WO2004016071A1

WO2004016071A1 - Mushroom scraping device

Info

Publication number: WO2004016071A1
Application number: PCT/KR2002/001564
Authority: WO
Inventors: Deug-Gi Jung
Original assignee: Young Poong Industries Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2001-08-13
Filing date: 2002-08-19
Publication date: 2004-02-26
Also published as: KR100412843B1; KR20030014794A

Abstract

Disclosed is a mushroom spawns scraping device capable of removing foreign matters of culturing bottles, supplying water to mushroom spawns and scraping the surface of the mushroom spawns cultured after the mushroom spawns are inoculated in the culturing bottles. The scraping device can perform a series of steps of putting loading boxes on a rotary plate rotating at angles of 120 degrees periodically by a driving unit, such as a driving motor or a cylinder, scraping the surface of mushroom spawns, and supplying water. The present invention can reduce an installation area by minimizing the size of equipments and increase productivity in mushroom cultivation by minimizing time required for the above steps.

Description

MUSHROOM SC APTNG DEVTCE

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a device for scraping the surface of mushroom spawns, and more particularly, to a device for scraping the surface of mushroom spawns capable of removing foreign matters formed in culturing bottles, in which mushroom spawns are cultured completely, supply the culturing bottles with water to make the mushroom spawns, which are cultured in the culturing bottles, grow, and scraping the surface of mushroom spawns inoculated in the culturing bottles.

Background Art

In general, when mushroom spawns inoculated in culturing bottles are cultured, a series of steps of supplying water to the mushroom spawns inoculated in the culturing bottles, removing foreign matters adhered on the culturing bottles and scraping the surface of the mushroom spawns have to be carried out. Such steps cannot be treated lightly because having a great influence on a harvest of mushrooms. It is not desirable in an economic point of view that farms culturing the mushrooms in large quantities perform the above steps manually, and so, lots of companies manufacture mushroom spawn scraping devices for automatically performing the above steps and spread them to the farms culturing the mushrooms. The scraping device automatically performs a series of process, such as "supply" → "scrap" -→ "transfer" → "water supply" → "discharge", when loading boxes on which the culturing bottles are loaded are put on the scraping device.

The conventional scraping device performs the steps separately using components arranged in a line for carrying out the above steps. So, the mushroom spawn scraping device not only occupies a large installation area because having a great size, but also is deteriorated in productivity because it takes much time to perform mushroom spawn scraping work.

Actually, the conventional mushroom spawn scraping device is over 4m 50cm in length, and spawn scraping efficiency using the scraping device is less than 3,600 ~ 4,500 per an hour. Furthermore, the conventional mushroom spawn scraping device has injection nozzles, each of which is similar in diameter to an inlet of the culturing bottle and injects water at a strong hydraulic pressure, and so, has another disadvantage that a cleaning efficiency of the inside of the culturing bottle is deteriorated because back pressure is applied to the inside of the culturing bottle to which water is injected.

Disclosure of Invention

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a mushroom spawn scraping device that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mushroom spawn scraping device capable of simultaneously performing a series of steps of putting loading boxes, on which culturing bottles are loaded, supplying water to the culturing bottles, cleaning the culturing bottles and scraping the surface of mushroom spawns on a rotary plate rotating at angles of 120 degrees periodically by a driving unit, thereby minimizing required time and increasing productivity of mushroom cultivation.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objectives and other advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Further objects and advantages of the invention can be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a mushroom spawns scraping device according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mushroom spawns scraping device according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partially sectional view showing the inside structure of the mushroom spawns scraping device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the inside structure of an injection nozzle housing according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the inside structure of a scraper housing according to the present invention; FIG. 6 is a reference view explaining an operation condition of a rotary plate according to the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a reference view explaining a state that water is injected to culturing bottles by the injection nozzle according to the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

The present invention will now be described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. For reference, like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout several views. FIG. 1 is a front view of a mushroom spawns scraping device 10 according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mushroom spawns scraping device 10 according to the present invention. As shown in the drawings, the mushroom spawn scraping device 10 includes a supply conveyer 12 mounted on a base 11 for supplying loading boxes B, on which culturing bottles G are loaded, the supply conveyer 12 being linked and operated with a driving motor Ml, which is mounted at a side of the base 11, by a driving-power transmitting unit CI, a rotary plate 15 rotatably mounted in front of the supply conveyer 12 by a shaft, and a discharge conveyer 13 mounted in front of the rotary plate 15 for discharging the boxes, on which the culturing bottles G are loaded.

At this time, the length of the supply conveyer 12 mounted on the base 11 is greater than that of two loading boxes, on which the culturing bottles G are loaded. A guide rod 20 extends from the central area of the upper portion of the supply conveyer 12 to the upper area of the rotary plate 15 on the base 11. Next, a charging bar 21 is slidably connected to the guide rod 20. The charging bar 21 is connected to a rod 22a of a charging cylinder 22 mounted at a side of the base 11, i.e., the front of the rotary plate 15, to slide the charging bar 21 on the guide rod 20 backwardly and forwardly by the operation of the charging cylinder. A sensor S is mounted at a side of the charging bar 21 to sense entrance of the loading boxes B.

FIG. 3 is a partially sectional view showing the inner structure of the mushroom spawns scraping device 10 according to the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the rotary plate 15 is rotatably mounted on the base 11 by a triangular supporter P mounted on a rotating shaft 15a. Triple loading pallets 16 are mounted at three sides of the supporter P, and clamping cylinders 17 are mounted on the loading pallets 16 respectively. After that, clamping boards 18 are mounted on rods 17a of the clamping cylinders 17. The clamping boards 18 have clamping holes 19 of the same number as the culturing bottles G loaded on the loading boxes B. Each clamping board 18 is moved vertically by the clamping cylinder 17. The rotary plate 15 and the driving motor M2, which is mounted on the base 11, are linked through a driving-power transmitting unit C2, so as to operate the rotary plate 15 by the driving motor M2.

At this time, the driving motor M2 is operated after the sensor S sends sensing signal, and then, rotates the rotary plate 15 at the angles of 120 degrees periodically. When the rotary plate 15 is rotated, one of the loading pallets 16 of the supporter P, that is, the loading pallet on which the loading boxes are put, is always located on the same axis as the supply conveyer 12 and the transfer conveyer 13, i.e., in a straight line with the supply conveyer 12 and the transfer conveyer 13.

An injection nozzle housing 23 and a scraper housing 26 are mounted at the angles of 120 degrees in a downward direction from the rotating shaft 15a of the rotary plate 15. The injection nozzle housing 23 and the scraper housing 26 are opposed to the two loading pallets 16 the lower loading pallets 16 of the rotary plate 15.

An elevating cylinder 25 is mounted on the lower portion of the injection nozzle housing 23, and an elevating cylinder 28 is mounted on the lower portion of the scraper housing 26, so that the injection nozzle housing 23 and the scraper housing 26 are vertically moved toward the loading pallets 16 opposed to the injection nozzle housing 23 and the scraper housing 26 by the operation of the elevating cylinders 25 and 28. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the inner structure of the injection nozzle housing 23 according to the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the injection nozzle housing 23 includes injection nozzles 24 of the same number as the culturing bottles G loaded on the loading boxes G to inject water. The injection nozzles 24 are connected to a driving motor M3, which is mounted inside the injection nozzle housing 23, by a driving-power transmitting unit C3, such as a pinion and a rack, so as to rotate the injection nozzles 24 backwardly and forwardly by the backward and forward rotation of the driving motor M3. At this time, a nozzle hole 24a formed in the injection nozzle 24 is in the form of an elongated hole so as to inject water in the form of an "P'-shape.

FIG. 5 is a partially sectional view showing the inner structure of the scraper housing 26 according to the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the scraper housing 26 includes scrapers 27 of the same number as the culturing bottles G loaded on the loading boxes B. The scrapers 27 are geared with a driving motor M4, which is mounted inside the scraper housing 26, by a driving- power transmitting unit C4, such as a planetary gear, so as to operate the scrapers 27 at the same time with the operation of the driving motor M4.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, it is embodied that the driving motor M2 is applied as the driving unit for rotating the rotary plate 15 at the angles of 120 degrees periodically, but it is not limited to the driving motor M2. That is, the technical subject matter of the present invention is that a series of steps of clamping and unclamping the loading boxes B, supplying water supply, and scraping the surface of the mushroom spawns are simultaneously carried out on the rotary plate 15 rotating at the angles of 120 degrees periodically. Therefore, the driving unit for rotating the rotary plate 15 at the angles of 120 degrees may be replaced with a cylinder or other driving units, and the technical subject matter of the present invention is not much affected by the replacement of the driving unit.

When the loading boxes B, on which a plurality of the culturing bottles G

(generally, 16 culturing bottles) are loaded, are supplied to the charging bar 21 through the supply conveyer 12, the sensor S senses the entrance of the loading boxes B. After the sensor S sends the sensing signal, the charging bar 21 slides in a forward direction by the operation of the charging cylinder to move the loading boxes B onto the loading pallet 16 of the rotary plate 15, and then the charging bar is returned to its original position. The clamping cylinder 17 mounted on the loading pallet 16 lowers the clamping board 18 the moment the movement of the loading pallet B is finished, so that each culturing bottle G loaded on the loading box B is restricted in the clamping hole 19 of the clamping board 18 (see FIG. 6).

When the culturing bottles G are restricted in the clamping holes 19 of the clamping board 18, the driving motor M2 rotates the rotary plate 15 at the angles of 120 degrees. After the rotation, the elevating cylinder 25 lifts up the injection nozzle housing 23 to closely locate the injection nozzles 24 on openings Gl of the culturing bottles G. The injection nozzles 24a inject water W through the nozzle holes 24a so as to clean the outer surface of the openings and the inside of the culturing bottles G and to supply water to the mushroom spawns cultured (see FIG. 7). At this time, because the nozzle holes 24a of the injection nozzles 24 are in the form of the "l"-shape and the injection nozzles 24 are rotated in backward and forward directions by the driving motor M3, narrow and long water is injected and rotated backwardly and forwardly. As the result, water is injected evenly into the inside of the culturing bottles G without back pressure by the hydraulic pressure.

When the bottle cleaning work and water supply work are finished, the driving motor M2 rotates the rotary plate 15 at the angles of 120 degrees again. After the rotation of the rotary plate 15, the elevating cylinder 28 lifts up the scraper housing 26, so that the scrapers 27 mounted on the scraper housing 26 are inserted into the culturing bottles G and scrap the surface of the mushroom spawns, which are completely cultured inside the culturing bottles B.

After the scraping work, the driving motor M2 rotates the rotary plate 15 at the angles of 120 degrees again. After the rotation of the rotary plate 15, the clamping cylinder 17 is operated and the clamping board 18 is lifted up to release the culturing bottles. At the same time, the charging cylinder 22 is operated to transfer the loading boxes B of the next line toward the rotary plate 15 by the charging bar 21.

At this time, the loading boxes B, which were loaded on the loading pallet 16, (finished in cleaning work, water supply work and mushroom spawns scraping workO are pushed to the discharge conveyer 13 by the loading boxes B of the next line and discharged to the outside.

The present invention performs the vertical movement of the clamping board 18 by the clamping cylinder 17 and the vertical movement of the injection nozzle housing 23 and the scraper housing 26 by the elevating cylinders 25 and 28 at the same time, which are carried out on the rotary plate 15 after the loading boxes B are put on loading pallet 16 by the charging cylinder 22. The steps performed after the loading boxes B are provided by the charging cylinder 22, which first receives the sensing signal of the sensor S, that is, a series steps of lifting the clamping board 18 by the clamping cylinder 17, rotating the rotary plate 15 by the driving unit at the angles of 120 degrees, lifting the injection nozzle housing 23 by the elevating cylinder 25, injecting water by the injection nozzles 24, rotating the rotary plate 15 at the angles of 120 degrees, lifting the scraper housing 26 by the elevating cylinder 28, scraping the surface of the mushroom spawns by the scrapers 27, rotating the rotary plate 15 at the angles of 120 degrees, lifting up the clamping board 18 by the clamping cylinder 17, and putting the loading boxes B of the next line by the charging cylinder 22, are controlled by a micro process unit (not shown) in which operating data are input.

Industrial Applicability

As described above, the present invention simultaneously carries out the steps of charging the loading boxes B, supplying water and scraping the surface of the mushroom spawns on the loading pallet 16 of the rotary plate 15 rotating at the angles of 120 degrees periodically. As the result, the present invention can reduce an installation area by minimizing the size of the equipments and largely increase productivity in mushroom cultivation by minimizing time required for water-supplying work, cleaning work and mushroom spawns scraping work.

Moreover, the present invention can inject water while moving the injection nozzles 24, each of which has the elongated nozzle hole 25a, in all directions, thereby cleaning the inside and outside of the culturing bottles G and supplying water smoothly without back pressure.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is:

1.A device for scraping the surface of mushroom spawns, the device comprising: a supply conveyer mounted on a base and operated by a driving motor; a rotary plate having a rotary shaft rotatably supported on the base, a triangular supporter mounted on the rotary shaft, and triple loading pallets mounted on three sides of the triangular supporter; a driving motor mounted at a side of the base and linked with the rotary plate by a driving-power transmitting unit to rotate the rotary plate at angles of 120 degrees; a discharge conveyer mounted in front of the rotary plate; a charging bar extending from the central area of the upper portion of the supply conveyer to the upper area of the rotary plate, the charging bar being slidably connected to a guide rod; a sensor mounted at a side of the charging bar for sensing entrance of loading boxes; a charging cylinder mounted at a side of the base, the charging cylinder having a rod connected with the charging bar, the charging cylinder sliding the charging bar onto the loading pallet of the rotary plate after the sensor sends sensing signal; an injection nozzle housing and a scraper housing mounted at the angles of 120 degrees from the rotary shaft of the rotary plate; and elevating cylinders mounted on the lower portions of the injection nozzle housing and the scraper housing respectively for moving the injection nozzle housing and the scraper housing vertically.

2. The mushroom spawn scraping device according to claim 1, wherein the rotary plate includes elevating cylinders mounted on the loading pallets and clamping boards connected to rods of the elevating cylinders for moving the clamping boards vertically by the elevating cylinders, each clamping board having a plurality of clamping holes.

3. The mushroom spawn scraping device according to claim 1, wherein the injection nozzle housing includes a plurality of injection nozzles, each injection nozzle having an elongated nozzle hole of a "P'-shape, each injection nozzle being linked with a driving motor mounted inside the injection nozzle housing by a driving-power transmitting unit, such as a rack and a pinion, to rotate the injection nozzles by the backward and forward rotation of the driving motor.

4. The mushroom spawns scraping device according to claim 1, wherein the scraper housing includes a plurality of scrapers, the scrapers being geared with a driving motor mounted inside the scraper housing by a driving-power transmitting unit, such as a planetary gear, to operate the scrapers at the same time.

5. The mushroom spawn scraping device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical movement of the clamping board by the clamping cylinder and the vertical movement of the injection nozzle housing and the scraper housing by the elevating cylinders are performed in order at the same time.