TW201944890A - Hydroponic cultivation device capable of performing hydroponic cultivation using deep flow technology without a liquid supply pipe and a drain pipe provided to each of the mounted cultivation containers - Google Patents

Abstract

The subject of this invention is to provide a hydroponic cultivation device that is capable of performing hydroponic cultivation using deep flow technology without a liquid supply pipe and a drain pipe provided to each of the mounted cultivation containers. A hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention can store a culture solution and mount a plurality of cultivation containers (1) in which crops are planted. The hydroponic cultivation device is at least provided with a conveyance assembly (33, 34). Each of the conveyance assemblies (33, 34) is arranged in the hydroponic cultivation device in a freely movable manner and is used to move the cultivation container (1) along a predetermined path in the hydroponic cultivation device. Each of the conveyance assemblies (33, 34) is provided with a supply/discharge unit (61) having a liquid supply pipe (62) for supplying culture solution to the cultivation container (1) and a drain pipe (63) for recycling the culture solution from the cultivation container (1).

Description

Hydroponic cultivation device

The present invention relates to a hydroponic cultivation device for hydroponic cultivation of crops such as vegetables.

Hydroponic cultivation is a cultivation method in which a root of a crop is immersed in a liquid (culture liquid) in which a fertilizer is dissolved in water to grow the crop. Hydroponic cultivation is easy to control the growth environment of crops, so it is widely used in vegetable factories that plan to produce vegetables.

As an example of a hydroponic cultivation device that performs hydroponic cultivation, there is an apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-127711 (Patent Document 1). This hydroponic cultivation device includes a plurality of cultivation containers (troughs) formed in an elongated rectangular shape, and a crop is planted in each cultivation container. The hydroponic cultivation device is configured such that the cultivation container loaded can move in the short-side direction of the cultivation container. In the hydroponic cultivation device, a plurality of cultivation containers are arranged in parallel to each other, and the interval between the cultivation containers is adjusted in accordance with the growth of the crop.

The hydroponic cultivation device described in Patent Document 1 has a configuration in which a culture liquid is continuously flowed in each cultivation container. Therefore, the hydroponic cultivation device described in Patent Document 1 is configured to supply culture liquid to the cultivation container from a liquid supply pipe provided on one end side of each cultivation container, and is located on a wall on the other end side of each cultivation container. The part can discharge the culture liquid from the inside of the container. The culture fluid discharged from each cultivation container is recovered through the drainage storage tank.
[Prior technical literature]
[Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-127711

[Technical problem to be solved by the invention]

As one of the hydroponic cultivation methods, there is a deep flow technique. In the deep liquid flow hydroponic technology, the culture liquid does not flow in the cultivation container at any time, but is stored in the cultivation container. Since the cultivated crops absorb the fertilizer of the culture solution, the culture solution in the cultivation container may deteriorate over time. Therefore, in the case of deep-flow hydroponic technology, the culture solution stored in the cultivation container must be appropriately replaced.

In the hydroponic cultivation device described in Patent Document 1, when hydroponic cultivation is carried out using deep-flow hydroponic technology, the following changes are made: each cultivation container is configured to store the culture liquid, and is provided for The drain of the culture liquid collected by the cultivation container corresponds to the drain of each cultivation container. However, in the hydroponic cultivation apparatus of the deep-flow hydroponic technology, the liquid supply pipe and the drain pipe corresponding to each cultivation container may cause the hydroponic cultivation apparatus to have an excessive function. This is because the pair of liquid supply pipes and drain pipes provided have no effect except when supplying and / or discharging the culture liquid corresponding to the pair of cultivation containers. In addition, in the case where the hydroponic cultivation device is provided with a pair of a liquid supply pipe and a drainage pipe corresponding to each cultivation container, it is necessary to have a moving mechanism for moving a position corresponding to the corresponding cultivation container corresponding to each of these pairs, Therefore, the structure of the hydroponic cultivation device becomes complicated, and the manufacturing cost of the device increases.

The present invention aims to solve the aforementioned problems, and provides a hydroponic cultivation device, which is provided in a hydroponic cultivation device capable of loading a plurality of cultivation containers, and does not need to provide a liquid supply pipe and a drainage pipe corresponding to each cultivation container. It is possible to perform hydroponic cultivation using deep-flow hydroponic technology.

[Technical solution to solve the problem]

The hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention is: a hydroponic cultivation device capable of storing culture liquid and capable of loading a plurality of cultivation containers in which crops are planted; characterized in that: it has: at least one transporting component and is used for walking It is installed in the hydroponic cultivation device in a free form, and is used to move each of the plurality of cultivation containers along a predetermined path in the hydroponic cultivation device. Each of the at least one transporting unit is provided with a supply and discharge unit. The drain unit includes a liquid supply tube that releases the culture liquid, and a liquid discharge tube that sucks the culture liquid.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, each of the at least one transporting unit is provided with an elongated storage tank portion, and a partition member is provided vertically on the bottom surface of the storage tank portion along the length direction of the storage tank portion. One end of the partition member is connected to one end wall of the storage tank portion, and one end of the partition member is separated from the other end wall of the storage tank portion.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, the supply and discharge unit is configured in a first state capable of being erected in the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe, and a first state in which the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are lying horizontally. Switch between 2 states.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, each of the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe is configured to be capable of moving in a vertical direction and rotatable about a vertical axis when the supply and discharge unit is in the first state.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, each of the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe is bent or buckled, and when the supply and discharge unit is in the first state, an opening at a front end of the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge The opening at the front end of the tube faces downward.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, the supply and discharge unit is configured to switch between the first state and the second state by rotating around a horizontal rotation axis, and the supply and discharge unit is in the second state. In the state, the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are arranged along a vertical plane orthogonal to the rotation axis.

In the hydroponic cultivation device according to the present invention, when the supply and discharge unit is in the second state, the tube axis of the liquid supply pipe and the tube axis of the liquid discharge pipe are arranged in substantially the same plane.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are separated from the cultivation container in which the culture liquid is replaced by the supply and discharge unit along the predetermined path, and the supply and discharge unit is Switching between the first state and the second state.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, after the supply / discharge unit is switched from the second state to the first state, a transporting unit of the supply / discharge unit is provided, and the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are connected to each other. It moves close to the cultivation container in which the said culture liquid was replaced.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, after the conveying unit provided with the supply and discharge unit moves the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe so as to approach the cultivation container in which the culture liquid is replaced, the installation unit provided with the The holding mechanism provided in the transport unit of the supply / discharge unit holds the cultivation container for replacing the culture liquid.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, after the transport unit provided with the supply / discharge unit moves the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe so as to approach the cultivation container in which the culture liquid is replaced, the liquid supply The tube and the drain tube are rotated, and the opening at the front end of the liquid supply tube and the opening at the front end of the drain tube are arranged above the cultivation container for replacing the culture liquid.

In the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention, the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are rotated, and the opening of the front end of the liquid supply pipe and the opening of the front end of the liquid discharge pipe are arranged to replace the culture liquid. After growing the container, the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are lowered.

[Effect of the invention]

According to the hydroponic cultivation apparatus of the present invention, a supply unit having a liquid supply pipe for supplying a culture liquid to the cultivation container and a liquid discharge pipe for recovering the culture liquid from the cultivation container are provided in the carrying unit for moving the cultivation container. The supply and discharge unit can be used to supply and recover the culture liquid to each cultivation container loaded in the hydroponic cultivation device. In addition, by moving the supply / discharge unit using the conveyance unit, the configuration of the hydroponic cultivation device can be simplified compared to a case where a moving mechanism of the supply / discharge unit which is a separate entity from the conveyance unit is provided.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a hydroponic cultivation device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of the hydroponic cultivation device.

The hydroponic cultivation device according to this embodiment is a hydroponic grower who performs crops based on the deep-water flow hydroponic technology. The crop system cultivated by the hydroponic cultivation device is planted in a cultivation container 1, and a cultivation liquid that provides nutrition for the crop is stored in the cultivation container 1. The hydroponic cultivation device is capable of loading a plurality of cultivation containers 1 and includes: a container transporting means 3 for transporting the cultivation container 1 loaded in the hydroponic cultivation device in the hydroponic cultivation device; and a culture liquid supply and discharge means 6, The cultivation liquid is supplied to the cultivation container 1 and / or the cultivation liquid is recovered from the cultivation container 1; and the illumination means 8 is used to irradiate the photosynthetic light to the crops planted in the cultivation container 1.

The cultivation container 1 loaded in the hydroponic cultivation device is introduced into the hydroponic cultivation device from the introduction unit 21 in a state where a seedling of a crop is planted in advance. The position of the cultivation container 1 in the hydroponic cultivation device is appropriately changed along a predetermined movement path from the introduction portion 21 to the extraction portion 22 in accordance with the growth of the crops planted in the cultivation container 1. The planted crop grows to a shipping container 1 and is taken out from the extraction unit 22 to the outside of the hydroponic cultivation device. The hydroponic cultivation device of this embodiment has a two-layer structure. After the cultivation container 1 is introduced from the introduction portion 21 to the lower layer, it is moved to the upper layer and taken out from the extraction portion 22.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the cultivation container 1, and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the cultivation container 1 cut through the plane taken along the line A-A shown in Fig. 3 and viewed from the direction of the arrow. The cultivation container 1 includes an elongated rectangular storage tank portion 11 and a lid portion 12 detachably disposed on the upper side of the storage tank portion 11. Positioning grooves 13 along the short-side direction are formed at both ends of the storage tank portion 11. The positioning grooves 13 are used to restrict the position of the cultivation container 1 of the hydroponic cultivation device. A plurality of holes 14 (six in the present embodiment) are formed in the lid portion 12 in the longitudinal direction of the cultivation container 1, and the sleeve 15 corresponding to each hole 14 faces inward from the back of the lid portion 12. Extending out. Each sleeve 15 is used to support a crop, and the crop is inserted into the sleeve 15 so that the root portion protrudes from the lower end of the sleeve 15 and enters the space in the storage tank portion 11. In FIG. 3, the crop lines arranged in the fourth hole 14 from the front are shown by dotted lines. In the drawings, in addition to the illustration of the crop in FIG. 3, the illustration of the crop planted in each cultivation container 1 is omitted, so please pay attention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the storage tank portion 11 of the cultivation container 1. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a plate-shaped partition member 16 is provided vertically on the bottom surface of the storage tank portion 11 along the longitudinal direction of the storage tank portion 11. The partition member 16 is provided so that the bottom surface of the tank part 11 may be divided almost equally. One end of the partition member 16 is connected to one end wall of the storage tank portion 11, but the other end of the partition member 16 is separated from the other end wall of the storage tank portion 11. As shown in FIG. 3, both ends of the lid portion 12 installed in the storage tank portion 11 are separated from the both end walls of the storage tank portion 11 and can contact the inside of the cultivation container 1 from both ends of the cultivation container 1. space.

In FIG. 4, the culture solution stored in the cultivation container 1 is shown by a dotted line. The culture liquid system is accumulated to such an extent that the liquid surface S does not exceed the upper end of the partition member 16. The crops cultivated by the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention are, for example, vegetables such as lettuce or spinach. However, the crops cultivated by the hydroponic cultivation device of the present invention are not limited to vegetables, but also plants such as flowers or foliage plants. can. The culture liquid used for cultivating crops is an aqueous solution using, for example, inorganic elements containing inorganic nitrogen (ammonia nitrogen or nitrate nitrogen), phosphoric acid, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and the like as fertilizers, and contains a suitable solution for the cultivated crops. Fertilizer broth. Since the hydroponic cultivation of the crop is performed using the deep-water hydroponic cultivation technique, the culture liquid system loaded in the cultivation container 1 of the hydroponic cultivation device is appropriately replaced. The replacement of the culture solution will be described later.

Referring again to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the illumination means 8 of the hydroponic cultivation device is a plurality of light sources 81 arranged separately from the (horizontal) length direction (indicated by arrow B in FIG. 1) of the hydroponic cultivation device (The number of the light sources 81 in the present embodiment is ten). In this embodiment, each light source 81 is an elongated LED (light-emitting diode) lamp arranged along the (horizontal) mechanical width or short-side direction (indicated by arrow C in FIG. 1) of the hydroponic cultivation device. The frame 23 is fixed so as to irradiate light from below. The frame 23 forms a skeleton of the hydroponic cultivation device, and supports various constituent elements included in the hydroponic cultivation device. In this embodiment, the frame 23 is configured by combining a plurality of pipes. The crops planted in the cultivation container 1 arranged below the hydroponic cultivation device are grown by receiving light from the light source 81 for photosynthesis.

The container transporting means 3 of the hydroponic cultivation device includes a pair of first guide rods 31 and a pair of second guide rods 32 provided along the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device. The pair of first guide rods 31 are separated in the machine width direction C, are parallel and horizontal, and are arranged at the same height. The first guide rods 31 define the lower layer of the hydroponic cultivation device and define a part of the movement path of the cultivation container 1. A second guide rod 32 is disposed above each of the first guide rods 31 in parallel with the first guide rod 31. The pair of second guide rods 32 are separated from each other in the machine width direction C, are parallel and horizontal, and are arranged at the same height. They define the upper layer of the hydroponic cultivation device and a part of the movement path of the cultivation container 1.

In this embodiment, the introduction portion 21 of the hydroponic cultivation device is formed along the length of the hydroponic cultivation device by the ends of the pair of first guide rods 31 and the lower side of each of the first guide rods 31. It is defined by the end of the pipe 23a arranged horizontally in the direction B. The two tubes 23a are arranged in parallel and at the same height. These pipes 23 a may form a part of the frame 23. One end of the front side of each first guide rod 31 is located on the inner side by the width of the cultivation container 1 with respect to one end of the pipe 23a disposed on the lower side thereof. When a new cultivation container 1 is introduced into a hydroponic cultivation apparatus, the operator supports the cultivation container 1 at the ends of a pair of pipes 23a, and the ends of a pair of first guide rods 31 are fitted to The cultivation container 1 is configured such that a part of the groove 13 is positioned in the cultivation container 1. For example, a mark (not shown) specifying the position of the cultivation container 1 is added to the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device at the end of the current side of each pipe 23a, and the operator arranges the cultivation container 1 in accordance with the symbol.

One end wall of the cultivation container 1 is provided with an IC tag (not shown) in which information about the cultivation container 1 (for example, the ID number of the cultivation container 1 and the type of crops to be planted) is stored. Nearby, a reader (not shown) for reading the data of the IC tag, and a controller (not shown) connected to the reader for communication are provided. When a new cultivation container 1 is placed in the introduction unit 21, the data read from its IC tag is sent to the controller and stored together with the date and time when the cultivation container 1 was introduced.

The container transporting means 3 of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus includes a first transporting module 33 and a second transporting module 34 installed so as to be able to walk freely along the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus. The first conveyance unit 33 is used to move or convey the cultivation container 1 arranged in the lower layer, and the second conveyance unit 34 is used to move or convey the cultivation container 1 arranged in the upper layer. The container transporting means 3 further includes a lifter 35. The lifter 35 is provided on the opposite sides of the introduction section 21 and the extraction section 22 to move the cultivation container 1 from the lower layer to the upper layer. 1 and 2 show a case where the first conveyance unit 33 and the second conveyance unit 34 are arranged near the lifter 35. In addition, in FIG. 2, the case where the 1st conveyance module 33 and the 2nd conveyance module 34 are located in another position is shown by the broken line.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the first conveyance unit 33 viewed from the introduction portion 21 side, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the first conveyance unit 33 viewed from the lifter 35 side. The first conveyance unit 33 includes a substantially rectangular plate-like base member 41, a pair of arm portions 42 rotatably provided on the base member 41, and an arm driving portion 43 that drives the arm portions 42. In the hydroponic cultivation device, the short-side direction of the base member 41 is arranged so as to coincide with the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device, and the longitudinal direction of the base member 41 is in the machine width direction of the hydroponic cultivation device. C is configured in a consistent manner. The pair of arm portions 42 and the arm driving portion 43 constitute a holding mechanism that holds the cultivation container 1 when the cultivation container 1 is moved or transported.

A pair of rollers 44 and 45 that roll on the frame 23 of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus are provided at respective lower ends of the base member 41 so as to be separated in the short-side direction of the base member 41. The rollers 44 and 45 are configured to be rotatable around a rotation axis in the longitudinal direction of the base member 41. A pair of rollers 44 provided at one end of the base member 41 are respectively formed with R grooves in the circumferential direction, and the R grooves are pipes constituting the frame 23 of the hydroponic cultivation device, and are fitted to the hydroponic cultivation device The pipe arranged in the longitudinal direction B restricts movement of the base member 41 along the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus. In the present embodiment, a pair of rollers 45 provided at the other end of the base member 41 each have a cylindrical outer peripheral surface, and the rollers 45 are provided along a pipe fitting parallel to the roller 44 (composition The pipe of frame 23) rolls.

The lower surface of the base member 41 of the first conveyance unit 33 is fixed to a pair of chains 46. Each chain 46 spans between a sprocket (not shown) provided on the introduction part 21 side of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus and a sprocket (not shown) provided on the lifter 35 side in a ring shape. The two sprocket wheels provided on the side of the lifter 35 are fixed to a common rotating shaft body (not shown) provided along the machine width direction C of the hydroponic cultivation device, and the rotating shaft system is connected to the first rotating shaft system. A drive motor (not shown) that the transport unit 33 travels. This drive motor rotates forward and backward, whereby the first conveyance unit 33 can move toward the introduction portion 21 or the lifter 35 in the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device.

The two arm portions 42 are arranged so as to be separated from each other in the longitudinal direction of the base member 41. A shaft body 47 is fixed to the base end of each arm portion 42 along the short-side direction of the base member 41. The shaft body 47 is pivotally supported by a pair of support members erected on one of the base members 41, and each arm portion 42 rotates around a rotation axis passing through the shaft body 47. Each arm portion 42 is provided with a pair of plate members 48 separated from each other in the short-side direction of the base member 41. The pair of plate members 48 of each arm portion 42 are arranged so as to be separated from the width of the cultivation container 1, that is, the distance between the side surfaces of the storage tank portion 11 of the cultivation container 1. In FIGS. 6 and 7, the guide surfaces on the inner side of the plate 48 formed in each arm portion 42 are shown. These guide surfaces expand in a tapered shape toward the upper edge of the plate 48 and, as described later, when each arm portion 42 is switched to the upright state, these guide surfaces function, thereby making the cultivation container 1 Smoothly enter between the plates 48.

The arm driving section 43 includes a driving motor 51 and a connecting mechanism 52 that connects the driving motor 51 and each of the arm sections 42 and transmits a driving force from the driving motor 51 to each of the arm sections 42. The coupling mechanism 52 includes a first rotary shaft body 53 (see FIG. 7) that rotates forward and reverse by the forward and reverse rotation of the drive motor 51, and a second rotary shaft body (not shown) that rotates in the reverse direction with the rotary shaft body 53. Icon). The first rotating shaft body 53 is connected to a pulley of the shaft body 47 fixed to the arm portion 42 shown on the left side in FIG. 7 through a timing belt (not shown). The second rotating shaft body is connected to a pulley of the shaft body 47 fixed to the arm portion 42 shown on the right side in FIG. 7 through a timing belt (not shown). These timing belts constitute a part of the connecting mechanism 52.

In FIGS. 6 and 7, the two arm portions 42 are in a standby state, and each of the arm portions 42 is in a posture of lying sideways along the upper surface of the base member 41. For example, when the drive motor 51 is actuated and the first rotary shaft body 53 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 7, the arm portion 42 shown on the left side in FIG. 7 also rotates counterclockwise about the rotation axis passing through the shaft body 47, and the arm The section 42 stands up. In addition, at the same time, when the second rotating shaft body rotates clockwise, the arm portion 42 shown on the right side in FIG. 7 also rotates clockwise around the rotation axis passing through the shaft body 47, and the arm portion 42 stands up.

In a state where the arm portions 42 of the first conveyance unit 33 are arranged almost directly below the cultivation container 1, the two arm portions 42 are rotated from the standby state by about 90 degrees to switch to the upright state, whereby the cultivation container 1 will be partially It enters between the plate materials 48 of each arm part 42 (refer FIG. 13 and FIG. 14). In this state, the first conveyance unit 33 moves along the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device, thereby being pressed by any one of the plate members 48 of the arm portions 42, and the cultivation container 1 moves. The cultivation container 1 is slid on the tube 23a while being guided by the pair of first guide rods 31. When the cultivation container 1 reaches the designated position, the first conveyance unit 33 stops, and the two arm portions 42 return to the standby state from the erected state. In the present invention, it is to be noted that the holding mechanism of the first conveyance module 33 is not limited to this embodiment, and any form of holding mechanism capable of conveying the cultivation container 1 by the first conveyance module 33 can be used.

1 and 2, a first stage 24 for placing a cultivation container 1 to be mounted on the hydroponic cultivation apparatus is installed near the introduction section 21 of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus. A first button group 25 is provided on the side of the first stage 24 for the operator to operate the first conveyance unit 33. The operator picks up the cultivation container 1 placed on the first table 24, and fits a part of each positioning groove 13 of the cultivation container 1 to the front end of the corresponding first guide rod 31, so that the cultivation container 1 is fitted. It is placed on the end of the pipe 23a. As described above, the position of the cultivation container 1 is matched to the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus based on the symbol added to the pipe 23a as a reference. At this time, the cultivation container 1 is arranged on the introduction portion 21 such that the end wall of the storage tank portion 11 connected to the partition member 16 is positioned at a predetermined side (on the right side in FIG. 1) with respect to the machine width direction C. The hydroponic cultivation device is provided with restriction means (not shown) for designating or restricting the direction of the cultivation container 1 inserted between the first guide rods 31. For example, the outside of the end wall connected to the partition member 16 and the outside of the tank portion 11 around the end wall are colored with a predetermined color (for example, red) indicating that the end is connected to the partition member 16 so that the operator The side having the end wall connected to the partition member 16 can be visually grasped. The pipe 23a and / or the first guide rod 31 located on a predetermined side (on the right side in FIG. 1) are also colored in the same color. The operator arranges the cultivation container 1 so that the end of the cultivation container 1 to which a predetermined color is added is adjacent to the tube 23a and / or the first guide rod 31 to which the same color is added.

When the operator presses a predetermined button included in the first button group 25, the controller activates a motor that drives the first conveying unit 33, whereby the first conveying unit 33 to be hit will move toward the introduction portion 21 and the arm 42 is stopped so that it may be located just below the cultivation container 1. After that, the arm portion 42 is switched from the stand-by state to the erected state as described above, thereby being arranged so that the plate 48 of the arm portion 42 sandwiches or holds the cultivation container 1. Then, the controller operates the motor again, whereby the first conveyance unit 33 moves away from the introduction portion 21. When the cultivation container 1 reaches the designated position, the controller stops the motor driving the first conveyance unit 33. Then, the arm portion 42 returns to the standby state from the erected state. The position of the first conveyance unit 33 in the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device is based on a signal transmitted from an encoder (not shown) provided on a rotating shaft body connected to a motor driving the first conveyance unit 33. Distinguished by the controller.

By repeating the steps described above, a plurality of cultivation containers 1 can be introduced into the hydroponic cultivation apparatus, and for example, the cultivated crops can be introduced into the hydroponic cultivation apparatus in batch units. The first conveyance unit 33 operates as described above, whereby the group of the cultivation containers 1 in which the crops with the earliest introduction time are planted are arranged on the lower side by the introduction portion 21 side. The interval between the cultivation containers 1 is adjusted so that it may become a predetermined pitch.

The second conveying unit 34 is configured to be able to move along the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device under the second guide rod 32 (the hydroponic cultivation device is arranged in the cultivation container 1 on the upper layer of the hydroponic cultivation device). The position in the longitudinal direction B) can be changed using the second conveyance unit 34. The drive mechanism of the second conveyance module 34 and the second conveyance module 34 of the container conveyance means 3 has the same configuration as the first conveyance module 33 and its drive mechanism, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted here.

For example, when a group of crops in a certain batch of cultivation containers 1 is added to the hydroponic cultivation device and a predetermined period (for example, 10 days) has passed, in order to be able to be included in the next batch of crops, it is necessary to change the introduction to hydroponic cultivation Position of the cultivation container 1 of the device. For example, the group corresponding to the most recent batch of cultivation containers 1 arranged on the lower side of the introduction section 21 is moved to the lifter 35 side by performing the aforementioned operation on each cultivation container 1 by the first conveyance unit 33. In the hydroponic cultivation device of this embodiment, before a new batch of cultivation containers 1 is added to the hydroponic cultivation device, all the established cultivation containers 1 will be moved along the movement path of the cultivation container 1 to the take-out section 22. . In this way, each cultivation container 1 loaded in the hydroponic cultivation device moves from the introduction portion 21 side to the extraction portion 22 side in accordance with the growth of a crop planted in the cultivation container 1. The movement of the cultivation container 1 in the hydroponic cultivation device does not need to be instructed by an operator except when the cultivation container 1 is introduced and taken out, and can be automatically controlled by the aforementioned controller.

In FIG. 2, an example is shown in which 12 cultivation containers 1 are arranged in the lower layer and 6 cultivation containers 1 are arranged in the upper layer (the cultivation containers 1 are indicated by dotted lines). In FIG. 2, the six cultivation containers 1 shown on the left side of the lower layer are the first batch of cultivation containers 1 recently introduced. The six cultivation containers 1 shown on the right side of the lower layer are introduced into the second batch of cultivation containers 1 of the hydroponic cultivation device earlier (for example, 10 days ago) than the six cultivation containers 1 shown on the left. . As the work grows, the interval t ₂ between the cultivation containers 1 in the second batch becomes larger than the interval t ₁ between the cultivation containers 1 in the first batch. For example, the distance between the cultivation container 1 in the first batch (in FIG. 2) located at the far right and the cultivation container 1 in the second batch (in FIG. 2) at the far left is the distance t ₁ And the average value of the distance t ₂ or more. In addition, in the second batch (in FIG. 2), the cultivation container 1 located at the far right is arranged on the pair of pipes 23 a and / or the pair of first guide rods 31 so that the crops do not interfere with the lifter 35. It is preferable that the end portion on the side of the lifter 35 is separated from the position of the pitch t ₂ or more.

By using the lifter 35, the cultivation container 1 of the lower stage arrange | positioned between the 1st guide rod 31 can be moved to an upper stage. The lifter 35 includes a lifter portion 54 provided to be able to lift and lower in the vertical direction. The lifter portion 54 is provided with a pair of holding arm portions 55 that are separated from each other in the machine width C direction of the hydroponic cultivation device. The holding arm portions 55 are configured to advance and retreat simultaneously in the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device. A concave receiving portion 56 to which the cultivation container 1 is fitted is formed at the front end of each holding arm portion 55.

The movement of the cultivation container 1 from the lower layer to the upper layer is performed as follows. First, the first conveyance unit 33 is operated, whereby the cultivation container 1 closest to the lifter 35 is arranged at a predetermined position near the lifter 35. At this time, the lifting portion 54 is disposed below the cultivation container 1, and a pair of holding arm portions 55 in the standby state extends toward the introduction portion 21, and the receiving portion 56 located at the front end of each holding arm portion 55 is disposed in the cultivation container 1. Almost directly below. Thereafter, the raising and lowering portion 54 is raised to a predetermined height, whereby the cultivation container 1 is fitted into the receiving portion 56. When the cultivation container 1 is fitted in the receiving portion 56 and the holding arm portion 55 is retracted, the cultivation container 1 is taken out from between the first guide rods 31. When the cultivation container 1 is taken out between the first guide rods 31, the lifting portion 54 is raised. The raising and lowering portion 54 is stopped at a position close to the end portions on the lifter 35 side of the pair of second guide rods 32. Thereafter, the holding arm portion 55 is extended, thereby inserting the cultivation container 1 into the second guide rod 32 so that the second guide rod 32 corresponding to the groove 13 is fitted to each positioning groove 13 of the cultivation container 1. between. After the cultivation container 1 is placed at a predetermined position, the raising and lowering portion 54 is lowered by only a predetermined distance, thereby disengaging the cultivation container 1 from the receiving portion 56 from the holding arm portion 55. After that, the holding arm portion 55 is retracted, and the elevating portion 54 returns to the standby state lower than the first guide rod 31. The second conveyance unit 34 operates, and the new cultivation container 1 disposed between the second guide bars 32 is conveyed to a predetermined position on the upper floor.

In the case where a plurality of cultivation containers 1 are present in the lower layer, a new batch of cultivation containers 1 is introduced into the hydroponic cultivation device. The plurality of cultivation containers 1 disposed on the lower side of the lifter 35 in the lower layer are connected by the first The first conveyance unit 33, the lifter 35, and the second conveyance unit 34 operate as described above and are moved to the upper stage. In the hydroponic cultivation device of this embodiment, the crops planted in the cultivation container 1 in the upper layer corresponding to the light source in the upper layer are grown by receiving sunlight or natural light, for example. In this embodiment, although the crops planted in the cultivation container 1 located in the lower layer can also be irradiated with sunlight or natural light, it may be necessary to install a hydroponic cultivation device to shield the sunlight or natural light radiated to the cultivation container 1 located in the lower layer. Building blocks. In addition, a light source such as an LED lamp for irradiating light to the cultivation container 1 located on the upper layer may be provided.

FIG. 2 shows a case where six cultivation containers 1 are arranged on the upper layer. The cultivation containers 1 are introduced into the cultivation container 1 of the third batch of crops earlier (for example, 10 days ago) than the cultivation container 1 of the second batch located in the lower layer in FIG. 2. The entire cultivation container 1 of the third batch is moved from the position of the cultivation container 1 of the second batch shown in FIG. 2 to the position of the upper layer shown in FIG. 2. Considering the growth of the crop, the interval t ₃ between the cultivation containers 1 of the third batch becomes larger than the interval t ₂ between the cultivation containers 1 of the second batch. In addition, among the cultivation containers 1 of the third batch (in FIG. 2), the cultivation container 1 located at the far right is arranged on the pair of pipes 23 b supporting the cultivation container 1 from the upper level so that the crops do not interfere with the lifter 35. It is preferable that the end portions on the lifter 35 side of the pair of second guide rods 32 are spaced apart from each other by a distance t ₃ or more.

The pair of tubes 23b are members that perform the same function as the pair of tubes 23a constituting one of the lower layers, and are arranged horizontally and at the same height along the length direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device under the pair of second guide bars 32. . The tube 23 b may be a part of the frame 23. The extraction portion 22 of the hydroponic cultivation device is defined by the ends of the pair of second guide rods 32 and the ends of the pair of pipes 23b. One end of the front side of each of the second guide rods 32 is located on the inner side by the width of the cultivation container 1 with respect to one end of the pipe 23b disposed on the lower side thereof.

A second stage 26 for placing the cultivation container 1 taken out from the hydroponic cultivation apparatus is installed near the extraction section 22. A second button group 27 for operating the second conveyance unit 34 is disposed on the side of the second stage 26. When a specific button included in the second button group 27 is pressed, the controller activates a motor (not shown) that drives the second conveyance unit 34, whereby the second conveyance unit 34 which is on standby causes the arm portion 42 to be arranged. It stops so that it may be located just below the cultivation container 1 closest to the extraction part 22. Next, the arm portion 42 is switched from the standby state to the erected state, so that the pair of plates 48 of each arm portion 42 are arranged to sandwich the cultivation container 1, and then the controller operates the motor that drives the second conveyance unit 34 again. As a result, the second conveyance unit 34 is moved toward the extraction portion 22. When the cultivation container 1 reaches the extraction portion 22, the controller stops the motor. Then, the arm portion 42 is switched from the erected state to the standby state. After that, the operator manually removes the cultivation container 1 from the extraction section 22. At the take-out portion 22, the cultivation container 1 is supported by the ends of the pair of tubes 23 b and the ends of the pair of second guide rods 32 are fitted into a part of the positioning grooves 13 of the cultivation container 1. The operator pulls the cultivation container 1 slightly to the front side, thereby releasing the engagement state between the positioning groove 13 and the tube 23b, and then picks up the cultivation container 1 supported by the tube 23b.

The management of the position of each cultivation container 1 of the hydroponic cultivation device is based on the information of the IC tag installed on the cultivation container 1, the date when the cultivation container 1 was introduced into the hydroponic cultivation device, the aforementioned distance t ₁ and other parameters. The cultivation schedule and the like of a fixed crop are performed by a controller. The control of various components of the hydroponic cultivation device (the drive motor 51 described previously, or the pump unit 70, tube drive motor 71, housing drive motor 77, and unit drive motor 79 described below), etc. By the controller.

One of the special features of the hydroponic cultivation device according to this embodiment is that the first conveying module 33 and the second conveying module 34 are respectively provided with a supply and discharge unit 61 that constitutes a culture liquid supply and discharge means 6 for the cultivation container 1 The culture liquid is supplied, and the culture liquid is discharged from the cultivation container 1.

6 and 7, the supply / discharge unit 61 is configured to be rotatable about a rotation axis along the short side direction of the base member 41 of the first conveyance unit 33, that is, the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device. 6 and 7 show a state in which the supply / discharge unit 61 of the first conveyance unit 33 is in a standby state lying horizontally along the base member 41. The supply / discharge unit 61 provided in the first conveyance unit 33 will be described below. The supply and discharge unit 61 provided in the second conveyance unit 34 also has the same configuration, so the description of the supply and discharge unit 61 of the second conveyance unit 34 is omitted.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the supply and discharge unit 61 in a erected state. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the supply / discharge unit 61. In the erected state, the supply / discharge unit 61 is arranged substantially along the vertical direction. The supply / discharge unit 61 includes: a liquid supply pipe 62 for supplying culture liquid to the cultivation container 1; a liquid discharge pipe 63 for recovering culture liquid from the cultivation container 1; and a housing 66, which is provided with a liquid supply pipe 62 and a drain液 管 63。 Liquid pipe 63. The respective bases of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged so as to penetrate the housing 66 through an opening provided in the housing 66.

In this embodiment, both the liquid supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 are bent or bent into a hook shape. Therefore, in a case where the supply / discharge unit 61 (or the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63) is in an upright state, the release outlet 64 for releasing the culture solution located at the front end of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the The suction inlet 65 for sucking the culture liquid at the front end faces downward. In addition, the front end portion of the drain pipe 63 hanging down in the upright state is longer than the front end portion of the liquid supply pipe 62 hanging down in the upright state, and the position of the suction port 65 is more than the position of the discharge port 64. low. In this embodiment, although the supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 are buckled into a hook shape, the shapes of the supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 in the present invention are not limited to this embodiment. For example, the supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 The drain pipe 63 may be bent in a U shape.

The housing 66 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. A liquid supply pipe 62 is connected to a flexible supply pipe 67 for liquid supply (not shown in FIG. 7 and the like) below the housing 66, and a discharge pipe 63 is connected to The liquid discharge is connected by a flexible tube 68 (not shown in FIG. 7 and the like). The lengths of the flexible tube 67 for liquid supply and the flexible tube 68 for liquid discharge are sufficient lengths so as not to restrict the walking or movement of the first conveyance unit 33. The hydroponic cultivation device is provided with a guiding means (not shown) for guiding the flexible pipe 67 for supplying liquid and the flexible pipe 68 for discharging liquid. As shown in FIG. 1, the culture liquid supply and discharge means 6 of the hydroponic cultivation device is provided with: a storage tank 69 provided with the culture liquid; and a pump unit 70 provided at the flexible tube connecting the storage tank 69 and the liquid supply Flow path of culture medium of 67. The pump unit 70 is driven to transfer the culture liquid from the storage tank 69 to the liquid supply pipe 62. The hydroponic cultivation device further includes a pump unit (not shown) provided in a drainage channel (not shown) connected to the outside of the hydroponic cultivation device and a flow path of the culture liquid of the flexible tube 68 for drainage. The pump unit is driven to transfer the culture liquid recovered from the cultivation container 1 through the drain pipe 63 to the drain tank.

In the erected state of the supply / discharge unit 61, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are respectively configured to be rotatable about a vertical axis passing through a base thereof. The liquid supply tube 62 and the liquid discharge tube 63 are connected to the tube driving motor 71 through a connection mechanism (not shown) provided inside the casing 66. The tube driving motor 71 is operated, whereby the liquid supply tube 62 and the liquid discharge tube 63 are respectively rotated by a predetermined angle about the vertical axis. In FIG. 9, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 located at the rotated positions are indicated by dotted lines. In this embodiment, the rotation angle of the liquid supply pipe 62 is different from the angle of the liquid discharge pipe 63, and the rotation angle of the liquid supply pipe 62 is larger than the angle of the liquid discharge pipe 63.

The supply / discharge unit 61 is provided with a rectangular support member 72 arranged in a vertical direction in a standing state. A linear guide mechanism 73 is provided on one of the main surfaces of the support member 72 along the longitudinal direction of the support member 72. A rectangular mounting member 74 is fixed to the housing 66, and a sliding member 75 of the linear guide mechanism 73 is connected to one of the main surfaces of the mounting member 74. A rack 76 extending in the vertical direction is fixed to one of the main surfaces of the mounting member 74. A case driving motor 77 that drives the case 66 is fixed to the support member 72, and a pinion gear 78 that meshes with the rack 76 is fixed to a rotating shaft of the case driving motor 77. The housing driving motor 77 rotates forward and reverse, whereby the mounting member 74 and the housing 66 or the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 can move up and down along the length direction of the linear guide mechanism 73 or the support member 72. FIG. 8 shows a state where the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are retracted at positions closest to the base end of the support member 72. In the standby state of the supply and discharge unit 61 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are in a retracted state.

As shown in FIG. 7, the base end portion of the support member 72 is connected to a motor shaft of a unit drive motor 79 provided below one end portion of the base member 41. The unit driving motor 79 rotates forward and backward, whereby the supply / discharge unit 61 rotates or swings around a rotation axis along the short side direction of the base member 41 or the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device. Thereby, the supply and discharge unit 61 can switch between the standby state shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 and the erected state shown in FIG. 8 (and FIG. 11 and the like). In the standby state of the supply and discharge unit 61, in order to prevent the base member 41 and the supply and discharge unit 61 from interfering with each other, a cutout 49 corresponding to the outer shape of the supply and discharge unit 61 is formed on the base member 41. When the supply / discharge unit 61 is in an upright state, the housing 66, the liquid supply pipe 62, and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged near one end of the base member 41 (see FIGS. 11 and 12 and the like). In addition, when the supply / discharge unit 61 is in an upright state, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged near the first guide rod 31 on the right side shown in FIG. 1.

When the supply / discharge unit 61 is in an upright state, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged so as to extend in a vertical direction from the housing 66. When the supply / discharge unit 61 is in a standby state, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 lie horizontally toward the base member 41 side. When the supply / discharge unit 61 is in a standby state, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged in such a manner that the first conveyance unit 33 can interfere with the cultivation container 1 disposed on the lower layer of the hydroponic cultivation device, and can be Walk along the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device.

Next, a procedure for replacing the culture liquid of the cultivation container 1 located below the hydroponic cultivation device using the supply / discharge unit 61 of the first conveyance unit 33 will be described. As described above, all the cultivation containers 1 loaded in the hydroponic cultivation device are located on the predetermined side so that the end wall of the storage tank portion 11 connected to the partition member 16 is on the predetermined side, that is, on the first conveyance unit 33 ( And the second conveyance unit 34) is arranged on the side (right side in FIG. 1) where the supply and discharge unit 61 is arranged.

First, as shown in FIG. 10, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the drainage pipe 63 are arranged at the cultivation container 1 to be replaced with the culture medium and at the current position of the cultivation container 1 (that is, at a position closer to the introduction portion 21 side). ) Of the cultivation container 1, the position of the first conveyance unit 33 is adjusted. Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the supply and discharge unit 61 in the standby state is switched to the erected state.

In this embodiment, in the standby state of the supply / discharge unit 61, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged along a vertical plane orthogonal to a rotation axis which is orthogonal to a predetermined horizontal limit for rotation of the supply / discharge unit 61. . In addition, the pipe axis of the liquid supply pipe 62 (shown by a single-dotted dotted line in FIG. 8) and the pipe shaft of the discharge pipe 63 (shown by a single-dotted dotted line in FIG. 8) are arranged in the same plane, and more specifically, they In the same vertical plane. When the supply and discharge unit 61 is in a standby state, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are configured so that the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 (more precisely, such pipe axes) are orthogonal to The horizontal rotation axis of the rotation of the supply / discharge unit 61 is restricted from moving in the same vertical plane. In addition, the position of the first conveyance unit 33 is adjusted so that the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged at almost intermediate positions between the cultivation containers 1, thereby moving the supply and discharge unit 61 from the standby state. In the upright state, it is possible to suppress as much as possible interference between the crops planted in the two adjacent cultivation containers 1 and the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63. Even if the liquid supply pipe 62 and the drainage pipe 63 interfere with the crops planted in the cultivation container 1, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the drainage pipe 63 will contact the ends of the leaves of the crops, so there is little impact on the quality of the crop .

When the supply / discharge unit 61 is switched to the erected state, as shown in FIG. 12, the housing driving motor 77 is activated, and the liquid supply 64 is positioned above the cultivation container 1 so that the liquid is supplied. The tube 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 only rise by a predetermined height; the discharge port 64 is an opening at the front end of the liquid supply pipe 62, and the suction port 65 is an opening at the front end of the liquid discharge tube 63. After the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are raised, the first conveyance unit 33 moves to a position of the arm portion 42 on the lower side of the cultivation container 1 in which the culture liquid is to be replaced. Thereby, the discharge port 64 and the drain pipe 63 are arrange | positioned so that it may approach the cultivation container 1 which is going to replace a culture liquid. After that, the driving motor 51 of the arm driving part 43 of the first conveying assembly 33 is operated, whereby the pair of arm parts 42 in the standby state is switched from the standby state to the standing state, and as shown in FIG. The cultivation container 1 for replacing the culture liquid is sandwiched between the plate members 48 of the arm portions 42. Thereby, the cultivation container 1 can be stably held when the culture liquid is taken in and out.

After that, when the tube driving motor 71 of the supply / discharge unit 61 is operated and the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 rotate as described above, as shown in FIG. 14, the discharge port 64 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 of the liquid supply pipe 62 are caused The suction inlet 65 is arranged on the upper side of one end portion of the cultivation container 1. As shown in FIG. 9, the rotation directions of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 are such that the discharge opening 64 of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the suction inlet 65 of the discharge pipe 63 are from the end wall of one end portion of the cultivation container 1. The side moves to the direction on the cultivation container 1. By setting the rotation directions of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 in this way, it is possible to prevent crops near the end of the cultivation container 1 from interfering with the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 in rotation.

As described above, the cultivation container 1 is opened at both ends of the cultivation container 1 so as to be able to contact the inside thereof. The cultivation container 1 is arranged such that the end wall of the storage tank portion 11 connected to the partition member 16 is located near the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the discharge port 64 of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the suction port 65 of the liquid discharge pipe 63 after the liquid supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 are rotated. As shown in FIG. 15, the discharge port 64 of the liquid supply pipe 62 is arranged on one side of the partition member 16, and the suction port 65 of the liquid discharge pipe 63 is arranged on the other side of the partition member 16.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 16, the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are lowered only by a predetermined height, whereby the discharge port 64 of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the suction port 65 of the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged in the cultivation container 1. FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the discharge port 64 of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the suction port 65 of the liquid discharge pipe 63. As shown in FIG. 17, the liquid surface S of the culture solution stored in the cultivation container 1 is located lower than the upper end of the partition member 16. The front end portion of the drain pipe 63 is placed in the culture solution stored in the cultivation container 1, and the suction port 65 is close to the storage tank portion 11 so that the culture solution can be easily attracted even when the liquid level S of the culture solution is lowered. On the underside. The discharge port 64 of the liquid supply pipe 62 is disposed above the upper end of the partition member 16 so as not to contact the culture solution stored in the cultivation container 1.

When the discharge port 64 of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the suction port 65 of the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged in the cultivation container 1, the pump unit connected to the liquid discharge pipe 63 through the flexible pipe 68 for liquid discharge operates. Thereby, the culture liquid stored in the cultivation container 1 is sucked by the suction port 65 of the drain pipe 63 and sent to the drain tank. In this embodiment, since the partition member 16 is provided in the storage tank portion 11 of the cultivation container 1, when the pumping unit is operated, the culture liquid flows quickly along a U-shaped slender flow path as shown in FIG. By allowing the culture liquid to flow in the cultivation container 1 and recovering it through the suction port 65, as compared with a case where the partition member 16 is not provided in the cultivation container 1, the liquid is not collected in the drainage container 63 and remains in the cultivation container 1. The amount of (degraded) culture fluid will decrease.

When the recovery of the culture liquid stored in the cultivation container 1 is completed, and the pump unit connected to the liquid discharge flexible pipe 68 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 is stopped, the pump connected to the liquid supply flexible pipe 67 is pumped. Unit 70 will operate. Thereby, the new culture liquid is conveyed from the storage tank 69 to the liquid supply pipe 62, and enters the cultivation container 1 from the release port 64. The pump unit 70 is operated during a predetermined time, thereby putting a predetermined amount of a new culture liquid into the cultivation container 1. As described above, the liquid level S of the newly-inserted culture liquid is located at a position lower than the upper edge of the partition member 16.

After that, one of the aforementioned series of actions is performed in the reverse order, and as shown in FIG. 10, the supply and discharge unit 61 will return to the standby state, and each arm portion 42 will also return to the standby state. In a case where the culture liquid is continuously replaced with the other cultivation container 1, the first conveying unit 33 is disposed between the other cultivation container 1 shown in FIG. 10 and the cultivation container 1 located at its current position, and is The cultivation container 1 replaces the culture liquid. For example, the replacement of the culture liquid may be performed in batch units of the cultivated crop. After replacement of the culture liquid for all the cultivation containers 1 of a certain batch, but no replacement of the culture liquid for the cultivation containers 1 of other batches, the first conveyance unit 33 stays at the place where the last culture liquid is replaced. Below the cultivation container 1, stand by until the next operation.

When the culture liquid is replaced with the cultivation container 1 arranged closest to the introduction portion 21, the first conveyance unit 33 moves from the cultivation container 1 to a position away from the introduction portion 21 to the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge. The portion where the tube 63 is arranged. When the supply and discharge unit 61 is switched from the standby state to the erected state, the supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 and the supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 can be determined in such a manner that the crop and the supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 do not interfere with each other as much as possible. The distance between the cultivation containers 1. After that, the supply / discharge unit 61 is switched from the standby state to the erected state, and the culture liquid supply step is performed in the same manner as previously described.

The supply / discharge unit 61 using the second conveyance unit 34 also replaces the culture solution of the cultivation container 1 located on the upper layer of the hydroponic cultivation device with the cultivation of the cultivation vessel 1 using the supply / discharge unit 61 using the first conveyance unit 33. The liquid replacement procedure is performed in the same manner. The time required for the culture medium replacement step of the supply / discharge unit 61 using the first transfer module 33 or the second transfer module 34 is, for example, about several minutes. The culture medium replacement step of the supply / discharge unit 61 using the first transfer module 33 and the culture medium replacement step of the supply / discharge unit 61 using the second transfer module 34 can be performed simultaneously or in parallel.

From the viewpoint of promoting the growth of cultivated crops, the culture solution stored in each cultivation container 1 is preferably fresh. Therefore, the cycle of replacing the culture liquid in each cultivation container 1 loaded in the hydroponic cultivation device is, for example, about one hour to several hours. On the other hand, although it depends on the type of crop, the period of cultivating the crop by the hydroponic cultivation device is about ten days. (Except when the cultivation container 1 is introduced and removed) The period during which the cultivation container 1 stays at a certain position, for example, from several days (as in the case of the first to third batches described above) to about 10 days, is loaded in water The cultivation container 1 of the cultivation device is moved at intervals of several days to about 10 days. In this case, the first transport module 33 and the second transport module 34 are used for transporting the cultivation container 1 at intervals of several days to about 10 days. If the first conveyance module 33 and the second conveyance module 34 are installed in separate moving mechanisms, and the supply and discharge unit 61 is moved using the moving mechanism in the lower and upper layers of the hydroponic cultivation device, the first conveyance module 33 and the second conveyance The modules 34 are almost in a dormant state except that they are used to transport the cultivation container 1 at intervals of several days to about 10 days. In the present invention, by using the first conveyance module 33 and the second conveyance module 34 to move the supply / discharge unit 61, the first conveyance module 33 and the second conveyance module 34 can be moved while the conveyance container 1 is not used for conveying the cultivation container 1. The culture liquid is replaced with a predetermined cultivation container 1 (a very short cycle compared with the movement period of the cultivation container 1) by being moved appropriately. In the present invention, such an efficient constituent element of the hydroponic cultivation device can be simplified, and the mechanical configuration can be simplified and reduced in cost. In addition, in the present invention, the supply and discharge unit 61 having the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 is used to recover and supply the culture liquid on one end side of the cultivation container 1. The structure of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus can be simplified compared to the case of a mechanism in which the culture liquid is supplied on one end side and the culture liquid is collected on the other end side of the cultivation container 1.

In the case where a new cultivation container 1 is introduced into the hydroponic cultivation apparatus, it is sufficient to put a culture solution into the cultivation container 1 in advance, but from the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the operator, the cultivation is not placed in the cultivation container 1. The liquid state is preferably introduced into the hydroponic cultivation device. At this time, as described above, the first conveyance unit 33 is operated to arrange the cultivation container 1 to a predetermined position from the introduction unit 21, and then a culture liquid supply step is performed on the cultivation container 1. The culture liquid supply step is performed in the same manner as the culture liquid replacement step described above except that the culture liquid is not recovered.

When the cultivation container 1 is taken out from the hydroponic cultivation device, a culture liquid may be placed in the cultivation container 1. However, from the viewpoint of reducing the burden on the operator, the cultivation container 1 is not placed in the cultivation container 1. It is preferable to take out the hydroponic cultivation apparatus from the cultivation container 1. In this case, when the second button group 27 is operated to instruct the cultivation container 1 closest to the extraction portion 22 to be taken out, as described above, the second conveyance unit 34 is moved, and the second conveyance unit 34 is taken out to the nearest. The aspect of the cultivation container 1 of the part 22 is arrange | positioned. Next, the culture container 1 is subjected to a step of recovering a culture liquid. The step of recovering the culture solution is performed in the same manner as the replacement of the culture solution described above, except that the culture solution is not supplied.

As shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 and the like, in the foregoing embodiment, the liquid supply pipe 62, the liquid discharge pipe 63, the housing 66, and the like of the supply and discharge unit 61 are introduced into the base member 41 disposed in the first conveyance module 33. Department 21 side. However, the first conveyance module 33 can be variously changed so that the constituent elements of the supply / discharge unit 61 are arranged on the lifter 35 side of the base member 41. The same applies to the second conveyance unit 34. In this case, the directions of rotation of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 in the erected state of the supply and discharge unit 61 are opposite to the directions of rotation in the foregoing embodiment. In addition, in the step of replacing the culture solution of the cultivation container 1, as shown in FIG. 10, after the first conveyance unit 33 is disposed between two adjacent cultivation containers 1, the cultivation is performed closer to the cultivation section 1 than the introduction section 21. The container 1 (shown in FIG. 10 is a current cultivation container 1) performs a culture liquid replacement step. The operations of the first conveyance unit 33 and the supply / discharge unit 61 in this case can be known from the foregoing description. In addition, in a case where the constituent elements of the supply / discharge unit 61 are changed to the lifter 35 side of the base member 41, the replacement procedure of the culture liquid of the cultivation container 1 closest to the lifter 35 side can also be known from the foregoing description.

In the foregoing embodiment, the supply and discharge unit 61 of the hydroponic cultivation device is erected, and the liquid supply pipe 62 and the discharge pipe 63 that are buckled into a hook shape are erected on the casing 66. However, in the present invention, the shapes of the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 may be changed, and the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 may be set to be freely raised and lowered in the standing state of the supply and discharge unit 61. The casing or proper component hangs down. The configuration of the supply and discharge unit 61 of the hydroponic cultivation device in the foregoing embodiment is exemplified, and it can be used to switch between the erected state and the standby state, and to pass through the liquid supply pipe 62 and the drainage pipe 63 after the erected state A supply / discharge unit 61 in various forms for recovering and supplying culture liquid.

In the aforementioned embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a plate-shaped partition member 16 is provided vertically along the longitudinal direction of the storage tank portion 11 of the cultivation container 1. The cultivation container used in the present invention is not limited to such a cultivation container 1. For example, a cultivation container in which the partition member 16 is not provided in the storage tank portion 11 may be used. In order to reduce the culture liquid remaining when the culture liquid is recovered, the bottom surface of the storage tank portion 11 may be provided to be inclined so as to descend toward the side where the liquid supply pipe 62 and the liquid discharge pipe 63 are arranged. In addition, on the side where the liquid supply tube 62 and the liquid discharge tube 63 are arranged, a depression for storing the remaining culture liquid may be provided on the bottom surface of the storage tank portion 11. In this case, in the step of replacing the culture liquid, it is preferable that the suction port 65 of the drain pipe 63 is close to the bottom surface of the depression and is disposed at a position lower than the bottom surface of the storage tank portion 11.

In the foregoing embodiment, the positioning of the cultivation container 1 in the introduction section 21 is performed using visual means of the mark provided on the pipe 23a and the color of the end portion of the cultivation container 1. Instead of such a visual means, the mechanical container or the structural means may be used to position the cultivation container 1 of the introduction section 21. In addition, it is also possible to control the position of the cultivation container 1 along the longitudinal direction B of the hydroponic cultivation device at the introduction section 21 by using a sensor, and guide the first conveyance unit 33 to the cultivation container 1 relative to the cultivation container 1. Intended location. A sensor for detecting each cultivation container 1 may be provided in the first transportation module 33 or the second transportation module 34, and the information from the sensor may be used to control the movement of the cultivation container 1 or the replacement step of the culture liquid.

In the foregoing embodiment, the first conveying unit 33 is provided to carry the cultivation container 1 located at the lower level of the hydroponic cultivation device and replace the culture liquid, and the second conveying unit 34 is provided to carry out the hydroponic cultivation device. The cultivation container 1 on the upper stage is replaced and the culture liquid is replaced. The number of layers in which the cultivation container 1 is arranged is not limited in the present invention. For example, a hydroponic cultivation device having a single-layer structure or a multilayer structure with three or more layers can also be implemented using the present invention. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although one conveyance module was provided corresponding to each layer, the plurality of conveyance modules comprised so that a movable range may be locally repeated along the moving path of the cultivation container 1 may be provided corresponding to each layer. In addition, in the present invention, it is not necessary that the number of the transport components installed in the hydroponic cultivation device is far less than the maximum number of cultivation containers that can be loaded.

The use form of the hydroponic cultivation device described in the description of the foregoing embodiment is merely an example, and in particular, the specific matters such as the number of cultivation containers 1 or the positions of the cultivation containers 1 loaded in the lower layer and the upper layer are not limiting. inventor. For example, the hydroponic cultivation device of the aforementioned embodiment may be used in a manner that a new cultivation container 1 is introduced one day, and one cultivation container 1 capable of being harvested is taken out one day.

The foregoing description is intended to explain the present inventor, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention described in the scope of the patent application or the limitation. In addition, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the technical scope described in the scope of patent application, it is not a matter of course.

1‧‧‧ cultivation container

3‧‧‧ container handling means

6‧‧‧ Means of supplying and draining culture medium

8‧‧‧lighting means

11‧‧‧Storage tank department

12‧‧‧ Cover

13‧‧‧ positioning groove

14‧‧‧hole

15‧‧‧ sleeve

16‧‧‧ divider

21‧‧‧Introduction Department

22‧‧‧Removal Department

23‧‧‧Frame

23a, 23b‧‧‧‧pipe

24‧‧‧1st

25‧‧‧The first button group

26‧‧‧Taiwan

27‧‧‧The second button group

31‧‧‧1st guide

32‧‧‧ 2nd guide

33‧‧‧The first handling module

34‧‧‧Second handling unit

35‧‧‧Lifter

41‧‧‧basic components

42‧‧‧arm

43‧‧‧arm drive

44, 45‧‧‧ roller

46‧‧‧Chain

47‧‧‧ Shaft

48‧‧‧ Plate

49‧‧‧ gap

51‧‧‧Drive motor

52‧‧‧Affiliates

53‧‧‧The first rotating shaft

54‧‧‧ Lifting Department

55‧‧‧ holding arm

56‧‧‧ Undertaking Department

61‧‧‧supply and discharge unit

62‧‧‧supply tube

63‧‧‧Drain tube

64‧‧‧ release

65‧‧‧Exhaust

66‧‧‧shell

67‧‧‧ Flexible tube for liquid supply

68‧‧‧ Flexible tube for drainage

69‧‧‧Storage tank

70‧‧‧pump unit

71‧‧‧ tube drive motor

72‧‧‧ support member

73‧‧‧ linear guide mechanism

74‧‧‧Mounting components

75‧‧‧ sliding member

76‧‧‧ Rack

77‧‧‧case drive motor

78‧‧‧ pinion

79‧‧‧unit drive motor

81‧‧‧light source

B‧‧‧ Length

C‧‧‧machine width direction

S‧‧‧Liquid level

[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a side view showing a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view showing a cultivation container used in a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cultivation container used in a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a plan view of a tank portion of a cultivation container used in a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a first conveyance unit of a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a first conveyance unit of a hydroponic cultivation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the supply and discharge unit of the hydroponic cultivation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is erected.

[Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a plan view of a supply and exhaust unit of a hydroponic cultivation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 10] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for replacing a culture liquid in a cultivation container of a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 11] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for replacing a culture liquid in a cultivation container of a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 12] Fig. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for replacing a culture liquid in a cultivation container of a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 13] Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for replacing a culture liquid in a cultivation container of a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 14] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for replacing a culture liquid in a cultivation container of a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 15] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the discharge port of the liquid supply pipe and the arrangement of the suction port of the liquid discharge pipe of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 16] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a procedure for replacing a culture liquid in a cultivation container of a hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[FIG. 17] FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram showing the arrangement of the discharge port of the liquid supply pipe and the arrangement of the suction port of the liquid discharge pipe of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (12)

A hydroponic cultivation device capable of storing culture liquid and capable of loading a plurality of cultivation containers in which crops are planted; its characteristics are: Equipped with: at least one conveying unit, which is installed in the hydroponic cultivation device in a freely movable manner, and is used to move each of the plurality of cultivation containers along a predetermined path in the hydroponic cultivation device, Each of the at least one transport unit includes a supply / discharge unit including a liquid supply pipe for discharging the culture solution and a liquid discharge pipe for sucking the culture solution. The hydroponic cultivation device according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the at least one cultivation container is provided with an elongated storage tank portion, and a partition member is vertically arranged along the length direction of the storage tank portion on the bottom surface of the storage tank portion, and one end of the partition member is connected to the storage tank. One end wall of the portion is connected, and one end of the partition member is separated from the other end wall of the tank portion. The hydroponic cultivation device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The supply / discharge unit is configured to be switchable between a first state in which the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe stand up, and a second state in which the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe lie horizontally. The hydroponic cultivation device according to claim 3, wherein Each of the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe is configured to be movable in a vertical direction and rotatable about a vertical axis when the supply and discharge unit is in the first state. The hydroponic cultivation device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein: Each of the aforementioned liquid supply pipes and the aforementioned drainage pipes is bent or buckled, When the supply / discharge unit is in the first state, the opening at the front end of the liquid supply pipe and the opening at the front end of the liquid discharge pipe face downward. The hydroponic cultivation device according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein: The supply and discharge unit is configured to switch between the first state and the second state by rotating around a horizontal rotation axis. When the supply / discharge unit is in the second state, the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are disposed along a vertical plane orthogonal to the rotation axis. The hydroponic cultivation device according to any one of claims 3 to 6, wherein: In a case where the supply / discharge unit is in the second state, the tube axis of the liquid supply pipe and the tube axis of the liquid discharge pipe are disposed in substantially the same plane. The hydroponic cultivation device according to any one of claims 3 to 7, wherein: In a state where the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are separated from the cultivation container in which the culture liquid is replaced using the supply and discharge unit along the predetermined path, the supply and discharge unit is in the first state and the second state. Switch between. The hydroponic cultivation device according to claim 8, wherein: After the supply / discharge unit is switched from the second state to the first state, a carrying module for the supply / discharge unit is provided to bring the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe close to a cultivation container for replacing the culture liquid. Way to move. The hydroponic cultivation device according to claim 9, wherein: After the transfer unit provided with the supply and discharge unit is moved, the liquid supply pipe and the discharge pipe are moved close to the cultivation container in which the culture liquid is replaced, and then held by the transfer unit provided with the supply and discharge unit. A mechanism for holding a cultivation container in which the aforementioned culture liquid is replaced. The hydroponic cultivation device according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein, After the transfer unit provided with the supply / discharge unit moves the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe so as to approach the cultivation container in which the culture liquid is replaced, the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe are rotated to rotate the liquid supply pipe and the liquid discharge pipe. The opening of the front end of the liquid supply tube and the opening of the front end of the liquid discharge tube are disposed above a cultivation container for replacing the culture liquid. The hydroponic cultivation device according to claim 11, wherein: The liquid supply tube and the liquid discharge tube are rotated, and the opening at the front end of the liquid supply tube and the opening at the front end of the liquid discharge tube are disposed above the cultivation container for replacing the culture liquid, and then the liquid supply is performed. The pipe and the aforementioned drain pipe are lowered.