Method for separating culture medium and container, and separation apparatus

Abstract

To provide an automated facility for improving work efficiency in a plant factory.SOLUTION: This is a method for separating a culture medium and a container, in which a container is transported while being fitted into a hole of a transport panel, with the culture medium used for cultivation remaining after harvesting of the plant, and in which the culture medium and the container are separated and recovered from the container. The method comprises a first step in which a contact member in a first form is lowered toward the culture medium from above the container, a second step in which the contact member is changed from the first form to a second form that exerts a holding function, and a third step in which the contact member is raised; and through this series of operations, the culture medium is taken out from the container, and the container is removed from the transport panel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for separating a culture medium and a container in a plant production system for producing plants in facilities such as a plant factory.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, attention has been paid to stable supply to the market and quality improvement by controlling soil pests and diseases, and hydroponic cultivation of plants such as leafy vegetables has been actively carried out in plant factories. Regarding such hydroponic cultivation in plant factories, various cultivation facilities have been proposed.

[0003] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a cultivation facility that uses a plurality of types of cultivation panels. In this cultivation facility, after going through the seeding process, the seedling raising process, and the planting process, in the subsequent cultivation process, plants are cultivated while the cultivation panels are conveyed in a line.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] In a plant factory, the process efficiency can be improved by promoting automation. However, at present, manual work processes remain, and one of them is the separation and recovery work of the culture medium and the container (pot). Generally, in plant cultivation, the container is often reused, and in that case, a separation and recovery work of removing the culture medium and leaving only the container occurs. Also in a plant factory, the container is almost always reused, and the separation and recovery work is one of the production processes. However, it has not been realized to automate and efficiently perform the operation of taking out the container conveyed by the line, taking out the culture medium and discarding it, and recovering the container for reuse.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to automate such separation and recovery operations and simplify the work processes by automation.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0007] The method for separating a culture medium and a container according to the present invention is a method for separating and recovering the culture medium and the container from a container that is conveyed while being fitted into the holes of a conveyance panel with the culture medium used for cultivation remaining after the plant has been harvested. As a first form, it includes a first step of lowering a contact member from above the container toward the culture medium, a second step of changing the contact member from the first form to a second form that exhibits a holding function, and a third step of raising the contact member. By this series of operations, the culture medium is taken out of the container, and the container is taken out of the conveyance panel. For a container in which the plant has been harvested and the culture medium remains, the container is separated from the conveyance panel and the culture medium is separated from the container by the operations of lowering and raising a contact member from above.

[0008] The separation device according to the present invention includes a first form that does not have a holding function, a contact member that is changed to a second form capable of exhibiting a holding function, a moving mechanism that moves the contact member and changes the form of the contact member, and a controller that controls the moving mechanism. The controller performs control to cause the moving mechanism to execute a first step of lowering the contact member in the first form from above the container toward the culture medium, a second step of changing the contact member from the first form to the second form, and a third step of raising the contact member, with respect to a container that is conveyed while being fitted into the holes of a conveyance panel with the culture medium used for cultivation remaining after the plant has been harvested. Thereby, an apparatus for executing the above-described method for separating a culture medium and a container can be realized.

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, the operation of removing the culture medium from the container after harvesting the plants can be automated, thereby expanding the automation in the entire plant production system and improving the efficiency.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the configurations shown in the drawings referred to in the description of the present embodiment are those obtained by extracting the main parts necessary for realizing the present embodiment and the configurations around them. In addition, the descriptions in the drawings are schematic, and the relationships and ratios of the thicknesses and planar dimensions of the respective structures including the plants shown in the drawings are only for convenience of explanation. Therefore, various changes can be made according to the design and the like without departing from the technical idea of the present invention.

[0012] <1. Plant Production System> With reference to FIG. 1, the outline of the plant production system 100 will be described. Examples of the plants 6 produced by the plant production system 100 include leafy vegetables mainly used for eating leaves and stems such as lettuce, and include spinach, komatsuna, and chingensai. In addition, the plants 6 here are not limited to leafy vegetables, and include, for example, cauliflower such as broccoli mainly used for eating flower buds.

[0013] The plant production system 100 includes a cultivation facility 101 for cultivating and harvesting a plurality of plants 6, and a shipping facility 102 for shipping the harvested plants 6. The cultivation facility 101 and the shipping facility 102 are provided, for example, inside a plant factory building.

[0014] The cultivation equipment 101 is provided with a seeding area 111, a sorting area 112, a seedling raising area 113, a planting area 114, a growth area 115, a harvesting area 116, and a washing area 117.

[0015] In the seeding area 111, the seeds 7 of the plants 6 to be cultivated are sorted and sown. In the seeding area 111, for example, seeds 7 that are expected to have poor germination are removed. The remaining seeds 7 to be sown are sown in pots 3 which are containers filled with a medium 2 (see Fig. 2). A plurality of the sown pots 3 are placed on a transport panel 4 in units and transported to the next process.

[0016] When the seeds 7 sown in the medium 2 in the pots 3 germinate, those plants 6 are transported to the sorting area 112 by the transport panel 4. In the sorting area 112, plants 6 with poor germination are removed. The remaining plants 6 are targeted for seedling raising and are transported to the seedling raising area 113 for seedling raising. The seedlings of the plants 6 are transported to the planting area 114.

[0017] In the planting area 114, the pots 3 of the plants 6 raised on the transport panel 4 for seedling raising are transferred to the transport panel 5 for growth. At this time, the pots 3 of the plants 6 with poor growth are removed. Also, in order to avoid contact between the growing plants 6, a wide interval is ensured between each of the plants 6 on the transport panel 5. Note that the number of times of rearranging the plants 6 on other transport panels during the growth of the plants 6 can be set according to the type of the plants 6 to be grown and the growth method.

[0018] The transport panel 5 on which the pots 3 are placed is transported to the growth area 115, and the plants 6 are grown. When the plants 6 have grown to a state where they can be harvested in the growth area 115, the transport panel 5 is transported to the harvesting area 116.

[0019] In the harvesting area 116, the grown plants 6 are harvested. In the harvesting area 116, the plants 6 are separated from the pots 3 and harvested by cutting the base of the plants. The harvested plants 6 are transported to the shipping equipment 102.

[0020] In the cleaning area 117, various transport panels 4, 5 and cultivation tools such as pots 3 used for cultivating the plant 6 are cleaned, sterilized and dried. The cultivation tools that have been cleaned, etc. are transported to each area and reused for cultivating the plant 6. Note that on the transport panel 5 carried to the cleaning area 117, there remains a pot 3 filled with the culture medium 2 after the plant 6 has been harvested in the harvesting area 116. For this reason, before cleaning, first a step is performed in which the pot 3 is taken out from the transport panel 5 and the culture medium 2 is separated from the pot 3. Then the culture medium 2 is discarded, and the pot 3 is recovered and cleaned. In the present embodiment, the separation operation of the pot 3 and the culture medium 2 from the transport panel 5 is automated, and the details will be described later. The recovery method of the pot 3 may be selected as either disorderly recovery by simply dropping it or aligned recovery, depending on the specifications of the cleaning process.

[0021] The shipping facility 102 is provided with a lower leaf treatment area 121, a weighing area 122, a packaging area 123, a boxing area 124 and a stacking area 125.

[0022] The plant 6 harvested in the harvesting area 116 of the cultivation facility 101 is transported to the lower leaf treatment area 121. In the lower leaf treatment area 121, a lower leaf treatment is performed to remove from the plant 6 the parts that are unnecessary for shipping. The targets of the lower leaf treatment here include parts that are not suitable for eating, such as parts that have turned black, for example, due to factors such as rot in the plant 6. Note that such lower leaf treatment may also be performed in the harvesting area 116 of the cultivation facility 101.

[0023] The plant 6 that has been subjected to the lower end treatment is classified according to the product specifications according to the weight measured in the weighing area 122, and is packaged with a film or the like in the packaging area 123. The packaged plant 6 is transported to the boxing area 124, inspected by a metal detector, and then packed into a formed box. The box filled with the plant 6 is stacked on a pallet in the stacking area 125 and shipped in a refrigerated storage state.

[0024] In addition, all or part of each area in the cultivation facility 101 may be provided in the shipping facility 102, or all or part of each area in the shipping facility 102 may be provided in the cultivation facility 101. Also, the configurations provided in each area of each facility are merely divided for convenience, and one of the above-described areas may include all or part of the configurations included in other areas.

[0025] Moreover, either the cultivation facility 101 or the shipping facility 102 may be provided in a different factory. Also, part of each area provided in the cultivation facility 101 and the shipping facility 102 may be provided in different factories. That is, even when part of each facility and its area are provided in different locations, the plant production system 100 is constructed based on each function.

[0026] <2. Each part structure> In the present embodiment, the process of automatically separating and recovering the pot 3 and the culture medium 2 from the transport panel 5 is automated. Here, the culture medium 2, the pot 3, and the transport panels 4 and 5 will be described.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows the culture medium 2, the pot 3, the pot 3 containing the culture medium 2, and the transport panel 4. The culture medium 2 is formed, for example, in a cubic shape from a resin molded product such as urethane, a mineral-derived material such as rock wool, or an organic material-derived material such as peat moss. A substantially hemispherical depression of a predetermined size is formed on one surface of the cubic shape, and this serves as the seeding hole 2a for placing the seeds 7. Note that the fact that the culture medium 2 is in a cubic shape is an example, and it may have other shapes such as a cylindrical shape.

[0028] This culture medium 2 is loaded into the pot 3. The pot 3 is used as a container for storing the culture medium 2 in order to handle the cultivated product and stabilize the position of the culture medium 2. The pot 3 has an open upper surface and a storage space 3a for storing the culture medium 2 is formed. Since the storage space 3a is formed to substantially match the cubic shape of the culture medium 2, the pot 3 can stably store the culture medium 2.

[0029] Note that the bottom surface of the storage space 3a in the pot 3 may or may not be provided with a hole. For example, FIG. 3 shows the bottom surface of the pot 3 provided with the hole 3b. The first embodiment describes the case of using the pot 3 provided with the hole 3b, and the second embodiment describes the case of using the pot 3 not provided with the hole 3b.

[0030] The pot 3 filled with the medium 2 is mounted on the transport panel 4 after being seeded in the seeding holes 2a, for example. A large number of pot placement holes 4a are provided in the transport panel 4. By inserting the pot 3 into the pot placement hole 4a from the bottom surface side, the flange portion 3c provided on the upper surface of the pot 3 is locked to the upper surface of the transport panel 4.

[0031] In this locked state, the pot 3 is stably placed on the transport panel 4. And by placing a large number of pots 3 on the transport panel 4 together, the transport in each region is made more efficient.

[0032] Although the transport panel 5 is not shown, the transport panel 5 also has pot placement holes 5a (see FIGS. 8, 13, etc.) formed in the panel plane. However, the pot placement holes 5a of the transport panel 5 are ensured to have a wider interval than the formation interval of the pot placement holes 4a of the transport panel 4.

[0033] <3. First Embodiment> The separation device 10 as the first embodiment and the separation method of the medium 2 and the pot 3 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the separation device 10.

[0034] The separation device 10 is a device that takes out and recovers the pot 3 from the transport panel 5 and takes out and discards the medium 2 from the pot 3 when entering the cleaning area 117. As the configuration of the separation device 10, it has a controller 11, a contact rod moving mechanism 12, and a panel transport mechanism 14.

[0035] The contact rod moving mechanism 12 is a mechanism for moving the contact rod 20 described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, and is configured to include an arm, an indirect mechanism, an actuator, and the like. In the case of the first embodiment, the contact rod 20 as a contact member and the insertion rod 30 inserted into the contact rod 20 are provided. The contact rod moving mechanism 12 also includes an insertion rod mechanism 13 for performing the insertion / removal movement operation of the insertion rod 30 with respect to the contact rod 20, along with the vertical and horizontal movement of the contact rod 20 including the insertion rod 30.

[0036] The panel conveying mechanism 14 is a mechanism for moving the conveying panel 5. That is, the conveying panel 5 mounted with the pot 3 after the plant 6 is harvested in the harvesting area 116 is conveyed to the position of the contact rod moving mechanism 12 so that the contact rod moving mechanism 12 can handle each pot 3 as a workpiece. Specifically, it is composed of a conveyor for conveying the conveying panel 5, a space for arranging the conveying panel 5 during the separation operation, and the like.

[0037] The controller 11 controls the contact rod moving mechanism 12 to drive the contact rod 20 to execute the removal, recovery of the pot 3 from the conveying panel 5, and the removal of the culture medium 2 from the pot 3. By the control of this controller 11, the movement and deformation of the contact rod 20 are performed in a predetermined process.

[0038] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of the contact rod 20. The contact rod 20 has a shape in which a cut is provided in a cylindrical shape as a whole. A ring-shaped base portion 24 is formed on the upper side, and a structure in which three rod-shaped piece portions 21, 22, and 23 extend downward from this base portion 24. That is, the rod-shaped piece portions 21, 22, and 23 are formed by the cut with respect to the cylinder.

[0039] Here, FIG. 5 further shows a perspective view and a side view of the rod-shaped pieces as seen from the inside with only the two rod-shaped pieces 21 and 22. These are shown in a state where the rod-shaped piece 23 is omitted. A cross-sectional view of the portions of the rod-shaped pieces 21 and 22 is also shown. The rod-shaped piece 23 not shown has the same shape as the rod-shaped pieces 21 and 22.

[0040] As can be seen from these figures, the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23 are shaped such that after an inner peripheral surface 25 extending downward from the base portion 24 is formed, a tapered surface 26 is formed near the tip, and they approach each other closer as they get closer to the tip. An insertion space 27 is formed by the inner peripheral surfaces 25 of the respective rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23.

[0041] With the contact rod 20 having such a structure, the contact rod 20 changes between the first form and the second form as shown in FIG. 6 by the action of the insertion rod 30. First, the insertion rod 30 is inserted into the insertion space 27, but the state where it has not reached the tapered surface 26 is the first form. As the insertion rod 30 descends, the tip of the insertion rod 30 comes into contact with the tapered surface 26. Then, as the insertion rod 30 further descends, the insertion rod 30 expands the tapered surface 26. This is the form change process.

[0042] When the insertion rod 30 further descends and the tip of the insertion rod 30 exceeds the lower end of the tapered surface 26, the tips of the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23 are in a state where they are most expanded in the circumferential direction. The state of being expanded like this is taken as the second form.

[0043] That is, the contact rod 20 changes from the first form to the second form by lowering the insertion rod 30 within the insertion space 27. Also, by raising the insertion rod 30, it returns from the second form to the first form. Such operations of the contact rod 20 and the insertion rod 30 are executed by the contact rod movement mechanism 12 and the insertion rod mechanism 13 based on the control of the controller 11.

[0044] The following shows the procedure of the separation method for the culture medium 2 and the pot 3 of the first embodiment in FIG. 7, and will be specifically described with reference to the schematic diagrams in FIGS. 8 to 16. As shown in FIG. 7, the separation method is roughly composed of a first step, a second step, and a third step.

[0045] The first step is a step of lowering the contact rod 20 configured in the first form from above the pot 3 toward the culture medium 2. In particular, it is a step of pushing out the culture medium 2 downward from the hole 3b at the bottom of the pot 3 by lowering the contact rod 20 configured in the first form. The second step is a step of changing the contact rod 20 from the first form to the second form that exhibits a holding function. In particular, it is a step of changing the contact rod 20 to the second form in which the tip of the contact rod 20 reaches a position below the hole 3b and the contact rod 20 locks the hole 3b. The third step is a step of raising the contact rod 20. In particular, it is a step of removing the pot 3 from the transport panel 5 by raising the contact rod 20.

[0046] Each step in FIG. 7 shows the operations executed by the contact rod movement mechanism 12 and the panel transport mechanism 14 under the control of the controller 11. First, as the first step, steps S101 and S102 are performed.

[0047] In step S101, a work, that is, the pot 3 to be separated and recovered hereafter, is set at a predetermined position where the contact rod 20 is waiting. Specifically, the transport panel 5 carried by the panel transport mechanism 14 is set at a predetermined position. In that state, the positions of one contact rod 20 and one pot 3 are set so as to face each other vertically. FIG. 8 shows a state where the pot 3, which is the work, is positioned below the contact rod 20. The pot 3 is fitted into the pot placement hole 5a of the transport panel 5 and is placed in a state where the flange portion 3c is caught by the panel plane.

[0048] Note that a plurality of pot placement holes 5a are formed in the transport panel 5, and a plurality of pots 3 are arranged side by side. In that case, a row of abutting rods 20 corresponding to a row of pots 3 may be configured to correspond. That is, a plurality of abutting rods 20 may be operated simultaneously to separate and recover a plurality of pots 3. Alternatively, the initial position of the abutting rod 20 may be controlled so as to change sequentially such that one abutting rod 20 sequentially recovers the arranged pots 3.

[0049] In step S102, the abutting rod moving mechanism 12 moves the abutting rod 20 downward (in the F1 direction). By continuing this downward movement, as shown in FIG. 9, the abutting rod 20 presses the culture medium 2 in the pot 3. At this time, the culture medium 2 is gradually pushed out from the hole portion 3b. The abutting rod 20 is lowered by a predetermined stroke such that its tip reaches below the hole portion 3b. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, the entire culture medium 2 is pushed out below the hole portion 3b. The pushed-out culture medium 2 falls into the trash can 31.

[0050] Next, step S103 is performed as the second step. In step S103, the insertion rod 30 moves in the F1 direction, that is, downward, within the abutting rod 20 by the insertion rod mechanism 13, whereby the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, 23 are expanded in the circumferential direction (F2 direction) as shown in FIG. 11.

[0051] By lowering the insertion rod 30 to a certain extent, as shown in FIG. 12, the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, 23 come into contact with the hole portion 3b from the inside of the hole portion 3b and hold the pot 3. That is, by expanding the contact rod 20 in the circumferential direction, the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23 of the contact rod 20 come into contact with the inner wall of the hole 3b of the pot 3. Since the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23 are expanded by the tapered surface 26, the lower part from the contacted part is further opened wider, and the pot 3 is in a state where it does not fall off the contact rod 20. As a result, the contact rod 20 can hold the pot 3 and can lift the pot 3 as it is and move it to an arbitrary position.

[0052] Next, as the third step, steps S104 to S108 are performed. First, in step S104, the contact rod moving mechanism 12 raises the contact rod 20. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13, the pot 3 is lifted in the F3 direction and taken out from the pot placement hole 5a of the transfer panel 5.

[0053] In step S105, the contact rod moving mechanism 12 moves the contact rod 20. As shown in FIG. 14, it is moved in the F4 direction from above the pot placement hole 4a and the pot 3 is positioned above the storage container 32.

[0054] In step S106, by the insertion rod mechanism 13, the insertion rod 30 moves in the F3 direction, that is, rises, inside the contact rod 20. As a result, as shown in FIG. 15, the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23 are closed inward (in the F5 direction), and the contact rod 20 returns to the first form. At this time, since the locking by the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23 is released, the pot 3 falls and is stored in the lower storage container 32.

[0055] In step S107, the contact rod moving mechanism 12 moves the contact rod 20 back to the standby position. In step S108, the controller 11 determines the end of the separation operation. If the separation operation is to be continued, the control returns to step S101. And it becomes the state of FIG. 8, and the first step is started for the next workpiece. If it is the end, the process ends from step S108 and a series of separation operations are completed.

[0056] As described above, the separation device 10 automatically removes the culture medium 2 from the pot 3 and removes and recovers the pot 3 from the transfer panel 5.

[0057] <4. Second Embodiment> As a second embodiment, an example of separating and recovering the pot 3 and the culture medium 2 when no hole is provided in the bottom surface of the pot 3 will be described.

[0058] Fig. 16 shows the procedure of the method for separating the culture medium 2 and the pot 3 of the second embodiment, and will be specifically described with reference to the schematic diagrams of Figs. 17 to 24. As shown in Fig. 16, the separation method is roughly composed of a first step, a second step, and a third step.

[0059] The first step is a step of lowering the contact rod 20, which is in the first form, from above the pot 3 toward the culture medium 2. In particular, it is a step of lowering the contact rod 20, which is in the first form, until it presses the culture medium 2 in the pot 3. The second step is a step of changing the contact rod 20 from the first form to the second form that exhibits a holding function. In particular, it is a step of changing the contact rod 20 to the second form in which the inner surface side of the pot 3 is pressed and held. The third step is a step of raising the contact rod 20. In particular, the pot 3 and the culture medium 2 are removed from the transfer panel 5 by raising the contact rod 20, and further, the contact rod 20 is returned to the first form and the pot 3 is collided with the stopper 50 to separate the pot 3 and the culture medium 2.

[0060] The configuration of the separation device 10 is substantially the same as that in Fig. 4, and a controller 11, a contact rod moving mechanism 12, and a panel transfer mechanism 14 are provided. However, the insertion rod mechanism 13 is not provided in the contact rod moving mechanism 12. Instead, the contact rod moving mechanism 12 not only moves the contact rod 20 but also includes a mechanism that opens to the left and right.

[0061] First, as the first step, steps S201 and S202 are performed. In step S201, a workpiece, that is, a pot 3 to be separated and recovered, is set at a predetermined position where the contact rod 20 is waiting. Specifically, the transfer panel 5 carried by the panel transfer mechanism 14 is set at the predetermined position. In this state, the positions of one contact rod 20 and one pot 3 are set so that they face each other vertically.

[0062] FIG. 17 shows a state where the pot 3 serving as a workpiece is positioned below the contact rod 20. The pot 3 is fitted into the pot placement hole 5a of the transfer panel 5 and is placed in a state where the flange portion 3c is caught by the panel plane. Note that the contact rod 20 has a structure having hands 41 and 42 that move separately from each other.

[0063] In step S202, the contact rod moving mechanism 12 lowers the contact rod 20 (moves in the F10 direction) as shown in FIG. 18. By this lowering, the contact rod 20 presses the culture medium 2 in the pot 3. At this time, the tip of the contact rod 20 is lowered by a predetermined stroke that presses the culture medium 2 to some extent.

[0064] Next, step S203 is performed as the second step. In step S203, the contact rod moving mechanism 12 moves the hands 41 and 42 of the contact rod 20 in the outer direction (F11 direction) respectively so as to press them against the inner wall side of the pot 3 as shown in FIG. 19. Actually, the hands 41 and 42 sandwich the culture medium 2 respectively and are in a state of pressing the inner peripheral surface of the pot 3.

[0065] Next, steps S204 to S209 are performed as the third step. First, in step S204, the contact rod moving mechanism 12 raises the contact rod 20 (moves in the F12 direction). As a result, the pot 3 is taken out of the pot placement hole 5a of the transfer panel 5 as shown in FIG. 20. Furthermore, the contact rod moving mechanism 12 moves the contact rod 20 in the F13 direction. This is an operation of positioning the pot 3 below the stopper 50.

[0066] In step S205, the abutting rod moving mechanism 12 moves the hands 41 and 42 of the abutting rod 20 inward (in the F14 direction) as shown in FIG. 21. As a result, the hands 41 and 42 come to a state of gripping the culture medium 2.

[0067] Furthermore, in step S206, the abutting rod moving mechanism 12 moves the abutting rod 20 upward (in the F15 direction) as shown in FIG. 22. At this time, the culture medium 2 passes through the stopper 50 and is lifted, but the pot 3 cannot be lifted because the flange portion 3c abuts against the stopper 50. For this reason, the culture medium 2 is lifted while being taken out from the pot 3, while the pot 3 drops without being held. A storage container 32 is disposed below the stopper 50, and thus the pot 3 is collected in the storage container 32.

[0068] Note that by moving the hands 41 and 42 inward as shown in FIG. 21, the pressing of the pot 3 by the hands 41 and 42 against the inner surface side is eliminated, so the pot 3 may drop toward the storage container 32 at this point. In any case, by the operations of steps S205 and S206, the pot 3 is surely collected.

[0069] In step S207, the abutting rod moving mechanism 12 moves the abutting rod 20 in the F16 direction as shown in FIG. 23 and positions it above the trash box 31. In step S208, the abutting rod moving mechanism 12 opens the hands 41 and 42 of the abutting rod 20 in the F11 direction as shown in FIG. 24 to release the state in which the culture medium 2 was picked. As a result, the culture medium 2 drops and is collected in the trash box 31.

[0070] In step S209, the abutting rod moving mechanism 12 moves the abutting rod 20 and returns it to the standby position. In step S210, the controller 11 determines the end of the separation operation, and if the separation operation is to be continued, returns to the control of step S201. Then, the state shown in FIG. 17 is established, and the first step is started for the next workpiece. If it is determined to end in step S210, a series of separation operations are terminated.

[0071] As described above, by the separation device 10, the removal of the pot 3 from the transport panel 5, the recovery of the pot 3 from which the culture medium 2 has been separated, and the recovery of the culture medium 2 are automatically performed in a series of operations.

[0072] <5. Effects and Modifications of the Embodiment> As described above, in the embodiment, after the plant 6 is harvested, the culture medium 2 used for cultivation remains, and the culture medium 2 and the pot 3 are separated and recovered automatically from the pot 3 that is transported while being fitted into the pot placement hole 4a of the transport panel 5. The following effects can be obtained by this method of separating the culture medium 2 and the pot 3.

[0073] In the first and second embodiments, a series of operations including a first step of lowering the contact rod 20 (contact member) in the first form from above the pot 3 toward the culture medium 2, a second step of changing the contact rod 20 from the first form to the second form that exhibits a holding function, and a third step of raising the contact rod 20 are performed to remove the culture medium 2 from the pot 3 and remove the pot 3 from the transport panel 5. Thereby, the operation of removing the culture medium 2 and the operation of recovering the pot 3 that were performed manually can be performed by a mechanism that lowers and raises the contact rod 20, and the automation expansion of the plant production system 100 and the improvement of production efficiency thereby can be realized. If necessary, as a pretreatment, a step of cutting the roots protruding from the culture medium 2 may be added. This is because the roots may grow thick and make it difficult to separate the culture medium 2 from the pot 3.

[0074] As the first embodiment, the case where the hole 3b through which the culture medium 2 can pass is formed in the bottom surface of the pot 3 has been described. In this case, in the first step, the medium 2 is pushed downward from the hole 3b by the lowering of the contact rod 20 formed in the first form. In the second step, at the position where the tip of the contact rod 20 reaches below the hole 3b, the contact rod 20 is changed to the second form that locks the hole 3b. In the third step, the pot 3 is removed from the transport panel 5 by the raising of the contact rod 20. As a result, it becomes possible to execute, by a single mechanism, i.e., a series of operations of the separation device 10, the removal of the medium 2 from the pot 3 and then the removal of the pot 3 from the transport panel 5. And the working time can be shortened, and the reduction of the process cycle time is realized. Also, the necessary area for placing the device for removing the medium 2 can be reduced, which is effective for space saving in the factory. Moreover, by integrating the facility configuration into one, reduction of the facility size, the number of units, and simplification of the control can be expected, leading to cost reduction of the entire plant production system.

[0075] In the third step in the first embodiment, after the raising of the contact rod 20, with the pot 3 of the contact rod 20 being transported to a predetermined position, the contact rod 20 is returned from the second form to the first form (see FIG. 15). When the contact rod 20 is returned to the first form at the predetermined position, the container is no longer held, drops, and is collected in the storage container 32. That is, the entire series of operations up to the collection of the pot 3 is realized.

[0076] In the first embodiment, the contact rod 20 has a plurality of rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, 23 extending from the base portion 24 so that the tips contact the medium 2, and the plurality of rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, 23 are expanded by the insertion rod 30 to form the second form, and the plurality of rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, 23 are configured to lock the hole 3b. With this configuration, by inserting and removing the insertion rod 30, the contact rod 20 can be changed between the first form and the second form, and with an extremely simple structure, it becomes possible to lift the pot by the contact rod 20. In particular, when the three rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23 spread evenly, they are stably locked to the hole 3b of the pot. As a result, the pot 3 can be lifted vertically from the transport panel 5 and transported to a predetermined position extremely stably. For stable lifting and transportation, it is preferable to provide three or more rod-shaped pieces, and a configuration with four or more rod-shaped pieces is also conceivable.

[0077] In the embodiment, the contact rod 20 holds the pot 3 by pressing the rod-shaped pieces 21, 22, and 23 against the hole 3b from the inside. However, a second form of holding the pot 3 may be adopted by pressing the inner peripheral surface of the pot 3 with a plurality of pressing portions.

[0078] In the first embodiment, the contact rod 20 is lowered with a fixed-length stroke in which the tip passes through the hole 3b. When the tip of the contact rod 20 passes through the hole 3b, the culture medium 2 surely falls out of the pot 3. Therefore, a sensor or the like for detecting the removal of the culture medium 2 is unnecessary, and a separation device 10 with a simpler structure can be configured.

[0079] Although the contact rod 20 is lowered until it passes through the hole 3b, the culture medium 2 will almost surely fall out even if it does not pass through. Therefore, if the second form does not hold the hole 3b from the inside, for example, if it presses or adsorbs the inner surface of the pot 3, it is not necessarily required for the contact rod 20 to pass through the hole 3b.

[0080] As a second embodiment, an example in which the pot 3 is not formed with a hole through which the culture medium 2 can pass on the bottom surface has been described. In the first step, the contact rod 20 in the first form is lowered until it presses into the culture medium 2 in the pot 3. In the second step, the contact rod 20 is changed to a second form in which it presses against and holds the inner surface side of the pot 3. In the third step, the pot 3 and the culture medium 2 are removed from the transport panel 5 by the upward movement of the contact rod 20, and further, the contact rod 20 is returned to the first form and the pot 3 is made to collide with the stopper 50 to separate the pot 3 and the culture medium 2. Thus, it becomes possible to execute, by a series of operations of one mechanism, i.e., the separation device 10, the removal of the culture medium 2 and the pot 3 from the transport panel 5 and then the separation of the pot 3 and the culture medium 2. Also in this case, it is suitable for reducing the process tact time, saving space in the factory, and reducing costs of the entire plant production system.

[0081] Although the pots 3 are held by spreading the hands 41 and 42 in the circumferential direction, the pots 3 may be held by other methods. Also, the culture medium 2 may be extracted from above by a member having a chuck function or a suction function, and then the pots 3 may be held by the same hands 41 and 42, the container may be moved to an arbitrary position as it is, and the holding may be released to drop it into the storage container 32.

[0082] The separation device 10 of the embodiment includes a contact rod 20 (contact member) that changes between a first form having no holding function and a second form capable of exerting a holding function, a contact rod moving mechanism 12 that moves the contact rod 20 and changes the form of the contact rod 20, and a controller 11 that controls the contact rod moving mechanism 12. Then, the controller 11 controls the contact rod moving mechanism 12 to execute the first step, the second step, and the third step described in the embodiment. With such a separation device 10, the separation of the pot 3 and the culture medium 2 in the front stage of the cleaning area 117 can be efficiently performed.

[0083] In this embodiment, the controller 11 is configured to include a microprocessor and performs control processing based on a program. The control processing for executing the procedures shown in FIGS. 7 and 16 can be realized by a program to be executed by the CPU or the like of the controller 11. Such a program can be pre-recorded in a recording medium built in a device such as a computer device, or in a ROM in a microcomputer having a CPU. Further, it can be temporarily or permanently stored (recorded) in a removable recording medium such as a semiconductor memory or a memory card. Further, such a program can be installed from a removable recording medium into a personal computer or the like, or can be downloaded from a download site via a network such as the Internet.

[0084] Finally, the effects described in the present disclosure are illustrative and not limiting, and other effects may be achieved, or some of the effects described in the present disclosure may be achieved. Also, not all combinations of the configurations described in the embodiments are essential for solving the problems.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0085] 2 Medium 3 Pot 4,5 Conveyor panel 6 Plant 7 Seed 10 Separation device 11 Controller 12 Contact rod moving mechanism 13 Insertion rod mechanism 14 Panel conveyor mechanism 20 Contact rod 21,22,23 Rod-shaped piece part 24 Base part 25 Inner peripheral surface 26 Tapered surface 27 Insertion space 30 Insertion rod 50 Stopper

Claims

1. A method for separating and recovering the medium from a container that is transported in a state where the medium used for cultivation remains after the plant is harvested and is fitted into a hole in a transport panel, is as follows: a first step of lowering the contact member in the first configuration from above the container toward the culture medium; a second step of changing the contact member from the first configuration to a second configuration in which the contact member exerts a holding function; a third step of lifting the contact member; By the series of operations, the culture medium is removed from the container and the container is removed from the transport panel. How to separate the medium from the container.

2. The container has holes formed on the bottom that allow the culture medium to pass through. In the first step, the culture medium is pushed downward from the hole by the lowering of the abutting member in the first configuration, In the second step, the contact member is changed into the second form in which the contact member engages the hole portion when the tip of the contact member reaches a position below the hole portion, In the third step, the abutting member is raised to release the container from the transport panel. The method for separating a culture medium from a container according to claim 1.

3. In the third step, after the contact member is raised, the contact member is returned from the second configuration to the first configuration in a state in which the container is transported to a predetermined position by the contact member. The method for separating a culture medium from a container according to claim 2.

4. The abutting member has a plurality of rod-shaped pieces extending from a base portion so that their tips abut against the culture medium, and the plurality of rod-shaped pieces are pushed apart by an insertion member to assume the second form, and the plurality of rod-shaped pieces are configured to engage the hole portions. The method for separating the culture medium from the container according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The abutment member is The tip is lowered in a fixed stroke through the hole. The method for separating the culture medium from the container according to claim 2 or 3.

6. The container does not have holes on the bottom through which the culture medium can pass, In the first step, the contact member in the first configuration is lowered to a state in which the contact member pushes the culture medium in the container, In the second step, the abutting member is changed to the second form in which the abutting member presses against and holds the inner surface of the container, In the third step, the abutting member is raised to release the container and the culture medium from the transport panel, and the abutting member is returned to the first form to cause the container to collide with a stopper, thereby separating the container and the culture medium. The method for separating a culture medium from a container according to claim 1.

7. a contact member that can be changed between a first configuration that does not have a holding function and a second configuration that can exert a holding function; a movement mechanism that moves the contact member and changes the shape of the contact member; a controller for controlling the movement mechanism; Equipped with The controller a first step of lowering the contact member in the first configuration from above the container toward the culture medium, the container being transported in a state where the container is fitted into a hole in a transport panel and the culture medium remains in the container after the plant has been harvested; a second step of changing the abutment member from the first configuration to the second configuration; a third step of lifting the contact member; and controlling the movement mechanism to execute the above. Separation device.

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