Patent Description:
Methods for preventing foreign substances from sticking to an object and methods of removing foreign substances from an object are known. For example, there is known a dust adhesion prevention apparatus for preventing dust from sticking to a protective lens that is provided to cover a surface of a sensor that functions to send and receive a detection signal and that is used under the environment where the dust is present. The dust adhesion prevention apparatus includes a cover member which covers the protective lens and in which a gas flow path is formed, and a gas supply unit that supplies gas into the cover member. The cover member includes a gas introduction part which is located away from the protective lens and through which the gas is introduced from the gas supply unit, a gas diffusion part that diffuses the introduced gas in a direction toward the protective lens, and a gas discharge part which is located at a position corresponding to the protective lens and which discharges the gas coming from the gas diffusion part in a direction away from the protective lens. The gas diffusion unit has a rectangular shape. See, for example, <CIT>. In addition, there is known a method of moving horizontally, lifting, and lowering, along a glass surface of a building, a lifting body equipped with a glass surface detection sensor, a glass surface cleaning device, and a photocatalytic film forming device in order to detect the position and size of the glass surface of the building with the glass surface detection sensor, and then cleaning the glass surface with the glass surface cleaning device and forming a photocatalytic film on the glass surface with the photocatalytic film forming device. See, for example, <CIT>.

Hydroponics have become increasingly popular. pH sensors for measuring the pH of an aqueous solution used in the hydroponics are known. For example, if a pH sensor whose surface is covered with a glass film is kept immersed in an aqueous solution, dust sticks to the glass film. To prevent this, it is preferable to immerse the pH sensor in the aqueous solution during measurement periods and not to immerse the pH sensor in the aqueous solution during nonmeasurement periods. Such measurement is usually carried out manually. An immersible sensor probe arranged to float in the water to be monitored, comprising a sensor on one end of a rod, the rod movably supported by a base such that the sensor can be tilted into the water is known from <CIT>.

However, there arises a problem that the manual measurement is burdensome.

According to one aspect, the objective of the present disclosure is to automate the pH measurement in an aqueous solution.

To achieve the above objective, there is provided a measurement apparatus including: a base having a supporting portion forming a fulcrum; and a rod-shaped body having a supported portion supported by the supporting portion, the rod-shaped body having one side and another side opposite to the one side with the supported portion therebetween, the rod-shaped body including a measurement unit provided on the one side and a reservoir provided on the other side, the reservoir being configured to store a fluid, wherein the rod-shaped body is balanced horizontally while the reservoir is filled with the fluid, and wherein, while the reservoir is not filled with the fluid, the rod-shaped body is tilted to the one side where the measurement unit is provided, so that the measurement unit is immersed in a solution.

Hereinafter, a measurement apparatus according to one embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For easy understanding of the embodiment, the positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, and others of the individual components illustrated in the drawings and the like do not represent the actual positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, and others. Therefore, the embodiment is not limited to the illustrated positions, sizes, shapes, ranges, and others.

Elements that are each expressed in a singular form in the embodiment may be plural in use, expect otherwise particularly specified in writing.

<FIG> illustrates a measurement apparatus according to one embodiment.

The measurement apparatus <NUM> of the present embodiment includes a first mechanical part <NUM> and a second mechanical part <NUM>.

The first mechanical part <NUM> includes a base <NUM> and a rod-shaped body <NUM>.

The base <NUM> has a top portion 11a that forms a supporting portion (fulcrum), and a supported portion 12a of the rod-shaped body <NUM> is placed on the supporting portion. In the present embodiment, the base <NUM> and rod-shaped body <NUM> are illustrated schematically. How to engage the base <NUM> and the rod-shaped body <NUM> with each other is not limited to a particular engagement method, but for example, an engagement method based on a bamboo rocking water fountain mechanism called Shishi-odoshi or a seesaw mechanism may be employed.

A reservoir <NUM> is provided on one side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>, and an engaged portion 12b is provided at the end on the one side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>. In addition, a sensor mounting portion <NUM> is provided at the end on the other side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> opposite to the one side with the supported portion 12a therebetween.

The reservoir <NUM> has an opening 13a. A liquid (for example, water) discharged from a liquid discharge part <NUM> flows into the reservoir <NUM> through the opening 13a. The reservoir <NUM> stores the liquid flowing therein.

A pH sensor (measurement unit) <NUM> is mounted in the sensor mounting portion <NUM>. The pH sensor <NUM> detects the pH of a liquid stored in a water tank <NUM>, for example. The surface of the pH sensor <NUM> of the embodiment is covered with a glass film. The pH sensor <NUM> has a short range communication means so as to send information on the detected pH to a computer, not illustrated. Examples of short range communication include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth (registered trademark).

In addition, an opening (cutout) 14a is formed in the sensor mounting portion <NUM>.

A supply pipe <NUM> is arranged inside the rod-shaped body <NUM>. A cleaning liquid (for example, distillated water) is supplied from a supply means, not illustrated, to the supply pipe <NUM>. The cleaning liquid supplied to the supply pipe <NUM> is then supplied to the sensor mounting portion <NUM>. The dotted line illustrated in the sensor mounting portion <NUM> indicates the water level of the cleaning liquid supplied to the sensor mounting portion <NUM>. The cleaning liquid is supplied to the detection part of the pH sensor <NUM> to thereby clean the detection part of the pH sensor <NUM>.

The water tank <NUM> is filled with a solution (nutrient solution). For example, crops to be grown in hydroponics are placed in this water tank <NUM>.

The operation of this first mechanical part <NUM> will be described simply.

<FIG> is a view for describing the operation of the first mechanical part according to the embodiment.

In the following description, the left part of the rod-shaped body <NUM> from the top portion 11a is referred to as the "left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>," and the right part of the rod-shaped body <NUM> is referred to as the "right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>.

When the reservoir <NUM> is not filled with a liquid, the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down, so that part or all of the sensor mounting portion <NUM> is positioned in the water tank <NUM>, as illustrated in <FIG>. In this state, the solution stored in the water tank <NUM> flows from the opening 14a into the sensor mounting portion <NUM>, so that the pH sensor <NUM> is immersed in the solution and is thus able to detect the pH of the solution in the water tank <NUM>. It may be so designed as not to cause the sensor mounting portion <NUM> to come into contact with the bottom surface of the water tank <NUM> using the buoyancy of the rod-shaped body <NUM> and the sensor mounting portion <NUM>. Alternatively, it may be so designed as to cause the sensor mounting portion <NUM> to come into contact with the bottom surface of the water tank <NUM> gently using the resistance of the solution in the water tank <NUM>.

As the reservoir <NUM> becomes filled with the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge part <NUM>, the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> gradually goes down, and accordingly the right side thereof rises. In this connection, as the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down, the position of the opening 13a gradually moves to the left in <FIG>. Note that the opening 13a is formed large enough to receive the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge part <NUM>. Then, when the reservoir <NUM> is filled with the liquid, the rod-shaped body <NUM> is balanced horizontally and remains in equilibrium, as illustrated in <FIG>. While the liquid continues to be discharged from the liquid discharge part <NUM>, any excess liquid that the reservoir <NUM> is not able to store spills from the reservoir <NUM>, thereby keeping the rod-shaped body <NUM> in equilibrium.

It is possible to adjust the period of time during which the pH sensor <NUM> is placed in the water tank <NUM>, by controlling the amount of the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge part <NUM> or by changing the capacity of the reservoir <NUM>. In the case where the measurement time of the pH sensor <NUM> is <NUM> minutes, for example, the amount of the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge part <NUM> may be adjusted so as to fill the reservoir <NUM> with the liquid in <NUM> minutes.

The second mechanical part <NUM> is configured using the principal of the "bamboo rocking water fountain called Shishi-odoshi.

The second mechanical part <NUM> includes a base <NUM> and a rod-shaped body <NUM>.

The base <NUM> has a top portion 21a that forms a supporting portion (fulcrum), and a supported portion 22a of the rod-shaped body <NUM> is placed on the supporting portion. In the present embodiment, the base <NUM> and the rod-shaped body <NUM> are illustrated schematically. How to engage the base <NUM> and the rod-shaped body <NUM> with each other is not limited to a particular engagement method, but for example, an engagement method based on a bamboo rocking water fountain mechanism called Shishi-odoshi or a seesaw mechanism may be employed.

A reservoir <NUM> is provided on one side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> away from the top portion 21a, and an engaging portion 22b is provided at the end on the one side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>.

The reservoir <NUM> has an opening 23a. A liquid (for example, water) discharged from a liquid discharge part <NUM> flows into the reservoir <NUM> through the opening 23a. The reservoir <NUM> stores the liquid flowing therein.

In the following description, the left part of the rod-shaped body <NUM> from the top portion 21a is referred to as the "left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>," and the right part of the rod-shaped body <NUM> is referred to as the "right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>.

In the second mechanical part <NUM>, when the amount of the liquid stored in the reservoir <NUM> is less than or equal to a predetermined amount, the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down, and accordingly the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> rises, as illustrated in <FIG>.

As the reservoir <NUM> becomes filled with the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge part <NUM>, the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> gradually goes down, and accordingly the left side thereof rises. In this connection, as the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down, the position of the opening 23a gradually moves to the right in <FIG>. Note that the opening 23a is formed large enough to receive the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge part <NUM>.

The operation of the measurement apparatus <NUM> will now be described.

As described earlier, when the reservoir <NUM> is filled with the liquid, the rod-shaped body <NUM> is balanced horizontally and remains in equilibrium, as illustrated in <FIG>. While the liquid continues to be discharged from the liquid discharge part <NUM>, any excess liquid that the reservoir <NUM> is not able to store spills from the reservoir <NUM>, thereby keeping the rod-shaped body <NUM> in equilibrium. At this time, the cleaning liquid is supplied from a supply means, not illustrated, to the supply pipe <NUM>. The cleaning liquid supplied to the supply pipe <NUM> is then supplied to the sensor mounting portion <NUM>.

As the reservoir <NUM> becomes filled with the liquid discharged from the liquid discharge section <NUM>, the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down with the momentum gradually increasing, and accordingly the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> rises.

<FIG> are views for describing the operation of the measurement apparatus according to the embodiment.

As illustrated in <FIG>, when the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down, the engaging portion 22b bumps into the engaged portion 12b and presses the engaged portion 12b downward in <FIG>. Then, the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down with great momentum, so that the liquid stored in the reservoir <NUM> spills from the opening 13a, as illustrated in <FIG>. As a result, the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> becomes lighter than the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>. In addition, after pressing the engaged portion 12b, the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down as well, so that the liquid stored in the reservoir <NUM> spills from the opening 23a. As a result, the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> becomes lighter than the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM>. In this connection, it is so designed that the liquid stored in the sensor mounting portion <NUM> is discharged to the outside through the supply pipe <NUM> at this time.

After that, the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> rises, and accordingly the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down, as illustrated in <FIG>. Therefore, the pH sensor <NUM> is placed in the water tank <NUM>, so that the pH sensor <NUM> is able to measure the pH of the liquid in the water tank <NUM>. In addition, the right side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> rises, and accordingly the left side of the rod-shaped body <NUM> goes down.

After that, the liquid starts to be stored in both the reservoir <NUM> and the reservoir <NUM>. The flow rates of the liquid discharge parts <NUM> and <NUM>, the positions of the reservoirs <NUM> and <NUM>, and other are adjusted so that the reservoir <NUM> starts to go down before the reservoir <NUM> starts to go down. With such adjustments, the state is returned back to that illustrated <FIG> again.

As described above, the measurement apparatus <NUM> of the embodiment includes the base <NUM> with the top portion 11a forming a fulcrum, and the rod-shaped body <NUM> having the supported portion 12a supported by the top portion 11a and including the pH sensor <NUM> provided on one side thereof and the reservoir <NUM> provided on the other side opposite to the one side with the supported portion 12a therebetween. The reservoir <NUM> is configured to store a liquid. When the reservoir <NUM> is filled with the liquid, the rod-shaped body <NUM> is balanced horizontally. When the reservoir <NUM> is not filled with the liquid, the rod-shaped body <NUM> is tilted to the side where the pH sensor <NUM> is provided, so that the pH sensor <NUM> is immersed in the solution of the water tank <NUM>. With the above configuration, when the measurement by the pH sensor <NUM> is not performed, the reservoir <NUM> is filled with the liquid so as to keep the rod-shaped body <NUM> balanced horizontally. That is, it is possible to prevent dust from sticking to the glass film of the pH sensor <NUM> due to the pH sensor <NUM> being left immersed in the water tank <NUM>.

In addition, when the rod-shaped body <NUM> is tilted to the side where the reservoir <NUM> is provided, the liquid stored in the reservoir <NUM> flows out of the reservoir <NUM>, and thus the rod-shaped body <NUM> is tilted to the side where the pH sensor <NUM> is provided. This configuration makes it easy to manage the position of the pH sensor <NUM>.

In addition, a power unit (second mechanical part <NUM> in the embodiment) is provided that tilts the rod-shaped body <NUM> to the side where the reservoir <NUM> is provided. By operating the second mechanical part <NUM> at desired timing, it becomes possible to manage the timing of measurement using the pH sensor <NUM> easily.

In addition, the supply pipe <NUM> for allowing the cleaning liquid to pass through is provided inside the rod-shaped body <NUM> so that the cleaning liquid is supplied to the pH sensor <NUM> through the supply pipe <NUM> while the rod-shaped body <NUM> is balanced horizontally. By doing so, the pH sensor <NUM> is cleaned.

In addition, the sensor mounting portion <NUM> is provided that has the opening 14a, allows the pH sensor <NUM> to be mounted therein, and stores the cleaning liquid to be supplied to the pH sensor <NUM>. Therefore, the sensor mounting portion <NUM> is able to store the cleaning liquid supplied from the supply pipe <NUM>, which makes it possible to clean the glass film of the pH sensor <NUM> more reliably. In addition, the cleaning liquid is discharged to the water tank <NUM> when the measurement using the pH sensor <NUM> is performed. Therefore, it is easy to replace the cleaning liquid.

In the embodiment, the liquid is stored in the reservoir <NUM>. Alternatively, gas (fluid) that is heavier than air may be stored in the reservoir <NUM>.

Further, in the embodiment, as the power unit that tilts the rod-shaped body <NUM> to the side where the reservoir <NUM> is provided, the second mechanical part <NUM> is used. The power unit is not limited thereto, and for example, a motor is provided in the vicinity of the top portion 11a, and the rod-shaped body <NUM> may be tilted to the side where the reservoir <NUM> is provided by rotating the motor. Alternatively, the rod-shaped body <NUM> may be tilted to the side where the reservoir <NUM> is provided by using wind power.

Still further, in the embodiment, the pH of the solution (nutrient solution) in the water tank <NUM> in which crops for the hydroponics are placed is measured. The measurement target is not limited thereto and for example, water-soluble cutting fluids for cutting (for example, soluble type, emulsion type, chemical solution type, and others) may be used.

Heretofore, the measurement apparatus according to the present disclosure has been described with respect to the embodiment illustrated. The configuration is not limited thereto, and the components of each unit may be replaced with other components having equivalent functions. In addition, other desired configurations and steps may be added to the embodiment.

In addition, desired two or more configurations (features) in the above-described embodiment may be combined.

Claim 1:
A measurement apparatus (<NUM>) comprising:
a base (<NUM>) having a supporting portion (11a) forming a fulcrum; and
a rod-shaped body (<NUM>) having a supported portion (12a) supported by the supporting portion, the rod-shaped body having one side and another side opposite to the one side with the supported portion therebetween, the rod-shaped body including a measurement unit (<NUM>) provided on the one side,
characterised in that a reservoir (<NUM>) is provided on the other side, the reservoir being configured to store a fluid,
wherein the rod-shaped body is balanced horizontally while the reservoir is filled with the fluid, and
wherein, while the reservoir is not filled with the fluid, the rod-shaped body is tilted to the one side where the measurement unit is provided, so that the measurement unit is immersed in a solution.