JPS58152418A - Plant cultivating apparatus equipped with weight measuring device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a plant growing device using a nutrient solution, and particularly to a large-scale vegetable production factory that performs three-dimensional movement cultivation.

The three-dimensional moving plant cultivation device 11tri has been researched in Europe, the United States, and Japan, but there are devices manufactured by Lutner and General Mills that have been put into practical use on a large scale in the form of production factories. With three-dimensional movement cultivation using Lutner's equipment,
For example, it is known from patent publications such as Japanese Patent Publication No. 43-8699.

Using three-dimensional mobile cultivation equipment such as those made by Lutner, crops were cultivated using predetermined environmental control methods, and harvest timing and cultivation management were conducted through inspections. Therefore, there were the following drawbacks.

(1) The cultivation environment is controlled by open-loop control, that is, by a predetermined control block, and the growth rate of the plants is not objectively determined, making stable cultivation impossible.

(2) Especially in plant factories that use sunlight, the growth rate fluctuates, so there is a large variation in weight because the focus has been on inspections or sample measurements to determine the appropriate weight for shipping.

(3) Regarding item (2), if the harvested weight exceeds the target weight, it is a waste of energy, and if the harvested weight falls short of the target weight, there is a risk of losing commercial value in the market.

(4) During the cultivation period, workers were not allowed to take vacations even if it was not the day of harvest.

An object of the present invention is to stabilize production by implementing feedback environment control that captures the growth rate of plants by introducing a plant-type IT measuring device into a three-dimensional moving cultivation device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation device that can objectively determine the harvest time, improve color, and save labor and energy.

In a three-dimensional moving cultivation device, plants are usually moved in two directions, vertically and horizontally, and circulated within the factory in order to increase the density of cultivation. This helps to homogenize the environment and promote growth.

Weight measuring devices themselves have been around for a very long time, but the background of the present invention is that moving plants must be automatically measured.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a three-dimensionally movable plant cultivation device for leafy vegetables. The plants are grown in 11 10 u pots. Pots 11 are installed in nine hanging baskets 12. The hanging basket 12fl is attached to the chain 13. The chain 13 is attached to the gear 14, and the gear 14
The chain 13 moves in the direction of the arrow by driving and rotating one of the chains with a motor (Ml) 15. This causes the plants to move three-dimensionally.

There is a nutrient tank 16 at the bottom, and plants can be placed in pots while being moved.
Each liter is soaked in the nutrient solution 17. The weight measuring device 18 used in the device of the present invention is installed in the middle of a vertically descending line.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the hanging basket 12 and the chain 13. The hanging basket 12 is hung on a pin 20 attached to a chain 13.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the pot 11.

Pot 11K [A cover 30 is placed on it, and a hole 31 is made in the cover 30, in which a plant is planted and supported. Since the cover 30 is not fixed, it can be easily lifted up and down. (Bots) No. 11 contains nutrient solution.

Since there is a side hole 32, excess nutrient solution is dripped off during movement. Therefore, at the time of weight measurement, the amount of remaining nutrient solution in the container 11 is small, and by simply lifting the cover 30 a little, the roots of the plants and the nutrient solution can be separated.

In this embodiment, by separating the pot 11 and the cover 30, the weight of the plant is measured together with the cover. In the mobile cultivation of plants, it can be expected that almost the same effect will be obtained when the plants are constantly moved at a constant speed and when they are moved intermittently. Therefore, in this embodiment, a weight measuring device is inserted between the bollard 11 and the cover 30 to measure the weight of the plant together with the cover 30 while the chain is not moving.

FIG. 4 is a diagram to clearly explain the sequence of such operations. (a) shows a state in which the U-chain 13 has stopped at a specific position and the self-propelled weight measuring device 18 has started moving.

In the same figure (b), the self-propelled weight measuring device 18 is attached to the arm 411! I
- The tube is shown placed directly under the cover 30 and stopped. The same figure (C) 111 shows a state in which the cover 30 and the pot 11 are separated by a slight movement of the chain 13. By measuring the weight load applied to the arm 41 in this state, the weight of the plant including the cover is measured. FIG. 4(d) shows a state in which the weight load on the arm 41 is returned to zero by the chain 13 moving a little in the opposite direction to the normal movement direction. FIG. 4(e) shows a state in which the self-propelled weight measuring device 18 has retreated and the chain 13 has started normal movement.

The above is a brief explanation of the operation of the device of the present invention.

A control mechanism for realizing this operation will be explained below.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the self-propelled weight measuring device. The cart on which the measuring instrument is mounted is mounted on wheels 52 that move on rails 51, and the wheels 52 are driven by a motor (M2) 53. A protruding rod 54 is provided under the cart, and when a limit switch (LM4) 55 is pressed, the motor (M2) 53 is stopped.
The arm 41 is set at an appropriate position directly below the cover 30. As shown in the figure, the limit switch 55 is fixed to the base between the rails. Another limit switch (LM5) 56 is installed to stop the weight measuring device at a proper position when it finishes measuring and retreats.

The above two limit switches are used to control the start and stop of the weight measuring device.

Although the mechanism itself for detecting the electrical load applied to the arm 41 is not directly the gist of the present invention, an example of its configuration is shown in FIG. A balance peg 42' is attached to the opposite side of the arm 410 and attached to the bottle 43 so that it can rotate in the axial direction of the bottle. The tensile force applied perpendicularly to the bottle 43 is converted into an electrical signal by the load cell 44 .

When employing such a balance mechanism, it is necessary to securely secure the entire weight measuring device to a rail or a base.

As shown in FIG. 7, an electromagnet 71 is attached to the weight measuring device 18. When the weight measuring device stops at a fixed position, the electromagnet 71 works and attracts the contact piece 72. The armature 72 is connected to a fixed base via armatures 73, 74 by a hinge mechanism. FIG. 7 (4 indicates φ when the electromagnet does not work) shows the case when the t magnet works. Such a mechanism prevents the weighing device from moving in the direction of travel.

As explained in FIG. 1184, in this embodiment, accurate position control is required in the movement of the chain. 8th
The figure shows the signal generation mechanism for accurately moving the chain. Three gears 80, 81, and 82 are attached concentrically to one shaft of the gear 140 on which the chain is attached. The gear 80 has a protrusion that generates a signal every time it reaches a position corresponding to the position shown in Fig. 4 (C) and (d). .

The signal is generated by the protrusion of the gear pushing up the movable contact 83.
This is realized by electrically conducting with the fixed contact 84. LMl iso point mechanism compatible with gears 80, 81, 82
, LM2. Let's call it LM3.

Contact mechanisms LMI to LM3 and limit switch LM4.
FIG. 9 shows a circuit configuration that uses the output signal of LM5 to control the chain and weight measuring device drive motors M1 and M2. The read-only memory 90 provides the contents of the address indicated by the address register 91 to the output register 92. The output register 92 consists of 10 bits, and from the left is the normal rotation of the motor M1.

A command bit that commands reverse rotation, forward rotation of motor M2, and reverse rotation;
The determination bits for determining the ON-OFF state of LMI to LM5 and the end E of weight measurement are shown. The signal E for determining whether the weight measurement has ended is a pulse signal generated by the arm 41 pushing up the cover 30, entering the measurement state, starting the timer, and elapsed time. used.

When the output register 920 judgment bit is logic @1, it means that it is time to judge LM and E, and the contact mechanisms LMI to LM3 correspond to the 1 judgment bit.
．． When the output signal of the limit switches LM4 and LM5 or the signal E indicating the end of the weight scale side is received, the AND gate 93 and the OR gate 94 provided corresponding to each determination bit are activated.
Due to the action of

The pulse of the pulse generator 95 is sent to the address register 91 as 4.
Can be seen. The address register 91U has a counter structure, and the next address is specified by a pulse from the pulse generator 95, which causes the read-only memory 900 to
The contents of the next address are read.

If the output signals of LMI to LM5 and signal E do not come in response to the judgment bit, the address register 91 will not be updated, so the contents of the output register 92 will remain unchanged.
The same control state is maintained.

In this way, the contents of the read-only memory are read out one after another, but since it is necessary to return to the initial state if the control state 0 is delayed to a certain step, a circuit 96 is provided to detect the final zone and reset the address register. do.

FIG. 10 shows the contents of the ninth read-only memory 90 for executing the sequence shown in FIG. 4. At address θ, there is a command bit that commands forward rotation of motor M1 and contact mechanism L.
The MI judgment bit is logic 1. That is 01
At one point, the gear 14 is rotated in the normal direction by the motor M1, and the chain moves in the normal direction. However, when the motor LMI is turned on, it moves to address 1. In this lII location, motor M1
The command bit for both forward and reverse rotation is logic 10#.
Therefore, the motor MIU is stopped (corresponding to 941g(a)). In other words, the chain 13 is stopped when a signal is generated from the contact mechanism LMI. In addition, in the first position, the command bit that commands forward rotation of the motor M2 and the judgment bit of the limit switch LM4 are logic @1'', so the motor M2 moves the regulator 18 at the foot position 1. 4 (corresponding to Fig. 4 (b)), a signal is generated from the limit switch LM4 when the chain is moved to the normal position, and the process moves to the second position. At the second position, the motor M1 is rotated forward again, and the contact mechanism moves the chain in the normal direction. It is moved to the position where the signal is generated from LM2 (corresponding to FIG. 4(C)).The three positions are in the weight measurement state and wait for the measurement end signal Et.At position 48, the motor M1 is reversed, The chain 13 is moved in the opposite direction to the position where a signal is generated from the contact mechanism LM3 (corresponding to FIG. 4(d)).
is reversed and 1 weight measuring device 18 is switched to limit switch LM5.
(Fig. 4<e)
). Thus, the series of sequences ends. After No. 5, return to 0 incense area again and measure the weight of the plant in the next pot.

In this example, the weight of the plant including the pot cover was measured, but since the weight of the cover and the objects attached to it can be accurately determined in advance, it is easy to determine only the weight of the plant.

Although this embodiment assumes a structure in which the pot and cover can be separated, it is clear that the present invention can also be easily applied to a structure in which the pot and cover are integrated.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the chain movement is adopted, but even if the chain is constantly moving at a constant speed, it is sufficient to control the movement of one weighing device along the moving direction of all chains. The present invention can also be easily applied.

Furthermore, although leaf vegetables were targeted in this embodiment, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to plant factories for fruit vegetables, since fruit vegetables are morphologically the same as leaf vegetables in the early stages of growth.

According to the invention, the weight of plants can be measured accurately and automatically, making it possible to control the environment according to the growth level of plants, stabilizing production volume, and facilitating cultivation and harvest planning. can stand on. In other words, the delay and progress of growth can be determined objectively, making it possible to adjust temperature and fertilization depending on the progress of growth.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to accurately equalize the weight at the time of harvesting, and the commercial value increases.

Furthermore, conventional judgments at the time of harvesting have been based on experience, and as a result, there has been a variation of about 0.1% in the weight of harvested products. Kon
Since this can be considered as a waste of energy, the present invention is also effective in terms of energy saving.

Moreover, according to the present invention, the degree of growth can be recorded automatically.
There is no need for workers to constantly monitor the plants, and labor-saving effects can be expected.

The front mechanism of the plant cultivation bottle chain is
This is a diagram showing the contents of the memory in FIG. 9.

10... Cultivated plant, 11... Cultivated pot, 12...
・Hanging basket, 13...chain+, 14...gear, 1
8... Weight measurement No. 1 Fig. 14 Fig. 3 Fig. VJ 4 Fig. 51 yen] (α) (櫨) Procedural amendment (method) + 31 indications 1982 patent application No. 33857 Name of invention Weight measuring device Person who corrects plant cultivation equipment equipped with
Tokoro 1' Old table:, IJI Katsu Shigeyo
``Chart showing human appearance'' should be amended to ``Diagram for explaining the content of operations.''

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plant cultivation device for cultivating while moving the entire plant three-dimensionally, which has a weight measuring device that moves by itself in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the plant, and the weight measuring device moves in accordance with the movement of the plant. A plant cultivation device equipped with a weight measuring device that measures the weight of the plant as a percentage by controlling movement.