JP2004121074A - Plant-growing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plant-growing apparatus which can easily be assembled and can stably grow plants. <P>SOLUTION: This plant-growing apparatus 1 is assembled by stacking a plurality of growing units in multi-stages and separably connecting the drain pipe 9 of the growing unit at the upper stage among the growing units to the water pipe of the growing unit at the lower stage. Each growing unit is formed by attaching lighting fittings 12 to a ceiling plate 23 and disposing a fan 14 in a penetrated hole 26 in the ceiling plate 23 to prevent the excessive rise of temperature in the room due to the lighting fittings 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a plant growing device provided in a closed facility.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a conventional plant growing device, there are a device having a lighting device and an irrigation structure on a multi-stage shelf, and a device having a supply / exhaust duct provided on each shelf to allow ventilation (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). reference). Further, there is also a configuration in which each shelf is unitized and a plurality of units are stacked in multiple stages (for example, see Patent Document 3).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2001-346450 A (FIG. 4)
[Patent Document 2]
JP-A-11-113419 (FIG. 2)
[Patent Document 3]
JP 2001-251959 A (FIG. 1)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In order to arrange a multi-shelf-type plant growing device in a closed facility and achieve uniform plant growing, as suggested from Patent Documents 1 and 2, lighting equipment, a ventilation device and It is necessary to provide a watering device to make the environment of each shelf uniform.
[0005]
However, the conventional multi-stage shelf-type plant growing apparatus has a problem that it is difficult to move the apparatus because it is relatively large, and that the scale cannot be freely changed because the scale is predetermined. there were. In view of this, it is conceivable to improve the mobility of the apparatus and the easiness of changing the scale by unitizing each shelf as in Patent Document 3, but in such a case, there is room for improvement in the water supply / drainage facilities of each unit. was there.
[0006]
Further, in the conventional plant growing device, as in Patent Document 2, the air intake and exhaust directions of the ventilation device are horizontal, so that the temperature distribution is likely to occur on each shelf, and the plants can be grown uniformly. There was a possibility that it could not be done.
[0007]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a plant growing apparatus in which a plurality of growing units capable of stably growing plants are stacked.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The plant growing device according to claim 1 of the present invention is a plant growing device in which a plurality of growing units for storing a plant growing container are stacked in multiple stages, wherein each of the growing units includes a housing, A water supply pipe and a drainage pipe having one end side extended and the other end side extended outside the housing, supplying water from a water supply pipe of a predetermined growing unit, and The drainage pipes of the growing units below the growing unit are connected to the water supply pipes of the growing units below the growing unit. As described above, according to the configuration of the present invention, the water that has reached the predetermined water level in the upper breeding unit is sequentially sent to the lower breeding unit. That is, when water is supplied to a predetermined breeding unit, the water is supplied to the lower breeding unit sequentially, so that the water supply operation to each breeding unit can be completed once. In addition, if the drainage pipe of the upper breeding unit and the water supply pipe of the lower breeding unit are separably connected, they can be moved separately to individual breeding units. It can be changed.
[0009]
Note that the water supply pipe and the drainage pipe are not limited to the vertically adjacent growing units, and may be connected to each other by a plurality of separated growing units.
[0010]
The plant growing apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention includes a water storage tank for storing water to be supplied to the predetermined growing unit, and the drainage pipe of one of the lower growing units than the predetermined growing unit is provided. It is characterized in that it is connected to a water storage tank so that water can be circulated. By circulating water in the apparatus in this way, water quality management of each breeding unit can be easily performed. For example, if a filtration device or a cooling device is provided in the circulation path of water in the plant growing device, it is possible to remove water stains on the plants and adjust the water temperature.
[0011]
In order to reduce the area occupied by the plant growing device, it is conceivable to install a water storage tank at the top or bottom of the plant growing device. When the water storage tank is installed at the top, the water discharged from the drainage pipe of any one of the growth units below the predetermined growth unit is pumped into the water storage tank by a pump, and the water storage tank is installed at the bottom. In this case, the water in the water storage tank is pumped up by a pump and supplied from the water supply pipe of the predetermined growing unit.
[0012]
The plant growing apparatus according to claim 3 of the present invention is a top plate that divides the inside of the housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, a lighting fixture mounted in the lower chamber, and a side surface of the upper chamber and the lower chamber. And a ventilation fan attached to the through hole formed in the top plate and configured to generate an airflow from the lower chamber toward the upper chamber. When the airflow is generated vertically upward by the ventilation fan in this way, the air in the lower room heated by the lighting fixture can be efficiently sucked into the upper room and discharged from the ventilation window. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the variation in the temperature distribution in the lower chamber.
[0013]
The plant growing apparatus according to claim 4 of the present invention is characterized in that the ventilation window and the ventilation fan are symmetrically arranged. That is, the ventilation windows are arranged symmetrically in the cross section of the breeding unit. Specifically, when the breeding unit has a regular triangular cross-sectional shape, it is formed on each side surface and is square or rectangular. Is formed on at least one of the two sets of opposing side surfaces, and when the shape is circular, they are formed at equal angles (equal intervals). The number of ventilation fans is not limited to one, and a plurality of ventilation fans may be provided. In the case of one, the arrangement of the ventilation fan is the same in the center portion of the top plate, and in the case of a plurality of ventilation windows, when viewed from any ventilation window. It is arranged so that it becomes. Accordingly, the airflow in the lower chamber can be made symmetrical, so that the variation in the temperature can be suppressed.
[0014]
The plant growing apparatus according to claim 5 of the present invention is characterized in that a reflecting material is provided on the lower indoor surface. Thus, light can be applied to the plant housed in the lower room from various angles, and the growing of the plant can be promoted. The reflective material may be a material having a high light reflectance such as an aluminum material or a white panel, and may be attached to the inner surface of the housing or the lower surface of the top plate, or the housing itself or the top plate itself may be used. It may be a reflective material.
[0015]
Further, the ventilation windows in the upper and lower chambers of the growing unit are not limited to those separately formed, and one window formed in the side surface of the housing is separated by a top plate or another member (for example, a reflection plate). You may do so.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a plant growing device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0017]
FIG. 1 illustrates a plant growing apparatus 1 of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 2 denotes a growing unit, which is stacked on a water storage tank 3 in multiple stages. A pump 4 is provided in the water storage tank 3, and supplies water to the uppermost breeding unit 2 via a pumping pipe 5.
[0018]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the breeding unit 2 includes a housing 7 having a ventilation window 6, a water supply pipe 8 and a drainage pipe 9 for supplying and discharging water, and a tray 10 as a plant growing container. , A lighting fixture 12 detachably mounted, a reflector 13 mounted on the inner wall of the housing, and a fan 14 for ventilation and circulation. Note that, as shown in FIG. 1, a lid 7a may be attached to the upper opening of the uppermost breeding unit 2.
[0019]
The housing 7 is a rectangular parallelepiped box made of a water-impermeable material such as plastic, steel, glass, or the like, and is formed so that the shapes of the top and bottom portions can be fitted to each other, and can be stacked in multiple stages. Has become. In addition, a rectangular ventilation window 6 is formed on each side surface, and insertion holes 15 and 16 for a water supply pipe 8 and a drainage pipe 9 are formed on one side surface. The ventilation window 6 is vertically divided by a reflection plate 13 attached to the inner peripheral edge and a top plate 23 described later. The housing 7 is desirably large enough to be carried by one person (for example, length 570 × width 380 × height 320 mm).
[0020]
The water supply pipe 8 and the drainage pipe 9 are formed by connecting resin tubes 19, 20 to one end sides of L-shaped water distribution pipes 17, 18, respectively. 7, and the other end is disposed facing the inner bottom surface of the housing 7. Further, tube joints 21 and 22 for connecting to tubes (not shown) of the adjacent upper and lower breeding units 2 are provided at the distal ends of the tubes 19 and 20. By providing such a water supply pipe 8 and a drainage pipe 9 in the housing 7, when the water in the breeding unit 2 exceeds a predetermined water level, the water is sequentially sent to the lower breeding unit 2 by the siphon principle. In addition, the insertion hole 15 of the water supply pipe 8 is provided above the insertion hole 16 of the drainage pipe 9 as shown in FIG. 2 to seal a gap between the drainage pipe 9 and the insertion hole 16.
[0021]
The tray 10 sucks up water collected at the bottom of the housing 7 with a water absorbing sheet (not shown), and supplies water to the plants vegetated therein.
[0022]
The tray support 11 is mounted on the inner bottom surface of the housing 7 to raise the tray 10.
[0023]
Further, the inside of the housing 7 is divided by a top plate 23 into an upper chamber 7b and a lower chamber 7c. The top plate 23 may be screwed to the inner wall surface of the housing 7, may be supported by a plurality of supporting portions (not shown) fixed to the inner wall surface of the housing 7, or You may make it hang from the upper edge part of the housing | casing 7.
[0024]
The lighting fixture 12 includes a fluorescent lamp 24 detachably mounted on the lower surface side of the top plate 23 and a stabilizer 25 mounted on the upper surface side of the top plate 23, and has a function of irradiating plants with light. , Has a function as a heat source for increasing the temperature inside the housing 7. That is, by changing the type (wattage) of the fluorescent lamps 24 or increasing or decreasing the number of the fluorescent lamps 24, the luminous intensity and the air in the housing 7 can be heated. In addition, a lighting fixture control timer (not shown) is provided on the upper surface side of the top plate 23, and can be automatically turned off after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of illumination.
[0025]
The reflecting plate 13 is for irradiating the light of the lighting fixture 12 to the plant from various angles, and is mounted so as to close a part of the ventilation window 6 below the top plate 23, whereby the ventilation window 6 is closed. Is divided into upper and lower parts. As the reflection plate 13, a mirror-finished metal material (for example, an aluminum material or a white panel) can be used in addition to a plane mirror, a concave mirror, a convex mirror, and the like. Further, the reflecting plate 13 may not only be fixed in the vertical direction but also may be pivotally attached so that the direction of the reflected light can be changed. The reflection plate 13 may be attached to the lower surface of the top plate 23.
[0026]
The fan 14 is attached to a ventilation hole 26 formed at a predetermined location on the top plate 21. The number of fans 14 and ventilation holes 26 is not limited to one, but may be plural. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the blowing direction of the fan 14 is set from the lower chamber 7c to the upper chamber 7b, the heated air in the lower chamber 7c is sucked and sent to the upper chamber 7b, and the air for ventilation of the upper chamber 7b is supplied. Air is exhausted from the window 6 to the outside of the housing 7. Thereby, outside air enters the housing 7 from the ventilation window 6 of the lower chamber 7c, and it is possible to prevent an excessive rise in air temperature due to heat of the lighting fixture 12. On the other hand, if the fan 14 is stopped, the temperature inside the breeding unit 2 can be raised, so that an environment setting corresponding to the plant to be bred can be realized. Note that the fan 14 may be configured to be adjustable in angle in order to finely adjust the airflow environment in the lower room.
[0027]
As shown in FIG. 1, the plant growing apparatus 1 stacks a plurality of growing units 2 on a water storage tank 3, and connects a water supply pipe 8 and a drain pipe 9 of each growing unit 2 to drains of the vertically adjacent growing units 2. It is connected to the water pipe 9 and the water supply pipe 8 and can be easily assembled and disassembled, so that the apparatus 1 can be easily moved and the scale of the apparatus 1 can be easily increased by increasing or decreasing the growing unit 2. Can be changed.
[0028]
When the water in the water storage tank 3 is pumped by the pump 4 to the uppermost breeding unit 2 and reaches a predetermined water level, the water is sequentially drained to the lower breeding unit 2 (in the case of the lowermost breeding unit 2, the water storage tank 3). It is supposed to. Since water in the apparatus 1 can be circulated in this way, water quality management can be easily performed.
[0029]
In addition, since each breeding unit 2 is provided with a lighting fixture 12 and a reflection plate 13 so as to shine light on the plant from multiple angles, the breeding of the plant can be promoted. Further, since the direction of intake and exhaust of the fan 14 is set from the lower chamber 7c to the upper chamber 7b, the air in the lower chamber 7c heated by the lighting fixture 12 can be efficiently discharged, and The temperature distribution of 7c can be made substantially uniform. On the other hand, by adjusting the output of the lighting equipment 12 and the output of the fan 14, the environment of each breeding unit 2 can be made uniform, as well as the environment of each breeding unit 2 can be minutely changed. Can be grown with uniform quality, or a plurality of types of plants can be grown in an environment suitable for each plant.
[0030]
As described above, one embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously modified. For example, as shown in FIG. The sensor 27 may be provided to control the start / stop of the fan based on the detection result of the temperature sensor 27.
[0031]
In addition, the present invention is particularly suitable for cultivating seedlings among plants, and can be configured with inexpensive parts as in the above embodiment. High quality seedlings can be grown at low cost.
[0032]
Not only for agricultural use, it can be expected to be widely used as home gardens and interiors for general households, and needs for teaching materials and experimental devices are also conceivable.
[0033]
Furthermore, the present invention can be applied not only to the cultivation of plants but also to the breeding of insects and small animals, and wide applications can be expected.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
According to the first aspect of the present invention, the water that has reached the predetermined water level in the upper breeding unit is sequentially sent to the lower breeding unit, so that the water supply operation to each breeding unit is completed once. be able to. Also, by changing the number of breeding units, it is possible to set the arbitrarily large scale.
[0035]
According to the second aspect of the present invention, since water can be circulated in the plant growing apparatus, water quality management of each growing unit can be easily performed.
[0036]
According to the third aspect of the invention, when the airflow is generated vertically upward by the ventilation fan, the hot air above the lower chamber can be efficiently discharged, and an excessive rise in air temperature can be prevented.
[0037]
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the airflow in the lower room can be made symmetrical, it is possible to suppress the variation in the air temperature in the lower room.
[0038]
According to the invention as set forth in claim 5, light can be applied to the plant housed in the lower chamber from multiple angles, and the growing of the plant can be promoted.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a plant growing apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG. 1 and is a longitudinal sectional view of a breeding unit according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the breeding unit according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a flow of gas inside a growing unit.
[Explanation of symbols]
1. 1. Plant growing device Training unit 3. Water storage tank4. Pump6. 6. Ventilation window Case 7b. Upper room 7c. Lower room8. 8. Water supply pipe Drainage pipe12. Lighting equipment13. Reflector 14. Fan 21, 22 joint 23. Top plate 26. Through hole

Claims (5)

A plant growing device in which a plurality of growing units for storing a plant growing container are stacked in multiple stages,
Each of the breeding units includes a housing, a water supply pipe and a drainage pipe having one end extending inside the housing and the other end extending outside the housing, and a predetermined breeding unit. A plant cultivation apparatus that supplies water from a water supply pipe and connects a drainage pipe of a cultivation unit below the predetermined cultivation unit and a water supply pipe of a cultivation unit below the cultivation unit. A water storage tank for storing water to be supplied to the predetermined growing unit was provided, and a drainage pipe of any of the growing units below the predetermined growing unit was connected to the water storage tank, so that water could be circulated. The plant growing device according to claim 1. A plant growing device in which a plurality of growing units for storing a plant growing container are stacked in multiple stages,
Each of the breeding units is formed on a housing, a top plate that divides the inside of the housing into an upper room and a lower room, a lighting device mounted in the lower room, and side surfaces of the upper and lower rooms. A plant growing apparatus, comprising: a ventilation window; and a ventilation fan mounted in a through hole formed in the top plate and configured to generate an airflow from a lower chamber toward an upper chamber. The plant growing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the ventilation window and the ventilation fan are symmetrically arranged. The plant growing device according to claim 3 or 4, wherein a reflecting material is provided on the lower indoor surface.

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