JP7485339B2 - Seedling material cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a device for cleaning seedling raising materials used in hydroponic cultivation of plants.

There is known a plant cultivation device that continuously cultivates agricultural crops inside a building. The plant cultivation device is used in a cultivation form commonly known as a crop factory. That is, the plant cultivation device is a device that uses artificial lighting to provide the crops with an appropriate amount of sunlight and grows the crops by maintaining the temperature and humidity inside the building or room at a suitable level for growth.
According to the plant cultivation device, crops can be grown in an environment where sunlight, temperature, moisture, fertilizer concentration, etc. are appropriately controlled, so the time required for harvesting is shorter than in open-field cultivation.
In addition, most of the plant cultivation devices grow crops hydroponically, which is cleaner than open-field cultivation. Furthermore, because crops are grown indoors, they are free of pests and can be grown without the use of pesticides. Therefore, the plant cultivation devices are suitable for growing vegetables such as lettuce that can be eaten without peeling.

Plant cultivation devices are broadly divided into fixed and mobile types.
In a fixed-type plant cultivation device, a cultivation tray filled with a culture solution is placed on a shelf or the like, a seedling holding member is attached to hold the seedlings in the cultivation tray, and the seedlings are grown by irradiating the seedlings held in the seedling holding member with artificial lighting or the like. In a fixed-type plant cultivation device, the seedlings are grown on the cultivation tray placed in the same position from the time they are young seedlings until just after they are harvested.

Mobile plant cultivation devices include a type in which seedling holding members are attached to cultivation trays filled with nutrient solution and the cultivation trays are moved using a conveyor device or the like (Patent Document 1), and a type in which the seedling holding members are floated in a large water tank and the seedling holding members are pushed by human force or the like (Patent Document 2).
In the former type, which is equipped with a conveyor system, a cultivation tray containing seedlings is introduced at the beginning of the system, and the cultivation tray is transported from the beginning to the end over a period of about 10 to 30 days. During this time, the seedlings held in the seedling holding members are irradiated with light to grow them.
Then, at the end, the cultivation tray is removed and the grown plants are harvested, or the cultivation tray is again carried into another plant cultivation device to allow the seedlings to grow larger.
In the latter type where the seedling holder is pushed by human power or the like, the seedling holder with the seedling planted is introduced at the beginning of the device and the seedling holder is moved from the beginning to the end. During this time, the seedlings held by the seedling holder are irradiated with light to grow them.
Once the harvest is complete, the cultivation trays and seedling holding parts are collected and new seedlings are planted and cultivated.

Whether the cultivation tray is fixed or mobile, it is filled with nutrient solution during the cultivation period, and after harvesting, the cultivation tray becomes dirty with moss and water stains. The same is true for the seedling holding members, which also become dirty with moss and water stains.
Therefore, when reusing the cultivation trays or the like, it is desirable to wash the cultivation trays and the seedling raising members such as the seedling holding members.
In the prior art, cleaning of seedling raising materials was primitive, and was carried out by placing the cultivation trays etc. flat on the floor of the work area, spraying them with high-pressure water or steam from a high-pressure cleaning device, scrubbing them with a brush, etc.

Furthermore, Patent Documents 3 and 4 propose devices for cleaning cultivation trays and the like.
In the cleaning devices disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 4, the cultivation trays or the like are cleaned while being moved in a flat state.

JP 2016-150001 A JP 2017-158437 A Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-303848 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-303849

The method of manually cleaning cultivation trays and the like by placing them flat on the floor of the work area involves workers being splashed with water and getting dirty, so improvements are desired.
The devices disclosed in the patent documents are designed to move cultivation trays and the like in a flat position, and there is a dissatisfaction with the large area that the devices occupy.

The present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and aims to develop a new seedling material washing device for washing seedling materials such as cultivation trays and seedling holding members. More specifically, the objective of the present invention is to develop a seedling material washing device that occupies a smaller floor space than conventional devices.

The present invention aims to solve the above problem by providing a seedling member washing device for washing roughly rectangular seedling members for hydroponically cultivating plants, the device having a stock area, a washing area, and a lifting means, the stock area having a vertical position maintaining means for holding a number of seedling members in a vertical position with the projection surfaces of the front and back sides of adjacent seedling members overlapping, and a sending means for sending out the seedling members by advancing them in a direction facing the front and back while maintaining the vertical position, the washing area having a washing means disposed therein, and the lifting means for moving the seedling members sent out from the stock area upwards or downwards while maintaining the vertical position, passing through the washing area.

The seedling growing member washing device of this aspect washes the seedling growing members, which are generally rectangular in shape and are used for hydroponic cultivation of plants, by moving them in a vertical position.
The seedling growing member washing device of this aspect has a stock area, a washing area and a lifting means.
The storage area has a vertical position maintaining means for maintaining the multiple seedling raising members in a vertical position with the projections of the front and back surfaces of adjacent seedling raising members overlapping, so the multiple seedling raising members can be stored adjacent to each other in a vertical position in the storage area. Therefore, the storage area can accommodate multiple seedling raising members in a small area.
In addition, in the stock area, the seedling raising members can be sent out by the sending means by advancing them in the direction facing the front and back while maintaining a vertical posture, so that the area occupied by the stock area and the area to which they are sent can be small.
A cleaning means is disposed in the cleaning area, and the seedling growing members sent out from the stock area can be cleaned.
The lifting means can move the seedling growing members sent out from the stock area upward or downward while maintaining the vertical position, so that the seedling growing member washing device can occupy a small area. Specifically, if the washing area is provided above the stock area, the stock area and the washing area overlap in a plan view.
Here, the "vertical posture" refers to a posture in which one of the four sides of a substantially rectangular shape is downward and the side opposite to that side is upward, and is an upright posture.

It is preferable that there is a protective wall above and/or below the front side of the stock area, and the seedling raising member is raised or lowered in front of the protective wall by the lifting means.

According to this configuration, a protective wall is provided above and/or below the front side of the stock area, and the seedling raising members are raised or lowered in front of the protective wall by the lifting means, so that the protective wall can prevent washing water from splashing from the washing area side to the stock area side. In particular, washing water that has been contaminated after washing the seedling raising members can be prevented from splashing toward the stock area side.

It is preferable that the lifting means has a support member that engages with the seedling raising member and that the support member rises or falls to raise or lower the seedling raising member.

According to this configuration, the lifting means has a support member that engages with the seedling raising member, and the support member rises or falls to raise or lower the seedling raising member, so that the seedling raising member is stably supported.

It is preferable that the support member supports an external force from above, and when an external force acts from below, it changes its position to release the external force from below.

With this configuration, the support member can perform a check function that prevents the seedling raising member from descending or falling and allows it to rise.

It is preferable that the lifting means has a rotating member that engages with the seedling raising member and raises or lowers the seedling raising member.

The rotating member has a drive roller, a driven roller, and a biasing means, the drive roller and the driven roller are arranged in parallel so that the seedling raising member can be inserted between them, and it is preferable that the biasing means biases at least one of the drive roller and the driven roller so as to approach the other side.

With this configuration, the seedling raising member is inserted between the parallel drive roller and driven roller, and the biasing member biases one of the rollers to approach the other roller, so seedling raising members of different widths (thicknesses) can be easily accommodated. In other words, seedling raising members of different widths can be clamped between the two rollers and well supported.

It is preferable to have the support member and the rotating member, and to move the seedling raising member on one of them to be handed over to the other.

With this configuration, the seedling raising member is moved by either the support member or the rotating member, and the seedling raising member is then handed over to the other member, so the range of up and down reciprocating movement of the support member can be reduced.

It is preferable that the device has a guide member that changes the position of the seedling raising member in a direction that causes the seedling raising member to fall when the seedling raising member rises or falls.

With this configuration, the seedling raising member can be changed in position in the direction of falling when it rises or falls by the guide member. That is, the seedling raising member can be changed to a stable position (e.g., horizontal position). It is preferable to perform washing in a vertical position and to return the seedling raising member to a stable horizontal position after washing. By performing washing in a vertical position, washing water is less likely to splash around, and the area occupied by the washing area can be reduced. Furthermore, when the seedling raising member is in a vertical position, it is easier to drain the washing water that has adhered to it. That is, after washing, it is preferable to drain the washing water that has adhered to the seedling raising member to a certain extent in the vertical position, and then change the position of the seedling raising member to a stable position (e.g., horizontal position).

The seedling cleaning device of the present invention occupies a small amount of floor space and does not take up much space.

1 is a perspective view of a seedling growing member cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seedling growing member cleaning device shown in FIG. 1 with the seedling growing members mounted thereon. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view illustrating only the main parts of the seedling growing member cleaning device of FIG. 1. FIG. 2A to 2C are three-sided views showing only the main components of the seedling growing member washing device of FIG. 1, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. FIG. 5 is a three-view diagram showing the state in which the seedling raising member is engaged with the support member of the lifting device, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 6, these are three-sided views showing the seedling growing members being lifted by the lower drive mechanism of the lifting device while being cleaned by the cleaning device, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 7, these are three-view diagrams showing the state in which the seedling raising member is further raised and supported by the upper drive mechanism part of the lifting device, while the subsequent seedling raising member abuts against the vertical rack member, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 8, these are three-view diagrams showing the state in which the upper end of the seedling growing member rises until it abuts the guide member and the raised seedling growing member is ejected, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. (a) is a front view showing the state after Figure 9, in which the lower drive mechanism part of the lifting device has descended, causing the support member to abut against the upper end of the subsequent seedling growing member positioned below, and causing the support member in the protruding position to be slightly tilted; (b) is a front view showing the state after (a), in which the lower drive mechanism part has descended, causing the support member to change from the protruding position to a retracted position; and (c) is a front view showing the state after (b), in which the lower drive mechanism part has further descended, causing the support member to pass the lower end of the subsequent seedling growing member and return to its original protruding position. 11A, 11B, and 11C are three-sided views showing a seedling growing member having a small height dimension loaded onto a seedling growing member cleaning device, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Figure 11 is a three-view diagram showing the state in which the vertical rack member has risen and the subsequent seedling raising member has come into contact with the vertical rack member, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 12, these are three-view views showing the state in which the vertical rack member has descended and the locking member in the protruding position has come into contact with the subsequent seedling growing member waiting below and tilted, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 13, these are three-view diagrams showing the state in which the vertical rack member is further lowered, the locking member is in a retracted position, and the leading seedling growing member is overlapped on top of the trailing seedling growing member, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 14, these are three-view views showing the state in which the vertical rack member has further descended and the locking member has reached the lower end of the subsequent lower seedling growing member and is in a protruding position, making it possible to support the subsequent seedling growing member, (a) being a plan view, (b) being a front view, and (c) being a side view. Following Figure 15, these are three-view views showing the state in which the vertical rack member has risen and the preceding upper seedling growing member has been clamped by the rotating member of the upper drive mechanism, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 16, this is a three-view diagram showing the state in which only the leading upper seedling growing member is raised by the rotating member, and the trailing lower seedling growing member remains on the lower drive mechanism side, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 17, this is a three-view diagram showing the state in which the preceding upper seedling growing member is further raised by the rotating member, and the upper end of the seedling growing member abuts against the guide member and is ejected, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view. Following Figure 18, these are three-view views showing the state in which the vertical rack member has been lowered and the support member is supporting the subsequent seedling member waiting below, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view.

The following description will be given with reference to the drawings.
The seedling growing member cleaning device 1 is an apparatus for cleaning the seedling growing member W (cultivation panel) shown in Figure 2, and as shown in Figure 1, has a housing 41, guide frames 12a, 12b, a stock area A1, a cleaning area A2, a lifting device 2 (lifting means), and a protective wall section 6 (protective wall).

The seedling growing member W is a thick, roughly rectangular box-shaped member (cultivation panel) used when hydroponically cultivating plants such as lettuce.

The housing 41 surrounds the lifting device 2, and is connected to the rear side with guide frames 12a, 12b arranged in parallel at a predetermined distance, and is connected to the upper part with a protective wall portion 6 (protective wall). In other words, the housing 41 constitutes the main body of the seedling growing member washing device 1.

The stock area A1 is an area that houses multiple seedling raising members W. The stock area A1 has a mounting member 10 for mounting the seedling raising members W in a vertical position (upright position), a pressing device 11, and guide frames 12a and 12b. "Vertical position" refers to a state in which one side of a rectangle is positioned downward and the opposite side is positioned upward.

The mounting member 10 is equipped with a pair of rail members 13a, 13b that extend in the front-rear direction of the seedling growing member cleaning device 1. The rail members 13a, 13b are members with a roughly U-shaped cross section, and are arranged parallel to each other at a distance. The upper surfaces of the rail members 13a, 13b form mounting surfaces 14a, 14b on which the seedling growing member W is placed. In other words, the side portion S (lower portion) of the rectangular seedling growing member W in a vertical position (upright position) is placed on the mounting surfaces 14a, 14b.

As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the pressing device 11 includes a pressing member 15 and a drive mechanism 16. The pressing member 15 is a plate-shaped member that contacts the rear surface of the seedling growing member W. In other words, the pressing member 15 can press the seedling growing member W forward with its surface.

The driving mechanism 16 is a device having a function of moving the pressing member 15 in the front-rear direction.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the drive mechanism 16 includes a self-propelled body 17 and horizontal guide racks 18a and 18b.
The self-propelled body 17 has a mounting base 19 and a motorized roller 20. The mounting base 19 is a member on which the pressing member 15 is mounted, and also constitutes a housing that covers the periphery of the motorized roller 20. The roller of the motorized roller 20 is fixed to the mounting base 19. That is, when the motorized roller 20 is driven, the shafts 20a, 20b at both ends rotate. Pinion gears 21a, 21b are attached to the shafts 20a, 20b.

The horizontal guide racks 18a, 18b are provided inside the rail members 13a, 13b and extend linearly in the front-rear direction. The tooth surfaces of the horizontal guide racks 18a, 18b face upward. The pinion gears 21a, 21b on the self-propelled body 17 engage with the horizontal guide racks 18a, 18b. When the motor-incorporated roller 20 is driven, the pinion gears 21a, 21b rotate, and the self-propelled body 17 moves in the front-rear direction along the horizontal guide racks 18a, 18b (rail members 13a, 13b).

The guide frames 12a and 12b shown in Figures 1 and 2 are frame members arranged parallel to each other and spaced apart from each other, with a stock area A1 formed between them. The aforementioned drive mechanism 16 is disposed between the guide frames 12a and 12b (stock area A1).

As shown in FIG. 2, the stock area A1 can store multiple adjacent rectangular seedling raising members W in a vertical (upright) position with the projections of their front and back surfaces overlapping. Specifically, multiple seedling raising members W can be stored in the stock area A1 with their front and back surfaces overlapping.

The rear end of the bundle of multiple seedling raising members W is pressed by the pressing device 11 (pressing member 15), and the front end of the bundle of seedling raising members W abuts against the flat portions 35a, 35b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b of the lifting device 2 described below. In other words, the pressing device 11 presses the bundle of multiple seedling raising members W from the rear side, and the frontmost seedling raising member W is pressed against the flat portions 35a, 35b. Therefore, the bundle of seedling raising members W is supported at both the front and rear ends, and can maintain a vertical position (vertical position maintaining means). The pressing device 11 also functions as a sending means for sending the seedling raising members W forward.

Next, the lifting device 2 (lifting means) will be described.
The lifting device 2 is disposed in front of the stock area A1, and is capable of moving the seedling raising members W upward. As shown in Fig. 3, the lifting device 2 is composed of a lower drive mechanism 22 and an upper drive mechanism 23. The upper drive mechanism 23 is disposed above the lower drive mechanism 22.

The lower drive mechanism 22 is located in front of the stock area A1 and has vertical rack members 24a, 24b and a drive roller 25 that rotates around a horizontal axis.

The drive roller 25 is a roller with a built-in motor, and is attached to the housing 41 (Figs. 1 and 2) in a horizontal position at a predetermined height. Pinion gears 34a and 34b are provided at both ends of the cylindrical roller body of the drive roller 25. When the drive roller 25 is driven, the pinion gears 34a and 34b rotate simultaneously.

The vertical rack members 24a, 24b are long members and have flat portions 35a, 35b and rack tooth surfaces 33a, 33b. The rack tooth surfaces 33a, 33b and the flat portions 35a, 35b are in a back-to-back relationship.

The vertical rack members 24a, 24b are arranged in a vertical position, facing each other in parallel and spaced apart from each other, with the rack tooth surfaces 33a, 33b facing forward and the flat portions 35a, 35b facing backward. The vertical rack members 24a, 24b are also arranged behind the drive roller 25. The rack tooth surfaces 33a, 33b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b engage with the pinion gears 34a, 34b of the drive roller 25.

Pins 27a, 27b are provided near the lower ends of the opposing faces of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b. Lower stoppers 28a, 28b are provided below the pins 27a, 27b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b, respectively, and upper stoppers 29a, 29b are provided above the pins 27a, 27b, respectively. That is, the pins 27a, 27b are provided between the lower stoppers 28a, 28b and the upper stoppers 29a, 29b. The lower stoppers 28a, 28b and the upper stoppers 29a, 29b are protruding parts that protrude in directions approaching each other.

Support members 26a and 26b are attached to pins 27a and 27b. Support members 26a and 26b can rotate around pins 27a and 27b.

The support members 26a, 26b are trapezoidal in shape and have lower contact portions 30a, 30b, mounting portions 31a, 31b, and inclined portions 32a, 32b. The lower contact portions 30a, 30b and the mounting portions 31a, 31b are parallel. The inclined portions 32a, 32b are continuous with the lower contact portions 30a, 30b. The more the inclined portions 32a, 32b are away from the lower contact portions 30a, 30b, the closer they are to the mounting portions 31a, 31b, and a tapered portion is formed at one end of the support members 26a, 26b.

The support members 26a, 26b are rotatably attached to the vertical rack members 24a, 24b via pins 27a, 27b at the sides closer to the mounting portions 31a, 31b and away from the tapered portions.

The vertical rack members 24a and 24b are provided with lower stoppers 28a and 28b (28a not shown) and upper stoppers 29a and 29b (29b not shown) that limit the rotation of the support members 26a and 26b. The lower stoppers 28a and 28b and the upper stoppers 29a and 29b are provided above and below the pins 27a and 27b.

The support members 26a, 26b are prevented from rotating any further when the lower abutment portions 30a, 30b abut against the lower stoppers 28a, 28b. At this time, the mounting portions 31a, 31b are perpendicular to the vertical rack members 24a, 24b, and the mounting portions 31a, 31b are in a horizontal state. In addition, the support members 26a, 26b protrude rearward beyond the flat portions 35a, 35b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b.

When the support members 26a, 26b rotate around the pins 27a, 27b in a direction in which the lower abutment portions 30a, 30b move away from the lower stoppers 28a, 28b from this state, the placement portions 31a, 31b abut against the upper stoppers 29a, 29b, preventing further rotation of the support members 26a, 26b. At this time, the support members 26a, 26b come forward of the flat portions 35a, 35b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b.

When the support members 26a, 26b have the mounting portions 31a, 31b in contact with the upper stoppers 29a, 29b, they do not exceed the critical point for rotation around the pins 27a, 27b. In the absence of support from an external force, the mounting portions 31a, 31b rotate in a direction away from the upper stoppers 29a, 29b due to the rotation moment caused by the weight of the support members 26a, 26b. The support members 26a, 26b then rotate until the lower abutment portions 30a, 30b abut the lower stoppers 28a, 28b. In other words, the support members 26a, 26b are in the most stable state (posture) when the lower abutment portions 30a, 30b abut the lower stoppers 28a, 28b. At this time, the mounting portions 31a, 31b are in a horizontal state and protrude rearward from the flat portions 35a, 35b.

Guide rollers 36a, 37a (36b, 37b) are provided on the outer surface of the vertical rack member 24a (24b). The guide rollers 36a, 37a are provided at positions spaced apart above and below the vertical rack member 24a. Similarly, the guide rollers 36b, 37b are provided at positions spaced apart above and below the vertical rack member 24b.

The guide rollers 36a and 37a are arranged in a vertical guide rail 38a that is integral with the housing. The vertical guide rail 38a is a member having a U-shaped cross section, and the guide rollers 36a and 37a are arranged in the area inside the U-shape. In other words, the guide rollers 36a and 37a are supported by the vertical guide rail 38a, and when the vertical rack member 24a moves up and down, the guide rollers 36a and 37a move along the vertical guide rail 38a. The relationship between the guide rollers 36b and 37b and the vertical guide rail 38b is the same as that between the guide rollers 36a and 37a and the vertical guide rail 38a.

The upper drive mechanism 23 has a horizontally oriented drive roller 39 and a driven roller 40 (rotating member). The drive roller 39 is a motor-integrated roller, and the driven roller 40 is an idling roller. At least one of the shaft cores of the drive roller 39 and the driven roller 40 can move horizontally, and the distance between the rollers 39 and 40 can be increased. That is, as shown in FIG. 5(c), a biasing mechanism 45 (biasing means) is provided that biases (presses) the driven roller 40 toward the drive roller 39. When the seedling growing member W passes between the rollers 39 and 40, the biasing mechanism 45 acts so that the distance between the rollers 39 and 40 increases against the biasing force of the biasing mechanism 45 so that the distance between the rollers 39 and 40 matches the width of the seedling growing member W, and when the seedling growing member W disappears from between the rollers 39 and 40, the biasing mechanism 45 acts so that the distance between the rollers 39 and 40 decreases. In this embodiment, the biasing mechanism 45 uses a compression spring, but other biasing means (e.g., one that uses fluid pressure) may also be used.

When the seedling raising member W enters between the rollers 39, 40, the gap between the rollers 39, 40 is widened by the biasing mechanism 45, and the seedling raising member W is sandwiched between the rollers 39, 40. Specifically, the seedling raising member W enters between the rollers 39, 40 while pushing the gap between the rollers wide. Then, when the drive roller 25 is rotated, the seedling raising member W rises and is discharged above the upper drive mechanism part 23 (the rollers 39, 40). The seedling raising member W can also be lowered by rotating the drive roller 39 in the reverse direction. Here, the gap between the rollers 39, 40 can be changed, so that it can easily accommodate the width dimension (thickness dimension) of the seedling raising member W. In other words, the rollers 39, 40 can easily sandwich the seedling raising member W with different width dimensions.

A cleaning area A2 is provided between the lower drive mechanism 22 and the upper drive mechanism 23 of the lifting device 2. A spray nozzle 50 (cleaning means) that sprays cleaning liquid (cleaning water) is provided in the cleaning area A2. In other words, the cleaning area A2 is the range that can be reached by the cleaning water (cleaning liquid) sprayed by the spray nozzle 50. The spray nozzle 50 is disposed around the seedling growing member W that passes through the cleaning area A2, and can spray and supply cleaning liquid toward the seedling growing member W.

As shown in Figures 1 to 3, the injection nozzle 50 is composed of multiple holes provided at a location midway through the piping. Note that for convenience of illustration, in Figures 5 to 19, the injection nozzle 50 is depicted as a single nozzle, but it is the same as the one in Figures 1 to 3.

The protective wall section 6 (protective wall) is composed of a plate-shaped member fixed to the housing 41 and is provided between the stock area A1 and the lifting device 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, the protective wall 6 is configured to cover the rear and both left and right sides of the cleaning area A2. This prevents the cleaning water sprayed from the spray nozzle 50 in the cleaning area A2 from splashing to the rear (towards the stock area A1).

The upper part of the protective wall 6 is provided with a curved portion 55 (guide member) that is curved so as to protrude forward. The curved portion 55 covers the top of the cleaning area A2 and is positioned at a height position where it comes into contact with the upper end of the seedling growing member W that has passed through the cleaning area A2. The curved portion 55 is a guide member that is curved so as to be convex upward. In this embodiment, the curved portion 55 is described as being integral with the protective wall 6, but the curved portion 55 may also be a separate member from the protective wall 6 and attached to the protective wall 6.

Next, the operation of the seedling growing member washing device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in Figures 5(a) to 5(c), the seedling growing member washing device 1 stores a plurality of seedling growing members W1 to W4 in a stock area A1. In Figure 5, in order to make it easier to understand the depictions in the following Figures 6 to 10, the bundle of seedling growing members W1 to W4 is shown separated from the lifting device 2 (vertical rack members 24a, 24b).

In addition, for convenience, the protective wall portion 6 (guide member) shown in FIG. 5(c) and described below is omitted in FIG. 5(a) and FIG. 5(b), and for convenience, the vertical rack member 24a is omitted in FIG. 5(c).

In reality, as shown in Figures 6(a) to 6(c), the seedling raising member W4 at the rearmost side of the bundle of seedling raising members W1 to W4 is pressed by the pressing device 11, and the seedling raising member W1 at the frontmost side is in contact with the flat parts 35a, 35b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b of the lifting device 2. That is, the bundle of seedling raising members W1 to W4 is stored in the stock area A1 while maintaining a vertical posture (standing posture), and is sandwiched between the pressing device 11 and the vertical rack members 24a, 24b (flat parts 35a, 35b) of the lifting device 2 (vertical posture maintaining means). In this state, each seedling raising member W1 to W4 is held with its front and back surfaces overlapping. Also, in this state, the seedling raising member W1 at the frontmost side is placed on the support members 26a, 26b provided on the vertical rack members 24a, 24b.

When the drive roller 25 (lower drive mechanism 22) of the lifting device 2 is driven from the state shown in Figure 6, the vertical rack members 24a and 24b rise and the seedling growing member W1 moves upward, as shown in Figures 7(a) to 7(c). The seedling growing member W1 then enters the washing area A2 from top to bottom, and is washed with washing water sprayed from the spray nozzle 50.

As shown in Figures 8(a) to 8(c), the seedling raising member W1 enters (presses) between the drive roller 39 and driven roller 40 of the upper drive mechanism 23 and is supported by being clamped between the rollers 39, 40. When the drive roller 39 is driven, the seedling raising member W1 leaves the vertical rack members 24a, 24b (support members 26a, 26b) and is moved further upward by the upper drive mechanism 23 (drive roller 39 and driven roller 40).

Then, as shown in Figures 9(a) to 9(c), the upper end of the seedling raising member W1, which has risen further, collides (comes into contact with) the curved portion 55 (guide member) of the protective wall portion 6. The seedling raising member W1, whose upper end has collided with the curved portion 55, is pushed up further by the upper drive mechanism portion 23 and falls forward (sideways) along the curved portion 55 as shown by the two-dot chain line in Figure 9(c), and is stored in the storage shelf 60. A tray (not shown) may be placed on the storage shelf 60, and the seedling raising member W1 may be placed in the tray.

After the seedling raising member W1 is taken up by the upper drive mechanism 23, the drive roller 25 of the lower drive mechanism 22 is driven in the reverse direction to lower the vertical rack members 24a, 24b. At that time, the lower abutment parts 30a, 30b of the rearward protruding support members 26a, 26b abut against the upper ends of the lower seedling raising members W2, as shown in FIG. 10(a), and rotate slightly around the pins 27a, 27b to tilt.

When the vertical rack members 24a, 24b further descend, as shown in FIG. 10(b), the support members 26a, 26b are pressed against the seedling raising member W2 and rotate further around the pins 27a, 27b, so that the inclined surfaces 32a, 32b coincide with the planes that the flat portions 35a, 35b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b face. That is, the support members 26a, 26b no longer protrude rearward from the vertical rack members 24a, 24b (flat portions 35a, 35b). In other words, the support members 26a, 26b retreat forward. As a result, the vertical rack members 24a, 24b can descend the front side of the seedling raising member W2. At that time, the support members 26a, 26b descend while rubbing against the front surface of the seedling raising member W2.

When the support members 26a, 26b move below the lower end of the seedling raising member W2, the support members 26a, 26b protrude rearward. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10(c), the seedling raising member W2 can be placed on the placement portions 31a, 31b of the support members 26a, 26b. The above-mentioned operation is then repeated, and the remaining seedling raising members W2 to W4 in the stock area A1 are washed in turn in the washing area A2 and stored in the storage shelf 60.

Next, the case where seedling raising members W5 to W8, which have a small height dimension, are washed using the seedling raising member washing device 1 will be described with reference to Figures 11 to 19. Because seedling raising members W5 to W8 have a small height dimension, they cannot be transferred from the lower drive mechanism unit 22 to the upper drive mechanism unit 23, as with seedling raising members W1 to W4 shown in Figures 5 to 10.

Even if the height of the seedling raising members W5 to W8 is low, each seedling raising member W5 etc. can be washed and stored in the storage shelf 60 by operating the seedling raising member washing device 1 as described below.

First, from the state shown in Figures 11(a) to 11(c), the drive roller 25 of the lifting device 2 is driven to rotate in the forward direction, and the vertical rack members 24a, 24b are raised as shown in Figures 12(a) to 12(c). The bundle of seedling growing members W6 to W8 left in the stock area A1 is pressed by the pressing device 11 and moves forward, coming into contact with the areas near the bottom ends of the flat portions 35a, 35b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b and stopping. In other words, seedling growing member W6 waits directly below seedling growing member W5.

Because the height dimension of the seedling raising member W5 is small, even if the vertical rack members 24a and 24b move to the highest position, the seedling raising member W5 cannot engage with the upper drive mechanism part 23 (drive roller 39 and driven roller 40).

Next, the drive roller 25 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the vertical rack members 24a and 24b are lowered once, as shown in Figures 13(a) to 13(c). At that time, the support members 26a and 26b come into contact with the seedling raising member W6 waiting below, and are lowered while avoiding the seedling raising member W6.

Then, as shown in Figures 14(b) and 14(c), seedling raising member W5 overlaps seedling raising member W6. When the vertical rack members 24a and 24b are further lowered, seedling raising member W6 is placed on support members 26a and 26b as shown in Figures 15(b) and 15(c). In this state, the drive roller 25 is rotated forward to raise seedling raising members W5 and W6 together with the vertical rack members 24a and 24b. Because seedling raising member W5 is stacked on top of seedling raising member W6, it is in a higher position relative to the vertical rack members 24a and 24b by the height of seedling raising member W6 compared to the state shown in Figure 12.

Therefore, when the vertical rack members 24a, 24b rise, as shown in Figures 16(a) to 16(c), the seedling raising member W1 enters and is clamped between the drive roller 39 and driven roller 40 of the upper drive mechanism unit 23. Then, the drive roller 39 is driven, and only the seedling raising member W5 rises further (Figures 17(b) and 17(c)), and the seedling raising member W5 moves sideways along the curved portion 55 (guide member) and is stored in the storage shelf 60 (Figure 18(c)).

Seedling raising member W6 remains on the support members 26a, 26b of the vertical rack members 24a, 24b. In addition, directly below seedling raising member W6, the succeeding seedling raising member W7, which has been pressed and moved by the pressing device 11, is waiting. Therefore, when the vertical rack members 24a, 24b descend, seedling raising member W6 is placed on seedling raising member W7 along the way, as shown in Figures 18(a) to 18(c), and finally seedling raising member W7 is placed on the support members 26a, 26b, as shown in Figures 19(a) to 19(c).

By repeating the above-mentioned operations, the seedling growing members W7 in the stock area A1 can be washed in the washing area A2 and then placed in the storage shelf 60.

The rearmost seedling raising member W8 can be washed in the washing area A2 and then placed in the storage shelf 60, for example, by placing a dummy member in place of the seedling raising member behind the seedling raising member W8.

In the above example, the cleaning area A2 is above the stock area A1, but the cleaning area A2 may be located below the stock area A1. That is, the seedling raising members are moved downward to where the cleaning area A2 is by the lifting device 2. In this case, the cleaning water sprayed onto the seedling raising members is less likely to splash onto the stock area A1 above, which makes it possible to prevent the seedling raising members stored in the stock area A1 from becoming soiled while waiting.

In this embodiment, an example is shown in which the lifting device 2 (lower drive mechanism 22) uses vertical rack members 24a, 24b and a drive roller 25 having pinion gears 34a, 34b, but various lifting means such as a belt conveyor type or a robot arm type can be used as the lower drive mechanism 22.

In addition, in this embodiment, an example is shown in which the spray nozzle 50 sprays from only one side of the seedling growing member W, but the spray nozzle 50 can be installed in various positions as long as the layout allows.

The operation of the seedling growing member washing device 1 is preferably controlled by a control device (not shown). It is also preferable to provide a sensor for detecting the presence of the seedling growing members W in the stock area A1 and a sensor for detecting the raised and lowered positions of the vertical rack members 24a and 24b.
In other words, it is preferable that the control device controls each operation of the seedling growing member washing device 1 based on the signals detected by each sensor.

It is also preferable that the height position of the protective wall portion 6 (curved portion 55) can be changed according to the height of the seedling raising member W. In other words, it is preferable to provide a mechanism for raising and lowering the protective wall portion 6 (curved portion 55). By providing such a mechanism, the height of the curved portion 55 can be appropriately set according to the height dimension of the seedling raising member, and the seedling raising member can be appropriately discharged to the storage shelf 60 after washing.

In the seedling growing member washing device 1 of this embodiment, the seedling growing members W1 to W4, W5 to W8 are stacked vertically and stocked (stored) in the stock area A1, and the lifting device 2 passes the seedling growing members W1 to W4, W5 to W8 through the upper or lower washing area A2 in order to wash them, so the floor space occupied is smaller than that of conventional seedling growing member washing devices.

1 Seedling raising member cleaning device 2 Lifting device (lifting means)
6. Protective wall section (protective wall)
11 Pressing device (vertical position maintaining means, sending device)
22 Lower drive mechanism (lifting means)
26a, 26b Support members 35a, 35b Flat portions of vertical rack members (means for maintaining vertical position)
39 Drive roller (rotating member)
40 driven roller (rotating member)
50 Spray nozzle (cleaning means)
55 Curved portion A1 Stock area A2 Washing area W Seedling raising member

Claims (8)

A seedling member washing device for washing a substantially rectangular seedling member for hydroponically cultivating plants,
A storage area, a cleaning area, and a lifting means are provided.
The storage area includes a vertical position maintaining means for maintaining the plurality of seedling raising members in a vertical position with the projection surfaces of the front and back sides of the adjacent seedling raising members overlapping, and a sending means for advancing the seedling raising members in a direction facing the front and back sides while maintaining the vertical position,
A cleaning means is disposed in the cleaning area,
The seedling growing material cleaning device is characterized in that the lifting means moves the seedling growing material sent out from the stock area upward or downward while maintaining a vertical posture, passing it through the cleaning area. In front of the storage area, there is a protective wall above and/or below it;
2. The seedling growing member washing device according to claim 1, wherein the seedling growing members are raised or lowered in front of the protective wall by the lifting means. The seedling raising member washing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the lifting means has a support member that engages with the seedling raising member, and the support member rises or falls to raise or lower the seedling raising member. The seedling cleaning device according to claim 3, characterized in that the support member supports an external force from above, and when an external force acts from below, changes its position to release the external force from below. The seedling raising member cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the lifting means has a rotating member that engages with the seedling raising member and raises or lowers the seedling raising member. The seedling growing member washing device according to claim 5, characterized in that the rotating member has a drive roller, a driven roller, and a biasing means, the drive roller and the driven roller are arranged in parallel so that the seedling growing member can be inserted between them, and the biasing means biases at least one of the drive roller and the driven roller so as to approach the other side. The lifting means is
each of which engages with the seedling raising member;
A support member that rises or falls ; and
A rotating member is provided ,
The seedling raising member is raised or lowered,
Furthermore, the support member and the rotating member
3. The seedling growing member washing device according to claim 1, wherein the seedling growing members moved by one of the devices are transferred to the other device. A seedling-raising member washing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that it has a guide member that changes the position of the seedling-raising member in a direction in which the seedling-raising member falls when the seedling-raising member rises or falls.

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