DEVICE FOR TRANSPORT OF EMPTY GROWING TROUGHS IN A GROWING PLANT

Abstract: A device for a transport of empty growing troughs (2) in a growing plant, in which the growing troughs (2) are displaced in a direction, which is mainly perpendicular to their longitudinal direction along a growing bed (1) from a planting station (II) at one end of the bed, at which seedlings are brought into the troughs, to a harvesting station (I) at the other end of the bed, at which the plants are removed from the troughs, at which the growing troughs (2) are brought back from the harvesting station (I) to the planting station (II) empty of plants. The empty growing troughs (2) are arranged in a magazine (5), which is situated above the growing bed (1), at which the growing troughs (2) are transported by help of the magazine (5) from the harvesting station (I) to the planting station (II). The magazine (5) is arranged on a bridge (3), extending across the growing bed (1) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the growing troughs (2), which is travelling along the growing bed (1) between its harvesting station (I) and its planting station (II).

Description: 1 DEVICE FOR TRANSPORT OF EMPTY GROWING TROUGHS IN A GROWING PLANT f TECHNICAL FIELD 5 The present invention concerns a de ice for a transport of empty growing troughs in a growing plant, in which the growing troughs during the growing of the seed¬ lings are displaced in a direction, which is mainly per--' pendicular to their longitudinal direction along a grow- 10 ing bed from a planting station at one end of the bed, a.% .. which the seedlings are brought into the troughs, ' to a harvesting station at the other end of. the bed, at which the plants are removed from the troughs, after which the growing troughs are brought back from the harvesting sta- 15 tion to the planting station empty of plants. BACKGROUND TECHNICS Plants for growing seedlings, at which the seedlings are brought in into a planting station, mecha¬ nically transported to and harvested at a harvesting sta- 20 tion, are known from a great number of applications. Pre¬ ferably the planting station and the harvesting station are arranged at the same location at the growing plant while the seedlings are brought to grdw during the trans¬ portation through the plant and back to the starting 25 point. An idea with plants where the seedlings are trans¬ ported in several levels above each other is that the de¬ mand of area for the plant shall be as small as possible giving a very compact and economical building. Such a plant is described e.g. in the American patent publica- 30 tion US 4 068 405 and also in the Swedish patent publica¬ tion SE 442 081, the latter with the same applicant as in this application. However it has proved to be difficulties in¬ volved in controlling the growing environment in plants 35 where the seedlings are placed in two or more levels above each other. The multi-level princip thus has been abandoned in the plants having the seedlings growing during a mechanical movement upon a growing bed in a single horizontal plane. By that the planting station of the plant will be situated at one end of the bed and its harvesting station will be situated at the other end of the bed. The movement of the growing troughs between the planting station and the harvesting station during the growing of the seedlings can be carried out by e.g. a drivning dog device described in the Swedish patent pub¬ lication SE 442 081, however with the difference that the driving dog device only concerns a growing bed in a sing¬ le plane. DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The purpose with the present invention is to bring about a device for a transport of empty growing troughs in a gowing plant according to the preamble, by help of which the growing troughs are transported from the harvesting station to the planting station of the plant. The purose has been achieved by a device according to the invention which is characterized by empty growing troughs arranged in a magazine, which is situated above the growing bed, at which the growing troughs are trans¬ ported by help of the magazine from the harvesting sta¬ tion to the planting station. Preferable the magazine is arranged on a bridge extending across the growing bed, parallel to the longitudinal direction of the growing troughs, which is travelling along the growing bed bet¬ ween its harvesting station and its planting station. Preferably the magazine is constituted by two conveyors, extending in an endless path perpendicular to the longi- tudinal direction of the growing troughs, each conveyor showing like-situated supporting members carrying the troughs when placed in the magazine. In a useful embodiment of the invention each conveyor is constituted by an apron conveyor and each supporting member by a plate extending perpendicular from each conveyor lamella along the growing troughs. Each conveyor is carried by at least four sprockets, which are arranged in shape of corners of a parallel trapezium sho¬ wing sides extending parallel in the horizontal plane and the distance between the upper sprockets is less than the distance between the lower sprockets. By this the maga- zine becomes sides slooping to the bridge, by which the troughs are prevented from falling off from the suppor¬ ting plates when fed into the magazine by the step-wise movement of the conveyors. The magazine is filled up by growing troughs when the first trough fed in has been step-wise advanced on the conveyors until a position at the lower sprocket on each conveyor situated fare-most from the feeding in point. It has shown to be to prefer to combine the tra¬ velling bridge known from the Swedish patent publication SE 442 081 and the magazine according to the invention, by which the travelling bridge partly can be caused to carry out the displacement of the growing troughs along the growing bed and partly to transport empty growing troughs from the harvesting station to the planting sta- tion. By that the travelling bridge carries known driving dogs, which are displaceble in a vertical direction at the lower side of the bridge, and by help of which the growing troughs are displaced upon the growing bed. Planting and harvesting of plants by help of the device according to the invention is described below with reference to the description to drawings. DESCRIPTION TO DRAWINGS The invention is described below as an embodi¬ ment with the reference to the drawings enclosed. Figure 1 shows a growing plant schematically in a perspective view, which is provided with a travelling bridge for growing troughs, which also carries a magazine for growing troughs according to the invention. Figure 2 shows a section of a growing trough perspectively seen. Figure 3 shows a cross-section through the maga¬ zine for growing troughs along the line A-A on figure 1. The growing plant according to figure 1.includes a growing bed 1, which is constituted by a frame structu¬ re, which is shematically shown on figure 1 and which carries a great number of longish growing troughs 2. The growing troughs 2 show a closed, rectangular cross sec¬ tion, as shown on figure 2, and are provided with ope¬ nings on the upper side in which pots with seedlings are placed. A travelling bridge 3 is travelling along rails 4 arranged on each side of the growing bed 1 and extending across the growing bed 1 parallel to the growing troughs 2. The growing troughs 2 are moved on the growing ' bed 1 by driving dogs, not shown on figure 1, which are caused to project downwards from the travelling bridge 3 in a growing trough 2 one at a time and to move this one per- pendicular to its longitudinal direction during sliding upon the frame structure of the bed 1 in a direction to the harvesting station of the bed 1 , indicated I on fi¬ gure 1. By help of the travelling bridge 3 all growing troughs 2 are step-wise displaced on the growing bed 1 against the harvesting station I, at which the growing troughs 2 are placed with an increasing mutual distance in a direction to the harvesting station I of the bed 1. The plants are harvested from the growing troughs 2 by removing together with their pots. After harvesting of the plants in a growing trough 2 the trough 2 is transferred to the planting sta¬ tion of the growing bed 1, indicated II on figure 1. The travelling bridge for this purpose carries a magazine 5 for growing troughs 2, to which the troughs 2 are brought as the plants are harvested from each trough 2. When the magazine 5 is filled up with growing troughs 2 the tra¬ velling bridge 3 is caused to travel to the planting sta¬ tion II of the growing bed 1, at which the troughs 2 are brought back to the growing bed 1 on the same time as they are filled up with pots with seedlings. The travelling bridge 3 is constituted by a framework 6 extending between two wheel stands 7, at which the framework 6 can be seen from the cross section on figure 3 and the wheel stands 7 is shown on figure 1. The travelling bridge 3 carries partly an electrical mo¬ tor 8, which is connected to the wheels in each wheel stand 7, partly an electrical feeder motor 9, which by a chain 10 is connected to the driving dogs 11, and partly an electrical magazine motor 12, which is connected to the apron conveyors 13, endless running over sprockets 14, and which constitute the magazine 5. All motors 8, 9, 12 are connected by transmission gears to axises exten¬ ding in the longitudinal direction of the travelling bridge 3, which in its turn is connected to members po¬ wered by each motor. Each apron conveyor 13 is constitu¬ ted by lamellas each provided with a supporting plate 15, extending from the conveyor 13, perpendicular to each la¬ mella and in a plane extending in the longitudinal direc¬ tion of the growing troughs 2. The apron conveyor 13 is incomplete shown on figure 3 and partly indicated by dot¬ ted lines. Also the driving dog 11 only is dotted indicated. The harvesting of plants is carried out in that way that the travelling bridge 3 is caused to displace a first, close to the harvesting station I situated growing trough 2 against the short-side of the growing bed 1. The plants together with their pots are removed in that way that the growing trough 2 is emptied. After that the tra¬ velling bridge 3 is caused to displace a second growing trough 2 against the same short-side, at which the first trough 2 is lifted up and placed in the magazine 4 by hand into arresting upon like-situated supporting plates 15 in each apron conveyor 13. When plants and pots are removed from the second growing trough 2 a third trough 2 is supplied, after which the second trough is placed in the magazine 5 and so on. Two groing troughs 2 are placed in each cell of supporting plates 15 when step-wise sup¬ plying of empty cells in the apron conveyors 13 on the side of the magazine 5 which is directed to the harvesting station I. When the magazine 5 on the travel¬ ling bridge 3 is filled up by growing troughs 2 the brid¬ ge 3 is caused to travel on the rails 4 along the growing bed 1 to the planting station II. The planting of seedlings is carried out in a converted way, e.g. empty growing troughs 2 are lifted down from the magazine 5 and placed upon the growing bed 1 at the planting station II by hand where they succesi¬ vely are filled with pots with seedlings. The growing troughs 2 are succesively displaced on the growing bed by help of the travelling bridge 3 and placed in a mutual encreasing distance on the same time as the other growing troughs 2 on the bed 1 step-wise are displaced to the harvesting station I.

Claims: PATENT CLAIMS 1. A device for a transport of empty growing troughs (2) in a growing plant, including a growing bed (1) on which the growing troughs (2) during the growing of the seedlings are displaced in a direction, which is mainly perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the troughs (2), from a planting station (II) at one end of the bed, at which seedlings are brought into the troughs, to a harvesting station (I) at the other end of the bed, at which the plants are removed from the troughs (2), at which the growing troughs (2) are brought back from the harvesting station (I) to the planting station (II) empty of plants, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that a magazine (5) for empty growing troughs (2) is arranged above the growing bed (1) and that this magazine (5) is displaceble between the harvesting station (I) and the planting sta¬ tion (II). 2. A device according to claim 1, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the magazine (5) is arranged on a bridge (3) extending across the growing bed (1) parallel to the longitudinal direction of the growing troughs (2) and which is travelling along the growing bed (1). 3. A device according to claim 2, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that the magazine (5) includes at least two conveyors (13), extending in an endless path perpen¬ dicular to the longitudinal direction of the growing troughs (2) and that each conveyor (13) shows like-situa¬ ted supporting members (15), carrying the troughs (2) when placed in the magazine. - ' • A device according to claim 3, c h a r a c ¬ t e r i z e d in that each conveyor (13) is constituted by an apron conveyor and each supporting member by a plate extending perpendicular from each conveyor lamella for the growing troughs (2). 5. A device according to any of the claims 3 to 4, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that each conveyor (139 is carried by at least four sprockets (14), which are arranged in shape of corners of a parallel trapezium showing sides extending parallel to the horizontal plane, and the distance between the upper sprockets (14) is less than the distance between the lower sprockets. 6. A device according to any of the claims 2 to 5, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the bridge (3) car¬ ries driving dogs displacable in a vertical direction at the lower side of the bridge (3), by help of which the growing troughs (2) are displaced upon the growing bed (1).

Inventors: RASIN BENGT, RASIN, BENGT
Applicants: ABECE AB
Application year: 1989
Main classification: A01G9
IPC codes: A01G9