# US 12,213,417 B2 · Plant conveyance and irradiation apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,213,417 B2 - Document ID: US12213417B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/624,647 - Filed: 2020-07-10 - Published: 2022-11-10 - Granted: 2025-02-04 - Earliest claimed: 2019-07-10 - Assignees: Nichia Corporation - Applicants: Nichia Corporation - Inventors: Yasuo Fujikawa; Tomohiro Tsurumoto; Hiroaki Tamemoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12213417B2 ## CPC - A01G 7/045: {with electric lighting} - A01G 7/06: Treatment of growing trees or plants, e.g. for preventing decay of wood, for tingeing flowers or wood, for prolonging the life of plants - A01G 31/04: Hydroponic culture on conveyors - A01G 31/047: {with containers inside rotating drums or rotating around a horizontal axis, e.g. carousels} - A01G: HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING (picking of fruits, vegetables, hops or the like A01D46/00; propagating unicellular algae C12N1/12) ## Abstract A plant treatment apparatus includes: a plant holding unit; an ultraviolet irradiation unit configured to irradiate a plant held by the plant holding unit with light comprising ultraviolet light in a wavelength range of no less than 270 nm and no more than 290 nm; and either (i) a plant immersion unit configured to immerse the plant held by the plant holding unit into a liquid that comprises water and is held by the plant immersion unit, or (ii) a liquid ejection unit that ejects the liquid towards the plant held by the plant holding unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A plant treatment apparatus comprising: a belt conveyor comprising a belt, the belt having an upper surface comprising a plant holding unit; an ultraviolet irradiation unit configured to irradiate a plant held by the plant holding unit with light comprising ultraviolet light in a wavelength range of no less than 270 nm and no more than 290 nm; and a plant immersion unit comprising a liquid holding space and configured to immerse an entirety of the plant held by the plant holding unit into a liquid held in the liquid holding space; wherein: the belt extends continuously from a first location outside the liquid holding space to a second location inside the liquid holding space to a third location outside the liquid holding space. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured such that an irradiation region of the ultraviolet irradiation unit overlaps with the liquid holding space of the plant immersion unit. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured to irradiate the plant in the liquid holding space of the plant immersion unit with the ultraviolet light. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a plant transportation mechanism comprising the plant holding unit and configured to transport the plant into an irradiation region of the ultraviolet irradiation unit and into the liquid holding space of the plant immersion unit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the belt conveyor is a mesh belt conveyor; and the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured to irradiate the ultraviolet light from around the mesh belt conveyor in the liquid holding space. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured to irradiate the plant from at least above and below the mesh belt conveyor. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: the ultraviolet irradiation unit comprises: a first light source configured to emit light comprising ultraviolet light in the wavelength of no less than 270 nm and no more than 290 nm from above the mesh belt conveyor, and a second light source configured to emit light comprising ultraviolet light in the wavelength of no less than 270 nm and no more than 290 nm from below the mesh belt conveyor. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the second light source is located in the liquid holding space below the mesh belt conveyor. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the first light source is located in the liquid holding space above the mesh belt conveyor; and the second light source is located in the liquid holding space below the mesh belt conveyor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an irradiation control unit configured to control at least one of an irradiation amount, a wavelength of the ultraviolet light, and a position irradiated with the ultraviolet light, based on color information of the plant. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plant displacement mechanism configured to displace the plant so as to shift a region receiving the ultraviolet light in the plant. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured such that an amount of light in a wavelength range of no less than 310 nm and no more than 400 nm is less than 50% of the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet irradiation unit. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation unit is configured such that an amount of light in a wavelength range of no less than 200 nm and no more than 260 nm is less than 20% of the ultraviolet light emitted by the ultraviolet irradiation unit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet irradiation unit comprises a light-emitting diode or a laser diode as a light source of the ultraviolet light. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A method comprising increasing an amount of a phenolic compound in a plant using the apparatus according to claim 1. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the liquid comprises water and at least one agent selected from precursors of phenolic compounds or plant hormones. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method according to claim 15, wherein the plant is a postharvest plant.