WO2018016609A1

WO2018016609A1 - Cultivation facility

Info

Publication number: WO2018016609A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/026366
Authority: WO
Inventors: 康裕松村
Original assignee: 株式会社スプレッド
Priority date: 2016-07-20
Filing date: 2017-07-20
Publication date: 2018-01-25
Also published as: JP6923524B2; JPWO2018016609A1

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide cultivation facility wherein the cultivation environment during a growing phase can be strictly managed. This cultivation facility (100) is provided with a seedling raising area (2), a growing area (3), a harvesting area (4), a peripheral wall (31), an input conveyor (25) and an output conveyor (41). The growing area is disposed adjacent to the seedling raising area or the harvesting area and has growing chambers (32). The peripheral wall is disposed around the growing area to isolate the growing area from the seedling raising area and the harvesting area, and has openings (3112, 3113). The input conveyor is disposed across the seedling raising area and the growing area and passes through an opening of the peripheral wall. Each growing chamber comprises growing shelves (321), an introduction device (322) and an extraction device (323). Each growing shelf has an introduction opening (3211) and an extraction opening (3212). The introduction device is disposed on the introduction opening side and introduces a plant placed on the input conveyor to the growing shelf through the introduction opening. The extraction device is disposed on the extraction opening side and extracts the plant from the extraction opening and places the plant on the output conveyor.

Description

Cultivation equipment

The present disclosure relates to cultivation equipment, and more particularly, to cultivation equipment for cultivating a plurality of plants.

Conventionally, various facilities for cultivating plants have been devised. For example, JP-A-1-235524 discloses a cultivation facility for controlling the environment in a building where plants are grown. In the cultivation facility, the plant is cultivated in the building while moving the cultivation bed along the rail. The environment in the building is controlled by air conditioning equipment and lighting devices.

JP-A-7-099847 discloses a cultivation facility that uses a plurality of types of cultivation panels. In the said cultivation equipment, a plant is cultivated, conveying a cultivation panel with a cultivation line in a growth process (cultivation process) after a seeding process, a seedling raising process, and a fixed planting process. The cultivation process is divided into first to third stages. In the first stage, plants are placed on a small cultivation panel. In the second stage, plants are transplanted to a larger cultivation panel, and in the third stage, plants are transplanted to a larger cultivation panel.

JP 2011-142902 A discloses a greenhouse for hydroponically growing vegetables. This greenhouse includes a germination room, a seedling room, a plurality of planting / growing rooms, and a harvesting room. On both sides of the planting / growing room, a left communication passage and a right communication passage are provided. The left communication path is arranged between the germination room and the nursery room and the planting / growing room. In this greenhouse, an automated guided vehicle opens and closes the doors of each room and enters and exits each room.

JP-A 2000-106776 discloses an automatic cultivation apparatus for hydroponics. This automatic cultivation device includes a conveyor device that conveys a seedling box containing the seeded culture medium, and a planting device that holds the culture medium block from the seedling box and transplants it to a cultivation bar.

In the cultivation facilities in each of the above patent documents, environmental management according to the growth stage of the plant is not considered. However, in general, the amount of plant growth increases with the second half of cultivation. For this reason, it is requested | required that the cultivation environment in a growth period should be managed strictly compared with the cultivation environment until a seedling raising period.

This disclosure aims to provide a cultivation facility that can strictly manage the cultivation environment in the growing season.

The cultivation facility according to the present disclosure grows a plurality of plants. The cultivation facility includes a seedling area for growing plants, a harvesting area for harvesting plants, a growing area for growing plants, a peripheral wall, a carry-in conveyor, and a carry-out conveyor. The growing area is arranged adjacent to the seedling raising area or the harvesting area, and has one or more growing chambers. The peripheral wall is provided around the growing area and has an opening in order to isolate the growing area from the seedling raising area and the harvesting area. The carry-in conveyor is disposed over the seedling raising area and the growing area, and is provided so as to penetrate the opening of the peripheral wall. The carry-out conveyor is disposed over the harvesting area and the growing area, and is provided so as to penetrate the opening of the peripheral wall. Each of the growth chambers includes a plurality of multi-stage growth shelves, a first input device, and a first take-out device. The plurality of growth shelves are arranged in parallel. Each of the growth shelves has an input port provided at one end in the longitudinal direction and an outlet provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction. The first input device is disposed on the input side of the growth shelf. The first input device inputs the plant on the carry-in conveyor from the input port to the growth shelf. The first extraction device is disposed on the outlet side of the growth shelf. A 1st taking-out apparatus takes out the plant grown on the growth shelf from an outlet, and mounts it on a carrying-out conveyor.

The cultivation facility according to the present disclosure can strictly manage the cultivation environment in the growing season.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the cultivation facility according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is another plan view of the cultivation facility shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III in FIGS. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VV in FIG. 1 and FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the opening in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of another opening in FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the cultivation facility according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of the cultivation facility according to the third embodiment.

The cultivation facility according to the embodiment cultivates a plurality of plants. The cultivation facility includes a seedling area for growing plants, a harvesting area for harvesting plants, a growing area for growing plants, a peripheral wall, a carry-in conveyor, and a carry-out conveyor. The growing area is arranged adjacent to the seedling raising area or the harvesting area, and has one or more growing chambers. The peripheral wall is provided around the growing area and has an opening in order to isolate the growing area from the seedling raising area and the harvesting area. The carry-in conveyor is disposed over the seedling raising area and the growing area, and is provided so as to penetrate the opening of the peripheral wall. The carry-out conveyor is disposed over the harvesting area and the growing area, and is provided so as to penetrate the opening of the peripheral wall. Each of the growth chambers includes a plurality of multi-stage growth shelves, a first input device, and a first take-out device. The plurality of growth shelves are arranged in parallel. Each of the growth shelves has an input port provided at one end in the longitudinal direction and an outlet provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction. The first input device is disposed on the input side of the growth shelf. The first input device inputs the plant on the carry-in conveyor from the input port to the growth shelf. The first extraction device is disposed on the outlet side of the growth shelf. A 1st taking-out apparatus takes out the plant grown on the growth shelf from an exit, and mounts it on a carrying-out conveyor (1st structure).

In the first configuration, the peripheral wall is installed around the growing region in order to block the growing region from the seedling raising region and the harvesting region. The carry-in conveyor is disposed over the seedling raising area and the growing area, and is provided so as to penetrate the opening of the peripheral wall. The carry-out conveyor is disposed over the harvesting area and the growing area, and is provided so as to penetrate the opening of the peripheral wall. For this reason, the cultivation environment of the growth area comprised by each growth room can be managed strictly, without receiving the influence from the outside substantially.

According to the first configuration, the first input device puts the plants into the growth shelves in the respective growth chambers to start the growth, and after completion of the growth, the first take-out device takes out the plants from the growth shelves in the respective growth chambers. . For this reason, there is almost no need for an operator to intervene through the entire growing process, and the entry and exit of the worker with respect to the growing area does not substantially occur during the growth of the plant. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the cultivation environment in the growing region from being disturbed.

Thus, according to the first configuration, the cultivation environment in the growing season can be strictly managed.

The cultivation facility may further include a vertical partition wall. The vertical partition wall is installed between the two or more growth chambers in order to block the two or more growth chambers from each other (second configuration).

According to the second configuration, the cultivation environment of each growth room can be strictly managed without being substantially affected by other growth rooms.

Each of the above-mentioned growth rooms may be provided with a ceiling board installed above the growth shelf (third configuration).

According to the 3rd structure, the influence from the outside with respect to the cultivation environment of each growth room can be suppressed, and the cultivation environment in a growing season can be managed strictly.

Each of the above-mentioned growth shelves may have a partition plate that is provided on the upper surface, the lower surface, and both side surfaces and extends in the longitudinal direction (fourth configuration).

According to the 4th structure, the fluctuation | variation of the cultivation environment in a growth shelf can be suppressed, and the cultivation environment in a growth period can be managed strictly.

Two growth chambers adjacent to each other among the two or more growth chambers are arranged so that the outlet of the growth shelf in one growth chamber and the outlet of the growth shelf in the other growth chamber face each other ( Fifth configuration).

In the fifth configuration, the outlet of the growth shelf in one growth chamber and the outlet of the growth shelf in the other growth chamber face each other. That is, the outlets of all the growth shelves are positioned near the center of the two growth chambers. For this reason, the plant after growth will gather near the center of two growth chambers, when it is taken out from each growth shelf, and can be quickly conveyed to a harvesting area. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the roots of the plant from drying out after being taken out from the growth shelf.

The seedling area may include a multi-stage seedling rack and a planting machine. The planter transplants plants grown on a nursery shelf on a cultivation panel. The carry-in conveyor conveys the cultivation panel from the planting machine to the growing area (sixth configuration).

In the sixth configuration, a planting machine performs planting of plants after raising seedlings, and a planted conveyor conveys the planted plants to a growth area. That is, the planting process from planting a plant grown in the seedling area to transporting it to the growth area is automated. For this reason, it is not necessary for an operator to enter and exit the growing area at the start of plant growth. Therefore, it can prevent more reliably that the cultivation environment of a growth area | region is disturbed.

The seedling raising area can further include a second feeding device and a second taking-out device. The second input device is disposed on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the nursery shelf and inputs the plant to the nursery shelf. A 2nd extraction device is arrange | positioned at the other end side of the longitudinal direction of a seedling shelf, and takes out a plant from a seedling shelf (7th structure).

According to the seventh configuration, in the seedling raising process, the plant is automatically input to the seedling shelf by the second input device, and the plant is automatically extracted from the seedling shelf by the second extraction device. For this reason, an operation error by the operator does not occur with respect to the input and extraction of the plant from the seedling rack. Therefore, a plant can be thrown in and taken out from the nursery rack in a predetermined accurate order.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the same description is not repeated. For convenience of explanation, in each drawing, the configuration may be simplified or schematically illustrated, or a part of the configuration may be omitted.

1. 1st Embodiment [Composition of cultivation equipment]
FIG.1 and FIG.2 is a top view which shows schematic structure of the cultivation equipment 100 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cultivation facility 100 includes a sowing area 1, a seedling raising area 2, a growing area 3, and a harvesting area 4. The sowing area 1, the seedling area 2, the growing area 3, and the harvesting area 4 are arranged in the building 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the sowing area 1 and the seedling raising area 2 are arranged on the second floor. As shown in FIG. 2, the harvesting area 4 is arranged on the first floor. As shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the growth area | region 3 is arrange | positioned through the 1st floor and the 2nd floor.

Referring to FIG. 1, sowing area 1 is an area for sowing plants. A germination chamber 5 and a greening shelf 6 are provided in the vicinity of the sowing area 1.

The seedling raising area 2 is an area for raising plants. More specifically, the seedling raising area 2 is an area where the plant before being put into the growing area 3 is cultivated. The seedling raising area 2 includes

multistage seedling racks

21A and 21B. The seedling raising area 2 includes an input device 22, an extraction device 23, a planting machine 24, and a carry-in conveyor 25 corresponding to the seedling racks 21 A and 21 B. The carry-in conveyor 25 is arranged over the seedling raising area 2 and the growing area 3. In the present embodiment, the seedling region 2 has two

seedling racks

21A and 21B. However, the number of seedling racks in the seedling raising area 2 is not limited to this. Each

seedling shelf

21A, 21B has the same configuration as a growth shelf 321 described later.

Each of the

nursery shelves

21A and 21B has an insertion port 211 on one end in the longitudinal direction and an outlet 212 on the other end in the longitudinal direction. The seedling racks 21A and 21B are arranged in series so that the input ports 211 face each other. A seedling selection unit 7 is provided between the

seedling racks

21A and 21B.

A feeding device 22 is arranged on the side of each feeding slot 211 of the

nursery shelves

21A and 21B. The take-out device 23 is arranged on the side of each take-out port 212 of the

seedling racks

21A and 21B. The input device 22 and the take-out device 23 are configured to be movable up and down. A planting machine 24 is provided in the vicinity of each outlet 212. The planting machine 24 may be included in the seedling raising area 2. In the vicinity of each planting machine 24, the carry-in conveyor 25 is arrange | positioned.

The growing area 3 is arranged next to the seedling growing area 2. The growth area 3 is an area for growing plants. More specifically, the growth region 3 is a region where a plant before being harvested is cultivated. The growth area 3 is an area spatially blocked from the sowing area 1, the seedling area 2, and the harvest area 4. Here, spatially blocking means that the environment such as temperature and humidity of the growing region 3 is between the space in the growing region 3 and the external space (including the sowing region 1, the seedling region 2, the harvesting region 4, etc.). A state that is kept undisturbed by the exchange of air. In more detail, the openings that can cause the exchange of air between the space in the growth area 3 and the external space are minimized, the elements passing through the openings are also minimized, and the outflow of air by said elements It is in a state where the entry is planned to be steady. Specifically, the carry-in / out of the plant between the growth region 3 and the external space is limited to the carry-in conveyor 25 and the carry-out conveyor 41, and the carry-in conveyor 25 In addition, the openings other than the opening for the carry-out conveyor 41 are blocked by the peripheral wall 31. The growing area 3 is a space closed to the sowing area 1, the seedling raising area 2, and the harvesting area 4. The growth region 3 is surrounded by a peripheral wall 31 including

partition walls

311, 312, 313, and 314. That is, the peripheral wall 31 is installed around the growing region 3 in order to block the growing region 3 from the seedling growing region 2 and the harvesting region 4. The configuration of the growth region 3 will be described in detail later.

Referring to FIG. 2, harvesting area 4 is an area for harvesting plants. More specifically, the harvesting area 4 is an area where harvested plants are harvested and an adjustment operation for removing roots and leaves having no commercial value or a packaging operation is performed. The harvesting area 4 is arranged next to the growing area 3.

The harvesting area 4 has a carry-out conveyor 41 and an adjustment unit 42. The cleaning unit 43 may be included in the harvest region 4. The carry-out conveyor 41 is arranged over the growth area 3 and the harvest area 4. The carry-out conveyor 41 extends from the growth region 3 to the harvesting region 4 and reaches the cleaning unit 43 through the adjustment unit 42. A part of the conveyor 41 is arranged in a portion close to the harvesting region 4 in the growing region 3.

The adjustment unit 42 includes a weight checker 421, a packing machine 422, a metal detector 423, and a box making and sealing machine 424. The cleaning unit 43 is provided with a cleaning machine 431 and a vertical transfer machine 432. The vertical transfer machine 432 is for transferring the cleaned cultivation panel to the second floor, and reaches the seedling raising area 2 on the second floor as shown in FIG.

[Composition of growth area]
Next, a specific configuration of the growth region 3 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the growth region 3 has a plurality of

growth chambers

32A and 32B. In the present embodiment, the growth region 3 is provided with two

growth chambers

32A and 32B. However, one growth chamber may be provided, or three or more growth chambers may be provided. .

Each of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B forms a space blocked from the outside. The spaces formed by the growth chambers 32 A and 32 B are substantially cut off from the sowing area 1, the seedling area 2, and the harvest area 4. The space formed by the growth chamber 32A is substantially cut off from the space formed by the growth chamber 32B. The

growth rooms

32A and 32B are sealed rooms. However, the

growth chambers

32A and 32B do not need to be completely closed rooms, and may be sealed to such an extent that the inside can be maintained at a desired temperature and humidity.

The growth chambers 32 A and 32 B are formed by dividing the inside of the growth region 3 by the vertical partition wall 33. The vertical partition wall 33 may be provided with an entrance with a door.

The

growth chambers

32A and 32B are defined by the peripheral wall 31 and the vertical partition wall 33, respectively. Each of the peripheral wall 31 and the vertical partition wall 33 extends from the floor surface of the building 10 to the ceiling. Therefore, the

growth chambers

32A and 32B are rooms in which all side surfaces and upper and lower surfaces are closed, respectively. The partition wall 311 of the peripheral wall 31 is installed between the seedling raising area 2 and the harvesting area 4 and the growing area 2.

Since the

growth chambers

32A and 32B are also cut off from each other as described above, the environment can be controlled independently in each of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B. For this reason, even if the scale of the cultivation facility 100 becomes large and the growing region 3 becomes a large space, the environment can be appropriately maintained by controlling the environment for each of the growing

chambers

32A and 32B. The entire cultivation environment can be made uniform.

The

growth chambers

32A and 32B have the same configuration, but are arranged in line symmetry in the plan view of the cultivation facility 100. Hereinafter, the configuration of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B will be described. When the

growth chambers

32A and 32B are not particularly distinguished, they are collectively referred to as the growth chamber 32.

The growth chamber 32 includes a plurality of multi-stage growth shelves 321, an input device 322, an extraction device 323, and an air supply device 324.

In each growth chamber 32, 20 growth shelves 321 are arranged in parallel. The growth shelf 321 extends in the same direction. Each of the growth shelves 321 has an inlet 3211 at one end in the longitudinal direction and an outlet 3212 at the other end in the longitudinal direction. The input port 3211 of the growth shelf 321 is positioned on the end side of the growth region 3. The outlet 3212 of the growth shelf 321 is positioned on the center side of the growth region 3. As a result, the outlet 3212 of the growth shelf 321 in the growth chamber 32 A faces the outlet 3212 of the growth shelf 321 in the growth chamber 32 B via the vertical partition wall 33. The growth shelf 321 in one growth chamber 32A and the growth shelf 321 in the other growth chamber 32B are arranged in a straight line along the longitudinal direction (L) of the growth shelf 321. A specific configuration of the growth shelf 321 itself will be described later.

The input device 322 is arranged in the growth chamber 32 on the input port 3211 side of the growth shelf 321. The take-out device 323 is arranged on the take-out port 3212 side of the growth shelf 321 in the growth chamber 32. The input device 322 and the take-out device 323 are configured to be movable in a direction in which the growth shelves 321 are arranged in parallel (a direction in which the width direction W is extended) and an up-down direction (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface). The input device 322 and the take-out device 323 are, for example, stacker cranes.

The air supply device 324 is disposed in the growth chamber 32 on the input port 3211 side of the growth shelf 321. The air supply device 324 supplies air between the adjacent growth shelves 321. The air supply device 324 sucks air from the input port 3211 of each growth shelf 321. A specific configuration of the air supply device 324 will be described later.

A partition wall 35 is disposed between the air supply device 324 and the growth shelf 321. The partition wall 35 divides the inside of the growth chamber 32 into a space on the growth shelf 321 side and a space on the air supply device 324 side. The partition wall 35 covers each growth shelf 321 when viewed from the air supply device 324 side. That is, the partition wall 35 closes between the growth shelf 321 and the growth shelf 321 and above and below each growth shelf 321. The partition wall 35 may be provided with an entrance with a door.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the cultivation facility 100, and is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. With reference to FIG. 3, the specific structure of the air supply apparatus 324 in this embodiment is demonstrated. However, the configuration of the air supply device 324 is not limited to this.

As shown in FIG. 3, the air supply device 324 includes a chamber 3241, a duct 3242, an air conditioner 3243, and a dehumidifier 3244.

A duct 3242 is connected to the chamber 3241. An air conditioner 3243 and a dehumidifier 3244 are also connected to the chamber 3241.

The air conditioner 3243 and the dehumidifier 3244 suck air from the inlet 3211 of the growth shelf 321 and send it into the chamber 3241. Each of the air conditioner 3243 and the dehumidifier 3244 has a fan, for example. The air conditioner 3243 mainly adjusts the temperature of the sucked air. The dehumidifier 3244 dehumidifies the sucked air. The set temperature of the air conditioner 3243 and the set humidity of the dehumidifier 3244 can be adjusted as appropriate.

The duct 3242 extends substantially horizontally in the longitudinal direction (L) of the growth shelf 321 above the growth shelf 321. Air is supplied to the duct 3242 from the air conditioner 3243 and the dehumidifier 3244 through the chamber 3241. The duct 3242 supplies air to the outlet 3212 side of the growth shelf 321. Alternatively, another duct (not shown) can be lowered from the middle of the duct 3242 and air can be supplied between the growth shelves 321.

A ceiling plate 34 is provided horizontally between the duct 3242 and the growth shelf 321, that is, above the growth shelf 321. The ceiling plate 34 divides the inside of the growth chamber 32 into a space on the growth shelf 321 side and a space on the duct 3242 side. The duct 3242 passes through the ceiling plate 34.

One or more air supply devices 324 can be provided for one growth chamber 32. What is necessary is just to determine the number of the air supply apparatuses 324 in each growth chamber 32 suitably. For example, a pair of two growth shelves 321 adjacent to each other may be provided, and the air supply device 324 may be provided for each pair, or the air supply device 324 may be provided for each of a plurality of pairs. For example, one air supply device 324 can be provided for two pairs of growth shelves 321. In this case, air is supplied from the air supply device 324 between the pair of one growth shelf 321 and the pair of the other growth shelf 321.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. The configuration of the growth shelf 321 will be described with reference to FIG. However, the configuration of the growth shelf 321 is not limited to this.

Each of the growth shelves 321 has a plurality of stages 3213. In each stage 3213, a plurality of plants V held on the cultivation panel P are arranged. The cultivation panel P is floated on the nutrient solution in the nutrient solution tank (not shown) provided in each stage 3213, for example. The cultivation panel P is conveyed on the nutrient solution from the inlet 3211 (FIGS. 1 and 2) to the outlet 3212 (FIGS. 1 and 2). An illumination device (not shown) for irradiating the plant V with light is provided above each stage 3213.

Of the both sides of the growth shelf 321, it is preferable that at least the portion of each stage 3213 where the plant V is arranged is closed over the longitudinal direction of the growth shelf 321. Both side surfaces of the growth shelf 321 can be closed by partition plates 3216 and 3217. As the partition plates 3216 and 3217, for example, a reflecting plate having a reflecting surface on the inside can be used. Partition plates 3216 and 3217 are preferably configured to be openable and closable.

It is preferable that the upper and lower surfaces of the growth shelf 321 are also closed. The upper surface and the lower surface of the growth shelf 321 can be closed using partition plates 3216 and 3215 such as a reflector, similarly to the side surface. The lower surface of the growth shelf 321 can also be closed by a nutrient solution tank arranged at the lowest level. The growth shelf 321 is surrounded by

partition plates

3214, 3215, 3216, and 3217 in the longitudinal direction (L).

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV in FIG. 1 and FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the partition wall 311 has three

openings

3112, 3112, 3113. The

openings

3112, 3112, 3113 are rectangular through holes opened in the partition wall 311. The

openings

3112 and 3112 are located in the upper part of the partition wall 311. The opening 3113 is located below the partition wall 311. The

openings

3112 and 3112 are located on both sides of the partition wall 311. The opening 3113 is located approximately at the center of the partition wall 311 and on the left side of the vertical partition wall 33.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the opening 3112 in FIG. The carry-in conveyor 25 shown in FIG. 1 is provided so as to penetrate the opening 312. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of the opening 3113 in FIG. The carry-out conveyor 41 shown in FIG. 2 is provided so as to penetrate the opening 3113. Here, a roller conveyor is used as the carry-in conveyor 25 and the carry-out conveyor 41, but a belt conveyor may be used. The cultivation panel P is placed on a water receiving container R for receiving drops falling from the roots of the plant V. The cultivation panel P is placed on the

conveyors

25 and 41 together with the water receiving container R and conveyed.

The

openings

3112 and 3113 have a minimum necessary size through which the

conveyors

25 and 41, the water receiving container R, the cultivation panel P, and the plant V can pass. This is to minimize the air flow between the seedling area 2 and the growing area 3 and between the growing area 3 and the harvesting area 4. The opening 3112 shown in FIG. 6 is preferably smaller than the opening 3113 shown in FIG. Specifically, the length in the height direction (vertical length in the drawing) of the opening 3112 is shorter than the length in the width direction (vertical length in the drawing) of the opening 3113. This is because an ungrown small plant V passes through the opening 3112, and a large grown plant V passes through the opening 3113.

As shown in FIG. 6, the width in the width direction of the opening 3112 is the widest width of elements passing through the opening 3112, that is, the carry-in conveyor 25, the water receiving container R, the cultivation panel P, and the plant V (this example). Then, it is slightly wider than the width of the water receiving container R). The lateral width of the opening 3112 is preferably as narrow as possible, for example, 1.5 times the widest width, preferably 1.1 times, and more preferably less than 1.05 times. The vertical width of the opening 3112 is slightly larger than the total height of the carry-in conveyor 25, the water receiving container R, the cultivation panel P, and the plant V. The vertical width of the opening 3112 is preferably as narrow as possible. For example, it is 1.5 times the total height, preferably 1.2 times, and more preferably less than 1.1 times.

As shown in FIG. 7, the width of the opening 3113 is slightly smaller than the widest width (the width of the water receiving container R in this example) among the carry-out conveyor 41, the water receiving container R, the cultivation panel P, and the plant V. wide. The lateral width of the opening 3113 is preferably as narrow as possible, for example, 1.5 times the widest width, preferably 1.1 times, and more preferably less than 1.05 times. The vertical width of the opening 3113 is slightly larger than the total height of the carry-out conveyor 41, the water receiving container R, the cultivation panel P, and the plant V. The vertical width of the opening 3113 is preferably as narrow as possible. For example, the opening 3113 is 1.5 times the total height, preferably 1.2 times, and more preferably less than 1.1 times.

Similarly to the above, the vertical partition wall 33 shown in FIG. The carry-out conveyor 41 shown in FIG. 2 is provided so as to also penetrate the opening 331 of the vertical partition wall 33. Specifically, the carry-out conveyor 41 is disposed across the

growth chambers

32A and 32B.

[Cultivation method]
Returning to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a method for cultivating a plant with the cultivation facility 100 configured as described above will be described.

Referring to FIG. 1, first, planting is performed in a seeding region 1. In the sowing area 1, for example, a cultivation panel (not shown) having a plurality of holes is used. A cultivation pot (not shown) is attached to each hole of the cultivation panel. Each cultivation pot is hydrated and filled with a medium seeded with plant seeds. Such a sowing step may be performed using a seeder or may be performed by an operator.

After the sowing process, the cultivation panel is moved to the germination chamber 5. When the plant on the cultivation panel germinates, the cultivation panel is transferred from the germination chamber 5 to the greening shelf 6, and the plant is greened. Thereafter, plants with poor germination and the like are eliminated in the seedling selection unit 7, and the cultivation panel is sent to the seedling area 2.

In the seedling raising region 2, each input device 22 inputs the cultivation panel from the input port 211 to the corresponding

seedling racks

21A and 21B. During the seedling raising, the cultivation panel moves to the outlet 212 side in each of the

seedling racks

21A and 21B. The cultivation panel is taken out from the outlet 212 of the

seedling racks

21A and 21B by each extraction device 23.

In this embodiment, the seedling raising process is automated by using the input device 22 and the take-out device 23. However, an operator may carry out part or all of the seedling raising process.

Plants on the cultivation panel taken out from the

seedling racks

21A and 21B are transplanted to another cultivation panel (not shown) by the planting machine 24. That is, the plant after raising is transferred from the cultivation panel for raising seedlings to the cultivation panel for growth together with the cultivation pot. The cultivation panel for growth is larger in size and wider in the interval between the holes than the cultivation panel for raising seedlings. Such a planting process may be implemented by an operator. Thereafter, the growing cultivation panel is conveyed from the seedling raising region 2 through the opening 3112 of the partition wall 311 to the growing region 3 by the carry-in conveyor 25.

Plants grown on the seedling rack 21A are sent from the corresponding planting machine 24 to the growth chamber 32A by the carry-in conveyor 25. Plants grown on the seedling rack 21B are sent from the corresponding planting machine 24 to the growth chamber 32B by the carry-in conveyor 25. In each of the growth chambers 32 A and 32 B, the input device 322 receives and transports the cultivation panel and inputs it into the input port 3211 of each growth shelf 321.

In each growth shelf 321, plants held on the cultivation panel grow. During the growth, the cultivation panel moves on the growth shelf 321 from the inlet 3211 side to the outlet 3212 side. When a predetermined period elapses and the cultivation panel reaches the input port 3211, the cultivation panel is taken out from the growth shelf 321 by each take-out device 323.

Here, the outlet 3212 of the growth shelf 321 in the growth chamber 32A is located on the growth chamber 32B side. The growth shelf 321 in the growth chamber 32B has an outlet 3212 positioned on the growth chamber 32A side. Therefore, all the cultivation panels are gathered and taken out near the center of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B.

Referring to FIG. 2, the extracted cultivation panel is conveyed toward the harvesting area 4 by each extraction device 323. The cultivation panel is transferred from each take-out device 323 to the carry-out conveyor 41, and is conveyed from the growing region 3 to the harvesting region 4 through the opening 3113 of the partition wall 311.

The take-out device 323 of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B uses a common carry-out conveyor 41. The carry-out conveyor 41 passes through the opening 331 of the vertical partition wall 33, extends from the growth chamber 32 A to the growth chamber 32 B, and then moves toward the harvesting region 4. Therefore, both the take-out devices 323 of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B can place the cultivation panel on the carry-out conveyor 41. The cultivation panel taken out by the take-out device 323 in the growth chamber 32A is conveyed from the growth chamber 32A through the opening 331 of the vertical partition wall 33 to the growth chamber 32B.

In the harvest area 4, the plant is rooted and separated from the cultivation panel. Each plant is measured by the weight checker 421 in the adjustment unit 42 and then packed with a film or the like by the packing machine 422. The packed plant is inspected by the metal detector 423 and then packed in a box formed by the box making and sealing machine 424.

The cultivation panel from which the plants have been separated is carried to the washing unit 43 by the carry-out conveyor 41. The cultivation panel is washed by a washing machine 431. Thereafter, the cultivation panel is returned to the seedling raising area 2 (FIG. 1) on the upper floor by the vertical transfer machine 432 and reused for plant cultivation.

[effect]
Since the amount of plant growth increases in the second half of cultivation, environmental management during the growing season is particularly important. In the cultivation facility 100 according to the present embodiment, in consideration of this point, the growing region 3 is spatially blocked from the seedling growing region 2 and the harvesting region 4. For this reason, it is possible to strictly manage the cultivation environment such as temperature and humidity in the growing region 3 without being substantially affected by the outside.

In this embodiment, the growth region 3 is divided into a plurality of

growth chambers

32A and 32B. The

growth chambers

32A and 32B form spaces that are blocked from each other. For this reason, environmental control is performed individually for each of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B. According to such a configuration, even if the cultivation facility 100 becomes large and the entire growth region 3 becomes a large space, the environment can be controlled appropriately for each of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B, and can be managed appropriately. The cultivation environment of the whole growth region 3 can be made uniform.

In this embodiment, in each of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B of the growth region 3, a plant is input to the growth shelf 321 by the input device 322, and a plant is extracted from each growth shelf 321 by the extraction device 323. That is, the growth process performed in the growth region 3 is automated. For this reason, there is almost no need for the operator to intervene throughout the growing process, and the worker enters and leaves the growing area 3 substantially. The carry-in conveyor 25 is disposed across the seedling raising area 2 and the growing area 3 and is provided so as to penetrate the opening 3112 of the partition wall 311. The carry-out conveyor 41 is disposed across the growth region 3 and the harvesting region 4 and is provided so as to penetrate the opening 3113 of the partition wall 311. Therefore, it can prevent that the cultivation environment of the growth area 3 is disturbed.

Thus, according to the cultivation facility 100 according to the present embodiment, the cultivation environment in the growing season can be strictly managed.

In the present embodiment, the vertical partition wall 33 is installed between the plurality of

growth chambers

32A and 32B and has an opening 331. The carry-out conveyor 41 is disposed across the plurality of growth chambers 32 A and 32 B and is provided so as to penetrate the opening 331 of the vertical partition wall 33. Therefore, it is possible to strictly manage the cultivation environment of each growth room without being substantially affected by the other growth rooms.

In this embodiment, the

growth chambers

32A and 32B are arranged line-symmetrically in plan view. The growth chambers 32 A and 32 B are arranged in parallel so that the outlets 3212 of the growth shelf 321 face each other through the vertical partition wall 33. According to such a configuration, harvested plants are automatically collected near the center of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B. For this reason, a plant can be rapidly conveyed to the harvesting area 4, and drying of a plant can be prevented.

In this embodiment, planting of plants after raising seedlings is performed by each planting machine 24, and the planted plants are conveyed to the

growth chambers

32A and 32B by the respective carry-in conveyors 25. That is, the planting process from planting a plant grown in the seedling region 2 to conveying it to the growth region 3 is automated. For this reason, it is not necessary for an operator to enter and exit the growth area 3 at the start of plant growth. Therefore, it can prevent more reliably that the cultivation environment of the growth area | region 3 is disturbed.

In the present embodiment, in the seedling raising area 2, plants are input to the

seedling racks

21A and 21B by the input devices 22, and the plants are extracted from the

seedling racks

21A and 21B by the extraction devices 23. That is, the seedling process performed in the seedling area 2 is automated, and the worker does not substantially intervene in the seedling process. Therefore, the plant is not put into and out of the

nursery shelves

21A and 21B in the wrong order due to work mistakes, and the plants are put into and taken out from the

nursery shelves

21A and 21B in a predetermined accurate order. Can do.

Furthermore, the plant V of the growth region 3 is accommodated by providing the

partition plates

3214, 3215, 3216, and 3217 surrounding the longitudinal direction (L) of the vertical partition wall 33, the ceiling plate 34, and the growth shelf 321 in the growth region 3. It is possible to surround the growth shelf 321 in a multiple manner, suppress the change of the environment to the plant V as much as possible, and keep the cultivation environment in the growth region 3 uniform.

In this embodiment, air is supplied between two adjacent growth shelves 321 by the air supply device 324 in each of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B, and air is sucked from the outlet 3212 of each growth shelf 321. Thereby, in each

growth chamber

32A, 32B, after flowing through the passage between the growth shelves 321 to the outlet 3212 side, the air enters the respective growth shelves 321 from the outlet 3212 toward the inlet 3211. A flow is formed, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of bias due to air stagnation between the growth shelves 321 in the growth region 3 and between the respective stages 3213, and the cultivation environment can be kept constant.

In this embodiment, the space on the growth shelf 321 side and the space on the air supply device 324 side are separated by the partition wall 35 in each of the

growth chambers

32A and 32B. In this state, air is circulated through the duct 3242 by the air supply device 324, whereby the above-described air flow can be more reliably formed.

Plants are thrown into each growth shelf 321 from the inlet 3211 and taken out from the outlet 3212. That is, in each growth shelf 321, the plant on the input port 3211 side is a small plant at the early stage of growth, and the plant on the outlet 3212 side is a plant that has grown and has grown. Largely grown plants have a large amount of transpiration. Therefore, when the above-described air flow is formed, moist air flows from the outlet 3212 side to the inlet 3211 side in the growth shelf 321. Thereby, moist air can be supplied to a small plant in the early stage of growth.

2. Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, the sowing area 1 and the seedling area 2 are arranged on the second floor, and the harvesting area 4 is arranged on the first floor, but as shown in FIG. The seedling area 2 and the harvest area 4 may all be arranged on the same floor.

In the first embodiment, the carry-out conveyor 41 enters the growth chamber 32B from the growth chamber 32A and extends from there to the harvesting region 4, but as shown in FIG. You may each extend to the harvesting area | region 4 from both. In this case, the carry-out conveyor extended from one growth chamber may be joined to the carry-out conveyor extended from the other growth chamber.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the partition wall 311 has four

openings

3112, 3112, 3113, 3113. These

openings

3112, 3112, 3113, 313 are all located at the same height. The carry-in conveyor 25 passes through the opening 3112. The carry-out conveyor 41 passes through the opening 3113.

3. Third Embodiment In the second embodiment, the sowing area 1, the seedling area 2, and the harvest area 4 are all arranged on one side of the growth area 3, but as shown in FIG. It may be arranged on both sides. Here, the sowing area 1 and the seedling area 2 are arranged on one side (the right side in the figure) of the growing area 3, and the harvesting area 4 is arranged on the other side (the left side in the figure). The partition wall 311 is installed between the seedling raising area 2 and the growing area 3 and has two openings 3112. Another partition wall 312 is installed between the growing region 3 and the harvesting region 4 and has one opening 3123. The carry-in conveyor 25 is disposed across the seedling raising area 2 and the growing area 3 and is provided so as to penetrate through the openings 3112 of the partition wall 311. The carry-out conveyor 41 is disposed across the growing region 3 and the harvesting region 4 and is provided so as to penetrate the opening 3123 of the partition wall 312.

4). Fourth Embodiment In the first, second, and third embodiments, both the seedling area 2 and the harvest area 4 are adjacent to the growth area 3, but either one may be adjacent. For example, the growing area 3, the seedling raising area 2, and the harvesting area 4 may be arranged in this order. In this case, the seedling region 2 is adjacent to the growth region 3, but the harvesting region 4 is adjacent to the seedling region 2 and is not adjacent to the growth region 3. Therefore, the carry-out conveyor 41 arranged over the growing area 3 and the harvesting area 4 passes through the seedling raising area 2.

As mentioned above, although embodiment was described, this indication is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning.

Claims

A cultivation facility for cultivating a plurality of plants,
A seedling area for raising plants,
A harvesting area for harvesting plants,
Arranged adjacent to the seedling area or the harvesting area, having one or more growth chambers, a growth area for growing plants,
A peripheral wall installed around the growing area to block the growing area from the seedling area and the harvesting area;
A carry-in conveyor disposed across the seedling area and the growth area and provided to penetrate the opening in the peripheral wall;
An unloading conveyor disposed across the harvesting area and the growing area, provided to penetrate the opening in the peripheral wall;
With
Each of the growth chambers
A plurality of multi-stage growth shelves arranged in parallel, each having an inlet provided at one end in the longitudinal direction and an outlet provided at the other end in the longitudinal direction,
A first input device that is disposed on the input side of the growth shelf and inputs the plant on the carry-in conveyor to the growth shelf from the input port;
A first take-out device that is arranged on the take-out side of the growth shelf and takes out the plants grown on the growth shelf from the take-out port and places them on the carry-out conveyor;
Including cultivation equipment.
The cultivation facility according to claim 1, further comprising:
A cultivation facility comprising a vertical partition wall installed between the two or more growth chambers in order to block the two or more growth chambers from each other.
The cultivation facility according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the growth chambers
Cultivation equipment provided with the ceiling board installed above the said growth shelf.
The cultivation facility according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Each of the said growth shelves is a cultivation facility provided with the partition plate provided in the upper surface, the lower surface, and both side surfaces, and extending in a longitudinal direction.
The cultivation facility according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Two growth chambers adjacent to each other among the two or more growth chambers are such that the outlet of the growth shelf in one growth chamber and the outlet of the growth shelf in the other growth chamber face each other. Arranged cultivation equipment.
The cultivation facility according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The seedling area is
A multi-stage nursery shelf,
A planting machine for planting plants grown in the nursery rack on a cultivation panel;
Including
The carry-in conveyor is a cultivation facility for conveying the cultivation panel from the planting machine to the growing area.
The cultivation facility according to claim 6,
The nursery area further includes
A second feeding device that is arranged on one end side in the longitudinal direction of the nursery shelf, and that feeds plants into the nursery shelf;
A second take-out device that is arranged on the other end side in the longitudinal direction of the nursery shelf and takes out the plant from the nursery shelf;
Including cultivation equipment.