JPH09131138A - Plug tray conveyor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the subject device for horticultural facilities, equipped with a plug tray stand traveling on rails by wheels, composed of a frame laying a crosspiece for supporting plug trays, capable of transporting plural plug trays held in a suspended state without requiring transshipment in the whole processes from seeding to shipment. SOLUTION: A plug tray stand 1 traveling on rails 6 by wheels 5 consists of a frame 1a laying a crosspiece for arranging and supporting a large number of plug trays 3 in a suspended state. Watering at the bottom of the plug trays can be carried out while directly transporting the plug trays and the plug trays can be readily drained to prevent occurrence of axial root and to promote formation of root ball.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transport device for a plug tray used in a horticultural facility for cultivating flowers, vegetables, vegetation trees, wild plants and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In horticultural facilities, plug trays filled with soil for growing seedlings are often used in almost all production processes from sowing to shipping. This plug tray is generally made of synthetic material such as plastic. Since it is made of resin and has low rigidity, it is used by placing it on the tray of rice seedlings for ensuring the handling when the plug tray is transported.

The production process from sowing to shipping includes various production processes such as a seedling raising process in a greenhouse and a grafting production process. The plug trays are manually transshipped to different equipment for each process. It manages.

[0004]

In addition, in the method of combining a rice seedling raising tray with a plug tray, when a bottom watering method is used as a water supply method, the drainage between the plug tray and the rice raising seedling tray is poor and straight roots appear. As a result, the root pot formation is poor and the quality of the seedlings is often deteriorated.

When the plug tray is placed directly on the bottom irrigation pool, the bottom irrigation pool must be accurately leveled in order to evenly irrigate the entire lower surface of the plug tray. A highly rigid bottom irrigation pool and a large-scale foundation are required, which makes the bottom irrigation pool expensive and time-consuming to install.

The transshipment of plug trays for each production process is
Since it is done manually, it is labor intensive and inefficient. For example, in the process of seedling management in a greenhouse, arranging the plug trays on the floor, cultivation bench or bottom irrigation pool requires arranging the plug trays one by one at the start of seedling management and removing them at the end. Labor is required.

The grafting process requires a germination chamber and a curing chamber. Since these two chambers have almost the same temperature and humidity conditions, only the curing chamber needs lighting. Since a similar chamber must be prepared separately, operating efficiency is not good.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvantages of the above-mentioned conventional example, and to eliminate the need for manual transshipment of plug trays for each production step in all production steps from seeding to shipping, and to collect a plurality of plug trays together. Since it can be transported, labor can be saved, and because the plug tray is transported directly, the rice seedling raising tray is not needed and water is drained well when performing bottom irrigation, and the structure and foundation of the bottom irrigation pool can be simplified and cost reduced. Another object of the present invention is to provide a plug tray transfer device that can be downsized and can use the same chamber properly according to the purpose and improve the operation efficiency.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention travels on a rail below a plug tray mount constituted by a frame body in which a plurality of plug trays are arranged side by side to support a suspended frame. Provided with wheels, and
The plug tray mount is provided with a lighting mount to which a lighting fixture is attached in an attachable / detachable manner on the upper part, and the plug tray mount and the lighting mount are provided with wheel locking portions for stacking the plug tray mount on the upper part, respectively. Also, the wheels are attached to the lower ends of the legs provided at the bottom of the plug tray mount, a space is formed between the wheels and the lower surface of the plug tray mount, and the rails are laid so as to ensure horizontalness. This is the summary.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the plug tray moves on the rail while being placed on the frame, it moves without reloading the equipment of each production process. In addition, the plug tray is directly supported by hanging in the frame,
Since water can be irrigated from the bottom in this state, water can be drained well and the quality of seedlings can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-described action, the seedling is required to be illuminated by artificial light by detachably attaching the lighting mount having the lighting fixture mounted on the upper portion of the plug tray mount. In this case, it is possible to easily illuminate, and for example, the germination chamber and the curing chamber can be shared.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned operation, the plug tray mount and the illumination mount are provided with wheel stoppers for stacking the plug tray mounts, respectively, so that the plug tray mounts of the plug tray mount can be installed. Not only stacking is possible, but stacking is possible even with lighting equipment attached, and the inside of the chamber can be effectively used.

According to the present invention of claim 4, in addition to the above-mentioned action, the wheel is attached to the lower end of the leg provided at the bottom of the plug tray mount, and a space is provided between the wheel and the lower surface of the plug tray mount. Since it is formed, it is possible to arrange a bottom surface irrigation pool or a ventilation duct in this space,
It is possible to irrigate or blow air while the bragg tray is mounted on a stand.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the above action, by ensuring the levelness of the rail, it is possible to uniformly irrigate the entire lower portion of the plug tray without ensuring the levelness of the bottom surface irrigation pool. .

[0015]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a plug tray transfer device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the same. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a plug tray mount, and the plug tray mount 1 is one in which a plurality of crosspieces 2 are installed in parallel inside a rectangular frame 1a. In order to support the weight of the plug tray 3, for example, a pair of two metal plates, metal or plastic, or a sufficiently tensioned wire rope is used to support the plug tray 3. In the illustrated example, the plug tray 3 has two rows and six columns.
A total of 12 rows are placed.

Legs 4 are provided below the four corners of the frame 1a of the plug tray mount 1, wheels 5 are attached to the lower ends of the legs 4, and the wheels 5 are exposed to the rails 6. The rail 6 is shown in FIGS.
Also, as shown in Fig. 1, when two sets are supported as a set on the foundation 9 and are supported by the columns 10, and the bottom irrigation pool is arranged below the plug tray mount 1 as described later, the rail 6 is horizontal. Lay in

Mounting holes 7 for an illumination mount, which will be described later, are provided at the four corners of the frame 1a of the plug tray mount 1, and a plug tray mount 1 is provided.
Wheel locking portions 8 for stacking are respectively provided.

As shown in FIG. 4 to FIG. 6, the illumination pedestal 11 is a box type with an open bottom, and a long and slender reflecting plate 12 having a curved shape is juxtaposed on the lower surface of the ceiling portion, and on the lower surface of the reflecting plate 12. A lighting device such as a fluorescent lamp 13 was attached. Further, although not shown, locking pins and the like to be inserted into the mounting holes 7 are projectingly provided at the lower four corners of the illumination mount 11, and the plug tray mount 1 is provided at the upper four corners of the illumination mount 11.
A wheel locking portion 8 is provided for stacking.

Reference numeral 14 in the drawing denotes a seedling planted in the plug tray 3.

7 to 9 show an example of a bottom surface irrigation pool arranged below the plug tray mount 1. In the example of FIG. 7, the bottom surface irrigation is carried out between two rails 6 on which the plug tray mount 1 runs. In this case, since the lower surface of the bottom surface irrigation pool 15 can be located above the rail 6 as shown in the figure, the bottom surface irrigation pool 15 can be formed to be shallow. The amount of water can be reduced.

As shown in FIG. 7 as an example, the bottom surface irrigation facility has a water supply pump 17 disposed in a water tank 16 in which water or liquid fertilizer for irrigation is stored, and a water supply pipe connected to the water supply pump 17. 18 is set up and opened at an upper position than the plug tray mount 1 in the bottom bottom watering pool 15 above.

A drainage pipe 19 is connected to a drainage port opened at the bottom of the bottom watering pool 15, and the drainage pipe 19 is connected to the water storage tank.
Open to 16. Reference numeral 20 in the figure denotes a solenoid valve provided in the middle of the drainage pipe 19 for controlling the bottom surface irrigation time.

8 and 9 show the case where the bottom irrigation pool 15 is installed on the ground surface. In this case, the rail 6 is laid inside the bottom irrigation pool 15 and the height of the plug tray mount 1 needs to be adjusted. In the example of FIG. 8, a ramp 21 is formed on the rail 6 at the entrance to the bottom watering pool 15, and in the example of FIG. 9, an elevator 22 such as a jack is installed at the entrance to the bottom watering pool 15. With this elevator 22, the plug tray mount 1 was moved up and down to the bottom surface irrigation pool 15.

10 and 11 show a chamber 23 accommodating the plug tray 3, and FIG. 10 shows a case where the chamber 23 is used as a germination chamber.
Fig. 11 shows the case of using as a curing room, both of which are the same chamber where the temperature and humidity can be controlled.

12 and 13 show examples of installation of the air duct 24. In both examples, the rail 6 is provided below the plug tray mount 1.
In addition to this configuration, in FIG. 13, piping is provided inside the bottom surface irrigation pool 15 in addition to the configuration.

Next, the operation will be described. A plurality of plug trays 3 are arranged side by side on a crosspiece 2 provided on a plug tray base 1 and placed in a suspended state, and the plug tray 3 is filled with seed soil and seeded.

During the entire production process up to shipment, the plug tray 3 is supported by the plug tray mount 1 in a suspended state, and the wheels 5 are attached to the plug tray mount 1 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. By traveling on the rail 6, the process proceeds to the equipment for the next production process.

During the germination stage during the production process, it is necessary to store the plug tray 3 in the chamber 23 whose temperature and humidity can be controlled. In this case, as shown in FIG. They are stacked and the chamber 23 is used as a germination chamber. At this time, since the wheels 5 of the plug tray base 1 are locked by the wheel locking portions 8 of the lower plug tray base 1, the plug tray base 1 can be stacked in a stable state.

When a curing period that requires illumination or other artificial light is required, the illumination mount 11 of the plug tray mount 1 is placed through the mounting holes 7 and the seedlings 14 in the plug tray 3 are illuminated. In this case, since the lighting mount 11 is detachable from the plug tray mount 1, the lighting can be attached to the plug tray mount 1 only when necessary, and the plug tray 3 remains supported by the plug tray mount 1. Can be kept.

The light rays emitted from the fluorescent lamp 13 are reflected by the reflecting plate.
Since it is reflected downward at 12, the lower seedling 14 is efficiently irradiated.

When the seedlings 14 are exposed to light during the curing period, as shown in FIG.
The chamber 23 same as the chamber 23 used for sprouting was used as a curing room as shown in FIG. 11, and temperature and humidity were controlled, and at the same time, a light beam was applied. In this case, since the wheel mount 8 is also provided on the lighting mount 11, the wheels 5 of the upper plug tray mount 1 are locked to the lighting mount 11 even when the lighting mount 11 is attached to the plug tray mount 1. Can be stacked.

To supply water to the plug tray 3 by the bottom irrigation method, a bottom irrigation pool 15 is provided between the wheels 5 in a space formed below the plug tray mount 1 as shown in FIG. The pump 17 is operated to supply the water in the water tank 16 to the bottom surface irrigation pool 15 via the water supply pipe 18.

In this case, since the rails 6 are laid horizontally, even if the bottom irrigation pool 15 is not installed horizontally, the lower parts of all the plug trays 3 are evenly irrigated. The time of the bottom pipe water is controlled by controlling the opening / closing time of the solenoid valve 20, and the water is drained to the water tank 16 via the drain pipe 19. It should be noted that the water can be drained by a pump.

When the bottom irrigation pool 15 and the rail 6 are installed on the surface of the same level, the rail 6 is inclined as shown in FIG. 8 and the plug tray mount 1 is irrigated by the elevator 22 as shown in FIG. By moving up and down in the pool 15, the level of the plug tray mount 1 is adjusted so that the lower portion of the plug tray 3 is immersed in the water in the bottom surface watering pool 15.

This bottom surface irrigation is performed while the plug tray 3 is still supported by the plug tray mount 1, and the plug tray mount 1 travels on the rail 6 to proceed this process. Since the plug tray 3 is suspended in the air, drainage is also good.

In order to control the soil temperature of the plug tray 3, as shown in FIG. 12, cool air or warm air is blown upward from the air duct 24 which is provided below the plug tray mount 1, so that the plug tray 3 is suspended in the air. Because it is located in, it is blown with cold or warm air directly.

When the ventilation duct 24 is installed in the bottom surface irrigation pool 15 as shown in FIG. 13, the surrounding area is surrounded by the bottom surface irrigation pool 15, so that cold air or warm air does not escape to the outside efficiently. To be sprayed.

[0038]

As described above, in the plug tray transfer apparatus of the present invention, the plug tray moves on the rail while being placed on the frame, and a plurality of plug trays move at the same time. It is possible to move without moving the equipment to the process equipment, and it is not necessary to carry out manual transloading work, which saves labor. In addition, the plug tray is directly supported in a suspended state on the pedestal, and bottom watering can be performed in this state, so the water drains well,
It can prevent the generation of straight roots, promote the formation of root pots, and improve the quality of seedlings.

[0039] By attaching a lighting stand which is equipped with a lighting tool on the upper part of the plug tray stand, it can be easily illuminated when artificial seedling lighting is required for the seedlings. For example, a chamber between a germination room and a curing room can be provided. Can be shared and operational efficiency can be improved.

The plug tray mount and the lighting mount are not only capable of stacking the plug tray mount by providing wheel stoppers for stacking the plug tray mount on the upper part, but also in the state where the lighting fixture is attached. Stacking is possible and the inside of the chamber can be effectively used.

The wheels are attached to the lower ends of the legs provided at the bottom of the plug tray mount, and a space is formed between the wheels and the lower surface of the plug tray mount. Therefore, a bottom watering pool can be placed in this space. A blower duct can be arranged, and water can be blown or blown while the Bragg tray is placed on a frame and suspended.

By ensuring the levelness of the rails, the entire lower part of the plug tray can be uniformly watered without ensuring the leveling of the bottom irrigation pool, and the bottom irrigation pool and its foundation can be simplified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an embodiment of a plug tray carrying device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an embodiment of the plug tray transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing an embodiment of the plug tray transport device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a plug tray transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention with an illumination stand attached.

FIG. 5 is a front view of an embodiment of the plug tray transport device of the present invention in a state in which an illumination stand is attached.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing an embodiment of the plug tray transport device of the present invention in a state in which an illumination stand is attached.

FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional front view showing the embodiment of the plug tray transfer device of the present invention in which a bottom face irrigation pool is provided.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view showing another example in which a bottom surface irrigation pool showing an embodiment of the plug tray transfer device of the present invention is arranged.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory view showing still another example of the case where the bottom surface irrigation pool showing the embodiment of the plug tray transfer device of the present invention is provided.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing the embodiment of the plug tray transfer device of the present invention in a state where the plug tray is housed in the chamber as the germination chamber.

FIG. 11 is a front view of the plug tray transfer device according to the embodiment of the present invention in a state where the plug tray is housed in a chamber as a curing chamber.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing an embodiment of a plug tray carrying device of the present invention in a state where a ventilation duct is arranged.

FIG. 13 is a side view of another example of a state in which a ventilation duct is provided, showing an embodiment of the plug tray transport device of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Plug tray mount 1a ... Frame 2 ... Crossbar 3 ... Plug tray 4 ... Leg 5 ... Wheel 6 ... Rail 7 ... Lighting mount mounting hole 8 ... Wheel locking part 9 ... Foundation 10 ... Strut 11 ... Lighting mount 12 ... Reflector 13 ... Fluorescent light 14 ... Seedling 15 ... Bottom watering pool 16 ... Water tank 17 ... Water supply pump 18 ... Water supply pipe 19 ... Drain pipe 20 ... Solenoid valve 21 ... Ramp 22 ... Elevator 23 ... Chamber 24 ... Air duct

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Makoto Seto 2-1-1, Tobita-ryu, Chofu-shi, Tokyo Kashima Construction Co., Ltd. Technical Research Laboratory (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Sakai 1-2-7 Moto-Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo No. Kashima Construction Co., Ltd.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A plug tray transporting device, comprising: a wheel for traveling on a rail, which is provided below a plug tray base constituted by a frame body in which a plurality of plug trays are arranged side by side and are supported in a suspended state. 2. The plug tray carrier according to claim 1, wherein the plug tray mount is provided with a lighting mount to which a lighting fixture is attached in a detachable manner on an upper part thereof. 3. The plug tray transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the plug tray mount and the illumination mount are each provided with a wheel locking portion for stacking the plug tray mount on the upper part thereof. 4. The plug tray transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the wheel is attached to a lower end of a leg provided at a lower portion of the plug tray mount, and a space is formed between the wheel and a lower surface of the plug tray mount. 5. The plug tray transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the rail is laid so as to ensure horizontality.