Classifications

• • A61F13/05—
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G31/00—Soilless cultivation, e.g. hydroponics
  • A01G31/02—Special apparatus therefor
  • A01G31/04—Hydroponic culture on conveyors
  • A01G31/042—Hydroponic culture on conveyors with containers travelling on a belt or the like, or conveyed by chains
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
  • A61F2013/00089—Wound bandages
  • A61F2013/0017—Wound bandages possibility of applying fluid
  • A61F2013/00174—Wound bandages possibility of applying fluid possibility of applying pressure
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
  • A61F2013/00361—Plasters
  • A61F2013/00365—Plasters use
  • A61F2013/00463—Plasters use haemostatic
  • A61F2013/00468—Plasters use haemostatic applying local pressure
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
  • A61F2013/00361—Plasters
  • A61F2013/00544—Plasters form or structure
  • A61F2013/00553—Plasters form or structure with detachable parts
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A40/00—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production
  • Y02A40/10—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in agriculture
  • Y02A40/25—Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
  • Y02P60/00—Technologies relating to agriculture, livestock or agroalimentary industries
  • Y02P60/20—Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions in agriculture, e.g. CO2
  • Y02P60/21—Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a plant cultivation apparatus, and more particularly, to a plant cultivation apparatus that can maximize the yield of plant-products by cultivating plants with high density and high efficiency in a limited space and by allowing the plants to be quickly grown without being influenced by harmful environment condition during a period from seed-planting to harvest.
• the present invention is directed to a plant cultivation apparatus that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.
• An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation apparatus that can maximize the productivity while minimizing the labor.
• Another object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation apparatus that can make it possible to do intensive culture of clean farm products by preventing the plants from being exposed to a polluted environment using an aseptic facility.
• a plant cultivation apparatus comprising: an enclosed cultivation room for cultivating plants, the enclosed cultivation room being provided with an entrance/exit door; a plurality of shelves disposed in a multistory structure; a plurality of trays conveyed along the shelves; a tray conveying unit for vertically and horizontally conveying the trays; and an internal environment control unit controlling the internal environment of the cultivation room.
• a plant cultivation apparatus comprising: an enclosed cultivation room provided with an entrance/exit door and a pass box allowing a worker to work at an exterior side through the pass box without going into the cultivation room through the entrance/exit door; a main control box installed on an outer wall of the cultivation room; a machinery room isolated from and disposed beside the cultivation room, the machinery room equipped with a variety of electric and electronic control units, an outer material introducing pipe and an outer material purifying unit; an internal environment control unit for controlling the internal environment of the cultivation room to be proper to the growth of plants; a sprayer installed in the cultivation room to spray water and antiseptic solution to the plants; a plurality of trays functioning as culture media, the trays having a width and a depth that are proper to growth of the plants, each of the trays being provided at a both sides with rotational rollers; a plurality of shelves disposed in a multistory structure, each of the shelves being provided with a roller guide member on which the rotational roller
• FIG. 1 and 2 are respectively front and rear perspective views of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [15] FIG. 3 is a plane view illustrating an internal structure of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [16] FIG.
• FIG. 4 is a view illustrating an internal structure of a machinery room of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
• FTGs. 5 to 7 are views illustrating an arrangement of shelves, vertical and horizontal conveying units for conveying trays to the shelves, and an internal structure of a cultivation room, which are applied to a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention
• FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the tray 80 functioning as a plant culture medium.
• FIGS. 9 and 10 are views illustrating the operation of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• FIGS. 11 and 12 are views a modified example of a vertical conveying section of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention [21] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
• FTGs. 1 and 2 are respectively front and rear perspective views of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 3 is a plane view illustrating an internal structure of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• a plant cultivation apparatus includes an enclosed cultivation room 10 allowing the plant cultivation using an aseptic facility and a plurality of shelves installed in a multistory structure in the cultivation room 10 to support trays each functioning as a culture medium allowing the intensive culture of the farm products in a high density state.
• FIG. 5 shows a detailed arrangement of the shelves 60 in the cultivation room 10.
• a sterilizer is provided in an inlet side of the cultivation room 10 and a foreign material inlet side.
• the interior of the cultivation room 10 is designed such that polluted material cannot remain.
• the cultivation room 10 is designed to define an enclosed space and provided with an entrance/exit door 11 through which the plants and the worker can go in and out.
• An air clean room 85 is installed inside the entrance/exit door 11 to prevent foreign polluted materials from being introduced into the cultivation room 10.
• a shutter 86 is installed on the clean room 85. The shutter 86 is designed to be opened when the entrance/exit door 11 is closed and to be closed when the entrance/exit door is opened.
• the air clean room 85 is provided with an air shower unit (not shown) for quickly removing polluted materials adhered to the worker or incoming goods by spraying aseptic air in a multiple-direction.
• the air clean room 85 is further provided with a sterilizing ultraviolet (UN) light (not shown).
• UN sterilizing ultraviolet
• Pass boxes 12 are installed on the cultivation room 10 at both sides of the entrance/ exit door 11. Through the pass box 12, the worker can, without being directly going into the cultivation room 10, (a) plant the seeds on the trays provided in the cultivation room 10, (b) get corps grown in the cultivation room 10, and (c) periodically observe the growing state of the plants in the cultivation room 10.
• the pass box 12 is provided with an air shower unit 90 and a sterilizing UN light 92 in order to quickly remove or sterilize the polluted materials adhered to the worker.
• FIG. 4 shows an internal structure of a machinery room of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• the machinery room is isolated from the cultivation room 10 at an opposite side of the entrance/exit door 11.
• thermohydrostat 22 applied to the present invention has an operation system different from that of the conventional art. That is, in a state where the thermohydrostat 22 is turned on, a heater (not) and a spray 68 spraying water are operated only when required such that the environment of the cultivation room 10 remains at a temperature of +0.3°C and 60-90% humidity. Therefore, since the environment of the cultivation room 10 maintains in a state range, the harmful factors deteriorating the growth of the plants due to the environment variation can be minimized.
• FTGs. 5 to 8 show an arrangement of the shelves 60, vertical and horizontal conveying units 40 and 50 for conveying the trays to the shelves 60, and an internal structure of the cultivation room.
• a plurality of shelves 60 are vertically installed in a multistory structure at both sides of a central aisle 16 of the cultivation room 10. In the present invention, the shelves 60 are stacked in 8-story.
• the trays 80 are densely loaded on the shelves 60. The plants are grown in the trays 80 until the harvest can be done.
• each of the shelves 60 has a width proper for the sliding movement of the trays 80.
• a height between the vertically adjacent shelves is designed considering a height of the plant grown to be sufficient to corp.
• a roller guide member 62 on which rotational rollers 84 formed on each tray 80 are slidably located is formed on both longitudinal edges of each shelf 60.
• a plurality of true lights 66 that emits light frequency similar to the solar light are installed on each shelf 60 and on the ceiling of the cultivation room 10 so that the plants can photosynthesize under luminosity condition to the solar luminosity.
• Water branch pipes 64 for supplying water or nutrient solution to the plants grown in the trays 80 disposed on lower shelves are installed on bottoms of the shelves.
• the horizontal conveying unit 50 installed in front and rear of the shelves 60 conveys the trays 80 from upper shelves 60 to lower shelves 60 while the trays maintains their horizontal states, thereby making it possible to smoothly realize the tray convey and supply between the multistory shelves 60 in a zigzag direction.
• the horizontal conveying unit 50 includes front and rear vertical supports 52 installed in front and rear of the shelves 60, a vertical conveying section 53 fixedly installed on each of the vertical supports 52 to take over the tray from a proximal end of the upper shelf 60 and lower the tray to a horizontal plane identical to that of the adjacent lower shelf 60 and a horizontal conveying section 54 conveying the tray 80 lowered by the vertical conveying section 53 onto the adjacent lower shelf 60.
• the vertical and horizontal conveying sections 53 and 54 are operated by a power supplying unit (not shown).
• the vertical and horizontal conveying sections 53 and 54 are not limited to a special structure. Any structures may be possibly used as far they can convey the tray from the upper shelf to the adjacent lower shelf without occupying large space.
• the vertical conveying section 53 may be formed of a chain or belt structure while the horizontal conveying section 54 is formed of a conveyer structure.
• the vertical conveying section may be formed of vertical moving plate 154 and lower and upper air cylinders 170 and 180.
• the vertical movement of the vertical moving plate 154 and the horizontal movement of the tray 80 are done by the lower and upper air cylinders 170 and 180 installed in front and rear of the shelves 60.
• the lower air cylinder 170 disposed under the vertical moving plate 154 and the upper air cylinder 180 disposed on a side of the vertical moving plate 154 are disposed to cross each other at right angles to allow the vertical moving plate 154 to vertically move and to allow the tray to horizontally move into the shelf 60.
• a sensor such as a limit switch may be provided on one or both ends of each shelf 60 to detect the conveying state of the stray 80 and transmit an operating signal to the vertical and horizontal conveying sections 53 and 54 such that the vertical and horizontal conveying sections 53 and 54 can be operated by a predetermined time and RPM.
• the control operation may be applied to the air cylinders 170 and 180 in an identical manner.
• the vertical conveying unit 40 is installed on an outer side of the horizontal conveying unit 50 disposed in front of the cultivation chamber 10.
• the vertical conveying unit 40 is a device for conveying the tray 80 to the uppermost shelf 60, comprising D-shaped vertical supports 42 disposed on both sides and spaced by a length corresponding to a width of the tray 80, driving and driven sprockets 44 respectively installed on upper and lower ends of the vertical support 42, a tray conveying chain 43 wound around the driving and driven sprockets 44, and a hook 46 coupled to an outer portion of the tray conveying chain 43.
• the vertical conveying unit 40 is designed such that the sprocket 44 and the conveying chain 43 rotate in a direction by a driving motor 45.
• the magic CO2 generator 70 installed in the cultivation room 10 generates CO2 that is essential gas accelerating the growth of the plants. That is, the interior air circulating the interior of the cultivation room 10 passes through the magic CO2 generator 70, in the course of which the gas in the CO2 generator 70 reacts with O2 contained in the interior air.
• the level of the CO2 in the cultivation room 10 is automatically checked by a CO2 detecting sensor 78 installed in the machinery room 30. When it is detected that the level of the CO2 is higher than a reference level, the operation of the magic CO2 generator 70 is stopped. When it is detected that the level of the CO2 is lower than the reference level, the liquefied CO2 bombe 74 installed in the machinery room 30 supplies CO2 to the cultivation chamber to provide the proper amount of CO2 that is required for the growth of the plants.
• the magic CO2 generator 70 installed in the cultivation room 10 is designed to generate CO2 by 80% of the reference level.
• the rest 20% of the reference level is supplied by the liquefied CO2 bombe 74.
• a sprayer 68 is vertically installed on the ceiling corresponding to the center aisle 16 according to the installing location of the shelves 60.
• the sprayer 68 is designed to move in longitudinal and lateral directions.
• a water main pipe 65 for supplying water and an antiseptic solution and for supplying the nutrient solution to the water branch pipe 64 installed on each shelf 60.
• an air duct 14 for circulating interior air of the cultivation room 10 and effectively supplying outer air into the cultivation room 10 is installed on an outer ceiling of the cultivation room 10.
• a main control box 13 provided with, for example, a power switch, an air conditioner switch, a nutrient supplying on/off switch, an infrared lamp on/off switch is provided on a sidewall of the cultivation room 10 so that the worker can conveniently adjust the interior environment of the cultivation room 10.
• Foot switches 15 are provided on an outer bottom under the pass boxes 12.
• the tray 80 is moved in front of the pass box 12 by the vertical conveying unit 40 of the cultivation room and stopped for a few moments so as to make it easy for the worker to observe the tray 80.
• the vertical conveying unit 40 is operated to move the tray.
• FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of the tray 80 functioning as a plant culture medium.
• the tray 80 has a width capable of passing the shelf 60 and a depth capable of growing the plant.
• Longitudinal protrusions 81 are formed on a bottom of the tray 80 to enhance the rigidity of the tray 80.
• the plant cultivation apparatus of the present invention is designed to cultivate the plants while moving the location of the trays more than one time a day using an automatic system in the cultivation room 10 provided with the aseptic facility.
• the trays 80 are closely loaded on each shelf 60 and moved one by one in a state where they are closely disposed.
• the plant in the tray 80 may be polluted or exposed to the polluted material.
• the trays 80 can move between the upper and lower shelves, thereby preventing the plants in the trays 80 from being polluted or exposed to the polluted material.
• the trays 80 are aseptic-processed and loaded on each shelf 60.
• the trays 80 are conveyed from the uppermost shelf 60 to the lower shelves 60.
• roller guide members 62 provided on the lowermost shelf 60 are projected to a lower end of the vertical conveying unit 40 installed in front of the roller guide members 62.
• the tray 80 conveyed along the roller guide members 62 of the lowermost shelf 60 is transferred onto the conveying chain 43 of the vertical conveying unit 40.
• the rotational rollers 84 provided on both outer-ends of the tray 80 are hooked on the hook 46 provided on the conveying chain 43 to move above the vertical supports 42.
• the tray 80 rotates at front ends of the vertical supports 42 so that the rotational roller 84 can be removed from the hook 46.
• the tray 80 is loaded on the horizontal conveying section 54 and moved into the uppermost shelf 60 by operation of the horizontal conveying section 54.
• the horizontal conveying unit 50 installed in rear of the shelf 60 is moved to a horizontal plane identical to that of the shelf 60 where the innermost tray 80 is moving.
• the innermost tray 80 is loaded on the horizontal conveying section 54 of the horizontal conveying unit 50, after which it is lowered to a horizontal plane identical to the next lower shelf 60 by the horizontal conveying section 52.
• the tray 80 loaded on the horizontal conveying section 54 is moved into the next lower shelf 60 by the operation of the horizontal conveying section 54.
• the trays 80 loaded on the next lower shelf 60 are advanced by one unit whenever a new tray 80 is fed to the next lower shelf 60.
• the plants in the trays 80 are effectively managed from the seed-planting to the harvest in aseptic facility, which is generally used in electric and food companies, while temperature, humidity, light, CO2, and outer air are properly adjusted by a variety of environment control apparatuses.
• the plants can be more quickly grown as compared with those cultivated in a normal outfield. Furthermore, since the plants can be densely cultivated, the productivity can be increased.
• the air clean room 85 is combined with the entrance/exit door 11 of the cultivation room 10, the polluted materials adhered to the worker or other goods can be removed and sterilized by the air shower and UN light while passing through the air clean room 85. As a result, the introduction of the polluted materials into the cultivation room 10 can be prevented. Furthermore, since the trays on which seeds are planted is sterilized and inputted into the cultivation room, the incoming of the polluted materials into the cultivation room can be perfectly prevented.
• the shutter 86 provided in the air clean room 85 is designed such that it is closed in a state where the entrance/exit door is opened and opened in a state where the entrance/exit door is closed, the incoming of the polluted materials can be further prevented.
• Air required to cultivate the plants in the cultivation room 11 is also sterilized by being introduced into the cultivation room 10 through a high efficiency particulate arrestor (HEP A) filter and a UN light that are disposed in the outer air purifying unit 76 installed in the machinery room 3.
• HEP A high efficiency particulate arrestor
• the water and nutrient solution are also sterilized by an ozone sterilizer or an underwater UN sterilizer provided in the water tank 24 and the nutrient tank 21 and introduced into the cultivation room 10.
• an ozone sterilizer or an underwater UN sterilizer provided in the water tank 24 and the nutrient tank 21 and introduced into the cultivation room 10.
• thermohydrostat 22 The temperature and humidity are automatically controlled to an optimal condition by the thermohydrostat 22.
• the magic CO2 generator 70 installed in the cultivation room 10 automatically exhausts CO2 required for cultivating the plants in accordance with an amount of incoming air, thereby accelerating the growth of the plants and making it possible to the intensive culture.
• the liquefied CO2 bombe 74 additionally supplies the CO2 to the cultivation room 10 in order to effectively cultivate the plants by supplying sufficient CO2 to the plants.
• the inventive plant cultivation apparatus when used, the consecutive plant cultivation will be possible.
• the true lights (300-15,0001x) 66 each having a 205-900Nm wave length identical to the solar light are installed in the cultivation room 10, the generation of polluting sources such as mold that causes the damage by blight and harmful insects in the enclosed cultivation room can be prevented in advance.
• thermohydrostat 22 is designed to perform two processes (a humidity control process and a forcedly drying process), the plant damage such as rottenness of plant seeds, which may be caused by the high damp for a long term, can be minimized.
• absolute stable temperature can maintain with a temperature difference of about +0.2°C by the above-described thermohydrostat and the humidity recovering time is not over 15 minutes. Therefore, the plants can be effectively grown.
• the present invention uses both the magic CO2 generator and the liquefied CO2 bombe (more than 99.75%) that generate only CO2 by reacting with O2 contained in the air.
• the liquefied CO2 bombe 74 is designed to precisely control the level of the CO2 contained in the air of the cultivation room 10.
• the sprayer 68 installed on a portion of the ceiling of the cultivation room 10, which corresponds to the central aisle 16, functions to spray water to adjust the humidity of the cultivation room 10 and supply water to the plants as well as to spray, after the worker or goods go in and out and the seeding is finished, an antiseptic solution containing a natural antiseptic agent to completely remove dropt flower bacteria, soil bacteria, suspending molds, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, and other sort of molds that may not be perfectly sterilized during the air circulation, thereby preventing the harmful bacteria from growing naturally or incoming into the cultivation chamber.
• the preventing and sterilizing means are automatically operated and controlled by the electric and electronic devices and the main control box that are installed in the machinery room, thereby saving the labor.
• One of the features of the present invention is a shelf apparatus automatically operated by the aseptic management system.
• the plant cultivation apparatus uses fixing culture media, since the sterilization cannot be realized at dead points of each fixed culture medium. Therefore, a variety of anaerobic bacteria may inhabit at the dead points to deteriorate the growth of the plants.
• the culture media are designed to move, the harmful environment condition that may be created in the case of the fixed culture media may be improved.
• the trays 80 that are the culture media are conveyed by a hanger system.
• the multiple convey is enabled only when a distance between the hangers is more than 1/3. Therefore, the productivity is lowered by more than 1/3.
• the productivity can be remarkably increased while the perfect sterilizing effect and the rotting preventing effect can be obtained.
• the air circulating in the cultivation room is sterilized by the air circulation system installed in the machinery room.
• the inner walls are processed with a silicon coating and the bottom is processed with antifungal epoxy to avoid becoming a minute pollution area.
• the bottom of the cultivation room is designed to be inclined by 2/100-3/100 to prevent the pollution sources from staying thereon.
• a drainpipe is formed in a U-shape to prevent the outer air or moisture from incoming, thereby providing a perfect aseptic plant cultivation system.
• the present invention can be applied to a plant cultivation apparatus.

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Citations (6)

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• 2004
  • 2004-02-19 KR KR1020040010922A patent/KR100671469B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
• 2005
  • 2005-02-18 WO PCT/KR2005/000432 patent/WO2005079557A1/en active Application Filing

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