Water supply and drainage control device and water supply and drainage control system

Abstract

To provide a technique that allows easy mounting to an open channel and reduces the labor of water management.SOLUTION: A device for controlling water feeding and draining (10) includes a frame (11) connected to a water feeding and draining port for communicating between an open channel and a field so as to allow the circulation of a fluid, and a bag (12) fixed to the inner wall of the frame (11). Swelling and shrinking of the bag (12) due to air supply and exhaust to / from the bag allow the channel within the frame (11) to be closed and opened.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a water supply and drainage control device and a water supply and drainage control system.

Background Art

[0002] With the aging and decrease of agricultural workers, the development and popularization of labor-saving technologies for agricultural work are strongly desired. Water management during agricultural work requires not only the control of water supply and drainage to the fields but also the maintenance management of water supply and drainage facilities, which is labor-intensive. In paddy rice cultivation, especially from after transplanting to before harvesting, the work of managing water supply and drainage to paddy fields occupies a large amount of labor time. Therefore, the labor-saving of water management in agricultural work is very useful for enhancing agricultural productivity.

[0003] As a labor-saving technology for water management, Patent Document 1 describes an automatic water supply faucet that automatically opens and closes a faucet according to the water level in a paddy field. Also, Patent Documents 2 and 3 describe a water supply and drainage system that controls a faucet remotely by utilizing ICT. Further, Patent Document 4 describes a water flow control device that controls the water flow by crushing a water pipe made of a soft material with an electric actuator. Also, Patent Document 5 describes a flow path shielding device that controls the flow rate by supplying and exhausting compressed fluid to a bag body housed in each of a plurality of frames crossing a flow path.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Patent Document 3

Patent Document 4

Patent Document 5

Summary of the Invention

[0005] The development of labor-saving technologies for water management in paddy fields has been primarily focused on pipelined waterways, and has not been fully implemented for open waterways, which account for approximately 70% of the total length of waterways in Japan. For example, the technologies described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are intended for use in pipelines, and are difficult to apply directly to open waterways. The reason for this is that while the opening and closing structures at the ends are common in pipelines, such as valves, open waterways have a variety of shapes. The diverse shapes of the water supply inlets of open waterways make it difficult to open and close them automatically using mechanization.

[0006] Although the techniques described in Patent Documents 3 to 5 can be applied to open channels, it is necessary to prepare dam plates and shielding devices according to the shape and size of each water supply and drainage port in an existing open channel. In addition, it is necessary to install a stand or a pedestal to support an electric actuator. As described above, the techniques described in Patent Documents 3 to 5 have a problem in terms of cost because they require large-scale installation work. In addition, the water surface of an open channel is open, and foreign matter is likely to be mixed in during the flow process of the channel. Therefore, even if mechanization is performed using the techniques described in Patent Documents 3 to 5, foreign matter is likely to cause opening and closing problems, and there is a risk that the management work will become more labor-intensive.

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the conventional technology as described above, and its object is to provide a technology that can be easily installed in an open channel and reduces the labor required for water management. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problems, a water supply and drainage control device according to an aspect of the present invention is a water supply and drainage control device that controls water supply and drainage between an open water channel and a farm field, and includes a frame body fluidly connected to a water supply and drainage port communicating between the open water channel and the farm field, and a bag body fixed to the inner wall of the frame body. The bag body has a structure that closes or opens the flow path in the frame body by expansion and contraction of the bag body caused by air supply and drainage into and out of the bag body.

[0009] A water supply and drainage control system according to an aspect of the present invention includes the above water supply and drainage control device attached to a water supply and drainage port communicating between an open water channel and a farm field, and an air supply and drainage device that supplies and discharges air into and out of the bag body.

Advantages of the Invention

[0010] According to an aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology that can be easily attached to an open water channel and labor-saving water management.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0012] 〔Water Supply and Drainage Control Device〕 The water supply and drainage control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a water supply and drainage control device that controls the water supply and drainage between an open water channel and a farm field, and is connected to a water supply and drainage port that communicates between the open water channel and the farm field in a fluid-flowable manner. It includes a frame body and a bag body fixed to the inner wall of the frame body, and has a structure in which the flow path in the frame body is blocked or opened by the expansion and contraction of the bag body due to the supply and exhaust of air into and out of the bag body.

[0013] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of the water supply and drainage control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the water supply and drainage control device 10 includes a frame body 11 and a bag body 12 provided inside the frame body 11. The bag body 12 is fixed to the inner wall of the frame body 11 via an adhesive portion 13. The bag body 12 expands and contracts by being supplied with and exhausted of air from an air supply and exhaust device 15 connected via an air supply and exhaust pipe 14. The water supply and drainage control device 10 closes the flow path in the frame body 11 by supplying air to the bag body 12 to expand it, and opens the flow path in the frame body 11 by exhausting air from the bag body 12 to contract it. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the bag body 12 is inflated and the flow path inside the frame body 11 is blocked.

[0014] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an example of the installation form of the water supply and drainage control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the water supply and drainage control device 10 is attached to a water supply and drainage port 102 that communicates between an open water channel 100 and a farm field 101. The water supply and drainage port 102 can be an opening of a branch pipe 103 branched from the open water channel 100 that enables water supply and drainage between the open water channel 100 and the farm field 101. The branch pipe 103 is, for example, a cylindrical water pipe. The water supply and drainage control device 10 can be installed by inserting a frame body 11 into the water supply and drainage port 102. The insertion of the frame body 11 into the water supply and drainage port 102 may be through an adapter or directly without an adapter.

[0015] The frame body 11 may have a shape with a cavity inside which fluid can flow, and is preferably a cylindrical body. By being attached to the water supply and drainage port 102, the frame body 11 communicates with the branch pipe 103 to form an integral water pipe, and the cavity inside the frame body 11 becomes a fluid flow path. Considering the insertion into the water supply and drainage port 102, the frame body 11 is more preferably a cylindrical shape having an outer diameter along the inner diameter of the water supply and drainage port 102. That is, the outer diameter of the frame body 11 may be set according to the inner diameter of the water supply and drainage port 102, and may be 50 mm or more and 150 mm or less, for example, 100 mm. Also, the outer diameter of the frame body 11 may be constant throughout the frame body 11, or may be a tapered shape that gradually increases or decreases from the end on the side inserted into the water supply and drainage port 102 toward the opposite end, or may be a shape where only a part is large or small.

[0016] The length of the frame body 11 may be appropriately set according to the size of the bag body 12 to be accommodated inside, the position and size of the water supply and drainage port 102 to be inserted, etc., and may be 0.3 m or more and 1 m or less, for example, 0.5 m. When the frame body 11 is inserted into the water supply and drainage port 102, the extending direction of the frame body 11 coincides with the fluid flow direction between the open water channel 100 and the farm field 101 at the water supply and drainage port 102.

[0017] The frame body 11 preferably has flexibility that facilitates insertion and fixation into the water supply and drainage port 102, and rigidity that does not deform due to the expansion and contraction of the bag body 12 or the flow of fluid. The frame body 11 can be, for example, a pipe or tube such as vinyl chloride, polyethylene, concrete, etc., but is not limited thereto. Further, the frame body 11 may be adapted to satisfy the required flexibility and rigidity according to the wall thickness. The wall thickness of the frame body 11 may be 1.8 mm or more and 26 mm or less, 3 mm or more and 10 mm or less, or 5 mm or more and 8 mm or less, for example, 6.6 mm.

[0018] The frame body 11 is preferably provided so as to extend along the flow direction of the fluid between the open water channel 100 and the field 101 at the water supply and drainage port 102. Thereby, the water supply and drainage control device 10 can be easily attached to the open water channel 100 only by inserting the frame body 11 into the water supply and drainage port 102.

[0019] The bag body 12 may have any structure that expands and contracts by supplying and exhausting air inside, and can be in a bag shape, balloon shape, cylindrical shape, rectangular tube shape, etc. Further, the bag body 12 may have a shape in which the folded and overlapped ends of the sheet are fused. The bag body 12 may have a size such that at least a part of the gap does not occur between the outer wall of the bag body 12 and the inner wall of the frame body 11 when expanded. That is, the bag body 12 may be set so that at least a part of its outer circumference becomes substantially the same length as or longer than the inner circumference of the frame body 11 when expanded. The size of the bag body 12 may be, for example, a diameter of 5 cm or more and 15 cm or less, a length of 15 cm or more and 50 cm or less, for example, a diameter of 10 cm and a length of 20 cm.

[0020] The bag body 12 is preferably made of a non - elastic material. This can prevent the deterioration of the bag body 12 and enable continuous use. Here, the non - elastic material is intended to be a material other than materials having elasticity such as rubber. The bag body 12 can be made of a resin such as vinyl chloride, tarpaulin, polyethylene, etc., but is not limited thereto. Also, the bag body 12 preferably has stretchability and rigidity such that it will not be damaged by foreign objects even when foreign objects such as grass, branches, and small stones enter the frame body 11 and there are foreign objects between the inflated bag body 12 and the frame body 11. The bag body 12 may be such that it satisfies the required stretchability and rigidity according to the wall thickness. The wall thickness of the bag body 12 may be 0.1 mm or more and 1 mm or less, for example, 0.5 mm.

[0021] The supply and exhaust of gas to and from the bag body 12 can be performed by sending gas into the bag body 12 (gas supply) and sucking out gas from the bag body 12 (exhaust) by the supply - exhaust device 15. The supply - exhaust device 15 is, for example, a bellows, an air compressor, etc. The supply and exhaust of gas to the bag body 12 by the supply - exhaust device 15 may be manually controlled or may be controlled by a mechanical operation such as a remote management system using ICT or timer control.

[0022] The bag body 12 is fixed to one of the opposing surfaces of the inner wall of the frame body 11 and preferably has a shape that is folded along the inner wall of the frame body 11 when contracted. The shape of being folded along the inner wall of the frame body 11 means that the opposing surfaces inside the bag body 12 are held along the inner wall of the frame body 11 without being bulky in a state where they overlap each other. Thereby, the contracted bag body 12 does not obstruct the water flow in the frame body 11, and water supply and drainage can be performed smoothly. If the contracted bag body in the frame body is not folded, the water flow in the frame body may be obstructed and water supply and drainage may not be performed smoothly. Since the bag body 12 has a shape that is folded along the inner wall of the frame body 11 when contracted, the water supply - drainage control device 10 does not have such a problem. As an example of the bag body 12 having a shape that is folded along the inner wall of the frame body 11 when contracted, there is a shape in which a sheet is folded and the overlapping ends are fused together.

[0023] One of the opposing surfaces of the inner wall of the frame body 11 to which the bag body 12 is fixed can be the surface that becomes the upper side of the frame body 11 when the water supply and drainage control device 10 is attached to the water supply and drainage port 102. That is, the bag body 12 may be fixed at a position that becomes the upper side of the frame body 11 when the water supply and drainage control device 10 is attached to the water supply and drainage port 102. Thus, although the bag body 12 is preferably fixed to the upper side of the inner wall of the frame body 11, the fixing position of the bag body 12 is not particularly limited as long as the water flow in the frame body 11 is not obstructed when the bag body 12 contracts.

[0024] The adhesive portion 13 that fixes the bag body 12 to the inner wall of the frame body 11 preferably extends along the extending direction of the frame body 11. FIG. 3 shows a schematic top view of a water supply and drainage control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the adhesive portion 13 extends along the extending direction of the frame body 11. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the adhesive portion 13 is preferably composed of two portions that extend along the extending direction of the frame body 11 and a portion that intersects the extending direction of the frame body 11 provided therebetween.

[0025] That is, the adhesive portion 13 is preferably provided in an H shape with the extending direction of the frame body 11 as the vertical direction when viewed from a direction intersecting the extending direction of the frame body 11. Thereby, when the bag body 12 contracts, the bag body 12 is more appropriately folded along the inner wall of the frame body 11. Note that the adhesive portion 13 may be at a position that does not prevent the expansion and contraction of the bag body 12. For example, it may be provided in a + shape composed of a portion extending along the extending direction of the frame body 11 and a portion intersecting this.

[0026] The adhesive portion 13 may be any one that can fix the bag body 12 to the inner wall of the frame body 11. For example, it can be formed by an adhesive tape, an adhesive tape, an adhesive, or the like. The material forming the adhesive portion 13 only needs to be water-insoluble.

[0027] Here, the contracted and expanded forms of the bag body 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state where the bag body is contracted in a water supply and drainage control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a state where the bag body is contracted in a water supply and drainage control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state where the bag body is expanded in a water supply and drainage control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a front view showing a state where the bag body is expanded in a water supply and drainage control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4 to 7 show an example using a transparent frame body 11 for the sake of convenience of explanation in order to clearly show the bag body 12 and the bonding portion 13. Therefore, the frame body 11 is not limited to a transparent tube.

[0028] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a state where the bag body 12 is contracted. Since the bag body is fixed to the inner wall of the frame body 11, the bag body 12 is folded along the inner wall of the frame body 11. When viewed from the extending direction of the frame body 11, the contracted bag body 12 is folded in an arc shape (semicircular shape in FIGS. 4 and 5) along the inner wall of the frame body 11. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the bag body 12 from obstructing the water flow in the frame body 11.

[0029] In this way, by exhausting air from the bag body 12 to contract the bag body 12, the flow path in the frame body 11 is opened to a water passing state. Thereby, the water supply and drainage port 102 provided in the water supply and drainage control device 10 is opened, and it is possible to pass water between the open water channel 100 and the field 101.

[0030] FIGS. 6 and 7 show a state where the bag body 12 is expanded. There is no gap between the bag body 12 and the frame body 11, and the inside of the frame body 11 is blocked. Thereby, the water passing in the frame body 11 is obstructed.

[0031] In this way, by supplying air to the bag body 12 to expand the bag body 12, the flow path in the frame body 11 is blocked to a water stopping state. Thereby, the water supply and drainage port 102 provided in the water supply and drainage control device 10 is blocked, and it is possible to make the state between the open water channel 100 and the field 101 a water stopping state.

[0032] The water supply and drainage control device 10 can control the water supply and drainage between the open water channel 100 and the farmland 101 by closing or opening the flow path of the frame body 11 due to the expansion and contraction of the bag body 12 caused by the supply and exhaust of air into and out of the bag body 12. Also, by controlling the expansion and contraction of the bag body 12 step by step, the amount of water supply and drainage between the open water channel 100 and the farmland 101 can be controlled. In this way, the water supply and drainage control device 10 does not need to rotate a handle to open and close a valve or a sluice gate, and can easily control the water supply and drainage between the open water channel 100 and the farmland 101 only by supplying and exhausting air into and out of the bag body 12.

[0033] Moreover, the water supply and drainage control device 10 can be easily attached to the open water channel 100 only by inserting the frame body 11 into the water supply and drainage port 102. Therefore, large-scale installation work is not required, and it can be easily attached to an existing open water channel.

[0034] Furthermore, according to the water supply and drainage control device 10, since the flow path in the frame body 11 is blocked by expanding the bag body 12, the contact between the frame body 11 and the bag body 12 at the time of blocking becomes surface contact, and the inside of the frame body 11 is variably and surface-wise blocked. As a result, even when foreign matters such as grass, branches, and small stones enter the frame body 11 and there are foreign matters between the expanded bag body 12 and the frame body 11, the bag body 12 can expand to cover the periphery of the foreign matters and block the flow path in the frame body 11. In a linear blocking form where a water pipe and a water stop structure are in line contact like a conventional sluice gate or a weir plate, the flow path cannot be blocked due to the intrusion of foreign matters, and maintenance management such as regularly removing foreign matters is required. Different from such a conventional water stop mechanism, the water supply and drainage control device 10 enables water supply and drainage control that allows the intrusion of foreign matters, and is easy to maintain.

[0035] 〔Water supply and drainage control system〕 The water supply and drainage control system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes any of the above-described water supply and drainage control devices attached to a water supply and drainage port communicating between an open water channel and a farmland, and a supply and exhaust device that supplies and exhausts air into and out of the bag body.

[0036] An example of the water supply and drainage control device included in the water supply and drainage control system is the water supply and drainage control device 10 described above. Therefore, for the details of the water supply and drainage control device included in the water supply and drainage control system, refer to the description of the water supply and drainage control device 10 described above.

[0037] An example of the air supply and exhaust device included in the water supply and drainage control system is the air supply and exhaust device 15 described above. Therefore, for the details of the air supply and exhaust device included in the water supply and drainage control system, refer to the description of the air supply and exhaust device 15 described above.

[0038] The water supply and drainage control system may further include an adapter that connects the water supply and drainage control device and the water supply and drainage port. Thereby, even when the shape of the end portion of the frame body of the water supply and drainage control device is different from the shape of the water supply and drainage port, the connection between the water supply and drainage control device and the water supply and drainage port can be realized.

Example

[0039] Using the water supply and drainage control device according to one aspect of the present invention, the effect of water supply and drainage control when foreign matter enters the flow path was verified. A water supply and drainage control device including a frame body and a bag body as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 was used. Such a water supply and drainage control device was connected to a water storage tank, and the amount of water leakage when foreign matter entered the flow path was measured.

[0040] In the water supply and drainage control device, a vinyl chloride pipe with a nominal diameter of 100 mm having an outer diameter of 114 mm, a thickness of 5.0 mm, and a length of 50 cm was used for the frame body, and a vinyl chloride bag having a thickness of 0.5 mm and a size of 16.7 cm in width × 30 cm in length was used for the bag body. In addition, one air supply and exhaust port was provided in the bag body, and a tube (outer diameter 6 mm, inner diameter 4 mm) was inserted and connected to the air supply and exhaust device to enable the inflation and contraction of the bag body by the air supply and exhaust device. By the inflation and contraction of the bag body due to the air supply and exhaust into the bag body, the supply and stop of water in the flow path were operated.

[0041] The air supply and exhaust device is composed of a compressor-cum-pump (Nitto Kohki Co., Ltd. DP0125), a pressure switch (SMC Corporation two-color display type high-precision digital pressure switch ZSE30AF), a microcontroller (Arduino Srl Arduino Uno R3), a solenoid valve, and a power adapter, and the solenoid valve enables the switching of air supply and exhaust. Also, the pressure switch is connected in the middle between the tube inserted into the bag body and the compressor-cum-pump, and a mechanism is provided such that when the pressure inside the bag body exceeds 9.0 kPa during air supply, the air supply automatically stops. The bag body is fixed along the inner wall of the frame body on the upper surface of the inner wall of the frame body when it contracts. As the water storage tank, one whose water storage level can be adjusted to an arbitrary value was used.

[0042] As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, inside the frame body, two types of foreign objects were placed on the surface facing the surface where the bag body was fixed, and the water leakage amount was measured. As foreign object a, one soft tube with an outer diameter of 6 mm and a length of 10 cm was used, and as foreign object b, a bundle of three such tubes was used. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, when air was supplied into the bag body, the bag body expanded so as to cover the periphery of the foreign object.

[0043] As comparative examples, in a vinyl chloride pipe, a conventional water supply port A that performs a water supply and stop operation by sliding a circular plate and a conventional water supply port B that performs a water supply and stop operation by sliding a square plate were used. The conventional water supply port A and the conventional water supply port B are water supply ports with a general shape.

[0044] The water storage level of the water storage tank was varied to 20 cm, 30 cm, 40 cm, and 50 cm, and the water leakage amount was measured when two types of foreign objects respectively invaded the water supply and drainage control device. The results are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. Note that the height of the lower end of the frame body and the lower end of the water storage tank is the same, and the water flow rate inside the frame body becomes 0 L / s when the water storage level is 0 cm. For the measurement of the water leakage amount, a right-angled triangular weir (triangular weir manufactured by Uijin Co., Ltd., width 40 cm, height 30 cm, length 50 cm) and a self-recording water level gauge (Uijin Co., Ltd. GY type precision water level gauge UIZ-GY030) were used. The measurement interval of the water leakage amount was set to 5 seconds, and a 5-minute water stop test was carried out 3 times under each condition, and the average value of each was taken as the water leakage amount.

[0045] As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, even when either foreign object a or foreign object b invaded, the water leakage amount of the water supply and drainage control device was the least, and the water leakage amounts were small in the order of the conventional water supply port B and the conventional water supply port A. In particular, when foreign object b was used, it was confirmed that the water leakage amount of both the conventional water supply port A and the conventional water supply port B tended to double compared to the case where foreign object a was used. On the other hand, in the water supply and drainage control device, even under the condition that foreign object b invaded and the water storage level was the largest at 50 cm, only about 0.005 L / s of water leakage was confirmed.

[0046] Thus, according to the water supply and drainage control device according to one aspect of the present invention, compared with the conventional water supply port, there was almost no water leakage even when a foreign object invaded. That is, according to the water supply and drainage control device, even when a foreign object invaded into the frame body and a foreign object existed between the inflated bag body and the frame body, the bag body could expand to cover the periphery of the foreign object and block the flow path in the frame body. Therefore, it was shown that the water supply and drainage control device could allow water supply and stop while allowing the invasion of foreign objects.

[0047] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope shown in the claims. Embodiments obtained by appropriately combining the technical means disclosed in different embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0048] 10 Water supply and drainage control device 11 Frame body 12 Bag body 13 Adhesive part 15 Air supply and exhaust device 100 Open water channel 101 Field 102 Water supply and drainage port

Claims

1. A water supply and drainage control device for controlling water supply and drainage between an open water channel and a farmland, a frame body fluidly connected to a water supply and drainage port communicating between the open water channel and the farmland, a bag body fixed to the inner wall of the frame body, comprising: having a structure for closing or opening a flow path in the frame body by expansion and contraction of the bag body due to supply and exhaust of air into and out of the bag body, the water supply and drainage port is an opening of a branch pipe branched from the open water channel that enables water supply and drainage between the open water channel and the farmland, the frame body is a cylindrical body, the frame body is provided such that its extending direction is along the flow direction of fluid between the open water channel and the farmland at the water supply and drainage port. A water supply and drainage control device.

2. The water supply and drainage control device according to claim 1, wherein the bag body is fixed to one of the opposing surfaces of the inner wall of the frame body and is folded along the inner wall of the frame body when contracted.

3. The water supply and drainage control device according to claim 2, wherein the bag body is fixed via an adhesive portion extending along the extending direction of the frame body.

4. The water supply and drainage control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bag body is made of a non-elastic material.

5. The water supply and drainage control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bag body is fixed to the upper surface of the inner wall of the frame body when attached to the water supply and drainage port.

6. A water supply and drainage control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, attached to a water supply and drainage port communicating between an open water channel and a farmland, an air supply and exhaust device for supplying and exhausting air into and out of the bag body and a water supply and drainage control system.

7. The water supply and drainage control system according to claim 6, further comprising an adapter for connecting the water supply and drainage control device and the water supply and drainage port.

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