Hydroponic cultivation device

Abstract

To provide an easy-to-use hydroponic cultivation device.SOLUTION: A hydroponic cultivation device 1 of the present invention comprises an inner container 15, an outer container 17, a cultivation pot 19, and a water supply device 21. The inner container 15 has an inner container body 15a and an inner lid 15b and is arranged inside the outer container 17. A water supply mat 23 is provided on an upper surface of the inner lid 15b, and the inner container body 15a and the water supply mat 23 are connected by a columnar water supply filter 25. The outer container 17 has an outer container body 17a and an outer lid 17b. A cultivation pot 19 can be placed on the water supply mat 23 through a hole 35 provided in the outer lid 17b. The water supply device 21 is inserted into the holes 35, 33 provided in the outer lid 17b and the inner lid 15b and is detachably arranged on the outer lid 17b and can supply a nutrient solution L to the inner container body 15a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a hydroponic cultivation device. [Background technology]

[0002] There was a demand for an easy-to-use hydroponic cultivation device. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a hydroponic cultivation device that is easy to use. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The invention described in claim 1 is a hydroponic cultivation device comprising an inner container, an outer container, a cultivation pot, and a water supply device, wherein the inner container has an inner container body and an inner lid and is placed inside the outer container, a water supply mat on the upper surface of the inner lid, and the inner container body and the water supply mat are connected by a pillar-shaped water supply filter, the outer container has an outer container body and an outer lid, and the cultivation pot can be placed on the water supply mat through a hole provided in the outer lid, and the water supply device is inserted into a hole provided in the outer lid and the inner lid and is placed on the outer lid so that it can be attached and detached, and can supply culture solution to the inner container body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0005] According to the invention described in claim 1, the inner container is placed inside the outer container, and the outer and inner containers are each provided with a lid. Therefore, for example, by removing the outer and inner lids, the inner container body can be taken out and easily washed, and the water after washing can be discarded. This makes it easy to use, as it is possible to prevent evaporation of the culture solution stored in the inner container body. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a hydroponic cultivation device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 5A and 5B are diagrams showing the second shelf from the top of the showcase shown in FIG. 4, where (a) is a plan view, (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in (a), and (c) is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in (a). [Figure 4] 1A, 1B, and 1C are diagrams showing a state in which a hydroponic cultivation device according to an embodiment is placed in a showcase, in which (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a plan view. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state before the hydroponic cultivation device is assembled to the shelf brackets attached to the left and right support columns. [Figure 6] 10 is a perspective view showing the state before connecting members are attached to the left and right shelf brackets attached to the support posts. FIG. [Figure 7] 10A, 10B, and 10C are diagrams showing a state in which the hydroponic cultivation device according to the embodiment is placed in another type of showcase, where (a) is a front view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a plan view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. As shown in FIG. 4, the hydroponic cultivation apparatus 1 according to this embodiment is housed in a showcase 3, and cultivated plants F are displayed therein. Before describing the hydroponic cultivation device 1, the showcase 3 will be described first. The showcase 3 has two sliding doors 5 on the front side, and left and right support posts 7 standing on a base 6 on the rear side, with three shelf brackets 9 attached to each of the left and right support posts 7 at intervals above and below (see FIG. 4(b)). A hydroponic cultivation device 1 is installed between each of the left and right shelf brackets 9, and in this embodiment, three tiers of hydroponic cultivation devices 1 are installed vertically inside the showcase 3. Each sliding door 5 is a glass door, and the base 6 is equipped with wheels 6a for movement. As shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), the left and right shelf brackets 9, 9 have connecting members 8, 8 (see Figure 6) attached to the front and rear sides, respectively, connecting the left and right shelf brackets 9, 9. As shown in Fig. 4(b), a light source 11 for illuminating the cultivated plants F on the lower level and a light source hiding member 13 for hiding the light source 11 from the front are provided on the top surface 3a of the showcase 3 and the underside of the upper and middle levels (second level from the bottom) of the hydroponic cultivation apparatus 1. The light source 11 is an LED light, and the light source hiding member 13 is an L-angle.

[0008] Next, we will explain the hydroponic cultivation devices 1 for each tier. The hydroponic cultivation devices 1 for the three tiers (top and bottom) have the same configuration except that a light source 11 and a light source hiding member 13 are provided on the underside of the upper and middle tiers, and the hydroponic cultivation device 1 for the lower tier does not have a light source 11 or a light source hiding member 13 on the underside. Therefore, the following will explain the hydroponic cultivation device 1 located on the middle tier. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the hydroponic cultivation device 1 includes an inner container 15, an outer container 17, a cultivation pot 19, and a water supply device 21.

[0009] The inner container 15 has an inner container body 15a and an inner lid 15b, and is placed on the bottom wall 37a (described later) of the outer container 17 via a spacer 16.A water supply mat 23 is provided on the upper surface of the inner lid 15b, and the inner container body 15a and the water supply mat 23 are connected by a columnar water supply filter 25. The inner container body 15a has a bottom wall 27a having a rectangular shape in plan view and side walls 27b rising from each of the four sides of the bottom wall 27a, forming a cultivation pool 27 for storing the culture solution L. The cultivation pool 27 has a rectangular concave shape in plan view. The inner lid 15b has a rectangular shape in a plan view, and is placed on a spacer 29b (see FIG. 3(c)) placed on the bottom wall 27a of the inner container body 15a, thereby being housed in the cultivation pool 27. The spacer 29b is a member having a rectangular cross section that is elongated from side to side. The water supply mat 23 is placed on the upper surface of the inner lid 15b of the inner container 15, and has approximately the same area as the inner lid 15b. The water supply mat 23 absorbs and retains water, and the retained water is movable so that the water content remains constant within the water supply mat 23. The water supply mat 23 is made of, for example, nonwoven fabric.

[0010] The inner lid 15b of the inner container 15 is formed with a water supply filter hole 31 for accommodating the water supply filter 25 and a water supply device hole 33 into which the injector 21c of the water supply device 21 is inserted. As shown in FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b), a plurality of water supply filter holes 31 are formed in a row at a center position in the front-rear direction, with spaces between them on the left and right. The water supply filter 25 has its lower end immersed in the cultivation pool 27 and its upper end in contact with the water supply mat 23, and sucks up the culture solution from the cultivation pool 27 and moves it to the water supply mat 23.It is made of a sponge such as urethane foam or foamed polyethylene formed into a cylindrical shape. The water supply filter hole 31 is a hole that is circular in plan view and into which the cylindrical water supply filter 25 is inserted. The water supply device hole 33 is formed in a circular shape in plan view, as shown in FIG.

[0011] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outer container 17 has an outer container body 17a and an outer lid 17b, and a cultivation pot 19 can be inserted through a pot insertion hole (hole provided in the outer lid) 35 provided in the outer lid 17b and placed on a water supply mat 23. As shown in Fig. 3(b), the outer container body 17a has a bottom wall 37a, left and right side walls 37b erected from the left and right ends of the bottom wall 37a, and as shown in Fig. 3(c), a front wall 37c and a rear wall 37d erected from the front and rear ends of the bottom wall 37a. As shown in Fig. 3(c) and Fig. 5, the front wall 37c has a mounting wall 37e formed by bending its upper end forward and projecting forward, and the rear wall 37d has a mounting wall 37e formed by bending its upper end backward and projecting rearward as well. The front and rear mounting walls 37e are placed on the corresponding connecting members 8, and the outer container body 17a is suspended from the connecting members 8. As shown in Figures 3(b) and 3(c), the outer lid 17b has a top wall 39a, left and right side walls 39b that hang down from the left and right ends of the top wall 39a, and front and rear side walls 39c that hang down from the front and rear ends. As shown in Figure 3(b), bracket arrangement spaces 41 are formed between the left and right side walls 39b of the outer lid 17b and the left and right sides of the left and right side walls 37b of the outer container body 17a. Note that the shelf brackets 9 arranged within the bracket arrangement spaces 41 are omitted in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 3(c), connecting member arrangement spaces 42 are formed between the front and rear side walls 39c of the outer lid 17b and the front and rear sides of the front and rear side walls 37c of the outer container body 17a.

[0012] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the cultivation pot 19 has roots of a plant F planted in a pot container 19a, and gaps S are formed in the bottom and peripheral surface of the pot container 19a, allowing the roots of the plant F to protrude from the bottom and peripheral surface of the pot container 19a.

[0013] The water supply device 21 is inserted into a pot insertion hole (hole provided in the outer lid) 36 (see Figure 2) provided in the outer lid 17b and a water supply hole (hole provided in the inner lid) 33 provided in the inner lid 15b, and is removably arranged on the outer lid 17b, so that it can supply culture solution L to the inner container body 15a. Water supply device 21 includes cartridge-type tank 21a containing culture solution and injector 21c attached to opening 21b of tank 21a. Tank 21a is attached to water supply hole 36 of outer lid 17b via installation lid 38 with opening 21b facing downward. The injector 21c is equipped with a long tube 43a and a short tube 43b, which are arranged in parallel and hang down, and the openings 45 of the tubes 43a and 43b are immersed in the culture pool 27. With this injector 21c, when the water level of the culture solution L drops and the opening 45 of the short tube 43b rises above the water surface of the culture pool 27, air enters through the opening 45, and the corresponding amount of culture solution is injected into the culture pool 27 through the opening of the long tube 43a.

[0014] Next, the installation of the hydroponic cultivation device 1 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, in the showcase 3, front and rear connecting members 8 are engaged from above with the front and rear of left and right shelf brackets 9, 9 attached to left and right support columns 7, 7, respectively, to connect the left and right shelf brackets 9, 9. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the inner container body 15a is placed on the bottom wall 37a of the outer container body 17a via the spacer 16 (see FIG. 1). Then, the mounting walls 37e formed at the front and rear of the outer container body 17a are hung over the corresponding front and rear connecting members 8, 8 so as to overlap with each other from above. Then, as shown in Figure 3(c), a spacer 29b is placed inside the inner container body 15a, and the inner lid 15b is placed on top of the spacer 29b. As shown in Figure 3(b), a water supply mat 23 is placed on the upper surface of the inner lid 15b, and a water supply filter 25 is inserted into the water supply filter hole 31 of the inner lid 15b. Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer container body 17a is covered with the outer lid 17b.

[0015] 2, the water supply device 21 is attached to the water supply device holes 36, 33. The water supply device 21 is attached by attaching the injector 21c to the opening 21b of the container 21a, and attaching the installation lid 38 to the outside of the injector 21c. With the long tube 43a and short tube 43b of the injector 21c facing downward, the installation lid 38 is engaged with the water supply hole 36 of the outer lid 17b, the mouth 21b of the container 21a is turned downward, and each tube 43a and 43b is passed through the water supply hole 33 formed in the inner lid 15b, and the openings 45 of the long tube 43a and the short tube 43b are placed in the culture pool 27. As a result, since the culture solution L is not yet filled in the culture pool 27, the culture solution in the container 21a of the water supply 21 flows out from the long tube 43a and air flows in from the short tube 43b, and the culture pool 27 is filled with the culture solution L. When the openings 45 of the long tube 43a and the short tube 43b are positioned below the surface of the culture solution L, the outflow of the culture solution from the container 21a stops.

[0016] Finally, the cultivation pots 19 are inserted into the pot insertion holes 35 formed in the outer lid 17b, and placed on the water supply mat 23 provided on the inner lid 15b.

[0017] Next, the operation of the hydroponic cultivation device 1 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the culture solution L in the cultivation pool 27 is sucked up by the water supply filter 25 and moves to the water supply mat 23, and the culture solution L is supplied to the plants F in the cultivation pots 19. As shown in FIG. 2, when the culture solution L is consumed or evaporated, the water level of the culture solution L drops in the cultivation pool 27, and when the opening 45 of the short tube 43b emerges from the water surface, air enters the container 21a through the opening 45 of the short tube 43b, and the culture solution L in the amount of the inflowing air flows out of the long tube 43a. This keeps the water level in the cultivation pool 27 constant.

[0018] The effects of this embodiment will be described. According to the hydroponic cultivation device 1 of this embodiment, the inner container 15 is placed inside the outer container 17, and the outer container 17 and the inner container 15 are provided with lids 17b and 15b, respectively, making it easy to use as described below. When washing the inner container body 17a, the outer lid 17b and the inner lid 15b are removed, and the inner container body 15a can be taken out and washed easily, or the water used for washing can be discarded. The inner container 15, which supplies the culture solution L from the water supply device 21, is provided with the inner lid 15b, so that the culture solution L stored in the inner container body 15a is less likely to evaporate. Moreover, the outer container body 17a is covered with the outer lid 17b, so that the culture solution L is less likely to evaporate from the water supply mat 23. Therefore, the culture solution L needs to be replenished less frequently.

[0019] The culture solution is supplied from the water supply device 21 to the inner container body 15a, moves from the inner container body 15a to the water supply filter 25, moves from the water supply filter 25 to the water supply mat 23, and is supplied to the cultivation pot 19 placed on the water supply mat 23, so no power such as a motor is required to supply the culture solution L. The cultivation pot 19 can be inserted through the pot insertion hole 35 formed in the outer lid 17b and placed on the water supply mat 23, so that the cultivation pot 19 can be easily installed. In the inner container 15, the inner lid 15b is placed on a spacer 29b placed inside the inner container body 15a, and in the outer container 17, the inner container 15 is placed inside the outer container body 17a and the outer lid 17b is placed on the outer container body 17a.Since there is no need to fasten by screws or welding, disassembly and assembly are easy and each component is also easy to clean. The cultivation pot 19 is placed on the water supply mat 23 on the inner lid 15 of the inner container 15 placed inside the outer container 17, so the pot container 19a of the cultivation pot 19 cannot be seen from the outside, and only the flowers and leaves of the cultivated plant F are visible, giving a sense of cleanliness. In particular, even if the roots of the cultivated plant F grow out of the cultivation pot 19, the pot container 19a cannot be seen from the outside, giving a sense of cleanliness.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 6, the outer container body 17a has mounting walls 37e formed on the left and right side walls 37b placed on and spanning the connecting members 8, 8, so that it can be easily attached to the shelf brackets 9, 9. As shown in FIG. 4, the hydroponic cultivation devices 1 are attached to shelf brackets 9, 9 on multiple levels attached to left and right supports 7, 7, so that multiple hydroponic cultivation devices 1 are arranged in a shelf-like manner, which gives a good appearance.

[0021] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the showcase 3 is not limited to the sliding doors 5, 5, but may be hinged doors 49, 49 as shown in Fig. 7. The hinged doors shown in Fig. 7 are double doors made of glass. The hydroponic cultivation device 1 is not limited to being displayed in the showcase 3, but may be placed alone in, for example, a living room or kitchen of a home. [Explanation of symbols]

[0022] 1 Hydroponic cultivation equipment 15 Inner container 15a Inner container body 15b Inner lid 17 Outer container 17a Outer container body 17b Outer lid 19 Cultivation Pots 21 Water dispenser 23 Water Supply Mat 25 Water supply filter 33 Water supply hole (hole on inner lid) 35 Pot insertion hole (hole on outer lid)

Claims

[Claim 1] The plant includes an inner container, an outer container, a cultivation pot, and a water supply device; The inner container has an inner container body and an inner lid, and is placed inside the outer container. A water supply mat is provided on the upper surface of the inner lid, and the inner container body and the water supply mat are connected by a columnar water supply filter. The outer container has an outer container body and an outer lid, and a cultivation pot can be placed on the water supply mat through a hole provided in the outer lid. The water supply device is inserted into holes provided in the outer lid and the inner lid, and is detachably attached to the outer lid, so that the culture medium can be supplied to the inner container body. A hydroponic cultivation device characterized by:

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