Plant husbandry – Water culture – apparatus or method
Patent
1987-12-07
1989-11-14
Hafer, Robert A.
Plant husbandry
Water culture, apparatus or method
47 65, 198724, 198778, A01G 914, A01G 3102
Patent
active
048798410
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a circular transport system mainly for cultivating plants. The transport system, which is capable of advancing the plants while imparting to them an even, continuous distance during the process of growth, consists of two horizontal rotor bodies located about a common vertical axis as well as a plurality of transport baskets for the plants.
One of the rotor bodies is helical, whereas the other one has a plurality of radial guide rails, which forcibly conduit the plants, every one of which is located within its own basket, along the helical track from the centre to the periphery, with either one or both of the rotor bodies rotating. The transport systems for plant cultivation known today, in which, while imparting a distance during the process of growth, an attempt is made to make optimal use of the area, consist as a rule of channels in which the plants are placed at the mutual final distances of the plants. By moving these channels away from one another during the process of growth, the area is utilised, but only in one direction.
This method is further improved according to the U.S. Pat. No. 4,166,341, according to which the plants are shifted intermittently within the channels themselves by means of a string pull. In order to achieve better utilisation of the area when using the system, it is, however, necessary either to move parts of channels containing plants so as to extend other channels, or to move the plants from one channel to another, since, with the string pull, it is possible only to impart a certain distance with each pull of the string.
Besides, the system is very schematic and diagram-orientated, and it requires, in practice, a very high degree of automation or even many manual operations, which will obviously not be in proportion to the benefits.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The transport system according to the invention has the special feature that it can advance the plants during their process of growth, while increasing the distance evenly and continuously in several horizontal directions, inasmuch as the system consists of two horizontal rotor bodies capable of rotating separately or jointly about a common vertial axis so that the plants located, each in its own transport basket, are carried away from one another in the course of such rotation.
The transport system acts in such a way as to cause the transport baskets with plants to be carried from the centre towards the periphery, inasmuch as the helical rotor body conveys them in an outward direction at the same time that the rotor body with the radial guide rails ensures the required mutual distance between the transport baskets.
With the transport system of the present invention, one achieves, in particular, that, as the plants are advanced, subject to the distance between them being evenly and continuously increased, it is possible, on the one hand, to make good use of the plants' space requirement and, on the other hand, entirely to avoid manual displacements during the process of growth.
A simple embodiment of the assembled transport system according to the invention consists in that the helical body is located within a vessel in which water, with nutrient added, can circulate, or the level of water may be raised and lowered, entirely in accordance with the requirements of the plants.
Another embodiment may consist in designing the helical body in such a way as to ensure that it both forms a channel, or is equipped with such water supply devices, as to enable water to be supplied to the plants either in a continuous flow or subdivided into sections.
A third embodiment consists in that such water supply devices are provided along the radial guide rails, or when designing the guide rails themselves, which are able to ensure that the plants are supplied with the requisite amount of water.
A fourth embodiment consists in that the helical body and the transport baskets are provided with tooth-type devices so that the baskets are rotated about their own axes, inasmuch as the said de
REFERENCES:
patent: 2222310 (1940-11-01), Emery
patent: 3983989 (1976-10-01), Wahren
patent: 4166341 (1979-09-01), Vestergaard
patent: 4258501 (1981-03-01), Brown
patent: 4617755 (1986-10-01), Ikeda et al.
Bronnums Maskinfabrik A/S
Hafer Robert A.
Rimell Sam
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