JP7329461B2 - Cultivation pallet, cultivation system and cultivation method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to, for example, a cultivation palette for performing hydroponics, and a cultivation system and cultivation method using the same.

Conventionally, in each of the water tanks (cultivation lanes) 51 provided in upper and lower stages, a cultivation system is known in which the cultivation pallets 52 are sequentially introduced from one side thereof, and after cultivation for a certain period of time, the cultivation pallets 52 are sequentially taken out from the opposite side. (see FIG. 8(A) and Patent Document 1).

In such a cultivation system, spaces are required on both sides (one side and the opposite side) of the water tank 51 for putting in and taking out the cultivation pallet 52, which reduces the area efficiency. In addition, a device (not shown) for inserting and removing the cultivation palette 52 is installed on both sides of the water tank 51 so that the operation of inserting the cultivation palette 52 from one side of the water tank 51 and the operation of removing the cultivation palette 52 from the opposite side are performed. If one device is moved and used alternately on both sides of the water tank 51 in order to avoid this, extra work of moving the device increases. Furthermore, if the cultivation pallets 52 are not arranged from one side of the water tank 51 to the opposite side, the cultivation pallets 52 will not reach the opposite side, making it difficult to remove the cultivation pallets 52 .

Therefore, it is conceivable that the cultivation pallet 52 can be put in and taken out of the water tank 51 from only one side of the water tank 51 (see FIG. 8B). For example, Patent Literature 2 discloses a technique in which a plurality of cultivation plates (cultivation pallets) 54 are installed on a nutrient solution tank 53 (cultivation lane), and the cultivation plates 54 are pulled by a pulling bar 55 . (See FIGS. 9A and 9B).

Japanese Patent No. 5916189 JP 2017-195863 A

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 2, when removing all the cultivation plates 54 from the nutrient solution tank 53, the cultivation plates 54 are removed by pulling the string-like body 56, one end of which is fixed to the attracting bar 55. It is necessary to repeat the work of pulling the plate and taking out the cultivation plate 54, and there is room for improvement in terms of work efficiency.

The present invention has been made in consideration of the above matters, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cultivation pallet that can be efficiently removed from a state of being floated in a culture solution, a cultivation system and a cultivation method using the same. to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, a cultivation palette according to the present invention is a cultivation palette that is used while floating in a culture solution, and is provided with a locking portion on one of the front side and the rear side, and the locking portion on the other side. Either a locked portion that can be locked is provided, or a connector that is detachably connected to the front side or the rear side is provided (Claim 1).

The cultivating pallet may have a substantially rectangular shape in plan view in which the front-rear width is shorter than the left-right width (Claim 2).

The cultivation pallet has a main body, and a plurality of holding parts projecting upward from edges of through-holes penetrating vertically through the main body and holding a culture medium. It may be open toward the through hole and positioned above the through hole (Claim 3).

In the above cultivation pallet, the holding portion may have a rising portion rising from an edge of the through hole and a folded portion extending downward from an upper portion of the rising portion by folding back toward the inside of the rising portion. 4).

The cultivation pallet may have a collar extending inwardly from a lower portion of the folded portion (Claim 5).

The cultivation pallet may further include a reinforcement portion configured by raising the body portion upward, and two adjacent holding portions may be connected by the reinforcement portion (Claim 6). At this time, it is preferable that a plurality of the reinforcing portions are arranged so as to form a triangular grid with the positions of the holding portions as apexes (Claim 7).

In the cultivation pallet, a first anti-slip portion is provided at a midway position of the engaging portion in the left-right direction of the cultivation pallet, and a second anti-slip portion is provided at an midway position of the engaged portion in the left-right direction. , the engaging portion is engaged with the engaged portion and the first anti-slip portion is engaged with the second anti-slip portion, thereby preventing displacement of the cultivation pallet in the left-right direction. (Claim 8).

The cultivation pallet has a main body, a rising wall rising from the peripheral edge of the main body, and a folded flange folded outward and downward from the upper part of the rising wall, and is located on the front side and the rear side of the peripheral edge. is provided with a notch formed by notching the folded flange, and the ends of the notch are located inside the left and right ends of the cultivation palette in the left-right direction of the cultivation palette. (Claim 9).

On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, a cultivation system according to the present invention comprises the cultivation palette according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and a cultivation lane containing the culture solution, and The lanes are configured so that a plurality of cultivation pallets can be floated in the culture solution in rows (Claim 10). On the other hand, in order to achieve the above object, the cultivation method according to the present invention uses the cultivation system according to claim 6 (claim 11). It may be performed from only one side of the cultivation lane (Claim 12).

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY In the present invention, it is possible to obtain a cultivation palette that allows efficient removal work from a state of floating in a culture solution, and a cultivation system and a cultivation method using the same.

That is, in the cultivation pallet of the invention according to each claim of the present application, when a plurality of cultivation pallets are sequentially introduced into the cultivation lane from one side thereof, for example, the locking portion of the cultivation pallet is floated on the cultivation lane facing forward in the introduction direction, After moving the pallet slightly forward, the latching portion of another cultivation pallet is latched to the latched portion and the pallet is moved slightly forward. In addition, when using a connection tool, instead of the locking, the connection with the connection tool may be performed.

In addition, after cultivation, the plurality of cultivation pallets from one side of the cultivation lane are taken out in order from the cultivation pallet closest to the front (position closest to one side). By lifting the rear side of the pallet (inclining so that the rear side becomes higher) while keeping the engaging portion of the pallet engaged with the engaged portion of the adjacent cultivation pallet, the cultivating pallet and the adjacent cultivation pallet can be pulled together. All other cultivation pallets in a row can be drawn to one side, and by repeating this operation, all cultivation pallets can be taken out efficiently. In addition, when using a connector, the connection of the connector to the attracted cultivation pallet may be released as appropriate.

In the cultivation pallet of the invention according to claim 2, the movement distance of the cultivation pallet can be shortened when the cultivation pallet is put into and taken out from the cultivation lane, compared to the case where the front and back width of the cultivation pallet is equal to or greater than the left and right width. It is possible to improve the efficiency of loading and unloading operations.

In the cultivation pallet of the invention according to claim 3, the roots of plants planted in the medium are immersed in the culture medium while the cultivation pallet is floated in the medium, but the medium is not immersed in the medium. can be done. Here, if the medium is immersed in the culture solution and contains water, algae will easily grow on the upper surface that is exposed to light, and the appearance will be poor. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of

In the cultivation pallet of the invention according to claim 4, it is possible to easily manufacture the cultivation pallet by vacuum forming or the like.

In the cultivation pallet of the invention according to claim 5, the flange can reliably prevent the culture medium from falling out of the holding part when or after the culture medium is attached to the holding part.

In the cultivation pallet of the invention according to claim 6, the strength of the main body can be increased. Furthermore, in the cultivation pallet of the invention according to claim 7, the strength of the main body can be increased more effectively.

In the cultivation pallet of the invention according to claim 8, two cultivation pallets adjacent to each other are pulled to one side in a state in which the engaging portion of one cultivation pallet is engaged with the engaged portion of the other cultivation pallet. In this case, it is possible to prevent misalignment of cultivation pallets in the horizontal direction.

According to the cultivation pallet of the ninth aspect of the invention, it is possible to prevent the edge of the notch provided in the folded flange of the cultivation pallet from getting caught on surrounding objects.

(A) is a perspective view schematically showing the configuration of a cultivation palette according to one embodiment of the present invention, and (B) is an explanatory diagram showing a method of forming a notch portion of the cultivation palette. (A) is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the structure of a locking portion and a locked portion of a cultivation pallet, and (B) to (F) are explanatory diagrams showing modifications thereof. (A) is a plan view showing a state of two connected cultivation pallets, and (B) and (C) are plan views showing a state of connecting two cultivation pallets according to a modification, respectively. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the essential parts of the cultivation pallet in a state of being floated on the culture medium; (A) and (B) are a vertical cross-sectional view and a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the holding portion of the cultivation palette, and (C) and (D) are front views showing modifications of the culture medium of the cultivation palette. (A) to (D) are explanatory diagrams schematically showing a forming method of a cultivation pallet. (A) to (D) are plan views showing modifications of the cultivation palette. (A) and (B) are conceptual diagrams of conventional and present cultivation systems. (A) and (B) are an exploded perspective view and an explanatory view of another example of a conventional cultivation system. (A) to (C) are explanatory diagrams showing modifications of the cultivation palette. (A) to (C) are explanatory diagrams showing modifications of the cultivation palette. (A) is a water level unfavorable for the growth of the plant from the viewpoint of the state of the roots of the plant, (B) is an explanatory diagram showing a preferable water level, and (C) is an explanatory diagram showing the main part of the cultivation palette floating in the culture solution. is. (A) and (B) are a longitudinal end view and a plan view showing a modified example of the cultivation pallet, and (C) is a perspective view showing a main part of another modified example. (A) and (B) are explanatory diagrams showing the difference in drainage properties between when the main body of the cultivation pallet is set up vertically and when it is laid down. FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a cultivation pallet according to another modified example of the present invention; FIG. 11 is a plan view of a cultivation pallet according to another modified example of the present invention; In two cultivation pallets according to another modification of the present invention, a portion where a first anti-slip portion provided on the side of the engaging portion and a second anti-slip portion provided on the side of the engaged portion are engaged It is a top view which expands and shows. It is a top view which expands and shows the notch part periphery provided in the corner|angular part of the cultivation palette which concerns on the other modified example of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In the cultivation system of this example, the cultivation pallet (float) 1 shown in FIG. 1(A) is put in from one side of the cultivation lane 2 as shown in FIG. 8(B), and taken out from the same side instead of the opposite side. It is designed to Here, a water tank constituting the cultivation lane 2 is filled with a culture solution 3, and the cultivation palette 1 is used by floating in the culture solution 3. The cultivation lane 2 is arranged so that a plurality of cultivation palettes 1 are cultivated in rows. It is configured to be able to float on the liquid 3.

The cultivation pallet 1 shown in FIG. 1(A) has a locking portion 4 on one of the front edge (an example of the front side) or a trailing edge (an example of the rear side), and a cover on which the locking portion 4 can be locked on the other. A locking portion 5 is provided. Assuming that the loading direction shown in FIG. 8B is the front, in this example, the engaging portion 4 is provided at the front edge of the cultivation pallet 1, and the engaged portion 5 is provided at the rear edge.

More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 1(A) and 1(B), the cultivation pallet 1 has a substantially plate-shaped body portion 6, and the periphery of the body portion 6 is raised. and a folding flange 8 that folds outward and downward from the upper part of the rising wall 7. - 特許庁In this example, in the front part of the peripheral edge thus raised (the front edge of the cultivation pallet 1), the part sandwiched between the two cutouts 9 provided at both ends is used as the locking part 4, and the raised part is used as the locking part 4. The rear portion of the peripheral edge (the rear edge of the cultivation pallet 1) itself is used as the locked portion 5. As shown in FIG. The notch 9 of this example does not have the folded flange 8 connected to the rising wall 7 (see FIG. 1(B)). 5 can be appropriately changed within a range that can be locked.

Then, as shown in FIG. 2(A), the engaging portion 4 covers the engaged portion 5 from above and engages therewith. FIG. 3(A) shows the state of two cultivation pallets 1 adjacent to each other in the front and rear, which are connected by this locking.

In addition, it is preferable that an appropriate gap is provided between the engaging portion 4 and the engaged portion 5 in a state where the engaging portion 4 is engaged with the engaged portion 5 . Strictly speaking, the engaging portion 4 is engaged with the engaged portion 5 such that the center positions of the upper ends of the folded flanges 8 of the engaging portion 4 and the engaged portion 5 are aligned in the front-rear direction. (see FIG. 2(A)). In this state, between the rising wall 7 on the locking portion 4 side and the portion extending downward in the folded flange 8 on the locked portion 5 side, and between the rising wall 7 on the locked portion 5 side. It is preferable that a gap corresponding to the play is provided between the folded flange 8 on the side of the locking portion 4 and the portion extending downward.

In the cultivation pallet 1 configured as described above, when a plurality of cultivation pallets 1 are sequentially introduced from one side of the cultivation lane 2 (see FIG. 8B), the locking portion 4 at the front edge of the cultivation pallet 1 is floated on the cultivation lane 2 toward the front in the input direction, and after moving it slightly forward, the locking portion 4 of another cultivation pallet 1 is locked to the locked portion 5 at the rear edge, and slightly forward. It is enough to repeat the work of moving, and the input work can be done efficiently.

In addition, after cultivation, the plurality of cultivation pallets 1 are removed from one side of the cultivation lane 2 in order from the cultivation pallet 1 closest to the front (position closest to one side). The rear side is lifted (tilted so that the rear side becomes higher) while the locking portion 4 on the front side of the cultivation pallet 1 on the front side is locked to the locked portion 5 of the adjacent cultivation pallet 1 in front of it, and the rear side is pulled. , the adjacent cultivation pallet 1 and the entire other cultivation pallet 1 connected thereto can be drawn to one side, and by repeating this operation, all the cultivation pallets 1 can be taken out efficiently.

Furthermore, in this example, since the cultivation pallet 1 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view whose front and back width is shorter than its left and right width, the cultivation pallet 1 can be more easily moved to the cultivation lane 2 than when the front and rear width of the cultivation pallet 1 is equal to or greater than the left and right width. It is possible to shorten the moving distance of the cultivation pallet 1 at the time of loading and unloading, and in this respect as well, the efficiency of the loading and unloading work can be improved.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 1, the body portion 6 is provided with a plurality of holding portions 11 for holding a culture medium 10 in which plants are planted. Here, the holding portion 11 protrudes upward from the edge of a through hole 12 (see FIGS. 4 and 5A) vertically penetrating the body portion 6, and the culture medium 10 held in the holding portion 11 is inserted into the through hole. 12 and positioned above the through hole 12. - 特許庁

With such a configuration, it is possible to prevent the culture medium 10 from being immersed in the culture solution 3 while the roots of the plants planted in the culture medium 10 are immersed in the culture solution 3 . Here, if the medium 10 is immersed in the culture solution 3 and contains water, algae are likely to grow on the upper surface exposed to light, and the appearance deteriorates. If so, it is possible to suppress the generation of algae.

In this example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5(A), the holding portion 11 has a rising portion 13 rising from the edge of the through hole 12, and the upper portion of the rising portion 13 folded back toward the inside of the rising portion 13 and directed downward. It is composed of a folded portion 14 and a flange portion 15 extending inwardly from the lower portion of the folded portion 14 , and the flange portion 15 forms the edge of a communication hole 16 that communicates with the through hole 12 .

If the cultivation palette 1 is configured as described above, the cultivation palette 1 can be easily obtained by, for example, vacuum forming. That is, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, a plate 17 that is a material for the cultivation palette 1 is pressed against a mold 18 in a heated state, and a punching mold 20 having a blade portion 19 is used to cut the cultivation palette 1. The cultivation pallet 1 is roughly completed by cutting off the extra portion (peripheral portion) connected to the peripheral edge and the portion blocking the communication hole 16 . Here, in FIGS. 6A to 6C, 21 is a clamp and 22 is a backing.

Note that the notch 9 may be provided by post-processing using a CNC (computer numerical control) or the like, or a mold capable of removing the notch 9 may be used. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1(B), portions with different heights are to be removed, so it is conceivable to use oblique blades in such portions.

Here, when the cultivation pallet 1 is floated on the culture solution 3, the culture solution 3 enters the inside of the cylindrical holding part 11 to some extent due to the weight of the plant or the like planted in the culture medium 10 (see FIG. 4). Then, as described above, in order to suppress the growth of algae due to the culture medium 10 being immersed in the culture solution 3, the height difference h1 from the bottom surface of the culture medium 10 to the liquid surface of the culture solution 3 (see FIG. 4) is preferably 0 mm or more, more preferably 5 mm or more, and even more preferably 10 mm or more, at least in part (especially half or more) of the cultivation period. Also, if the height difference h1 is too large, the roots become too long and the uptake of the culture solution becomes poor.

Along with this, the height difference h2 (see FIG. 4) from the lower surface of the culture medium 10 to the upper surface of the main body 6 (the lower end of the holding portion 11) is preferably 5 mm or more, more preferably 10 mm or more, and still more preferably 15 mm or more. do. Also, if the height difference h2 is too large, the roots become too long, and the uptake of the culture solution becomes poor.

The base of the rising portion 13 of the holding portion 11 (boundary portion from the upper surface of the main body portion 6 to the rising portion 13) preferably has an R in view of prevention of cracking, ease of molding, ease of cleaning, and the like. In this case, the size of R may be 0.1 mm or more, 0.5 mm or more, or 1 mm or more. Also, if the R is too large, the buoyancy is reduced, so it is conceivable to set the R to 50 mm or less, 20 mm or less, or 10 mm or less.

Further, the upper surface width w1 (see FIG. 5A) of the holding portion 11 is preferably 1 mm or more, more preferably 2 mm or more, and more preferably 3 mm or more. This is because, if the upper surface width w1 is too small, it will be difficult to manufacture the mold, and the durability of the mold will also be low. Moreover, the upper surface width w1 is preferably 100 mm or less, more preferably 50 mm or less, and more preferably 20 mm or less. This is because if the upper surface width w1 is too large, the buoyancy is reduced. It is preferable that both the inner and outer ridgelines of the upper surface of the holding portion 11 are rounded.

It is preferable that the lower portion of the folded portion 14 (boundary portion from the folded portion 14 to the collar portion 15) is also rounded in view of prevention of cracking, ease of molding, cleaning, and the like. In this case, the size of R may be 0.1 mm or more, 0.5 mm or more, or 1 mm or more. Also, if the R is too large, the buoyancy is reduced, so it is conceivable to set the R to 50 mm or less, 20 mm or less, or 10 mm or less.

When performing vacuum forming as shown in FIGS. 6(A) to (D), the communicating holes 16 can be formed by punching (see FIGS. 6(C) and (D)). Since burrs are generated, it is preferable to round the tip of the flange 15 that forms the edge of the communication hole 16 . Here, the R may be formed according to the shape of the mold, or may be formed by post-processing. 10% or more, preferably 30% or more.

Also, the diameter of the communication hole 16 is preferably 90% or less, more preferably 80% or less, and more preferably 70% or less of the minimum width of the lower surface of the culture medium 10 . This is because if the diameter of the communicating hole 16 is too large, the culture medium 10 will fall out of the communicating hole 16 to the lower side of the holding portion 11 . Moreover, the diameter of the communication hole 16 is preferably 10% or more, more preferably 20% or more, further preferably 30% or more of the maximum width of the lower surface of the culture medium 10 . This is because if the diameter of the communication hole 16 is too small, it will be difficult for the roots of the plant to protrude from the communication hole 16 when the medium 10 in which the plant is planted is attached to the holding portion 11 .

Here, the culture medium 10 is formed of a porous material (urethane sponge in this example) that can be easily elastically deformed by human power, such as a sponge, and is inserted inside the holding portion 11 in a compressed state. That is, in this example, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the culture medium 10 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, while the inner surface of the holding portion 11 (folding portion 14) to which the culture medium 10 is attached narrows downward. It has a tapered shape. When the culture medium 10 is pushed into the holding portion 11 , the medium 10 shrinks and is held by the frictional force between the inner surface of the holding portion 11 and the medium 10 . In addition, especially the four lower corners of the culture medium 10 are recessed to apply a large pressure to the inner surface of the holding portion 11 .

The diameter of the portion of the folded portion 14 that contacts the culture medium 10 is preferably smaller than the maximum width of the culture medium 10, and more preferably 90% or less, 80% or less of the maximum width of the culture medium 10. This is because if the diameter of the folded portion 14 is too large, the frictional force will be small and the culture medium 10 will easily come off. Moreover, the diameter of the folded portion 14 is preferably 50% or more and 40% or more of the maximum width of the culture medium 10 . This is because if the diameter of the folded portion 14 is too small, the culture medium 10 must be considerably compressed, which makes it difficult to attach the culture medium 10 to the holding portion 11 .

In addition, the inclination angle θ (see FIG. 5A) of the folded portion 14 is preferably -10° or more, and 0°, from the viewpoint of firmly holding down the culture medium 10 and allowing the culture medium 10 to pass through the folded portion 14 without difficulty. 10° or more is more preferable. In the example of FIG. 5, the inclination angle .theta. is positive, and the inclination angle .theta. is negative when the folded portion 14 widens downward. On the other hand, if the inclination angle θ is too large, the culture medium 10 is likely to come off from the folded portion 14, so the inclination angle θ is preferably 45° or less and 30° or less.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the following modifications can be given.

As described above, the cultivation pallet 1 used to float on the culture solution 3 may float on the culture solution 3 depending on the characteristics and structure of its material. It may be one that floats on the culture solution 3 .

If the light transmittance of the cultivation palette 1 is 0.1% or less, the amount of light irradiation to the culture solution 10 accompanying the light irradiation to the plants held in the culture medium 10 of the cultivation palette 1 can be reduced. , algal growth in the culture solution 10 is suppressed. For this reason, for example, the color of the front surface (visible side) of the cultivation pallet 1 may be white, and the color of the rear surface may be black.

In the example of FIG. 2A, the folded flange 8 of the locked portion 5 extends below the folded flange 8 of the locked portion 4. However, the folded flange 8 of the locked portion 5 is not limited to this. 8 may be shortened as shown in FIGS. 2(B) and 2(C).

In addition, it is preferable that the folded flange 8 of the locking portion 4 is longer than the folded flange 8 of the locked portion 5. You may

Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 2A, as described above, the rear portion of the raised peripheral edge of the main body portion 6 (the rear edge of the cultivation pallet 1) itself is the locked portion 5. As shown in FIG. 2(E), the engaged portion 5 may be provided on the rear side of the raised peripheral edge of the main body portion 6 (the rear edge of the cultivation palette 1). The same thing can be done for the locking portion 4, and the locking portion 4 may be provided on the front side of the front portion of the raised peripheral edge of the main body portion 6 (the front edge of the cultivation pallet 1). In the example of FIG. 2(F), the locking portion 4 and the locked portion 5 are provided separately from the raised peripheral edge of the body portion 6 in this way.

In the example of FIG. 3(A), only one locking portion 4 is provided, but for example, as shown in FIG. 3(B), there may be two or three or more. The same thing can be done for the locked portion 5, and in the example of FIG. 3C, two locking portions 4 and two locked portions 5 are provided.

In order to perform centering when the locking portion 4 is locked to the locked portion 5 and to prevent the two cultivation pallets 1 from being displaced in the left-right direction after locking, a As shown, a guide projection 23 for guiding the locking portion 4 may be provided at an appropriate position of the cultivation pallet 1 (peripheral edge of the main body portion 6 in the illustrated example). FIGS. 7B to 7D show variations in how the guide protrusions 23 are provided when two locking portions 4 are provided.

As shown in FIG. 5(C), an engagement groove 24 that engages with the flange 15 may be provided in the lower portion of the culture medium 10 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 5(D), a lateral protrusion 25 may be provided at the bottom of the culture medium 10 to wrap around the bottom of the collar 15, and the top of the culture medium 10 may be engaged with the upper surface of the folded portion 14. However, a side protruding portion 26 may be provided to prevent the medium 10 from entering the lower portion of the holding portion 11 too much.

The culture medium 10 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and may be cylindrical, polygonal, or the like, and its dimensions may be the same vertically or may vary vertically.

Further, the holding portion 11 is not limited to a substantially cylindrical shape, and may be a polygonal cylindrical shape or the like, and may be divided into a plurality of pieces in the circumferential direction.

The cultivation pallet 1 only needs to have a connection structure for connecting two cultivation pallets 1 arranged in front and behind, and the connection structure is shown in FIGS. ), both the locking portion 4 and the locked portion 5 to which the locking portion 4 can be locked may be integrally provided on the main body portion 6 of the cultivation pallet 1, but FIG. As shown in 10(A), it may be constructed using a connector 27 that is detachably connected to the front side and the rear side of the cultivation pallet 1 .

That is, in the example shown in FIG. 10A, the connector 27 that is separate from the cultivation pallet 1 is connected to two cultivation pallets 1 adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction so as to connect them. The portion of the cultivation pallet 1 to which the connector 27 is connected only needs to have a shape suitable for connecting the connector 27, and the structure of the connector 27 can be appropriately selected. Gardening pinches (clips) can also be used as connectors 27 .

As another example of the connector 27, a connector 27A shown in FIG. 11C is a U-shaped member, and as another example, a connector 27B shown in FIG. The two connectors 27A are integrated with the handle 27C so as to form an inverted V shape in plan view. FIG. 11(A) shows a state in which two cultivation pallets 1 arranged in front and behind are connected by two connectors 27B, and the directions of the two connectors 27B are opposite to each other. Incidentally, two cultivation pallets 1 may be connected by one or three or more connecting tools 27B. Further, as shown in FIG. 11A, the cultivation palette 1 may be provided with a hole 1a into which the projecting portion 27D projecting downward from the connector 27B is inserted. The hole 1a may not be provided if the connector 27B can be engaged with the raised peripheral edge portion from above.

By the way, when using the connector 27 as shown in FIG. 10(A), if the cultivation pallet 1 is made of a fragile material such as styrene foam, for example, when a large number of cultivation pallets 1 are connected and pulled, the Moreover, the cultivation pallet 1 may be damaged due to its low tensile strength. Therefore, in such a case, as shown in FIG. You may make it connect the tool 27. FIG.

Here, FIG. 11C shows, as a specific example of the reinforcing member 28, a reinforcing member 28 provided with protruding portions 28a that protrude downward from both ends of a strip-like main body. , a hole (not shown) into which the projecting portion 28a is inserted may be provided, but if the two projecting portions 28a can be engaged with, for example, the front and rear portions of the cultivation pallet 1, the hole is unnecessary. can be done. Holes 28b for inserting the projections 27D of the connector 27A shown in FIG.

10(B) and 11(C), the connector 27 and the reinforcing member 28 are separate members. A connector 29 in which the connector 28 and the connector 27 are integrated may be used. 11(B) is obtained by extending one end of the reinforcing member 28 shown in FIG. 11(C) and providing a projecting portion 27D projecting downward at the distal end thereof.

The connectors 27 and 29 and the reinforcing member 28 described above need to withstand a load of about 0.1 to 1000 kg applied when pulling the cultivation pallet 1, and are required to have a suitable strength. It preferably has a strength of 1 kg/cm ² or more, 10 kg/cm ² or more, and more preferably 50 kg/cm ² or more. Moreover, each material may be appropriately selected in consideration of the environment in which it is used, and is not particularly limited to metals, oxides, plastics, etc. However, it can be said that plastics are most preferable in consideration of lightness. Specifically, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polystyrene, styrene, polyethylene, vinyl acetate, polypropylene, polyacetal, PMMA, PET, ABS, polycarbonate, etc. are preferred, among which polyethylene, polypropylene, and polychloride Vinyl, ABS, PET, polycarbonate are more preferred.

10(A) to (C) and FIGS. 11(A) to (C), connecting tools 27 and 29 are used to connect the two cultivation pallets 1 in a state of being arranged back and forth. or even in the case where the engaging portion 4 and the engaged portion 5 are provided on the cultivation pallet 1 as shown in FIGS. Since there is no gap between the pallets 1 or only a relatively small gap is formed, the amount of light irradiation to the culture solution 10 accompanying the light irradiation to the plants held in the culture medium 10 of the cultivation palette 1 can be reduced. This leads to the effect of suppressing algae growth in the culture solution 10 .

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the plant is in a state where the roots extending from the medium 10 and submerged in the culture solution 3 can sufficiently absorb water. If the number of submerged roots is small or the roots are thin and the plant is not in a state where it can absorb water sufficiently, the medium 10 must be submerged in the culture solution 3 as shown in FIG. 12(A). , the culture medium 10 dries up, the plants cannot get water, and there is a risk of dying. Therefore, when the length of the longest root protruding from the medium 10 is 30 mm or less, preferably 20 mm or less, more preferably 10 mm or less, the medium 10 is added to the culture solution 10 as shown in FIG. Soaking is preferred.

By the way, in the space 30 shown in gray in FIG. 12(C), gas communication with the outside is restricted, harmful gases may accumulate, necessary oxygen and carbon dioxide may be insufficient, and growth may be adversely affected. may give. To prevent this, it is also preferable to directly connect this space 30 to the outside world. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, it is conceivable to provide a through hole 31 in the top plate portion, the side surface portion, or the like of the holding portion 11 . Further, as shown in FIG. 13C, when forming a three-dimensional gas passage 32 that connects the holding portions 11, the passage 32 may be provided with a lever hole 31, and a plurality of gas passages connected by the passage 32 may be provided. If one of the holding portions 11 extends to the peripheral portion of the main body portion 6 via the passage 32 and is connected to the outside world at the peripheral portion side, the through hole 31 may not be provided. Further, when the passage 32 is provided, it is possible to increase the strength of the main body portion 6 or the cultivation pallet 1 as a whole.

In the cultivation pallet 1 shown in FIG. 1(A), since the periphery of the main body 6 is raised, liquids such as the culture solution 3 can accumulate inside the main body 6 during use. must drain the accumulated liquid. Inclining the body portion 6 can be considered as a method for this. However, for example, if the peripheral portion is perpendicular to the inner bottom surface of the body portion 6, as shown in FIG. There is, and this leads to the fall of work efficiency. Therefore, in order to facilitate drainage by tilting the main body 6, it is preferable that the rising angle of the peripheral portion of the main body 6 is 10 degrees or more, preferably 20 degrees or more, and more preferably 30 degrees or more from the vertical. is. It should be noted that such angle adjustment does not need to be performed over the entire peripheral portion of the main body portion 6. For example, it may be performed only on the sides (parts) of the peripheral portion that become the locking portion 4 and the locked portion 5. Well, in this case, when the cultivating pallets 1 are taken out from the cultivating lanes 2 one by one, the cultivating pallets 1 are tilted, and inevitably the liquid is also drained at the same time. Therefore, an improvement in work efficiency can be expected.

As an example in which the shape of the cultivation palette 1 shown in FIG. 1A is changed, the cultivation palette 101 shown in FIGS. is substantially the same as the cultivation pallet 1 shown in FIG. 1(A). 15 and 16, the parts of the cultivation pallet 101 common to those of the cultivation pallet 1 shown in FIG. 1A are indicated by the same reference numerals as in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the cultivation pallet 101 has a locking portion 4 on the front edge and a locked portion 5 on the rear edge. In addition, in the cultivation pallet 101, the locking portion 4 may be provided at the rear edge, and the locked portion 5 may be provided at the front edge.

Further, as shown in FIG. 16, a first anti-slip portion 4a is provided at a midway position of the engaging portion 4 in the horizontal direction of the cultivation pallet 101 . The first anti-slip portion 4a is formed by recessing the rising wall 7 arranged on the side of the engaging portion 4 to the outside. A second anti-slip portion 5a is provided at an intermediate position of the engaged portion 5 in the left-right direction (strictly speaking, a position corresponding to the first anti-slip portion 4a). The second anti-slip portion 5a is formed by recessing the downwardly extending portion of the folded flange 8 arranged on the engaged portion 5 side (the side where the rising wall 7 is located). When the locking portion 4 is put over the locked portion 5 from above and locked, the first anti-slip portion 4a engages with the second anti-slip portion 5b. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 17, the recess forming the first anti-slip portion 4a enters the recess forming the second anti-slip portion 5a so that the recesses overlap each other. This prevents displacement of the cultivation pallet 101 in the horizontal direction. Therefore, for example, even if one of the two connected cultivation pallets 101 is pulled leftward (or rightward), the cultivation pallet 101 is separated from the other cultivation pallet 101 and the connection state is canceled. can prevent
Incidentally, in a state where the two cultivation pallets 101 are connected, the engaged portion 5 and the second anti-slip portion 5a are below the engaging portion 4 and the first anti-slip portion 4a, and are originally visible in plan view. Since it cannot be done, it is represented by a broken line in FIG. 17 for convenience of illustration.

In addition, the cultivation pallet 101 has a plate-like body portion 6, and the periphery of the body portion 6 is raised. This bulge is composed of a rising wall 7 and a folded flange 8, similar to the cultivation pallet 1 of FIG. 1(A). In addition, two cutouts 9 arranged at both ends of the bulge on the front edge side (the front side of the peripheral edge) of the cultivation pallet 101 are provided. Each notch 9 is formed by cutting out the folded flange 8, and at least the portion extending downward of the folded flange 8 is missing, and as shown in FIG. The notch may extend to the extended portion.

The ends of the respective notch portions 9 do not wrap around the left and right ends of the cultivation palette 101 as shown in FIG. . That is, the end (strictly speaking, the right end) of the right notch 9 is positioned slightly leftward from the right end of the cultivation pallet 101 as shown in FIG. 18 . Also, the end (strictly speaking, the left end) of the left notch 9 is located slightly to the right of the left end of the cultivation pallet 101 . In this way, if the left and right notch portions 9 do not wrap around the left and right ends of the cultivation palette 101 and are within the range of the front edge of the cultivation palette 101, cutting when the cultivation palette 101 wraps around to the left and right ends. It is possible to avoid the cut ends (edges) of the notch portion 9 from being caught on peripheral objects.

Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 , a plurality of holding portions 11 are provided in the main body portion 6 of the cultivation pallet 101 . Each holding portion 11 has the same configuration as that provided in the cultivation pallet 1 shown in FIG. It is configured. As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the holding portions 11 are arranged in a row (holding portion row) in the horizontal direction of the cultivation pallet 101 in fixed pits. It is As shown in FIG. 16, in two holding portion rows adjacent in the front-rear direction, the holding portions 11 may be arranged in a zigzag pattern in the left-right direction, or may be arranged in the same position between the holding portion rows in the left-right direction. may be

Further, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 , in the main body 6 of the cultivation pallet 101, around the holding part 11, a reinforcing part 6a configured by raising the main body 6 upward is provided. there is By providing the reinforcing portion 6a, the strength (rigidity) of the main body portion 6 can be increased. In the body portion 6, a linearly extending reinforcing portion 6a is arranged between two adjacent holding portions 11, and the two holding portions 11 are connected by the reinforcing portion 6a. Here, the reinforcing portion 6a may be formed as a three-dimensional gas passage 32 shown in FIG. 13(C).

In addition, in the cultivation pallet 101 shown in FIG. 15, a plurality of reinforcing portions 6a are arranged so as to form a triangular grid with the arrangement position of the holding portion 11 as the vertex position. Specifically, the reinforcing portion 6a is arranged between two adjacent holding portions 11 in the same holding portion row. Furthermore, when each holding portion 11 in one holding portion row of two adjacent holding portion rows is set as a target holding portion, the target holding portion in the other holding portion row is obliquely forward (or obliquely rearward). A reinforcing portion 6a is arranged between the holding portion 11 and the target holding portion. With such a configuration, the strength (rigidity) of the main body 6 can be sufficiently ensured.

In addition, it cannot be overemphasized that you may combine suitably the modification demonstrated so far in this specification.

1 Cultivation Pallet 1a Hole 2 Cultivation Lane 3 Culture Solution 4 Locking Part 4a First Anti-Slip Part 5 Locked Part 5a Second Anti-Slip Part 6 Body Part 6a Reinforcing Part 7 Standing Wall 8 Folding Flange 9 Notch 10 Culture Medium 11 Holding portion 12 Through hole 13 Standing portion 14 Folding portion 15 Collar portion 16 Communication hole 17 Plate 18 Die 19 Blade portion 20 Ejecting die 21 Clamp 22 Backing 23 Guide projection 24 Engagement groove 25 Side projection 26 Side Projection 27 Connector 27A Connector 27B Connector 27C Handle 27D Projection 28 Reinforcing member 28a Projection 28b Hole 29 Connector 30 Space 51 Water tank 52 Cultivation palette 53 Culture tank 54 Cultivation plate 55 Pulling bar 56 String Object h1 Height difference h2 Height difference w1 Width of upper surface θ Angle of inclination

Claims (11)

A cultivation palette used by floating in a culture solution,
Either a locking portion is provided on one of the front side or the rear side, and a locked portion to which the locking portion can be locked is provided on the other side, or it is detachably connected to the front side or the rear side. Equipped with a connector ,
A first anti-slip portion is provided at an intermediate position of the engaging portion in the left-right direction of the cultivation pallet, and a second anti-slip portion is provided at an intermediate position of the engaged portion in the left-right direction,
The positional displacement of the cultivation pallet in the left-right direction is prevented by the locking portion being locked to the locked portion and the first anti-slip portion being engaged with the second anti-slip portion. A growing palette characterized by: 2. The cultivation pallet according to claim 1, wherein the pallet has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view with a front-to-rear width shorter than a left-to-right width. a main body, and a plurality of holding parts projecting upward from the edge of a through-hole vertically penetrating the main body and holding a culture medium,
3. The cultivation pallet according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the culture medium held in the holding part is open toward the through hole and positioned above the through hole. The holding part is
a rising portion rising from the edge of the through hole;
4. The cultivation pallet according to claim 3, further comprising a folded part that folds back from the upper part of the raised part to the inner side of the raised part and extends downward. 5. The cultivation pallet according to claim 4, further comprising a flange extending inwardly from a lower portion of said folded portion. further comprising a reinforcing portion configured by raising the body portion upward;
The cultivation pallet according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein two adjacent holding portions are connected by the reinforcing portion. 7. The cultivation pallet according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of said reinforcing parts are arranged so as to form a triangular grid with the arrangement position of said holding part as a vertex position. A cultivation palette used by floating in a culture solution,
a main body, a rising wall rising from the peripheral edge of the main body, and a folded flange folded outward and downward from the upper part of the rising wall,
Either a locking portion is provided on one of the front side or the rear side, and a locked portion to which the locking portion can be locked is provided on the other side, or it is detachably connected to the front side or the rear side. Equipped with a connector,
At least one of the front side and the rear side of the peripheral edge is provided with a notch portion in which the folded flange is notched,
The cultivation pallet, wherein the ends of the cutout portion are located inside the left and right ends of the cultivation pallet in the left-right direction of the cultivation pallet. A cultivation pallet according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , and a cultivation lane containing the culture medium, wherein the cultivation lane floats a plurality of the cultivation pallets on the culture medium in a row. A cultivation system configured to allow A cultivation method using the cultivation system according to claim 9 . 11. The cultivation method according to claim 10 , wherein the cultivation palette is taken in and out of the cultivation lane only from one side of the cultivation lane.