Method and cultivation assembly for cultivating infinitely growing plants

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for cultivating infinite growth type plants (100), such as tomato plants, capsicum annuum plants, cucumber plants and / or eggplants, suspended on a suspended conveying device in a cultivation area (10) of an indoor farming site with a plurality of planting zones (11), such as in a greenhouse, a vertical farm or a climate-controllable warehouse, the method comprises the steps of scanning one or more parameters of a plant (100) (e.g., an agricultural product of the plant) with a scanning device arranged in a central operating area (20) of the farming site, characterizing the plant (100) as a plurality of different harvest maturity stages based on the scanned parameters, moving the plant (100) to a cultivation area, and displaying the plant (100) in the central operating area (20). Comprising picking the plants into a plurality of planting zones (11) based on the harvest maturity stages of the plants, where the plants (100) are picked in a plurality of groups, and where each group of picked plants is moved into a respective planting zone (11).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for cultivating indeterminate plants suspended on a suspended conveying device in a plurality of planting areas in an indoor cultivation site. The present invention further provides a cultivation assembly for cultivating plants. Background Art

[0002] In order to reduce the cost of cultivating plants, reducing the amount of labor required has become a recent trend. To this end, some tasks that initially relied on manual labor have been automated. Examples thereof are harvesting agricultural products from plants or removing excess leaves that are no longer needed for or contribute to photosynthesis, but absorb growth energy that would otherwise become agricultural product yield.

[0003] A number of automated robots have been introduced that are capable of traversing a greenhouse, for example, traveling along plants. Especially when cultivating indeterminate plants, the plants are usually provided at different harvesting stages and randomly arranged at different harvesting maturity stages. The robot must travel along all the plants to detect the agricultural products that have matured to be harvested and harvest the agricultural products.

[0004] Although these mobile robots are capable of automatically performing previously manual tasks, thus representing an improvement over manual labor, they are relatively slow and inefficient due to poor visibility and accessibility of dense crops. In addition, since the robots all require propulsion to move through the indoor cultivation site and robotic arms etc. to perform tasks, they are complex. Further, in the case where the robots are used, for example, to harvest agricultural products, a complete mobile logistics chain needs to be established to transport the agricultural products away from the robots for packaging etc.

[0005] NL 9 201 632 A discloses a method and system for cultivating indeterminate plants, which are cultivated in vertical hanging containers with a grid-like trellis and can move between a plurality of cultivation routes and a centralized scanning and harvesting device in a greenhouse, wherein the containers are rotated to be horizontally aligned so that the agricultural products hang down from the trellis.

[0006] WO 2022 / 061288 A1 discloses a system in which plants (for example, strawberry plants) are cultivated in a hanging tower having a plurality of plant containers arranged above each other. The system includes a height-adjustable harvesting device to be able to harvest agricultural products from each of the plants (i.e., each layer in the container layer).

[0007] In addition, US2022 / 046875 A1 discloses a similar device having a movable hydroponic planting tower assembly suspended on a suspended conveying system. The system further includes a movable robotic arm for manipulating plants. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Object of the present invention

[0009] Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for cultivating indeterminate plants that can reduce manual labor and can eliminate one or more of the above-mentioned drawbacks, or at least to provide an alternative method for cultivating plants.

[0010] Detailed description

[0011] According to a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for cultivating indeterminate plants such as tomato plants, sweet pepper plants, cucumber plants, and / or eggplant plants that are suspended on a suspended conveyor device in a cultivation area of an indoor cultivation site having a plurality of cultivation areas, such as in a greenhouse. The method comprises the following steps:

[0012] Scanning one or more parameters of a plant (e.g., agricultural products of the plant) with a scanning device arranged in a central operation area of the cultivation site;

[0013] Characterizing the plants into a plurality of different harvest maturity stages based on the scanned parameters;

[0014] Moving the plants to the cultivation area, including sorting them into a plurality of cultivation areas based on the harvest maturity stages of the plants.

[0015] The plants can be sorted into a plurality of groups corresponding to, for example, the number of cultivation areas, and among them, the plants sorted in each group can be moved to the corresponding cultivation area.

[0016] According to the method, the plants themselves are moved. In this way, the plants travel between the cultivation area and the central operation area inside the indoor cultivation site. The indoor cultivation site can specifically be a greenhouse, or alternatively a vertical farm or a climate-controlled warehouse. Hereinafter, any reference to an indoor cultivation site can refer to a greenhouse, and any reference to a greenhouse can refer to any type of indoor cultivation site.

[0017] In the cultivation area, the plants are allowed to grow while being illuminated and receive water and / or nutrients. However, the method does not require performing specific actions such as harvesting, trimming, and pruning at the place where the plants grow. Instead, these actions are performed in the central operation area where dedicated equipment is fixedly arranged.

[0018] The method is for the cultivation of indeterminate plants, which are plants that continue to grow during the growing season and die in winter without a climate-controlled environment. These plants do not grow all the mature agricultural products at once like determinate plants, but continuously grow mature agricultural products. When the old agricultural products mature to be suitable for harvesting, new agricultural products will start to continue growing.

[0019] Determinate plants have multiple meristems in which the plant grows without any preference. During flowering, all meristems stop growing to develop all the agricultural products simultaneously. Indeterminate plants also have multiple meristems, but only one of them is dominant and the plant continues to grow at this meristem. Therefore, indeterminate plants are able to continuously grow new agricultural products and can have a relatively long stem. These indeterminate plants can lie on the ground or can be suspended from above. Along the length of the stem, these indeterminate plants can contain agricultural products and leaves at various different growth stages, for example having young agricultural products at the top and mature agricultural products ready to be harvested at the bottom.

[0020] Examples of indeterminate plants that can be cultivated by the present method are tomato plants, sweet pepper plants, cucumber plants, and / or eggplant plants. However, peppers, beans, herbs, melons, bitter gourds, and passion fruits can also be cultivated by this method. These plants can generally grow vertically upwards along lines suspended from the ceiling of the greenhouse and generally have a large stem length. Usually, due to the large stem length, these plants are difficult to handle. However, the present method enables convenient movement of these long-stem plants.

[0021] According to the present invention, the plants are suspended on a suspended conveying device, which can be any type of device capable of transporting the plants through the greenhouse. The plants can be suspended directly from their own stems, for example, or can grow in a support structure such as a container supported by the suspended conveying device. The suspended conveying device can be suspended from the ceiling of the greenhouse and extends through the cultivation area and the central operation area of the greenhouse.

[0022] The suspended conveying device extends through the central operation area (i.e., extends along the scanning device and optionally along the harvesting device) and through the cultivation area. The cultivation area thus includes a plurality of planting areas, and a conveying device is provided in each of the planting areas. Accordingly, the conveying device is capable of moving the plants between each of the planting areas and the central operation area.

[0023] As a first step, the method includes the step of scanning one or more parameters of the plants. These plant parameters can provide information about the state of the plant, such as the size of the plant, but specifically about the state of the agricultural products of the plant. The plant parameters can, for example, contain information about the maturity and / or size of the agricultural products of the plant. The scanning step is performed with a scanning device arranged in the central operation area, while the prior art still relies on scanning in the cultivation area, i.e., scanning using mobile robots.

[0024] Based on plant parameters, plants are characterized into multiple different harvest maturity stages. This characterization can, for example, depend on the maturity or harvest maturity of the agricultural product to group plants into different groups. In any case, the harvest maturity stage represents the actual state of the plant relative to the desired state in which the plant is suitable for harvesting.

[0025] The harvest maturity stage of a plant, in particular the remaining time until the agricultural product can be harvested, can be determined based on the growing degree days value of the plant. The growing degree days value can be defined as the temperature difference between the actual temperature in the greenhouse (e.g., expressed in degrees Celsius) and a specific threshold temperature accumulated over time. The growing degree days value can be formed by multiplying the daily temperature difference by the number of days.

[0026] After harvesting the agricultural product, a new growing degree days value is required before subsequent agricultural products can be harvested from the same plant. For example, the actual temperature in the greenhouse can be 30 °C, and the threshold temperature can be 10 °C. Thus, 20 °C is contributed to the growing degree days value per day. If the growing degree days value for a specific type of agricultural product is, for example, approximately 200 °C, then the number of days between the harvests of consecutive batches of agricultural products will be approximately in the range between 6 days and 10 days.

[0027] The harvest maturity stage can represent the remaining number of days until the next batch of agricultural products can be harvested. Depending on the type of plant, the harvest maturity stage can last for more than a week, or even shorter, for example, a few days.

[0028] Alternatively or additionally, the harvest maturity stage can be a binary parameter that can indicate whether a specific plant requires harvesting of the agricultural product. Thus, the present method can provide that plants that need to be harvested can be moved to the harvesting device, and plants for which the agricultural product is not suitable for harvesting are retained in or moved back to the cultivation area.

[0029] After the characterization step, the plants can be directly moved to the cultivation area. However, the plants are not moved to the cultivation area in the same order as when they were scanned. Instead, the plants are selected across multiple growing areas such that different plants in the same or similar harvest maturity stages end up in the same growing area.

[0030] The selection of plants results in multiple groups of selected plants that can correspond to the number of growing areas, such that when each group of selected plants is moved to the cultivation area, it is moved to the corresponding growing area. The number of groups of selected plants can also be different from the number of growing areas, for example, a single group of selected plants is moved to multiple growing areas, or a single growing area will receive multiple different groups of plants.

[0031] Before the scanning step, the plants can be randomly arranged in the greenhouse, and the method will enable the picking of plants across growing areas. However, the scanning and characterization of the plants are preferably performed each time the plants are retrieved from their growing areas, so not necessarily only at the beginning but throughout their growth process.

[0032] The number of growing areas in the greenhouse can correspond to the total number of harvest maturity stages at which the plants can be characterized. In this case, each growing area receives plants at a single harvest maturity stage. However, if there are more harvest maturity stages than growing areas, plants with different harvest maturity stages can be grouped in a single growing area. Conversely, in the case where there are more growing areas than harvest maturity stages, multiple growing areas can receive plants at the same harvest maturity stage. The latter can be the case with a binary harvest maturity stage (i.e., whether a particular plant is now suitable for harvesting), such that a relatively large number of plants not suitable for harvesting can be kept in multiple growing areas, and a relatively small number of plants suitable for harvesting can be moved to a single growing area after picking.

[0033] The growing areas in the cultivation area can but do not need to be provided in separate compartments in the cultivation area. However, alternatively, the growing areas can each be defined as separate sidings of a conveying device, and then these sidings are all provided in the same cultivation area. Each of the growing areas can have different set values for climate, light, watering, and nutrient conditions.

[0034] The picking of the plants can include grouping the plants, where each group of plants can include a plurality of plants that are interconnected. During picking, plants at the same or similar harvest stage can be assigned to the same group in order to be moved together to the same growing area. This can be beneficial because not all plants need to be moved individually, but instead all the plants in the group can be moved together. The picking of the plants can be performed directly in their respective growing areas, such that each plant is moved individually to its respective growing area, or the plants can be accumulated in a buffer section in a central operating area, where once full, the buffer section can be emptied at once and the respective plants can be transported to the growing areas simultaneously.

[0035] However, the picking of the plants can be done not entirely based on the harvest maturity stage but also based on other parameters. For example, in the case where a large demand for agricultural products is foreseen, the picking can also be done based on demand. For example, then, one or more of the growing areas can be subjected to different climates such that the harvest time of those plants can be advanced or postponed.

[0036] The method provides plants selected in different cultivation areas. In the case where agricultural products are to be harvested from the plants, it is no longer necessary to check the harvest maturity of all plants in the cultivation area as is the case with existing mobile robots. Instead, only plants from a specific cultivation area with a specific harvest maturity stage need to be moved to the harvesting device. Other plants are not yet mature enough for harvesting, so that they can remain in the cultivation area without being moved. It is well known that the movement of plants causes stress in the plants, thereby reducing productivity. The method does not require the movement of plants that do not need to be harvested and thus allows for increased productivity and / or a more uniform plant spacing across cultivation areas for optimal light interception and microclimate distribution.

[0037] The method according to the invention provides a number of benefits. For example, in the cultivation area, the plants can be closer to each other because there is no longer a need to force the robot to move between them. This can provide an increased number of plants per unit area and thus allow for increased productivity.

[0038] Furthermore, the scanning of plant parameters can be performed more precisely because the plants can be moved away from each other. In the prior art, for stationary plants, there is a risk that during the scanning of plant parameters, not only the parameters of the intended plant are scanned but also the parameters of other plants. For example, the scanning device may detect mature agricultural products on another plant and wrongly assign the mature agricultural products to the wrong plant. According to the invention, the plants can be isolated from each other for the purpose of scanning to improve its reliability.

[0039] In addition, the method can also incorporate the history of the position of each plant in the cultivation area and the history of plant maintenance operations to allow for the precise tracking and tracing of each plant and its historical plant parameters.

[0040] Finally, the logistics, for example of the harvesting device, can be improved. In the case of a mobile harvesting robot, the robot needs to carry away all the harvested agricultural products. This places a limitation on productivity and also increases the downtime because the robot may need to exchange a full storage compartment for an empty one. Instead, according to the method, the harvested agricultural products can be easily stacked next to a stationary harvesting device. Furthermore, since the plants grow in a random arrangement and are not currently tracked and traced, the mobile robot needs to visit and sense each plant anyway, regardless of its harvest maturity.

[0041] This method can be repeated several times during the growth period of the plants. For example, since the plants may have been randomly arranged in the greenhouse before, or since they may have been randomly sent into the greenhouse, they can be picked for the first time. However, the scanning and picking can be repeated over time, so that in the case where there are differences in the harvest maturity stages among the plants in the cultivation area, the plants can be re-picked according to their new harvest maturity stages.

[0042] This method can allow multiple different types of plants to be cultivated simultaneously in the same greenhouse, for example, allowing tomato plants and cucumber plants to be cultivated simultaneously. Picking the plants into multiple cultivation areas can also include picking according to plant type, so that, for example, all tomato plants are moved to multiple first cultivation areas, and all cucumber plants are moved to multiple second cultivation areas. Therefore, the method according to the present invention allows for more flexible cultivation of agricultural products.

[0043] In an embodiment, the plant parameters include one or more of the color of the agricultural product, the texture of the agricultural product, the shape of the agricultural product, the size of the agricultural product, the chemical composition of the agricultural product (especially its sugar content), the fluorescence of the agricultural product (especially chlorophyll fluorescence) and / or its hyperspectral color bandwidth and / or the plant identifier.

[0044] The color of the agricultural product can indicate the maturity of the agricultural product. For example, a ripe tomato can be red, while an unripe tomato can still be green. By determining the color of the tomato, its harvest maturity stage can be determined.

[0045] This also applies to the texture that can change according to maturity. For example, this can happen with cucumbers, which may initially have a relatively rough texture and become smoother as they mature.

[0046] The shape and size of the agricultural product can also form signs of maturity and harvest maturity stages. Therefore, the agricultural product will grow over time until it reaches a certain desired size or shape. The shape and size of the agricultural product indicate the weight of the agricultural product, which is an important parameter for determining the harvest maturity of the agricultural product.

[0047] In addition, in the case of picking plants according to the plant parameter representing the size of the agricultural product, the harvested agricultural products can have a more consistent size compared to randomly harvesting all plants. Consistent agricultural product size can have greater economic value in the market.

[0048] The scanning of plant parameters can include determining the chemical composition of agricultural products, in particular their sugar content. Although invisible to the human eye, the sugar content can also indicate the ripeness of agricultural products. Conversely, the sugar content can be determined by hyperspectral imaging. This makes the method more precise than existing methods of manually harvesting agricultural products, as human workers are unable to determine the sugar content of agricultural products, i.e., without tasting the agricultural products.

[0049] Similarly, the fluorescence of a plant or agricultural product can be determined, in particular chlorophyll fluorescence. Chlorophyll fluorescence can indicate the state of photosynthesis occurring in the plant or its agricultural product, enabling an objective assessment of the state of the plant or its agricultural product.

[0050] As a further alternative, plant parameters can be included in a plant identifier associated with the plant. The identifier can consist of a wireless beacon such as an RFID tag associated with a specific plant, such that the scanned parameters can be associated with that specific plant.

[0051] All of the above plant parameters can also be used combinatorially, for example in the case where multiple agricultural products are placed adjacent to each other (e.g., in the case of a bunch of tomatoes), to characterize the plant. Then, the harvest maturity stage can be determined based on the number of tomatoes in a bunch that have changed color. Additionally, the scanning of multiple different plant parameters can also identify multiple agricultural products that are associated with each other. In this way, it is possible to prevent only a single tomato from being harvested from a bunch in the case where it is preferred to harvest the entire bunch at once.

[0052] In an embodiment, the scanning device is an optical scanning device, and wherein the step of scanning includes:

[0053] Obtaining one or more images of a plant (e.g., the agricultural product of the plant); and

[0054] Processing the image to infer plant parameters from the image.

[0055] Optical scanning can be an effective way to obtain parameters of determinate growth plants, as the image of the agricultural product can contain information about the color, texture, shape, and size of the agricultural product. However, the image itself may only implicitly contain information about plant parameters (i.e., such as color and contrast). By processing the image, plant parameters are inferred from the image for the characterization of the harvest maturity stage.

[0056] Alternatively, the scanning device can be a 3D scanning device configured to obtain a three-dimensional image of the plant (specifically a three-dimensional image of the agricultural product). Alternatively, the scanning device can be a laser line detector configured to infer the shape of the agricultural product based on the selective reflection of a linear laser beam on the agricultural product as the plant moves through the laser beam.

[0057] In an embodiment, the harvest maturity stage represents the predicted remaining growing period until at least a portion of the produce matures and / or until at least a portion of the produce is expected to be harvested. According to this embodiment, sorting plants into a plurality of different growing areas is done based on the predicted remaining time before harvest.

[0058] The time remaining to harvest can be determined based on the maturity of the produce (e.g., a percentage of maturity of the produce or the maturity of each produce item or group of produce). For example, a scan can include determining the maturity of several of the lowermost produce (e.g., the lowermost bunch of tomatoes) of a plant that typically needs to be harvested first. In this case, the harvest maturity stage can represent the remaining time period before the lowermost produce matures to a desired degree.

[0059] The harvest maturity stage can also be assigned based on the expected harvest period, for example, if a specific demand is foreseen at a certain point in the future. In this case, the harvest maturity stage can be selected so that the desired amount of produce can be harvested at the desired time. The plants can thus be sorted so that all plants that together contain the amount of produce are accommodated in a single planting area.

[0060] Depending on the expected demand, one or more of the planting areas may be filled with more or fewer plants and / or may have a different plant density than other planting areas. Thus, the number of plants in one or more of the planting areas may be adjusted to suit the planned needs in order to have the desired amount of produce at the expected time of harvest. To this end, the method may include a balancing algorithm configured to obtain a distribution of harvest maturity stages of plants and optimally redistribute individual plants to other planting areas in order to speed up or slow down the growth of individual plants, thereby creating a new overall distribution of harvest maturity stages among all plants.

[0061] In an embodiment, the picking step may include exchanging plants between adjacent exchange sections of the suspended conveyor. Thus, the order in which the plants are suspended may be changed so that plants at similar stages of maturity for harvest may be grouped together. The directions of movement of the plants at adjacent exchange sections may be aligned opposite to each other so that all plants pass each other at the interface between adjacent exchange sections. Thus, plants in a first exchange section of adjacent exchange sections travelling in one direction may be transferred to an empty position in a second exchange section of an adjacent exchange section travelling in the opposite direction.

[0062] In yet another embodiment, after the predicted growing period of the plants in the corresponding planting area has passed, the method further comprises the following steps:

[0063] Move plants from this growing area to a central operating area;

[0064] Harvesting agricultural products from plants using a harvesting device disposed in a central operating area; and

[0065] Moving the plants back to their planting area.

[0066] According to the present embodiment, once a group of selected plants in the planting area are allowed to grow for a period corresponding to the predicted growth period and after the predicted growth period has passed, the plants are moved to the central operating area. Thus, after the characterization step, the plants have been accumulated in the planting area. At the predicted harvesting moment, only those plants that are expected to have mature agricultural products are moved. Other plants (i.e., plants in other planting areas) are expected to not have any mature agricultural products and can remain in the cultivation area so as not to cause stress and to minimize wear of the mechanical device components caused by unnecessary movement. The movement of the plants can be achieved by a hanging conveyor device that can be configured to selectively retrieve plants only from the planting areas where their predicted growth period has passed, without the need to move the plants hanging on the hanging conveyor device in other planting areas.

[0067] After being moved to the central operating area, the plants are conveyed along the harvesting device, and the mature agricultural products at the harvesting device are picked from the plants. The harvesting device can further remove excess leaves from the plants. The harvested agricultural products are conveyed downstream for further processing such as cleaning, weighing, and packaging. The plants themselves are moved back to the planting area from which these plants were obtained to allow them to further grow and develop new agricultural products. Similarly, on the way back towards the planting area, the plants can be moved using a hanging conveyor device.

[0068] Optionally, after harvesting, the plants can be moved along a scanning station to re - determine the harvesting maturity stage of the plants from which their agricultural products have been harvested. By re - determining the harvesting maturity stage, the harvesting maturity stage can be set in a feed - forward manner. In this way, the subsequent harvesting moments of these plants can be predicted without any further scanning, which can further reduce the movement of the plants.

[0069] Alternatively or additionally, the plants can be conveyed along other automated stations and / or manual stations for additional plant maintenance.

[0070] In an embodiment, the method includes: if the harvesting maturity stage of the plant indicates that the agricultural products are mature and / or at least a part of the agricultural products are expected to be harvested, then:

[0071] Moving the plant to the harvesting device;

[0072] Using a harvesting device disposed in the central operating area to harvest at least a part of the agricultural products from the plant; and

[0073] Move the plant back to its planting area.

[0074] According to this embodiment, the harvesting step can be carried out after the characterization, and preferably, directly after the characterization, so there is no need to move the plant into the planting area in between. During the characterization, the harvesting maturity stage can be determined as the binary parameter described above to indicate whether a particular plant needs to harvest agricultural products at that time. If harvesting is required, the plant is directly moved to the harvesting device without having to return to the planting area first. Only after harvesting is the plant moved back to its planting area.

[0075] Specifically, all plants from the harvesting device can be returned to the same planting area because they need to be retrieved for subsequent harvesting after approximately the same time.

[0076] This embodiment of the method provides the benefit of directly performing harvesting after the characterization (which means that the harvesting maturity stage determined at the time of harvesting is very accurate).

[0077] In yet another embodiment, the method further includes a step of accumulating the harvested plants after the harvesting step, wherein the movement of the plants includes moving the accumulated harvested plants to a single planting area.

[0078] According to this embodiment, all plants from the harvesting device are accumulated into a group. For example, all these plants can be put into a buffer section so that the plants can be grouped and moved to their planting area (i.e., a single planting area) as a group. This makes the handling of the plants more convenient because all plants in the same harvesting maturity state can be moved together in their group.

[0079] All plants that have not undergone harvesting can be directly sent to their planting areas, or they can also be grouped so that at least two groups of plants are finally obtained, namely a group consisting of plants that have undergone harvesting and a group consisting of plants that have not undergone harvesting.

[0080] Alternatively, the accumulation can be carried out after the characterization step and then before the harvesting. Thus, the group of plants considered to need harvesting can be guided along the harvesting device, while the group of plants that do not need harvesting can be returned to their planting areas.

[0081] In an embodiment, the method includes a step of spreading adjacent plants at the scanning device and / or the harvesting device to locally increase the mutual distance between subsequent plants.

[0082] Spreading can include moving the bottoms of the plants away from each other, while the tops (i.e., the tops from which the plants are suspended) can remain in place. When a particular central plant is disposed in the scanning device and / or the harvesting device, the upstream adjacent plant and the downstream adjacent plant can be spread away from the central plant to increase the amount of space around the central plant. This can, for example, improve the quality of the scanning of the central plant, as the risk of inadvertently scanning another plant is reduced. In addition, harvesting can be more conveniently completed, as the risk of inadvertently contacting an adjacent plant is reduced.

[0083] In yet another embodiment, the method can include the step of temporarily storing one or more of the plants in one or more buffer sections according to the harvesting maturity stage of the plants.

[0084] The buffer sections are preferably located in the central operation area and are used, for example, to temporarily store the plants after retrieving the plants from the cultivation area and before returning them to the cultivation area. The buffer sections can assist in the picking of the plants, i.e., by temporarily holding the plants after scanning and determining the plant parameters or after harvesting to assist in the picking of the plants.

[0085] The buffer sections can be used to temporarily accumulate the plants intended to be fed into one of the planting areas. For example, one buffer section can be filled with the plants that have undergone harvesting, while the other plants that have not undergone harvesting can be directly returned to the cultivation area. The buffer sections can be temporarily filled with plants until the number of plants corresponds to the expected number of plants in a particular planting area. Then, the entire buffer section can be emptied to deploy all the plants in the planting area at one time.

[0086] The number of buffer sections can be selected based on the number of groups of plants required. For example, one buffer section can be reserved for the plants that have undergone harvesting, where another buffer section can be reserved for the plants that are to be thinned, and / or where yet another buffer section can be used for the plants that have just been scanned but do not require harvesting. This can allow each group of plants to be accumulated in a dedicated buffer section, and the entire buffer section with all the plants can be emptied at one time and transported to the planting area.

[0087] The buffer section can (but does not necessarily have to) form a side line of the main path of the plants between the cultivation area and the central operation area. Thus, the plants can be temporarily stored, for example, before or after scanning and / or before or after harvesting. When the buffer section is provided as a side line, the plants can be temporarily removed from the main path of the plants, for example, the main path in the main conveying section extending between the cultivation area and the central processing area. The main path can thus be formed by the main conveying section, along which the plants move between the cultivation area and the scanning device, between the scanning device and the harvesting device, and / or between the harvesting device and the cultivation area. Through the side line, the buffered plants can be temporarily removed from the route of other plants, so that other plants can be conveyed while bypassing the buffered plants.

[0088] In an embodiment, the plant comprises a stem and roots, wherein the suspended plant is freely hung by the top of the stem, and wherein, in the absence of a growth substrate, in a substantially enclosed root chamber, the roots hang from the stem, for example, freely hang from the stem.

[0089] According to this embodiment, the plant can grow continuously and hang substantially straight and vertically. The plant is freely suspended, which means that substantially the entire plant hangs under the influence of gravity, i.e., thus hangs substantially vertically, without being at least partially horizontally placed and without being arranged in any type of root growth substrate, and preferably without the roots being individually supported by the root chamber. The free suspension of the plant enables the plant to substantially fully support its own weight. Thus, all parts of the plant below the top are fully suspended from the top, rather than being otherwise sufficiently supported in the vertical direction.

[0090] The plant comprises a stem and roots. The stem can be defined as the substantially rootless part of the plant and more precisely has agricultural products and leaves attached thereto. The roots can be defined as the part containing the roots. During the growth of the plant in the cultivation area, the roots can be located in the root chamber, while the stem is located outside the root chamber, for example, above the root chamber. This embodiment is particularly effective for the cultivation of plants with relatively long stems compared to the length of the plant roots (e.g., tomato plants, sweet pepper plants, cucumber plants, and / or eggplant), as well as plants that can form roots on the stem under specific conditions such as humid, low light levels, and oxygen levels.

[0091] The roots of the plant are suspended in the root chamber, which is substantially isolated from the surrounding environment, for example, only includes a single opening at the top through which the plant can extend. The root chamber is substantially empty, which means that the roots of the plant are not arranged in any type of growth substrate such as soil or rock wool, but the roots of the plant freely hang in the air inside the root chamber.

[0092] In the root chamber, water with nutrients can be supplied to the roots of the plants. This supply of nutrients can include the supply of water (i.e., water combined with nutrients, oxygen, fertilizers, etc.) such that they can be absorbed by the roots. The supply can include spraying water with nutrients onto the roots, wherein the spraying can depend on droplets of various sizes, with the droplet size varying from small droplet sizes where the spraying effectively turns into a spray or produces a mist to large droplet sizes that, for example, achieve a specific degree of direct penetration of water into the plants.

[0093] Alternatively, watering can involve submerging (in particular, temporarily submerging) the roots in a body of water with nutrients. In addition to submerging, oxygen can be actively supplied to the body of water, for example, by bubbling, to provide additional oxygen and vortices to the submerged roots. As yet another alternative, watering can involve dripping water onto the roots, for example, by discharging water droplets into the internal volume of a root growth promoter filled with roots.

[0094] This embodiment provides the following advantages: Since each root is only located below the stem and does not extend laterally substantially, the amount of space occupied by the plants can be significantly smaller than that of plants in the prior art, which can reduce the risk of entanglement of the roots of two adjacent plants.

[0095] Furthermore, this embodiment provides the following advantages: The plants can be transported through the environment (e.g., a greenhouse) very conveniently. Thus, the plants are only hung directly below the support structure and have freely hanging roots that are not located in a large and heavy plant pot or substrate. In addition, the plants are not attached to the root chamber but are individually hung therein. Therefore, in the absence of such attachment, when it is necessary to move the plants around, it is not necessary, as in the prior art, to loosen the support of the roots inside the root chamber or separate the roots from the loop extending through the root chamber.

[0096] Alternatively, the plants are suspended on a suspended conveying device by a support structure. The support structure can include, for example, a container with soil suspended on the suspended conveying device. Each of the plants can have its roots arranged in the soil in the container such that the plants can grow from the soil and the soil can be watered to supply water and nutrients to the plants. The plants are thus indirectly suspended on the suspended conveying device via the support structure.

[0097] In yet another embodiment, the method further includes the following steps:

[0098] In a central operation area, lower the plants by re-suspending the plants through the newly growing part of the stem (i.e., the part above the top of the stem); and

[0099] In a central operation area, at least partially trim the roots of the plants at the bottom ends of the roots of the plants.

[0100] The steps of lowering and root pruning are preferably carried out after harvesting the agricultural product and / or removing the leaves (i.e., when removing the agricultural product and / or the leaves from the lowest part of the stem). The lowering can be carried out manually or automatically, for example, by means of an automatic lowering device. Lowering means that the suspension of the plant is changed so that the plant will hang lower.

[0101] Root pruning can be carried out manually or automatically, but within the meaning of the present invention, it can always be carried out as an active step during which a part of the roots is removed. This active step is different from, for example, the growth methods of the prior art, in which the bottom of the root is supposed to die, i.e., die in the absence of water, and is only then cut off.

[0102] Only after the lowering and pruning, which are carried out only after the harvesting step and optionally other steps of plant maintenance, can the plant then be moved back to the planting area. These steps of lowering and pruning can be repeated after subsequent harvesting operations, i.e., after the plant is allowed to grow further within the cultivation area. In this way, the plant is allowed to continuously "renew" itself each time the plant is lowered and pruned to have substantially the same length (e.g., the combined length of the stem and the roots).

[0103] In an embodiment, the method further comprises the step of adjusting the growth conditions, such as temperature, watering, nutrient supply, and / or light conditions, in each of the planting areas according to the harvesting maturity stage of the plants in the planting area.

[0104] As all plants are sorted between the planting areas, there is no longer a need to have a global climate in the greenhouse that is suitable for all plants. Instead, the climate can be adjusted for each of the planting areas so that the climate can be set to optimally suit the harvesting maturity stage of the plants in that planting area. This adjustment of the climate can have a positive effect on promoting the growth and ripening of the agricultural product, or can slow down the growth and ripening of the agricultural product.

[0105] The setting of the climate in each planting area can be controlled in a feedback manner. For each of the planting areas, plant parameters can be determined, for example, before harvesting. A comparison can be made, for example, based on a model, between the determined plant parameters and the predicted state of the plant. If the determined plant parameters lag behind the predicted state, the climate can be adjusted to improve the conditions in that planting area. Then, after another harvesting cycle, it can be determined whether the adjustment of the climate has any effect.

[0106] In yet another embodiment, the climate of the planting area is adjusted to adjust the growth of the agricultural product. If, for example, a large demand for the agricultural product is foreseen, the climate of a plurality of planting areas can be temporarily adjusted to have more agricultural products suitable for harvesting at the moment when the agricultural product is needed.

[0107] Depending on the expected demand, one or more of the planting areas may be filled with more or fewer plants than the other planting areas in order to adjust the number of plants affected by a particular climate and thus meet the demand.

[0108] In an embodiment, only a single group of picked plants is moved into each planting area. For this, each of the planting areas may receive a single group of picked plants, i.e., different plants at the same or similar harvest maturity stage. If it is desired to scan plant parameters or harvest agricultural products from the plants in a particular group of picked plants, the entire planting area may be emptied to be passed along the scanning device and / or the harvesting device. This picking of plants with a single group of picked plants in each of the planting areas may be referred to as "inter-part" picking of plants.

[0109] Inter-part picking of plants can be beneficial in the case of individually regulating the climate of the plants in each of the planting areas. During inter-part picking, each of the planting areas contains only a single group of picked plants, which means that the climate conditions in each of the planting areas can be optimized for that single group of plants.

[0110] In an embodiment, the plants are spaced apart at a first spacing distance in the main conveying section and at a second spacing distance in the auxiliary conveying section, wherein the first spacing distance is greater than the second spacing distance.

[0111] The method can provide flexibility in adjusting the spacing between plants. When traveling within the central operating area, the plants can be spaced relatively wide apart from each other. This can, for example, improve the quality of the scanning of the plants because the risk of inadvertently scanning another plant is reduced. In addition, harvesting can be more conveniently completed because the risk of inadvertently contacting another plant is reduced.

[0112] In the cultivation area, once the plants are moved into the planting areas, the plants can be moved closer to each other to increase the number of plants that can be cultivated per unit area.

[0113] In addition, for example depending on the harvest maturity stage of the group of plants in the auxiliary conveying section, the plants can be spaced farther apart in the auxiliary conveying section. Thus, the spacing between the plants can be adjusted according to the plants' requirements for the respective harvest maturity stage. Accordingly, the plant density (i.e., the number of plants per unit area) can be adjusted to optimally utilize the area of the available cultivation area.

[0114] According to a second aspect, the present invention provides a cultivation assembly for performing the method of cultivating plants as described herein, comprising:

[0115] A cultivation area including a plurality of planting areas configured to receive indeterminate plants to promote their growth;

[0116] A central operating area having scanning means for scanning one or more parameters of the plants; and

[0117] A hanging conveyor extending through the cultivation area and the central operating area, wherein the plants are preferably suspended on the hanging conveyor in a substantially vertical orientation,

[0118] wherein the hanging conveyor is configured to move the plants between the planting area and the scanning means,

[0119] wherein the hanging conveyor preferably includes a sorting means functionally connected to the scanning means and configured to direct the plants to their associated planting areas according to the scanning parameters.

[0120] The cultivation assembly according to the second aspect of the invention may have one or more of the features and / or benefits disclosed herein that are particularly related to the method according to the first aspect of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

[0121] The cultivation assembly is subdivided into a cultivation area in which the plants are allowed to grow while being illuminated and receive water and / or nutrients, and a central operating area in which specific interactions with the plants are carried out. Several fixed stations may be arranged in the central operating area to perform these interactions.

[0122] The central operating area at least includes scanning means configured to scan one or more parameters of the plants. The plant parameters include one or more of the color of the agricultural product, the texture of the agricultural product, the shape of the agricultural product, the size of the agricultural product, the chemical composition of the agricultural product (in particular its sugar content) and / or the fluorescence of the agricultural product (in particular chlorophyll fluorescence) and / or its hyperspectral color bandwidth.

[0123] The cultivation assembly may form part of an indoor cultivation site such as a greenhouse. Hereinafter, any reference to an indoor cultivation site may refer to a greenhouse, and any reference to a greenhouse may refer to an indoor cultivation site.

[0124] The hanging conveyor of the cultivation assembly extends through the cultivation area and the central operating area and extends along a plurality of planting areas located in the cultivation area. The hanging conveyor is configured to move the plants between the planting area and the scanning means (i.e., between the cultivation area and the central operating area).

[0125] According to the invention, the hanging conveyor, which may be any type of device capable of transporting plants through a greenhouse, is configured to suspend the plants. The plants may be suspended directly from their own stems, for example, or may grow in a support structure such as a container supported by the hanging conveyor. The hanging conveyor itself may be suspended from the ceiling of the greenhouse.

[0126] Preferably, the hanging conveying device is configured to hang the plants in a substantially vertical orientation during its entire trajectory through the cultivation area and the central operating area. This can mean that the plants can be hung down from the hanging conveying device when the plants are hanging in the cultivation area, when left to grow, and when the plants are moved through the central processing area, i.e., when passing along the scanning device. In this way, the plants will occupy the smallest possible space and can be most conveniently processed.

[0127] The cultivation assembly is configured to perform a method that includes, as a first step, the step of scanning one or more parameters of the plants. These plant parameters can provide information about the state of the plants, such as the size of the plants, but specifically about the state of the agricultural products of the plants. The plant parameters can, for example, contain information about the maturity and / or size of the agricultural products of the plants. The scanning step is performed with a scanning device arranged in the central operating area, while the prior art still relies on scanning in the cultivation area, i.e., using a mobile robot for scanning.

[0128] Based on the plant parameters, the plants are configured to be characterized into a plurality of different harvest maturity stages. This characterization, for example, sorts the plants into different groups depending on the maturity of the agricultural products or the harvest maturity. In any case, the harvest maturity stage represents the actual state of the plants relative to the desired state in which the plants are suitable for harvesting.

[0129] To this end, the hanging conveying device can include a sorting device such that the plants returning from the central operating area can be actively guided into a desired one of the planting areas in the planting area. The sorting device is associated with the scanning device to obtain the scanned parameters from the scanning device. Then, the sorting by the sorting device can occur based on the scanned parameters (e.g., based on the harvest maturity stage) in order to obtain the sorting of the plants among the respective planting areas.

[0130] The harvest maturity stage of the plants, especially the remaining time until the agricultural products can be harvested, can be determined based on the accumulated temperature value of the plants. The accumulated temperature value can be defined as the temperature difference between the actual temperature in the greenhouse (e.g., expressed in degrees Celsius) and a specific threshold temperature accumulated over time. The accumulated temperature value can be formed by multiplying the daily temperature difference by the number of days.

[0131] After harvesting the agricultural products, a new accumulated temperature value is required before subsequent agricultural products can be harvested from the same plant. For example, the actual temperature in the greenhouse can be 30 °C and the threshold temperature can be 10 °C. Thus, 20 °C is contributed to the accumulated temperature value every day. If the accumulated temperature value for a specific type of agricultural product is, for example, approximately 200 °C, then the number of days between the harvests of consecutive batches of agricultural products will be approximately in the range between 6 days and 10 days.

[0132] The harvest maturity stage can represent the number of remaining days until the next batch of agricultural products can be harvested. Depending on the type of plant, the harvest maturity stage can last more than a week, or even shorter, for example, a few days.

[0133] Alternatively or additionally, the harvest maturity stage can be a binary parameter that can indicate whether a particular plant requires harvesting of agricultural products. Thus, this component can provide that plants that need to be harvested can be moved to the harvesting device, and plants with agricultural products not suitable for harvesting are retained in or moved back to the cultivation area.

[0134] After the characterization step, the hanging conveyor device can be configured to move the plants to the cultivation area. However, the plants are not moved to the cultivation area in the same order as they were scanned. Instead, the component is configured to pick plants across multiple growing areas such that different plants at the same or similar harvest maturity stages end up in the same growing area. The picking of plants can result in multiple groups of picked plants that can correspond to the number of growing areas, such that each group of picked plants is moved to the corresponding growing area when moved to the cultivation area. The number of groups of picked plants can also be different from the number of growing areas, for example, a single group of picked plants is moved to multiple growing areas, or a single growing area will receive multiple different groups of plants.

[0135] The number of growing areas in the greenhouse can correspond to the total number of harvest maturity stages into which the plants can be characterized. In this case, each growing area is configured to receive plants at a single harvest maturity stage. However, if there are more harvest maturity stages than growing areas, plants with different harvest maturity stages can be grouped in a single growing area. Conversely, in the case where there are more growing areas than harvest maturity stages, multiple growing areas can receive plants at the same harvest maturity stage. The latter can be the case with a binary harvest maturity stage (i.e., whether a particular plant is now suitable for harvesting), such that a relatively large number of plants not suitable for harvesting can be kept in multiple growing areas, and a relatively small number of plants suitable for harvesting can be moved to a single growing area after picking.

[0136] The growing areas in the cultivation area can but do not need to be provided in separate compartments in the cultivation area. However, alternatively, the growing areas can each be defined as separate side lines of the conveyor device, which are then all provided in the same cultivation area. Each of the growing areas can have different set values for climate, light, watering, and nutrient conditions.

[0137] This cultivation assembly enables plants to be selected in different growing areas. In the case of harvesting agricultural products from plants, it is no longer necessary to check the harvest maturity of all plants in the cultivation area as in the case of existing mobile robots. Instead, only plants from a specific growing area with a specific harvest maturity stage need to be moved to the harvesting device. Other plants are not yet mature enough for harvesting, which means they can remain in the cultivation area without being moved. It is well known that moving plants causes stress in the plants, thereby reducing productivity. This cultivation assembly does not require unnecessary movement of plants that do not need to be harvested and thus allows for increased productivity and / or more uniform plant spacing across growing areas to achieve optimal light interception and microclimate distribution.

[0138] Furthermore, moving plants less means moving fewer parts of the cultivation assembly, which can result in less wear of the components. This can reduce downtime and can lower costs. In addition, moving plants less can also reduce the average speed in the overhead conveyor required, for example, reducing the average time plants spend outside their growing area.

[0139] The cultivation assembly according to the invention provides various benefits. For example, in the cultivation area, plants can be closer to each other as there is no longer a need to force a robot to move between them. This can provide an increased number of plants per unit area and thus allow for increased productivity.

[0140] In addition, scanning of plant parameters can also be performed more precisely as plants can be moved apart from each other. In the prior art, for fixed plants, there is a risk that during the scanning of plant parameters, not only the parameters of the intended plant but also the parameters of other plants are scanned. For example, a scanning device may detect mature agricultural products on another plant and wrongly assign the mature agricultural products to the wrong plant. According to the invention, plants can be isolated from each other for scanning purposes to improve its reliability.

[0141] Finally, this cultivation assembly can also combine the history of the position of individual plants in the growing area and the history of plant maintenance operations to allow for precise tracking and tracing of individual plants and their historical plant parameters.

[0142] In an embodiment, the scanning device is an optical scanning device such as a camera device. Optical scanning with a camera can be an effective way to determine plant parameters as the image of the agricultural product can contain information about the color, texture, shape, and size of the agricultural product.

[0143] The scanning device may further include a processing device configured to process the image to infer plant parameters from the image. Thus, the image itself may only implicitly contain information on plant parameters (i.e., such as color and contrast). By processing the image, plant parameters are inferred from the image for characterizing the harvest maturity stage of the plant.

[0144] In an additional or alternative embodiment, the scanning device is oriented in a vertical direction and includes, for example, a plurality of camera devices arranged above one another. The vertical orientation may allow the scanning device to scan the parameters of the plant at a certain height of the plant, which is convenient when the plant is vertically suspended.

[0145] Thereby, the maturity of the agricultural product may vary with the height of the plant. For example, the agricultural product at the bottom is mature, while the agricultural product more towards the top may not be mature enough for harvesting. With the vertical scanning device, it is possible to scan the plant along most of the height of the plant in order to be able to detect such a gradient in the maturity of the agricultural product.

[0146] Preferably, the scanning device may include a plurality of camera devices arranged above one another, each camera device being configured to scan a corresponding height portion of the plant such that the parameters scanned by each of the camera devices can be combined into complete plant parameters.

[0147] In an embodiment, the cultivation assembly further includes a harvesting device arranged in a central operation area for harvesting agricultural products from the plant. The central conveying device thus extends between both the cultivation area and the scanning device and the harvesting device. For example, a suspended conveying device may define a conveying path from the cultivation area to the scanning device, further towards the harvesting device and finally back to the cultivation area.

[0148] According to this embodiment, the suspended conveying device is configured to move the plant from a specific planting area to the central operation area. For this purpose, the suspended conveying device may be configured to selectively retrieve only the plants from the planting areas where their predicted growth period has passed, without the need to move the plants suspended on the suspended conveying device in other planting areas.

[0149] After moving the plant to the central operation area and along the scanning device, the suspended conveying device is configured to convey the plant along the harvesting device configured to pick the mature agricultural products from the plant. The harvesting device may further be configured to remove the excess leaves from the plant. The suspended conveying device is further configured to move the plant back to the planting area from which these plants were obtained after having passed the harvesting device to allow the plant to further grow and develop new agricultural products in the cultivation area.

[0150] The harvesting device can further be configured to remove from the plant stem the pedicels, side branches, and petioles attached to the leaves. The harvesting device can be configured to cut all of the facing the cutting member of the harvesting device, for example, to perform a so-called stripping action on the plant stem. The pedicels, side branches, and petioles project laterally from the plant stem, for example, horizontally from the plant stem, such that they are set wider than the plant stem itself.

[0151] The harvesting device can include a discharge line configured to unload the harvested agricultural product from the harvesting device and convey the agricultural product for further processing such as washing, weighing, and packaging.

[0152] In an embodiment, the cultivation assembly further includes a lowering device disposed in the central operation area and configured to lower the plant by way of a newly grown portion of the stem (i.e., the portion above the top of the stem). Alternatively or additionally, the cultivation assembly can include a human worker station in which a human worker can be located to lower the plant.

[0153] Furthermore, the cultivation assembly can include a trimming device disposed in the central operation area and configured to at least partially trim the roots of the plant at the bottom end of the roots of the plant. Alternatively, the cultivation assembly can include an additional human worker station in which a human worker is located to trim the roots of the plant.

[0154] Lowering and trimming are preferably performed after harvesting the agricultural product (i.e., when the agricultural product is removed from the lowermost part of the stem). To this end, when viewed along the path of conveyance, the lowering device and / or the trimming device can be placed beside the suspended conveyor and downstream of the harvesting device.

[0155] In the lowering device, the plant is lowered to keep the length of the stem above the root chamber substantially constant. Lowering means that the lowering device is configured to change the suspension of the plant such that the plant will hang lower. In particular, the lowering device can be configured to release the plant from its original suspension (i.e., where the plant is suspended from its original top). After release, the lowering device can be configured to lower the plant and suspend the plant again. However, the plant is now at least partially suspended by its newly grown portion (i.e., the portion of the plant's stem above the original top). Thus, by definition, this newly grown portion becomes the top of the stem. It should be noted that not the entire plant has to become suspended by the newly grown portion, but the plant can also be suspended combinatorially by both the newly grown portion and the original top.

[0156] Root trimming is performed to prevent the roots from becoming too large inside the root chamber. Accordingly, after lowering, the length of the portion of the plant inside the root chamber becomes greater. Correspondingly, root trimming can involve trimming the bottom of the roots such that the length of the new roots is substantially the same as the length of the original roots (i.e., the roots before lowering).

[0157] In an embodiment, the hanging conveying device includes a bypass portion that forms a bypass of a portion of the hanging conveying device that passes along the harvesting device, the lowering device, and / or the trimming device.

[0158] Thus, the hanging conveying device can be set such that plants will pass along the scanning device when traveling through the central operation area, but they do not necessarily need to pass through the harvesting device, the lowering device, the trimming device, and / or other maintenance portions.

[0159] The cultivation component can be configured to select the conveying path of each plant along these portions of the conveying device based on plant parameters obtained by scanning the plants. If, for example, the plant parameters of a plant indicate that its agricultural product is not yet ripe enough for harvesting, the cultivation component can be configured to set the conveying path of the plant along the bypass so as not to pass through the harvesting device.

[0160] In an embodiment, the hanging conveying device includes:

[0161] A main conveying portion that extends through the cultivation area and the central operation area (i.e., extends along the scanning device); and

[0162] A plurality of sub-conveying portions in the cultivation area, wherein each of the sub-conveying portions is at least partially arranged in the planting area,

[0163] wherein each of the sub-conveying portions is configured to hang one or more groups of selected plants.

[0164] According to this embodiment, the main conveying portion forms a link between the cultivation area and the central operation area of the plants. Thus, the main conveying portion extends along the scanning device such that when the plants move along the main conveying portion, plant parameters can be scanned while traveling along the conveying path.

[0165] The main conveying portion can also extend along the harvesting device, the lowering device, and / or the trimming device. In this regard, the main conveying portion can include a single conveying path for the plants along all the devices when the plants enter and exit the cultivation area and return to the cultivation area.

[0166] Alternatively or additionally, the main conveying portion can also include a bypass portion such that multiple conveying paths can be defined for the plants, for example, passing along the harvesting device or not passing along the harvesting device.

[0167] In the cultivation area, the hanging conveying device includes sub-conveying portions. The sub-conveying portions extend into the planting area and are configured to move plants into and out of the planting area, as at least one sub-conveying portion is provided for all the planting areas.

[0168] In addition, the hanging conveying device may include a ternary conveying part that can be functionally arranged between the main conveying part and the auxiliary conveying part. Thus, the main conveying part can still extend along all the stations and operate in a relatively complex manner, for example, allowing the plants to remain fixed in the stations. The auxiliary conveying part can still be configured to store the plants during growth. The ternary conveying part can be implemented relatively simply for the purpose of only moving the plants in order to transfer the plants between the main conveying part and the auxiliary conveying part.

[0169] In this embodiment, a picking device may be provided between the main conveying part and each corresponding auxiliary conveying part to selectively guide the plants from the main conveying part into a desired one of the auxiliary conveying parts. For this, each auxiliary conveying part may be associated with a picking device, for example, each picking device is associated with its switching device (i.e., the switching device located at the position where the plants should enter the auxiliary conveying part when coming out of the central operation area). Then, each of the switching devices can be selectively activated to guide the plants into their corresponding auxiliary conveying parts.

[0170] Alternatively or additionally, a picking device may be provided between the main conveying part and each of one or more buffer parts to selectively guide the plants from the main conveying part into a desired one of the buffer parts.

[0171] In an embodiment, the plants are spaced apart at a first spacing distance in the main conveying part and at a second spacing distance in the auxiliary conveying part, wherein the first spacing distance is greater than the second spacing distance.

[0172] This cultivation assembly provides flexibility in adjusting the spacing between plants especially when the plants are configured to be moved individually. When traveling along the main conveying part (e.g., inside the central operation area), the plants can be spaced relatively wide apart from each other. This can, for example, improve the quality of scanning of the plants because the risk of inadvertently scanning another plant is reduced. In addition, harvesting can be done more conveniently because the risk of inadvertently contacting another plant is reduced. Finally, the increased spacing can also create more space for interacting with the plants, for example, making harvesting more convenient, which can increase the speed at which interaction with the plants can be carried out.

[0173] In the cultivation area, once the plants are moved into the planting area, the plants can be moved closer to each other to increase the number of plants that can be cultivated per unit area.

[0174] Furthermore, for example, depending on the harvest maturity stage of the plant group in the auxiliary conveying part, the plants can be spaced farther apart in the auxiliary conveying part. Thus, the spacing between the plants can be adjusted according to the plants' requirements for the corresponding harvest maturity stage.

[0175] In an embodiment, the hanging conveying device (preferably, the main conveying part) includes a plurality of adjacent exchange parts that define an exchange interface therebetween. The moving directions of the plants at the adjacent exchange parts can be aligned in opposite directions to each other.

[0176] During use, by exchanging plants between adjacent exchange parts of the hanging conveying device, the adjacent exchange parts can be used for picking plants. Thus, the hanging order of the plants can be changed so that plants at similar harvest maturity stages can be grouped together.

[0177] Especially in the case where the moving directions between adjacent exchange parts are opposite, the plants pass by each other at the interface. Thus, plants traveling in one direction in the first exchange part of the adjacent exchange parts can be transferred to an empty space in the second exchange part traveling in the opposite direction in the adjacent exchange part.

[0178] In an embodiment, each of the growing areas can be provided with a single secondary conveying part. Each of the secondary conveying parts can be configured to receive a single group of picked plants, i.e., different plants at the same or similar harvest maturity stages. If it is desired to scan plant parameters or harvest agricultural products from the plants in a certain group of picked plants, the entire secondary conveying part is emptied into the main conveying part to be conveyed along the scanning device and / or the harvesting device. This sorting of plants with a single group of picked plants in each of the secondary conveying parts can be referred to as "inter-part" picking of plants.

[0179] In the case of individually adjusting the climate of the plants for each of the growing areas, the inter-part picking of plants can be beneficial. During inter-part picking, each of the growing areas is configured to contain only a single group of picked plants, which means that the climate conditions of each of the growing areas can be optimized for that single group of plants.

[0180] In an alternative embodiment, each secondary conveying part is arranged in a plurality of growing areas. In this case, each of the secondary conveying parts can be configured to receive multiple groups of picked plants to hang each group in its own predetermined growing area. For example, the secondary conveying parts can each extend through two growing areas so that each of the secondary conveying parts can accommodate two groups of picked plants.

[0181] If it is desired to scan plant parameters or harvest agricultural products from the plants in a certain group of picked plants, only a part of the entire secondary conveying part can be emptied to be conveyed along the scanning device and / or the harvesting device. This picking of plants with a single group of picked plants in each of the secondary conveying parts can be referred to as "intra-part" picking of plants.

[0182] Preferably, the hanging conveyor is configured to move only the plants in a selected set of plants in each sub-conveyor section, preferably without moving other plants in that sub-conveyor section. The other plants can remain in place, which can help reduce the stress on the plants. Thus, unnecessary movement of the plants can cause unnecessary stress on these plants, which would otherwise reduce their productivity.

[0183] In an embodiment, the sub-conveyor section can be implemented as a branch of the main conveyor section, such as a straight conveyor section extending from the main conveyor section in the cultivation area. These branches can be implemented to have a single connection point to the main conveyor section (i.e., one switching device per branch) and an end-to-end linear route. By moving the plants in a first direction into the planting area, the branches can be filled with plants, and by transferring the plants out of the planting area in a second direction that is anti-parallel to the first direction, the branches can be unloaded.

[0184] The hanging conveyor with a sub-conveyor section according to this embodiment can be implemented as a blind-end branch, which can be useful when it is desired to pick plants according to the "inter-part" picking principle.

[0185] In an alternative embodiment, the sub-conveyor section can be implemented as a closed-loop conveyor section having two opposite ends located next to the main conveyor section.

[0186] These closed-loop conveyor sections can be implemented to have a U-shaped route with two connection points to the main conveyor section. In particular, the first end and the opposite second end of the closed-loop conveyor section can each be provided with a switching device for the main conveyor section. Thus, the closed-loop conveyor section can be connected to the main conveyor section from both ends, which allows the closed-loop conveyor section to be filled with plants from both ends and also allows the plants to be unloaded from the closed-loop conveyor section from both ends.

[0187] Alternatively, the closed-loop conveyor section can be an annular conveyor to which the plants can be transferred from the main conveyor section. Such an annular conveyor can not have switching devices for the main conveyor section, but can instead each include a corresponding transfer device for transferring plants between the main conveyor section and this closed-loop conveyor section.

[0188] The hanging conveyor with a sub-conveyor section according to this embodiment can be implemented as a closed-loop conveyor section, such as a U-shaped route, which can be useful when it is desired to pick plants according to the "intra-part" picking principle.

[0189] In particular, the closed-loop conveying section can be loaded from both sides (i.e., the two ends of the closed-loop conveying section). This allows multiple groups of picked plants to be moved or transferred into each closed-loop conveying section independently of each other. Thus, one of the multiple groups can be loaded from the first end of the closed-loop conveying section, and another of the multiple groups can be loaded from the second end of the closed-loop conveying section.

[0190] In the case where it is desired to retrieve the group that was first loaded into the closed-loop conveying section, it is not necessary to first retrieve the group that was loaded second. However, this would be the case where multiple different groups of picked plants are loaded into a secondary conveying section that is implemented as a dead-end branch.

[0191] In yet another embodiment, the plants in each of the secondary conveying sections are suspended as individual groups, with each group holding multiple plants. To move the plants to the central operating area and back to their growing areas, these groups can be retrieved from their secondary conveying sections into the main conveying section and vice versa. This can be beneficial because not all plants need to be moved individually, but instead, all plants in a group can be moved together.

[0192] In an embodiment, the suspended conveying device can include one or more transfer devices configured to transfer plants between the main conveying section and a secondary conveying section (e.g., a closed-loop conveying section). Such a transfer device can be configured to temporarily hold one or more plants in order to unload these plants from the main conveying section and attach these plants to the secondary conveying section and vice versa.

[0193] The transfer device can move along the main conveying section and multiple secondary conveying sections (e.g., all secondary conveying sections). Thus, a single transfer device can be used for multiple secondary conveying sections, which can reduce the complexity of the suspended conveying device in order to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

[0194] In an embodiment, the suspended conveying device further includes one or more buffer sections, preferably in the central operating area, configured to temporarily suspend one or more plants. The buffer sections can (but do not necessarily have to) form a bypass of the main path of the plants between the cultivation area and the central operating area. Thus, plants can be temporarily stored, for example, before or after scanning and / or before or after harvesting.

[0195] The buffer sections are used to temporarily store plants, for example, after they are retrieved from the cultivation area and before they are returned to the cultivation area. The buffer sections can assist in the picking of plants, i.e., by temporarily holding the plants after scanning and determination of plant parameters or after harvesting to assist in the picking of plants.

[0196] The buffer section can be used to temporarily accumulate plants intended to be fed into one of the cultivation areas. For example, one buffer section can be filled with plants that have undergone harvesting, while other plants that have not undergone harvesting can be directly returned to the cultivation area. The buffer section can be temporarily filled with plants until the quantity of plants corresponds to the expected quantity of plants in a specific cultivation area. Then, the entire buffer section can be emptied to deploy all the plants in the cultivation area at once.

[0197] When the buffer section is provided as a bypass line, plants can be temporarily removed from the main path of the plants, such as the main path in the main conveying section extending between the cultivation area and the central processing area. The main path can thus be formed by the main conveying section along which plants move between the cultivation area and the scanning device, between the scanning device and the harvesting device, and / or between the harvesting device and the cultivation area. Through the bypass line, the buffered plants can be temporarily removed from the route of other plants so that other plants can be conveyed while bypassing the buffered plants.

[0198] In an embodiment, the sorting device includes at least one switching device for each of the cultivation areas and a control device functionally connected to the scanning device and the at least one switching device, and the control device is configured to selectively operate the at least one switching device based on plant parameters obtained from the scanning device to direct the plants into the corresponding cultivation areas.

[0199] Thus, the control device is configured to act on the switching device such that plants can be selectively sorted onto the cultivation areas. A switching device can be provided at each of the cultivation areas to selectively direct the plants into the cultivation areas. The switching device for each cultivation area can be located at the position where the plants should enter the cultivation area when they come out of the central operation area.

[0200] The control device can receive the plant parameters of each of the plants scanned in the scanning device and can determine for each of the plants into which of the cultivation areas the plant should be moved. To achieve such sorting, the control unit can selectively activate the switching device of the desired cultivation area so that the plants can then be directed into the corresponding cultivation area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0201] Further features of the present invention will be described below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, in which:

[0202] Figures 1A to 1G An embodiment of a cultivation assembly according to the present invention is schematically depicted;

[0203] Figure 2A and Figure 2B A second embodiment of a cultivation assembly according to the present invention is schematically depicted; and

[0204] Figure 3A and Figure 3B schematically depicts a third embodiment of a cultivation assembly according to the present invention.

[0205] Throughout the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to refer to corresponding parts or parts having corresponding functions. Detailed Description

[0206] FIG. 1 schematically depicts a first embodiment of a cultivation assembly according to the present invention, referred to by reference numeral 1. The cultivation assembly 1 includes a cultivation area 10 and a central operation area 20. The cultivation assembly 1 forms part of a greenhouse. The two areas 10, 20 form separate compartments of the greenhouse and are schematically indicated in the figure by means of a dashed rectangle.

[0207] The cultivation assembly 1 is used for cultivating indeterminate growth type plants such as tomato plants, sweet pepper plants, cucumber plants, and / or eggplant plants. In the figure, the plants are referred to by reference numeral 100 and are schematically shown as squares, triangles, circles, diamonds, and pentagons depending on their harvest maturity stage.

[0208] The cultivation assembly 1 is configured to grow plants 100 in the cultivation area 10, which is facilitated by the device 10 by feeding water and nutrients to the plants 100. The cultivation assembly 10 includes a plurality of planting areas 11 provided in separate compartments in the cultivation area 10. In the figure, the separate compartments are made visible by means of dashed lines.

[0209] The cultivation assembly 1 further includes a suspended conveying device 30 extending through the cultivation area 10 and the central operation area 20 (specifically along the planting areas 11). The suspended conveying device 30 is configured to suspend the plants 100 and is configured to move the plants 100 between the planting areas 11 and the central operation area 20. The suspended conveying device 30 is suspended from the ceiling of the greenhouse.

[0210] In the central operation area 20, the cultivation assembly 1 is configured to perform certain interactions with the plants 100. For this purpose, several fixed stations are arranged in the central operation area 20 to perform these interactions. The first example thereof is an optical scanning device 40 configured to scan one or more parameters of the plants 100 (specifically the agricultural products of the plants 100). The optical scanning device 40 includes a camera device for obtaining an image of the agricultural product and a processing device configured to process the image to infer plant parameters from the image. The scanning device 40 is arranged along the suspended conveying device 30 such that the plants 100 move along the scanning device 40 as they move with the suspended conveying device 30.

[0211] The plant parameters include one or more of the color of the agricultural product, the texture of the agricultural product, the shape of the agricultural product, the size of the agricultural product, the chemical composition of the agricultural product (especially its sugar content), and / or the fluorescence of the agricultural product (especially its chlorophyll fluorescence). These plant parameters provide information about the state of the plant 100, specifically about the state of the agricultural product of the plant 100. The plant parameters can for example include information about the maturity and / or size of the agricultural product of the plant 100.

[0212] Based on the plant parameters, the plant 100 is configured to be characterized in a plurality of different harvest maturity stages. This characterization for example depends on the maturity of the agricultural product or the harvest maturity to sort the plant 100 into different groups 100. In the figure, each of the groups of the plant 100 is represented by a different symbol, namely shown as a square, a triangle, a circle, a rhombus, and a pentagon. The harvest maturity stage can thus represent the number of remaining days until the next batch of agricultural products can be harvested.

[0213] The cultivation assembly 1 further includes a harvesting device 50 arranged in the central operation area 20 for harvesting the agricultural product from the plant 10. The central conveying device 30 thus extends along the harvesting device 50 to define a conveying path from the cultivation area 10 to the scanning device 40, further to the harvesting device 50, and finally back to the cultivation area 10. In the figure, the conveying path is shown by arrows.

[0214] The harvesting device 50 is configured to pick the ripe agricultural product from the plant 100, and further includes a discharging line 51 configured to unload the harvested agricultural product from the harvesting device 50 and transfer the agricultural product for further processing such as cleaning, weighing, and packaging. The harvesting device 50 is configured to remove the stalks, side branches, and leaf petioles attached to the leaves from the plant stem.

[0215] The cultivation assembly 1 further includes a lowering and pruning device 60 arranged in the central operation area 20, configured to lower the plant 1 by re-suspending the plant 1 by a newly growing part of the stem, and configured to at least partially prune the roots of the plant at the bottom end of the plant 100. In an alternative embodiment, the cultivation assembly can include a human worker station where a human worker is located to lower the plant.

[0216] Looking along the conveying path, the lowering and pruning occur after harvesting the agricultural product. For this purpose, looking along the conveying path, the lowering and pruning device 60 is placed beside the suspended conveying device 30 and downstream of the harvesting device 50. The suspended conveying device 30 is thus further configured to move the plant 100 back to the planting area 11 from which they were obtained after the plant 100 has passed through the harvesting device 50 and the lowering and pruning device 60, to allow them to further grow and develop new agricultural products in the cultivation area 10.

[0217] The suspended conveying device 30 includes a main conveying part 31 that extends through the cultivation area 10 and the central operation area 20. The suspended conveying device 30 further includes a plurality of sub-conveying parts 32 in the cultivation area 20, each of which is partially arranged in a corresponding planting area 11. The main conveying part 31 thus forms a link for the plant 100 between the cultivation area 10 and the central operation area 20.

[0218] The main conveying part 31 thus extends along the scanning device 40, so that when the plant moves along the main conveying part 31, the plant parameters can be scanned while traveling along the conveying path. The main conveying part 31 also extends along the harvesting device 50 and the lowering and pruning device 60. In this regard, the main conveying part 31 provides a conveying path for the plant 100 along all the devices when the plant enters and exits the cultivation area 10 and returns to the cultivation area 10.

[0219] The main conveying part 31 has an annular closed-loop shape that extends through both the cultivation area 10 and the central operation area 20, so that the plant 100 can be moved out of the cultivation area 10 and back into the cultivation area 10 on the same conveying part.

[0220] In the cultivation area 10, the suspended conveying device 30 includes the sub-conveying parts 32. The sub-conveying parts 32 extend into the planting areas 11 and are configured to move the plant 100 into and out of the planting areas 11, because all the planting areas 11 are provided with at least one sub-conveying part 32.

[0221] The sub-conveying parts 32 are selectively connectable to the main conveying part 31 in the cultivation area 10. Therefore, depending on the determined harvesting maturity stage, the plant 100 can be transferred from the main conveying part 31 to a desired one of the sub-conveying parts 32 to allow the plant to move into the desired planting area 11. In addition, the suspended conveying device 30 further includes switching devices 33 for each of the sub-conveying parts 32, so that all the sub-conveying parts 32 can be selectively and independently connected to the main conveying part 31. This allows any plant 100 to be moved from the main conveying part 31 into any one of the sub-conveying parts 32, and vice versa.

[0222] The main conveying part 31 includes a closed-loop track that circulates through the central operation area 20 and the cultivation area 10 (i.e., the front end of the cultivation area 10). The sub-conveying parts 32 are also each implemented as a track that extends separately in the cultivation area 10 and is connectable to the closed-loop track of the main conveying part 31 via a corresponding switching device 33.

[0223] The hanging conveyor device 30 further includes a bypass portion 34 that forms a bypass for a portion of the hanging conveyor device 30 that passes along the harvesting device 40 and the lowering and pruning device 60. With the bypass portion 34, the hanging conveyor device 30 can be set so that when the plants 10 travel through the central operation area 20, they will pass along the scanning device 40, but they may not necessarily need to pass through the harvesting device 40 and the lowering and pruning device 60.

[0224] The hanging conveyor device 30 additionally includes a buffer portion 35 located in the central operation area 20 and configured to temporarily hang one or more of the plants 100. In this embodiment, the buffer portion 35 is used to temporarily store the plants 100, particularly after retrieving the plants 100 from the cultivation area 10 and before returning them to the cultivation area 10. The buffer portion can assist in the picking of plants, i.e., by temporarily holding the plants after scanning and determining the plant parameters to assist in the picking of plants.

[0225] In the figures, several configurations of the planting area and the secondary conveyor portions are shown. Among these embodiments, similar elements are denoted by reference numerals preceded by "100" or "200".

[0226] In Figures 1A to 1G the embodiment shown, each of the planting areas 11 is provided with a single secondary conveyor portion 32. Each of the secondary conveyor portions 32 is thus configured to receive a single set of picked plants 100. The secondary conveyor portions 32 are implemented as straight branches extending from the main conveyor portion 31 in the cultivation area 10. These branches are formed to have a single connection point with the main conveyor portion 31 shown at the bottom in the figure and a linear route with opposite ends shown at the top of the secondary conveyor portion 32. Each of the secondary conveyor portions 32 is provided with a single switching device 33 for selectively connecting and disconnecting the secondary conveyor portion 32 from the main conveyor portion 31. By moving the plants in a first direction (e.g., the upward direction in the figure) into the planting area, the branches can be filled with the plants 100, and by moving the plants out of the planting area in a second direction (e.g., the downward direction in the figure) that is anti-parallel to the first direction, the branches can be unloaded.

[0227] If it is desired to scan the plant parameters or harvest agricultural products from the plants 100 in a certain set of picked plants, the entire secondary conveyor portion 32 can be emptied into the main conveyor portion 31 to pass along the scanning device 40 and the harvesting device 50. In Figures 1A to 1G the embodiment shown, the climate of the plants 100 is adjusted individually for each of the planting areas 11. Each of the planting areas 11 is configured to contain only a single set of picked plants 100, which means that the climate conditions for each of the planting areas 11 can be optimized for that single set of plants 100.

[0228] Figure 2A and Figure 2B illustrates different embodiments of a cultivation assembly designated by reference numeral 101. The cultivation area 110 of this embodiment also includes a plurality of planting areas 111 shown by dashed lines in the drawing. In this embodiment, the secondary conveying portion 132 is implemented as a closed-loop conveying portion having two opposite ends located beside the main conveying portion 131. The closed-loop conveying portion 132 is implemented as, for example, an inverted U-shaped U-shaped route having two connection points with the main conveying portion 131. In particular, the first end of the closed-loop conveying portion is provided with a first switching device 133' for the main conveying portion 131, and the opposite second end of the closed-loop conveying portion 131 is provided with a second switching device 133" for the main conveying portion 131. The closed-loop conveying portion 132 can thus be connected to the main conveying portion 131 from both ends, which allows the closed-loop conveying portion 132 to be filled with plants 100 from both ends, and allows the plants 100 to be unloaded from the closed-loop conveying portion from both ends as well.

[0229] This allows multiple groups of picked plants 100 to be moved into each closed-loop conveying portion 132 independently of each other. Thus, one of the multiple groups can be loaded via the first switching device 133' from the first end of the closed-loop conveying portion 132, and another one of the multiple groups can be loaded via the second switching device 133" from the second end of the closed-loop conveying portion 132. In the case where it is desired to retrieve the group that was first loaded into the closed-loop conveying portion 132, it is not necessary to first retrieve the group that was loaded second. The suspended conveying device 130 further includes a bypass portion 134 that forms a bypass for a portion of the suspended conveying device 130 along the harvesting device 140 and the lowering and pruning device 160.

[0230] Figure 3A and Figure 3B illustrates yet another different embodiment of a cultivation assembly designated by reference numeral 201. The cultivation area 210 of this embodiment also includes a plurality of planting areas 211 also shown by dashed lines in the drawing. In this embodiment of the cultivation assembly 201, each secondary conveying portion 232 is also implemented as a closed-loop conveying portion having two opposite ends located beside the main conveying portion 231. In this embodiment of the cultivation assembly 201, each secondary conveying portion 232 is arranged in two planting areas 211. Each of the secondary conveying portions 232 is configured to receive two groups of picked plants 100 to suspend each group in its own intended planting area 211.

[0231] In the present embodiment, a first end of the closed-loop conveying portion is provided with a first switching device 233' for the main conveying portion 231, and an opposite second end of the closed-loop conveying portion 231 is provided with a second switching device 233" for the main conveying portion 231. The suspended conveying device 230 further includes a bypass portion 234 which forms a bypass for a portion of the suspended conveying device 230 along the harvesting device 240 and the lowering and trimming device 260.

[0232] If it is desired to scan plant parameters or harvest agricultural products from plants 100 in a selected group of plants 100, only a part of the entire secondary conveying portion 232 can be emptied to be conveyed along the scanning device 240 and / or the harvesting device 250. The suspended conveying device 230 is configured to move only the plants 100 in a selected group of plants in each secondary conveying portion 232, without moving other plants 100 in that secondary conveying portion 232. In the example shown in the figures, plants 100 represented, for example, by diamonds can be retrieved only from the secondary conveying portion 232. Other plants 100 represented, for example, by triangles can remain in place, which is beneficial for reducing the stress on the plants 100.

[0233] However, alternatively, Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B 、 Figure 3A and Figure 3B the components in can be configured to receive plants suspended on respective strings, each string including a plurality of plant suspension attachments for holding a single plant. Each of the secondary conveying portions can thus receive a corresponding string. The strings can be retrieved from their secondary conveying portions as a whole to the main conveying portion in order to move the plants to a central operating area and back to their growing areas, and vice versa.

[0234] Figures 1B to 1G shows how to perform a method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In an initial state, as shown in Figure 1B , plants are randomly arranged in the greenhouse. In the figure, different plants at different harvest maturity stages are schematically shown as squares, triangles, circles, diamonds, and pentagons.

[0235] In Figure 1C , it is shown that plants in the first and second of the secondary conveying portions 32 are moved towards the central operating area 10 through the main conveying portion 31. Thus, the movement of the plants is represented by arrows.

[0236] In Figure 1DAs shown, after being scanned in the scanning station 40, all plants except for the plants shown by the square are conveyed towards the bypass section. The "square plants" are at the harvest maturity stage indicating that the agricultural products of these plants are ready for harvesting. Therefore, these plants are conveyed along the harvesting device 50 for harvesting agricultural products and along the lowering and pruning device 60 for lowering the plants and pruning their roots. After passing through the devices 50 and 60, the "square plants" are moved into the buffer section 35.

[0237] Figure 1E The other sub-conveying sections 32 shown where the plants are conveyed towards the central operation area 20 are also emptied. At the same time, the scanned plants are moved back into the cultivation area 10.

[0238] In the next step, in Figure 1F it is best shown that the scanned plants are sorted in various different sub-conveying sections 32 and the corresponding different planting areas 11. Therefore, all the "triangle plants" are sorted in the rightmost planting area 11 adjacent to the "round plants", "diamond plants" and "pentagon plants" when looking from right to left.

[0239] Finally, Figure 1G it is shown that the buffer section 35 carrying the "square plants" is subsequently emptied. These "square plants" are also moved into the cultivation area 10 to be sorted in their own planting area 11.

[0240] In all embodiments, the cultivation assemblies 1, 101, 201 further include sorting devices functionally connected to the scanning devices 40, 140, 240 and configured to direct the plants 100 to their associated planting areas 11, 111, 211 according to the scanned parameters. The sorting devices 40, 140, 240 include at least one switching device 31, 131, 231 for each of the planting areas 11, 111, 211 and a control device 70, 170, 270 functionally connected to the scanning devices 40, 140, 240 and the switching devices 31, 131, 231 and configured to selectively operate the switching devices 31, 131, 231 to direct the plants to the corresponding planting areas 11, 111, 211 based on the plant parameters obtained from the scanning devices 40, 140, 240.

Claims

1. A method for cultivating indeterminate growth type plants such as tomato plants, sweet pepper plants, cucumber plants, and / or eggplant plants suspended on a suspended conveying device in a cultivation area of an indoor cultivation site having a plurality of cultivation areas, such as in a greenhouse, a vertical farm, or a climate-controlled warehouse, the method comprising the following steps: Scanning one or more parameters of the plants with a scanning device arranged in a central operation area of the cultivation site, such as scanning one or more parameters of the agricultural products of the plants, Characterizing the plants into a plurality of different harvest maturity stages based on the scanned parameters, Characterized in that the method further comprises the following steps: Moving the plants to the cultivation area, including sorting the plants into the plurality of cultivation areas based on the harvest maturity stages of the plants.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The plant parameters include one or more of the following parameters: The color of the agricultural product; The texture of the agricultural product; The shape of the agricultural product; The size of the agricultural product; The chemical composition of the agricultural product, especially its sugar content; The fluorescence of the agricultural product, especially chlorophyll fluorescence; and / or its hyperspectral color bandwidth; and / or Plant identifiers.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The scanning device is an optical scanning device, and wherein the scanning step comprises: Obtaining one or more images of the plants, such as obtaining one or more images of the agricultural products of the plants; and Processing the images to infer the plant parameters from the images.

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Sorting the plants into a plurality of groups, for example corresponding to the number of the cultivation areas, and Wherein, moving each sorted group of plants to a corresponding cultivation area.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The harvest maturity stage represents until at least a part of the agricultural product is mature and / or until the remaining predicted growth period for the expected harvest of at least a part of the agricultural product.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the following steps after the predicted growth period of the plants in the corresponding cultivation area has passed: Moving the plants from the cultivation area to the central operation area, Harvesting at least a part of the agricultural products from the plants with a harvesting device arranged in the central operation area, and Moving the plants back to their cultivation areas.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, further comprising: In the case where the harvest maturity stage of the plants represents that the agricultural product is mature and / or the expected harvest of at least a part of the agricultural product, Moving the plants to the harvesting device, Harvesting at least a part of the agricultural products from the plants with a harvesting device arranged in the central operation area, and Moving the plants back to their cultivation areas.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising, after the step of harvesting: The step of accumulating the harvested plants, Wherein, the movement of the plants includes moving the accumulated harvested plants to a single cultivation area.

9. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: The step of spreading adjacent plants at the scanning device and / or the harvesting device to locally increase the mutual distance between subsequent plants.

10. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, The plants include stems and roots, Wherein, the suspended plants are freely hung by the tops of the stems, and Wherein, in the absence of a growth substrate, in a substantially enclosed root chamber, the roots are suspended from the stem, for example, freely suspended from the stem.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of: In the central operation area, lowering the plant by re-suspending the plant through a newly grown portion of the stem, i.e., a portion above the top of the stem, and In the central operation area, trimming at least a portion of the roots of the plant at the bottom end of the roots of the plant.

12. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising: The step of adjusting the growth conditions such as temperature, watering, nutrient supply, and / or light conditions in the planting area according to the harvest maturity stage of the plant in each of the planting areas.

13. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein, Only a single set of selected plants is moved into each planting area.

14. A cultivation assembly for performing the method according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising: A cultivation area including a plurality of planting areas configured to receive indeterminate plants to promote their growth, A central operation area having scanning means for scanning one or more parameters of the plant, and A suspended conveyor extending through the cultivation area and the central operation area, wherein the plant is suspended on the suspended conveyor in a substantially vertical orientation, Wherein the suspended conveyor is configured to move the plant between the planting area and the scanning means, and Wherein the suspended conveyor further comprises sorting means functionally connected to the scanning means and configured to direct the plant to its associated planting area according to the scanned parameters.

15. The cultivation component according to claim 14, wherein, The scanning means is an optical scanning means such as a camera device.

16. The cultivation assembly according to claim 14 or 15, wherein, The scanning means is oriented in a vertical direction, for example, comprising a plurality of camera devices arranged one above the other.

17. The cultivation assembly according to any one of claims 14 to 16, further comprising: A harvesting device arranged in the central operation area for harvesting agricultural products from the plant.

18. The cultivation component according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein, The suspended conveyor comprises: A main conveyor portion extending through the cultivation area and the central operation area, i.e., extending along the scanning means, and A plurality of secondary conveyor portions in the cultivation area, wherein each of the secondary conveyor portions is at least partially arranged in a planting area, Wherein each of the secondary conveyor portions is configured to suspend one or more sets of selected plants.

19. The cultivation component according to claim 18, wherein, The plants in each of the secondary conveyor portions are suspended on corresponding strings, each string including a plurality of plant suspension attachments for holding a single plant.

20. The cultivation assembly according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein The suspended conveyor further comprises one or more buffer portions, preferably in the central operation area, forming a bypass line of the main path of the plant between the cultivation area and the central operation area, and configured to temporarily suspend one or more of the plants.

21. The cultivation component according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein The sorting means further comprises: At least one switching device for each of the planting areas, and A control device, functionally connected to the scanning device and the at least one switching device, and configured to selectively operate the at least one switching device based on the plant parameters obtained from the scanning device to direct the plants to corresponding planting areas.

Images