Patent ID: 7921865

Claim:
A stand-alone mechanical controlled watering apparatus comprising: a soil stimulator having an absorbent body and a humidity sensor, said absorbent body corresponding to a behavior of soil with a water content, said humidity sensor having a moving part with a movement proportional to a humidity of said absorbent body; a valve connected between a source of pressurized water and at least one watering device; and a hydraulic relay performing a binary control function of opening said valve and closing said valve, said hydraulic relay being associated with a means for transforming movement of said moving part into said binary control function, said means for transforming being magnetic, said means for transforming comprised of a magnet and a ferromagnetic core urged upon by a retraction spring, said spring and said ferromagnetic core being enclosed within a sleeve, said humidity sensor having a single moving part placed on a stand and attached to said absorbent body, said absorbent body being mobile, said magnet incorporated into said moving part so as to directly activate said ferromagnetic core and to perform a magnetic control function, said soil stimulator having a reference case and an associated container, said reference case containing a sample of soil and at least one plant, said sample of soil being representative of the soil to be watered and a type of soil, said associated container containing water, said reference case having a base, said base having at least one perforated area resting on said base of said associated container, said base being supported by at least one insert, said moving part of said humidity sensor being a float freely movable in a central chamber between a bottom of said associated container and a bottom of said reference case, said float fitted with a ring-shaped magnet, said ring-shaped magnet being engaged around a sleeve housing of a bistable core of the hydraulic relay control valve.