CN110036899A - Plant cultivation system and plant cultivation method - Google Patents

Abstract

Plant cultivation system and plant cultivation method. It can improve the transportation function of plants in the plant cultivation system. A plant cultivation system (1) for cultivating a plant (2) includes a holding device (3) for holding a plant (2) to be cultivated, and a rail (4) configured to hold a plurality of holding devices (3). ) is supported so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction, and each time the holding device (3) is supplied from one side in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of holding devices (3) are directed to the other side in the longitudinal direction and the supplied holding device ( 3) move correspondingly; Cultivation shelf (5a), which is provided with a plurality of rails (4) side by side; The plurality of holders (3) supplied to one side of the adjacent at least one set of rails among the plurality of rails (4) are moved.

Description

Plant cultivation system and plant cultivation method

technical field

The disclosed embodiments relate to plant cultivation systems and plant cultivation methods.

Background technique

Patent Document 1 describes a hydroponic cultivation apparatus having a structure in which plants are supported so as to be individually movable by a plurality of rails arranged in parallel.

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent No. 5916189

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, when the plants are conveyed and moved, the plants come into contact with each other, and therefore, the commercial value thereof may be reduced.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object thereof is to provide a plant cultivation system and a plant cultivation method which can improve the conveyance function of plants.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, a plant cultivation system for cultivating plants is applied, comprising: a holding tool for holding a plant to be cultivated; Each of the holders is supported so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction, and each time the holders are supplied from one side in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of holders are directed toward the other side in the longitudinal direction to be in contact with the holder. The supplied holding tool moves correspondingly; a cultivation shelf in which a plurality of the rails for transporting plants are arranged side by side; and a simultaneous pressing member which is simultaneously pressed into the cultivation shelf toward the other side A plurality of the holding tools supplied on each of the one side of the adjacent at least one set of the rails for transporting plants among the rails for transporting plants are moved.

In addition, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is applied a plant cultivation method that performs the step of supplying a holding tool for holding a plant to be cultivated to an adjacent one of a plurality of plant conveyance rails arranged side by side. While at least one set of the rails for transporting plants is on one side in the longitudinal direction, the plurality of holding tools supplied are simultaneously pressed into the other side in the longitudinal direction to move them.

Invention effect

According to this invention, the conveyance function of a plant can be improved.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a system block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the entire plant cultivation system according to the embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a stacked cultivation shelf.

It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the arrangement|positioning of the rail on each cultivation shelf of a laminated cultivation shelf.

It is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the arrangement|positioning of the light source on each cultivation shelf of a laminated cultivation shelf.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the robot.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of the structure of the holder.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the structure of the rail in a state where the holder is supported.

8 is a plan view showing an example of the arrangement relationship between the rails and the plants on the cultivation shelf.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing contact interference between plants when the plants are conveyed and moved by separate rails according to the arrangement relationship of FIG. 8 .

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the arrangement relationship of FIG. 8 and the simultaneous pressing member corresponding thereto.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an arrangement relationship at the time of press-fitting conveyance by the simultaneous press-fitting member.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the overall appearance of the simultaneous press-fitting mechanism composed of the simultaneous press-fitting member and the support mechanism.

FIG. 13 is a side view illustrating the supporting position of the push-fit member at the time of the lifting and conveying of the plant.

14 is a plan view showing an arrangement relationship in which a phase difference is provided in the arrangement pitch between the holders between the rails, and a simultaneous press-fit member corresponding thereto.

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing an arrangement relationship at the time of press-fitting conveyance using the simultaneous press-fitting member.

16 is a plan view of the cultivation shelf provided with the rail for spacer circulation.

Label description

1: Plant cultivation system; 2: Plant; 3: Holder; 4: Rail (rail for plant transport); 5: Laminated cultivation shelf; 5a: Cultivation shelf; 6: Transfer robot; 7: Loading conveyor; 8: Unloading conveyor; 9: Simultaneous push-in mechanism; 10: Conveyance control part; 51: Spacer circulation rail; 91: Simultaneous push-in parts; 91a: Comb teeth; 92: Support mechanism.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, in the following, for the convenience of explaining the structure of the plant cultivation system, directions such as up, down, left, right, front, and back may be defined as directions shown in the drawings and used appropriately. However, the positional relationship of each structure of the plant cultivation system is not limited.

<1. Structure of plant cultivation system>

An example of the whole structure of the plant cultivation system 1 of this embodiment is demonstrated, referring FIGS. 1-4. In FIG. 1, in order to avoid complicated illustration, only the structure of the whole system is shown schematically, and the detailed structure of each part is simplified and shown schematically.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the plant cultivation system 1 holds the plant 2 to be cultivated by the holding tool 3 , and moves the holding tool 3 along the rail 4 for a predetermined period to grow the plant. The plant cultivation system 1 includes a stacked cultivation shelf 5 , a transfer robot 6 , a carry-in conveyor 7 , an carry-out conveyor 8 , a simultaneous press-in mechanism 9 , and a conveyance control unit 10 .

(1-1. Laminated cultivation shelf)

On the stacked cultivation shelf 5, a plurality of (eight in this example) cultivation shelves 5a are arranged, and these are stacked in multiple layers in the up-down direction. In addition, the "up-down direction" does not need to be a vertical direction in the strict sense, and may be a substantial vertical direction. Therefore, the "up-down direction" also includes a direction slightly inclined with respect to the vertical direction. In addition, the stacking direction of the cultivation shelf 5a of the laminated cultivation shelf 5 is not limited to an up-down direction, The direction inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to an up-down direction may be sufficient.

A plurality of rails 4 (rails for transporting plants) are horizontally extended in the front-rear direction on each of the cultivation shelves 5a. In addition, the "front-back direction" mentioned in this embodiment is the flow direction of the plant 2 on each cultivation shelf 5a, and is also the longitudinal direction of the rail 4, or the extending direction. In addition, the "horizontal direction" does not need to be a horizontal direction in the strict sense, as long as it is a substantially horizontal direction. Therefore, directions slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal direction are also included. A plurality of rails 4 are arranged side by side along the left-right direction on each cultivation shelf 5a, and each rail 4 is arranged substantially in parallel. In addition, the "left-right direction" as used in this embodiment is a direction orthogonal to the above-mentioned up-down direction and front-back direction.

The detailed structure will be described later, and the rail 4 supports the plurality of holders 3 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction. In addition, on the rail 4 , when the holder 3 is supplied from one side in the front-rear direction, the other supported plurality of holders 3 are pressed toward the other side in the front-rear direction to slide.

Although the number of layers of the cultivation shelf 5a of the laminated cultivation shelf 5 is not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the case where the number of layers is eight will be described as an example. Hereinafter, for the convenience of explanation, the layers of the cultivation shelf 5a of the stacked cultivation shelf 5 are appropriately referred to as layer A at the bottom, and layer B as the uppermost layer. The second to fifth floors are collectively referred to as C floors, and the sixth and seventh floors from the top are collectively referred to as D floors. That is, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the A floor has one cultivation shelf 5a, the B floor has one cultivation shelf 5a, the C floor has four cultivation shelves 5a, and the D floor has two cultivation shelves 5a . In the example shown in FIG. 3, many (27 in the example shown) rails 4 are provided in the cultivation shelf 5a of A floor. The number of rails 4 (in the example shown in the figure, 14) is smaller than that of the A floor on the cultivation shelf 5a on the B floor. A smaller number (nine in this example) of the rails 4 than those of the B layer are provided on each of the cultivation shelves 5a on the C floor. The same number of rails 4 (nine in this example) as those of the C floor are provided on each of the cultivation shelves 5a on the D floor.

(1-2. Transportation sequence)

Next, an example of the conveyance procedure of the holder 3 of the plant cultivation system 1 and the plant 2 is demonstrated. The carrying-in conveyor 7 carries in from the rear side of the A floor by a palletizer (not shown), and supplies the holder 3 (details will be described later) for holding the plant 2 in a germinated state after sowing. Moreover, the carrying out conveyor 8 carries out the holding tool 3 which hold|maintains the plant 2 in the fully grown state from the rear side of each floor cultivation shelf 5a of the D floor.

FIGS. 1 and 3 show the conveyance directions of the holders 3 and the plants 2 on each of the cultivation shelves 5a. In addition, the broken line arrow in FIG. 1 shows the conveyance direction of the holder 3 and the plant 2 on each cultivation shelf 5a. In addition, reference numeral 101 in FIG. 3 denotes the conveyance direction of the holder 3 and the plant 2 from the front side to the rear side in the front-back direction, and numeral 102 denotes the opposite direction of conveyance of the holder 3 and the plant 2 from the back side to the front side. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 , on the A floor, on each rail 4, the holding device 3 and the plant 2 are conveyed from the rear side to the front side. On the B floor, on each rail 4, the holder 3 and the plant 2 are conveyed from the front side to the back side. On the C floor, on each rail 4 on each floor, the holder 3 and the plant 2 are conveyed from the rear side to the front side. On the D floor, on each rail 4 on each floor, the holder 3 and the plant 2 are conveyed from the front side to the back side.

The transfer robot 6 located on the front side of the stacked cultivation shelf 5 performs ascending and transporting the holding device 3 and the plant 2 from the A floor to the B floor, and descending the holding device 3 and the plant 2 from the C floor to the D floor. transport. At this time, the transfer robot 6 on the front side performs allocation in the left-right direction, and also performs allocation in the vertical direction between the C floor and the D floor with different numbers of floors. In addition, the transfer robot 6 located on the rear side of the stacked cultivation shelf 5 carries out horizontal transfer of the holding tool 3 and the plant 2 from the loading conveyor 7 to the A floor, and the holding tool 3 and the plant 2 from the B floor to the C floor. The descending conveyance of the floor, and the collective conveyance of conveying the holding tool 3 and the plant 2 from the D floor to the unloading conveyor 8 . At this time, the transfer robot 6 on the front side performs allocation in the left-right direction, and also performs allocation in the vertical direction between the B floor and the C floor, which are different in number of floors.

Moreover, as shown in FIG. 4, the some light source 15 for irradiating light to the leaf|leaf 2b (refer later-mentioned FIG. 7) of the plant 2 is provided above the cultivation shelf 5a of the laminated cultivation shelf 5. Each light source 15 is provided in the lower surface of the support plate 11 provided above each cultivation shelf 5a, respectively, in the attitude|position extended in the left-right direction. The light sources 15 are arranged in the front-rear direction at predetermined intervals. In addition, the light source 15 is not particularly limited, and for example, an LED, a fluorescent lamp, or the like can be used.

In the above-mentioned conveyance route, as conveyance is carried out in the order of A layer→B layer→C layer→D layer, the track interval in the left-right direction gradually becomes wider. As a result, in the seedling growth stage of the entire plant 2 smaller than the holding tool 3, intensive cultivation is carried out on the A layer with the narrowest track interval, and thereafter, it can be carried out in the order of the track interval becoming wider, that is, the B layer → the C layer → the D layer. transport. That is, the arrangement interval can be widened according to the stage in which the whole of each plant 2 gradually increases and grows, and the cultivation area of the plant 2 can be effectively utilized with respect to the installation area of the entire stacked cultivation shelf 5 . In this embodiment, the conveyance operation of transferring the plants 2 between the cultivation shelves 5a in this way is called colonization.

<2. Transfer robot>

Next, an example of the configuration of the transfer robot 6 will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . In addition, in FIG. 5, the transfer robot 6 arranged on the front side of the stacked cultivation shelf 5 is shown in three-dimensional view, the positive direction of the X axis corresponds to the right, the negative direction of the X axis corresponds to the left, and the positive direction of the Y axis corresponds to the Y axis. The negative direction of the axis corresponds to the front, the positive direction of the Z axis corresponds to the up, and the negative direction of the Z axis corresponds to the down. In addition, about the conveyance robot 6 arrange|positioned at the back side of the stacked cultivation shelf 5, since the same structure is only reversed in the positive and negative directions of the X-axis and the Y-axis, the illustration is omitted.

The conveyance robot 6 takes out the holder 3 and the plant 2 from the end of one rail 4 and conveys it, and pushes it into the end of the other rail 4 to supply it. In addition, in the example of this embodiment, the transfer robot 6 also performs push-in conveyance of the holding portion 3 using the simultaneous push-in member 91 described later (this push-in conveyance will be described in detail later). As shown in FIG. 9 , the transfer robot 6 includes a base 16 , a door-shaped support frame 17 provided on the base 16 , an actuator 30 provided on the support frame 17 , and a hand 21 .

The support frame 17 includes a pair of pillars 17a provided on the base 16 in the Z-axis direction so as to face each other in the X-axis direction, and a substantially horizontal beam extending along the X-axis direction from the upper ends of the pair of pillars 17a 17b.

The actuator 30 has an X-axis unit 18 , a Z-axis unit 19 and a Y-axis unit 20 . The X-axis unit 18 has a beam 18a, a slider 18b, and an X-axis motor 18c. The beam 18a is spanned between the pair of pillars 17a substantially horizontally in the X-axis direction. The slider 18b is movably supported by the beam 18a in the X-axis direction. The X-axis motor 18c is attached to the left end of the beam 18a, and drives the slider 18b in the X-axis direction via a chain or the like not shown attached to the slider 18b.

The Z-axis unit 19 has a beam 19a, a slider 19b, and a Z-axis motor 19c. The upper end of the beam 19a is supported by the beam 17b movably in the X-axis direction, and is fixed to the slider 18b. The slider 19b is movably supported by the beam 19a in the Z-axis direction. The Z-axis motor 19c is attached to the lower end of the beam 19a, and drives the slider 19b in the Z-axis direction via a chain or the like not shown attached to the slider 19b.

The Y-axis unit 20 has a beam 20a, a slider 20b, and a Y-axis motor 20c. The slider 20b is fixed to the slider 19b. The beam 20a is movably supported by the slider 20b in the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis motor 20c is attached to the front end of the beam 20a, and drives the slider 20b in the Y-axis direction via a chain or the like, which is not shown, attached to the slider 20b.

In the actuator 30, when the slider 18b is driven in the X-axis direction by the X-axis motor 18c, the beam 19a moves in the X-axis direction, and the beam 20a moves in the X-axis direction via the slider 19b and the slider 20b. Further, when the slider 19b is driven in the Z-axis direction by the Z-axis motor 19c, the beam 20a moves in the Z-axis direction via the slider 19b and the slider 20b. Further, when the slider 20b is driven in the Y-axis direction by the Y-axis motor 20c, the beam 20a moves in the Y-axis direction via the slider 20b. In this way, the actuator 30 can move the beam 20a in the three axial directions of the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis.

The hand 21 is attached to the rear end of the beam 20a of the actuator 30 and grips the holder 3 . The actuator 30 can move the hand 21 in the three axial directions by moving the beam 20a in the three axial directions. That is, the actuator 30 moves the hand 21 in the front-rear direction (the longitudinal direction of the rail 4). Further, the actuator 30 enables the hand 21 to follow two directions perpendicular to the front-rear direction and orthogonal to each other, namely the left-right direction (the side-by-side arrangement direction of the rails 4 . It is also a substantially horizontal direction) and the vertical direction (the stacking of the shelf parts 9 ). direction. Also height direction) These two directions move.

<3. Holding device>

Next, an example of the structure of the holder 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 . In addition, the direction shown in FIG. 6 shows the direction in the state in which the holder 3 is supported by the rail 4. As shown in FIG.

The holding tool 3 is a member for holding the plants 2 to be cultivated in the plant cultivation system 1 for each plant. In addition, "one strain" as used herein means one individual grown from a single seed. For example, as in the plant 2 shown in FIG. 7 , a single plant is a single plant by supporting a plurality of (or single) leaves 2b by one stem 2a. In addition, even when there are a plurality of stems due to branching or the like, for example, a plant that is an individual through the connection of its roots is one plant.

As shown in FIG. 6, the holder 3 has mutually symmetrical shapes in each of the up-down direction, the left-right direction, and the front-back direction. The holder 3 is integrally molded from a material with high slidability (for example, resin, metal or the like), and is configured to be slidable with respect to the rail 4 that supports the holder 3 . The holder 3 has protrusions 33a and 33b on both sides in the vertical direction, respectively, and opposing parts 32 and 32 on both sides in the left-right direction, respectively. The protrusions 33 a and 33 b are accommodated in the guide grooves 43 a and 43 b of the rail 4 (see FIG. 7 to be described later), so that the holder 3 can move along the rail 4 . The opposing portion 32 has opposing surfaces 32 a and 32 b facing the rail 4 on the upper side and the lower side, and these opposing surfaces 32 a and 32 b slide in contact with the rail 4 .

The opposing portion 32 is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped portion protruding to the left and right sides, and the upper surface and the lower surface thereof are the aforementioned opposing surfaces 32a and 32b which are parallel. The holder 3 has a support portion 35 that is supported when gripped by the hand 21 of the transfer robot 6 at the distal end portions of the left and right opposing portions 32 , respectively. Further, the protrusions 33a and 33b are substantially rectangular parallelepiped portions protruding to both upper and lower sides, and a hole 34 penetrating in the up-down direction is formed in substantially the center portion in the front-rear direction. In this example, the hole portion 34 is, for example, a circular hole, but may be formed in other shapes such as a quadrangle. As shown in FIG. 7 , the hole portion 34 is filled with a medium 36 for holding the plant 2 germinated from the seed sown in the medium 36 . As the medium 36, for example, a gel-like medium such as agar can be used, and a solid medium such as polyurethane and asbestos can also be used.

Holes 37 are formed at two locations in the front-rear direction of the opposing surfaces 32a and 32b. The contact area (contact resistance) between the holder 3 and the rail 4 can be reduced by the hole portion 37 , and the slidability with the rail 4 can be improved. Moreover, the hole parts 39 are formed in the both sides in the front-back direction of the hole part 34 of the protrusion parts 33a and 33b. The weight of the holder 3 can be reduced by the hole portion 39 , and the slidability with the rail 4 can be further improved.

In addition, the structure of the holder 3 demonstrated above is only an example, and the structure other than the above may be sufficient. For example, in the above description, the holder 3 is integrally formed, but the holder 3 may be constituted by a plurality of members. Further, the holder 3 may be configured to include wheels, and the wheels may be used to move relative to the rail 4 .

Moreover, in the plant cultivation system 1, the spacer in the front-back direction of the holding tool 3 is prescribed|regulated by inserting this spacer 3s between the several holding tools 3, using the spacer as follows. The spacer is constituted by the same member as the above-mentioned holding tool 3 . That is, the holder 3 in an empty state in which the medium 36 is not filled in the hole portion 34 is used as the spacer 3s. Therefore, also in the rail 4, the some spacer is supported together with the some holder 3 so that it can move in the front-rear direction. Then, whenever the spacer is supplied from one side in the front-rear direction on the rail 4, the supported holder 3 and the spacer are moved toward the other side corresponding to the supplied spacer.

＜4. Track＞

Next, an example of the structure of the rail 4 will be described with reference to FIG. 7 . In addition, the direction shown in FIG. 7 is the direction which shows the state in the state which the rail 4 was installed in the cultivation shelf 5a.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the rail 4 has a rail portion 40 and a water tank portion 47 . The rail portion 40 is provided with a pair of left and right upper guide plates 41a each having a predetermined width in the left-right direction and extending in the front-rear direction, and a pair of left and right lower guide plates 42a on the upper guide plate The lower position of 41a also has a predetermined width in the left-right direction, and is extended in the front-rear direction. A space 44 for accommodating the holder 3 is formed between the upper guide plate 41a and the lower guide plate 42a. A guide groove 43a for accommodating the protrusion 33a of the holder 3 is formed between the pair of upper guide plates. A guide groove 43b for accommodating the protrusion 33b of the holder 3 is formed between the pair of lower guide plates.

The water tank portion 47 is an elongated water tank with a substantially U-shaped cross section opened on the upper side, and the culture solution 48 is stored therein. The culture solution 48 is caused to flow in the front-rear direction by an appropriate flow means such as a pump.

The holder 3 inserted on the rail 4 is accommodated in the space 44 of the rail portion 40 . Since the upper and lower protrusions 33a and 33b are accommodated in the upper and lower guide grooves 43a and 43b, respectively, the holder 3 is supported so as to be movable along the longitudinal direction of the rail 4 . In addition, the opposing surfaces 32 a and 32 b of the left and right opposing portions 32 of the holder 3 are slidably connected to the lower surfaces of the guide plates 41 a of the left and right upper rail portions 41 and the guide plates 42 a of the left and right lower rail portions 42 , respectively. top surface contact. Thereby, the holder 3 is supported so as to be able to move smoothly along the longitudinal direction of the rail 4 . In this way, the upper rail portion 41 and the lower rail portion 42 of the rail 4 are configured to sandwich the holder 3 from above and below, respectively, so that the holder 3 can be prevented from tilting and falling.

The medium 36 is filled in the hole portion 34 of the holding tool 3 , and the holding tool 3 holds the stem 2 a of the plant 2 grown in the medium 36 from the sown seed. The roots 2c of the plants 2 sag downward to be immersed in the culture solution 48, and the leaves 2b can be grown above the rails 4. As shown in FIG.

<5: Features of the present embodiment>

The plant cultivation system 1 of the above-described configuration can cultivate a large number of plants 2 such as leafy vegetables in a concentrated manner through the steps of sowing, seedling raising, and colonization. In such a plant cultivation system 1, as described above, in order to achieve the efficiency of the number of plants 2 that can be cultivated with respect to the installation area, the cultivation occupied area for each individual accompanying the growth of each plant 2 is increased. The step of colonization corresponding to the change of the cultivation configuration is very important.

As one of the structures that can realize such a colonization, as an example of the present embodiment, there is a structure in which the plants 2 are separated from one side of each cultivation shelf 5a by using a plurality of cultivation shelves 5a having different arrangement intervals of the plants 2 The end of the plant 2 is conveyed to the other end to transfer the plants 2 between the ends of the cultivation shelves 5a. However, depending on the arrangement relationship between the rails 4 and the plants 2 on the cultivation shelf 5a, when the plants 2 are conveyed, the plants 2 may come into contact with each other and be damaged, thereby reducing the commercial value (details will be described later).

On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the simultaneous press-fitting mechanism 9 includes a simultaneous press-fitting member 91 that simultaneously presses the other side to the adjacent one of the plurality of rails 4 on the cultivation shelf 5a. The plurality of holders 3 supplied on one side of each of at least one set of rails are moved. By carrying out the push-in conveyance using the simultaneous push-in member 91 , contact between the plants 2 when the plants 2 are conveyed can be avoided regardless of the arrangement relationship between the rails 4 and the plants 2 on the cultivation shelf 5 a. Hereinafter, the structure will be sequentially described.

<6: Method of colonization and transportation and simultaneous pressing mechanism>

8-13, the colonization and conveyance method on each cultivation shelf 5a of this embodiment, and the simultaneous push-in mechanism 9 are demonstrated. FIG. 8 shows an example of the arrangement relationship between the rails 4 and the plants 2 on the cultivation shelf 5a, and in the example shown in the figure, any one of the cultivation shelves 5a on the C layer of the stacked cultivation shelf 5 is viewed from above. 's diagram. In addition, in order to avoid complicated illustration, the transfer robot 6 shown in FIGS. 8-13 is suitably changed from the structure shown in the said FIG. 5, and the detail part is shown simplified.

As described above, on the cultivation shelf 5a, a plurality of rails 4 (nine in the example shown in the figure) arranged in the front-rear direction are arranged in parallel on the cultivation shelf 5a. A holder 3 holding a plant 2 is supplied on the C layer in the example shown in the figure, and the holder 3 is moved and transported to the other side in the longitudinal direction by pressing it (in the figure The C layer of the example shown is the rear side). On such a cultivation shelf 5a, the arrangement interval between the rails 4 and the conveyance interval of the plants 2 in the rails 4 are appropriately set according to the cultivation occupied area of each individual corresponding to the growth stage of the plants 2 . In addition, by transferring the plants 2 taken out from the cultivation shelf 5a to another cultivation shelf 5a set at a more suitable arrangement interval according to the growth stage, it is possible to save the entire process from seedling raising to shipping. Cultivation of wasted white space.

Here, as shown in the enlarged view A in FIG. 8 , the cultivation occupied area of the plant 2 in plan view is regarded as the diameter D centered on the center P of the hole portion 34 of the holder 3 , that is, the stem 2 a of the plant 2 . round shape. In addition, the diameter D of the circular occupied area increases with time up to a certain fixed growth stage of the plant 2, and all the plants 2 arranged on the same cultivation shelf 5a are made to have a circular diameter D. The diameter D of the shape occupied area is uniformly set to be the same as the maximum diameter. At this time, in order to arrange the plants 2 as densely as possible without contacting adjacent plants 2, it is only necessary to arrange the plants 2 side by side at a narrow arrangement interval W that is equal to or smaller than the diameter D of the circular occupied area on the cultivation shelf 5a. In each rail 4, the conveying interval T of the plants 2 on each rail 4 is set so as to be larger than the diameter D of the above-mentioned circular occupied area, so that the plants 2 between the adjacent two rails 4 are set larger. It is sufficient that the phase difference P of the arrangement pitch is larger.

Specifically, in the example of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the holder 3 for holding the plant 2 and the spacer 3 s for not holding the plant 2 (in this example, a member common to the holder 3 ) The lengths in the conveyance direction (length in the longitudinal direction of the rails 4 ) are the same, and on one rail 4 , the holders 3 and the spacers 3s are alternately arranged in the conveyance direction. That is, the transport interval T of the plants 2 (holding tools 3 ) on one rail 4 corresponds to the length of two holding tools 3 (spacers 3 s ). The interval T is configured for alternately configured phases of the cycle. In addition, there is no phase difference in arrangement pitch between the two adjacent rails 4 between the holders 3 and the spacers 3 s arranged in the left-right direction. , the phase difference P of the arrangement pitch is set to the length of one holder 3 . That is, the plants 2 are arranged in a so-called checkerboard pattern. With the above arrangement, even when the rails 4 are arranged side by side at the arrangement interval W narrower than the diameter D, the plants 2 in the circular occupied area with the diameter D slightly larger than the length of one holder 3 It can also be configured densely without touching.

In addition, in FIG. 8, the hatched areas shown at both ends of the cultivation shelf 5a in the conveyance direction are the areas where the conveyance robot 6 pulls and takes out the holder 3 (spacer 3s) or presses and supplies the holder 3 (spacer 3). 3s) area. That is, the conveyance robot 6 provided in the front side of the cultivation shelf 5a can pull out from each rail 4, and can take out the holder 3 (spacer 3s) located in the nearest shaded area. Moreover, the conveyance robot 6 provided in the rear side of the cultivation shelf 5a can press-fit the holder 3 (spacer 3s) to the nearest shaded area to each rail 4, and can supply it.

However, in the above-mentioned cultivation arrangement, when the holding tool 3 is supplied on a separate rail 4 and is pressed and conveyed as shown in FIG. The track 4 arranges the plants 2 in contact. When such contact between the plants 2 occurs repeatedly every time the plants 2 are supplied to the cultivation shelf 5a, damage is caused and the commercial value is lowered.

In order to avoid such interference contact between the plants 2, in the present embodiment, the pressing-in conveyance of the plants is performed using the simultaneous pressing-in member 91 shown on the right side of FIG. 10 . The simultaneous press-fitting member 91 is a substantially flat plate-shaped member having a sufficient thickness as a whole, and the simultaneous press-fitting member 91 corresponds to a rail provided on the cultivation shelf when viewed from above (viewed from above). The number of comb teeth 91a protruding toward the push-in direction is provided at the position of the track. In the example of the present embodiment, the comb teeth 91 a are uniformly insertable into the rails 4 to have the same length as the length in the conveyance direction of the holder 3 , that is, the same length as the width dimension in the conveyance direction of the nearest shadow supply area. The width in the left-right direction in the space 44 of the rail portion 40 is formed.

Furthermore, in the example of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11 , the conveying robot grips the simultaneous pressing member 91 so that the comb teeth 91 a and the side surfaces of the holder 3 inserted into the spaces 44 of the rails 4 Press-fit in the conveying direction in abutting manner. Thereby, each comb tooth 91a of the simultaneous pressing member 91 can simultaneously press-fit the length of one holder 3 in the conveyance direction in the conveyance direction at the same time as the entire row of the holder 3 and the spacer 3s arranged on each rail 4 in a unified manner. Carry out transportation. Thereby, the entire plant 2 is conveyed while maintaining the phase difference P of the arrangement pitch of the plants 2 by simultaneously pressing the members 91 between the rails 4 of the holder 3 . Therefore, even when these rails 4 are arranged side by side at an arrangement interval W that is narrower than the diameter D of the circular occupied area, contact between the plants 2 can be avoided.

The aforementioned simultaneous pressing member 91 may be provided at the same height as each rail 4 so as to be movable in the front-rear direction. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 12 , both ends in the left-right direction of the simultaneous press-fitting member 91 are supported by a support mechanism 92 constituted by a pair of sliding mechanisms, and the simultaneous press-fitting member 91 and the support mechanism 92 constitute the simultaneous press-fitting mechanism 9 . The simultaneous pressing mechanism 9 may be provided only on the supply side end of the plant 2 and the holder 3 on each cultivation shelf 5a.

In addition, when viewing the vicinity of the simultaneous pressing mechanism 9 from the side, as shown in FIG. 13 , the plant 2 between the cultivation shelves 5a is raised and lowered by the transfer robot 6 in the vicinity of the end of the cultivation shelf 5a. Within the horizontal range B of the conveyance area, the plant 2 that has been taken out from the rail 4 and exposed to the root 2c is moved up and down for each holder 3. Therefore, the root 2c of the plant 2 and the nutrient solution 48 dripped from the root 2c are moved up and down. It is easy to come into contact with the simultaneous press-fit member 91 . Therefore, the said support mechanism 92 is comprised so that the simultaneous press-fitting member 91 may move to the position shifted to the rear side rather than the said horizontal range B. As shown in FIG. Therefore, before the transfer robot 6 lifts and transports the plants 2 between the cultivation shelves 5a, the transfer robot 6 needs to pull in the simultaneous pressing member 91 provided in the vicinity to the position farthest from the cultivation shelves 5a.

The conveyance control unit 10 shown in FIG. 1 described above calculates the target control position in the robot coordinate system respectively set for the conveyance robot 6 on the front side and the rear side of the stacked cultivation shelf 5, and moves to the target control position. Control and drive control of the hand 21, and also control the timing of movement of the simultaneous push-in member 91.

<7. Effects of the embodiment>

As described above, the plant cultivation system 1 of the present embodiment has the simultaneous pressing member 91 that simultaneously presses the plurality of rails 4 on the cultivation shelf 5a to the other side (the front side in the example in FIG. 8 ). The plurality of holders 3 supplied to one side (the rear side in the example of FIG. 8 ) of the adjacent at least one set of rails are moved. Thereby, the conveyance of the whole plant 2 is performed in the state which maintains the phase difference P of the arrangement|positioning pitch of the plant 2 in the state which maintains the phase difference P of the arrangement|positioning pitch of the plant 2 by being simultaneously press-fitted between the rails 4 of the holder 3 by the simultaneous press-fitting member 91. Therefore, even when these rails 4 are arranged side by side at an arrangement interval W that is narrower than the diameter D of the circular occupied area of each plant 2, contact between the plants 2 can be avoided. As a result, the conveyance function of the plant 2 of the plant cultivation system 1 can be improved.

In addition, in this embodiment, in particular, there are further provided: the stacked cultivation shelf 5 in which the plurality of cultivation shelves 5a are arranged in the up-down direction; The holding tool 3 is conveyed between the individual cultivation shelves 5a, and the conveyance robot 6 also performs the pressing operation of the pressing member 91 from one side to the other side at the same time. In this way, by using the stacked cultivation shelf 5 in which the plurality of cultivation shelves 5a corresponding to the growth stages of the plants 2 are arranged in the vertical direction, the installation bottom surface area of the entire plant cultivation system 1 can be reduced. In addition, since the transport robot 6 that lifts and transports the plants 2 between the plurality of cultivation shelves 5a also performs the push-in operation of the simultaneous push-in member 91, there is no need to separately provide a drive actuator dedicated to the simultaneous push-in operation. Thereby, the structure of the whole plant cultivation system 1 can be simplified, and manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In addition, in the present embodiment, in particular, the cultivation shelf 5a has a support mechanism 92 that supports the simultaneous pressing member 91 so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction (conveyance direction), and the support mechanism 92 enables the simultaneous pressing The entry member 91 is moved to a position on one side of the horizontal range B of the region in which the transfer robot 6 transfers the holding tool 3 among the plurality of cultivation shelves 5a. Thereby, the simultaneous pressing member 91 can be supported so that the root 2c of the plant 2 and the nutrient solution dripped from the root 2c can be avoided during the lifting and lowering conveyance of the plant 2 by the transfer robot 6 among the plurality of cultivation shelves 5a. etc. come into contact with the simultaneous press-fit member 91 .

<8. Modifications>

The disclosed embodiment is not limited to the above, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist and technical idea thereof. Hereinafter, such a modification will be described.

(8-1. When a phase difference is set in the arrangement pitch between the holders between the rails)

In the above-described embodiment, there is no phase difference in the arrangement pitch between the two adjacent rails 4 and between the holder 3 and the spacer 3s arranged in the left-right direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , between the two adjacent rails 4 , the arrangement pitch of the holders 3 holding the plants 2 may have a phase difference. In the example shown in the figure, the spacers 3 s are not inserted in each rail 4, but only the holders 3 that hold the plants 2 are arranged in series, and the arrangement pitch of the holders 3 between the adjacent rails 4 is adjusted. The phase difference P is set to be half the length of the holder 3 .

In this case, the protruding length of each comb tooth 91a of the simultaneous pressing member 91 may be set to the protruding length corresponding to the phase difference of the arrangement pitch of the holder 3 on the corresponding rail 4, respectively. In the case of press-fitting conveyance using the simultaneous press-fitting member 91 as described above, as shown in FIG.

As described above, the simultaneous pressing member 91 of the plant cultivation system 1 of the present modification has the plurality of comb teeth 91 a protruding in the pressing direction at the positions corresponding to the plurality of rails 4 . The protruding lengths of at least one adjacent group of comb teeth in 91a are different. Thus, by appropriately setting the difference in protruding length between the comb teeth 91a of the simultaneous pressing member 91 (that is, the difference in pressing distance), for example, the lengthwise direction of the rails 4 in one set of adjacent rails 4 is set as appropriate. Even when the holder 3 is supplied and inserted at the same position on the rails 4 , the entire plant 2 can be conveyed while maintaining the phase difference P of the arrangement pitch of the plants 2 set between the rails 4 .

(8-2. When installing a spacer circulation rail)

In the above-described embodiment, only the rails 4 for conveying the plants 2 are provided on the cultivation shelf 5a, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 16, the rail 51 for exclusive spacer circulation for conveying the spacer 3s in the direction opposite to the plant 2 may be provided in the cultivation shelf 5a. In this case, the transfer robot 6 on the side (rear side in the figure) supplying the plants 2 takes out the spacer 3s from the spacer circulation rail 51, supplies it to the other rail 4 for conveying plants, and takes out one of the plants 2. The transfer robot 6 on the side (the front side in the figure) supplies the spacer 3s taken out from the plant conveyance rail 4 to the spacer circulation rail 51, and performs push-in conveyance.

As described above, the plant cultivation system 1 of the present modification further includes the spacer 3s, and the longitudinal direction of the holder 3 is defined by inserting the spacer 3s between the plurality of holders 3 of the rail for transporting one plant. The cultivation shelf 5a further has a spacer circulation rail 51 configured to support the plurality of spacers 3s so as to be movable in the longitudinal direction, and each time the spacer 3s is supplied from the other side. At the time of the spacer 3s, the plurality of spacers 3s are moved toward one side corresponding to the supplied spacer 3s. Thereby, the plant conveyance interval on one rail 4 for plant conveyance can be easily adjusted according to the number of insertions of the spacer 3s, and the rail 51 for spacer circulation can be easily handled and used on one cultivation shelf 5a of multiple spacers 3s.

In addition, in the above description, when there are descriptions such as "perpendicular", "parallel", "planar", etc., the descriptions are not strictly "perpendicular", "parallel", "planar". That is, the above-mentioned "perpendicular", "parallel" and "planar" mean "substantially perpendicular", "substantially parallel", and "substantially plane" which allow tolerances and errors in design and manufacture.

In addition, in the above description, when there are descriptions such as "same", "equal", "different", etc. in dimensions or sizes in appearance, the descriptions are not strictly "same", "equal", "" different". That is, the above-mentioned "identical", "equal", and "different" mean "substantially the same", "substantially equal", and "substantially different" allowing tolerances and errors in design and manufacture.

In addition to what has been described above, it is also possible to use by appropriately combining the means of the above-described embodiment and each modification.

In addition, although not illustrated one by one, various changes can be added and implemented to the said embodiment and each modification in the range which does not deviate from the summary.

Claims (6)

1. a kind of plant cultivation system, cultivates plant, which is characterized in that the plant cultivation system includes

Holder keeps the plant as cultivation object；

Plant, which carries, uses track, consists of and is supported to multiple holder and can alongst move, whenever When supplying the holder from the side on the length direction, make multiple holder towards on the length direction The other side accordingly moved with the holder supplied；

Shelf is cultivated, being arranged side by side there are multiple plant carrying tracks；And

Pressing parts simultaneously are pressed into simultaneously towards multiple plant carrying rails on the cultivation shelf to the other side Multiple holder of the respective side supply of adjacent at least 1 group of plant carrying track in road and make them It is mobile.

2. plant cultivation system according to claim 1, which is characterized in that

Described while pressing parts are respectively provided at position corresponding with track with multiple plant carryings towards pressing direction Multiple comb teeth of shape outstanding,

The protrusion length of at least 1 group adjacent comb teeth in the multiple comb teeth is different.

3. plant cultivation system according to claim 1 or 2, which is characterized in that

The plant cultivation system also has separator, by the way that the separator is inserted into the more of 1 plant carrying track The interval on the length direction of the holder is provided between a holder,

The cultivation shelf also has separator circulation track, which is configured to track by multiple isolation Part, which is supported to, to be moved along the length direction, whenever supplying the separator from the other side, made multiple described Separator is accordingly moved towards the side with the separator supplied.

4. plant cultivation system according to claim 1 or 2, which is characterized in that

The plant cultivation system also includes

Lamination cultivates shelf, is configured with multiple cultivation shelves in the up-down direction；And

Transfer robot carries the holder between multiple cultivation shelves on lamination cultivation shelf,

The transfer robot also carries out the push operation from a side to the other side of the pressing parts simultaneously.

5. plant cultivation system according to claim 4, which is characterized in that

The cultivation shelf has supporting device, which is supported to described while pressing parts can be along the length It is mobile to spend direction,

Described in the supporting device can make while pressing parts are moved to and put than the transfer robot in multiple cultivations The horizontal extent in the region of the holder is carried between plate at the position of the side.

6. a kind of plant cultivation method, which is characterized in that execute following steps:

Multiple plants arranged side by side, which are supplied to, in the holder kept to the plant as cultivation object carries use Adjacent at least 1 group of plant in track carries in the state of the side on the respective length direction of track, while to described The other side on length direction is pressed into the multiple holder supplied and moves them.