Field water management system and water hydrant control device

By introducing a location information collection mechanism into the water supply management system, the installation location and characteristic information of the water supply control equipment is automatically adjusted, which solves the problem of complex adjustments after the equipment is replaced, and improves the efficiency and automation of water resource management.

JP7675236B2Active Publication Date: 2025-05-12KUBOTA CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2024021176
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2018-12-20
Filing Date
2024-02-15
Publication Date
2025-05-12
Estimated Expiration
2039-12-20

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing water supply nozzle control equipment requires complex adjustment work after replacement, resulting in inefficient water supply management in different seasons.

Method used

By introducing a location information collection mechanism into the water supply management system, the water supply control equipment can be automatically adjusted and controlled based on its installation location and characteristic information, ensuring that each water supply equipment can quickly adapt to the new environment after replacement.

Benefits of technology

It realizes that water supply equipment can operate normally without complex adjustments after replacement, improving the efficiency and automation of water resource management.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

Smart Images

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide a farm field water management system in which past data of the farm field is continuously taken over even if a hydrant controller installed in a farm field is replaced with one in the previous year.SOLUTION: A farm field water management system comprises: a hydrant installed in a farm field; a hydrant controller which is freely detachably configured to the hydrant, and to which unique ID information is set; and a farm field water management server which remotely controls the hydrant controller, where the hydrant controller is equipped with a positional information acquisition mechanism that electronically captures positional information from an information holder holding positional information of the vicinity of the hydrant, the communication part is configured to transmit positional information and ID information captured by the positional information acquisition mechanism to the farm field water management server, the information holder is configured of a portable terminal, and configured such that code information which is created by encoding the positional information of the vicinity of the hydrant acquired by a positional information acquisition application equipped in the portable terminal is displayed on a display screen. The positional information acquisition mechanism is configured of a scanner which is connected to the hydrant controller and reads out the code information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a field water management system and a water faucet control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a water faucet equipped with a displacement mechanism for controlling the water supply to the field, and a water faucet control device equipped with an actuator for operating the displacement mechanism equipped on the water faucet. By using such a water faucet, it becomes possible to remotely control the water supply to the field via a field water management server.

[0003] The water faucet control device is configured to be detachably attached to the water faucet, and includes an actuator that operates the water faucet, a water supply control unit that controls the actuator, and a communication unit that communicates with the field water management server. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-193914 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Since the above-mentioned water hydrant control device is configured to be freely attached and detached to the water hydrants installed in each farm field, in order to avoid breakdowns of the water hydrant control device, for example in areas with heavy snowfall, during the off-season for farming the water hydrant control device is removed from each water hydrant and stored indoors, and then just before the busy farming season the water hydrant control device is reattached to each water hydrant.

[0006] However, since the water faucet installed in each field is not necessarily equipped with the same water faucet control device as the previous time, the cumbersome task of adjusting the control characteristics of the water faucet control device according to the characteristics of each water faucet was required for each water faucet.

[0007] Specifically, when controlling the opening of a water supply valve built into a water faucet, it needs to be controlled to a valve opening degree appropriate for the installed water faucet, and when controlling the closing of the valve, it needs to be controlled to a water stop state appropriate for the installed water faucet, and adjustment work was required for this.

[0008] In consideration of the above-mentioned problems, the object of the present invention is to provide a field water management system and a water faucet control device in which past data for a field is continuously transferred even if the water faucet control device installed in the field is replaced with one from the previous year. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a first characteristic configuration of a field water management system according to the present invention is a field water management system comprising: a water hydrant installed in a field; a water hydrant control device having an actuator that is detachably attached to the water hydrant and operates the water hydrant, a water supply control unit that controls the actuator, and a communication unit that communicates with a field water management server, and in which unique ID information is set; and a field water management server that remotely controls the water hydrant control device, wherein the water hydrant control device comprises a position information acquisition mechanism that electronically acquires position information from an information holder that holds position information in the vicinity of the water hydrant, the communication unit is configured to transmit the position information acquired by the position information acquisition mechanism and the ID information to the field water management server, the information holder is composed of a mobile terminal, and is configured so that code information obtained by encoding the position information in the vicinity of the water hydrant acquired by a position information acquisition app provided in the mobile terminal is displayed on a display screen, and the position information acquisition mechanism comprises a scanner that is connected to the water hydrant control device and reads the code information. The field water management server includes a field map management unit that manages map information indicating the positions of a plurality of fields, position information of water hydrants installed in each field, and attribute information including characteristic information of each water hydrant as field map information, and the field map management unit is configured to update the field map information by associating the water hydrant control device with the water hydrant to which the water hydrant control device is attached based on the position information transmitted from the water hydrant control device. The point is that...

[0010] Location information obtained by a location information acquisition app installed on a mobile device near a water hydrant, coded and displayed on the display screen, is read by a scanner connected to the water hydrant control device, which acquires the water hydrant control device's location information. The water hydrant control device's unique ID information and the location information are then sent to the field water management server, allowing each water hydrant control device to be individually identified on the field water management server side, and its installation location to be recognized.

[0011] The field map management unit provided in the field water management server identifies each field and the hydrants installed in each field based on the field map information, and updates the field map information to associate the field in which the hydrant control device is installed and the hydrant of the field based on location information transmitted from the hydrant control device attached to any of the hydrants. As a result, it is possible to identify the hydrants and fields in which each hydrant control device with a unique ID is attached.

[0012] Same number two The characteristic configuration of the above one In addition to the above characteristic configuration, the field water management server reads attribute information including characteristic information of the water tap to which the water tap control device is attached based on the location information transmitted from the water tap control device from the field map information and transmits the attribute information to the water tap control device.

[0013] Attribute information including characteristic information regarding the water faucet to which each water faucet control device is attached is read from the field map information and transmitted to the corresponding water faucet control device, so that the water faucet control device can appropriately control the water faucet based on the attribute information transmitted from the field water management server, regardless of the characteristics of the water faucet.

[0014] Same number three The characteristic configuration of the above one Or two In addition to the characteristic configuration described above, the attribute information includes attribution information, and the field water management server is configured to determine whether the water faucet control device is attached to the water faucet of the appropriate field based on the location information and the ID information transmitted from the water faucet control device.

[0015] The water hydrant to which the water hydrant control device is attached is identified based on the location information transmitted from the water hydrant control device, and a determination is made as to whether the water hydrant control device is attached to the water hydrant in the appropriate field based on the ID information and water hydrant attribution information transmitted from the water hydrant control device.

[0016] Same number four The characteristic configuration of the above one From three In addition to any one of the characteristic configurations above, the attribute information includes any one of the pressure characteristics of the water tap, the water loss depth characteristics of the field, opening degree information of the water tap, shut-off torque information of the water tap, and overload current information of the actuator.

[0017] The water hydrant control device can appropriately control the installed water hydrant based on these attribute information. For example, it can adjust the appropriate valve opening when the valve is opened based on the pressure characteristics of the water hydrant, adjust the target water level of the field based on the water loss depth characteristics of the field, determine the control amount of the actuator based on the water hydrant opening information, determine the water cutoff position based on the shutoff torque information of the water hydrant, and enable abnormality diagnosis based on the actuator overload current information.

[0018] The first characteristic configuration of the water supply faucet control device according to the present invention is the above-mentioned first to third four a water supply faucet control device for use in a field water management system having any one of the above-mentioned characteristic configurations, configured to be detachably attached to the water supply faucet installed in the field, the water supply faucet control device having the actuator for operating the water supply faucet, the water supply control unit for controlling the actuator, the communication unit for communicating with the field water management server, and the position information acquisition mechanism, and having unique ID information set therein, wherein the communication unit is configured to transmit the position information acquired by the position information acquisition mechanism and the ID information to the field water management server when the water supply faucet is initially attached. the water supply control unit is configured to control the actuator based on attribute information including characteristic information of the water supply tap transmitted from the field water management server in response to transmission of the location information and the ID information by the communication unit. The point is that... Effect of the Invention

[0019] As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a field water management system and a water hydrant control device in which past data for a field is continuously transferred even if the water hydrant control device installed in the field is replaced with one from the previous year. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] Diagram of the field water management system [Diagram 2] An explanatory diagram of the functional blocks of a water supply valve control device and a drain valve control device [Diagram 3] Cross-sectional view of a water supply faucet device [Figure 4] Cross-sectional view of the drain plug device [Diagram 5] Diagram of irrigation facilities [Figure 6] An illustration of the data registered in the farm database [Figure 7] A flowchart showing the procedure of a water faucet initialization process executed by a water faucet control device. [Figure 8] A flowchart showing the procedure of a water supply faucet initialization process executed by a field water management server. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THEINVENTION

[0021] The field water management system and water supply valve control device according to the present invention will be described below. Here, an example will be described in which a control unit is provided on the drain valve side in addition to the control unit on the water supply valve side. [Configuration of the field water management system] As shown in Figure 1, each field 1 where rice cultivation is carried out is provided with a water supply tap device 12 that guides irrigation water flowing in a water supply pipe 10 to the field 1 via a water conduit 11, and a drain plug device 22 that drains the water in the field 1 to a drainage channel 20 via a discharge channel 21, and a repeater 32 that relays a connection to the Internet 30 is installed near the field 1. Furthermore, the water supply tap device 12 is provided with a capacitance-type water level sensor 2 that measures the water level in the field 1.

[0022] Each water supply tap device 12 and drain plug device 22 is configured to be connectable to a field water management server 34 via the Internet 30, and a mobile terminal 36 such as a smartphone owned by the manager of the field 1 is configured to be connectable to the field water management server 34 via the Internet 30. In other words, the field water management system 100 is made up of each water supply tap device 12, drain plug device 22, the mobile terminal 36, the field water management server 34, and the Internet 30 that communicatively connects them.

[0023] Taking rice cultivation as an example, it is necessary to adjust the water level in the field according to each stage of rice cultivation, such as plowing, transplanting, rooting period, tillering period (early and late), panicle formation period, heading and flowering period, ripening period, etc. In particular, during the plowing period, water is conducted simultaneously to multiple fields, so efficient water supply management is required for flooding.

[0024] Therefore, the field water management server 34 is configured to generate a water supply schedule for each field 1 based on a water supply request for each field 1 made by each manager via the mobile terminal 36.

[0025] The water supply request transmitted from the mobile terminal 36 includes a field ID that identifies the field to be watered, the water supply date and time, and the water supply level. The field water management server 34 is configured to generate a water supply schedule for each field for which a water supply request has been made, according to a field map registered in advance, and register the schedule in the field database DB provided in the field water management server 34. Note that the term "ID" used in the following description refers to an identification symbol that can uniquely identify each field.

[0026] The field water management server 34 is provided with a field map management section, which registers and updates data in the field database DB. As will be described in detail later, the field database DB includes a field map and a field ID for each field identified in the field map, and the water supply tap ID and drain plug ID that identify the water supply tap 12B and drain plug 22B installed in each field, as well as the field manager ID, are registered in association with the field ID.

[0027] The field water management server 34 outputs a drainage water level adjustment command to the drain plug device 22 of the corresponding field 1, and outputs a water supply command to the water supply tap device 12 of the corresponding field 1, on the water supply date and time determined in the water supply schedule stored in the field database DB. The drainage water level means the target reservoir water level of the field.

[0028] The drain plug device 22, which has received the drainage water level adjustment command, moves the drain tube, which is a weir, up and down via the actuator to adjust the drainage water level, and the water supply faucet device 12, which has received the water supply command, opens the water supply valve via the actuator to guide water to the field 1. When the water supply faucet device 12, to which the signal line of the water level sensor 2 is connected, determines that the field water level detected by the water level sensor 2 has reached a predetermined reservoir water level, it closes the water supply valve via the actuator to stop water supply. In addition, the water supply faucet device 12 may transmit the field water level detected by the water level sensor 2 to the field water management server 34 so that the field water management server 34 can grasp the reservoir water level of each field 1. In this case, when the field water management server 34 determines from the received water level information that the reservoir water level has reached the target water level, it may be configured to send a water supply stop command to the water tap device 12, and the water tap device 12, upon receiving the water supply stop command, may close the water supply valve via an actuator to stop water supply.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the drain plug device 22 is made up of a drain plug 22A and a drain plug control device 22B that is configured to be detachable from the drain plug 22A. The drain plug control device 22B comprises an actuator 240 that operates the drain plug 22A, a drain water level control unit 236 that controls the actuator 240, a communication unit 237 that communicates with the field water management server 34, a GPS receiver 238, and a memory unit 239, and the memory unit 239 stores ID information (water supply hydrant control device ID) that uniquely identifies the drain plug control device 22B.

[0030] The water supply faucet device 12 is composed of a water supply faucet 12A and a water supply faucet control device 12B that is configured to be detachable from the water supply faucet 12A. The water supply faucet control device 12B comprises an actuator 140 that operates the water supply faucet 12A, a water supply control unit 136 that controls the actuator 140, a communication unit 137 that communicates with the field water management server 34, a GPS receiver 138, and a memory unit 139, and the memory unit 139 stores ID information (drain plug control device ID) that uniquely identifies the water supply faucet control device 12B.

[0031] [Water supply faucet device configuration] As shown in FIG. 3, the water supply faucet control device 12B is detachably attached to the upper surface of the water supply faucet 12A housed in a water supply basin 101 (see FIG. 1) provided in a farm field.

[0032] The water supply valve 12A includes a cylindrical valve box 120, a valve seat 121 formed in the vertical center of the valve box 120 so as to protrude inward, and a disk-shaped valve body 124 disposed opposite the valve seat 121 and having a rubber seal member 123 attached to its underside. The lower end of the valve box 120 is connected to a water conduit 11 branching off from the water supply pipe 10.

[0033] A bearing 126 having a female thread formed on its inner circumferential surface is attached to the upper end of the valve box 120, and a valve shaft 125 having a male thread formed on its outer circumferential surface is screwed into the bearing 126. The lower end of the valve shaft 125 is fixed to the valve body 124.

[0034] A water passage hole 122 is formed in the center of the valve seat 121, and a plurality of water outlet windows 127 are formed in the upper part of the side wall of the valve box 120 so as to be aligned in the circumferential direction. When a rotational force is applied to the valve shaft 125, the valve shaft 125 moves up and down along the bearing 126, and the valve body 124 moves up and down in accordance with the up and down movement of the valve shaft 125. In other words, the valve mechanism is made up of the valve seat 121, the valve body 124, and the seal member 123 provided between the valve seat 121 and the valve body 124.

[0035] The water supply faucet control device 12B comprises a watertight casing 131, a solar panel 132 attached at an angle to the top surface of the casing 131 so as to face the sun, a drive mechanism 140 housed in the casing 131, a storage battery 133, an antenna 134, and a control panel 135. The control panel 135 incorporates a valve water supply control unit 136 that functions as a water supply control unit, a communication unit 137, a GPS receiver 138, a memory unit 139, and the like.

[0036] The water supply control unit 136 and the communication unit 137 are configured with a CPU, memory, and peripheral circuits such as input / output circuits and communication circuits, and a specified function, in this case the opening and closing control function for the valve mechanism provided in the water supply tap 12A, is realized by executing a control program stored in the memory by the CPU.

[0037] When the water supply control unit 136 receives a water intake command from the field water management server 34 via the communication unit 137, it controls the exhaust valve mechanism via the drive mechanism 140 to open the valve to a preset valve opening degree, and when the water level sensor 2 detects that the field water level has reached the target reservoir water level, it closes the valve mechanism.

[0038] The power generated by the solar panel 132 is charged into the storage battery 133 , and the charged power of the storage battery 133 is consumed as control power for the water supply control unit 136 and the communication unit 137 .

[0039] The drive mechanism 140 is configured with a DC motor 141 with a built-in encoder, a hollow main gear 143 that meshes with a gear 142 provided on the output shaft of the DC motor 141, and a drive shaft 146 inserted through the hollow portion of the main gear 143, and functions as an actuator that drives the valve body 124 to move up and down.

[0040] The main gear 143 is a double-boss type gear including a cylindrical boss portion 144 extending in the vertical direction and a disk-shaped gear portion 145 extending from the vertical center of the boss portion 144, and the top and bottom of the boss portion 144 are rotatably supported by bearings. A key formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drive shaft 146 protrudes and fits into a key groove formed on the inner circumferential surface of the boss portion 144, so that the main gear 143 and the drive shaft 146 rotate integrally.

[0041] The lower end of the drive shaft 146 and the upper end of the valve shaft 125 are drivingly connected via a coupling 147. When the DC motor 141 is driven to rotate in one direction, the valve body 124 rises and the water supply state is established, and when the DC motor 141 is driven to rotate in the opposite direction, the valve body 124 descends and the water is stopped.

[0042] [Configuration of drain plug device] As shown in FIG. 4, the drain plug control device 22B is detachably attached to the upper surface of the drain plug 22A housed in a drain basin 201 (see FIG. 1) provided in a farm field.

[0043] The drain plug 22A includes a receiving frame member 211 installed at the bottom of the drain basin 201, a weir body 212 which is a cylindrical drainage tube supported by the receiving frame member 211 so as to be vertically movable, and a lifting mechanism 220 which moves the weir body 212 up and down. The upper end opening of the weir body 212 functions as a drainage outlet 212a, and surplus water supplied to the field 1 overflows from the drainage outlet 212a and flows out into the discharge channel 21.

[0044] A support part 213 having a U-shape in a side view is fixed to the upper end opening of the weir body 212, and a lifting mechanism 220 is attached to the support part 213. The lifting mechanism 220 is fixed to the upper surface of the support part 213 and includes a cylindrical movable part 221 having a female thread formed on its inner circumferential surface, a rotating shaft 222 having a male thread formed on its outer circumferential surface and screwed into the female thread of the movable part 221, and a pair of rod-shaped bodies 223 that prevent the movable part 221 from rotating together with the rotating shaft 222.

[0045] In other words, when the rotating shaft 222 rotates in one direction, the weir body 212 attached to the movable part 221 via the support part 213 rises together with the movable part 221, and when the rotating shaft 222 rotates in the opposite direction, the weir body 212 attached to the movable part 221 via the support part 213 falls together with the movable part 221. The drainage water level adjustment part 210 is composed of the weir body 212 and the lifting mechanism 220 described above. The drain plug controller 22B has a similar basic structure to the water supply valve controller 12B described above.

[0046] [Field map configuration] An irrigation water facility is illustrated in Fig. 5. The irrigation water facility is a water supply facility for supplying irrigation water taken from a water source reservoir 330 such as a river or a lake to each field 1 via a water distribution reservoir 321, and the water distribution reservoir 321 and each field 1 are connected by a water supply pipe 320 as a main line and water supply pipes 300, 10 as branch lines.

[0047] The water reservoir 321 is a facility for storing irrigation water to be supplied to each group of farm fields FG, and irrigation water is pumped up by a pump at a pumping station 331 installed in a water source reservoir 330 to maintain a constant water level. A water supply pipe 320 is connected to the water outlet of the water reservoir 321, and the irrigation water is pumped up by water pressure.

[0048] The main water supply pipe 320 branches off from the water reservoir 321 toward each group of fields FG, and a water distribution device 340 is provided to function as a water distribution work for adjusting the amount of water supplied to each branched water supply pipe 300. In other words, the irrigation water pumped from the water reservoir 321 is supplied to each group of fields FG after the amount of water supplied is adjusted by the water distribution device 340.

[0049] The branch water supply pipe 300 also branches out towards each farm field 1, and the branched water supply pipe 10 is connected to a water supply tap device 12 equipped with a water supply tap 12B that supplies water to each farm field 1. Also, each farm field 1 is provided with a drain plug device 22 equipped with a drain plug 22B, and a drainage channel 20 is provided so that water discharged from each farm field 1 via the drain plug device 22 is discharged into the river.

[0050] The field map is a field map showing the specific location of each of the above-mentioned fields 1, and a uniquely identifiable field ID is set for each field 1 on the map. Detailed attributes of the field IDs assigned to the field map are registered in the field database DB.

[0051] The data structure registered in the field database DB is shown in Fig. 6. The field database DB includes records such as a manager record identifying each manager, a field record identifying each field, a water hydrant record identifying each water hydrant, a water hydrant control device record identifying each water hydrant control device, a drain plug record identifying each drain plug, and a drain plug control device record identifying each drain plug control device.

[0052] The manager record stores information about the manager of each field, and has field data indicating attributes such as the manager ID, name, address, telephone number, email address, and the ID of one or more fields under management.

[0053] The field record has field data indicating attributes such as the field ID, field address, administrator ID, water supply hydrant ID, drain plug ID, water supply hydrant control device ID, drain plug control device ID, etc. In other words, the water supply hydrant, drain plug, water supply hydrant control device, drain plug control device, etc. installed in the field identified by the field ID are uniquely identified.

[0054] The water faucet record has field data indicating attributes such as the water faucet ID, field ID, administrator ID, model, manufacturer, and water faucet characteristics. The water faucet characteristics include water valve opening information, i.e., the number of pulses of the encoder (built into DC motor 141) that specifies the fully open position, the motor current value and the number of encoder pulses that indicate the fully closed position that is the shutoff torque information of the water valve, the water faucet pressure characteristics, the reduced water depth characteristics of the field, and actuator overload current information. The motor rotation speed and direction may be specified instead of the number of encoder pulses.

[0055] The fully open position is defined by the number of encoder pulses, with the position where the motor current value is driven to a value indicating the fully closed position as the initial position, and when the motor is fully closed, the motor is driven to a position where the number of pulses is subtracted from the cumulative number of encoder pulses when the motor is driven to the fully open position, resulting in zero. The same applies when the number of motor rotations is used instead of the number of encoder pulses. In response to deterioration of the seal member 123, etc., it may be determined that a predetermined shutoff torque has been reached when the motor current value indicating the fully closed position reaches a predetermined value, and the motor may be stopped, and thereafter that position may be corrected to the fully open position. In this case, these characteristic values ​​are transmitted from the water supply faucet control device 12B to the field water management server 34, and the water supply faucet characteristics are updated.

[0056] The water hydrant control device record has field data indicating attributes such as the water hydrant control device ID, field ID, administrator ID, model, manufacturer, device attributes, etc. The device attributes include attributes such as the model, manufacturer, remaining capacity (here, no-load voltage value) of the power storage device provided in the water hydrant control device, and location information received by the GPS receiver provided in the water hydrant control device.

[0057] The drain plug record has field data such as the drain plug ID, field ID, administrator ID, model, manufacturer, set water level, etc. The drain plug control device record has field data indicating attributes such as the drain plug control device ID, field ID, administrator ID, model, manufacturer, model and manufacturer of the power storage device provided in the drain plug control device, and device attributes, etc. The device attributes include attributes such as the model, manufacturer and remaining capacity (here, the no-load voltage value) of the power storage device provided in the drain plug control device, and location information received by the GPS receiver provided in the drain plug control device.

[0058] When the cultivation season arrives, the water supply faucet control devices 12B and drain plug control devices 22B that were stored indoors during the winter are attached to the water supply faucets 12A and drain plugs 22A provided in each field 1, and when power supply from the storage battery begins, the water supply faucet control devices 12B and drain plug control devices 22B start up and begin communicating with the field water management server 21. The series of processes at this time is called the initialization process.

[0059] The communication unit 137 of the hydrant control device 12B transmits the location information acquired by the GPS receiver 138 and the hydrant control device ID to the field water management server 34. The field map management unit updates the field map information by associating the hydrant control device 12B with the hydrant 12A to which the hydrant control device 12B is attached based on the location information transmitted from the hydrant control device 12B.

[0060] The field map management unit compares the location information (latitude and longitude information captured by the GPS receiver) transmitted from the water hydrant control device 12B with the address of the field 1 to identify the water hydrant 12A to which the water hydrant control device 12B is attached, and registers the ID of the water hydrant control device 12B in the field of that water hydrant 12A, and also registers the ID of the water hydrant 12A in the field of the water hydrant control device 12B.

[0061] This associates the water taps 12A and the water tap control devices 12B installed in each field 1. For example, by comparing location information (latitude, longitude information) obtained from the address of the field 1 using a Geographic Information System (GIS) with location information (latitude, longitude information) transmitted from the water tap control device 12B, it can be determined that the water tap control device 12B is installed on the water tap 12A in the nearest field 1. If the location information (latitude, longitude) of the water tap 12A is registered in advance as field data of the water tap record in the database, matching will be easier.

[0062] The field water management server 34 reads attribute information including characteristic information of the water faucet 12A to which the water faucet control device 12B is attached based on the location information transmitted from the water faucet control device 12B from the field map information and transmits the attribute information to the water faucet control device 12B.

[0063] Based on this attribute information, the water faucet control device 12B can appropriately control the installed water faucet 12A, and even if the water faucet control device 12B installed in the field is replaced from the previous year, the past data of the field is continuously inherited. For example, the appropriate valve opening degree at the time of opening can be adjusted based on the pressure characteristics of the water faucet, the target water level of the field can be adjusted based on the water reduction depth characteristics of the field, the control amount of the actuator is determined based on the opening degree information of the water faucet 12A, the water cut-off position is determined based on the shut-off torque information of the water faucet 12A, and abnormality diagnosis can be performed based on the overload current information of the actuator.

[0064] The attribute information of the water faucet control device 12B includes attribution information, i.e., the administrator ID, and the field water management server 34 is configured to determine whether the water faucet control device 12B is attached to the water faucet 12A of the appropriate field 1 based on the location information and water faucet control device ID information sent from the water faucet control device 12B, and is configured to notify the administrator of the water faucet control device 12B via e-mail or the like if it is attached to the water faucet 12A of an inappropriate field 1.

[0065] For example, it will be possible to respond appropriately to a case where the water hydrant control device 12B is mistakenly attached to a water hydrant 12A in a field managed by a different manager, and it will be possible to increase security in a case where the water hydrant control device 12B is stolen, resold, and attached to a water hydrant 12A in a third party's field.

[0066] FIG. 7 shows the procedure of the initialization process executed when the power supply tap 12A is turned on, and FIG. 8 shows the procedure of the field water management server 34 at that time.

[0067] Thereafter, the field water management server 34 outputs a drain water level adjustment command to the drain plug control device 22B of the corresponding field 1 at the water supply date and time determined in the water supply schedule stored in the field database DB, and outputs a water supply command to the water supply valve control device 12B of the corresponding field 1, thereby flooding each field 1.

[0068] In the above example, the water supply tap device 12 and the drain plug device 22 are connected to the Internet via a repeater 32, but the communication units 137, 237 provided in the water supply tap device 12B and the drain plug device 22B may be configured as terminals that can be connected to a mobile phone line and directly connected to the Internet.

[0069] In addition, multiple fields may be grouped and the communication units 137, 237 provided in the water supply plug device 12B and the drain plug device 22B may be configured with communication devices that communicate based on a specific low-power radio, with one parent communication device and other child communication devices communicating wirelessly with each other, and a communication device capable of connecting to the Internet provided in the parent communication device may transmit all information collected from the child devices, including water level information, to a cloud server in one go.

[0070] The initialization process for the drain plug control device 22B is performed in the same manner as described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Note that there may be cases where the drain plug control device 22B is not provided in the field water management system 100, and a drain plug device 22 in which the drain water level is manually set by the drain plug 22A is used. In such cases, initialization process for the drain plug control device 22B is not performed.

[0071] In the above explanation, the location information capture unit is a GPS receiver, but the location information capture unit of the present invention is not limited to a GPS receiver, and may be any location information acquisition mechanism that electronically captures location information from an information holder that holds the location information of a water supply tap or drain plug.

[0072] As the location information acquisition mechanism, an RF-ID tag reader can be used that electronically reads out location information from an RF-ID tag equipped with a memory chip that stores location information including the latitude and longitude of the water supply tap or drain plug. The RF-ID tag is equipped with a high-frequency antenna, a signal processing unit, and a memory chip, and is configured to receive radio waves transmitted from the RF-ID tag reader and operate with the energy of the radio waves to read out data stored in the memory chip and transmit it to the outside, or to store the received data in the memory chip. If such an RF-ID tag is installed on a water supply tap or drain plug installed in a field, the RF-ID tag reader equipped on the water supply tap control device or drain plug control device can be configured to read out location information of the water supply tap or drain plug when the water supply tap control device or drain plug control device is attached to the water supply tap or drain plug and started.

[0073] As the location information acquisition mechanism, a code reader can be used that reads the contents of a tag on which the location information of the water supply tap or drain plug is printed as code information. A barcode is preferably used as the code information printed on the tag. In addition to one-dimensional barcodes, two-dimensional barcodes such as QR Code (registered trademark) can also be used. A code reader is used to read such code information. A barcode scanner or an imaging device can be used as the code reader.

[0074] The barcode scanner or imaging device may be permanently attached to the water supply faucet control device or the drain plug control device, but it may also be attached to the water supply faucet control device or the drain plug control device only when necessary, configured to read the code information printed on the tag and output location information to the communication unit, and attached so as to be freely attached and detached so that it can be removed when not required.

[0075] The tag with the code information printed on it can be attached to the water supply tap or drain plug via a wire or the like, and when the water supply tap control device or drain plug control device is attached to the water supply tap or drain plug and started up, the position information of the water supply tap or drain plug can be read out using a barcode scanner or imaging device provided on the water supply tap control device or drain plug control device.

[0076] It is not necessary to permanently install a tag with the code information printed on the water supply valve or drain plug, but the water supply valve control device or drain plug control device may be attached to the water supply valve or drain plug and prepared when it is started. For example, a smartphone with a barcode generation and display app installed can be suitably used, which converts location information acquired by a location information acquisition app into a two-dimensional barcode and displays it on a display screen.

[0077] When the water supply tap control device or drain plug control device is attached to a water supply tap or drain plug and started up, the app can be run near the water supply tap or drain plug to display a two-dimensional barcode representing location information near the water supply tap or drain plug on the smartphone's display screen, and the two-dimensional barcode can be read by an imaging device that is detachable from the water supply tap control device or drain plug control device.

[0078] Using the above-mentioned field water management system, it is possible to manage the history of agricultural machines working in each field by associating them with the work content. For example, if fixed facilities such as water supply taps and drain plugs are equipped with RF-ID tags equipped with memory chips that store location information including the latitude and longitude of the facilities, and an RF-ID tag reader is equipped to agricultural machines working in the fields, the RF-ID tag reader equipped to the agricultural machines working in each field can read the location information stored in the RF-ID tags equipped to the water supply taps and drain plugs, and the field in which the agricultural machine is working can be identified.

[0079] If each agricultural machine is provided with a communication unit that associates the location information acquired by the RF-ID tag reader with an agricultural machine ID that individually identifies each agricultural machine and transmits it to the field water management server, and if the communication unit is also configured to transmit a work ID that specifies the work content to the field water management server, the field water management server can associate the field to be worked on, the work date and time, the work content (e.g., plowing, cultivating, rice planting, chemical application, etc.), and the agricultural machine ID and manage them as a work history. If a work schedule for each field is registered in the field water management server in advance, there is no need for the agricultural machine to transmit the work content. The date and time are managed in advance by the field water management server.

[0080] It is also possible to configure the system so that an RF-ID tag storing an agricultural machinery ID that individually identifies each agricultural machine is attached, an RF-ID tag reader provided in a water supply hydrant control device or a drain plug control device installed in the field acquires the agricultural machinery ID attached to the agricultural machinery working in the field, and the communication unit provided in the water supply hydrant control device or the drain plug control device transmits the field ID, agricultural machinery ID, etc. to the field water management server. In this case, the field water management server can manage the field to be worked on, the work date and time, the work content (for example, plowing, cultivation, rice planting, chemical application, etc.), and the agricultural machinery ID as a work history in association with each other.

[0081] In addition, the mechanism for acquiring the agricultural machinery ID attached to the agricultural machinery is not limited to RF-ID tags, and may be configured so that a barcode affixed to the body of the agricultural machinery is read by an imaging device provided in the water supply valve control device or the drain plug control device.

[0082] The embodiment described above is merely one example of the present invention, and the description is not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention. It goes without saying that the specific configurations of the water supply tap device, the drain plug device, the field water management server, and the configuration of each record registered in the field database DB can be appropriately modified and designed within the scope of the effects of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 100: Field water management system 1: Field 2: Water level sensor 10: Water supply pipe 12: Hydrant device 12A: Water tap 12B: Water faucet control device 20:Drainage channel 22: Drain plug device 22A: Drain plug 22B: Drain valve control device 32: Repeater 30: Internet 34: Field water management server

Claims

1. A water tap installed in the field; a water supply faucet control device that is detachably attached to the water supply faucet and has an actuator that operates the water supply faucet, a water supply control unit that controls the actuator, and a communication unit that communicates with a field water management server, and in which unique ID information is set; A field water management server that remotely controls the water supply faucet control device; A field water management system comprising: the water supply hydrant control device is provided with a position information acquisition mechanism that electronically acquires position information from an information storage device that stores position information in the vicinity of the water supply hydrant, and the communication unit is configured to transmit the position information acquired by the position information acquisition mechanism and the ID information to the field water management server, the information holder is configured to be a mobile terminal, and is configured to display code information obtained by encoding location information in the vicinity of the water faucet acquired by a location information acquisition app provided in the mobile terminal on a display screen, the location information acquisition mechanism being configured to be a scanner connected to the water faucet control device and reading the code information, the field water management server includes a field map management unit that manages, as field map information, map information indicating the positions of a plurality of fields, position information of water hydrants installed in each field, and attribute information including characteristic information of each water hydrant; The field water management system is configured such that the field map management unit updates and processes the field map information by associating the water hydrant control device and the water hydrant to which the water hydrant control device is attached based on location information transmitted from the water hydrant control device.

2. The field water management system of claim 1, wherein the field water management server reads attribute information including characteristic information of the water faucet to which the water faucet control device is attached based on the location information transmitted from the water faucet control device from the field map information and transmits the attribute information to the water faucet control device.

3. A field water management system as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the attribute information includes attribution information, and the field water management server is configured to determine whether the water faucet control device is attached to the water faucet of an appropriate field based on the location information and the ID information transmitted from the water faucet control device.

4. A field water management system as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the attribute information includes any one of the pressure characteristics of the water tap, the water depth reduction characteristics of the field, the opening degree information of the water tap, the shutoff torque information of the water tap, and the overload current information of the actuator.

5. A water supply faucet control device used in the field water management system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, configured to be detachably attached to the water supply faucet installed in the field, the water supply faucet control device having the actuator that operates the water supply faucet, the water supply control unit that controls the actuator, the communication unit that communicates with the field water management server, and the location information acquisition mechanism, and having unique ID information set therein, When the water supply faucet is initially attached to the water supply faucet, the communication unit is configured to transmit the location information and the ID information acquired by the location information acquisition mechanism to the field water management server, The water supply control unit is a water supply faucet control device configured to control the actuator based on attribute information including characteristic information of the water supply faucet transmitted from the field water management server in response to the transmission of the location information and the ID information by the communication unit.

Citation Information

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