Agrotechnical conveyor for multi-tier greenhouses

Abstract

FIELD: plant growing.SUBSTANCE: invention intended for the conveyor-type cultivation of plants, primarily table greens such as salads, parsley, dill, and herbs, and can be used in multi-tiered greenhouses. The plant growing plant contains a supporting frame, irrigation and artificial lighting systems for plants, electromechanical drive systems, and belts of kinematically connected plates (5). Plates (5) for the root systems of plants are laid through antifriction pads (4) on the supporting frame of the greenhouse, while in the plates (5) there are recesses connected by a system of water-conducting grooves, and in the contact zones of the plates (5) of the tape with antifriction pads (4) in the water-conducting grooves there are through holes with a diameter of 0.4÷4.0 mm. A motor-vibrator (10) can be attached to the supporting frame of the greenhouse, included in the control circuit for the movement of the conveyor belt, and the plates (5) of the conveyor belt are adjacent to each other, forming a gap of 3÷10 mm, and the plates themselves (5) have through holes so that the overall cross-sectional area coefficient is 0.1÷0.3.EFFECT: installation reduces the coefficient of friction between the conveyor belt and the support structure and increases the efficiency of air circulation in the plant growing area.4 cl, 7 dwg

Description

[0001] A conveyor for growing plants is known according to the Russian Federation patent No. 2332006, in which the connection of trays occurs through rolling rollers and a bushing with a supporting chain.

[0002] An automated multi-tier conveyor-type plant growing plant installation is known according to Russian Federation Patent No. 2504950, where a vertical frame located on a foundation has a closed-type conveyor with a drive for continuous rotation relative to the vertical frame and containers for growing plants installed on it.

[0003] The closest analogue chosen as the prototype for the claimed agrotechnical conveyor is the conveyor according to Russian Patent No. 2004143. The installation comprises a multi-tiered conveyor with plants, support elements, irrigation and liquid collection systems, a supplemental lighting system, and a device for maintaining the ambient temperature.

[0004] The disadvantages of the listed solutions are: 1) the complexity and cost of the designs due to the use of rolling rollers and bushings with a supporting chain; 2) the lack of solutions aimed at reducing the coefficient of static friction; 3) the lack of solutions aimed at removing moisture from the plant growing area.

[0005] The main objective of the claimed device is to simplify the design of an agricultural conveyor, reducing its construction cost and increasing its functional reliability. The technical result of the claimed invention is:

[0006] 1. Simplification of design and its cost.

[0007] 2. Reducing the coefficient of static friction between the plates and the antifriction material.

[0008] 3. Natural removal of moisture from the plant growing area.

[0009] The technical result is achieved:

[0010] 1. Simplification of the design and its cost - due to the elimination of complex-to-manufacture roller kinematic supports of the conveyor belt plates (trays) and the transition to friction pairs with antifriction pads.

[0011] Also, reducing the friction coefficient allows for a reduction in the power of the electric drive and a reduction in its cost (a detailed description is provided below).

[0012] 2. Reducing the coefficient of static friction between the plates and the antifriction material - by turning on the vibrator motor when the belts are moving and using water from plant irrigation to wet the friction surfaces, creating wet friction between the plates and the antifriction pads.

[0013] The conveyor belt's movement is discrete and determined by the plant cultivation technology. The belt is set in motion daily from a standstill. This requires overcoming the static friction force, which is significantly greater than the sliding friction force. To reduce the static friction coefficient, a vibrator motor mounted on the greenhouse's supporting frame is activated 2-3 seconds before the conveyor belt moves for approximately 4 seconds.

[0014] Water is supplied to the friction surface through through-holes in the water-conducting grooves, with the holes in the channels located directly above the antifriction pads to ensure wet friction across the entire contact surface of the conveyor belt and the antifriction pad. By watering the plants two or three times daily by injecting water into the water-conducting grooves, the contact zone between the antifriction pads and the conveyor belt plates is automatically wetted. Capillary forces in the gap between the pad and the plate retain water within the gap, and with two or three waterings, effective water lubrication is always ensured.

[0015] 3. Natural removal of moisture from the plant growing area - due to the presence of through holes in the plates.

[0016] Opened conveyor belts with a cross-sectional area of ​​0.1 to 0.3 and gaps between the plates allow air with 100% humidity to be removed from the plants. Air with 100% humidity has a lower density; it rises and flows away from the ATC zone, being replaced by air with a humidity below 100%. This ensures continuous water evaporation from the plant surface and the release of vapor into the environment. This solution maintains the ATC's primary functionality in high-density MNTs with five or more rows. During the final phase of plant growth, when plants have their maximum leaf volume and water evaporation per unit of ATC surface is most intense, the removal of moist air protects plants and ATC structural elements from rotting and corrosion.

[0017] Brief description of drawings

[0018] Fig. 1 - ATK design option - 3-tier ATK, front and side views.

[0019] Fig. 2 - ATK design option - 3-tier ATK, bottom and top view.

[0020] Fig. 3 - ATK design option - 3-tier ATK, sections.

[0021] Fig. 4 - ATK design option - 3-tier ATK, three-dimensional view 1.

[0022] Fig. 5 - ATK design option - 3-tier ATK, three-dimensional view 2.

[0023] Fig. 6 - Option 1 of the ATK plate, 3 types.

[0024] Fig. 7 - Option 2 of the ATK plate, 3 types.

[0025] Designation:

[0026] 1 - vertical supports,

[0027] 2 - horizontal cross supports,

[0028] 3 - horizontal longitudinal supports,

[0029] 4 - anti-friction pads,

[0030] 5 - plates,

[0031] 6 - LED strips,

[0032] 7 - shafts,

[0033] 8 - drive drums,

[0034] 9 - electric drive,

[0035] 10-vibration motor,

[0036] 11 - plate body,

[0037] 12 - connecting loops,

[0038] 13 - recesses for the root system of plants,

[0039] 14 - water supply channels,

[0040] 15 - irrigation liquid inlet zone,

[0041] 16 - holes for fluid flow on the surface of anti-friction pads,

[0042] 17 - through holes in the plate body,

[0043] 18 - connecting elements.

[0044] Detailed description of the invention design

[0045] The supporting structure of the ATK consists of vertical 1, horizontal transverse 2 and horizontal longitudinal 3 metal profiles. Antifriction pads 4 are attached to the top of the horizontal longitudinal profiles 3. A strip of kinematically connected plates 5 rests on the antifriction pads 4. LED strips 6 are attached to the bottom of the horizontal longitudinal profiles 3 and are used for providing additional lighting for plants grown in the plates 5. Rotary shafts 7 are attached to the outer vertical profiles 1, onto which rotary drums 8 are secured. Rotary drums 8 set in motion a strip of kinematically connected plates 5. The rotation of the shafts is performed by electric drives 9 secured to the second vertical profile 1 from the edge. A motor-vibrator 10 is also secured to the second vertical profile 1 from the edge. Plates 5 include a longitudinal housing 11, to which connecting elements 18 are attached using quick-release joints.The connection of the plates to each other is carried out using connecting loops 12, located on connecting elements 18.

[0046] The body of plate 11 contains recesses 13 for plant root systems, into which plants are planted, and soil and the root system of the cultivated plants are placed. Water-conducting grooves 14 are formed along the perimeter of plate 11. Water-conducting grooves 14 connect at the ends of plate 11 to irrigation fluid inlet zones 15, where irrigation fluid is supplied. From the areas of liquid supply for irrigation 15, the liquid is distributed along the surface through water-conducting grooves 14, entering the recesses for the root system of plants 13 and the openings for liquid supply on the surfaces of antifriction gaskets 16. Through the openings for liquid supply on the surfaces of antifriction gaskets 16, the liquid is supplied to the surfaces of antifriction gaskets 4 to reduce the coefficient of friction between the plates 5 and the antifriction gaskets 4. Through openings 17 are made in the plate body for natural air circulation in the plant growing area.

Claims

1. A plant growing installation comprising a support frame, irrigation and artificial lighting systems for plants, electromechanical drive systems, belts of kinematically linked plates laid through antifriction pads on the supporting frame of a greenhouse, characterized in that the plates for the root systems of plants are provided with recesses connected by a system of water-conducting grooves, and in the contact zones of the belt plates with the antifriction pads, through holes with diameters of 0.4÷4.0 mm are made in the water-conducting grooves.

2. The device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that a motor-vibrator is attached to the supporting frame of the greenhouse, included in the control circuit for the movement of the conveyor belt.

3. The device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the conveyor belt plates are adjacent to each other with the formation of a gap of 3÷10 mm, and the plates themselves have through holes so that the overall cross-sectional area coefficient is 0.1÷0.

3.

4. The device according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the conveyor plates are prefabricated, have a housing and coupling elements to which connecting loops are attached, through which a connection with adjacent plates occurs, while the coupling elements are attached to the housing using quick-release connections.

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