JPH07313004A - Apparatus for including water into nursery bed - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To automatically include water into a nursery bed made of multiporous flexible material such as polyurethane. CONSTITUTION:This apparatus for including water into nursery bed is equipped with a water-including container 10 for housing water to be included and a nursery box 81, a lid 30 for covering on the water-included container 10 and hermetically closing the container 10, a water supply device for supplying water to the water-including container 10 and equipped with a valve 51, a vacuum pump 71 for evacuating air in the water-including container 10, a return valve 63 for returning the pressure in the water-including container 10 to atmospheric pressure, a vacuum gauge 92 for detecting vacuum degree in the water-including container 10, a water gauge 91 for detecting water level in the water-including container 10 and an electronic controller for controlling actions such as water supply, evacuation and gas charge in the water-including container.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a device for hydrating a porous soft material such as a urethane mat, which is a nursery in a nursery box, during sowing in hydroponics in a plant factory.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional means for hydrating a seedbed such as a urethane mat before sowing in hydroponics of plants is
By repeating the steps of soaking the seedbed in water, compressing it by hand, and separating it, the air in the bubbles in the seedbed is expelled and impregnated with water.

[0003]

Although the conventional seed bed water-containing means is as described above, it is troublesome because it is a manual work.
There has been a problem that it has become a bottleneck in hydroponic cultivation of plant factories that are trying to automate without human labor.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to obtain a seed bed water-containing device which can automatically make a seed bed contain water without requiring manual work.

[0005]

A seed bed water-containing device according to the present invention comprises a water-containing container for containing water to be water-containing and a nursery box, a lid for covering the water-containing container and sealing it, and a valve for supplying water into the water-containing container. A water supply device with a unit, an exhaust device for discharging the air in the water container, a return valve for returning the atmospheric pressure in the water container to atmospheric pressure, and a vacuum gauge for detecting the degree of vacuum in the water container. It is a thing. In addition to these, a water level gauge for detecting the water level in the water-containing container and an electronic control device for controlling operations such as water supply, exhaust, and re-airing of the water-containing container are provided.

[0006]

[Function] If water and a nursery box are put in a water container according to the present invention, the container is covered and sealed, and the air in the water container is exhausted by an exhaust device, it is included in the perforated soft material which becomes a nursery bed in the nursery box. The air being exhausted is also exhausted. Next, when the atmospheric pressure in the water-containing container is returned to atmospheric pressure, water is allowed to infiltrate into the voids of the porous soft material as the atmospheric pressure is restored, and the porous soft material to be the seedbed can be made to contain water. The water level in the water container is detected by the water level gauge, the vacuum level in the water container is detected by the vacuum gauge, and the detection signals of these sensors are input to the electronic control unit by a predetermined program to supply and exhaust water to the water container. ， By controlling the operation of re-airing, the seedbed can be made to automatically contain water.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, 10 is a water-containing container, 81 is a nursery box,
30 is a lid. The nursery box 81 is divided into a large number of squares, and each square contains a nursery bed 82 which is a sponge-like porous soft material such as urethane mat. The water-containing container 10 is formed into a box-shaped container 11 having a length, width and a predetermined height for accommodating a nursery box 81 with a margin, a flange 12 is formed around the upper end, and a reinforcing bone is formed on the side surface and the bottom surface if necessary. A material 14 is attached. A rubber packing 13 for sealing the gap between the lid plate 31 and the flange 12 on the upper surface of the flange 12 when the water-containing container 10 is covered with the lid 30.
Is installed. The lid 30 is a lid that covers the water-containing container 10 and seals it. A reinforcing aggregate 32 is attached to a lid plate 31, and a hanging 33 is formed to hang it on a hanging tool (not shown). Aggregate 14 of container 11 and Aggregate 32 of lid plate 31
Determines the size, the number, etc. depending on the size of the water-containing container 10 so that the container 11 and the lid plate 31 will not be deformed or crushed by the atmospheric pressure when the water-containing container 10 described later is evacuated.

In FIG. 1, a water supply valve 51 and a water supply pipe 52, which are connected to a water supply device (not shown), are provided in communication with each other in the water-containing container 10, and a drain discharge pipe valve 59 is also provided at the bottom. . Although the water supply valve 51 is shown as a cock in the figure, it may be an ordinary valve, and an electromagnetic valve is suitable for automation. Further, an air pipe 61 is provided so as to communicate with the upper part of the water container 10, and the air pipe 61 is provided with a vacuum gauge (pressure sensor) 92, a return valve 63, an exhaust valve 62, a vacuum pipe 64 and a vacuum pump 71. Has been. In the figure, the exhaust valve 62 and the recuperation valve 63 are shown as cocks, but the exhaust valve 62 and the recuperation valve 63 may be combined into one three-way switching cock, or may be a normal valve. A solenoid valve is suitable. As the vacuum pump 71, a rotary vacuum pump or the like having a low degree of vacuum is sufficient. In addition, a switch 97 for turning on / off the vacuum pump 71 is provided.

In FIG. 1, in the case of automating the seed bed water-containing device, a water level gauge (water level sensor) 91 for detecting the water level in the water-containing container 10 is provided, and an electronic control device (not shown) is provided. An input signal line for connecting a total of 91 and a vacuum gauge 92 is provided, and this electronic control unit and an electromagnetic water supply valve 51, an electromagnetic exhaust valve 62, an electromagnetic return valve 63 and a vacuum pump 71 are turned on / off. An output electric wire for connecting each of the electromagnetic switches is provided. An electronic control unit (not shown) is mainly composed of a microcomputer, receives a detection signal from a water level gauge 91 and a vacuum gauge 92 according to a predetermined program, opens / closes a water supply valve 51, an exhaust valve 62, a recuperation valve 63, and a vacuum pump 71. It controls the operation and stop of the.

Next, the operation of the seed bed water-containing device shown in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. First, a seedling raising box 81 in which a nursery bed 82, which is a porous soft material such as a urethane mat, is inserted in each square is placed in the water-containing container 10. Next, the lid 30 is put on the water-containing container 10 so as to cover it. The drain discharge pipe valve 59 is closed. Next, the water level gauge 91 detects whether or not the water in the water-containing container 10 reaches a predetermined water level, and sends a NO or YES signal to an electronic control unit (not shown). When the electronic control unit receives a NO signal from the water level indicator 91 that the water has not reached the predetermined water level, the electronic control unit opens the water supply valve 51. Then, water is supplied from a water supply device (not shown) into the water container 10 through the water supply valve 51 and the water supply pipe 52. When water reaches the predetermined water level and the water level gauge 91 detects it and sends a YES signal to the electronic control unit, the electronic control unit causes the water supply valve 5 to operate.
Close 1

Next, the electronic control unit closes the return air valve 63 shown in FIG. 1, opens the exhaust valve 62, and activates the vacuum pump 71. Then, the vacuum pump 71 sucks out the air in the water-containing container 10. When the atmospheric pressure in the water-containing container 10 becomes low, atmospheric pressure is applied from the outside of the water-containing container 10 and the lid 30, and the lid 30 is pressed against the water-containing container 10. The rubber packing 13 attached to the upper surface of the flange 12 is pressed by the flange 12 and the cover plate 31 of the cover 30 to close the gap,
It is hermetically sealed so that outside air does not enter the water-containing container 10. The air pressure inside the water-containing container 10 is reduced, and the air existing in the cavity of the sponge-like porous soft material such as the urethane mat of the nursery 82 is also sucked out. The vacuum gauge 92 is the water-containing container 1
The vacuum degree within 0 is detected, and the electronic control unit continues the operation of the vacuum pump 71 until the predetermined vacuum degree is reached. When a predetermined vacuum degree is reached, the vacuum gauge 92 detects this and sends a signal to that effect to the electronic control unit. When this signal is received,
The electronic control unit stops the operation of the vacuum pump 71.

After that, when a predetermined time elapses, the electronic control unit opens the return air valve 63 shown in FIG. This predetermined time is usually short. Immediately after the return air valve 63 is opened, the outside air enters the water-containing container 10 and the atmospheric pressure in the water-containing container 10 becomes equal to the atmospheric pressure. Before that, since the air in the cavity in the nursery 82 is extracted by the suction of the vacuum pump 71 as described above, when the water in the water-containing container 10 is subjected to the atmospheric pressure,
Water compulsorily enters the cavity of the nursery bed 82, and the nursery bed 82 is sufficiently hydrated. Further, the atmospheric pressure in the water-containing container 10 also becomes the atmospheric pressure and equalizes the atmospheric pressure with which the lid 30 is pressed, so that the lid 30 can be easily opened. Therefore, the lid 30 is opened and the seedling raising box 81 is taken out from the water-containing container 10. This completed one cycle of the bed hydrous procedure. By repeating the above procedure, the seedbed can be continuously hydrated.

In the above procedure, if the water level gauge 91 for detecting the water level in the water-containing container 10 shown in FIG. 1 and the electronic control unit are not provided, the water level confirmation, the opening / closing of the water supply valve 51, A worker is responsible for visually observing the vacuum gauge 92, stopping the operation of the vacuum pump 71, and opening and closing the exhaust valve 62 and the return air valve 63.

Since this seedbed water-containing device depressurizes with the vacuum pump 71 shown in FIG. 1 and forcibly removes air from the air bubbles in the seedbed 82, a large number of nursery boxes 81 to be placed in the water-containing container 10 are provided. After putting in a stack, the air is simultaneously extracted from the air bubbles in the nursery beds 82 of a large number of nursery boxes 81 by the vacuum pump 71, and then the condensing valve 63 is opened to return the pressure in the water-containing container 10 to the atmospheric pressure, It is also possible to cause air bubbles in a large number of seed beds 82 to simultaneously contain water without any trouble.

As described above, the electronic control unit (not shown) mainly including the microcomputer receives the detection signals from the water level gauge 91 and the vacuum gauge 92 shown in FIG. , The opening / closing of the exhaust valve 62, the recuperation valve 63, and the operation / stop of the vacuum pump 71 are controlled. Further, the water-containing container 10 of the nursery box 81 is added to the electronic control unit.
Throwing in, placing the lid 30 on the water-containing container 10, lid 30
The operations such as the removal from the water-containing container 10 and the taking out of the seedling raising box 81 can also be fully automated by automatically performing them according to a predetermined program.

[0016]

As described above, according to the present invention, the air in the air bubbles in the nursery bed is forcibly drawn out by the vacuum pump so as to contain the water, so that the nursery bed water-containing work can be automated without manual labor. You can

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a nursery hydrate apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an operation flow chart of the seed bed water-containing device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Water-containing container, 12: Flange, 13: Rubber packing, 30: Lid, 51: Water supply valve, 52: Water supply pipe, 61:
Air pipe, 62: Exhaust valve, 63: Return air valve, 64: Vacuum pipe, 71: Vacuum pump, 81: Nursery box, 82: Nursery bed,
91: Water level gauge, 92: Vacuum gauge.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Osamu Matsuzaki 2-47 Shiobara, Minami-ku, Fukuoka City Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Kamio Kitahara 1-10-1 Takagise East, Saga City No. Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. Research Institute Agricultural Electrification Test Station (72) Inventor Mitsuhisa Nakahara 1-10-1, Takakise East, Saga City Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc. Agricultural Electrification Test Station

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A water-containing container for containing water to be water-containing and a nursery box, a lid for covering and sealing the water-containing container, a water supply device with a valve for supplying water to the water-containing container, and air discharged from the water-containing container. A seedbed hydrate apparatus, comprising: an exhaust device for controlling the pressure in the hydrate container, a return valve for returning the pressure in the hydrate container to atmospheric pressure, and a vacuum gauge for detecting the degree of vacuum in the hydrate container. 2. A water-containing container for containing water to be hydrated and a nursery box, a lid for covering and sealing the water-containing container, a water supply device with a valve for supplying water to the water-containing container, and air discharged from the water-containing container. An exhaust device, a return valve for returning the atmospheric pressure in the water container to atmospheric pressure, a vacuum gauge for detecting the degree of vacuum in the water container, a water level gauge for detecting the water level in the water container, and the water content A seed bed water-containing device, which is provided with an electronic control device for controlling operations such as water supply, exhaust, and recuperation of a container.