Vegetation capsule and method for producing the same

Abstract

To provide a vegetation capsule configured such that it stays on a slope to the greatest possible extent when sprayed from the air.SOLUTION: A vegetation capsule 100 accommodating a vegetation material comprises: a cylindrical capsule container 10; a vegetation material 20 housed inside the capsule container; and a resisting body 30 that extends radially outward from a cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the capsule container and resists against rolling of the capsule container about a central axis 40.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vegetation capsule for spreading vegetative material on soil and a method for manufacturing the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 proposes a cylindrical vegetation capsule in which seeds and a growth promoter are packed and housed in a water-soluble gelatin capsule. When this vegetation capsule is sown in soil and exposed to rainwater, the capsule dissolves, and the seeds and growth promoter are applied to the soil.

[0003] Patent Document 2 discloses a method of scattering vegetation capsules onto soil using an aerial vehicle (e.g., a drone), which is an extremely safe and convenient method for revegetating collapsed ground in mountainous or mountainous areas that are difficult for people to access. However, many collapsed slopes have steep gradients (e.g., 35 to 45 degrees). Therefore, because the vegetation capsules scattered from the aerial vehicle have a cylindrical outer shape, many of them roll down to the base of the collapsed slope, making them less likely to remain on the slope where revegetation is desired, and there is a possibility that steeper slopes will remain unvegetated. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Utility Model Registration No. 3097021 [Patent Document 2] JP 2022-121068 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides vegetation capsules that are configured so that many of the scattered vegetation capsules remain on sloping ground. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve this purpose, the vegetation capsule of the embodiment has a cylindrical capsule container, vegetation material contained inside the capsule container, and a resistor extending radially outward from the cylindrical outer surface of the capsule container and resisting rolling of the capsule container around the central axis. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] When the vegetation capsules constructed in this way are scattered onto a sloped vegetation ground from an aircraft, for example, the resistors provide resistance to the rolling of the vegetation capsules. As a result, many of the scattered vegetation capsules remain there. As a result, the entire sloped collapsed ground is adequately greened. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a vegetation capsule according to the first embodiment, with a portion thereof cut away. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a vegetation capsule according to a second embodiment. [Figure 3] Side view of the vegetation capsule shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a vegetation capsule according to a third embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another vegetation capsule according to the third embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another vegetation capsule according to the third embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a vegetation capsule according to a fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a vegetation capsule according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0010] FIG. 1 shows a vegetation capsule 100 according to a first embodiment.

[0011] [Schematic configuration] The vegetation capsule 100 includes a cylindrical capsule container 10 , a vegetation material 20 contained inside the capsule container 10 , and a resistor 30 attached to the capsule container 10 .

[0012] [Capsule container] The capsule container 10 comprises a male capsule portion 11 and a female capsule portion 12 .

[0013] Both the male capsule part 11 and the female capsule part 12 are open at one end and closed at the other end by a semi-spherical part, and are connected by fitting one open end of the female capsule part 12 into one open end of the male capsule part 11.

[0014] Both the male capsule portion 11 and the female capsule portion 12 are preferably manufactured using a capsule base specified in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia. In particular, capsules based on non-gelatinous materials that dissolve in water, such as pullulan or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) (pharmacopoeia name: hypromellose) (pullulan capsules, hypromellose capsules) are preferred.

[0015] Both the male capsule part 11 and the female capsule part 12 may be made of gelatin.

[0016] One of the male capsule part 11 and the female capsule part 12 may be made of a non-gelatin material, and the other may be made of gelatin.

[0017] In the embodiment of Figure 1, both the male capsule part 11 and the female capsule part 12 may be made of a transparent material or an opaque material. Either the male capsule part or the female capsule part may be made of a transparent material and the other may be made of an opaque material.

[0018] [Vegetation materials] The vegetative material 20 contained in the capsule container 10 includes plant seeds, which are materials necessary for vegetation, powdered or granular fertilizer, powdered or granular soil conditioner, or any combination of one or more of these, such as seeds and fertilizer, fertilizer and soil conditioner, soil conditioner and seeds, or any combination of the three.

[0019] Soil amendments include any soil amendment known to those skilled in the art, such as materials that improve fertility and / or water retention and / or materials that promote the growth of soil microorganisms.

[0020] [Resistor] The resistor 30 is an attachment that resists the capsule container 10 from rolling around the longitudinal central axis 40 of the capsule container 10. In the first embodiment of FIG. 1, the resistor 30 is a string 31 attached to the cylindrical surface 13 of the capsule container 10.

[0021] The string-like object 31 does not have to be a string, but may be something like a string (for example, thread, yarn, twisted yarn, non-twisted yarn, twisted string, thin piece of cloth, or a twisted version thereof).

[0022] The strings 31 are preferably made from natural fibers or biodegradable plastics that are decomposed by microorganisms when placed on a vegetated ground.

[0023] The string-like material 31 may be made of oxidatively decomposable plastic that disintegrates when exposed to light or heat.

[0024] The string-like material 31 may be a rope made of natural fibers, synthetic plastic, or degradable plastic, or a flat yarn made by cutting (slitting) a film made of synthetic plastic or biodegradable plastic into strips and stretching it to give it strength.

[0025] In short, the string-like object 31 may be any long, thin material that is attached so as to protrude radially outward from the cylindrical outer surface of the capsule container 10 and that can provide resistance to the rolling of the capsule container 10 in that state, and due to the nature of the invention, the term "string" should not be interpreted in a restrictive manner.

[0026] In the vegetation capsule 100 of the embodiment, the string-like object 31 is attached to the capsule container 10 by penetrating the cylindrical portion 13 or cylindrical surface of the capsule container 10. The point through which the string-like object penetrates may be either the male capsule portion 11 or the female capsule portion 12, or the portion where they overlap.

[0027] A needle-punch needle (not shown) can be used as a means for attaching the string-like object 31 in a pierced state to the capsule container 10. In this case, the needle-punch needle with the string-like object set thereon is pierced through the cylindrical portion 13 of the capsule container 10 and then pulled out from the cylindrical portion 13, whereby the string-like object 31 is implanted (i.e., attached) to the capsule container 10 with a portion (folded portion 32; see FIG. 1 ) of the string-like object 31 set in the needle-punch needle remaining inside the capsule container 10.

[0028] The operation of planting the string-like material 31 into the capsule container 10 with a needle punch needle is preferably performed after the capsule container 10 is filled with the vegetative material 20. The planting operation may also be performed before filling the capsule container 10 with the vegetative material.

[0029] In the embodiment of the vegetation capsule 100 shown in Figure 1, a portion of the string-like material 31 (the folded portion 32) remains inside the capsule container 10, but the folded portion of the string-like material may be left protruding outside the capsule container 10 by passing a needle punch needle through the entire cylindrical portion 13 of the capsule container 10 beyond the diameter of the cylindrical portion 13.

[0030] The vegetation capsule 100 having such a configuration is mounted on an aircraft (e.g., a drone) and scattered over a vegetation ground. If the vegetation ground is a collapsed slope, the vegetation capsule 100 scattered through the air will attempt to roll down the slope when it falls to the ground. However, since the vegetation capsule 100 of this embodiment is equipped with a resistor 30, this resistor 30, particularly the portion protruding from the capsule container 10, acts as a resistance to the rolling of the vegetation capsule 100. As a result, even on a steep slope, there is a high probability that the vegetation capsule 100 will remain at or near the point where it falls. This makes it possible to expect uniform greening of the slope.

[0031] In the above-mentioned embodiment 1, the string-like material is attached to the capsule container using a needle punch needle, but the string-like material may also be attached to the cylindrical outer surface of the capsule container. In this case, an adhesive (preferably a water-soluble adhesive) can be suitably used as the attachment means. If the base of the male capsule part or female capsule part is a non-gelatin material, that part can be wetted with a liquid (e.g., water) and dissolved, and the string-like material can be attached to the dissolved part. If the base of the male capsule part or female capsule part is a non-gelatin material or a gelatin material, that part can be heated and melted, and the string-like material can be attached thereto. embodiment 2

[0032] A vegetation capsule 102 of embodiment 2 is shown in Figures 2 and 3. In the illustrated vegetation capsule 102 of embodiment 2, the capsule container is the same as that described in embodiment 1. Meanwhile, the resistor 40 is made of a strip 41 and is adhered to the outer surface of the cylindrical portion 13 of the capsule container 10. An adhesive (preferably a water-soluble adhesive) is preferably used for the adhesion method. If part or all of the capsule container 10 is made of a non-gelatinous material, that part can be wetted with a liquid (e.g., water) to dissolve it, and the strip 41 can be attached to the dissolved part. If the base of the male capsule part or female capsule part is made of a non-gelatinous material or gelatin, a part of the capsule container 10 can be heated to melt it, and the strip 41 can be attached to the dissolved part.

[0033] In the attachment method using needle-punch needles described in relation to the first embodiment, the size (width, thickness, etc.) of the resistor that can be set on the needle-punch needles is limited. However, in the second embodiment, there are no such limitations, and a relatively wide strip-like object 41, as shown in the figure, can be used as the resistor 40. Therefore, the strip-like object 41 can be an elastic sheet made of a flexible piece of cloth, paper, nonwoven fabric, or rubber sheet, or a strip-like object made by cutting multiple parallel slits into the elastic sheet.

[0034] In other words, the band-like object 41 is attached in a state where it protrudes radially outward from the cylindrical outer circumferential surface of the capsule container 10, and is a band-like material that can provide resistance to the rolling of the capsule container 10 in this state.

[0035] The vegetation capsules of the third embodiment are shown in Figures 4-6. These vegetation capsules of the third embodiment are formed by connecting a plurality of capsule containers to each other. The capsule containers are the same as those described in the first embodiment.

[0036] The vegetation capsule 103 in Figure 4 is constructed by arranging a first capsule container 51 and a second capsule container 52 so that their longitudinal central axes are parallel, and bonding their cylindrical outer surfaces to each other along the contact portion parallel to the central axis.

[0037] The vegetation capsule 104 in FIG. 5 is configured by arranging a first capsule container 61 and a second capsule container 62 in a crossed state, and bonding their cylindrical outer circumferential surfaces together.

[0038] The vegetation capsule 105 in Figure 6 is constructed by arranging a first capsule container 71 and a second capsule container 72 in an approximately T-shape, and gluing one end hemispherical portion of the second capsule container 72 to the cylindrical outer surface of the first capsule container 71.

[0039] An adhesive is preferably used to connect the first capsule container and the second capsule container. If the capsule part that forms the contact part of the first capsule container or the second capsule container is made of a non-gelatin material, the contact part can be wetted with a liquid such as water to dissolve it, and the other capsule container can be adhered to this dissolved part. If the capsule part that forms the contact part of the first capsule container or the second capsule container is made of a non-gelatin material or gelatin, the contact part can be melted by heating, and the other capsule container can be adhered to this dissolved part.

[0040] In the vegetation capsule of the third embodiment configured as described above, one of the first capsule container and the second capsule container functions as a resistor for the other, thereby restricting the rolling of the vegetation capsule.

[0041] 4-6, two capsule containers are connected, but the number of capsule containers to be connected is arbitrary. In addition, the configurations (parallel, cross, T-shaped) for connecting multiple capsule containers can be arbitrarily combined.

[0042] Although not shown, instead of adhesive, the first capsule container and the second capsule container may be connected by a string-like member (connecting means) by passing a needle punch needle, as described in relation to embodiment 1, through the first capsule container and the second capsule container.

[0043] Although not shown, the first capsule container and the second capsule container may be connected by a strip (connecting means) described in relation to embodiment 2. If the capsule parts constituting the contact areas between the first capsule container and the second capsule container and the strip are made of a non-gelatin material, the contact areas can be wetted with a liquid such as water to dissolve them, and the strip can be adhered to this dissolved part. If the capsule parts constituting the contact areas between the first capsule container and the second capsule container and the strip are made of gelatin, the contact areas can be melted by heating, and the strip can be adhered to this dissolved part. embodiment 4

[0044] A vegetation capsule according to a fourth embodiment is shown in FIG. 7. The illustrated vegetation capsule 106 of the fourth embodiment comprises a first vegetation capsule 81 and a second vegetation capsule 82 connected by a connecting means such as a string-like material 83. The vegetation capsule 106 of this embodiment is obtained by holding the first capsule container 81 and the second capsule container 82 spaced apart from each other and then sequentially piercing and then withdrawing a needle-punch needle through the first capsule container 81 and the second capsule container 82. In this case, the needle-punch needle may be pierced beyond the diameter of the first capsule container 81, and then pierced beyond the diameter of the second capsule container 82, thereby causing the folded portion 84 of the string-like material 83 to protrude outside the second capsule container 82, as shown in the figure. Alternatively, although not shown, the folded portion of the string-like material 83 may be fastened to the interior of the second capsule container 82.

[0045] In the vegetation capsule of embodiment 4 configured in this manner, one of the first capsule container 81 and the second capsule container 82 and the string-like material function as a resistor for the other, preventing the vegetation capsule from rolling when sprayed on an inclined surface.

[0046] Although not shown, the first capsule container and the second capsule container may be connected by a strip while the first capsule container and the second capsule container are separated from each other. In this case, the contact area between the capsule container and the strip may be bonded with an adhesive, or, as described above, the contact area between the capsule container and the strip may be melted by wetting with water or by heating, and the strip may be bonded to the melted area.

[0047] In the vegetation capsules of embodiments 3 and 4, the vegetative materials filled in the first capsule container and the second capsule container can be different. For example, the first capsule container may be filled with only seeds, and the second capsule container may be filled with only soil conditioner. The superabsorbent polymer used as a soil conditioner, particularly a water-retaining material, is a granulated sodium polyacrylate containing sodium salts that inhibit plant growth. Therefore, by not adding the superabsorbent polymer to the capsule container filled with seeds and adding the superabsorbent polymer only to the other capsule container, growth inhibition caused by the sodium salts can be minimized. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 100: Vegetation Capsule 10: Capsule container 20: Vegetation material 30: Resistor

Claims

1. A vegetation capsule containing vegetation material, A cylindrical capsule container; Vegetative material contained within the capsule container; A vegetation capsule characterized by comprising a resistor extending radially outward from the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the capsule container and resisting the rolling of the capsule container around its central axis.

2. the resistor includes at least one of a string or a band, 2. The vegetation capsule according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the resistor is fixed to the capsule container.

3. 3. The vegetation capsule according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the string-like material is planted in the capsule container.

4. 3. The vegetation capsule according to claim 2, wherein a portion of the string-like material or the band-like material is adhered to the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the capsule container.

5. The resistor is another capsule container, 2. The vegetation capsule of claim 1, wherein the other capsule container is connected to the capsule container.

6. 6. The vegetation capsule according to claim 5, wherein the other capsule is connected to the capsule container in a contacting state.

7. At least a part of at least one of the capsule container or the other capsule container is made of a non-gelatin material, The vegetation capsule according to claim 5, characterized in that at least the portion made of the non-gelatin capsule is wetted with a liquid and dissolved, and the capsule container and the other capsule are adhered at the dissolved portion.

8. At least a portion of at least one of the capsule container and the other capsule container is made of gelatin or a non-gelatin material; The vegetation capsule according to claim 5, characterized in that at least a portion of the gelatin or non-gelatin material is heated and melted, and the capsule container and the other capsule are adhered at the heated and melted portion.

9. 6. The vegetation capsule of claim 5, wherein the other capsule is movably connected to the capsule container.

10. a cylindrical first capsule container containing a first vegetative material; a second cylindrical capsule container containing a second vegetative material; a connecting means for connecting the first capsule container and the second capsule container; A vegetation capsule characterized in that one of the first capsule container and the second capsule container is configured to function as a resistor against the rolling of the other capsule container around its central axis.

11. 11. The vegetation capsule according to claim 10, wherein the first capsule container and the second capsule container are connected in a contacting state.

12. The vegetation capsule according to claim 10, wherein the first capsule container and the second capsule container are connected in a separated state.

13. 13. The vegetation capsule according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that the connecting means is a string or a band.

14. A vegetation capsule characterized in that a resistor for resisting the rolling of the capsule container is attached to the cylindrical portion of the capsule container containing the vegetation material.

15. A method for manufacturing a vegetation capsule, comprising attaching a resistor to a cylindrical portion of a capsule container containing vegetation material, the resistor resisting the rolling of the capsule container.

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