A substrate drying device with controllable humidity

Abstract

The present invention discloses a humidity-controlled substrate drying device, comprising: a substrate drying bin, disposed at a drying station, comprising a bin body and a bin lid, a vertical auger disposed at the center of the bin body, a microwave heating assembly and an ultraviolet lamp assembly disposed on the bin lid, the bin body being provided with a substrate feed port, a water and fertilizer feed port, and a discharge port; a set of intermediate mobile bins for storing substrates of various humidity levels after drying, each intermediate mobile bin moving back and forth between the drying station and the discharge station, each intermediate mobile bin comprising an AGV, an intermediate bin, and a weighing module; and a control system, comprising a controller and multiple sensors, wherein the controller is configured to control feeding, drying, and discharge of the substrate when the substrate is dried to a predetermined humidity. The present invention can discharge substrates of varying humidity levels, meeting the moisture requirements of different crops for seedling substrates, and is highly practical.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a humidity-controllable substrate drying device. Background Art

[0002] During the crop seedling raising process, it is usually necessary to sow the germinated seeds in containers filled with moist seedling substrate, such as seedling pots, substrate troughs, etc. Since the substrate is sterilized and dried during the production process, the dry substrate needs to be irrigated, and this is usually done with the help of special irrigation equipment, such as a water and fertilizer integrated machine to irrigate the substrate. This type of special irrigation equipment not only occupies a large area but also has high costs. It faces problems such as difficult to control the relative humidity in the substrate filling device and high manual management and maintenance costs, which is not conducive to small-scale planting. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a humidity-controllable substrate drying device to achieve the discharge of substrates with different humidity levels.

[0004] To this end, the present invention provides a humidity-controllable substrate drying equipment, comprising: a substrate drying bin, which is arranged on a drying station, comprising a bin body and a bin cover, a vertical auger is provided at the center of the bin body, a microwave heating component and an ultraviolet lamp component are provided on the bin cover, the bin body is provided with a substrate feed port, a water and fertilizer feed port, and a discharge port, a discharge auger, the substrate feed port and the water and fertilizer feed port are provided with electronic valves, and the discharge port is provided with a discharge auger; a group of intermediate mobile bins for storing substrates of various humidity levels after drying, and each intermediate mobile bin moves back and forth between the drying station and the discharge port The feeding station is used to receive the dried matrix at the drying station and to distribute the stored matrix to multiple seedling pots at the discharging station. Each intermediate mobile silo includes an AGV trolley, an intermediate silo, and a weighing module for weighing the intermediate silo; and a control system, including multiple material level sensors, feed sensors, temperature and humidity sensors, and a controller, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the vertical auger, each electronic valve, the discharging auger, the ultraviolet lamp assembly, the microwave heating assembly, and the weighing module, and is used to control the feeding, drying, and discharging when the matrix is dried to a predetermined humidity.

[0005] Furthermore, the above-mentioned warehouse body is in an upright position, including a cylindrical section and a conical section. A motor is provided outside the warehouse body, and the upright auger is driven and connected to the motor.

[0006] Furthermore, the drying chamber is used for segmented drying to form matrices with different humidity levels.

[0007] Furthermore, the above-mentioned compartment cover includes a top surface and a plurality of sloped surfaces located around the top surface, wherein the top surface is used to set the ultraviolet lamp assembly, and the sloped surfaces are used to set the microwave heating assembly.

[0008] Furthermore, the humidity-controllable matrix drying device further includes a cleaning device for cleaning the intermediate movable bin at a cleaning station.

[0009] Furthermore, the above-mentioned humidity-controllable matrix drying equipment also includes a seedling pot discharge conveyor line arranged at the discharge station.

[0010] The present invention can humidify dry substrates to varying degrees without requiring specialized irrigation equipment, and has the advantages of small footprint and low cost. The present invention can discharge substrates of varying humidity, meeting the wetness requirements of different crops for seedling substrates, and is highly practical.

[0011] In addition to the above-described objects, features and advantages, the present invention has other objects, features and advantages. The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings, which constitute part of this application, are intended to provide a further understanding of the present invention. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are intended to explain the present invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of the present invention. In the accompanying drawings:

[0013] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a humidity-controllable substrate drying device according to the present invention is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a substrate drying bin according to the present invention is shown; and

[0015] Figure 3 The figure shows a structural block diagram of a control system of a substrate drying bin according to the invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0016] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments in this application can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0017] Figures 1 to 3 An embodiment according to the present invention is shown.

[0018] like Figure 1 As shown, the humidity-controlled matrix drying equipment of the present invention includes a matrix drying bin 1 located at a drying station, a group of intermediate mobile silos 2, a seedling pot discharge conveyor line 3 located at a discharge station, and a cleaning device 4 located at a cleaning station.

[0019] like Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the substrate drying chamber includes a chamber body 10 and a chamber cover 20. The chamber body 10 is used to hold the substrate to be dried and sterilized, and to transport the substrate 5 in the bottom layer of the chamber body to the surface layer in an upwelling manner. The chamber cover is used to perform microwave heating and ultraviolet sterilization on the substrate on the surface of the chamber body.

[0020] The silo body 10 is composed of two parts connected to each other, the upper part is a cylindrical section 11, and the lower part is a conical section 12. The effective capacity of the silo body can be selected between 500 L and 1500 L (liters).

[0021] A vertical auger 31 is located at the center of the silo, transporting the substrate from the bottom to the top, creating a substrate upwelling phenomenon in the center of the silo. Simultaneously, the cone section exerts a gathering effect, gradually drawing the substrate toward the bottom under its own weight, as the auger rotates. A motor 32 is located outside the silo, driving the vertical auger 31 via a transmission mechanism, such as a belt drive 33. The vertical auger 31, motor 32, and belt drive 33 are collectively referred to as the substrate upwelling mechanism 30.

[0022] The bin body 10 is made of non-metallic material such as BBS material, and the upright auger is made of plastic such as nylon or BBS material. The forward rotation speed of the DC auger can be set as needed, for example, the auger speed corresponding to granular loose matrix is between 30r / min and 120r / min.

[0023] A microwave heating component 40 and an ultraviolet lamp component 50 are provided on the chamber cover 20, wherein the microwave heating component is above the substrate and emits microwaves to heat the substrate below, and the ultraviolet layer component is used to emit ultraviolet light to sterilize the substrate.

[0024] The bin cover 20 is provided with a top surface and a plurality of slopes below the top surface. A microwave heating assembly 40 is provided on some of the slopes. The microwave heating assembly is composed of a power supply, a magnetron, and a waveguide tube. The waveguide tube is used to conduct the microwaves generated by the magnetron to the cavity of the bin body to perform microwave heating on the surface matrix.

[0025] The top surface of the bin cover 20 is provided with an ultraviolet lamp assembly 50 for performing ultraviolet light sterilization on the surface of the substrate in the bin. The ultraviolet lamp tube can be a single wavelength, two or more ultraviolet lamp tubes with different wavelengths.

[0026] The upper end of the bin body 10 is provided with a first feed port 13 and a second feed port 14. The first feed port 13 is an automatic feed port with an electronic valve 131 provided thereon. The second feed port 14 is a liquid inlet with an electronic valve 141 provided thereon for adding water and fertilizer.

[0027] The lower end of the silo 10 is equipped with a discharge port 15, which is an automatic discharge port equipped with a discharge auger 151 for automatic discharge. During discharge, the vertical auger is reversed (forward rotation of the vertical auger is defined as upward conveyance of the substrate) to assist in discharge. This electronic valve is controlled by a controller and opens and closes based on the weighing signal fed back by the weighing module in the intermediate silo, closing when the substrate reaches a set weight.

[0028] A feed sensor is located near the first feed port in the silo. A set of position sensors are located on the silo's four walls, opposite the feed sensor. These position sensors, arranged from high to low, indicate the maximum height of the substrate in the silo. When the maximum allowable height is detected, the electronic valve on the automatic feed port closes to prevent overfeeding.

[0029] The hopper cover features a vent with an electronic valve. The hopper body is equipped with a temperature and humidity sensor to monitor the temperature and humidity of the substrate within. Glass observation windows are located on both the cylindrical and conical sections of the hopper body, allowing for easy viewing of the drying process.

[0030] like Figure 3 As shown, the controller 60 is used for parameter display and PLC control, including temperature and humidity display of the substrate in the drying box, height display, drying humidity setting, ultraviolet device band selection, auger opening and closing and speed control and electronic valve opening and closing. The controller is touch screen operated and the touch screen is installed on the outer surface of the warehouse body.

[0031] The temperature and humidity display includes the current actual temperature and humidity and the set temperature and humidity.

[0032] The height display includes empty, lower, moderate, too high and full, which is judged by the four height information (upper end height, middle upper end height, middle lower end height and lower end height) provided by the four position sensors installed at the upper end (close to the feed port height), middle upper end, middle lower end and lower end (close to the discharge port height) of the silo side wall. The judgment method is: if the substrate height is less than the lower end height, it is displayed as empty; if the substrate height is not less than the lower end height but less than the middle lower end height, it is displayed as lower; if the substrate height is not less than the middle lower end height but less than the middle upper end height, it is displayed as moderate; if the substrate height is not less than the middle upper end height but less than the upper end height, it is displayed as too high; if the substrate height is not less than the upper end height, it is displayed as full.

[0033] The controller can also be used for emergency shutdown, and the corresponding emergency stop button is provided on the cabinet. In the case of microwave interference detection, the microwave heating component can be turned off before testing.

[0034] The intermediate mobile silo 2 is used to store substrates of various humidity levels after drying. Each intermediate mobile silo travels back and forth between the drying station and the discharging station. It is used to receive the dried substrate at the drying station and to distribute the stored substrate to multiple seedling pots at the discharging station. Each intermediate mobile silo includes an AGV trolley 21, an intermediate silo 22, a discharging auger 23, and a weighing module for weighing the intermediate silo.

[0035] The working process of this device is as follows:

[0036] (1) Start the controller to set parameters, including the segmented drying parameters (segmented humidity, segmented discharge volume), auger motor speed, etc. If you do not need to set the system default parameters, you can skip this step.

[0037] (2) Enter the substrate feeding mode. In the feeding mode, open the first and second feed ports, and feed the substrate according to the ratio of substrate and water and fertilizer. At the same time, start the auger motor. When the substrate is fed to the set height or there is no feeding response within the preset time (for example, 30 seconds), the electronic valve will automatically close.

[0038] (3) Enter the sterilization and drying mode, use the microwave heating component to heat the matrix, so that the humidity of the matrix gradually decreases, and at the same time turn on the ultraviolet lamp component to sterilize the matrix;

[0039] (4) Discharging mode: Use the temperature and humidity sensor to detect the humidity of the substrate in real time. When the substrate is dried to the set first humidity level, the substrate is discharged.

[0040] The working process of this equipment is as follows:

[0041] First, communicate with the intermediate mobile silo 2 to determine whether each intermediate mobile silo meets the discharge conditions, such as an empty silo, an intermediate mobile silo with consistent humidity and not full of material, calculate the number of intermediate mobile silos required, and then send instructions to select the intermediate mobile silos that meet the conditions and automatically move them one by one to the discharge port position for discharge.

[0042] Then it is determined whether the intermediate mobile silo is in the discharging position, for example, a position sensor is used to detect whether the intermediate mobile silo is in place. When it is determined that the intermediate mobile silo is in place, the controller provides the discharging humidity to the intermediate mobile silo, and the discharging auger rotates to discharge the material, and the matrix storage amount of the intermediate mobile silo is fed back to the controller in real time. When the discharging amount reaches the set amount, it stops.

[0043] Finally, the intermediate mobile silo, which stores the discharged material, moves to the corresponding discharge station for discharge. This discharge station can be located on the seedling pot conveyor line 3, with the intermediate mobile silo filling the seedling pots on the seedling pot conveyor line one by one. The intermediate mobile silo can also be equipped with a discharge mechanism such as a discharge auger or electronic valve to automatically discharge the material.

[0044] The intermediate mobile silo after the discharging returns to the cleaning station for cleaning, and then returns to the initial waiting position for the next discharging. The cleaning station can be provided with a cleaning device 4 such as a spray head and a hair dryer to achieve post-cleaning drying to obtain a clean intermediate automatic silo.

[0045] The control system of the AGV is equipped with a discharge control module for information exchange with the controller. The present invention uses the AGV to discharge materials intelligently, thereby improving the level of automation.

[0046] (5) Repeat steps (3) and (4) to dry and sterilize the substrate. When the substrate is dried to the set second humidity level, the substrate is discharged to the second intermediate mobile silo. When the discharge volume reaches the set level, the discharge is stopped until the discharge of all set humidity levels is completed.

[0047] For example, the substrate is dried in three stages. The first stage of drying corresponds to the first level of humidity, the second stage of drying corresponds to the second level of humidity, and the third stage of drying corresponds to the third level of humidity. The default arrangement is from high to low. Through drying, the humidity of the substrate gradually decreases and the substrate gradually becomes dry.

[0048] The first, second, and third intermediate mobile silos are identical in structure. They consist of an AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle) and intermediate silos. The AGV is equipped with a weighing module for weighing the intermediate silos and determining the mass of the substrate output. The different intermediate mobile silos are used to store substrates of varying humidity levels to facilitate seedling cultivation experiments.

[0049] Each intermediate mobile silo is equipped with a discharge port for distributing the stored substrate with a set humidity to each seedling container, such as a seedling pot. The amount of substrate distributed each time is fed back by a weighing module.

[0050] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a humidity-controllable substrate drying device, characterized in that: The humidity-controlled matrix drying equipment comprises: The substrate drying bin is arranged on the drying station and includes a bin body and a bin cover. A vertical auger is provided at the center of the bin body. A microwave heating component and an ultraviolet lamp component are provided on the bin cover. The bin body is provided with a substrate feed port, a water and fertilizer feed port, and a discharge port, and a discharge auger. The substrate feed port and the water and fertilizer feed port are provided with electronic valves, and the discharge port is provided with a discharge auger. The drying bin is used for segmented drying to form substrates with different humidity levels. A group of intermediate mobile silos for storing substrates of various moisture levels after drying. Each intermediate mobile silo moves back and forth between the drying station and the discharging station. It receives the dried substrate at the drying station and distributes the stored substrate to multiple seedling pots at the discharging station. Each intermediate mobile silo includes an AGV, an intermediate silo, and a weighing module for weighing the intermediate silo; and The control system includes multiple material level sensors, feed sensors, temperature and humidity sensors, and a controller, wherein the controller is electrically connected to the vertical auger, each electronic valve, the discharge auger, the ultraviolet lamp assembly, the microwave heating assembly, and the weighing module, and is used to control the feeding, drying, and discharging of the substrate when the substrate is dried to a predetermined humidity. It also includes the seedling pot discharge conveyor line set up at the discharge station. It also includes cleaning equipment for cleaning the intermediate mobile warehouse at the cleaning station. The control method of the humidity-controllable matrix drying equipment comprises the following steps: (1) Start the controller to set the parameters, including the segmented drying parameters and the auger motor speed. If the system default parameters are used, skip this step; (2) Enter the substrate feeding mode. In the feeding mode, open the first and second feed ports, and feed the substrate according to the ratio of substrate and water and fertilizer. At the same time, start the auger motor. When the substrate reaches the set height or there is no feeding response within the preset time, the electronic valve will automatically close. (3) Enter the sterilization and drying mode, use the microwave heating component to heat the matrix, so that the humidity of the matrix gradually decreases, and at the same time turn on the ultraviolet lamp component to sterilize the matrix; (4) Discharging mode: the humidity of the substrate is detected in real time using a temperature and humidity sensor. When the substrate is dried to the set first humidity level, the substrate is discharged; (5) Repeat steps (3) and (4) to dry and sterilize the substrate. When the substrate is dried to the set second humidity level, the substrate is discharged to the second intermediate mobile silo. When the discharge volume reaches the set level, the discharge is stopped until the discharge of all set humidity levels is completed.

2. The control method of the humidity-controllable matrix drying equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The silo body is in an upright position and includes a cylindrical section and a conical section. A motor is provided outside the silo body, and the upright auger is drive-connected to the motor.

3. The control method of the humidity-controllable matrix drying equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The compartment cover includes a top surface and a plurality of sloped surfaces located around the top surface, wherein the top surface is used to set the ultraviolet lamp assembly, and the sloped surfaces are used to set the microwave heating assembly.

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