Patent Application
20230165202
This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no. 102021000030137 filed on Nov. 29, 2021, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to a system and to a method for cutting and collecting vegetable products being cultivated soilless.
More in detail, the present invention concerns cutting and collecting vegetable products cultivated on cultivation shelves structured to be used in a soilless aeroponic cultivation system preferably with a vertical architecture (Vertical Farm System); use to which the description below shall refer to explicitly without loss of generality.
As is known, vertical aeroponic soilless cultivation systems generally comprise cultivation shelves for the cultivation of vegetable products and aeroponic fertigation systems for the controlled feed of fertilizing substances to the vegetable products cultivated on said cultivation shelves.
Some cultivation shelves are provided with flat trays made of rigid material and comprise growing layers or growing media or substrates, which generally cover the upper face of the trays. The most widely used growing substrates are based on peat, soil, clay, rock wool, fabric, i.e., materials that are structured to allow the seeds to attach to the substrate during the sowing step and promote development of the root system during the subsequent cultivation and growth steps of the vegetable product on the substrate of the shelf itself.
The methods of cultivating vegetable products through the use of shelves provided with growing substrates of the type cited above, include, after the vegetable products have completed their growth, a cutting step and a collection step of the vegetable products present on the shelves.
The cutting step of the vegetable product is generally carried out by arranging the cultivation shelf with its base resting on a horizontal plane below and its upper face, defining the face for cultivation and growth of the products, facing in an opposite direction to the supporting plane, i.e., upwards.
Therefore, the cutting step is carried out above the shelves and involves cutting the epigeal part of the vegetable products that extends projecting from the cultivation face of the shelves to a predetermined height with respect to the growing substrate below.
The cutting step described above is currently limited to a cut being made at a height above a safety threshold with respect to the growing substrate in order to avoid contact between the latter and the cutting devices. This contact in fact causes damage to the growing substrate or to the cutting devices, and contamination of the edible product with cut portions of the growing substrate itself.
Limitation of the cutting height represents a significant critical factor in current cultivation methods as it heavily affects production yield. In fact, due to this limitation, a considerable percentage of vegetable products present on the shelf is not cut and hence remains on the shelf itself even after collection, thus being lost or producing waste. This critical factor is greater in leaf vegetables, such as salads or lettuce that, having a very flexible structure, tend to bend downwards, i.e. towards the growing substrate below, hence remaining below the safety threshold without being intercepted by the cut, or they are cut in an incomplete/incorrect manner.
Absence of the cut or making only a partial cut of the vegetable products on the shelf leads to incomplete collection and thus contributes to increasing losses or waste products, the incidence of which on the overall productivity of the system is not negligible.
Moreover, tests conducted by the Applicant have shown that, during the cutting step, a significant percentage of vegetable products cut along the outer perimeter edge of the shelf is subject to being accidentally drawn by the cutting device outside the shelf itself. Although these products are cut correctly they are not deposited on the shelf and, consequently, being excluded from the subsequent collection step, form waste products.
Moreover, in the methods described above, the cut vegetable products are deposited on the growing substrate below. Contact of the vegetable products with the growing substrate of the shelf causes the technical problem of contamination of the vegetable products with particles present on the substrate itself, such as soil, filaments and/or other elements such as moulds, bacteria, etc.
In order to overcome this problem, in some solutions in use the collected vegetable products are subjected to operations of selection, cleaning or accurate cleansing, and final washing.
The operating steps described above determine an increase in the overall times for the supply of vegetable products suitable for packaging. Moreover, the washing step influences the complexity, the overall dimensions and the costs of the system as it requires the use of a specific washing station. Moreover, the washing operation influences the “shelf life” or expiry date of the product, as it significantly decreases the life of the product itself. Furthermore, the washing operation determines, on the one hand an increase in consumptions both from the viewpoint of power and from the viewpoint of water used, and on the other requires the use of structures for disposal and treatment of the waste water produced during washing.
Cutting systems for hydroponic cultivation systems are also known and described in JP2016021944A and JP2006180834A.
Therefore, the object of the present invention is to produce a system and provide a method for cutting and collecting vegetable products, which is capable of overcoming the technical problems described above.
In accordance with these objectives, according to the present invention, a system is produced and a method is provided for cutting and collecting vegetable products as defined in the related independent claims and preferably, but not necessarily, in any one of the claims dependent thereon.
The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a non-limiting example of embodiment thereof, wherein:
The present invention concerns the automated cutting and collection of vegetable products cultivated by means of aeroponic cultivation shelves in a soilless (or soil-less) aeroponic cultivation (or culture) system (not illustrated).
In the description below, the term vegetable product shall preferably mean an agricultural product preferably for use as food (edible). Purely by way of non-limiting example, vegetable products can comprise, among others: salads, vegetables, aromatic herbs (such as rocket, basil, mint) and/or similar. However, it is understood that the present invention is not limited to the cutting and collection of the vegetable products for food use listed above, but can relate, additionally or alternatively, to the cutting and collection of other vegetable products not listed, for example non edible vegetable products such as: flowers, ornamental plants and/or similar.
Moreover, the present invention can be applied to the cutting and collection of vegetable products for herbal, officinal and/or pharmaceutical uses, or as adjuvants thereto.
In the description below, the term (artificial) cultivation system will be meant as an aeroponic cultivation system preferably with a soilless vertical and/or “indoor” architecture (soilless cultivation system or vertical farm system), provided with: supporting frames/racks with a vertical architecture arranged inside a room or a closed containment module structured to vertically support the aeroponic cultivation shelves (suitable to be used in the aeroponic system) separated on several levels one above the other to form horizontal rows; electric lighting systems to illuminate the cultivation shelves by means of light sources (e.g. LEDs); air conditioning systems to supply conditioned air at a controlled temperature to the room or closed module; fertigation systems of aeroponic type to selectively feed mixtures of fertilizers to the shelves; and an electronic system that controls the aforesaid systems based on a soilless (artificial) cultivation method.
The cultivation system can be produced, for example, as described in the Italian patent no. 102019000003167 and/or in the Italian patent no. 102019000003689 and/or in the Italian patent no. 102019000022191, by the same Applicant, the content of which (description and drawings) is entirely incorporated herein by reference.
With reference to
According to a preferred advantageous embodiment, the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 comprise cultivation shelves 2 without growing media or without substrates.
Each aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 is structured to cultivate and support a plurality of vegetable products.
It should be specified that the term “aeroponic cultivation shelf without growing media or growing substrates” is meant as a ledge, tray or shelf that has no growing layer or substrate (and/or medium) based on: soil, clay, rock wool, fabric, meshes, porous surfaces or bases or similar. In detail, the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 is preferably without growing substrates (or layers) (and/or medium) designed to cover at least one face of the shelf, such as its cultivation face described in detail below. In other words, each aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 supports a plurality of vegetable products PV designed to be cut and collected by the system 1 and is produced according to the present invention, hence so that the relative cultivation face is free from any growing substrate structured to be able to be passed through or at least partially perforated by the vegetable products during their growth/cultivation. For example, the cultivation shelves 2 can advantageously be produced as described in the Italian patent application no. 102019000003689 and/or in the Italian patent application no. 102019000022191, by the same Applicant, the content of which (description and drawings) is entirely incorporated herein by reference.
With reference to the accompanying figures, the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 are substantially plate-like, preferably approximately quadrangular, and each has two opposite major faces. A major face indicated hereinafter as cultivation face 2a is facing upwards in
The vegetable products PV have a root portion PR clinging to the cultivation shelf 2 and an epigeal portion PE that extends projecting from the cultivation face 2a of the shelf 2 itself.
The through opening or through slot 7 is structured to mechanically retain the root portion PR of the vegetable product PV hanging from the cultivation shelf 4, when the cultivation shelf 4 is arranged in an upside down position (described in detail below).
According to a possible embodiment, the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 can have a modular structure that is easy to assemble/disassemble. In the example illustrated, the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 comprise a supporting frame 3 and a plurality of cultivation bars 4. The cultivation bars 4 have a substantially rigid structure and are preferably made of polymer (plastic) materials. The bars 4 can be designed to be coupled to the supporting frame 3, preferably in a stable but easily removable (manually separable) way. The cultivation bars 4 are substantially rectilinear and extend along respective longitudinal axes B substantially parallel to the axis of reference A. According to the preferred embodiment illustrated in
Preferably, the seats 6 are approximately cup-shaped. Preferably, the seats 6 are arranged more or less equidistant from one another. Preferably, the through slot 7 can be approximately cross-shaped or similar, and is produced on the bottom wall of the cup-shaped seat 6. The internal surface of the seats 6 is without, i.e., is not covered by, supporting/clinging layers. The use of seats 6 provided with through openings on the bottom wall has the technical effect of causing the roots to mechanically cling, by means of the openings themselves, to the cultivation bar 4 itself when the cultivation shelf 2 is in the upside down position, without the need to use any intermediate supporting/clinging layer between the vegetable products PV and the bar 9.
This makes it possible to solve the technical problem present in known systems, which must necessarily use nets or porous retaining surfaces, leading to additional costs.
Moreover, the Applicant has found that the cross shape of the opening 7 further improves retention of the vegetable product PV by the cultivation bar 4 when the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 is completely overturned to make the cut.
It is understood that the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 can be produced in one piece. In other words, the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 can comprise a monolithic (flat) plate of congruous thickness that is preferably made of polymer (plastic) material, and has seats 6 that are produced on the cultivation face 2a, each having a through opening or slot 7. Moreover, it is understood that the cultivation shelves 2 can comprise a rigid structure formed by the cultivation bars 4 fixed stably to the supporting frame 3.
With reference to
The system 1 further comprises a cutting unit 11 that is designed to cut the epigeal portions PE freely suspended below the cultivation face 2a of the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2, in order to separate them by gravity from the root portions PR retained by the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 in the upside down position.
The system 1 further comprises a collection station 12 designed to collect the epigeal portions PE cut and which have been separated (fallen) by gravity from the root portions PR still clinging to the cultivation shelf 2.
The Applicant has found that by arranging the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 in the upside down position with respect to the common cultivation position in which the base 2b of the cultivation shelf 2 is below the cultivation face 2a, this obtains the technical effect of extending the epigeal portions PE downwards by gravity causing homogeneous and uniform vertical straightening of the epigeal portions PE of the vegetable products PE on the whole area of the cultivation face 2a. In this way, due to the force of gravity, a vertical extension of the epigeal portions PE is also obtained, which in the cultivation position droop or bend towards the cultivation face 2a.
The Applicant has also found that by cutting the epigeal portions PE of the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 arranged in the upside down position, a considerable increase is obtained in the percentage of epigeal portions PE cut and collected and, accordingly, an increase in the yield (reduction in waste).
According to a possible embodiment, the cutting unit 11 is structured so as to move upon command along a vertical direction so as to adjust the cutting height of the vegetable products (PV).
With reference to an advantageous embodiment shown in
In the example illustrated in
The loading station 10 can preferably comprise a conveyor 14. The conveyor 14 extends along the direction d2 on a plane parallel to the plane P1, preferably horizontal. In the example illustrated, the conveyor 14 can advantageously be arranged so that the cultivation face 2a of the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 lies approximately on the plane P1. The conveyor 14 is further structured so as to support the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 on the two external lateral edges orthogonal to the axis A and parallel to the direction d2, so that the central area of the cultivation face 2a comprised between the two lateral edges of the cultivation shelves 2 remains free and uncovered, to ensure that the epigeal parts PE are freely suspended by gravity towards the ground S (downwards).
According to a possible and advantageous embodiment shown in
With reference to
According to the preferred example of embodiment shown in
As shown in
In the example illustrated, the blade 19 is looped around a pair of pulleys 20 supported by the rigid frame 9 (only one of which is shown in
According to the preferred embodiment illustrated in
With reference to the example illustrated in
It is understood that the present invention is not limited to a cutting unit 11 provided with a cutting device provided with a blade 19 of the type described above, i.e., band-shaped, but can, alternatively or additionally, have other cutting devices, provided, for example, with rectilinear (not band-shaped) blades with alternated movement, or disc blades or laser cutting devices, or the like.
According to the preferred example of embodiment shown in
In the example illustrated in
As shown in
The unloading station 13 can preferably comprise a conveyor 25, preferably horizontal, coupled to the frame 9 and positioned immediately downstream of the cutting unit 11. Preferably, the conveyor 25 is arranged aligned with and adjacent to the conveyor 14 so as to be more or less coplanar therewith to be able to receive the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 arranged in the upside down position from the conveyor 14 following cutting of the epigeal part PE of the vegetable products PV.
With reference to
The tilting station 101 can, for example, comprise: a frame 104 for resting on the ground S, a belt conveyor 105 to receive at the inlet the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 in the cultivation position in which the base 2b is arranged resting on the conveyor belt of the belt conveyor 105; an overturning device 106 which is designed to overturn the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2, and a conveyor 107 to supply the cultivation shelves 2 in the upside down position at the inlet of the loading station 10. The overturning device 106 can be structured so as to: selectively grip the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 present on the belt conveyor 105, rotate the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 through around 180° with respect to a horizontal axis C so as to reach the upside down position, and arrange the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 resting on the conveyor 107 in the upside down position.
The system 1 is preferably provided with an electronic control unit 112 (
The method for cutting and collecting vegetable products PV comprises the steps of: arranging the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 preferably in sequence, one after another, in the loading station 10 so that the epigeal portions PE of the vegetable products PV of each aeroponic cultivation shelf 2 is below the relative root portions PR so as to extend projecting by gravity in a freely suspended manner below the cultivation face 2a, cutting the epigeal portions PE freely suspended from the cultivation face 2a of the cultivation shelf 2 by means of the cutting unit 11 in order to separate them by gravity from the root portions PR retained by, and clinging to, the aeroponic cultivation shelf 2, and collecting the epigeal portions PE cut, separated by gravity from the cultivation shelf 2 by means of the collection station 12 below.
With reference to
It is understood that the operations described above are carried out repeatedly for each cultivation shelf 2 loaded at the inlet of the loading station 10.
As schematically illustrated in
With reference to
It is understood that, alternatively or additionally, the overturning/tilting operation of the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 into the upside down position can be carried out manually by an operator.
With the system and the method for cutting described above it is possible to considerably increase both the uniformity in size of the cut products and the product yield. In fact, by cutting the vegetable products PV on the shelves arranged in the upside down position it is possible to cut all the epigeal parts PE present on the shelf uniformly and at the same height, as they are vertically straightened by gravity.
Moreover, by cutting the vegetable products PV on the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 in the upside down position it is possible to increase the precision of the cut and to avoid separating the vegetable product in the vicinity of flowers or leaves destined to be collected.
Moreover, by cutting the vegetable products PV on the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 in the upside down position and separating the epigeal parts PE from the overturned shelf by gravity it is possible to collect all the epigeal parts cut, thereby reducing waste caused by failure to collect products that deposit on the cultivation face of the shelf and/or that are drawn outside the shelf itself.
Moreover, by cutting the vegetable products PV on the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 without soil or other similar friable growing substrates in the upside down position this eliminates the need to carry out a step of washing the collected product, given that the absence of soil or other similar friable growing substrates on the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 allows them to be overturned without the risk of contaminating the epigeal parts collected.
Moreover, positioning of the aeroponic cultivation shelves 2 in the upside down position with their lateral edges resting on the conveyor eliminates the technical problem of jamming thereof caused by root portions.
Finally, it is clear that modifications and variants can be made to the system and to the method for cutting and collecting the vegetable products described above without departing from the scope of protection of the present invention.
For example, in a different embodiment, not illustrated, the loading station 11 could be structured to receive the cultivation shelves 2 resting against it in the upside down position and to keep them blocked, while the cutting unit 11 is mounted movable on the frame 9 so as to move horizontally on the plane P1 along a direction parallel to the direction d2 away from and towards the loading station 11, so as to cut, during the movement, the suspended epigeal parts PE of the vegetable products PV present on the shelf.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120221000030137 | Nov 2021 | IT | national |
