so that air is supplied to the nozzle when the flow rate is such that the jetting portion of the nozzle is not deflected and deformed by a reaction force caused by jetting only water; a step of injecting water droplets while scattering them as the injection portion of the nozzle repeatedly undergoes deflection deformation due to a reaction force caused by the injection of water and air.

7. The method further includes a step of receiving the rainfall intensity by the receiving unit, In the step of adjusting the water supply unit, the water supply unit is adjusted so as to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit; 7. The rainfall test method according to claim 6, wherein the adjusting step adjusts the air supply unit so that air is supplied to the nozzle when the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit is equal to or less than a preset value.

8. The method further includes a step of receiving the rainfall intensity by the receiving unit, In the step of adjusting the water supply unit, the water supply unit is adjusted so as to obtain the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit; 7. The rainfall test method according to claim 6, wherein in the step of adjusting the air supply unit, the air supply unit is adjusted when the water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of a flow rate adjustment mechanism provided in the water supply unit obtained from the correlation between the rainfall intensity received by the receiving unit and the stored memory unit is equal to or less than a preset value.

9. 9. The rainfall test method according to claim 8, wherein in the step of adjusting the air supply unit, when the obtained water flow rate, water pressure, or control data of the flow rate adjustment mechanism is a second value smaller than a first value, the air supply unit is adjusted so that the air pressure or air flow rate is increased compared to the air pressure or air flow rate at the first value.

Images