Plant cultivation device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10912261-B2
Application number	US-201515548528-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 6, 2015
Priority date	Feb 6, 2015
Publication date	Feb 9, 2021
Grant date	Feb 9, 2021

Abstract

The plant cultivation device which workability of cutting of the leaves of the plant at the base portion thereof from the root portion of the plants. The plant cultivation device includes a culture medium holding portion in a cylindrical shape, accommodating and holding a seedling culture medium, arranged in the through-holes of the fluid passage member and absorbing the culture fluid into the seedling culture medium and a leaf supporting portion formed in a cylindrical shape, arranged at an upper side of the culture medium holding portion and supporting the leaves from around the leaves which are cultivated from the seeds. The culture medium holding portion and the leaf supporting portion are formed such that a cutting tool, used for separation between the seedling culture medium and the leaves, can be insertable from outside into a bordering portion between the culture medium holding portion and the leaf supporting portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plant cultivation device which obtains leaves of a cultivated plant by cutting a base portion of the leaves from a root portion of the cultivated plant, comprising:
a fluid passage member formed in a tubular shape with a fluid passage through which a culture fluid flows and formed with a plurality of through-holes on an upper surface of the fluid passage member with a predetermined interval separated from one another and arranged along the fluid passage;
a seedling culture medium on which seeds of the plants are arranged;
a culture medium holding portion including
a cylindrical portion formed in a cylindrical shape and including an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface, the cylindrical portion accommodating therein the seedling culture medium to hold the seedling culture medium under a state that the seedling culture medium is in contact with the inner peripheral surface, and the outer peripheral surface is arranged in one of the plurality of through-holes of the fluid passage member and absorbing the culture fluid into the seedling culture medium, and
a flange portion extending from an upper end of the cylindrical portion, the flange portion formed of a wall with a reverse conoidal shape extending radially outward and upward, the flange portion including a plurality of positioning holes formed through the wall; and

a leaf supporting portion formed in a tapered cylindrical shape, arranged at an upper side of the culture medium holding portion and supporting the leaves which are cultivated from the seeds at the circumference of the leaves, the leaf supporting portion including a plurality of engagement hooks configured to engage with the plurality of positioning holes wherein,
the culture medium holding portion and the leaf supporting portion are formed such that a cutting tool, used for separation between the seedling culture medium and the leaves, can be insertable from outside into a bordering portion between the culture medium holding portion and the leaf supporting portion, and
the leaf supporting portion is formed separately from the culture medium holding portion and is arranged at the upper side of the culture medium holding portion such that a small diameter opening side of the tapered cylindrical shape faces downward and is detachably connected to an upper side opening brim of the culture medium holding portion via the engagement hooks and the positioning holes.

2. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 , wherein,
under a state that the leaf supporting portion supports the leaves and is detached from the culture medium holding portion to form a gap therebetween, the cutting tool can be insertable from outside into the bordering portion between the culture medium holding portion and the leaf supporting portion.

3. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 , wherein
by a rotation of the leaf supporting portion relative to the culture medium holding portion about an axis line the engagement hook advances into a slit formed in the wall of the flange from the positioning hole.

4. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 , wherein,
the flange portion engages with an upper side opening brim of the through holes of the fluid passage member.

5. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 , wherein,
the leaf supporting portion functions as a transfer protection member which protects the leaves upon transferring of the cut leaves.

6. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a lighting device which sheds light to the seedling culture medium from upper side thereof, wherein,
the lighting device sheds light to the seedling culture medium at a position adjacent to the seedling culture medium, when the leaf supporting portion is under a state before being installed to the culture medium holding portion and,
the lighting device sheds light to the seedling culture medium at a position further separated from the seedling culture medium from the position adjacent thereto, when the leaf supporting portion is under a state after having been installed to the culture medium holding portion.

7. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 , wherein,
the culture medium holding portion and the leaf supporting portion are made by a resin material and are formed to have a flexible film thickness.

8. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 , wherein,
the plurality of through-holes extend in a radial direction of the fluid passage member and are separated from one another along an axial direction of the fluid passage member.

9. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a transfer device on which the fluid passage member is supported, and
a pair of rails parallel to each other on which the transfer device is configured travel along the lengths of the pair of rails.

10. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the leaves are transferably supported by the leaf supporting portion under a state that the cutting tool is inserted from the outside and the leaves are cut from root portion thereof at the bordering portion.

11. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the engagement hooks extend outwardly and downward in the radial direction.

12. The plant cultivation device according to claim 1 ,
wherein an outer peripheral surface of the flange portion engages with an upper side opening edge of the one of the plurality of through-holes.

Assignees

• Fuji Seiko Co Ltd
• Fuji Shoji Co Ltd

Inventors

• Takashima Katsunori

Classifications

• Y02P60/21

  Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures · CPC title

• A01G31/00 Primary

  Soilless cultivation, e.g. hydroponics (growth substrates therefor A01G24/00; cultivation of seaweed A01G33/00) · CPC title

• A01G9/249 Primary

  Lighting means (with special arrangements for promoting growth A01G7/045) · CPC title

• A01G31/04

  Hydroponic culture on conveyors · CPC title

• A01G9/12

  Supports for plants; Trellis for strawberries or the like (stays for trees, props for vines A01G17/14) · CPC title