JP7717775B2 - Planting panel cleaning device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a planting panel cleaning device used to clean square planting panels used in hydroponic cultivation of plants such as vegetables.

Conventionally, as shown in FIG. 11, a known example of this type of planting panel cleaning device is one that includes a transport mechanism for horizontally transporting a planting panel P (hereinafter also referred to as a "foam tray") for hydroponic cultivation made of foam synthetic resin and having a plurality of planting holes P _H formed therein, a brush cleaning mechanism for brush-cleaning the top surface portion P _U and bottom surface portion P _B of the planting panel P during horizontal transport, and a water jet cleaning mechanism for spraying high-pressure cleaning water onto the top surface portion P _U and bottom surface portion P _B of the planting panel P during horizontal transport.

Publication number 5-45169 Publication No. 4-40453

However, in the case of the above-mentioned conventional structure, the planting panel is made of foamed synthetic resin and has multiple planting holes formed in it. Unlike box-tray-shaped seedling trays for paddy rice made of hard synthetic resin or cell-tray-shaped seedling trays for vegetables made of soft synthetic resin, the inherent properties of foamed synthetic resin make it prone to wear and tear on the top and bottom of the planting panel and damage to the edges of the planting holes when transported or cleaned with a brush. This can make it difficult to clean away contaminants such as algae and fungi that have adhered to the planting panel, and can make it difficult to reuse the planting panel.

The present invention aims to solve these inconveniences, and the invention described in claim 1 is a cleaning device for cleaning a planting panel for hydroponic cultivation made of foam synthetic resin and having a plurality of planting holes formed therein, the device comprising a transport mechanism for horizontally transporting the planting panel, a brush cleaning mechanism for brush-cleaning the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel during the horizontal transport, and a water jet cleaning mechanism for jetting high-pressure cleaning water onto the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel during the horizontal transport, the transport mechanism being provided with a pair of upper and lower transport rollers at an entrance side position and an exit side position in the transport direction of the planting panel, which are capable of sandwiching the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel and transporting the planting panel horizontally, and the brush cleaning mechanism being provided with a pair of upper and lower transport rollers at an entrance side position and an exit side position in the transport direction of the planting panel, which are capable of sandwiching the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel and transporting the planting panel horizontally, This planting panel cleaning device is characterized in that it is provided with an entrance side cleaning mechanism and an exit side cleaning mechanism for brush-cleaning the top and bottom surfaces of the panel, the water jet cleaning mechanism is arranged at an intermediate position between the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the exit side cleaning mechanism in the conveying direction, a pressure mechanism is provided that can press the upper conveying roller facing the top surface of the planting panel against the top surface of the planting panel, the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the exit side cleaning mechanism each consist of an upper rotating brush that cleans the top surface of the planting panel and a lower rotating brush that cleans the bottom surface of the planting panel, the rotation directions of the upper rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the lower rotating brush are set to the same rotation direction, and the rotation directions of the upper rotating brush of the outlet side cleaning mechanism and the lower rotating brush are set to the same rotation direction .

The invention described in claim 2 is characterized in that the pressure mechanism comprises a spring member that can press the upper conveying roller against the upper surface of the planting panel. The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that the pair of upper and lower conveying rollers are made of silicone rubber. The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that the silicone rubber has a rubber hardness of 35° to 45°.

Furthermore, the invention described in claim 5 is characterized in that the rotation direction of the upper rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the rotation direction of the upper rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism are set to be different from each other, and the rotation direction of the lower rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the rotation direction of the lower rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism are set to be different from each other.Furthermore, the invention described in claim 6 is characterized in that side brushes for cleaning both side portions of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the upper rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism, and side brushes for cleaning both side portions of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the lower rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism, or side brushes for cleaning both side portions of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the lower rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism, and side brushes for cleaning both side portions of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the upper rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism.

The invention described in claim 7 is characterized in that the water jet cleaning mechanism is provided with a plurality of spray nozzles that spray high-pressure cleaning water onto the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panels during the horizontal transport, and a pressure pump that can supply high-pressure cleaning water is connected to the spray nozzles.The invention described in claim 8 is characterized in that a recovery gutter section that recovers the cleaning water is provided below the water jet cleaning mechanism.

As described above, in the invention of claim 1, a planting panel for hydroponic cultivation made of foam synthetic resin and having a plurality of planting holes formed therein is transported horizontally by the transport mechanism, and the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel are brush-cleaned by the brush cleaning mechanism during the horizontal transport, and high-pressure cleaning water is sprayed onto the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel during the horizontal transport by the water jet cleaning mechanism, so that the planting panel is sequentially fed and cleaned manually or automatically, and at this time, the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel are sandwiched between a pair of upper and lower transport rollers of the transport mechanism at the entrance and exit positions in the transport direction of the planting panel. The planting panel can be transported horizontally by the inlet side cleaning mechanism and the outlet side cleaning mechanism, and the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel can be brush-washed at the inlet side position and the outlet side position in the transport direction of the planting panel by the inlet side cleaning mechanism and the outlet side cleaning mechanism, and the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel can be reliably cleaned. Furthermore, since the water jet cleaning mechanism is disposed at an intermediate position in the transport direction between the inlet side cleaning mechanism and the outlet side cleaning mechanism, after the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel are cleaned by the inlet side cleaning mechanism, the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel are cleaned by the high-pressure water jet from the water jet cleaning mechanism, and then the outlet side cleaning mechanism The cleaning mechanism can clean the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel, which allows the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel to be reliably cleaned. Furthermore, a pressing mechanism is provided that can press the upper transport roller facing the top surface of the planting panel against the top surface of the planting panel, so that planting panels for hydroponic cultivation made of foam synthetic resin and having multiple plant planting holes formed therein can be reliably transported horizontally, allowing the planting panels to be reliably cleaned one after another, making cleaning smoother and improving the cleaning workability . In addition, the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the exit side cleaning mechanism respectively include an upper rotating brush that cleans the top surface of the planting panel and a rotating brush that cleans the bottom surface of the planting panel. The system consists of a lower rotating brush that cleans the planting panel, and the rotation directions of the upper rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the lower rotating brush are set to the same rotation direction, and the rotation directions of the upper rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism and the lower rotating brush are set to the same rotation direction.Therefore, as the planting panel is transported through the opposing gap between the pair of upper and lower rotating brushes, the contact rotation directions between the upper surface of the planting panel and the pair of upper and lower rotating brushes and the contact rotation direction between the bottom surface of the planting panel and the lower rotating brush are opposite to each other, and these opposite contact rotation directions can reliably clean the upper and bottom surfaces of the planting panel.

In the invention described in claim 2, the pressure mechanism is composed of a spring member that can press the upper conveying roller against the upper surface of the planting panel. Therefore, the up and down movement of the upper conveying roller can absorb variations in the thickness of the planting panel. The upper conveying roller moves up and down in response to the transport state of the planting panel, such as meandering, on the upper conveying roller, allowing for smooth horizontal transport of the planting panel. In the invention described in claim 3, the pair of upper and lower conveying rollers are made of silicone rubber. This reduces wear on the planting panel and damage to the planting hole opening periphery during transport, improving the durability of the planting panel. In the invention described in claim 4, the silicone rubber has a hardness of 35° to 45°. This improves frictional contact between the upper conveying roller and the upper surface of the planting panel, and between the lower conveying roller and the bottom surface of the planting panel. This allows for smooth transport of the planting panel and reduces wear on the planting panel and damage to the planting hole opening periphery.

In the invention described in claim 5 , the rotation direction of the upper rotary brush of the inlet side cleaning mechanism and the rotation direction of the upper rotary brush of the outlet side cleaning mechanism are set to be mutually different rotation directions, and the rotation direction of the lower rotary brush of the inlet side cleaning mechanism and the rotation direction of the lower rotary brush of the outlet side cleaning mechanism are set to be mutually different rotation directions, so that the high-pressure cleaning water sprayed from the water jet cleaning mechanism onto the top and bottom parts of the planting panel can be reliably diffused in the conveying direction and in the direction opposite to the conveying direction, and the high-pressure cleaning water can be agitated by being diffused, so that the planting panel can be reliably cleaned and the cleaning workability can be improved.In addition, in the invention described in claim 6 , side brushes for cleaning both side parts of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the upper rotary brush of the inlet side cleaning mechanism, and the lower rotary brush of the outlet side cleaning mechanism can be Side brushes for cleaning both side portions of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the shroud, or side brushes for cleaning both side portions of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the lower rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism, and side brushes for cleaning both side portions of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the upper rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism.Therefore, both side portions of the planting panel can be cleaned by the side brush of the upper rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism, and both side portions of the planting panel can be cleaned by the side brush of the lower rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism, or both side portions of the planting panel can be cleaned by the side brush of the lower rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism, and both side portions of the planting panel can be cleaned by the side brush of the upper rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism, so that both side portions of the planting panel can be cleaned well.

In addition, in the invention described in claim 7 , the water jet cleaning mechanism is provided with a plurality of spray nozzles that spray high-pressure cleaning water onto the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panels during the horizontal transport, and a pressure pump that can supply high-pressure cleaning water is connected to the spray nozzles, thereby improving the efficiency of the planting panel cleaning work and simplifying the structure of the water jet cleaning mechanism.In addition, in the invention described in claim 8 , a recovery trough section that recovers the cleaning water is provided below the water jet cleaning mechanism, so the cleaning water after the cleaning work can be recovered and reused for cleaning new planting panels, allowing the cleaning water to be used repeatedly and effectively, eliminating restrictions on the location of the cleaning work and providing flexibility in use.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of an entire embodiment of the present invention; 1 is a plan sectional view of an entire embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a central plan cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a brush drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a roller drive system according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an inlet side in the conveying direction of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an inlet-side cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a water jet cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an outlet side cleaning mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of an outlet side in a conveying direction according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is an explanatory perspective view of a planting panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 11 show an embodiment of the present invention, which can be broadly classified as a cleaning device for cleaning a planting panel P for hydroponic cultivation made of foam synthetic resin and having a plurality of planting holes P _H ... formed therein, the device comprising a transport mechanism T for horizontally transporting the planting panel P, a brush cleaning mechanism B for brush-cleaning the upper surface portion P U and the bottom surface portion P B of the planting panel P during horizontal transport, and a water jet cleaning mechanism W for jetting high-pressure cleaning water W P onto the upper surface portion P _U and the bottom surface portion P _B of the planting panel P during horizontal transport, the transport mechanism T comprising a pair of upper transport rollers T RU and T RU and a pair of lower transport rollers T RB and T RB that can sandwich the upper surface portion P U and the bottom surface portion P B of the planting panel P at an entrance side position E N and an exit side position E X in the transport direction T D of the planting panel P and can transport the planting panel P horizontally, and the brush cleaning mechanism _B comprises a brush-cleaning mechanism B for brush-cleaning the upper surface portion P _U and the bottom surface portion P _B of the planting panel P during horizontal transport, the transport mechanism T comprising a pair of upper transport rollers T RU and T RU and a pair of lower transport rollers T RB and T RB that can sandwich the upper surface portion P U and the bottom surface portion P B of the planting panel P at an entrance side position E _N and an exit side position E _X in the transport direction T _D of the planting panel P, and the brush cleaning mechanism B comprises a brush-cleaning mechanism W for brush-cleaning the upper surface portion P _U and the bottom surface portion P _B of the planting panel P during horizontal transport, the brush-cleaning mechanism W for spraying high-pressure cleaning water W P onto the upper surface portion P U and the bottom surface portion P B of the planting panel P during horizontal transport, the transport mechanism T comprising a pair of upper transport rollers T _RU and T _RU and a pair of lower transport rollers T _RB and T _RB that can horizontally transport the planting panel P An entrance side cleaning mechanism I and an exit side cleaning mechanism _D are provided at the entrance side position _EN and the exit side position _EX of the planting panel _P , respectively, for brush cleaning the upper surface portion _PU and the bottom surface portion _PB of the planting panel P, and the water jet cleaning mechanism W is arranged at an intermediate position between the entrance side cleaning mechanism I and the exit side cleaning mechanism D in the conveying direction TD, and a pressure mechanism F is provided that can pressure the upper conveying rollers _TRU / _TRU facing the upper surface portion _PU of the planting panel _P against the upper surface portion PU of the planting panel P.

The transport mechanism T, brush cleaning mechanism B, and water jet cleaning mechanism W are arranged in an apparatus body 1, and in this case, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the apparatus body 1 is made up of a pair of side frame plates 1a, 1a, an upper frame plate 1b, a bottom frame plate 1c, a front frame plate 1d, and a rear frame plate 1e, with an inlet hole _IH formed in the front frame plate 1d and an outlet hole _DH formed in the rear frame plate 1e, and receiving stands G, G are provided at the inlet hole _IH and the outlet hole _DH, respectively.

In this case, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the inlet side cleaning mechanism I and the outlet side cleaning mechanism D respectively comprise upper rotating brushes _IU and D _U for cleaning the upper surface portion P _U of the planting panel P and lower rotating brushes _IB and D _B for cleaning the bottom surface portion P _B of the planting panel P, and the rotation direction _IUR of the upper rotating brush _IU of the inlet side cleaning mechanism I and the rotation direction _IBR of the lower rotating brush _IB are set to the same rotation direction, and _the rotation direction DUR of the upper rotating brush D _U of the outlet side cleaning mechanism D and the rotation direction _DBR of the lower rotating brush D _B are set to the same rotation direction. That is, referring to Figure 1, the rotation direction _IUR of the upper rotating brush _IU of the inlet side cleaning mechanism I and the rotation direction _IBR of the lower rotating brush _IB are both counterclockwise, and the rotation direction DUR of the upper rotating brush D _U of the outlet side cleaning mechanism _D and the rotation direction _D All _BRs are clockwise.

In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the rotation direction _IUR of the upper rotating brush IU of the inlet side cleaning mechanism _I and the rotation direction _DUR of the upper rotating brush DU of the outlet side cleaning mechanism _D are set to be mutually different rotation directions. That is, referring to FIG. 1, the rotation direction _IUR of the upper rotating _brush IU of the inlet side cleaning mechanism I is counterclockwise, and the rotation direction _DUR of the upper rotating brush _DU of the outlet side cleaning mechanism D is clockwise. Also, the rotation direction _IBR of the lower rotating brush _IB of the inlet side cleaning mechanism I and the rotation direction _DBR of the lower rotating brush _DB of the outlet side cleaning mechanism D are set to be mutually different rotation directions. That is, also referring to FIG. 1, the rotation direction _IBR of the lower rotating brush _IB of the inlet side cleaning mechanism I is counterclockwise, and the rotation direction _DBR of the lower rotating brush _DB of the outlet side cleaning mechanism D is clockwise.

1 and 2, side brushes IUB and IUB for cleaning both side portions _PS and _PS of the planting panel P are provided on both sides of the upper rotary brush _IU of the entrance side cleaning mechanism I, and side brushes _DBB and _DBB for cleaning both side portions _PS and PS of the planting panel _P are provided on both sides of the lower rotary brush DB of the exit side cleaning mechanism D. Although not shown, instead of this configuration, side brushes similar to the side brushes _IUB and _IUB for cleaning both side portions _PS and _PS of the planting panel P may be provided on both sides of the lower rotary brush _IB of the entrance side cleaning mechanism I, and side brushes similar to the side brushes _DBB and _DBB for cleaning both side portions _PS and _PS of _the planting panel _P may be provided on both sides of the upper rotary _{brush DU} of the exit side cleaning mechanism D.

In this case, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 8, the spray water cleaning mechanism W is provided with a plurality of spray nozzles N... that spray high-pressure cleaning water _WP onto the upper surface _PU and bottom surface _PB of the planted panel P during the horizontal transport, and a pressure pump _PM capable of supplying high-pressure cleaning water _WP is connected to the spray nozzles N...

In this case, as shown in Figures 1, 4 and 8, a recovery trough section K for recovering the cleaning water _WP is provided below the water jet cleaning mechanism W, and a drain outlet section _K1 is formed in the recovery trough section K, so that the cleaning water _WP sprayed from the spray nozzle N is discharged from the drain outlet section _K1 via the recovery trough section K.

In this case, as shown in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, a brush drive system S B is provided to rotate the upper rotating brush _IU and lower rotating brush _IB of the entrance side cleaning mechanism I of the brush cleaning mechanism B, and the upper rotating brush D _U and lower rotating brush D _B of the exit side cleaning mechanism D, and a roller drive system S _T is provided to rotate a pair of upper conveying rollers T _RU /T _RU and lower conveying rollers T _RB /T _RB at the entrance side position E _N and the exit side position E _X in the conveying direction T _D of the planted panel _P.

In this case, as shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, in the brush drive system S _B , on the side _{of the one side frame plate 1 a, there is a belt transmission mechanism ME consisting of a drive pulley M P ,} a tension pulley T _P , a driven pulley D _P and a drive belt T _B for transmitting the rotation of the main shaft MS of the drive motor M to the shared drive shaft S, a chain transmission mechanism M _A consisting of sprockets AS _P1 , AS _P2 , AS _P3 and an endless chain C _A for transmitting the rotation _of the shared drive shaft S to the shared intermediate shaft M _T and the upper rotary brush shaft _D US of the upper rotary brush _DU of the outlet side cleaning mechanism D, and in this case, the shared drive shaft _S is also used as the lower rotary brush shaft D _BS of the lower rotary brush _DB of the outlet side cleaning mechanism _D , and _a sprocket _BS The chain transmission mechanism _MB is made up of _P1 , BS, _P2 , BS, _P3 , tension sprockets BS, _P4 , and an endless chain _CB .

2, 3 and 5, in the roller drive system _ST , on the other side of the side frame plate 1a, there are provided a chain transmission mechanism Mc consisting of sprockets CS P1 and CS P2 and an endless chain _CC for transmitting the rotation of the shared drive shaft S to the lower conveying roller shafts _TRBS and _TRBS of the lower conveying rollers _TRB and _TRB of the pair of upper and lower conveying rollers _TRU and _TRU and the pair of lower conveying rollers TRB and _TRB at the exit side position _EX , and sprockets _{DS P1 ,} DS _P3 , DS P4 and DS _P5 for transmitting the rotation of the lower conveying roller shaft _TRBS at the exit side position _EX to the upper conveying roller shaft _{TRUS of} the upper conveying roller _TRU at the exit side position _{EX ,} the upper conveying roller shaft _TRUS of the upper conveying roller _TRU at the entrance side position _EX and _the lower conveying roller shaft _TRBS of the lower conveying roller TRB. _P5 , tensioning sprockets DS _P2 , DS _P6 , DS _P7 , and a chain transmission mechanism _MD consisting of an endless chain _CD , and a swing lever _HR is provided on the outer surface of the side frame plate 1a _so that it can swing freely using a fulcrum shaft _HP , a tensioning sprocket DS _P2 is attached to the swing lever HR, and a spring member _HS is hung between the swing lever _HR and a spring hook piece _HB .

2, 4, 5, 6 and 10, the elastic pressure mechanism F comprises spring members F S and F S that can elastically press the upper transport rollers T _RU and T _RU against the upper surface portion _PU of the planting panel P, and in this case, slide slots F _N and F _N are formed in the both side frame plates 1 a and 1 a to allow the upper transport roller shafts T _RUS of the upper transport rollers T _RU and T _RU at the entrance side position _EN and the upper transport roller shafts T _RUS of the upper transport rollers T _RU and T _RU at the exit side position _EX to move up and down, and two swing levers F _R and F _R are swingably provided by fulcrum shafts F P and F _P on each outer surface of the both side frame plates 1 a and 1 a at the entrance side position _EN , and two swing levers F _R and _{F R} are swingably provided by fulcrum shafts F _P and F _P on each outer surface of the both side frame plates 1 a and 1 _a at the exit side position _EX The upper conveying roller shaft _TRUS at the entrance side position _EN and the upper conveying roller shaft _TRUS at the exit side position _EX are fitted onto a total of four swing levers _FR ... at the entrance side position _EN and the exit side position _EX , spring members FS _... are hung between each of the swing levers _FR ... and the spring hook pieces _{FB... ,} stopper pieces _FT ... for the swing levers _FR ... are provided on both side frame plates 1a..., and these spring members FS _... are configured to be able to elastically press the upper conveying rollers _{TRU ...} against the upper surface _PU of the planting panel P.

Furthermore, in this case, the pair of upper and lower conveying rollers _TRU and _TRU and the lower conveying rollers _TRB and _TRB are made of silicone rubber, and in this case, compared to when the upper conveying rollers _TRU and _TRU and the lower conveying rollers _TRB and _TRB are made of urethane rubber, wear on the planting panels P during transport and damage to the opening edges of the planting holes P _H can be suppressed, thereby improving the durability of the planting panels P.

In this case, the pair of upper and lower conveying rollers _TRU and _TRU are provided on the left and right sides of the upper conveying roller shaft _TRUS , and the pair of lower conveying rollers _TRB and _TRB are provided on the left and right sides of the lower conveying roller shaft _TRBS , and the upper conveying rollers _TRU and _TRU and the lower conveying rollers _TRB and _TRB are formed in the shape of cylindrical rolls with smooth, even outer surfaces. In other words, by providing smooth, even outer surfaces, it is possible to suppress wear of the planting panels P during transport and damage to the opening peripheries of the planting holes _PH , etc., and improve the durability of the planting panels P.

In this case, the rubber hardness of the silicone rubber is 35° to 45°. In this case, the rubber hardness is measured using durometer type A (Shore A) in accordance with JIS K 6253, and for example, a rubber hardness of 35° to 45° indicates A35 to A45. The reason for setting the rubber hardness range to 35° to 45° is that if the rubber hardness is less than 35°, the frictional contact between the upper conveying rollers _TRU / _TRU and the upper surface portion _PU of the planting panel P, and between the lower conveying rollers _TRB / _TRB and the bottom surface portion _PB of the planting panel P, becomes too weak, which may reduce the smoothness of the transport of the planting panel P; on the other hand, if the rubber hardness exceeds 45°, the frictional contact between the upper conveying rollers _TRU / _TRU and the upper surface portion _PU of the planting panel P, and between the lower conveying rollers _TRB / _TRB and the bottom surface portion _PB of the planting panel P, may become too strong, which may result in wear of the planting panel P or damage to the opening periphery of the planting holes _PH , etc.; therefore, it is desirable for the rubber hardness of the silicone rubber to be around 40°.

Since this embodiment has the above-mentioned configuration, as shown in Figures 1, 7, 8, 9 and 11, a planting panel P for hydroponic cultivation made of foam synthetic resin and having a plurality of planting holes P _H ... formed therein is transported horizontally by the transport mechanism T, and the top surface _PU and bottom surface _PB of the planting panel P during the horizontal transport are brush-cleaned by the brush cleaning mechanism _B , and high-pressure cleaning water _WP is sprayed onto the top surface _PU and bottom surface PB of the planting panel P during the horizontal transport by the water jet cleaning mechanism W, and the planting panel P is sequentially fed and cleaned either manually or automatically.

In this case, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the upper and lower pairs of upper conveying rollers _TRU and _TRU and lower conveying rollers _TRB and _TRB of the conveying mechanism T sandwich the upper surface portion _PU and the bottom surface portion _PB of _the planted panel P at the entrance side position _EN and the exit side position _EX in the conveying direction TD of the planted panel P, thereby allowing the planted panel P to be conveyed horizontally, and the planted panel P can be reliably conveyed horizontally. Furthermore, the entrance side cleaning mechanism I and the exit side cleaning mechanism D can brush clean the upper surface portion PU and the bottom surface portion _PB of the planted panel P at the entrance side position _EN and the exit side position _EX in the conveying direction _TD of the planted panel _P , allowing the upper surface portion _PU and the bottom surface portion _PB of the planted panel P to be reliably cleaned. Furthermore, since the jet water cleaning mechanism W is arranged at an intermediate position between the entrance side cleaning mechanism I and the exit side cleaning mechanism D in the conveying direction _TD , the entrance side cleaning mechanism I can brush clean the upper surface portion PU and the bottom surface portion PB of the planted panel P. After cleaning the upper surface _PU and bottom surface _PB of the planting panel P, the upper surface PU and bottom surface _PB of the planting panel _P are cleaned by spraying high-pressure cleaning water _WP from the water jet cleaning mechanism W, and then the upper surface _PU and bottom surface _PB of the planting panel P can be cleaned by the outlet-side cleaning mechanism D, so that the upper surface _PU and bottom surface _PB of the planting panel P can be reliably cleaned. Furthermore, since a pressure mechanism F is provided that can elastically press the upper conveying rollers _TRU , _TRU facing the upper surface _PU of the planting panel P against the upper surface _PU of the planting panel P, the planting panel P for hydroponic cultivation, which is made of foam synthetic resin and has a plurality of planting holes _PH ... formed therein, can be reliably transported horizontally, and the planting panels P can be reliably cleaned one after another, making cleaning smoother and improving the cleaning workability.

In this case, as shown in Figures 4 and 6, the elastic pressure mechanism F is made up of spring members _FS and _FS that can elastically press the upper transport rollers _TRU and _TRU against the upper surface portion _PU of the planting panel P, so that the up and down movement of the upper transport rollers _TRU and _TRU can absorb variations in the thickness of the planting panel P, and the upper transport rollers _TRU and _TRU move up and down in accordance with the transport state of the planting panel P, such as meandering, of the upper transport rollers _TRU and _TRU , so that the planting panel P can be transported smoothly and horizontally.In this case, the material of the pair of upper transport rollers _TRU and _TRU and the lower transport rollers _TRB and _TRB is made of silicone rubber, so that wear of the planting panel P and damage to the planting hole P during transport of the planting panel P can be prevented. This can prevent damage to the opening edges of the planting holes _{P H} ..., etc., and improve the durability of the planting panel P. In addition, in this case, since the rubber hardness of the silicone rubber is set to 35° to 45°, the frictional contact between the upper conveying rollers T _RU /T _RU and the upper surface _PU of the planting panel P, and between the lower conveying rollers T _RB /T _RB and the bottom surface _PB of the planting panel P, improves the frictional contact, allowing for smooth transport of the planting panel P and preventing wear and tear on the planting panel P and damage to the opening edges of the planting holes P _H ..., etc.

1, 2 and 3, the inlet-side cleaning mechanism I and the outlet-side cleaning mechanism D each comprise an upper rotating brush _IU / _DU for cleaning the upper surface _PU of the planting panel P and a lower rotating brush _IB / _DB for cleaning the bottom surface _PB of the planting panel P. The rotation direction _IUR of the upper rotating brush _IU of the inlet-side cleaning mechanism I and _the rotation direction _IBR of the lower rotating brush IB are set to the same rotation direction, and the rotation direction _DUR of the upper _rotating brush _DU of the outlet-side cleaning mechanism _D and the rotation direction _{DBR of} the lower rotating brush _DB are set to the same rotation direction. Therefore, the planting panel P is transported through the opposing gap between the pair of upper and lower rotating brushes _{IU / DU} and the pair of upper and lower rotating brushes IB _/ DB. The contact and rotation directions of the upper rotary brush IU of the inlet-side cleaning mechanism _I and the lower rotary brush _IB and _DB are opposite to each other, and these opposite contact and rotation directions ensure that the top surface portion _PU and the bottom surface portion _PB of the planting panel P are cleaned reliably. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1, the rotation direction _IUR of the upper rotary brush _IU of the inlet-side cleaning mechanism I and the rotation direction DUR of the upper rotary brush _DU of the outlet-side cleaning mechanism _D are set to be different rotation directions, and the rotation direction IBR of the lower rotary brush _IB of the inlet-side cleaning mechanism _I and the rotation direction DBR of the lower rotary brush _DB of the outlet-side cleaning mechanism _D are set to be different rotation directions. Therefore, the high-pressure cleaning water W _P sprayed from the water jet cleaning mechanism W onto the top surface portion _PU and the bottom surface portion _PB of the planting panel P can be reliably diffused in the transport direction T _D and in the direction opposite to the transport direction T _D. The diffusion of the high-pressure cleaning water W _P ensures that the cleaning water W 1 and 2, side brushes IUB and IUB for cleaning both side surfaces _{Ps and Ps} of the planting panel P are provided on both sides of the upper rotary brush _IU of the entrance-side cleaning mechanism I, and side brushes _DBB and _{DBB for cleaning both side surfaces Ps and Ps of the planting panel P are provided on both sides of the lower rotary brush D B of the exit-side cleaning mechanism D, or side brushes IUB and IUB for cleaning both side surfaces Ps} and _Ps of the planting panel P are provided on both sides of the lower rotary brush _IB of the entrance-side cleaning mechanism I, _and side brushes _DBB and _DBB for cleaning both side surfaces _{Ps and Ps} of the planting panel _P are provided on both sides of the upper rotary brush _{D U} of the exit-side cleaning mechanism D _, The side brushes D _BB and D _BB of the lower rotating brush D _B of the exit side cleaning mechanism D can clean both side portions P _S and P _S of the planting panel P, or the side brushes I _UB and I _UB of the lower rotating brush I _B of the entrance side cleaning mechanism I can clean both side portions P _S and P _S of the planting panel P, and _the side brushes D _{BB and} D _BB of the upper rotating brush D _U of the exit side cleaning mechanism D can clean both side portions P _S and P _S of the planting panel P, so _that both side portions P _S and P _S of the planting panel _P can be cleaned well.

1, 3 and 8, the water jet cleaning mechanism W is provided with a plurality of spray nozzles N... which spray high-pressure cleaning water _WP onto the top surface _PU and bottom surface _PB of the planted panel P during the horizontal transport, and a pressure pump _PM capable of supplying high-pressure cleaning water _WP is connected to the spray nozzles N..., thereby improving the efficiency of the planted panel P cleaning work and simplifying the structure of the water jet cleaning mechanism W. In addition, in this case, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 8, a recovery trough section K for recovering the cleaning water _WP is provided below the water jet cleaning mechanism W, so that the cleaning water _WP after the cleaning work can be recovered and reused for cleaning new planted panels P. This allows the cleaning water _WP to be used repeatedly, making effective use of the cleaning water _WP , eliminating restrictions on the location of the cleaning work and improving flexibility of use.

Incidentally, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the structure, shape, number, etc. of the planting panel P, planting hole P _H , upper surface portion P _U , bottom surface portion P _B , side portions P _S /P _S , conveying mechanism T, upper conveying rollers T _RU /T _RU , lower conveying rollers T _RB /T _RB , spray water cleaning mechanism W, spray nozzle N, recovery gutter portion K, inlet side cleaning mechanism I, upper rotating brush I _U , lower rotating brush I _B , side brushes I _UB /I _UB , brush cleaning mechanism B, outlet side cleaning mechanism D, upper rotating brush D _U , lower rotating brush D _B , side brushes D _BB /D _BB , pressure pump P _M , pressure mechanism F, and spring member _FS can be designed and modified as appropriate.

The above fully achieves the intended purpose.

P Planting panel P _H planting hole P _U upper surface P _B bottom surface P _S side surface T Conveying mechanism T _D conveying direction T _RU upper conveying roller T _RB lower conveying roller W Jet water cleaning mechanism W _P cleaning water E _N inlet side position E _X outlet side position N Spray nozzle K Recovery gutter I Inlet side cleaning mechanism I _U upper rotating brush I _UR rotation direction I _B lower rotating brush I _BR rotation direction I _UB side brush B Brush cleaning mechanism D Outlet side cleaning mechanism D _U upper rotating brush D _UR rotation direction D _B lower rotating brush D _BR rotation direction D _BB side brush P _M pressure pump F Pressure mechanism F _S spring member

Claims (8)

A cleaning device for cleaning planting panels for hydroponic cultivation, which are made of foam synthetic resin and have a plurality of planting holes formed therein, comprising a transport mechanism for horizontally transporting the planting panel, a brush cleaning mechanism for brush-cleaning the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel during the horizontal transport, and a water jet cleaning mechanism for spraying high-pressure cleaning water onto the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel during the horizontal transport, wherein the transport mechanism is provided with a pair of upper and lower transport rollers at an entrance side position and an exit side position in the transport direction of the planting panel, which sandwich the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel and can transport the planting panel horizontally, and the brush cleaning mechanism is provided with an entrance side position and an exit side position in the transport direction of the planting panel, which brush-clean the top and bottom surfaces of the planting panel a side cleaning mechanism and an outlet side cleaning mechanism are provided, the water jet cleaning mechanism is arranged at an intermediate position between the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the exit side cleaning mechanism in the conveying direction, a pressure mechanism is provided that can pressure the upper conveying roller facing the upper surface of the planting panel against the upper surface of the planting panel, the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the outlet side cleaning mechanism each consist of an upper rotating brush that cleans the upper surface of the planting panel and a lower rotating brush that cleans the bottom surface of the planting panel, the rotation directions of the upper rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism and the lower rotating brush are set to the same rotation direction, and the rotation directions of the upper rotating brush of the outlet side cleaning mechanism and the lower rotating brush are set to the same rotation direction . The planting panel cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure mechanism comprises a spring member that can pressure the upper conveying roller against the upper surface of the planting panel. The planting panel cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pair of upper and lower conveying rollers are made of silicone rubber. The planting panel cleaning device according to claim 3, characterized in that the silicone rubber has a rubber hardness of 35° to 45°. The planting panel cleaning device of claim 1, characterized in that the rotation directions of the upper rotary brush of the inlet-side cleaning mechanism and the upper rotary brush of the outlet-side cleaning mechanism are set to different rotation directions, and the rotation directions of the lower rotary brush of the inlet-side cleaning mechanism and the lower rotary brush of the outlet-side cleaning mechanism are set to different rotation directions. The planting panel cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that side brushes for cleaning both side surfaces of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the upper rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism, and side brushes for cleaning both side surfaces of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the lower rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism, or side brushes for cleaning both side surfaces of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the lower rotating brush of the entrance side cleaning mechanism, and side brushes for cleaning both side surfaces of the planting panel are provided on both sides of the upper rotating brush of the exit side cleaning mechanism. The planting panel cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that the water jet cleaning mechanism is provided with multiple spray nozzles that spray high-pressure cleaning water onto the top and bottom of the planting panels during horizontal transport, and a pressure pump capable of supplying high-pressure cleaning water is connected to the spray nozzles. The planting panel cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that a recovery trough for recovering the cleaning water is disposed below the water jet cleaning mechanism.