Water management device
The water management device addresses the challenge of managing faulty water valve devices in paddy fields by using a state detection unit, failure determination unit, and failure response unit to automate the detection and response to failures, thereby achieving labor savings and efficient water management.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- JP2024041961
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Patents
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-03-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-26
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-12-15
AI Technical Summary
In paddy fields, water valve devices such as water supply valves or drain valves can experience issues like clogging or abnormal operation, making it difficult to manage water supply and drainage effectively. Currently, field owners must manually inspect these devices, which hinders labor savings.
A water management device that includes a state detection unit to monitor the operation of faucet devices, a failure determination unit to assess if a failure has occurred, and a failure response unit to perform corrective actions such as opening/closing operations or sending notifications.
This solution enables early detection and quick response to failures in water valve devices, thereby achieving labor savings by minimizing manual intervention and ensuring continuous, efficient water management in paddy fields.
Smart Images

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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a water management device.
Background Art
[0002] There is known a water management system configured to control the opening and closing of a water supply valve and a drain valve in a paddy field by a computer to perform water supply and drainage management in the paddy field (see, for example, Patent Document 1). With such a configuration, manual work is unnecessary for water supply to the field or drainage from the field, and labor saving can be achieved.
Prior Art Documents
Patent Documents
[0003]
Patent Document 1
Summary of the Invention
Problems to be Solved by the Invention
[0004] In a field such as a paddy field, a water valve device such as a water supply valve or a drain valve may have some kind of trouble such as clogging with dirt or abnormal operation. When such a trouble occurs, since the water valve device does not operate normally, it becomes difficult to appropriately perform water supply and drainage in the field. Therefore, it is preferable to be able to grasp the occurrence of a trouble in such a water valve device as early as possible and quickly take measures. However, at present, in dealing with the occurrence of a trouble in the water valve device, first, the field owner has to go to the field to check, which hinders labor saving.
[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to achieve labor saving in dealing with the occurrence of a trouble in a water valve device in a field.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0006] In order to solve the above-described problems, one aspect of the present invention is based on detection information output from a state detection unit that detects a predetermined state in a faucet device that supplies water to a farm field or discharges water from a farm field, and determines whether a failure has occurred in the faucet device. A failure determination unit, a failure elimination control for causing an operation for eliminating the occurred failure to be performed in the faucet device in response to the determination by the failure determination unit that a failure has occurred, and a failure occurrence notification for notifying the occurrence of the failure. A water management device including at least one of a failure response unit that performs any one of them.
[0007] Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-described water management device, further including an opening / closing control unit that controls the opening / closing state of a faucet part provided in a flow path until the water supplied to the faucet device is discharged, and the failure determination unit includes: The state detection unit that detects the presence or absence of a flow rate in the faucet device detects the presence of a flow rate, and the failure may be determined to have occurred when the opening / closing control unit controls the faucet part to be in a closed state.
[0008] Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-described water management device, and the failure response unit may perform the opening / closing operation of the faucet part by the opening / closing control unit as the failure elimination control in response to the determination by the failure determination unit that the failure has occurred.
[0009] Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-described water management device, and the failure response unit may perform the failure occurrence notification when the failure determination unit determines that the failure has occurred after performing the failure elimination control.
[0010] Further, one aspect of the present invention is the above-described water management device, and the failure response unit may further manage failure history information indicating a history of a failure determined to have occurred by the failure determination unit.
Effects of the Invention
[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, an effect is obtained in that labor saving is achieved in dealing with the occurrence of failures of the hydrant devices in the fields.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0012]
Figure 1
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Figure 9
Modes for Carrying Out the Invention
[0013] Hereinafter, a water supply management system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. <First Embodiment> FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration example of the water supply management system in the present embodiment. The water supply management system of the present embodiment manages the water supply and drainage in a plurality of fields.
[0014] First, referring to the figure, the water supply and drainage system of the farmland that the water management system supports will be described. In the figure, an example is shown where the water management system manages three farmlands FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3. The farmlands FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3 in this embodiment are, for example, paddy fields, and irrigation and drainage (water supply and drainage) are performed to achieve an appropriate water level according to the rice cultivation period. In the following description, when there is no particular distinction between the farmlands FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3, they will be referred to as farmland FM. Note that the number of farmlands FM managed by the water management system of this embodiment is not particularly limited.
[0015] A water supply faucet 100-1 is provided in the farmland FM-1. The water supply faucet 100-1 is a facility that supplies the water sent from the farm pond FP to the farmland FM-1 via the pipeline PL. The water supply faucet 100-1 is provided with a valve part (valve) that opens and closes in the flow path (running water path) until the water sent from the farm pond FP is discharged into the farmland FM-1, so that the amount of water supplied from the farm pond FP to the farmland FM-1 can be adjusted. Also, a drain faucet 200-1 is provided in the farmland FM-1. The drain faucet 200-1 is a facility for discharging the water stored in the farmland FM-1. The drain faucet 200-1 is provided with a valve part (valve) that opens and closes in the flow path until the water pumped up from the farmland FM-1 is sent out to, for example, the pipeline, so that the drainage volume can be adjusted.
[0016] In the same way as in the case of the above-mentioned farmland FM-1, the farmland FM-2 is also equipped with a water supply faucet 100-2 and a drain faucet 200-2. Also, the farmland FM-3 is also equipped with a water supply faucet 100-3 and a drain faucet 200-3.
[0017] In the following description, when there is no particular distinction between the water supply faucets 100-1, 100-2, and 100-3, they will be referred to as water supply faucet 100. Also, in the following description, when there is no particular distinction between the drain faucets 200-1, 200-2, and 200-3, they will be referred to as drain faucet 200.
[0018] Here, the water management system of the present embodiment includes a wireless LAN (Local Area Network) router RT with a communication distance covering the fields FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3. The wireless LAN router RT is connected to the network NT, and a water management server 500 is connected to the network NT.
[0019] In each field FM of the present embodiment, the water supply faucet 100 (an example of a faucet device) and the drain faucet 200 (an example of a faucet device) each have a network communication function corresponding to the wireless LAN. As a result, the water supply faucet 100 and the drain faucet 200 in each field FM can communicate with the water management server 500 via the network NT from the wireless LAN router RT, respectively.
[0020] Water supply (irrigation) in each field FM is performed as follows. The water used in the field FM is first drawn from, for example, the river RV to the farm pond FP via a pipeline and stored in the farm pond FP. The farm pond FP is a pond for storing water for irrigation. The water stored in the farm pond FP is pumped up by a pump (not shown), and pressure is applied to supply it to the pipeline PL. In the case of the figure, the pipeline PL is branched into three paths and is connected to the water supply faucets 100-1, 100-2, and 100-3 provided in the fields FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3, respectively. As a result, the water sent from the farm pond FP via the pipeline PL reaches the water supply faucets 100-1, 100-2, and 100-3. At this time, if the faucet parts of the water supply faucets 100-1, 100-2, and 100-3 are in the open state, water is supplied from the water supply faucets 100-1, 100-2, and 100-3 to each of the fields FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3, and irrigation is performed.
[0021] Also, in the water management system of the present embodiment, a water use sensor 300-A and water use sensors 300-B1, 300-B2, and 300-B3 are provided for water supply control to the fields FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3.
[0022] The water consumption sensor 300-A detects the water consumption flowing from the farm pond FP into the pipeline PL. As a specific example, the water consumption sensor 300-A is a flow rate sensor provided to detect the amount (flow rate) of water flowing in the pipeline PL at a portion near the farm pond FP in the pipeline PL. The water consumption sensor 300-A thus provided can detect the amount of water consumption flowing from the farm pond FP into the pipeline PL in response to the supply of water consumption from the farm pond FP. In addition, the water consumption sensor 300-A has a network communication function compatible with a wireless LAN. Therefore, the water consumption sensor 300-A can communicate with a water consumption management server 500 (an example of a water consumption management device) via the network NT from the wireless LAN router RT.
[0023] The water consumption sensor 300-B1 is provided corresponding to the water faucet 100-1 and detects the water consumption flowing through the water faucet 100-1. As a specific example, the water consumption sensor 300-B1 is provided to detect the amount (flow rate) of water flowing in a portion near the water faucet 100-1 in the pipeline PL connected to the water faucet 100-1. For example, when the water faucet 100-1 is in a closed state and no water consumption flows through the water faucet 100-1, no water flow occurs in the pipeline PL at a portion near the water faucet 100-1 either. Therefore, the water consumption sensor 300-B1 in this case detects that the flow rate is zero. On the other hand, when the water faucet 100-1 is in an open state and water consumption is flowing through the water faucet 100-1, a water flow also occurs in the pipeline PL at a portion near the water faucet 100-1. Therefore, the water consumption sensor 300-B1 in this case detects a flow rate corresponding to the amount of water consumption flowing through the water faucet 100-1. In this way, the water consumption sensor 300-B1 can detect the water consumption flowing through the water faucet 100-1.
[0024] Also, the water usage sensor 300-B1 is installed relatively close to the water faucet 100-1. Therefore, the water usage sensor 300-B1 and the water faucet 100-1 are configured to be able to communicate via short-range wireless communication. As a result, the water usage sensor 300-B1 can transmit detection information indicating the detected result to the water faucet 100-1, and the water faucet 100-1 can transmit the received detection information to the water usage management server 500 via the network NT from the wireless LAN router RT. In this way, the water usage management server 500 can acquire the detection information of the water usage sensor 300-B1 via communication.
[0025] Note that the method of short-range wireless communication between the water usage sensor 300-B1 and the water faucet 100-1 is not particularly limited. For example, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ZigBee (registered trademark), etc. can be adopted. Such short-range wireless communication consumes little power. Therefore, for example, for the water usage sensor 300-B1, it is possible to operate over a long period with a battery as the power source, and labor-saving maintenance can be achieved. Also, for example, when charging the power generated during the day by a solar cell and using it as a power source, a small-capacity solar cell or rechargeable battery can be sufficient.
[0026] The water usage sensor 300-B2 is provided corresponding to the water faucet 100-2 and detects the water usage flowing through the water faucet 100-2. For example, the water usage sensor 300-B2 is also provided to detect the amount (flow rate) of water flowing in the pipeline PL in the portion close to the water faucet 100-2. Also, the water usage sensor 300-B2 and the water faucet 100-2 are enabled to communicate via short-range wireless communication. As a result, the water usage management server 500 can acquire the detection information of the water usage sensor 300-B2 from the water faucet 100-2 via communication.
[0027] The water usage sensor 300-B3 is provided corresponding to the water faucet 100-3 and detects the water usage flowing through the water faucet 100-3. For example, the water usage sensor 300-B3 is also provided to detect the amount (flow rate) of water flowing in the pipeline PL in the portion close to the water faucet 100-3. In addition, the water usage sensor 300 - B3 and the water supply faucet 100 - 3 are capable of communicating via short - range wireless communication. Thus, the water usage management server 500 can acquire the detection information of the water usage sensor 300 - B3 from the water supply faucet 100 - 3 via communication.
[0028] The water usage management server 500 can perform water supply and drainage control corresponding to each of the farms FM - 1, FM - 2, and FM - 3 by using the detection information acquired from the water usage sensors 300 - A, 300 - B1, 300 - B2, and 300 - B3 as described above.
[0029] In the following description, when not particularly distinguishing between the water usage sensors 300 - B1, 300 - B2, and 300 - B3 corresponding to each water supply faucet 100, they are described as the water usage sensor 300 - B. Also, when not particularly distinguishing between the water usage sensor 300 - A corresponding to the farm pond FP and the water usage sensor 300 - B corresponding to the water supply faucet 100, they are described as the water usage sensor 300.
[0030] In addition, in the farm FM - 1, a plurality of water level sensors 400 - 1 are installed. In the figure, an example where four water level sensors 400 - 1 are installed is shown. Each water level sensor 400 - 1 detects (measures) the water level at the installed location. The water level of the farm is different, for example, for each position in the farm. Therefore, when obtaining one water level corresponding to one farm, it is preferable in terms of enhancing the reliability of the measurement results to arrange water level sensors at a plurality of different positions in the farm and obtain one representative water level based on the water levels detected by each water level sensor. In the present embodiment, a plurality of water level sensors 400 - 1 are installed in the farm FM - 1 from such a perspective. In addition, each water level sensor 400-1 is capable of communicating with the water supply faucet 100-1 installed in the same farmland FM-1 via short-range wireless communication. As a result, each water level sensor 400-1 can transmit the detected water level information to the water supply faucet 100-1. Further, the water supply faucet 100-1 can transmit the water level information received from each water level sensor 400-1 to the water use management server 500 via the network NT from the wireless LAN router RT. That is, each water level sensor 400-1 can transmit the detected water level information to the water use management server 500 via the communication relayed by the water supply faucet 100-1.
[0031] Similarly, in farmland FM-2, a plurality of water level sensors 400-2 are installed. Each water level sensor 400-2 is capable of communicating with the water supply faucet 100-2 installed in the same farmland FM-2 via short-range wireless communication. As a result, each water level sensor 400-2 can transmit the detected water level information to the water use management server 500 via the relay of the water supply faucet 100-2. Also, in farmland FM-3, a plurality of water level sensors 400-3 are installed. Each water level sensor 400-3 is capable of communicating with the water supply faucet 100-3 installed in the same farmland FM-3 via short-range wireless communication. As a result, each water level sensor 400-3 can transmit the detected water level information to the water use management server 500 via the relay of the water supply faucet 100-3. In the following description, when the water level sensors 400-1, 400-2, and 400-3 are not particularly distinguished, they are described as the water level sensor 400. In the case where it is desired to reduce the number of water level sensors 400 to cut costs, one water level sensor 400 installed in one farmland FM may be used. Then, the water use management server 500 performs calculations using the water level information detected by the water level sensor 400 so that the water level of the entire farmland FM can be measured.
[0032] The water use management server 500 can obtain the water level in farmland FM-1 using the water level information received from each water level sensor 400-1 installed in farmland FM-1, and use the obtained water level for water supply and drainage management in farmland FM-1. Similarly, the water management server 500 can use the water level information received from each water level sensor 400-2 installed in the farmland FM-2 to determine the water level in the farmland FM-2 and utilize the determined water level for water supply and drainage management in the farmland FM-2. Also, the water management server 500 can use the water level information received from each water level sensor 400-3 installed in the farmland FM-3 to determine the water level in the farmland FM-3 and utilize the determined water level for water supply and drainage management in the farmland FM-3.
[0033] The water management server 500 performs management related to water supply and drainage (water supply and drainage management) in the farmlands FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3. In water supply and drainage management, the water management server 500 controls the opening and closing of the valve parts at each water supply faucet 100 by communicating with each water supply faucet 100 in each farmland FM via the wireless LAN router RT from the network NT. Thereby, the water management server 500 can perform control related to water supply individually for each farmland FM. Also, the water management server 500 controls the opening and closing of the valve parts at each drain faucet 200 by communicating with each drain faucet 200 in each farmland FM via the wireless LAN router RT from the network NT. Thereby, the water management server 500 can perform control related to drainage individually for each farmland FM.
[0034] The farmland owner terminal 600-1 is a network terminal device used by the farmland owner (farmer) of the farmland FM-1. The farmland owner terminal 600-1 is, for example, a personal computer, smartphone, tablet terminal, etc. owned by the farmland owner of the farmland FM-1. Similarly, the farmland owner terminals 600-2 and 600-3 are network terminal devices used by the farmland owners of the farmlands FM-2 and FM-3, respectively. In the following description, when there is no particular distinction between the farmland owner terminals 600-1, 600-2, and 600-3, they are described as the farmland owner terminal 600. In addition, in the figure, an example is shown in which farm owner terminals 600-1, 600-2, and 600-3 are provided for each of the farms FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3 to cope with the case where the farm owners of the farms FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3 are different. However, for the farms among FM-1, FM-2, and FM-3 that have the same farm owner, one farm owner terminal 600 may be commonly used.
[0035] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a configuration example of the water faucet 100 will be described. In each figure, regarding the structure of the water faucet 100, a cross-sectional view of the water faucet 100 as viewed from the side is shown. In the water faucet 100, the water supply pipe 101 is a pipe through which service water is supplied from the pipeline PL. The lower end side of the water supply pipe 101 is connected to the end of the pipeline PL as shown in the figure. Thereby, as indicated by the arrow α in FIG. 2, the service water sent from the pipeline PL is supplied to the hollow portion 101a in the water supply pipe 101.
[0036] A discharge pipe 102 is attached to the upper end of the water supply pipe 101. The hollow portion 102a of the discharge pipe 102 is made to communicate with the hollow portion 101a of the water supply pipe 101. Moreover, at the connecting portion between the water supply pipe 101 and the discharge pipe 102, the diameter of the hollow portion 101a of the water supply pipe 101 is larger than that of the stopcock ball 104, and the diameter of the hollow portion 102a of the discharge pipe 102 is smaller than that of the stopcock ball 104. Further, the opening on the hollow portion 101a side in the hollow portion 102a of the discharge pipe 102 is tapered as shown in the figure, so that when the stopcock ball 104 floats up to the opening of the hollow portion 102a, as shown in the figure, the stopcock ball 104 can be placed in a position to block the hollow portion 102a. In the present embodiment, a plug portion is formed by the stopcock ball 104 and the lower opening of the hollow portion 102a.
[0037] Also, a cup 103 is provided so as to cover the upper side of the discharge pipe 102. A hollow portion 103a is formed between the inside of the cup 103 and the discharge pipe 102. The hollow portion 103a serves as a path (flow path) for the service water discharged from the hollow portion 102a of the discharge pipe 102 until it is discharged to the outside.
[0038] The stopcock ball 104 is a spherical member having buoyancy. The stopcock ball 104 is provided in the hollow portion 101a as shown in the figure. Also, the shaft portion 105 is provided so as to penetrate the hollow portion 102a of the cup 103 and the discharge pipe 102. The shaft portion 105 is movable in the vertical direction within a certain movable range as shown by the arrow A in FIG. 2 by the plug driving portion 111.
[0039] The shaft portion 105 shown in FIG. 2 is, for example, in a state where it is located at the uppermost position within the movable range. In this state, due to the pressure of the service water supplied from the pipeline PL to the water supply pipe 101, the stopcock ball 104, which is a buoyant body, floats to the state shown in the figure, so that the opening of the hollow portion 102a is closed by the stopcock ball 104 (closed state). By being in such a closed state, the service water supplied from the pipeline PL to the water supply pipe 101 is not discharged to the outside of the water supply faucet 100.
[0040] On the other hand, the shaft portion 105 shown in FIG. 3 is moved downward as shown by the arrow B in FIG. 3 from the state of FIG. 2 and is in a state where it is located at the lowermost position within the movable range. In this state, the stopcock ball 104 is pushed down by the shaft portion 105 as shown in the figure. For this reason, the stopcock ball 104 is in a state (open state) where it is located below the hollow portion 102a in the hollow portion 101a. When it is in the open state in this way, the service water supplied from the pipeline PL to the water supply pipe 101 is discharged to the outside of the water faucet 100 through the flow path formed by the hollow portion 101a, the hollow portion 102a, and the hollow portion 103a, as indicated by the arrow β shown by the broken line in the figure. In this way, the service water is supplied from the water faucet 100 to the farmland FM. At this time, since the cup 103 is provided on the discharge pipe 102, even when the pressure of the service water discharged from the hollow portion 102a is high, it can flow downward through the hollow portion 103a without blowing upward.
[0041] Further, the water faucet 100 is provided with a flow rate sensor 106 (an example of a state detection unit) that detects the flow rate of the water in the flow path of the water faucet 100. In the figure, the flow rate sensor 106 is provided in the hollow portion 102a and detects the flow rate in the hollow portion 102a. The flow rate sensor 106 outputs a flow rate detection signal indicating the detected flow rate to the control unit 112. Note that the position where the flow rate sensor 106 is provided is not limited to the example in the figure. The flow rate sensor 106 may be provided at any position in the flow path until the service water supplied from the pipeline PL to the water faucet 100 is discharged from the hollow portion 103a. Note that the flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor 106 may be regarded as the same as the flow rate detected by the service water sensor 300 - B provided corresponding to the water faucet 100. Therefore, the flow rate sensor 106 may be omitted, and the flow rate detected by the service water sensor 300 - B may be transmitted to the control unit 112 as the above - mentioned flow rate detection signal. However, for example, when there is a certain distance between the water usage sensor 300-B and the water faucet 100, water leakage may occur due to aging of the piping or the like. In this case, the flow rate sensor 106 provided in the water faucet 100 can more accurately detect the flow rate of water in the flow path of the water faucet 100. Further, based on the difference between the flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor 106 and the flow rate detected by the water usage sensor 300-B, it becomes possible to detect the presence or absence of water leakage in the piping and the degree of water leakage. Also, in the case of a configuration in which a plurality of water faucets 100 are branched and connected downstream of the water usage sensor 300-B, the total amount of water flowing through the plurality of water faucets 100 is detected by the water usage sensor 300-B. Therefore, in this case, the sensor 106 can detect the amount of water in the flow path for each individual water faucet 100.
[0042] Also, the water faucet 100 is provided with a disassembling sensor 107. The disassembling sensor 107 is a sensor that detects whether the water faucet 100 has been disassembled. The disassembling sensor 107 in the figure is provided so that it can detect when the water supply pipe 101 and the discharge pipe 102 are disassembled so as to be separated. The disassembling sensor 107 may be configured to include an element or a circuit that outputs electric power in response to a physical change associated with the detection target part being disassembled, and to output a disassembly notification signal to the control unit 112 by the output electric power. Note that the disassembling sensor 107 is used in the third embodiment described later. For this reason, the disassembling sensor 107 may be omitted in this embodiment. Also, the position where the disassembling sensor 107 is provided is not limited to the example shown in the figure. For example, the disassembling sensor 107 may be provided between the circuit case 110 and the cup 103, or may be provided on the lid part of the circuit case 110 itself.
[0043] Also, as shown in each of FIGS. 2 and 3, for example, a circuit case 110 is provided on the cup 103. Inside the circuit case 110, a plug driving unit 111, a control unit 112, a sensor-corresponding communication unit 113, a server-corresponding communication unit 114, a power supply unit 115, and a movement detection unit 116 are provided.
[0044] The plug driving unit 111 drives the opening and closing of the plug portion. That is, the plug driving unit 111 changes the state between a closed state in which the water stop plug ball 104 closes the opening of the hollow portion 102a and an open state in which the water stop plug ball 104 is located below the opening of the hollow portion 102a by moving the shaft portion 105 in the vertical direction. In addition, the plug driving unit 111 can adjust the gap between the opening of the hollow portion 102a and the water stop plug ball 104 by changing the position of the shaft portion 105 in the vertical direction in the open state. Thereby, the amount of water discharged from the water supply faucet 100 can be adjusted.
[0045] The plug driving unit 111 includes, for example, a motor 111a and a mechanism unit that moves the shaft portion 105 in the vertical direction according to the rotation of the motor 111a. For example, the mechanism unit that moves the shaft portion 105 in the vertical direction can be configured by a structure in which the shaft portion 105 is screwed to a predetermined location in the water supply faucet 100 so as to be movable in the vertical direction by rotation and the shaft portion 105 is rotated according to the rotation of the motor. Note that other structures can be adopted as the mechanism unit for moving the shaft portion 105 in the vertical direction, and it is not limited to the above example.
[0046] The control unit 112 controls the operation of the plug driving unit 111. For this purpose, the control unit 112 adjusts the opening and closing state of the plug portion by outputting, for example, a motor control signal for rotating the motor 111a of the plug driving unit 111 to the plug driving unit 111.
[0047] In addition, the control unit 112 transmits and receives information to and from the water management server 500 via the network NT through the server-compatible communication unit 114. In the present embodiment, when the flow rate detection signal output from the flow rate sensor 106 is input, the control unit 112 causes the server-compatible communication unit 114 to transmit the flow rate detection information including the flow rate information indicated by the input flow rate detection signal and the water supply faucet ID indicating the water supply faucet 100 to the water management server 500. Further, the control unit 112 transmits and receives information to and from a water level sensor 400 within the communication range of the sensor-compatible communication unit 113 via the sensor-compatible communication unit 113. Also, the control unit 112 transmits and receives information to and from a water management server 500 via a network NT through the server-compatible communication unit 114.
[0048] The sensor-compatible communication unit 113 communicates with a water level sensor 400 located within the communication range by short-range wireless communication. The server-compatible communication unit 114 communicates with the water management server 500 via the network NT.
[0049] The power supply unit 115 supplies power to the plug drive unit 111, the control unit 112, the sensor-compatible communication unit 113, the server-compatible communication unit 114, and the movement detection unit 116. The power supply unit 115 includes, for example, a solar cell and a storage battery, and accumulates the electric power generated by the solar cell during the day in the storage battery. Then, the power supply unit 115 is configured to supply the electric power accumulated in the storage battery as a power source. Alternatively, the power supply unit 115 may be configured to supply power by a battery of a predetermined standard such as a secondary battery or a primary battery, and to replace the battery when the remaining amount of the battery decreases.
[0050] The movement detection unit 116 detects whether or not the main body of the water supply faucet 100 to which the circuit case 110 is attached moves. Specifically, the movement detection unit 116 can be configured to perform positioning corresponding to GPS (Global Positioning System). In this case, the movement detection unit 116 detects that there is movement when the position to be positioned changes over time. Alternatively, the movement detection unit 116 can be configured by a gyro sensor. In this case, the movement detection unit 116 detects that there is movement when a signal corresponding to the movement is detected by the gyro sensor. Note that the detection output of the movement detection unit 116 is used in the third embodiment. Therefore, the movement detection unit 116 may be omitted in this embodiment.
[0051] Here, since the service water is stored from the river RV to the farm pond FP via an outdoor water channel, various types of garbage (an example of foreign matter) are mixed into the service water. For this reason, the service water supplied to the water tap 100 via the pipeline PL from the farm pond FP also contains garbage. When supplying the service water from the farm pond FP to the pipeline PL, for example, for relatively large garbage, a mesh filter or the like can be provided to remove it, but small garbage remains without being completely removed. In this way, the water tap 100 is supplied with service water mixed with garbage. For this reason, there may be a problem that the flow path inside the water tap 100 becomes clogged with garbage.
[0052] Specifically, as shown by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 3, the garbage mostly clogs at the opening portion SP blocked by the stopcock ball 104. As can be seen from the figure, this opening portion SP is the connecting portion between the hollow portion 101a with a wide inner diameter and the hollow portion 102a with a narrow inner diameter, and the inner diameter becomes extremely narrow. When the opening portion SP is clogged with garbage, the stopcock ball 104 cannot normally block the lower opening of the hollow portion 102a as shown in FIG. 2. As a result, the normal opening and closing of the plug portion cannot be performed. Also, even if the opening portion SP is clogged with garbage, there is a gap between the clogged garbage, and thus the service water in the hollow portion 101a flows into the hollow portion 102a through this gap, and as a result, the service water is discharged from the hollow portion 103a to the outside. For this reason, for example, in terms of the on-off control of the faucet, although the water tap 100 should be controlled to be in the closed state, since the plug portion is not completely closed inside, there is a problem that the service water leaks. It is preferable that such problems be discovered as early as possible and dealt with promptly. Moreover, it is preferable to achieve labor saving by minimizing the manual work required for the discovery and handling of the failure.
[0053] Therefore, in the present embodiment, the water management server 500 detects the occurrence of clogging in the water faucet 100 based on the detection information of the flow rate sensor 106 transmitted from the water faucet 100. When it is detected that clogging has occurred, the water management server 500 causes the water faucet 100 to execute an operation to eliminate the clogging, and if it cannot be eliminated, it is configured to notify the administrator of the occurrence of a failure. As a result, manual work is saved with respect to the detection of the occurrence of clogging in the water faucet 100 and the countermeasures against the clogging, and labor saving is achieved.
[0054] Referring to FIG. 4, a configuration example of the water management server 500 will be described. The water management server 500 in the figure includes a communication unit 501, a control unit 502, and a storage unit 503.
[0055] The communication unit 501 executes communication corresponding to the network NT. By including the communication unit 501, the water management server 500 can communicate with the water faucet 100 and the drain faucet 200 of each farm FM via the wireless LAN router RT from the network NT.
[0056] The control unit 502 executes various controls in the water management server 500. The function as the control unit 502 is realized, for example, by a CPU (Central Processing Unit) provided in the water management server 500 executing a program. The control unit 502 in the present embodiment includes an opening / closing control unit 521, a failure determination unit 522, and a failure countermeasure unit 523 as functional units related to the detection of clogging in the water faucet 100 and the countermeasures against the clogging.
[0057] The opening / closing control unit 521 controls the opening and closing of the plug portion provided in the flowing water path through which the water supplied to the water faucet 100 is discharged. When controlling the opening and closing state of the plug portion of the water faucet 100, the opening / closing control unit 521 transmits a plug portion control signal to the water faucet 100 to be controlled for opening the plug. The plug control signal is information indicating the degree of the open state of the plug portion. The plug control signal includes, for example, an opening degree indicating the degree of the open state of the plug portion. The opening degree indicates a value corresponding to the target open state within a range from zero (closed state) indicating the closed state to a predetermined maximum value indicating the fully open state. The transmitted plug control signal is received by the server-compatible communication unit 114 of the water supply faucet 100 to be controlled for opening from the network NT via the wireless LAN router RT. The control unit 112 of the water supply faucet 100 controls the plug driving unit 111 according to the opening degree included in the received plug control signal, and the plug driving unit 111 drives the plug portion according to the control. Thereby, the state of the plug portion is set to the opening degree indicated by the plug control signal.
[0058] The failure determination unit 522 determines whether a failure has occurred in the water supply faucet 100 based on the detection information output from the state detection unit that detects a predetermined state in the water supply faucet 100. In the present embodiment, the state detection unit in the water supply faucet 100 is the flow rate sensor 106. The flow rate sensor 106 detects the flow rate of water in the flow path in the water supply faucet 100 as a predetermined state in the water supply faucet 100. As described above, the water supply faucet 100 transmits the flow rate detection information indicating the flow rate output by the flow rate sensor 106.
[0059] The failure determination unit 522 of the present embodiment determines whether a failure due to blockage has occurred in the water supply faucet 100 that is the transmission source of the flow rate detection information based on the flow rate indicated by the received flow rate detection information. As described above, depending on the occurrence of blockage in the water supply faucet 100, as shown as the opening portion SP, debris is caught between the lower opening of the hollow portion 102a and the stop valve ball 104. For this reason, even when the water supply faucet 100 is controlled to be in the closed state, the stop valve ball 104 cannot completely block the lower opening of the hollow portion 102a. Moreover, the service water that has passed through the gap of the debris caught in the opening portion SP is discharged. Thus, when clogging occurs, even if it is in a state of being controlled to the closed state, water leakage occurs, and water flow occurs in the flow path of the water faucet 100.
[0060] Therefore, the failure determination unit 522 of the present embodiment determines that a failure has occurred when the flow rate sensor 106 in the water faucet 100 detects that there is a flow rate and the opening / closing control unit 521 controls the plug part to be in the closed state. That is, the failure determination unit 522 determines whether the flow rate detection information received from the water faucet 100 indicates that there is a flow rate. For example, the failure determination unit 522 can determine that there is no flow rate if the value of the flow rate indicated by the flow rate detection information received from the water faucet 100 is zero, and that there is a flow rate if it is greater than zero. Further, the failure determination unit 522 acquires the control opening degree of the water faucet 100 with the water faucet ID included in the received flow rate detection information from the water faucet control information stored in the storage unit 503. The control opening degree of the water faucet control information indicates the opening degree currently set by the opening / closing control unit 521 for the water faucet 100. The failure determination unit 522 determines whether the acquired control opening degree is a value corresponding to the closed state (for example, zero or a value less than a predetermined value). Then, when the failure determination unit 522 determines that the flow rate detection information indicates that there is a flow rate and the acquired control opening degree is a value corresponding to the closed state, it determines that a failure due to clogging has occurred. Note that, for the determination of the occurrence of a failure due to clogging, the detection result of the water pressure inside the water faucet 100 can be used. That is, in the case of the structure of the water faucet 100 shown in FIG. 2, if there is no water leakage due to clogging, sufficient water pressure can be obtained in the hollow part 101a, but if there is water leakage due to clogging, the water pressure in the hollow part 101a decreases. For the detection of water pressure, for example, a water pressure gauge can be attached inside the water supply pipe 101 of the water faucet 100, and information indicating the water pressure measured by the water pressure gauge can be configured to be transmitted to the water management server 500. In the case of the structure of the water faucet 100A (Figs. 8 and 9) described later, it can be provided at any location where water pressure is applied in a state where the faucet part is closed, such as the water conduit 131 or the pressure chamber 123a.
[0061] In response to the determination by the failure determination unit 522 that a failure has occurred, the failure response unit 523 performs at least one of failure elimination control for causing an operation for eliminating the occurred failure to be performed in the faucet device and a failure occurrence notification for notifying the occurrence of the failure. The failure response unit 523 in the present embodiment first performs failure elimination control. The failure elimination control here is to operate the water faucet 100 so as to eliminate clogging. The operation to be performed on the water faucet 100 for eliminating clogging is, for example, to repeat the opening and closing operation of the faucet part a predetermined number of times. By repeating the opening and closing operation of the faucet part a predetermined number of times, there is a possibility that the dirt is washed away by the water pressure of the service water and discharged to the outside through the flow path. Therefore, as failure elimination control, the failure response unit 523 transmits an opening and closing control signal according to a predetermined sequence so that the operation of opening and closing the faucet part in the water faucet 100 is repeated a predetermined number of times.
[0062] After the failure elimination control, the failure response unit 523 controls the opening and closing control unit 521 to close the water faucet 100, and then determines again whether or not a failure due to clogging has occurred based on the flow rate indicated by the flow rate detection information received from the water faucet 100. Here, when it is determined that no failure due to clogging has occurred, the dirt in the water faucet 100 has been removed by the failure elimination control, and it is normally closed in response to the control to be in the closed state. Therefore, in this case, the process corresponding to the failure is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined that a failure due to clogging has occurred, the dirt is not removed by the failure elimination control, and the water faucet 100 is still in a state where clogging has occurred. Therefore, in this case, the failure response unit 523 issues a failure occurrence notice on the grounds that it cannot resolve the blockage through failure resolution control. The failure occurrence notice notifies the administrator of the water supply management system of the present embodiment that there is a water faucet 100 with a blockage. As the failure occurrence notice, for example, information on the water faucet 100 with a blockage may be transmitted to the terminal used by the administrator, or for example, an email containing information on the water faucet 100 with a blockage may be sent to the administrator's email address. The administrator who has received the failure occurrence notice can go to the water faucet 100 where the blockage has occurred and remove the blockage. Also, the failure occurrence notice may be issued to the farm owner of the farm FM where the water faucet 100 where the failure has occurred is installed, rather than the administrator of the water supply management system. Further, the failure occurrence notice may be issued to both the administrator of the water supply management system and the farm owner of the farm FM where the water faucet 100 where the failure has occurred is installed.
[0063] In addition, the failure response unit 523 further manages failure history information indicating the history of the failure determined to have occurred by the failure determination unit 522. Specifically, for each failure determined to have occurred by the failure determination unit 522, the failure response unit 523 stores, as failure history information, the occurrence date and time, the result of the failure response process (the control content of the failure resolution control, the presence or absence of failure resolution by the failure resolution control, the log of the failure occurrence notice), etc. in the failure history information storage unit 532.
[0064] The storage unit 503 stores various types of information used by the control unit 502. The storage unit 503 in the figure includes a water faucet control information storage unit 531 and a failure history information storage unit 532 in relation to the processing performed by the control unit 502 in response to the occurrence of a failure in the water faucet 100.
[0065] The water faucet control information storage unit 531 stores water faucet control information. The water faucet control information is information indicating the current opening degree set by the opening / closing control unit 521 for each water faucet 100. FIG. 5(A) shows an example of the content of the water faucet control information. The water faucet control information in the figure has a structure in which the control opening degree is associated with the water faucet ID of the water faucet 100. The water faucet IDs [F0001], [F0002], and [F0003] stored in the water faucet control information in the figure indicate the water faucets 100-1, 100-2, and 100-3 in FIG. 1, respectively. The control opening degree indicates the opening degree currently set by the opening / closing control unit 521 for the water faucet 100. In the figure, an example is shown in which the control opening degree is set step by step with a resolution of 16 by 0 to 15 for the opening degree of 0 to 100%. Here, the above control opening degree is merely a control value instructed by the opening / closing control unit 521 for the water faucet 100, and may be different from the actual opening degree of the faucet part in the actual water faucet 100. That is, even if "0" corresponding to the closed state is set as the control opening degree by the opening / closing control unit 521, for example, when clogging occurs, the faucet part may not be completely closed, so the actual opening degree in the water faucet 100 may not be "0". When determining the presence or absence of a failure due to clogging, the failure determination unit 522 acquires the control opening degree associated with the water faucet ID included in the received flow rate detection information (or information indicating the measurement result of the water pressure inside the water faucet 100) from the water faucet control information.
[0066] The failure history information storage unit 532 stores failure history information. The failure history information is information indicating the history related to the failures of the water faucet 100 that have occurred so far. FIG. 5(B) shows an example of the failure history information. The failure history information in the figure has a structure managed for each water faucet 100. That is, the failure history information is associated with each water faucet 100. The failure history information associated with one water faucet ID stores, as described above, the occurrence date and time, the result of the failure response process (the control content of the failure elimination control, the presence or absence of failure elimination by the failure elimination control, the log of the failure occurrence notification) for each failure that has occurred in the corresponding water faucet 100 so far.
[0067] In addition, in the failure history information of the figure, for each water supply faucet ID, a farm owner ID is further associated. The farm owner ID indicates the farm owner of the farm where the water supply faucet 100 indicated by the associated water supply faucet ID is installed. The farm owner ID [FM0001] associated with the water supply faucet ID [F0001] indicates the farm owner of the farm FM-1 where the water supply faucet 100-1 is installed. The farm owner ID [FM0002] associated with the water supply faucet ID [F0002] indicates the farm owner of the farm FM-2 where the water supply faucet 100-2 is installed. The farm owner ID [FM0003] associated with the water supply faucet ID [F0003] indicates the farm owner of the farm FM-3 where the water supply faucet 100-3 is installed.
[0068] Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 6, an example of the processing procedure executed by the water use management server 500 in the present embodiment in response to the occurrence of a failure due to clogging of the water supply faucet 100 will be described. Each water supply faucet 100 transmits flow rate detection information indicating the flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor 106 to the water use management server 500 at regular intervals. Therefore, the water supply faucet 100 waits for the flow rate detection information to be received (step S101-NO).
[0069] When it is determined that the flow rate detection information from one of the water supply faucets 100 has been received (step S101-YES), first, the failure determination unit 522 performs a process for determining whether a failure has occurred in the water supply faucet 100 that is the transmission source (failure determination target) of the flow rate detection information. Here, the failure determination unit 522 determines whether the opening / closing control unit 521 has controlled the faucet part to be in a closed state for the water supply faucet 100 that is the failure determination target (step S102). For this purpose, the failure determination unit 522 acquires, from the faucet control information storage unit 531, the control opening degree associated with the faucet ID indicating the faucet 100 to be determined for failure, which was included in the flow rate detection information received in step S101. Next, the failure determination unit 522 determines whether or not the acquired control opening degree is a value corresponding to the closed state. At this time, if the control opening degree is a value corresponding to the closed state ("0"), it is determined that the control is set to the closed state. On the other hand, if the control opening degree is a value greater than 0 corresponding to the open state, the faucet 100 is controlled to be in the open state according to the degree corresponding to the control opening degree. Therefore, in this case, the failure determination unit 522 determines that the control is not set to the closed state.
[0070] When it is determined that the control is not set to the closed state (step S102 - NO), regardless of whether or not it is in a clogged state, since water is being discharged, it is not possible to determine whether or not a failure has occurred. Also, even if it is assumed that the filter is clogged, water is being discharged in accordance with the control to the open state, and in this regard, the faucet 100 is operating normally. Therefore, in this case, the process shown in the figure is terminated. On the other hand, when it is determined that the control is set to the closed state (step S102 - YES), it is further determined whether or not the flow rate detection information received in step S101 indicates the presence of flow rate (step S103). When it indicates no flow rate (step S103 - NO), the faucet 100 to be determined for failure is normally in the closed state in accordance with the control to the closed state. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that no failure due to clogging has occurred. The process shown in the figure is terminated in this case.
[0071] On the other hand, when it indicates the presence of flow rate (step S103 - YES), the faucet 100 to be determined for failure is not in the closed state despite being controlled to be in the closed state. Therefore, in this case, it is determined that a failure due to clogging has occurred, and the process proceeds to the following failure countermeasure process. Note that the order of the processes for step S102 and step S103 may be swapped. That is, after it is determined that there is flow rate in the process of step S103, the determination by step S102 may be performed.
[0072] First, the failure response unit 523 executes failure elimination control (step S104). The failure elimination control in this case is control for repeating the opening and closing of the plug part a predetermined number of times so that the garbage is pushed out to the outside by the water pressure of the service water as described above.
[0073] When the failure elimination control ends, the failure response unit 523 causes the opening / closing control unit 521 to execute closing control for closing the water supply faucet 100 to be the failure determination target (step S105). After performing the control to be in the closed state as described above, the failure determination unit 522 waits for the flow rate detection information transmitted from the same water supply faucet 100 to be the failure determination target to be received again (step S106 - NO). When the flow rate detection information is received (step S106 - YES), the failure determination unit 522 determines whether the received flow rate detection information indicates that there is a flow rate (step S107).
[0074] When it indicates that there is a flow rate (step S107 - YES), under the state where the control is performed to be in the closed state in step S105, the water supply faucet 100 to be the failure determination target is still in a state of leaking. That is, it is determined that the clogging has not been eliminated. Therefore, in this case, the failure response unit 523 issues a failure occurrence notification to the administrator of the water use management system as described above (step S108).
[0075] Note that the failure occurrence notification in step S108 may be performed to the farm owner of the farm FM where the water supply faucet 100 to be the determination target is installed instead of the administrator as described above. Alternatively, the failure occurrence notification in step S108 may be performed to both the administrator and the farm owner.
[0076] When sending a notice of failure to the farm owner, for example, the notice of failure can be sent to the email address stored in the information of the farm owner (not shown in FIG. 4) stored in the water management server 500. Also, when the farm management application is installed on the farm owner terminal 600, the farm owner ID is registered as a user account in the farm management application. Therefore, as step S108, the failure response unit 523 may send a notice of failure to the farm management application in which the farm owner ID associated with the faucet ID of the faucet 100 to be determined in the failure history is registered as a user account.
[0077] After the process of step S108, or when it is determined that there is no flow rate (step S107 - NO), that is, when it is determined that the blockage has been resolved, the failure response unit 523 adds the details of the occurrence of the current failure to the failure history information stored in the failure history information storage unit 532. That is, the failure history information is updated according to the occurrence of the current failure (step S109). When proceeding from step S107 to step S109 without going through the process of step S108, the failure history information added in step S109 indicates that the failure has been resolved by the failure resolution control. On the other hand, when proceeding to step S109 after going through the process of step S108, the failure history information added in step S109 indicates that the failure has not been resolved even after performing the failure resolution control and that a notice of failure has been sent.
[0078] In addition, when it is determined in step S107 that there is flow rate, that is, when it is determined that the failure due to clogging has not been resolved, within a predetermined number of limit times, the process may return to step S104 again so that the retry of the failure resolution control is performed. In the present embodiment, the failure occurrence notification may be performed not only when the failure is not resolved even after performing the failure resolution control, but also when the failure is resolved by the failure resolution control. In this case, if the content indicating whether the failure has been resolved by the failure resolution control is included in the failure occurrence notification, the administrator of the water management system or the farm owner can grasp the result of the failure resolution control as well as the occurrence of the failure.
[0079] <Second Embodiment> Subsequently, the second embodiment will be described. When the plug driving unit 111 is operated so that the plug portion of the water supply faucet 100 is changed from the closed state to the open state, for example, an excessive load may be applied to the motor 111a due to a cause such as the movement of the shaft portion 105 driven by the plug driving unit 111 becoming rigid. Leaving such a state is not preferable because it causes problems such as a failure of the plug driving unit 111 including the motor 111a. Therefore, the water management system of the present embodiment is configured to target the overload of the motor 111a as a failure of the water supply faucet 100, and to determine the presence or absence of the occurrence of the failure and perform processing corresponding to the occurrence of the failure.
[0080] The water supply faucet 100 in the present embodiment may have the same configuration as that in FIGS. 2 and 3. In addition, in the water supply faucet 100 of the present embodiment, the plug driving unit 111 monitors the load current of the motor 111a, and when it detects that the overload state has occurred, it is configured to output an overload notification signal indicating the overload state to the control unit 112. Alternatively, the plug driving unit 111 may notify the control unit 112 of the load current value of the motor 111a, and the control unit 112 may detect the overload state based on the load current value. When the control unit 112 receives the overload notification signal as described above or detects an overload state, it transmits an overload notification indicating that the motor 111a is in an overload state to the water supply management server 500. The overload notification includes the water supply faucet ID indicating the water supply faucet 100.
[0081] Also, the configuration of the water supply management server 500 in the present embodiment may be the same as that in FIG. 4. However, in the present embodiment, the failure determination unit 522 and the failure response unit 523 in the control unit 502 perform the following processing according to the fact that the failure of the target water supply faucet 100 is regarded as an overload of the motor 111a. Also, in the case of the present embodiment, since it is not necessary to use the water supply faucet control information for determining the presence or absence of a failure, the water supply faucet control information storage unit 531 in the storage unit 503 may be omitted.
[0082] With reference to the flowchart in FIG. 7, an example of the processing procedure executed by the water supply management server 500 in the present embodiment in response to a failure caused by an overload of the motor 111a will be described. After the opening / closing control unit 521 performs control to set a certain water supply faucet 100 to an open state (faucet opening control), the failure determination unit 522 waits for an overload notification to be received from the water supply faucet 100 that is the target of the faucet opening control (step S201 - NO).
[0083] In this case, if the control unit 112 of the water supply faucet 100 that is the target of the faucet opening control does not transmit an overload notification if the motor 111a operates normally in response to the faucet opening control and does not enter an overload state. In this case, the processing after step S202 in FIG. 7 is not executed. On the contrary, as a result of the faucet opening control, if an overload state occurs in the motor 111a of the water supply faucet 100 that is the target of the faucet opening control, an overload notification is transmitted from the water supply faucet 100 that is the target of the faucet opening control and received by the water supply management server 500 (step S201 - YES). The failure determination unit 522 determines that a failure due to an overload has occurred in the motor 111a of the water supply faucet 100 that is the target of the faucet opening control in response to the reception of the overload notification.
[0084] Therefore, in this case, the failure response unit 523 executes failure resolution control for the water faucet 100 (step S202). As the failure resolution control in this case, the failure response unit 523, for example, performs the opening control again. In performing the failure resolution control in step S202, the failure response unit 523 may perform the opening control once, or may repeat it a plurality of predetermined times. By attempting the opening control again in this way, for example, the mechanism for moving the shaft portion 105 returns to normal, and the shaft portion 105 can move according to the rotation of the motor 111a. As a result, the load current of the motor 111a may also return to the normal range.
[0085] The opening control is also performed in the failure resolution control in step S202. Therefore, when the plug driving unit 111 is operating according to the opening control as the failure resolution control, if the overload state of the motor 111a is not eliminated, the control unit 112 of the water faucet 100 transmits an overload notification again. On the other hand, if the overload state of the motor 111a is eliminated by the operation of the plug driving unit 111 according to the opening control as the failure resolution control, the control unit 112 of the water faucet 100 does not transmit an overload notification. Therefore, the failure determination unit 522 determines, for example, whether an overload notification has been received according to the opening control in step S202 (step S203).
[0086] When an overload notification is received (step S203 - YES), it is determined that the failure due to the overload of the motor 111a has not been resolved. Therefore, in this case, the failure response unit 523 issues a failure occurrence notification to at least one of the administrator of the water use management system and the farm owner (step S204).
[0087] After the process of step S204, or when it is determined that no overload notification has been received (step S203 - NO), that is, when it is determined that the overload of the motor 111a has been resolved, the failure response unit 523 updates the failure history information stored in the failure history information storage unit 532 according to the content related to the occurrence of this failure (step S205).
[0088] Note that also in this embodiment, when an overload notification is received in step S103, that is, when it is determined that the failure has not been resolved, within a predetermined number of limit retries, the process may return to the process of step S202 again so that the retry of the failure resolution control can be performed. Note that also in this embodiment, the failure occurrence notification may be performed not only when the failure is not resolved even after performing the failure resolution control, but also when the failure is resolved by the failure resolution control. Also, the overload notification may be performed in multiple stages. As an example, when the overload notification is performed in two stages, in the first stage, for example, a state where the load on the motor has increased by a certain rate or more than normal due to dirt or garbage biting around the movable part and the rotating shaft is detected. When this state is detected, the water supply faucet 100 transmits a primary overload notification to the water management server 500. The primary overload notification indicates that although the overload state has not been reached, there is a possibility of reaching the overload state. The water management server 500 that has received the primary overload notification transmits, for example, an overload warning notification notifying that the water supply faucet 100 is approaching the overload state to the corresponding farm field main terminal 600. In response to receiving the overload warning notification, the farm field main terminal 600 outputs, for example, by display, a message notifying the farm field owner that the water supply faucet 100 is approaching the overload state. By viewing the message displayed in this way, the farm field owner can perform maintenance of the water supply faucet 100 in advance and prevent the occurrence of the overload state. Then, as the second stage, the same overload notification as described above corresponding to FIG. 7 is transmitted from the water supply faucet 100 to the water management server 500 as a secondary overload notification. The water management server 500 that has received the secondary overload notification executes failure resolution control, failure occurrence notification, etc. in the same manner as the description with reference to FIG. 7 above.
[0089] Next, a modification in the second embodiment will be described. For example, in the water faucet 100, there may be an abnormality in power, voltage, current, etc. in a part having a circuit such as the power supply unit 115 and a circuit unit operated by the power supply unit 115 (hereinafter also referred to as a circuit system). It is preferable that countermeasures be taken as quickly as possible in response to the occurrence of an electrical abnormality in such a circuit system. Therefore, when an abnormality in the above-described circuit system is detected, the control unit 112 transmits a circuit system abnormality notification indicating that fact to the water management server 500. That is, in the modification example, an abnormality in the circuit system in the water faucet 100 is targeted as a failure of the water faucet 100.
[0090] The failure determination unit 522 in the water management server 500 can determine that a failure due to an abnormality in the circuit system has occurred in the water faucet 100 that is the transmission source of the circuit system abnormality notification by receiving the circuit system abnormality notification. When it is determined that a failure due to an abnormality in the circuit system has occurred in this way, the failure countermeasure unit 523 can perform control such as stopping the operation of the power supply unit 115, for example, as failure resolution control. As a result, the water faucet 100 will not be operated while the circuit system is in an abnormal state. In addition, the failure countermeasure unit 523 may notify at least one of the administrator of the water management system and the farm owner of the occurrence of the failure. This enables the administrator or farm owner of the water management system to quickly perform inspections and repairs in response to an abnormality in the circuit system. In addition to the electrical abnormality in the circuit system, for example, the occurrence of a low voltage of the battery in the power supply unit 115 may also be notified as a failure. Also, when it is determined that a communication failure has occurred between the water management server 500 side and the water faucet 100, it may be notified as a failure. Furthermore, for example, a water level abnormality occurrence notification may be performed when it is determined that there is an abnormality in the water level based on the water level detected by the water level sensor 400. Specifically, the water management server 500 may determine that an abnormality in the water level has occurred when it is determined that the water level is higher than a preset upper water level or lower than a preset lower water level, for example. Further, when the water supply management server 500 determines that the water level does not change while controlling the water supply faucet 100 to supply water to the field FM, an abnormality occurrence notification indicating that an abnormality due to water leakage from the field FM has occurred may be issued. Also, a water thermometer is installed in the field FM, and the water temperature measured by the water thermometer is monitored by the water supply management server 500 via the water supply faucet 100. Then, when the monitored water temperature exceeds, for example, a preset upper limit water temperature, the water supply management server 500 may issue an abnormality occurrence notification indicating an abnormality in the water temperature. Also, a water pressure gauge is provided inside the water supply faucet 100 so that the water pressure can be monitored by the water supply management server 500. Then, when an abnormality such as the monitored water pressure becoming lower than a predetermined lower limit pressure occurs, the water supply management server 500 may issue an abnormality occurrence notification indicating an abnormality in the water pressure.
[0091] <Third Embodiment> Subsequently, the third embodiment will be described. Since the water supply faucet 100 is permanently installed outdoors in the field FM, it is vulnerable to theft and vandalism. Therefore, in the water supply management system of this embodiment, a state in which it is presumed that an illegal act such as theft of the water supply faucet 100 or vandalism to the water supply faucet 100 is being committed is determined, and when it is determined that an illegal act is being committed, for example, a notification to that effect is made to the administrator of the water supply management system. Thereby, it becomes possible to suppress the scene where illegal acts such as theft and vandalism are being committed, and it becomes possible to deter illegal acts.
[0092] The determination of an illegal act being committed on the water supply faucet 100 (illegal act determination) is specifically performed by two estimation methods: the following first determination method and second determination method. First, when an illegal act such as theft of the water supply faucet 100 or vandalism in which the water supply faucet 100 is moved or knocked down occurs, the water supply faucet 100 moves from its original installation location. Based on this, in the first determination method, the determination of an illegal act is performed as follows.
[0093] The water tap 100 is provided with a movement detection unit 116 (Figs. 2 and 3). As described above, the movement detection unit 116 is provided with a positioning function corresponding to GPS or an acceleration sensor, and detects whether its own position has moved based on the position measured by the positioning function or the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor. Then, when the movement detection unit 116 detects that its own position has moved (been moved), it outputs a movement detection signal indicating that fact to the control unit 112. When the control unit 112 inputs a movement detection signal from the movement detection unit 116, it transmits a water tap movement notification to the water use management server 500 notifying that the water tap 100 has moved.
[0094] Then, when the failure determination unit 522 of the water use management server 500 receives the water tap movement notification, it determines that an illegal act has been committed on the water tap 100 that is the transmission source of the water tap movement notification. Then, the failure response unit 523 issues a failure occurrence notification to at least one of the administrator of the water use management server 500 or the farm owner notifying that an illegal act has been committed on the water tap 100.
[0095] Note that it may be configured such that the control unit 112 determines whether the water tap 100 has moved based on the position measured by the positioning function of the movement detection unit 116 or the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor provided in the movement detection unit 116. Furthermore, for example, the position information measured by the movement detection unit 116 or the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor is transmitted from the water tap 100 to the water use management server 500 at regular intervals. And it can also be configured such that the water use management server 500 determines whether an illegal act has been committed on the water tap 100 based on the received position information or acceleration.
[0096] In addition, in the case of illegal acts such as theft or mischief, the water tap 100 may be disassembled. Therefore, in the second determination method, the illegal act is determined as follows. The water faucet 100 is provided with a disassembling sensor 107 (Figs. 2 and 3). As described above, the disassembling sensor 107 is configured to detect when the water supply pipe 101 and the discharge pipe 102 are disassembled so as to be separated, and output a disassembling detection signal to the control unit 112. When the control unit 112 receives a movement detection signal from the disassembling sensor 107, it transmits a disassembling notification to the water management server 500 notifying that the water faucet 100 has been disassembled.
[0097] Then, when the failure determination unit 522 of the water management server 500 receives the disassembling notification, it determines that an illegal act has been committed on the water faucet 100 that is the source of the disassembling notification. Then, the failure response unit 523 issues a failure occurrence notification to at least one of the administrator or the farm owner of the water management server 500 notifying that an illegal act has been committed on the water faucet 100.
[0098] Note that the failure occurrence notification transmitted in response to the first determination method preferably includes information indicating that the water faucet 100 has been moved, and the failure occurrence notification transmitted in response to the second determination method preferably includes information indicating that the water faucet 100 has been disassembled. Thereby, the administrator or the farm owner who has received the failure occurrence notification can grasp to some extent the situation in which theft or mischief has occurred. Also, in this embodiment, either the configuration for dealing with illegal acts using the movement detection unit 116 or the configuration for dealing with illegal acts using the disassembling sensor 107 may be adopted, or both configurations may be combined. For example, the water faucet 100 and the water management server 500 are made to communicate at regular intervals. Then, when the water management server 500 experiences a communication error, for example, continuously for a predetermined number of times or more, it may issue a failure occurrence notification indicating that an illegal act such as theft or disassembly has been committed, assuming that an illegal act has been committed. In addition, the water supply management server 500 may monitor the water pressure at the water faucet 100 at regular intervals, and in response to the detection of the disappearance of the water pressure, issue a failure occurrence notice indicating that an illegal act has been committed, assuming that an illegal act such as theft or disassembly has been carried out.
[0099] <Fourth Embodiment> Subsequently, the fourth embodiment will be described. The water faucets 100 in the previous first and second embodiments are configured to open and close the faucet part by utilizing the buoyancy of the stopcock ball 104 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. However, the structure of the water faucet that is the subject of determination of the presence or absence of a failure in this embodiment is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. Therefore, in this embodiment, a water faucet having a structure in which the faucet part is opened and closed according to the water pressure received by the diaphragm is taken as the subject of determination of the presence or absence of a failure.
[0100] With reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, a configuration example of the water faucet 100A of this embodiment will be described. In each figure, the structure of the water faucet 100A is shown by a cross-sectional view of the water faucet 100 as viewed from the side. In the water faucet 100A, the water supply pipe 121 is a pipe through which water is supplied from the pipeline PL. The lower end side of the water supply pipe 121 is connected to the end of a pipeline PL (FIG. 1) not shown. As a result, as shown by the arrow α in FIG. 8, the water sent from the pipeline PL is supplied to the hollow part 121a in the water supply pipe 121. In addition, the opening 121b on the upper end side of the water supply pipe 121 has a tapered shape corresponding to the shape of the bottom side of the valve body part 125.
[0101] A discharge pipe 122 is attached to the upper end part of the water supply pipe 121. The hollow part 122a of the discharge pipe 122 is made to communicate with the hollow part 121a of the water supply pipe 121 and the part corresponding to the opening 121b. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the opening 121b is not blocked by the valve body part 125, the water supplied from the pipeline PL is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 122b via the flow path formed by the hollow part 121a and the hollow part 122a as shown by the arrow β. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 8, when the opening 121b is closed by the valve body portion 125, the service water supplied from the pipeline PL stays in the hollow portion 101a and does not flow into the hollow portion 122a, so it is not discharged to the outside.
[0102] A diaphragm case 123 is attached to the upper part of the discharge pipe 122. A diaphragm 124 is attached inside the diaphragm case 123. The upper space partitioned by the diaphragm 124 in the internal space of the diaphragm case 123 is formed as a pressure chamber 123a for driving the diaphragm 124 by water pressure.
[0103] The diaphragm 124 is fixed to the upper side of the shaft portion 126. Further, the shaft portion 126 penetrates the discharge pipe 122 downward from inside the diaphragm case 123. Moreover, the lower side of the shaft portion 126 is fixed to the valve body portion 125 inside the discharge pipe 122. Thereby, according to the displacement of the diaphragm 124 along the vertical direction, the valve body portion 125 also moves along the vertical direction.
[0104] Note that a guide shaft 127 is attached to the upper side of the shaft portion 126, and the guide shaft 127 is inserted into the inside of the handle shaft 129. Although the illustration of the detailed structure is omitted, by rotating the handle 128 attached to the handle shaft 129, the shaft portion 126 can be moved in the vertical direction to adjust the opening and closing state of the valve body portion 125 at the opening 121b. That is, the water faucet 100A can manually adjust the opening and closing state of the plug portion including the valve body portion 125 and the opening 121b.
[0105] Also, a filter 141 is provided on the side surface of the water supply pipe 121, and a water guide pipe 131 is connected from the filter 141 to the switching valve 142.
[0106] Also, the switching valve 142 switches the flow path between the connected water pipes. The water pipe 132 is connected to the lower side surface of the atmosphere release valve 151 from the switching valve 142. Further, the water pipe 133 is connected to the switching valve 142 from the upper side surface of the atmosphere release valve 151. Also, the switching valve 142 is connected to the inside of the pressure chamber 123a.
[0107] In the atmosphere release valve 151, a spherical valve body portion 160 is provided in the inner chamber 151a. An opening 151b is provided below the valve body portion 160. The valve body portion 160 is suspended from the arm 171 of the valve body drive portion 170 by, for example, a rope, a chain, or the like. The valve body drive portion 170 operates to move the arm 171 in the vertical direction by a plug drive portion provided in the circuit case 110. FIG. 8 shows a state where the arm 171 is located at the lowest position within the movable range. In this state, the valve body portion 160 suspended from the arm 171 descends to the opening 151b and closes the opening 151b. On the other hand, FIG. 9 shows a state where the arm 171 is located at the highest position within the movable range. In this state, the valve body portion 160 suspended from the arm 171 moves away from the opening 151b, and the opening 151b is opened.
[0108] In the circuit case 110, for example, according to the configurations of FIGS. 2 and 3, a plug drive portion 111, a control portion 112, a sensor - compatible communication portion 113, a server - compatible communication portion 114, a power supply portion 115, and the like are provided. In this embodiment as well, if a configuration corresponding to improper behavior is to be adopted as in the third embodiment, a movement detection portion 116 may be provided. The control unit 112 in the present embodiment can also communicate with the water management server 500 via the server-compatible communication unit 114, similar to the previous first embodiment, for example. Further, the control unit 112 can transmit the water level information acquired from the water level sensor 400 to the water management server 500 through communication with the sensor-compatible communication unit 113. Thereby, also in the present embodiment, for example, each water supply faucet 100A can be controlled so that water supply and drainage to the field FM are appropriately performed according to the water level of each field FM.
[0109] According to the opening and closing control of the control unit 112, the water supply faucet 100A operates as follows. First, the case where the water supply faucet 100A is in the closed state will be described with reference to FIG. 8. In this case, the control unit 112 controls so that the atmosphere release valve 151 is in a closed state. That is, the control unit 112 controls the arm 171 to move to the lowest position in the movable range by the valve body drive unit 170. Thereby, the valve body portion 160 closes the opening 151b of the atmosphere release valve 151, and the atmosphere release valve 151 is in a closed state.
[0110] Here, the water for use in the hollow portion 121a flows from the filter 141 through the water conduit 131 to the switching valve 142 due to the pressure from the pipeline PL. At this time, in the switching valve 142, the water conduit 131 and the water conduit 132 are connected. The water flowing through the water conduit 131 flows into the inner chamber 151a of the atmosphere release valve 151 via the water conduit 132, but the atmosphere release valve 151 is in a closed state. Therefore, the water flowing into the inner chamber 151a of the atmosphere release valve 151 is stored in the inner chamber 151a.
[0111] And when the inner chamber is filled with the water supplied from the water conduit 132, water further flows from the inner chamber 151a through the water conduit 133. At this time, the switching valve 142 connects the water conduit 133 and the pressure chamber 123a in the diaphragm case 123, and the water flowing through the water conduit 133 is stored in the pressure chamber 123a.
[0112] As described above, water is stored in the pressure chamber 123a. When the pressure chamber 123a is filled with water, a force is applied to push the diaphragm 124 downward by the pressure of the water. Here, since the effective pressure area of the diaphragm 124 is much larger than that of the valve body portion 125, the diaphragm 124 is pushed downward. As a result, the valve body portion 160 connected to the diaphragm 124 via the shaft portion 126 also moves downward, and the state of closing the opening 121b is achieved. In this way, the water faucet 100A is in a closed state.
[0113] Next, the case of setting the water faucet 100A to the open state will be described with reference to FIG. 9. In this case, the control unit 112 controls so that the atmosphere release valve 151 is in an open state. That is, the control unit 112 outputs a control amount corresponding to a predetermined control opening degree larger than "0" to the valve body drive unit 170. The valve body drive unit 170 drives the arm 171 according to the input control amount. As a result, the arm 171 is moved to a position corresponding to the control opening degree above the lowest position in the movable range. Thereby, the valve body portion 160 is separated from the opening 151b of the atmosphere release valve 151, and the atmosphere release valve 151 is opened. In the figure, an example is shown in which the arm 171 is moved to the uppermost position in the movable range in order to set the open state with the highest opening degree.
[0114] Also in this case, the water for use in the hollow portion 121a flows from the filter 141 through the water conduit 131 due to the pressure from the pipeline PL, further flows into the water conduit 132 by the switching valve 142, and flows into the inner chamber 151a of the atmosphere release valve 151. However, in this case, the atmosphere release valve 151 is in an open state. Therefore, the water that has flowed into the inner chamber 151a of the atmosphere release valve 151 is not stored in the inner chamber 151a but is discharged to the outside through the opening 151b.
[0115] In the above case, the inner chamber 151a of the atmosphere release valve 151 is not filled with water. For this reason, the pressure chamber 123a in the diaphragm case 123 does not have pressure and water does not flow in and fill it. In this case, since there is no force pushing down the diaphragm 124, the pressure received by the valve body portion 125 from the side of the hollow portion 121a becomes higher. As a result, the diaphragm 124 moves upward, and the valve body portion 125 also moves away from the opening portion 121b in conjunction. Thereby, the water faucet 100A is in an open state, and water flows from the hollow portion 121a through the hollow portion 122a and is discharged from the discharge port 122b. In the case of the water faucet 100A configured with such a diaphragm, when the force in the opening direction applied to the valve body, that is, the water supply pressure, is low, it becomes difficult to raise the diaphragm 124 directly linked to the valve body portion 125, and there may be a case where it is difficult to be in an open state. The valve body driving unit 170 of the present embodiment has a function to raise the diaphragm 124 so as to assist the shortage of the water supply pressure as an electrical driving assistance in response to such a case.
[0116] In the water faucet 100A having such a configuration, for example, the water conduit 131, the filter 141, the switching valve 142, the opening 151b, etc. are likely to be clogged with dirt, and there may be a case where a failure due to clogging occurs. When the water conduit 131 or the filter 141 is clogged with dirt, it becomes impossible to send water to the pressure chamber 123a, and the plug portion cannot be closed. Further, when the switching valve 142, the opening 151b, etc. are clogged with dirt, water cannot be discharged from the pressure chamber 123a, so the pressure applied to the diaphragm 124 cannot be reduced, and the plug portion cannot be opened. Therefore, in the present embodiment, in response to the case where the water faucet 100A having the diaphragm structure shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is installed in the farm field FM, it is configured to be able to determine the occurrence of a failure and perform a failure countermeasure process corresponding to the occurrence of the failure.
[0117] The configuration for determining the occurrence of a failure due to blockage in this embodiment may be the same as that in the first embodiment. That is, also in this embodiment, a flow rate sensor for detecting the amount (flow rate) of water flowing through the flow path in the water faucet 100A is provided. Moreover, also in this embodiment, based on whether the flow rate detected by the flow rate sensor in a state where the opening / closing control unit controls the plug portion to be in a closed state (or an open state) corresponds to the closed state (or the open state), the determination of the occurrence of a failure may be made.
[0118] Note that in this embodiment, when the above-mentioned blockage occurs, even if the plug portion is opened and closed as in the case of the water faucet 100 in FIG. 2, the possibility of eliminating the blocked state is low. Therefore, in this embodiment, the following configuration can be adopted as failure elimination control. For example, although specific illustrations are omitted, a structure is adopted in which the hollow valve shaft 126 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 is further provided with holes in the valve body portion 125 to communicate the hollow portion 121a and the pressure chamber 123a. That is, a bypass for supplying water into the pressure chamber 123a is provided. Moreover, in normal times, for example, the bypass is closed by an electromagnetic valve or the like so that the hollow portion 121a and the pressure chamber 123a do not communicate with each other. Then, when the water management server 500 determines that blockage has occurred and the plug portion cannot be closed, the electromagnetic valve is driven to allow water to pass through the bypass, and the plug portion is closed. Also, although illustrations are omitted, a plurality of water conduits 131 may be provided. In this case, when the water management server 500 determines that, despite being controlled to be in a closed state, it cannot be closed, it controls the electromagnetic valve of the water conduit 131 to open, and supplies water from the water conduit 131 where no blockage has occurred to the pressure chamber 123a. Thereby, the plug portion can be closed. Also, corresponding to the state where it does not open, another auxiliary opening valve communicating to the outside from the diaphragm 124 is provided separately from the atmosphere release valve 151. And when it is determined that it does not open even though the water supply management server 500 controls the plug part to be in the open state, the auxiliary opening valve is controlled to open, and the water in the pressure chamber 123a is discharged to the outside, so that the plug part can be brought into the open state. Also, in this embodiment as well, a failure occurrence notification may be performed in the same manner as in the previous embodiments.
[0119] Note that even when the water supply faucet 100A having the structure shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 is provided, the determination of the presence or absence of a failure in the second or third embodiment and the processing corresponding to the occurred failure can be applied.
[0120] Also, it can be configured by appropriately combining either the first embodiment or the fourth embodiment with the second and third embodiments.
[0121] Also, the structure of the water supply faucet in this embodiment is not limited to those exemplified in FIGS. 2, 3, 8, and 9, and other structures may be adopted. Further, for example, as the faucet device for which the presence or absence of a failure is determined in this embodiment, for example, not only the water supply faucet but also the drain faucet may be included. Also, not limited to the water supply faucets and drain faucets provided in the field, for example, the faucet device for which the presence or absence of a failure is determined may be a water gate such as a slide gate provided in a dam or a river.
[0122] Note that a program for implementing functions such as the above-described water usage management server 500, water faucets 100, 100A, etc. may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on this recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform the processing of the above-described water usage management server 500, water faucets 100, 100A. Here, "reading the program recorded on the recording medium into the computer system and executing it" includes installing the program in the computer system. The "computer system" as used herein shall include hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. Further, the "computer system" may include a plurality of computer devices connected via a network including communication lines such as the Internet, WAN, LAN, dedicated lines, etc. Also, the "computer-readable recording medium" refers to portable media such as flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, CD-ROMs, and storage devices such as hard disks built into the computer system. Thus, the recording medium storing the program may be a non-transitory recording medium such as a CD-ROM. Also, the recording medium includes an internal or external recording medium provided and accessible from a distribution server for distributing the program. The code of the program stored in the recording medium of the distribution server may be different from the code of the program in a form executable by the terminal device. That is, as long as it can be downloaded from the distribution server and installed in a form executable by the terminal device, the form stored in the distribution server does not matter. Note that the program may be divided into a plurality of parts, downloaded at different timings, and then combined on the terminal device, or the distribution servers for distributing each of the divided programs may be different. Furthermore, the "computer-readable recording medium" shall also include a volatile memory (RAM) inside a computer system that becomes a server or a client when a program is transmitted via a network and holds the program for a certain period of time. Also, the above program may be for realizing a part of the above-described functions.Furthermore, it may be a so-called differential file (differential program) that can be realized in combination with a program already recorded in a computer system for the above-described functions.
Explanation of Signs
[0123] 100 (100-1, 100-2, 100-3), 100A faucet, 101 water supply pipe, 101a hollow part, 102 discharge pipe, 102a hollow part, 103 cup, 103a hollow part, 104 stopcock ball, 105 shaft part, 106 flow sensor, 107 disassembly sensor, 110 circuit case, 111 faucet drive part, 111a motor, 112 control part, 113 sensor-compatible communication part, 114 server-compatible communication part, 115 power supply part, 116 movement detection part, 121 water supply pipe, 121a hollow part, 121b opening, 122 discharge pipe, 122a hollow part, 122b discharge port, 123 diaphragm case, 123a pressure chamber, 124 diaphragm, 125 valve body part, 126 shaft part, 127 guide shaft, 128 handle, 129 handle shaft, 131 water conduit, 132 water conduit, 133 water conduit, 140 movement sensor, 141 filter, 142 switching valve, 151 air release valve, 151a inner chamber, 151b opening, 160 valve body part, 170 valve body drive part, 171 arm, 200 (200-1, 200-2, 200-3) drain plug, 300 (300-A, 300-B1, 300-B2, 300-B3) water usage sensor, 400 (400-1, 400-2, 400-3) water level sensor, 500 water usage management server, 501 communication part, 502 control part, 503 storage part, 521 opening / closing control part, 522 failure determination part, 523 failure response part, 531 faucet control information storage part, 532 failure history information storage part, 600 (600-1, 600-2, 600-3) farm main terminal, 600-1 farm main terminal, 600-2 farm main terminal, 600-3 farm main terminal
Claims
1. A plurality of water faucet devices are installed in a plurality of farm fields and supply water to the farm fields, The faucet device includes a control unit, a server-compatible communication unit that communicates with a water management server, a power supply unit having a storage battery, and a tap drive unit that drives the opening and closing of a tap unit provided in a flow path until the water to be supplied to the faucet device is discharged by rotating an axis unit in response to rotation of a motor using power supplied from the power supply unit to move the axis unit in an up and down direction, In the faucet device, the tap drive unit monitors the load current of the motor, and outputs an overload notification signal to the control unit when the load current becomes an overload state, or the control unit detects an overload state based on the load current value of the motor, and the control unit transmits an overload notification including identification information indicating the faucet device to the water management server in response to an overload state occurring again after fault resolution control that opens and closes the tap unit to resolve the overload state, The water faucet device has a positioning unit, and transmits position information obtained by the positioning unit to the water management server, The water management server includes: and a fault response unit that, when it is determined that a fault has occurred based on the overload notification transmitted by the control unit, issues a fault occurrence notification including information about the faucet device in which the fault has occurred to at least one of the manager of the water management system and the farm owner. Water management system.
2. When a fault determination unit determines that the water level in the field does not change based on the water level detected while a water faucet device is being controlled to supply water to the field, the fault response unit issues a notice of an abnormality. The water management system according to claim 1.
3. When the fault determination unit determines that a fault has occurred in communication with the water faucet device, the fault response unit notifies the user of the communication fault. The water management system according to claim 1 or 2.
Citation Information
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