GREENHOUSE FACILITY

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a greenhouse system according to the preamble of claim 1.

[0002] Such a greenhouse system is known, for example, from JP H09 308 377 A.

[0003] Such a greenhouse system can be used for so-called "vertical farming," in which the available floor space is optimally utilized by multiplying it by arranging multiple positions for plant containers. Furthermore, a favorable atmosphere for plant growth can be created within each greenhouse arrangement, i.e., a favorable temperature and humidity. If necessary, the lighting required for plant growth can be provided by lamps installed in the respective chambers.

[0004] While the use of multiple stacked support positions has the advantage of freeing up planting space, it has the disadvantage of making it difficult to load the support positions with plants, many of which are arranged in plant containers.

[0005] The invention is based on the object of providing a simple and at the same time cost-effective way of growing plants under given conditions.

[0006] This object is achieved by a greenhouse system having the features of claim 1.

[0007] A storage and retrieval machine has the advantage of being able to move a plant container in three spatial directions. The first direction of movement is horizontal, i.e. parallel to the floor on which the greenhouse arrangements stand, and parallel to the first level. The second direction of movement is vertical. The second direction of movement is also parallel to the first level. The third direction of movement is perpendicular to the first level. The storage and retrieval machine can therefore be loaded with a plant container and then controlled so that it places the plant container in the desired position in one of the greenhouse arrangements. Since such a greenhouse system only requires a limited number of loading operations per day, the storage and retrieval machine can be dimensioned relatively weakly in terms of drive power. This makes the storage and retrieval machine cost-effective.

[0008] The first chamber has a first removal side arranged opposite the first loading side, and the second chamber has a second removal side arranged opposite the second loading side, wherein the first removal side and the second removal side are arranged on a common second level and a second storage and retrieval machine is arranged in front of the removal side. The same advantages apply here as on the loading side. The second storage and retrieval machine can be used to remove the plant containers from the chambers of the greenhouse arrangements. The ability to move the plant containers in three spatial directions is also advantageous here. The pallet truck of the storage and retrieval machine can be moved in front of the respective receiving position.The stacker crane can then slightly lift the respective plant container, move it out of the chamber perpendicular to the second level, lower it in front of the second level, and then transport it away from the greenhouse arrangement. This also eliminates the need for human strength, which would also require a certain degree of dexterity.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment, the first storage and retrieval machine can be moved into a loading position that is arranged laterally next to one of the greenhouse assemblies in the direction of the first level. The storage and retrieval machine can then be loaded from the same side that is later used to transfer a plant container from the storage and retrieval machine to one of the chambers of the greenhouse assemblies. This allows the storage and retrieval machine to be kept simple without having to compromise on the performance of the greenhouse system. The loading position can, for example, contain a seeding area in which plant trays that are later inserted into a plant container, or the plant containers themselves, are filled with soil or another substrate suitable for growing plants. Furthermore, seeds, seedlings, cuttings, or the like can be introduced into the soil or substrate.Finally, if necessary, water or a nutrient solution can be added directly to the plant container. Since the loading position is located next to one of the greenhouse arrangements, there is sufficient space available.

[0010] Preferably, a germination position is located between the loading position and the greenhouse arrangement, in which several plant container receptacles are arranged one above the other. In the germination position, for example, seeds can germinate under controlled conditions. These controlled conditions may well differ from the conditions favorable for plant growth. By separating germination from growth, good results can be achieved easily.

[0011] It is preferred that the germination position has a lower capacity than a single greenhouse arrangement. This assumes that the time required to germinate the plants or seeds is shorter than the time required for the plants to grow to harvest-ready status.

[0012] Preferably, the second storage and retrieval machine can be moved to an unloading position located laterally next to one of the greenhouse arrangements in the direction of the second level. Essentially, the same applies here as for the loading position. Sufficient space is then also available for unloading.

[0013] Preferably, the loading position and the unloading position are located on different sides of the first greenhouse arrangement in the direction of the first level. Operations taking place in the loading position on the one hand and the unloading position on the other hand do not interfere. This simplifies the loading and unloading of the plant containers.

[0014] Preferably, at least the first storage and retrieval machine has a drive control which limits the acceleration of a travel movement of the storage and retrieval machine in the direction of the first level to a maximum value. Such a drive control is particularly advantageous when the plant containers are already filled with a liquid in the loading position, so that a liquid bath is created in the plant container. If the acceleration of the storage and retrieval machine is too great, either positively or negatively, i.e. also during braking, then there is a risk that the liquid will spill out of the plant container. This has two disadvantages. Firstly, the surrounding area becomes dirty. Secondly, the necessary amount of liquid may then no longer be available, which is particularly disadvantageous if the liquid is a nutrient solution or contains nutrients.This problem can be avoided by limiting the acceleration to the maximum value. However, limiting the maximum speed is not necessary.

[0015] Preferably, the stacker crane has two masts, between which a pallet truck is arranged. The greenhouse arrangements can easily be several meters wide. Accordingly, the plant containers also have a correspondingly large width. The use of two masts allows the pallet truck to be supported on both sides, allowing the pallet truck to maintain a horizontal alignment even when the plant container has a certain mass. This is another feature that can minimize the risk of liquid leakage from the plant containers.

[0016] Advantageously, the first storage and retrieval machine has a rail arrangement whose length is adapted to the number of greenhouse arrangements. The greenhouse system can then be freely scaled. If multiple greenhouse arrangements are required, the rail arrangement can simply be extended, or a longer rail arrangement can be used. If fewer greenhouse arrangements are used, the rail arrangement can be made correspondingly shorter. Such scaling can also be done retrospectively.

[0017] Preferably, each chamber is delimited on the feed side by a movable wall having an opening that can be moved from a first position in which the chamber is not accessible from the outside to at least a second position in which one of the receiving positions in the chamber is accessible from the outside. This makes it possible to maintain a predetermined atmosphere in the respective chambers without excessive effort. The exchange of air with the environment, for example, is prevented by the movable wall. A major advantage, however, is that the movable wall prevents the entry of pests such as insects, germs or fungi, or at least minimizes the risk of such entry.The plants grown in the respective greenhouse arrangements can then be cultivated without pesticides, such as insecticides or pesticides, or at least with minimal pesticide use. This increases the acceptance of the plants in question among health-conscious consumers. The opening is preferably designed so that only one receiving position can be fed at a time. The other receiving positions are then still separated from the environment. Since the opening is at least partially closed by a plant container when feeding a receiving position, the risk of unwanted pests entering the chamber is relatively low.

[0018] The invention is described below using a preferred embodiment in conjunction with the drawings. Fig. 1 a top view of a greenhouse arrangement with several greenhouses, Fig. 2 a perspective view of the greenhouse arrangement according to Fig. 1 , Fig. 3 a schematic sectional view of a chamber in closed state, Fig. 4 view after Fig. 3 the chamber with an opening in an access position and Fig. 5 an enlarged view of the movable wall in the area of ​​its opening.

[0019] A plant production system 1 includes a seeding area 2 in which plant trays (not shown in detail) can be filled with soil or another substrate suitable for growing plants. Seeds, seedlings, seedlings, or the like can be introduced into the soil or substrate. The plant trays are then placed in plant containers, which may also be filled with a nutrient solution and / or water.

[0020] At one end of the sowing area 2, a rail arrangement 3 is arranged, on which a storage and retrieval machine 4 can be moved. The storage and retrieval machine 4 has two masts 5, 6, between which a lifting truck 7 is arranged. The storage and retrieval machine 4 can pick up the plant trays from the sowing area 2 and transport them to a germination area 8, in which several germination cabinets 9, 10 ( Fig. 2 ). The germination cabinets can be loaded by the storage and retrieval machine 4.

[0021] The storage and retrieval machine 4 can also be moved in front of one of several greenhouse arrangements 11, 12, 13, 14. Each of these greenhouse arrangements has a loading side 15 and a removal side 16.

[0022] A second storage and retrieval machine 17 with two masts 18, 19 is arranged on the removal side 16, between which a lifting truck 20 with a load-handling device (not shown in detail) is arranged. The storage and retrieval machine 17 can be moved on a rail arrangement 21 in front of the removal sides 16 of the greenhouse assemblies 11-14 into a harvesting area 22 and a washing area 23. It can also be moved back into the sowing area 2.

[0023] The rail assemblies 3, 21 can be extended as desired, so that the length of the rail assemblies 3, 21 can be adapted to the number of greenhouse assemblies 11-14. System 1 is thus easily scalable. The size of system 1 can be changed by adding or removing a greenhouse assembly 11-14.

[0024] The loading sides 15 of all greenhouse arrangements 11-14 are arranged on a common first level, and the first storage and retrieval machine 4 can be moved parallel to this first level. The removal sides 16 of all greenhouse arrangements 11-14 are arranged on a second level, and the storage and retrieval machine 17 can be moved parallel to the second level.

[0025] For example, in Fig. 2As can be seen, each greenhouse arrangement 11-14 has several receiving positions 24 arranged one above the other for the plant containers described above. The plant containers can be inserted into each of the receiving positions 24 on the loading side 15 and removed on the removal side 16. For this purpose, each receiving position 24 can be provided with two roller bars on both sides, so that the plant containers can be moved along these roller bars with little effort. Other possibilities for facilitating the movement of such plant containers are conceivable.

[0026] The receiving positions 24 are in a chamber 25 ( Figs. 3 and 4 ) which is closed on all sides. In Fig. 2 Two side walls 26, 27 and a ceiling wall 28 can be seen here. The lower boundary is formed by a floor 29. However, another separate wall can also be provided here.

[0027] In order to avoid or minimize the use of pesticides such as insecticides or pesticides, the chambers 25 should be kept closed throughout the growth of the plants to prevent the entry of pests.

[0028] For this purpose, the chamber (in addition to the four walls 26-28 already described) has a first movable wall 30 on the loading side 15, which is explained below. A similar wall is arranged on the removal side 16, to which the following explanation applies in the same way.

[0029] The wall 30 is movable and has an opening 31 which can be opened from a first position in which the chamber 25 is not accessible from the outside ( Fig. 3 ) can be moved into a second position in which a receiving position 24a in the chamber is accessible from the outside ( Fig. 4). An auxiliary device 32, for example, an air conditioning device, is arranged in the chamber 25. The opening 31 can be moved in front of this auxiliary device 32 in the first position, so that the auxiliary device 32 covers the opening 31 and thus prevents access from the outside through the opening 31 into the chamber 25.

[0030] In the second position, however, only one of the receiving positions 24a is accessible from the outside, whereby a plant container can be introduced into the receiving position 24a from the outside through the opening 31.

[0031] The same applies to the removal side 16. Here, too, the movable wall is provided with an opening that can be moved into a first position, in which the chamber on the removal side 16 is closed, and into a second position, in which one of the receiving positions 24, 24a is accessible. When the opening is in the second position, a plant container can be removed from the chamber 25.

[0032] Fig. 5 shows an enlarged part of the wall 30 and the storage and retrieval machine 4, so that further details can be seen. In Fig. 5 An embodiment is shown which differs slightly from the one shown in the Figs. 3 and 4 deviates.

[0033] The lifting carriage 7 of the storage and retrieval machine 4 can be moved vertically along the masts 5, 6. The lifting carriage has a load-handling device 33 that can be moved horizontally. The load-handling device 33 can be moved in a direction perpendicular to the masts 5, 6 and perpendicular to the rail arrangement 3.

[0034] Connected to the load-handling device is a coupling element 34, which can be engaged with a counter-element 35 on the wall 30 when the load-handling device 33 is moved toward the wall 30. The coupling element 34 and the counter-element 35 form a coupling arrangement. The movement of the coupling element 34 toward the wall 30 can be limited, while the load-handling device 33 can be moved further to penetrate the chamber 25 through the opening 31. A plant container provided on the load-handling device 33 can then be placed in a receiving position 24, 24a. The coupling element 34 can also be arranged on the lifting carriage 7 in another way.

[0035] The coupling arrangement 34, 35 can transmit the movement of the lifting carriage 7 directly to the wall 30, so that the opening 31 moves synchronously with the lifting carriage 7. The coupling arrangement 34, 35 is releasable. However, in the engaged state, i.e., when the coupling element 34 is connected to the counter element 35, the coupling arrangement can transmit forces in both directions of movement, so that the wall 30 with the opening 31 can be moved both upwards and downwards.

[0036] The opening 31 has a reinforced edge 36. The reinforced edge 36 ensures that the contour of the opening 31 is maintained even with a thin wall 30.

[0037] The wall 30 is, as one can see in Figs. 3 and 4can be seen, guided over two deflection rollers 37, 38. Since the wall 30 is deformable, it can be deflected at the deflection rollers 37, 38 and the areas that are not used to cover the loading side 15 or the removal side 16 can then be accommodated in areas outside the chamber.

[0038] Fig. 5 shows a modified embodiment. Here, the wall 30 is also guided over the deflection roller 38 and then reaches a receiving device 39, in which it can be wound up or folded, for example. A corresponding receiving device 39 can also be provided at the end of the movable wall 30, which in Fig. 5 is not shown.

[0039] The wall 30 can, for example, be designed as a roller shutter or a folding shutter with movably connected slats. The wall 30 can also be formed by a thick tarpaulin that can be rolled up.

[0040] As mentioned above, the loading sides 15 are arranged on a first level, and the removal sides 16 are arranged on a second level. A storage and retrieval machine is movable parallel to each of the two levels, so that the greenhouse assemblies 11-14 can be loaded with plant containers in a continuous process. Storage and retrieval machine 4 is responsible for loading, and storage and retrieval machine 17 is responsible for removing the plant containers from the greenhouse assemblies 11-14.

[0041] Storage and retrieval machines 4, 17 have the advantage of being able to move the plant containers in three spatial directions. The first spatial direction is defined by the rail arrangement 3 (or a similar rail arrangement 21 for the storage and retrieval machine 17). The second spatial direction is defined by the masts 5, 6. The third spatial direction is defined by the direction of movement of the load-handling devices 7.

[0042] It is also possible to provide a storage and retrieval machine 4 only at one end of the greenhouse arrangements 11-14, which is then responsible for both loading and unloading the plant containers.

[0043] The germination cabinets 9, 10 can be designed similarly to the greenhouse arrangements 11-14. Since the germination time is generally shorter than the growth time of the plants, the germination cabinets 9, 10 can be smaller than the greenhouse arrangements 11-14, for example, lower and shorter. Accordingly, the germination position 8 has a smaller storage capacity than the greenhouse arrangements 11-14.

[0044] It is expedient if the preparation position, i.e., the sowing area 2, and the unloading position, i.e., the harvesting area 22 and, if applicable, the washing area 23, are located on different sides of the greenhouse arrangements 11-14. This allows the individual functional areas to be spatially decoupled.

[0045] At least the storage and retrieval machine 4 on the loading side has a drive control that limits the acceleration of a travel movement of the storage and retrieval machine 4 on the rail arrangement 3. A storage and retrieval machine usually has a very high acceleration in order to keep conveying times, such as those that occur in a high-bay warehouse, to a minimum. This requires high acceleration. In the present case, however, excessive acceleration could cause liquid that has been poured into a plant container to leak out and thus contaminate the surrounding area. To prevent such a damage, the acceleration is limited to the maximum value. The maximum value is selected such that even at an acceleration of the maximum value, the liquid cannot escape from the plant container.

[0046] The use of two masts on the lifting carriage 5, 6 has the advantage that plant containers which have been picked up by the load-handling device 33 on the lifting carriage 7 can be held horizontally with sufficient accuracy, so that in turn the risk of liquid overflowing from the plant container can be kept small.

[0047] The greenhouse arrangements 11-14 do not all have to be of the same design. If only one storage and retrieval machine 4 is used, it is sufficient to arrange the loading sides 15 on one level. If two storage and retrieval machines 4, 17 are used, it is a prerequisite that both the loading sides 15 and the removal sides 16 are each arranged on the same level. Furthermore, the greenhouse arrangements 11-14 can certainly have different heights. The distances between receiving positions 24, 24a can also be different, for example, to be able to grow plants of different heights in different greenhouse arrangements 11-14.

[0048] Since the chamber 25 remains largely closed during loading and unloading because connection to the environment is only possible via the opening, the atmosphere in the chamber 25, in particular temperature and humidity, can also be well controlled and regulated.

[0049] If necessary, the opening 31 can also be moved to a position between two receiving positions, for example, to carry out repair work in the chamber 25 and to replace any necessary spare parts. Spare parts can, for example, be supports for lighting equipment. This applies regardless of whether one or two storage and retrieval machines are provided.

Claims

1. Greenhouse system (1) with at least one first greenhouse arrangement (11) and a second greenhouse arrangement (12), wherein the first greenhouse arrangement (11) has a first chamber (25) in which a plurality of receiving positions (24, 24a) for plant containers are arranged one above the other and which has a first loading side (15), and the second greenhouse arrangement (12) has a second chamber in which a plurality of receiving positions for plant containers are arranged one above the other and which has a second loading side, wherein the first loading side (15) and the second loading side are arranged in a common first plane and a first rack serving device (4) is arranged in front of the loading sides (15), characterized in that the first chamber (25) has a first removal side (16) which is arranged opposite the first loading side (15), and the second chamber has a second removal side which is arranged opposite the second loading side, wherein the first removal side (16) and the second removal side are arranged in a common second plane and a second rack-serving device (17) is arranged in front of the removal sides.

2. . Greenhouse system according to claim 1, characterized in that the first rack serving device (4) can be moved to a feeding position (2) which is arranged in the direction of the first plane laterally adjacent to one of the greenhouse arrangements (11, 12).

3. . Greenhouse system according to claim 2, characterized in that a germination position (8) is arranged between the feeding position (2) and the first greenhouse arrangement (11), in which several plant container racks are arranged one above the other.

4. . Greenhouse system according to claim 3, characterized in that the germination position (8) has a lower capacity than a single greenhouse arrangement (11, 12).

5. . Greenhouse system according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the second rack serving device (17) can be moved into an unloading position (22, 23) which is arranged in the direction of the second plane laterally adjacent to one of the greenhouse arrangements (11, 12).

6. . Greenhouse system according to claim 5, characterized in that the loading position (2) and the unloading position (22, 23) are arranged on different sides of the first greenhouse arrangement (11) in the direction of the first plane.

7. . Greenhouse system according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that at least the first rack serving device (4) has a drive control which limits the acceleration of a traversing movement of the rack serving device (4) in the direction of the first plane to a maximum value.

8. . Greenhouse system according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the rack serving device (4) has two masts (5, 6) between which a lift truck (7) is arranged.

9. . Greenhouse system according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the first rack serving device (4) has a rail arrangement (3) whose length is adapted to the number of greenhouse arrangements (11, 12).

10. . Greenhouse system according to one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that each chamber (25) is bounded on the loading side (15) by a movable wall (30) which has an opening (31) which is movable from a first position, in which the chamber (25) is not accessible from the outside, into at least a second position, in which one of the receiving positions (24, 24a) in the chamber (25) is accessible from the outside.