Hydroponic cultivation apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9832941-B2
Application number	US-201614986726-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2016
Priority date	Sep 21, 2015
Publication date	Dec 5, 2017
Grant date	Dec 5, 2017

Abstract

A hydroponic cultivation apparatus with detachable cultivation tray is provided in that each cultivation tray is magnetically mounted to an expansion socket of a main aqueduct so that a replaceable cultivation room may be independently provided. Each cultivation tray is equipped with a light source plate at the bottom. The light source plate is provided with power via a wireless receiver connected with a wireless transmitter at the socket. Multiple drain slots are aligning along a direction perpendicular to a horizontal level on each cultivation tray with some of them plugged with insulation pieces so that each cultivation tray may have the water level controlled independently.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydroponic cultivation apparatus, comprising:
a main aqueduct comprising a plurality of expansion sockets, a supply line, and a discharge section, the supply line comprising a plurality of supply sections, each supply section aligning with one of the expansion sockets respectively; and
a plurality of cultivation trays, each cultivation tray detachably mounted to one of the expansion sockets of the main aqueduct, each cultivation tray providing a cultivation room for a plant;
wherein for each cultivation tray, nutrient solution is provided from the supply section aligned with the corresponding expansion socket to the cultivation room of the cultivation tray, reflowing back from the same expansion socket to the main aqueduct, and discharged by the discharge section;
wherein an indented structure is formed around each expansion socket of the main aqueduct, each cultivation tray comprising a protruding portion corresponding to the expansion socket, the protruding portion comprising a connecting wall at both sides of the protruding portion respectively, the protruding portion of the cultivation tray extending toward the expansion socket and the connecting walls at both sides of the protruding portion abutting against the indented structure.

2. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the indented structure comprises a plurality of through holes, the main aqueduct further comprises a plurality of ferromagnetic posts, each of the ferromagnetic posts passing through a respective through hole and having a shape of a bolt with a thicker end positioned at an inner side of the main aqueduct, and the connecting walls at both sides of the protruding portion comprising a plurality of magnetic elements corresponding to the plurality of through holes; when the cultivation tray is mounted to the expansion socket and the connecting walls of the protruding portion abut against the indented structure, the plurality of ferromagnetic posts are in magnetic attraction with the magnetic elements and the cultivation tray is fixed to the expansion socket.

3. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the protruding portion comprises an inlet hole, the supply section passing through the inlet hole and providing nutrient solution for the cultivation room.

4. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the protruding portion further comprises a water level control structure, comprising:
a plurality of drain slots, aligning along a direction perpendicular to a horizontal level; and
a plurality of insulation pieces selectively plugging into one or multiple drain slots, each of the plurality of insulation pieces corresponding to a respective drain slot.

5. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the horizontal level of each drain slot is higher than a horizontal level of the inlet hole.

6. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each cultivation tray comprises a light source plate, the light source plate is connected to a wireless receiver, and each expansion socket comprises a wireless transmitter; when the cultivation tray is mounted to the expansion socket, the wireless transmitter provides charging signal to the wireless receiver to power the light source plate.

7. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the light source plate is a light emitting diode (LED) light source plate.

8. The hydroponic cultivation apparatus of claim 6 , wherein an indented structure is formed around each expansion socket and each cultivation tray comprises a protruding portion corresponding to the expansion socket, and wherein the wireless receiver is disposed on the protruding portion and the wireless transmitter is disposed on the indented structure at a position aligning with the wireless receiver.

Assignees

• Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd

Inventors

• Cheng Min-Chung
• Lin Mu-Hua

Classifications

• A01G31/06

  Hydroponic culture on racks or in stacked containers · CPC title

• Y02P60/146

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• A01G31/02 Primary

  Special apparatus therefor (self-acting watering devices A01G27/00) · CPC title

• F21V23/02

  the elements being transformers, impedances {or power supply units, e.g. a transformer with a rectifier} · CPC title

• A01G7/045

  with electric lighting · CPC title