JP2016000002A - Plant factory apparatus and pallet movement control method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To raise quality agricultural products showing no variation in the quality by uniforming the cultivation environment for plants being cultivated within a plant factory apparatus.SOLUTION: A plant factory apparatus 100 comprises: an outer case 110 inside which are housed plural elongated shelves 220 vertically arranged at a specified interval; and pallets 150 in which plants 400 are planted and at least one of which is disposed on at least any of the plural shelves, the plant factory apparatus cultivating the plants planted in the pallets 150 in a controlled cultivation environment inside the outer case 110. The plant factory apparatus further comprises: horizontal movement mechanisms 221 for moving the pallets 150 in a lengthwise direction of the shelves 220; vertical movement mechanisms 230 for moving the pallets 150 from one shelf 220 to another shelf 220 positioned above or below one another; and a movable control unit 300 for repeating the operation of moving the pallets 150 from a stopped state and the operation of stopping the pallet from a moving state by controlling the horizontal movement mechanisms 221 and the vertical movement mechanisms 230.

Description

  The present invention relates to a plant factory apparatus and a pallet movement control method.

  In recent years, a system (plant factory) that can artificially control the environment required for plant growth in facilities by lighting, air conditioning, air volume, nutrient solution supply, etc., and continuously produce safe agricultural products regardless of the season Has been developed. The plant factory is an environment-conserving production system for the purpose of supplying safe food and the annual supply of ingredients.

  Also, in such plant factories, lighting, temperature, humidity, CO2 concentration, air volume, etc. are appropriately controlled to manage the internal cultivation environment, so the agricultural products produced are of high quality, safe and secure. In addition, it can be shipped in a short period of time.

  As a conventional technique, there is a technique for appropriately controlling the amount of nutrient solution supplied to a bed where plants are cultivated (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2005-021065 A

  In a plant factory, in order to grow plants grown inside as uniformly as possible, it is necessary to make the inside cultivation environment uniform. However, there has been a problem that a uniform environment cannot always be created in a plant factory depending on the position of the LED light, the position and wind direction of the air stirrer outlet, the feeding method of the nutrient solution, and the like.

  The present invention has been made, for example, in order to solve the above-described problems, and by providing a uniform environment inside the plant factory, it is possible to eliminate plant cultivation failure, variation in growth, and the like. A plant factory device that can grow high-quality agricultural products without any problems.

The plant factory apparatus according to the present invention,
An outer case that houses therein a plurality of longitudinal shelves arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction and a pallet on which plants are planted and at least one pallet arranged on at least one of the plurality of shelves. In a plant factory apparatus for cultivating a plant planted on the pallet under a controlled cultivation environment inside the outer case,
A pallet moving mechanism that moves the pallet in the longitudinal direction of the shelf on which the pallet is arranged and moves the pallet from one shelf to the other shelf on the top and bottom by receiving control. ,
And a controller that repeatedly moves the pallet from the stopped state and stops the pallet from the moving state by the control of the pallet moving mechanism.

The controller is
By moving the pallet intermittently by the control on the pallet moving mechanism, the movement starts from a predetermined position of any of the plurality of shelves, and all the shelves of the plurality of shelves are moved. The pallet is caused to circulate back to the predetermined position.

The plant factory device is:
A nutrient solution pan provided on at least one of the plurality of shelves, wherein the nutrient solution pan supplies the nutrient solution to the plants planted on the pallet arranged on the shelf.

The plant factory device is:
When the pallet is moved from the nutrient solution shelf to the shelf above the nutrient solution shelf by the pallet moving mechanism, the pallet is tilted. And a pallet tilting mechanism for draining the nutrient solution supplied from the nutrient solution pan.

The plant factory device is:
An air stirrer installed below a lowermost shelf among the plurality of shelves, wherein air is blown upward from a blowout port formed below the lowermost shelf, so that the inside of the outer case Equipped with an air stirrer to stir the air of
The air stirrer
Air is blown out from the outlet in a range of a predetermined angle from a normal direction of a surface formed by the lowermost shelf.

The air stirrer
Air is blown out from the outlet in a range of 45 degrees from the normal direction of the surface formed by the lowermost shelf.

The outer case is
An opening / closing door is provided in the vicinity of an end of one of the plurality of shelves.

The controller is
The movement and stop of the pallet are repeated either regularly or irregularly.

A predetermined number of the pallets are arranged on each of the plurality of shelves,
Each shelf of the plurality of shelves
When the control unit stops the pallet, the pallet is arranged without gaps,
The inside of the outer case is divided into a plurality of space areas by shelves in which the pallets are arranged without gaps.

  Each space area partitioned by each shelf in which the pallets are arranged without gaps is hermetically sealed.

The pallet movement control method according to the present invention includes:
An outer case that houses therein a plurality of longitudinal shelves arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction and a pallet on which plants are planted and at least one pallet arranged on at least one of the plurality of shelves. In a pallet movement control method of a plant factory apparatus for cultivating a plant planted on the pallet under a controlled environment inside the outer case,
A pallet movement control step is included, in which the pallet is moved from a stopped state and repeatedly stopped from the moved state.

The pallet movement control step includes
The pallet is moved in the longitudinal direction of the shelf on which the pallet is arranged, and is moved from one shelf to the other shelf of two shelves positioned above and below.

The pallet movement control step includes
By moving the pallet intermittently, the circulation operation starts from a predetermined position of any one of the plurality of shelves, moves all the shelves of the plurality of shelves, and returns to the predetermined position. It is characterized by having a pallet.

  According to the plant factory apparatus of the present invention, there are a plurality of longitudinal shelves arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, and a pallet on which plants are planted, and at least one is arranged on at least one of the plurality of shelves. A plant case for cultivating a plant planted on the pallet under a controlled cultivation environment inside the outer case, and receiving the control, A pallet moving mechanism for moving the pallet in the longitudinal direction of the shelf on which the pallet is arranged and moving the pallet from one shelf to the other shelf of the two shelves positioned above and below, and the pallet moving mechanism with respect to the pallet moving mechanism And a control unit that repeatedly moves the pallet from the stopped state and stops from the moved state by the control. It is possible to equalize the cultivation environment of the plant to be cultivated in the internal field device. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to cultivate a high-quality agricultural product free from variation, which eliminates plant cultivation failure and variation in growth.

1 is a perspective view of a plant factory apparatus 100 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a figure which represents typically the structure of the plant factory apparatus 100 which concerns on Embodiment 1, and the structure inside the lower apparatus accommodating part 120. FIG. In the plant factory apparatus 100 shown in FIG. 2, it is the figure which showed the air blowing direction of the air stirrer 360. FIG. It is a figure which shows the pallet inclination mechanism 160 of the plant factory apparatus 101 which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is detail drawing of an example of the pallet inclination mechanism 160 of the plant factory apparatus 101 which concerns on Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a figure which represents typically the structure of the plant factory apparatus 102 which concerns on Embodiment 3, and the structure inside the lower apparatus accommodating part 120. FIG. It is a perspective view of the plant factory apparatus 103 which concerns on Embodiment 4. FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description of each embodiment, the directions such as “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “front”, “back”, “front”, “back” are However, it is not intended to limit the arrangement or orientation of devices, instruments, parts, or the like.

Embodiment 1 FIG.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the configuration of the plant factory apparatus 100 and the movement of the pallet 150 according to the present embodiment, and is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration of the lower device storage unit 120. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the air blowing direction of the air stirrer 360 in the plant factory apparatus 100 shown in FIG.
The whole structure of the plant factory apparatus 100 is demonstrated using FIGS. 1-3.

As shown in FIG. 1, the plant factory apparatus 100 includes an outer case 110 (outer shell case).
The outer case 110 includes a steel frame portion 111 and a cover portion 112 made of a transparent or translucent resin plate that closes the opening of the frame portion 111. The framework 111 may be made of other metal, resin, wood, etc. in addition to steel. The cover 112 may be transparent, translucent, or opaque, and may be a resin film, a metal plate, a wooden plate, a glass plate, or the like.

  The outer case 110 is formed so that the inside is sealed. The outer case 110 is a rectangular parallelepiped. The size of the outer case 110 is, for example, about 2000 mm high, 2400 mm wide, and 1000 mm deep. This size is an example, and the present embodiment can be applied whether the size is larger or smaller than this size.

  In the plant factory apparatus 100, a plurality of shelves 220 and a pallet 150 are accommodated in an outer case 110. The lower part of the plurality of shelves 220 has a lower device storage unit 120 at the bottom.

The plurality of shelves 220 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plant factory apparatus 100 includes four shelves 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d.
The shelf 220 has a rectangular shape, for example, and is formed in a longitudinal shape along the width direction (longitudinal direction) of the outer case 110. The shelves 220 may have at least two stages, but may have three, four, five or more stages.

The pallet 150 is called a seedling pallet for setting plant seedlings, a cultivation plate, a cultivation bed, a seedling bed, or the like.
At least one pallet 150 is disposed on each of the plurality of shelves 220. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, five pallets 150 are arranged on one shelf 220. The five pallets 150 may be arranged on the shelf 220 at an arbitrary interval, but are preferably arranged on the shelf 220 at a constant interval.

  The plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment includes a horizontal movement mechanism 221 that moves the pallet 150 in the longitudinal direction of the shelf 220 and a vertical movement mechanism 230 that moves the pallet 150 from the shelf to the shelf in the vertical direction. .

  The plant factory apparatus 100 includes a movable control unit 300 that moves the pallet 150 intermittently by controlling the horizontal movement mechanism 221 and the vertical movement mechanism 230. The movable control unit 300 intermittently moves the pallet 150 to circulate the pallet 150 inside the plant factory apparatus 100 and to make the cultivation environment of the plant 400 cultivated inside uniform.

The movable control unit 300 is connected to the terminal device 500 via the network 600, for example. An administrator (also referred to as a user) of the plant factory apparatus 100 transmits a control signal (control command 510) from the terminal device 500 to the movable control unit 300 of the plant factory apparatus 100. Alternatively, the administrator of the plant factory apparatus 100 may input a control command 510 to the movable control unit 300 from an input unit (not shown) included in the plant factory apparatus 100.
The control command 510 is a signal for controlling the cultivation environment inside the plant factory apparatus 100. The control command 510 includes an LED light that promotes photosynthesis, an air conditioner that controls temperature and humidity, a CO2 concentration controller that controls CO2 concentration, and a signal that controls an air stirrer that controls air volume. Further, the control command 510 includes a control signal related to the movement of the pallet 150.

The pallet 150 is formed with a seed pot opening 151 for installing a seed pot for the plant 400. In the present embodiment, six seedling pot openings 151 are formed in one pallet 150.
The length of the pallet 150 in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter referred to as the pallet longitudinal direction) is slightly shorter than the length of the shelf 220 in the short direction. The length of the pallet 150 in the short direction (hereinafter referred to as the pallet short direction) is, for example, about one-seventh of the length of the shelf 220 in the longitudinal direction. Accordingly, the five pallets 150 can be arranged on the shelf 220 with an interval of about one half of the length of the pallet 150 in the short direction.

However, they may be arranged at intervals other than those described above, and this embodiment can be applied even if the number of pallets 150 arranged on one shelf 220, the size of the pallets 150, and the number and size other than the above are also used.
Moreover, although it is preferable that all the pallets 150 are the same shape, this Embodiment is applicable even if the pallets from which a magnitude | size and the number of seedling pot openings differ are mixed.

Here, an example of a method for arranging the pallet 150 on the shelf 220 will be described.
For example, the shelf 220 is assumed to be composed of a rectangular frame. That is, it is assumed that the shelf 220 is only a frame, and almost the entire surface is open.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pallet 150 has both edge portions at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the pallet attached to both frame portions at the end in the short direction of the shelf 220. As shown in FIG. 2, the back surface (lower surface) of the pallet 150 is exposed from the opening of the frame, and in the pot where the plant 400 installed on the pallet 150 is planted, the root side of the plant 400 is below the pallet 150. It is exposed from the surface.

As shown in FIG. 2, a nutrient solution pan 330 is installed at the bottom of the lowest shelf 220a. The nutrient solution pan 330 is fed with a nutrient solution containing nutrients necessary for plant cultivation. The nutrient solution is supplied to the plant 400 by immersing the root side of the plant 400 planted on the pallet 150 arranged in the lowest shelf 220a in the nutrient solution in the nutrient solution pan 330.
In other words, the plant 400 of the pallet 150 absorbs the nutrient solution of the nutrient solution pan 330 when passing through the lowest shelf 220a.

In the above description, the shelf 220 is assumed to be formed of only a frame, but the root side of the plant 400 planted on the pallet 150 is exposed from the opening of the shelf 200 and is immersed in the nutrient solution of the nutrient pan 330. As long as it is a structure, it is not necessary to have a structure with only a frame.
For example, the shelf 220 may be provided with a thin plate or the like across the short direction in some places of the frame. The durability against the weight of the shelf 220 is increased by passing a thin plate or the like in the short direction of the frame.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal movement mechanism 221 is disposed on each shelf 220a, 220b, 220c, 220d. As shown in FIG. 2, the horizontal movement mechanism 221 is disposed at positions (horizontal movement mechanisms 221a, 221b, 221c, and 221d) surrounded by dotted lines of the shelves 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d. The horizontal movement mechanism 221 is a mechanism that moves the pallets 150 arranged on the shelves 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter also referred to as the left-right direction).

  The horizontal movement mechanism 221 includes, for example, left and right guide portions such as rails and belts on the inner surface of a frame 225 (see frame 225d in FIG. 1) that extends in the opposite longitudinal direction among the frames that form the shelf 220. Can be realized. The horizontal movement mechanism 221 engages the ends of the pallet 150 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the pallet 150 and guides the ends of the pallet 150 on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the pallet in the left-right direction. Move in the direction.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a vertical movement mechanism 230a is disposed between the shelf 220a and the shelf 220b. The vertical movement mechanism 230a is a mechanism for moving the pallet 150 from the shelf 220a to the shelf 220b.
A vertical movement mechanism 230b is disposed between the shelf 220b and the shelf 220c. The vertical movement mechanism 230b is a mechanism that moves the pallet 150 from the shelf 220b to the shelf 220c.
A vertical movement mechanism 230c is disposed between the shelf 220c and the uppermost shelf 220d. The vertical movement mechanism 230c is a mechanism that moves the pallet 150 from the shelf 220c to the shelf 220d.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a vertical movement mechanism 230d that connects the shelf 220d and the shelf 220a is provided. The vertical movement mechanism 230d is a mechanism that moves the pallet 150 from the shelf 220d to the shelf 220a, and is a downward movement mechanism 240.

The vertical movement mechanism 230 can be realized by, for example, a vertical guide portion configured by a rail, a belt, or the like arranged in the vertical direction.
The vertical movement mechanism 230 moves the pallet 150 that has been moved to the position of the vertical guide portion in the vertical direction by the horizontal guide portion of the horizontal movement mechanism 221.

  For example, when the pallet 150 is moved to the position of the vertical guide part by the movement of the horizontal movement mechanism 221 by the horizontal guide part, the pallet 150 is disengaged from the horizontal guide part and engaged with the vertical guide part. And The pallet 150 can be moved in the vertical direction by the vertical guide portion while being engaged with the vertical guide portion.

  When the pallet 150 is moved to another shelf 220 by the movement of the vertical guide portion of the vertical movement mechanism 230, the pallet 150 is disengaged from the vertical guide portion and is engaged with the horizontal guide portion. The pallet 150 can be moved in the left-right direction by the left-right direction guide portion while being engaged with the left-right direction guide portion.

  Next, an environment adjusting device for appropriately maintaining the environment inside the plant factory apparatus 100 will be described. The lower device storage unit 120 shown in FIG. 2 is schematically illustrated for easy understanding of the internal configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lower device storage unit 120 stores environment adjustment devices for appropriately maintaining the environment inside the plant factory apparatus 100. As shown in FIG. 1, an environmental adjustment device may be stored in the upper device storage portion 121 at the top of the outer case 110.

A top LED light 371 is installed inside the upper surface of the outer case 110. The upper device storage unit 121 may store, for example, a lighting device or a power supply device for adjusting the light amount of the top LED light 371.
Further, each stage LED light 372 having a waterproof structure is disposed on the back surface of the pallet 150. Each stage LED light 372 can emit light necessary for photosynthesis to the plant 400 of the lower pallet 150 when the pallet 150 is stopped.

  In FIG. 2, the back surface (bottom surface) of the pallet 150 is illustrated as being exposed downward from the bottom surface of the shelf 220 for easy understanding of the explanation of each stage LED light 372 on the back surface of the pallet 150. . However, the positional relationship may be such that the rear surface of the pallet 150 and the lower surface of the shelf 220 are substantially coplanar. Alternatively, the positional relationship may be such that the rear surface of the pallet 150 is positioned above the lower surface of the shelf 220.

  The plant factory apparatus 100 stores an air conditioner 310 (air conditioner), a liquid fertilizer tank 320, a nutrient solution pipe 322, an open / close valve 323 (automatic nutrient solution feeder), and an air stirrer 360 in the lower device storage unit 120 as environmental adjustment devices. To do.

Further, as described above, the plant factory apparatus 100 includes the horizontal movement mechanism 221 that moves the pallet 150 in the longitudinal direction of the shelf 220 and the vertical movement mechanism 230 that moves the pallet 150 from the shelf to the shelf in the vertical direction.
The movable control unit 300 that controls the horizontal movement mechanism 221 and the vertical movement mechanism 230 is also stored in the lower device storage unit 120.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cover part 112 of the lower apparatus accommodating part 120 is an opaque board | plate material, and hides an internal apparatus so that the designability of the plant factory apparatus 100 may improve.

The air conditioner 310 (air conditioner) controls the temperature and humidity inside the plant factory apparatus 100.
The liquid fertilizer tank 320 is a tank that stores nutrient solution. The nutrient solution is fed from the liquid fertilizer tank 320 to the nutrient solution pan 330 via the nutrient solution pipe 322.
The nutrient solution pipe 322 is provided with an open / close valve 323 (automatic nutrient solution feeder). For example, the open / close valve 323 (automatic nutrient solution feeder) is controlled by the control command 510 from the outside, and the amount of nutrient solution charged into the nutrient solution pan 330 is automatically adjusted. Moreover, it is good also as a structure which can also adjust the quantity of the nutrient solution thrown into the nutrient solution pan 330 manually.

  The air agitator 360 agitates the air inside the plant factory apparatus 100 (the outer case 110). The air agitator 360 includes an air outlet 361. The air stirrer 360 is installed, for example, at two locations below the lowest shelf 200a. Or the air stirrer 360 may be installed in three places and four places.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the air agitator 360 agitates the air inside the outer case 110 by blowing air upward from the air outlet 361. As described above, by performing the air agitation in the vertical direction from the bottom to the top, the temperature, humidity, CO 2, and air volume inside the plant factory apparatus 100 can be made uniform.

The air stirrer 360 blows out air from the air outlet 361 toward a predetermined angle (α degrees) from the normal direction P of the surface formed by the lowermost shelf 200a.
The air stirrer 360 blows out air from the air outlet 361 in the range of 45 degrees (α = 45 degrees) from the normal direction P, for example.
The angle at which the air stirrer 360 blows out air is preferably within 45 degrees, but it is also effective within 50 degrees and 60 degrees. Alternatively, three or more air agitators 360 may be provided, and the angle at which air is blown out may be within 30 degrees.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the air stirrer 360 blows air from the air outlet 361 toward a predetermined angle (α degree), the air is effectively spread into the plant factory apparatus 100, and the plant factory This is effective in making the environment in the apparatus 100 uniform.

  Next, the pallet movement control method by the movable control unit 300 of the plant factory apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As described above, the horizontal movement mechanism 221 and the vertical movement mechanism 230 are controlled to move the pallet 150 in the longitudinal direction of the shelf 220 on which the pallet 150 is arranged, and the pallet 150 is positioned 2 above and below. It is an example of the pallet moving mechanism which moves from one shelf of one shelf to the other shelf.

  Further, the movable control unit 300 repeatedly moves the pallet 150 from the stopped state and stops from the moving state by controlling the horizontal moving mechanism 221 and the vertical moving mechanism 230. This is not to turn the power on and off, but to control the power to move from the stopped state while the power is on and to stop from the moving state. That is, the movable control unit 300 moves the pallet 150 intermittently.

The movable control unit 300 starts moving from a predetermined position of any of the plurality of shelves 220 by moving the pallet 150 intermittently by controlling the horizontal movement mechanism 221 and the vertical movement mechanism 230, and The pallet 150 is caused to perform a circulation operation of moving all the shelves and returning them to a predetermined position.
The movable control unit 300 executes control to repeat such movement and stop of the pallet 150 regularly or irregularly.

Next, a specific example in which the pallet 150 is intermittently circulated by the movable control unit 300 will be described.
For the movable control unit 300, the user can transmit a control command 510 from the terminal device 500 via the network 600, for example. Alternatively, the plant factory apparatus 100 may include an input unit that inputs a control command 510 to the movable control unit 300. Alternatively, a movable control program may be installed in advance in the movable control unit 300 of the plant factory apparatus 100, and all may be controlled automatically.

As the control command 510, for example, selection between the intermittent mode and the continuous movement mode, the time interval of movement of the pallet 150 in the intermittent mode, the speed during movement of the pallet 150, and the like can be set.
The intermittent mode is a method in which the movement of the pallet 150 repeats movement and stop regularly or irregularly.
The continuous movement mode is a method in which the movement of the pallet 150 moves continuously. A continuous movement mode control command 510 can be input to the plant factory apparatus 100 so as to perform continuous movement instead of intermittent movement. Since it is possible to instruct continuous movement of the pallet 150 or stop of movement, it is convenient to set all the pallets 150 (20 pallets in FIG. 2) in the plant factory apparatus 100 when starting cultivation. .

  The actual speed may be designated as the speed, or may be selectable from a predetermined plurality of stages such as “fast, normal, slow”. In the intermittent mode, it may be possible to select the fixed period fixed mode or the indefinite period fixed mode.

  Further, the outer case 110 includes a sealed automatic opening / closing door 140 in the vicinity of the end of at least one of the plurality of shelves 220 (see FIGS. 1, 2, and 3). In the plant factory apparatus 100, a defective plant 400 that must be removed may occur. In such a case, the user moves the defective plant 400 to be removed using the continuous movement mode to the vicinity of the sealed automatic opening / closing door 140 and quickly takes out the defective plant 400 from the sealed automatic opening / closing door 140. Can do.

  Here, it is assumed that the user specifies the intermittent mode and the regular mode, the movement time interval is one hour, and the movement speed is “normal”. In the intermittent mode and the irregular mode, for example, a plurality of movement time intervals are input. Alternatively, when one movement time interval is input in the irregular mode, the movable control unit 300 may automatically perform irregular control based on the input movement time interval.

In the intermittent mode and the regular mode, when the movement time interval is specified as 1 hour and the movement speed is designated as “normal”, the movable control unit 300 causes the pallet 150 (see FIG. 2) located at P1 to be 1 hour. Later, it moves from P1 to P2 at a normal speed and stops. Then, after 2 hours, it moves from P2 to P3 at a normal speed and stops. Similarly, it moves from P3 to P4, P4 to P5, and so on, and after 20 hours, it returns to the position of P1 again.
Similarly, the pallet 150 located at P2 (see FIG. 2) also moves from P2 to P3 at a normal speed and stops after one hour. After 2 hours, the vehicle moves from P3 to P4 at a normal speed and stops. Similarly, it moves from P4 to P5, P5 to P6, and so on, and after 20 hours, it returns to the position of P2.
In this manner, the pallets 150 at all positions move in the same manner, so that the pallet 150 inside the plant factory apparatus 100 repeats the circulation operation of moving all the shelves and returning to the original position in 20 hours.

  Thus, by circulating the pallet 150 intermittently, the air inside the plant factory apparatus 100 moves, and it is possible to effectively prevent air stagnation. Moreover, since the pallet 150 circulates in the plant factory apparatus 100, the environment of each pallet 150 can be made uniform, and a high-quality plant without variation can be grown.

In FIG. 2, the pallet 150 includes a vertical movement mechanism 230d (downward movement mechanism 240), horizontal movement mechanism 221a, vertical movement mechanism 230a, horizontal movement mechanism 221b, vertical movement mechanism 230b, horizontal movement mechanism 221c, vertical movement mechanism 230c, horizontal Although it moved from P1 to P19 in the order of the moving mechanism 221d and moved again by the up-and-down moving mechanism 230d from P19 to P1 and returned to the original position (P1), the route of movement of the pallet 150 may be another route. .
By making the combination of the vertical movement mechanism 230 and the horizontal movement mechanism 221 different, it is possible to cause the pallet 150 to perform a circulation operation of moving all the shelves from the initial position and returning to the original position through different routes.

In the present embodiment, until the pallet 150 returns from the predetermined position to the original position (predetermined position) again, the pallet 150 is circulated so as not to pass the same route twice (so-called one-stroke writing). By controlling the circulation method of the pallet 150 in this way, the accuracy of uniformizing the environment of the pallet 150 is further improved.
However, the pallet 150 does not necessarily have to be circulated so as not to pass through the same route twice, depending on the cost, the size of the apparatus, and the like.

  As described above, the plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is a completely sealed artificial light type plant factory apparatus, and an LED light (amount of light) that promotes photosynthesis by control information sent through a network. It automatically controls the air conditioner that controls the temperature and humidity, the CO2 concentration controller that controls the CO2 concentration, and the air agitator that controls the air volume. Further, the pallet moving mechanism installed in the frame of the shelf on which the pallet is installed circulates inside the plant factory apparatus automatically by moving or stopping as shown in FIG. 2 at a speed specified by the control information. At this time, the effect is the same even if the direction and route of circulation of the pallet in the plant factory apparatus are different.

As described above, the plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment eliminates unevenness of the LED light (amount of light), temperature / humidity, and CO2 concentration, and can make these conditions important for growth uniform. It is a light type plant factory device.
FIG. 2 shows an example in which the shelf 220 has a four-stage structure, but if the structure has two or more stages, the same effect as the four-stage structure can be obtained by circulating the pallet in the same manner.

  Moreover, the plant factory apparatus 100 which concerns on this Embodiment is a completely sealed artificial light type | mold plant factory apparatus of the structure where a pallet circulates automatically. This plant factory apparatus 100 is provided with an automatic or manual opening / closing port for taking out agricultural products (plants) that have been grown. Thereby, even an elderly person or a person with a handicap in the body can easily harvest the agricultural products while sitting around the apparatus side without moving around the apparatus when harvesting the agricultural products.

Moreover, according to the plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, when a poorly grown agricultural product is generated in the pallet, the pallet is forcibly circulated, and the defective defective product is removed at the take-out port (opening / closing port). I can do it.
By removing the defective agricultural products, it is possible to improve and equalize the unevenness of the LED light irradiation amount, air flow, and CO2 concentration in this pallet area. As a result, the same cultivation of agricultural products around the defective agricultural products Defects can be avoided.

As described above, according to the plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the growth failure of plant cultivation, the variation in the growth, and the like are eliminated, and when the plant grows inside the plant factory apparatus, a more uniform temperature / Humidity, CO2 and air volume can be provided, and agricultural products without variations can be cultivated.
For example, by connecting some pallets of pallets installed inside the plant factory device and circulating the entire pallet at a specified time interval inside the plant factory device as shown in FIG. Uniform temperature / humidity, CO2, and air volume can be provided, and variations in growth can be eliminated.

Embodiment 2. FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a pallet tilting mechanism 160 of the plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is a detailed view of an example of the pallet tilt mechanism 160 of the plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the same functional configuration as that described in the first embodiment is denoted by the same reference numeral, and the description thereof is omitted.
The pallet inclination mechanism 160 of the plant factory apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the plant factory apparatus 101 is installed on a shelf 220a (a nutrient solution shelf) provided with a nutrient solution pan 330, and the pallet 150 is moved from the shelf 220a to the shelf 220b above the shelf 220a by the vertical movement mechanism 230a. , A pallet tilting mechanism 160 that tilts the pallet 150 and drains the nutrient solution supplied from the nutrient solution pan 330 is provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the pallet tilt mechanism 160 includes, for example, a pallet tilt portion 161. The pallet inclined part 161 is a protrusion formed near the end of the shelf 220a. The surface of the pallet inclined part 161 (projection part) is formed in a smooth curved surface, and when the pallet 150 is moved in the Q direction by the horizontal movement mechanism 221a, the bottom surface of the end part of the pallet 150 is smoothly pallet inclined part. 161 is formed so as to ride on the protrusions 161. The protrusion of the pallet inclined part 161 is formed of, for example, resin.

  The bottom surface of the end portion of the pallet 150 smoothly rides on the protrusion of the pallet inclined portion 161, so that the pallet 150 is inclined. The end of the pallet 150 on the Q direction side is lifted by riding on the protrusion of the pallet inclined portion 161, and the pallet 150 is inclined so that the opposite side of the pallet 150 on the Q direction side is downward. The pallet 150 moves in the Q direction while being immersed in the nutrient solution pan 330, but before it is moved upward by the vertical movement mechanism 230a, it is inclined as shown in FIG. It can be returned to the nutrient solution pan 330 from the opposite side of the Q direction side.

  As described above, the plant factory apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment has a pallet side surface in the Q direction where the pallet moves when the pallet installed at the lowermost stage passes through the lowermost stage and moves (moves) to the upper stage. It has a pallet tilting mechanism that lifts up and makes a tilt. Thereby, it has the structure which returns the excess nutrient solution sucked in the bottom nutrient solution pan to the bottom nutrient solution pan. When the pallet leaves the lowermost nutrient solution pan, the inclination of the pallet is returned and the pallet moves to the upper stage in a horizontal state.

  Since the plant factory apparatus 101 according to the present embodiment includes the pallet tilting mechanism 160, the amount of nutrient solution can be adjusted to an appropriate amount with a simple configuration.

Embodiment 3 FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the first embodiment and the second embodiment will be mainly described.
FIG. 6 is a front view showing the block configuration of the plant factory apparatus 102 and the movement of the pallet 150 according to the present embodiment, and the lower device storage unit 120 is a diagram schematically showing the internal configuration.

In the present embodiment, the same functional configuration as that described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment is denoted by the same reference numeral, and the description thereof is omitted.
The plant factory apparatus 102 which concerns on this Embodiment is demonstrated using FIG.

The plant factory apparatus 102 according to the present embodiment includes nutrient solution pans 330a, 330b, 330c, and 330d on the shelves 220a, 220b, 220c, and 220d, respectively.
The position where the pallet 150 moves from below (P7, P11, P15) and the position where the pallet 150 passes (P19, P20, P1) cannot install the nutrient solution pan 330, but other than that A nutrient pan can be installed at the position.

  At this time, the shelves 220a, 220b, and 220c are preferably provided with the pallet tilting mechanism 160 described in the second embodiment at the end portion on the moving direction side in the left-right direction. That is, it is preferable to install the pallet tilt mechanism 160 at positions P6, P10, and P14.

  However, it is not necessary that all the shelves 220 include the pallet tilting mechanism 160. For example, even if the pallet tilt mechanism 160 is installed only at the positions of P6 and P14, there is an effect of adjusting the nutrient solution.

  As mentioned above, according to the plant factory apparatus 102 which concerns on this Embodiment, since the nutrient solution bread is installed in each step | paragraph, the agricultural product can absorb a nutrient from a nutrient solution pan similarly, The pallet growing environment can be made more uniform.

Embodiment 4 FIG.
In the present embodiment, differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the plant factory apparatus 103 according to the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the same functional configuration as that described in the first embodiment is denoted by the same reference numeral, and the description thereof is omitted.
The plant factory apparatus 103 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In the plant factory apparatus 103, a sealed automatic opening / closing door 140 is described on the opposite side to FIG. A side surface of the outer case 110 provided with the sealed automatic opening / closing door 140 is referred to as a case side surface A. Further, the front surface of the outer case 110 is the front surface of the case, and the surface facing the front surface of the case is the rear surface of the case.
In the state where the closed automatic opening / closing door 140 is closed, the inner surface of the case side surface A is assumed to be a flat surface having no unevenness.

  The plant factory apparatus 103 is used in a state where the movement of the pallet 150a is completely stopped by the movable control unit 300. That is, in the plant factory apparatus 103, the pallet 150a does not move.

  In the plant factory apparatus 103, the pallets 150a are arranged without gaps. A predetermined number (eight in FIG. 7) of pallets 150a is arranged on each of the plurality of shelves 220. In each shelf 220 of the plurality of shelves 220, the pallets 150a are arranged without gaps, and the inside of the outer case 110 is divided into a plurality of cultivation rooms 700 (700a to 700d) (space regions) by the continuous pallets 150a arranged without gaps. Partitioned. Each cultivation room 700 is sealed.

  The plant factory apparatus 103 according to the present embodiment can be realized using the plant factory apparatus 100 described in the first embodiment. By stopping the movable control of the pallet 150a of the plant factory apparatus 103 and arranging the pallets 150a without gaps, the cultivation room 700 which is four sealed spaces can be obtained.

  The pallet 150 is provided with packing 152 around the periphery. The packings 152 on both sides of the pallet 150a in the lateral direction of the pallet are in close contact with the packings 152 on the side of the adjacent pallet 150a.

The packing 152 of the pallet 150a that abuts one side surface (case side surface A) in the left-right direction of the outer case 110 is in close contact with the inner surface of the case side surface A of the outer case 110.
On the inner side of the other side surface of the outer case 110 in the left-right direction, a side device storage portion 122 that stores an environmental adjustment device described later is provided. The packing 152 of the pallet 150 a that comes into contact with the inner surface of the side device storage portion 122 is in close contact with the inner surface of the side device storage portion 122.

The packing 152 at both ends of the pallet 150a in the longitudinal direction of the pallet 150a is in close contact with the inner surface of the case front surface of the outer case 110, and the other end packing 152 is connected to the inner surface of the case rear surface. In close contact.
As described above, sealed cultivation rooms 700a to 700d can be obtained by the pallets 150a arranged without gaps.

  Each of the four cultivation rooms 700 requires an environmental adjustment device in order to adjust the environment. In order to arrange each environmental adjustment device, a side device storage portion 122 is provided inside the other side surface of the outer case 110 in the left-right direction.

  By adjusting the environment with the environment adjusting device for each cultivation room 700 arranged in the side device storage part 122, the cultivation rooms 700 having four different environments can be obtained. In the plurality of cultivation rooms 700, for example, four types of plants 400, 401, 402, and 403 having different cultivation environments can be cultivated.

  As described above, according to the plant factory apparatus 103 according to the present embodiment, in the completely sealed artificial light plant factory apparatus having a structure in which the pallet automatically circulates, the pallet circulating inside the apparatus is stopped, It can also be used for other applications.

  The total length of the side of the pallet (pallet short direction) is designed in advance to be approximately the same as the length in the longitudinal direction inside the plant factory apparatus. The length of the pallet (pallet longitudinal direction) is designed in advance so as to be substantially the same as the length of the inner depth (short direction) inside the plant factory apparatus. Thereby, the space area | region between each shelf 220 can be made into the space sealed with the connected pallet, and can be used as an independent cultivation room.

  LED lights that promote photosynthesis, air conditioners that control temperature and humidity, CO2 concentration controllers that control CO2 concentration, and air stirrers that control air volume are different for each cultivation room in order to make the cultivation environment different for each cultivation room. To place. Moreover, it is set as the arrangement | positioning structure which can also implement control of these environmental adjustment apparatuses for every cultivation room (each stage) (space sealed with the pallet).

  As described above, according to the plant factory apparatus 103 according to the present embodiment, using the same single completely enclosed artificial light plant factory apparatus, the environmental conditions necessary for cultivation (LED light, temperature for promoting photosynthesis, temperature・ It is possible to provide different spaces for air conditioners that control humidity, CO2 concentration controllers that control CO2 concentration, and air stirrers that control air volume). For example, lettuce and tomatoes have different agricultural products in the same fully enclosed artificial light plant factory. It is possible to grow with equipment.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, you may implement in combination of 2 or more among these embodiment. Alternatively, one of these embodiments may be partially implemented. Alternatively, two or more of these embodiments may be partially combined. In addition, this invention is not limited to these embodiment, A various change is possible as needed.

  100, 101, 102, 103 Plant factory equipment, 110 Outer case, 111 Frame part, 112 Cover part, 120 Lower equipment storage part, 121 Upper equipment storage part, 122 Side equipment storage part, 140 Sealed automatic opening / closing door, 150 Pallet, 151 seedling pot opening, 152 packing, 160 pallet tilting mechanism, 161 pallet tilting part, 220 shelf, 221 horizontal movement mechanism, 225 frame, 230 vertical movement mechanism, 240 downward movement mechanism, 300 movable control part, 310 air conditioner, 320 Liquid fertilizer tank, 322 Nutrient solution pipe, 323 Open / close valve, 330 Nutrient solution pan, 360 Air stirrer, 361 Air outlet, 371 Top LED light, 372 LED light on each stage, 400, 401, 402, 403 Plant, 500 Terminal Device, 510 control instructions, 00 network, 700 cultivation room.

Claims (13)

An outer case that houses therein a plurality of longitudinal shelves arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction and a pallet on which plants are planted and at least one pallet arranged on at least one of the plurality of shelves. In a plant factory apparatus for cultivating a plant planted on the pallet under a controlled cultivation environment inside the outer case,
A pallet moving mechanism that moves the pallet in the longitudinal direction of the shelf on which the pallet is arranged and moves the pallet from one shelf to the other shelf on the top and bottom by receiving control. ,
A plant factory apparatus comprising: a control unit that repeatedly moves the pallet from the stopped state and stops the pallet from the moving state by the control of the pallet moving mechanism. The controller is
By moving the pallet intermittently by the control on the pallet moving mechanism, the movement starts from a predetermined position of any of the plurality of shelves, and all the shelves of the plurality of shelves are moved. The plant factory apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pallet is caused to circulate back to the predetermined position. The plant factory device is:
A nutrient solution pan provided on at least one of the plurality of shelves, the nutrient solution pan supplying a nutrient solution to a plant planted on the pallet disposed on the shelf. Item 3. The plant factory apparatus according to item 1 or 2. The plant factory device is:
When the pallet is moved from the nutrient solution shelf to the shelf above the nutrient solution shelf by the pallet moving mechanism, the pallet is tilted. The plant factory device according to claim 3, further comprising a pallet tilting mechanism for draining the nutrient solution supplied from the nutrient solution pan. The plant factory device is:
An air stirrer installed below a lowermost shelf among the plurality of shelves, wherein air is blown upward from a blowout port formed below the lowermost shelf, so that the inside of the outer case Equipped with an air stirrer to stir the air of
The air stirrer
The plant factory according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein air is blown out from the blowing port toward a predetermined angle range from a normal direction of a surface formed by the bottom shelf. apparatus. The air stirrer
The plant factory apparatus according to claim 5, wherein air is blown out from the outlet in a range of 45 degrees from a normal direction of a surface formed by the bottom shelf. The outer case is
The plant factory apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising an opening / closing door in the vicinity of an end of any one of the plurality of shelves. The controller is
The plant factory apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the movement and stoppage of the pallet are repeated regularly or irregularly. A predetermined number of the pallets are arranged on each of the plurality of shelves,
Each shelf of the plurality of shelves
When the control unit stops the pallet, the pallet is arranged without gaps,
The plant factory apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inside of the outer case is partitioned into a plurality of space regions by shelves in which the pallets are arranged without gaps.   The plant factory apparatus according to claim 9, wherein each space region partitioned by each shelf in which the pallets are arranged without gaps is sealed. An outer case that houses therein a plurality of longitudinal shelves arranged at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction and a pallet on which plants are planted and at least one pallet arranged on at least one of the plurality of shelves. In a pallet movement control method of a plant factory apparatus for cultivating a plant planted on the pallet under a controlled environment inside the outer case,
A pallet movement control method comprising a pallet movement control step of repeatedly moving the pallet from a stopped state and stopping the pallet from the moved state. The pallet movement control step includes
The pallet movement according to claim 11, wherein the pallet is moved in the longitudinal direction of the shelf on which the pallet is arranged, and is moved from one shelf to the other shelf of two shelves positioned above and below. Control method. The pallet movement control step includes
By moving the pallet intermittently, the circulation operation starts from a predetermined position of any one of the plurality of shelves, moves all the shelves of the plurality of shelves, and returns to the predetermined position. The pallet movement control method according to claim 12, wherein the pallet is moved to a pallet.

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