GROWING APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GROWING PLANTS

Abstract

A growing apparatus for plants, the growing apparatus including a planting side; a harvesting side; a flexible conveyor belt including cutouts that transports the plants in the cutouts along a conveying path from the planting side to the harvesting side; a nutrition device that feeds a liquid nutrition medium for the plants to a root side of the flexible conveyor belt so that the plants root at the root side and sprout at an illuminated sprout side of the conveyor belt that is arranged opposite to the root side, wherein the flexible conveyor belt is folded into creases at the planting side wherein the creases extend in a direction transversal to the conveying path, wherein the creases are moved from the planting side to the harvesting side and thus straightened and leveled along the conveying path, wherein the cutouts are respectively arranged on ridge lines of the creases.

Claims

1. A growing apparatus for plants, the growing apparatus comprising: a planting side; a harvesting side; a flexible conveyor belt including cutouts that transports the plants in the cutouts along a conveying path from the planting side to the harvesting side; a nutrition device that feeds a liquid nutrition medium for the plants to a root side of the flexible conveyor belt so that the plants root at the root side and sprout at an illuminated sprout side of the conveyor belt that is arranged opposite to the root side, wherein the flexible conveyor belt is folded into creases at the planting side wherein the creases extend in a direction transversal to the conveying path, wherein the creases are moved from the planting side to the harvesting side and thus straightened and leveled along the conveying path, wherein the cutouts are respectively arranged on ridge lines of the creases.

2. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible conveyor belt is made from a synthetic material foil or from polypropylene.

3. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible conveyor belt is made from lamellas that adjoin in a direction transversal to the conveying path.

4. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible conveyor belt runs endless from the harvesting side back to the planting side.

5. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plants are attached in the flexible conveyor belt in an open pore foam material or in a polyurethane foam.

6. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein capillary hoses run from the root side into the nutrition device and feed the nutrition medium to the plants.

7. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a fogger that fogs the nutrient medium and a gas conducting system that feeds fogged nutrient medium to the root side.

8. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an illumination device configured to illuminate the sprout side.

9. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: support elements arranged at the flexible conveyor belt and a drive device with a plurality of drive dogs that support the support elements along the conveying path.

10. The growing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible conveyor belt includes support holes at least at one edge along the conveying path and bars configured as support elements arranged between the support holes.

11. The growing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein adjacent support elements have a distance from each other that increases along the conveying path from the planting side to the harvesting side.

12. The growing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the conveying path includes segments in which the support elements respectively have a constant distance from each other.

13. The growing apparatus according to preceding claim 1, wherein the conveying path rises and falls in an alternating pattern.

14. A method for growing plants, the method comprising: planting the plants on a planting side on a flexible conveyor belt; transporting the plants on the flexible conveyor belt along a conveying path from the planting side to a harvesting side and harvesting the plants on the harvesting side; feeding a liquid nutrition medium for the plants to a root side of the flexible conveyor belt; illuminating a sprout side of the flexible conveyor belt that is arranged opposite to the root side so that the plants root at the root side and sprout at the sprout side; folding the flexible conveyor belt into creases at the planting side wherein the creases extend in a direction transversal to the conveying path and moving the creases from the planting side to the harvesting side and thus straightening and leveling the creases along the conveying path, wherein the plants are respectively placed on ridge lines of the creases.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the plants are arranged offset from each other transversal to the conveying path on sequential creases.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein planting blocks are attached in the flexible conveyor belt and the plants are attached in the planting blocks.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the conveyor belt is continuously moved from the planting side to the harvesting side.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] The invention is subsequently described based on advantageous embodiments with reference to drawing figures, wherein:

[0034] FIG. 1A illustrates a detail of a first growing apparatus according to the invention without plants;

[0035] FIG. 1B illustrates another detail of the first growing apparatus according to the invention without plants;

[0036] FIG. 2A illustrates a planting block of the growing apparatus according to the invention and cuts introduced into the planting block;

[0037] FIG. 2B illustrates the planting block of the growing apparatus according to the invention and the cuts introduced into the planting block;

[0038] FIG. 3A illustrates a growth step of a plant in a planting block;

[0039] FIG. 3B illustrates another growth step of the plant in the planting block;

[0040] FIG. 3C illustrates another growth step of the plant in the planting block;

[0041] FIG. 3D illustrates another growth step of the plant in the planting block;

[0042] FIG. 3E illustrates another growth step of the plant in the planting block;

[0043] FIG. 3F illustrates another growth step of the plant in the planting block;

[0044] FIG. 4 illustrates a schematic view of the first growing apparatus according to the invention;

[0045] FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view of a second growing apparatus according to the invention; and

[0046] FIG. 6 illustrates a detail of a conveyor belt of another growing apparatus according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0047] The conveyor belt 1 shown in a detail view in FIG. 1A, is made from fifteen lamellas 3 adjoining each other in the direction of the conveying path 2 having a width 4 of 30 cm respectively and a length 5 of 120 cm shown in FIG. 4. The lamellas 3 are made from a polypropylene foil with a thickness of 0.8 mm wherein the lamellas are respectively connected with each other in tubular support elements 6.

[0048] The lamellas 3 and the conveyor belt 1 have a root side 7 and a sprout side 8, and circular cut outs 9 centrally arranged between the support elements 6 and having a diameter 10 of 40 mm, wherein planting blocks 11 can be inserted into the cut outs as illustrated in FIG. 1B.

[0049] The planting blocks 11 illustrated in detail in FIG. 2A are made from open pore polyurethane foam with a width 12 and a length 13 of 50 mm respectively and a height 14 of 25 mm. Cuts 15, 16 17 are introduced into each planting block 11 as illustrated in FIG. 2B, namely a horizontal circular cut 15 about the center 18 with the diameter 10 of the cut outs 9 and two vertical cuts 16, 17 arranged transversal to each other and extending to the center 18.

[0050] FIGS. 3A-3F show six growth phases in a plant block 11 starting with a seed kernel (FIG. 3A) through the seedling 19 (FIG. 3B) to the harvestable plant 20 (FIG. 3F). Until proper roots are formed the seed kernel and the growing plant 20 are supplied through a capillary hose 21. The seed kernel and the roots are not shown.

[0051] In the first growing apparatus 22 according to the invention schematically shown in FIG. 4 the conveyor belt 1 runs along the conveying path 2 from a planting side 23 to a harvesting side 24. The planting blocks 11 with the pre sprouted seedlings are introduced into the holes of the first lamella on the planting side 23. The support elements 6 of three adjoining lamellas 3 have a starting distance of 5 cm in a first segment 25 in the direction of the conveying path 2, a distance of 10 cm in a second segment 26, a distance of 15 cm in a third segment 27, a distance of 20 cm in a fourth segment 28 and an end distance of 25 cm in a fifth segment 29. The capillary hoses 21 are hanging vertically downward into a tub of a nutrition device 47 including a liquid nutrition medium 30. The distances are not illustrated in the drawing figure.

[0052] The support element 6 of the conveyor belt 1 contact lateral walls of the first growing apparatus 22, sequential support elements 6 are supported by clamps with different lengths against an elastic reset force of the lamellas 3 and a weight force of plants 20 at a respective distance from each other. The walls and the clamps are not illustrated in the drawing figure.

[0053] After a growth period of two days respectively three lamellas 3 are removed respectively at the harvesting side 24 and reapplied at the planting side 23 with the starting distance and new seedlings 19. The distance of the remaining lamellas 3 is increased accordingly by replacing the clamps. The plants 20 are harvested from the initially inserted lamellas 3 after 10 days.

[0054] The second growing apparatus 31 according to the invention illustrated in FIG. 5 includes a conveyor belt 32, an illumination device 33 and a nutrition device 47 and a drive device. The drive device is not illustrated.

[0055] The conveyor belt 32 is configured from the lamellas 3 known from the first growing apparatus 22, wherein the lamellas 3 are connected by the support element 6, described supra. The lamellas and the support elements are not illustrated in the drawing figure.

[0056] The conveyor belt 32 feeds plants 34 along a conveying path 35 during a growth phase of 10 days from a planting side 36 to a harvesting side 37 of the growing apparatus 31. Starting from the planting side 36 where the pre sprouted seedlings 38 are applied to the conveyor belt 32 as described supra the conveying path runs in five segments 39 initially vertically upward and thereafter vertically downward to the harvesting side 37 and from the harvesting side 37 below the segments 39 back to the planting side 36. The segments 39 have increasing distances from each other moving from the planting side 36 to the harvesting side 37 in order to avoid a collision of the plants 34.

[0057] The illumination device 33 includes six LED panels 40 respectively arranged at the planting side 36 and the harvesting side 37 and between two respectively adjacent segments 39 and illuminates a sprout side 41 of the lamellas and of the conveyor belt 32 in an artificial day/night rhythm.

[0058] The planting blocks correspond essentially to the planting blocks 11 of the first growing apparatus 22, however do not have the capillary hose of the first growing apparatus 22.

[0059] The nutrition device 47 includes a reservoir with a liquid nutrition medium for the plants 34, an ultrasound fogger for the nutrition medium and conduits for uniform distribution of the fog, on a root side 42 of the conveyor belt 32 that is opposite to the sprout side 41.

[0060] The drive device includes an orbiting conveyor chain with drive dogs for the support elements for each of the segments 39, wherein the distances of the drive dogs and the support elements increase from a starting distance of 5 cm at the planting side 36 in increments of 5 cm respectively to the harvesting side 37 to an end distance of 25 cm between the segments 39.

[0061] The second growing apparatus 31 can be operated with a conveyor belt 43 that runs transversal to the conveying path 35 in a horizontal or vertical direction.

[0062] A third embodiment of the growing apparatus according to the invention essentially corresponds to the first growing apparatus 22 but includes a different drive device. The conveyor belt 43 of the third embodiment of the growing apparatus shown in FIG. 6 in detail includes support holes 36 arranged with uniform distances at both edges 44 along the conveying path 45. The drive device includes domes moved along the conveying path 45 with variable distance continuously from the planting side to the harvesting side, wherein the domes are supported by the support holes.

REFERENCE NUMERALS AND DESIGNATIONS

[0063] 1 conveyor belt [0064] 2 conveying path [0065] 3 lamellas [0066] 4 width [0067] 5 length [0068] 6 support element [0069] 7 root side [0070] 8 sprout side [0071] 9 cut out [0072] 10 diameter [0073] 11 planting block [0074] 12 width [0075] 13 length [0076] 14 height [0077] 15 sectional view [0078] 16 sectional view [0079] 17 sectional view [0080] 18 center [0081] 19 seedling [0082] 20 plant [0083] 21 capillary hose [0084] 22 growing apparatus [0085] 23 planting side [0086] 24 harvesting side [0087] 25 segment [0088] 26 segment [0089] 27 segment [0090] 28 segment [0091] 29 segment [0092] 30 nutrient medium [0093] 31 growing apparatus [0094] 32 conveyor belt [0095] 33 illumination device [0096] 34 plant [0097] 35 conveying path [0098] 36 planting side [0099] 37 harvesting side [0100] 38 seedling [0101] 39 segment [0102] 40 LED panel [0103] 41 sprout side [0104] 42 root side [0105] 43 conveyor belt [0106] 44 edge [0107] 45 conveying path [0108] 46 support hole [0109] 47 nutrition device [0110] 48 crease [0111] 49 ridge line