Device for growing mushrooms

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for growing mushrooms, comprising a shelving, arranged for supporting beds for holding compost, said beds for holding compost wherein the beds are placed at a mutual distance above each other characterized in that the beds are movable between at least a first position, wherein a second bed supported above a first bed at least partially impedes the accessibility of the first bed in a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the first bed extends and a second position in which at least a larger part of the first bed is free approachable from a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the first bed extends than in the first position.

Claims

1. A device for growing mushrooms, comprising: a shelving, arranged for supporting beds for holding casing soil and compost on a pulling net, wherein the shelving includes a central upright support with horizontal support beams extending therefrom; said beds for holding casing soil and compost on a pulling net; wherein: the beds are coupled to and supported by the horizontal support beams; the beds are placed at a mutual distance above each other; the beds are mutually movable, wherein a displacement between a first position and a second position requires a displacement of the first bed only, between at least: the first position, wherein a second bed supported above a first bed at least partially impedes the accessibility of the first bed in a direction perpendicular to a plane in which the first bed extends; and the second position in which at least a larger part of the first bed is free approachable from a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the first bed extends than in the first position; there is at least one pair of beds essentially at the same height supported by the shelving, which beds extend parallel to each other, wherein the at least one pair of beds are rotatable in the opposite direction; and the central upright support extends between the two beds in the at least one pair of beds.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein a side of each of the at least one pair of beds that faces the other bed in the at least one pair of beds goes upward when the bed is rotated and an opposite side of each of the beds that faces away from the other bed in the at least one pair of beds goes downward when the bed is rotated.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the rotation of a bed takes place around an axis in the longitudinal direction of the bed which axis is situated at the underside of the bed, and is positioned in the middle in the width direction.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the beds have a width between 0.5 and 2 meters, in particular between 0.6 and 1 meter and more in particular between 0.65 and 0.75 meter.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the beds are rotatably coupled to the horizontal support beams.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein, seen from the center of the device, a bed extends further in a width direction from the rotatable coupling than a beam that supports the bed.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the shelving supports two sets of beds, the beds of each set placed at a mutual distance above each other, wherein both sets extend in parallel to each other, and wherein there is at least one bed from the first set that in a vertical direction at least partially overlaps with a bed from the second set, wherein movement of air with a vertical directional component is at least partially blocked between the bed from the first set and the bed in a vertical direction at least partially overlapping bed from the second set when the bed from the first set and the bed from the second set are both in the first position.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein air flow with a vertical component is almost fully to fully blocked between the bed from the first set and the bed in a vertical direction at least partially overlapping bed from the second set.

9. The device according to claim 7, wherein the two sets have the same amount of beds, and each bed of the first set has an adjacent bed in the second set.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein air flow with a vertical directional component is blocked between each pair of beds.

11. The device according to claim 7, wherein the air flow is blocked because the beds are arranged against each other in their first positions.

12. The device according to claim 1, comprising a barrier for blocking air flow in a vertical direction, coupled to or mounted on the horizontal beams, to one of two adjacent beds, to each of two adjacent beds or to both of two adjacent beds.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the barrier is a rigid part.

14. The device according to claim 13 wherein the barrier includes one or more flexible parts.

15. The device according to claim 1, comprising a vertical barrier for preventing air on one or both sides of the parallel sets.

16. The device according to claim 1, comprising a spindle for moving the beds between the first and the second position, wherein the spindle is provided with an external coupling for a device for powering the spindle.

Description

(1) The invention will now be elucidated into more detail with reference to the following figures, wherein:

(2) FIG. 1 is a schematic side-view of a device according to the present invention;

(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a device according to the present invention; and

(4) FIG. 3 is a schematic side-view of a device according to the present invention.

(5) FIG. 1 shows a device 1 for growing mushrooms 2, comprising a shelving 3, supporting beds 4 for holding compost 5. The beds 4 are placed at a mutual distance A above each other, and movable between a first position B, wherein a second bed C supported above a first bed D at least partially impedes the accessibility of the first bed D in a direction E perpendicular to the plane H in which the first bed D extends; and a second position I in which at least a larger part of a first bed F is free approachable from a direction J perpendicular to the plane K in which the first bed F extends than in the first position.

(6) The displacement between the first and the second position requires a displacement of the first bed F only. The first bed F is in the second position (shown) completely freely accessible from a direction perpendicular to the plane K in which it extends. The displacement between the first and the second position comprises a rotation of the bed F, around an axis 6 in the longitudinal direction of the bed which axis 6 is situated at the underside of the bed F, and is positioned in the middle in the width direction L.

(7) The bed F is shown at its maximum angle of 45 degrees with respect to a horizontal position. The angular rotation is limited by a stop 7. As visible, there is a pair of beds 4 at the same height supported by the shelving 3, which beds extend parallel to each other. The device is further provided with a height-adjustable conveyor belt 8, which extends in the longitudinal direction of the beds, and is movable in height to positions which correspond to a lower end of a bed situated in a second position.

(8) Visible is that the distance from the shoulder 10 of a harvester 9 to the compost and casing soil with the mushrooms is essentially the same for both sides of the bed in the second position. This is obtainable for all embodiments of the present invention.

(9) The shelving 3 comprises a central upright 3A, and multiple beams 3B1, 3C1, 3D1, 3F1, 3G1, 13B, 3C, 3D, 3F, 3G. Beams 3B1 and 3B2 are at the same level, beams 3C1 and 3C2 are at the same level, beams 3D1 and 3D2 are at the same level, beams 3E1 and 3E2 are at the same level, and beams 3F1 and 3F2 are at the same level, and so are the respective beds supported by said beams.

(10) Beds at the same level are rotatable from a horizontal position to a position wherein their compost (and casing soil and mushrooms) face away from each other, so that harvesting can take place from both sides next to the shelving, even simultaneously. In other words, the side of the bed that faces a bed at the same level goes upward when the bed is rotated and the side of the bed that faces to the outside of the shelving goes down when the bed is rotated. The directions of rotation are indicated with arrows C and D. All beds at the left side of the drawing of the device rotate in a counterclockwise direction, and all beds at the right side of the drawing of the device rotate in a clockwise direction, when rotated from their first position to their second position.

(11) As a result, harvesting can take place from the outside of the shelving, and both beds at the same level can be harvested simultaneously.

(12) FIG. 2 shows the device from FIG. 1 in a perspective view.

(13) FIG. 3 shows a schematic side view of a device 101 for growing mushrooms, for instance, but not limited to a device from FIG. 1 or 2. The device 101 comprises a shelving 102 supporting beds 103-112 for holding compost, wherein the beds 103-112 are placed at a mutual distance D above each other, wherein the beds are movable between at least a first position (shown), wherein a second bed supported above a first bed at least partially impedes the accessibility of the first bed in a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the first bed extends and a second position (not shown) in which at least a larger part of the first bed is free approachable from a direction perpendicular to the plane in which the first bed extends than in the first position.

(14) In the embodiment shown, the shelving supports two sets A, B of beds 103-107, 108-112 placed at a mutual distance D above each other, wherein both sets extend in parallel to each other, and wherein there is at least one bed 103-107 from the first set that in a vertical direction V at least partially overlaps O1, O2, O3, O4, O5 with a bed 108-112 from the second set, wherein air flow 113, 114, 115, 116, 117 with a vertical directional component V is at least partially blocked between the bed from the first set A and the in a vertical direction at least partially overlapping bed from the second set B.

(15) There is a barrier 118-122 placed between adjacent beds. This barrier may be alternatively be coupled to or mounted on the support (118, 119, 120, 122), it may be coupled to one of two adjacent beds, to each of two adjacent beds or to both of two adjacent beds (121a, 121b). The barrier may be a rigid part (118, 119, 120, 122), it may be a bar (119) or a plate (118, 120, 122), or may comprise one or more flexible parts, such as flexible flaps (121a, 121b).

(16) Air flow in a horizontal direction H between two beds (on top of each other) is allowed, so there is a common space above two adjacent beds, which may extend to a pair of beds arranged above the adjacent beds.

(17) There are further essentially vertical barriers 123, 124 for preventing air on either side of the parallel sets. These barriers comprise rollable screens 123, 124, that prevent exchange of air and thus disturbance of the climate above the beds. The figures are for illustrative purposes only and do in no sense limit the scope of protection as defined by the following claims.