TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a system and use thereof for automatic plant watering in a domestic or in-door environment such as an office.

BACKGROUND ART

The availability of water resources is linked to the well-usage of societies that need it for industrial activities, agriculture, irrigation, drinking, hygiene and home-based usage such as gardening and other activities. Changes in availability of water through depletion of aquifer volumes have significant effects on developmental and economical aspects of rural and urban communities in present and future era. Thus, finding an economic watering system that could quantify the volume of water per time and space regarding everyday usage of house-holders at rural and urban communities could have identical beneficial influence on global level.

There are various methods for irrigating large lands surfaces, such as sprinklers and drip/trickle systems. However, irrigation systems require large piping setups along with many sprinklers in order to achieve proper irrigation in large fields or gardens. These systems have many problems associated with it. It requires expensive piping as well as sprinkler costs along with high powered motors in order to drive water through such long pipes. There is always a chance of leakages that may cause oversupply of water to a particular area and undersupply in another area, leading to plantation loss and local and environmental damage. This will also incur heavy repairing costs. There are various methods in smaller size for green house irrigation as well including overhead misters, mat irrigation and perimeter irrigation. All these methods require manual control, using electricity and/or timer. Also, it is not possible to estimate the exact amount of water droplet per plants/time/location accurately.

GB2022984 A discloses an apparatus for watering plants for use in greenhouses and the like. Presently, there is no system for irrigating domestic plants in a domestic or in-door environment accurately and easily without any power supplies. On the other hand, there is an urgent requirement for a miniature plant watering system which can be used easily and economically in the modern urbanization era. People wish to keep their plants alive, safe, fresh and beautiful even when they are away from their homes. Therefore, a method which can manage the amount of water per day accurately and irrigate the plants safely without any energy costs would be advantageous.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide for a system and a method that enables a user to control and estimate the amount of water being provided to a plant. It is further an object of the present invention to provide such a system and method that does not require constant monitoring, or any power supplies. It is further an object of the present invention to provide such a system and method that is easy to use.

Thus, in a first aspect, the objects above are attained by providing for the use of an irrigation system for the irrigation of a plant in a domestic environment or in-door environment, such as an office, wherein said irrigation system comprises at least one liquid container, preferably containing water, and a tubing system, preferably a plastic tubing system, said tubing system comprising a connector for connecting the tubing system to the liquid container, an air vent, a dripping chamber, a first tube being connected to the dripping chamber in the upper end of said first tube, and a flow regulator arranged on the outside of the first tube at a distance from a lower end of the first tube, the tubing system being arranged such that the lower end of the first tube is just above the soil or root system of the plant to be irrigated, wherein said flow regulator controls the flow of liquid droplets per time and space exiting the device from the first tube and into the soil or onto the root system of the plant, such that a controlled watering of the plant is performed.

According to a second aspect, an irrigation system is provided for the use according to the above. According to a third aspect, a method of irrigation of plants in a domestic environment or in door environment, such as an office, using the irrigation system above is provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1: The tubing system according to one embodiment Fig.2: The irrigation system according to the one embodiment comprising one liquid container (2A) and one embodiment comprising two liquid containers (2B)

Fig. 3: Schematic drawing of the irrigation system arranged with a flower pot

Fig. 4: Experiment with Solenostemon scutellorioides plants

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides for a system and a method that enables a user to control and estimate the amount of water being provided to a plant and that is easy to use, without requiring constant monitoring or any power supplies. The system and the method are intended to be applied in a domestic environment or in an in-door environment such as an office, where large irrigation systems are not possible or are too complicated to install. The system according to the present invention is intended to be discrete. The system and method may also be used in combination with ordinary pots and does not require any special equipment or pots for planting the plants.

With a domestic environment is meant private lodging such as private houses, apartments, cottages etc. All kinds of arrangements qualifying as private housing in any way may take advantage of the system according to the present invention. Within a domestic environment plants are kept for decorative purposes or to provide small amounts of greens for private purposes within that domestic environment.

With in-door environments are meant environments that are not private housings but meant for business purposes. It may thus relate to an office, a warehouse, or any other business buildings wherein plants are kept for primarily decorative purposes. Thus, according to a first aspect of the present invention, a plant irrigation system 101, 201, 301 is provided comprising at least one liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302, preferably a plastic liquid container, and a tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303, preferably a plastic tubing system, said tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 comprising a connector 4a, 104a, 204 for connecting the tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 to the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302, an air vent 5, 105, 205, a dripping chamber 6, 106, 206, a first tube 7, 107, 207 being connected to the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 in the upper end of said first tube 7, 107, 207, and a flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 positioned on the outside of the first tube 7, 107, 207 at a distance from a lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube 7, 107, 207, the tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 being arranged such that the lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube 7, 107, 207 is just above the soil or root system of the plant 310 to be irrigated, wherein said flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 controls the flow of liquid droplets per time exiting the device from the lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube 7, 107, 207 and into the soil or onto the root system of the plant 310. With the use of such a system for irrigation of domestic plants, a controlled watering of the plants is performed.

The at least one liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 is preferably made of plastic. The plastic may be a supple plastic, or a plastic that is hard. Preferably the plastic used for the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 is a supple plastic that may adapt to the contents of the container.

Said liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 may comprise from about 100 ml, or from about 200 ml, or from about 500 ml, up to about 1000 ml of liquid. Containers that may comprise larger volumes than 1000 ml may be used but are less practical in a domestic or in-door environment where the system is intended to be discrete. The volume of the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 will depend on the duration needed for the automatic irrigation, without any actions being necessary from the user. Thus, the longer the irrigation needs to be performed, the larger volume for the container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 is needed.

The at least one liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 may have any shape or form.

The at least one liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 may be connected to more than one tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303. The liquid container may be provided with an extra connection port 113 for connection to an extra tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303. The system of the present invention comprises at least one liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302, but may comprise two or more liquid containers coupled to the same tubing system. A first liquid container 202a may comprise water, and any additional liquid containers 202b may comprise other aqueous solutions. Thus, in using more than one liquid container, the plants may in addition to water be provided with nutrients, pesticides, fungicides or the like. By providing two or more liquid containers, wherein each comprises different solutions or liquids, and connecting these to the tubing system, specific mixtures may be provided to different plants.

The at least one liquid containerl02, 202a, 202b, 302 must be placed above, that is in a higher position than, the lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube 7, 107, 207 and the pot of the plant 310 to be watered. This is as gravity is used as the only force of driving the liquid from the liquid container to the pot, and thus the liquid container must be placed higher than the outlet of the system in order to ensure a working gravity force for the system.

The tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 is of the same type as a tubing system for intravenous infusion within the field of medicine. The tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 thus comprises a connector 4a, 104a, 204, an air vent with a cap 5, 105, 205, a dripping chamber 6, 106, 206, a first tube 7, 107, 207 connected to the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 in the upper end of said first tube 7, 107, 207, and a flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 arranged on the first tube 7, 107, 207 at a suitable distance from a lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube 7, 107, 207. The tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 is preferably made of plastic.

The connector 4a, 104a, 204 is used to fix the tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 to the at least one liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 such that the liquid within said container may flow through the connector 4a, 104a, 204 and into the tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303. The connector 4a, 104a, 204 may be a spike connector which can be easily and quickly inserted into the liquid container such that the liquid will immediately flow from the liquid container towards the pot. However, also other types of connectors may be used.

A spike protector 4b, 104b is applied to the spike connector when the tubing system is not connected to a liquid containerl02, 202a, 202b, 302. The spike protector 4b will ensure user protection and safety when setting up the system. The air vent 5, 105, 205 is provided on or immediately downstream of the connector 4a, 104a, 204. The air vent 5, 105, 205 is provided to facilitate the flow of liquid from the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 into the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206.

The dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 is located immediately downstream of the connector 4a, 104a, 204 and/or the air vent 5, 105, 205. The dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 provides for a flow support and a flow control, as it is the part of the system allowing a visual control of the flow speed. The dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 is transparent, allowing an ocular control of the number of droplets per minute, and hence a control of the flow rate. Each drop corresponds to about 0.02 ml. The dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 also allows for a flow control, in that if the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 should be completely filled with liquid, as a consequence of a blockage of the tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 downstream thereof, said blockage will be visible and can be taken care of. Furthermore, the flow of liquid from the liquid containers will be automatically stopped if the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 is filled up with liquid.

The dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 may be provided with a fluid filter 10. Such a filter 10 may be used if the water used to water the plant is not pure enough, in that it contains too high titers of any element or substance that may be harmful to the particular plant to be watered. Such a filter 10 may also be used in regions which in general have a water condition that necessitates purification of the water.

The first tube 7, 107, 207 connected to the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 is of plastic and provides for an easy installation. The diameter of the plastic tube is preferably 1-4 cm. Such plastic tubes are cheap to produce and easy and quick to change, should a change be necessary. Changing the tube may for instance be necessary if particles present in the water are deposited on the inner surface of the tube.

A flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 is arranged on the first tube 7, 107, 207, positioned on the outside of the tube. It is not essential where on the first tube 7, 107, 207 the flow regulator is arranged, as long as it is position at a distance of at least 2-5 cm from the lower end of the first tube. Placing the flow regulator at a suitable distance from the lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube 7, 107, 207, enables the user to adjust the flow without risking knocking the plant 310 over or getting the hands dirty by the soil in the pot. The flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 allows for an accurate and easy way to set the exact amount of water droplets per minute, and hence the water flow. The flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 may be any type of flow regulator that does not require any power supply or any energy resource to function. This makes the system according to the invention safe for use in a domestic or in-door

environment, as for instance children or pets will not be harmed if they come in contact with the system, such as the risk may be with a watering system driven by electricity. Also, the system will thus be reliable, as any power shortage or other disturbances in power supply will not affect the function of the system. The flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 may be of a flow regulator type such as the one disclosed in EP1312388A1, or a roller clamp flow regulator type. By arranging the flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 on the outside of the first tube 7, 107, 207, a change of said first tube 7, 107, 207 is facilitated, should a change be necessary, for instance due to deposits on the inner surface of the tube.

Preferably the flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 is a roller clamp flow regulator. A simple movement of a ball comprised in the roller clamp regulator, wherein rolling said ball along the clamp will tighten or untighten the first tube, will thus control the flow of liquid within the first tube. The roller clamp flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 does not necessitate any power supply or any energy source in order to control and/or change the water flow.

When connecting two or more liquid containers to a tubing system, each liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 will have a second tube 211 connected thereto, and the second tube 211 will then be connected in its lower end to the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 of the tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303, said dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 being connected in its lower end to the first tube 7, 107, 207. Thus the second tube 211 will be provided with a connector 4a, 104a, 204 in its upper end to enable the connection with the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302, and is directly connected the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 in its lower end. Each second tube 211 will furthermore be provided with a flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 on the outside of the second tube 211, arranged between the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 and the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206. Thus, it is possible to regulate the mixture of the composition of liquids or solutions that enters the dripping chamber 6, 106, 206 and thus is provided to the plant pot or pots via the first tube 7, 107, 207. By arranging the flow regulator 8, 108, 208, 308 on the outside of the second tube 211, a change of said second tube 211 is facilitated, should a change be necessary, for instance due to deposits on the inner surface of the tube.

The lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube 7, 107, 207 should be placed at a suitable distance above the soil, such as 2-5 cm above the soil, and must not be in direct contact with the soil. The free space between the lower end of the first tube and the soil ensures that the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 will be completely emptied by way of gravity force. Should the lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube 7, 107, 207 be inserted into the soil, there would be a pressure provided over said lower end 9, 109, 209, 309 of the first tube, which would negatively influence the ability of the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 to be emptied by way of gravity force.

The system 101, 201, 301 according to the present invention is easily installed on a support 212, 312 that is easily secured in the plant pot 310, in the soil of the plant pot 310, or in the vicinity of the plant pot 310. The support 212, 312 may preferably be a decorative support.

The system 101, 201, 301 may further be enclosed in a decorative shell (not shown) attached to the support 212, 312. The design of the support 212, 312 and/or the shell may differ depending on the environment within which the system is to be used for watering plants. For instance an in-door environment such as an office may require a more discrete or subtle design, whereas a domestic environment may be appropriate for more spectacular or decorative designs. The support may be made of any suitable material, such as plastics, metal, glass etc.

The design of the support 212, 312 may be largely varied. The support 212, 312 may be designed such that the liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 is installed in the upper end of the support 212, 312 or in the lower end of the support 212, 312. The support 212, 312 may be secured in the plant pot 310 itself, by sticking the support 212, 312 into the soil of the plant pot 310. The support 212, 312 may be placed next to the plant pot 310. The support 212, 312 may be hanged at a position above the plant pot 310, or may be attached to a wall behind the plant pot 310. The liquid container 102, 202a, 202b, 302 may be enclosed by the support 212, 312. The tubing system 3, 103, 203, 303 may be enclosed within the support 212, 312.

The dimensions of the tubes and other incorporated parts of the system according to the invention may vary, dependent on the design. As long as the dimensions and distances specified herein are respected, the first tube 7, 107, 207 as well as the second tube 211 may be of any length that is suitable to the type of plant and the design of the support All other parts are positioned as specified above in relation to each other.

Figures 1-3 disclose specific embodiments and a schematic set up of the system of the present disclosure, and do not limit the scope of the present invention, which is defined by the description above.

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the tubing system 3 that may be used within the present disclosure. The tubing system 3 comprises a connector 4a, in this particular embodiment a spike connector, which is provided with a spike protector 4b when not connected to a liquid container (not shown). The tubing system 3 further comprises an air vent with a cap 5, and a dripping chamber 6. The dripping chamber 6 is provided with a filter 10. Furthermore, the tubing system 3 comprises a first tube 7, with a lower end 9 which is the outlet of the tubing system for any liquid passing through the tubing system 3, and on the first tube 7 is also provided a flow regulator 8, in this particular embodiment a roller clamp flow regulator.

Fig. 2a shows a plant irrigation system 101 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The plant irrigation system 101 comprises at elast one liquid container 102 and a tubing system 103. The liquid container 102 is provided with an extra connector port 113 in order to be able to connect a second tubing system 103 to the same liquid container 102. The tubing system 103 comprises a spike connector 104a, which will be connected to the liquid container as represented by an arrow. Hence the spike protector 104b is in this case removed from the spike connector. The tubing system comprises an air vent with a cap 105, a dripping chamber 106, a first tube 107 with a lower end 109, and a roller clamp flow regulator 108 arranged on the first tube.

Fig. 2b shows an embodiment of a plant irrigation system 201 comprising two liquid containers 202a and 202b, and a tubing system 203. Both liquid containers 202a and 202b are installed on a support 212. Each liquid container 202a and 202b are connected to a second tube 211 each via a connector 204. Each second tube 211 is provided with a flow regulator 208 and connected to a dripping chamber 206 provided with an air vent with a cap (not shown). The dripping chamber is connected to the first tube 207 having a lower end 209, and a flow regulator 208 arranged on said first tube.

Fig 3 shows schematically a plant irrigation system 301 according to the present disclosure arranged to water a plant 310. The plant irrigation system 301 comprises a liquid container 302 and a tubing system 303. The tubing system comprises all the components as disclosed above, although not all parts thereof are specifically shown. The flow regulator 308 is arranged on the tubing system at a suitable distance from the lower end 309 of the first tube. The lower end 309 is positioned just above the soil of the plant 310 to be watered, without being in contact with the soil. The liquid container 302 is arranged at a higher position than the lower end 309 of the first tube. The liquid container is installed on a support 312.

Experiments

Studies were performed to determine the usability of the system according to the invention for watering plants in a domestic environment. Experiment 1

An experiment was done with 20 pots of Solenostemon scutellarioides plants which are domestic plants. They need water and damp soil for survival every 2nd day. During 10 days, 10 pots obtained water using the system of the present invention and 10 pots did not obtain any water. The result showed a significant survival (90%) and freshness enhancement (p<0.001) in plants which were provided with water via the system according to the invention compared to the other group without watering system (Fig. 4). Error bars represent Standard Error of mean (SEM), p<0.001=***.

Experiment 2

The inventor has studied the size of liquid container necessary based on the water flow needed for different kind of plants and different durations of time.

For plants that only need small amounts of water, such as Ponthos (Epipremnum Aureum), the water flow should be about 1 droplet/minute. Such a flow equals to 29-30 ml/24h. For such a plant, a liquid container comprising 500 ml will last for 17 days. That means that the plant can be left unattended for 17 days without any monitoring necessary. A liquid container comprising 1L will last for 34 days. That means that the plant can be left unattended for over one month without any monitoring.

For plants that need a medium amount of water, such as Solenotemon scutellarioides, the water flow should be about 2 droplets/minute. Such a flow equals to 55-56 ml/24h. For such a plant a liquid container comprising 500 ml will last for 9 days and a liquid container comprising 1L will last for 18 days.

For plants that required a larger amount of water, such as Cherry tomato plant (solarium lycopersicum), the water flow should be about 4 droplets/minute. Such a flow equals to about 125 ml/24h. For such a plant a liquid container comprising 500 ml will last for 4 days, and a liquid container comprising 1L will last for 8 days.

These data are presented in the Table 1 below.

Table 1. The number of water droplet per minutes with respect to the duration needed for irrigation and plant species (water necessities per day).

* Number of water droplet per minutes. One droplet = about 0.02 ml For plants that need extremely small amounts of water, such as cactuses, the water flow can be 1 droplet/12 hours, meaning that the plant can be left unattended for months.