JP2009050174A - Automatic operation controlling system for plant cultivation greenhouse - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic operation controlling system suppressing excess and deficiency of a heat quantity necessary for cultivating plants in a greenhouse, and increasing heat efficiency of a cogeneration facility. <P>SOLUTION: This automatic operation controlling system has a cogeneration facility 1 which generates heat and electric power using gas fuel, and a heat storage tank 12 which heats a medium 7 in a greenhouse 2 to a temperature suitable for cultivating a plant 6 using heat and electric power generated by the cogeneration facility 1. The operation of the heat storage tank 12 is controlled with a computer 3. The computer 3 predicts a heat quantity in a fixed time, necessary for the heat storage tank 12, based on weather forecast data obtained from the Internet 20, and controls a heat storage temperature, a heat storage time, and an electricity generating time so as to secure always and safely a heat quantity corresponding to the change of weather. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automatic operation control system for a plant cultivation house, and more particularly, to an automatic operation control system for a plant cultivation house for efficiently growing plants by adjusting to an environment suitable for the plants in the house. Is.

Conventionally, this kind of plant cultivation house is suitable for cultivation of plants in the house using the heat and electric power generated by burning gas etc. in the cogeneration facility to generate heat and electric power. There is known an automatic operation control system for a house for plant cultivation which is adjusted to a suitable environment and grows plants efficiently (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-295307 A

  In the above prior art, the cogeneration facility is operated and the heat and power generated in the cogeneration facility are supplied to the culture medium in the house. The amount of heat supplied to the culture medium varies greatly depending on weather data such as temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to supply an appropriate amount of heat according to the change in the weather data of the day to the culture medium. When the appropriate amount of heat is not supplied, there is a problem in that the amount of heat is excessive and insufficient and heat energy is lost.

  In order to solve the above problems, it is conceivable to operate the cogeneration facility by taking in the latest weather data from time to time. In this case, the cogeneration facility (gas engine etc.) When the operating load is changed, there is a problem that the thermal efficiency is greatly reduced as compared with the rated operation in which the operating load is constant. In order to improve thermal efficiency, it may be possible to use the exhaust heat generated during the operation of the cogeneration facility. In this case, however, the meteorological data changes greatly between morning and afternoon. It becomes difficult to supply the medium and the room.

  Therefore, even when the weather changes greatly, the amount of heat necessary for plant cultivation can always be supplied without excess and deficiency, and technical problems to be solved in order to prevent a decrease in thermal efficiency of cogeneration facilities arise. The present invention aims to solve this problem.

  The present invention has been proposed in order to achieve the above object, and the invention according to claim 1 comprises a cogeneration facility for combusting fuel to generate heat and electric power, and generating the generated heat or electric power. In an automatic operation control system of a house for plant cultivation that uses the medium in the house and the medium suitable for plant cultivation in the house and the temperature in the house in the house, it is generated during operation of the cogeneration facility in the house A waste heat is stored and a heat storage tank for supplying the medium and the necessary amount of heat in the house is installed at night, and a computer for controlling the operation of the heat storage tank and the cogeneration facility is provided, It is possible to control and view data on a web browser via the Internet, and it is necessary for the heat storage tank based on weather forecast data such as temperature. It has a function of predicting a next day of heat, heat and said predicted to provide an automatic operation control system for plant cultivation house to control as stored in the heat storage tank.

  According to this configuration, the amount of heat required for the heat storage tank is predicted based on weather forecast data such as temperature, and the predicted amount of heat is stored in the heat storage tank. It is stably supplied to the medium in the house.

  The invention according to claim 2 is characterized in that the computer is connected to the house via the Internet or a LAN through an interface, and the stored data is browsed and the cogeneration facility is controlled by a browser. An automatic operation control system for the plant cultivation house described is provided.

  According to this configuration, since the control system can deal with an unspecified terminal PC for one server, the cost can be reduced by the system integration and the system can be remotely operated.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the automatic operation control system for a plant cultivation house according to the first aspect, wherein the computer has a function of fetching the weather forecast data from the Internet.

  According to this configuration, the weather forecast data can be automatically taken into the computer via the Internet, so that it is not necessary to manually collect and input the weather forecast data.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the computer has a function of storing history information indicating a relationship between the weather forecast data, the culture medium, and the house temperature, and calculates the predicted heat amount with reference to the history information. History information is corrected, The automatic operation control system of the house for plant cultivation of Claim 1, 2, or 3 characterized by the above-mentioned is provided.

  According to this configuration, referring to historical information indicating the relationship between the weather forecast data and the culture medium and house temperature, and temperature data such as the house outside air temperature, the medium temperature, the house temperature, and the heat storage tank temperature, the predicted amount of heat. Therefore, the amount of heat stored in the heat storage tank is set more accurately.

  The invention according to claim 5 provides the automatic operation control system for a plant cultivation house according to claim 1, wherein the cogeneration facility stores heat in the heat storage tank via an auxiliary heat source unit installed outside the house.

  According to this configuration, since the auxiliary heat source unit is installed between the cogeneration facility and the heat storage tank, by setting the temperature of the auxiliary heat source unit to the required temperature in advance, the heat storage tank is used during the heat storage operation. It is quickly started up to a predetermined heat storage temperature.

  Since the invention according to claim 1 stores the necessary amount of heat according to the temperature of the next day in the heat storage tank and can stably supply it to the medium in the house, it can always ensure a medium and house temperature suitable for plant cultivation, The excess and deficiency of heat required for cultivation can be minimized.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to manage a plurality of farms with one server via the Internet and a LAN by installing an interface on the farm, and by connecting to the server with an unspecified PC terminal. Data browsing and system control can also be performed, improving the versatility and economy of the system.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, since it is not necessary to manually collect weather forecast data and input it to a computer, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1 or 2, unattended operation for collecting and inputting weather forecast data Can be realized.

  The invention according to claim 4 can correct the amount of heat stored in the heat storage tank by considering the history information indicating the relationship between the weather forecast data and the culture medium temperature, the outside air temperature, the culture medium temperature, the temperature in the house, the heat storage tank temperature, and the like. Therefore, in addition to the effect of the invention according to claim 1, 2, or 3, it can be accurately heated to a medium temperature suitable for plant cultivation.

  In the invention described in claim 5, since the auxiliary heat source unit set between the cogeneration facility and the heat storage tank can be set to a required temperature in advance, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, the heat storage tank can store heat in a short time. In addition to being able to control the temperature, the auxiliary heat source unit can serve as a backup means for the cogeneration facility.

  In order to achieve the object of the present invention, which can supply the amount of heat necessary for cultivating plants in a house without excess or deficiency according to changes in weather, and prevent the decrease in thermal efficiency of cogeneration facilities, fuel is burned. An automatic operation control system for a house for plant cultivation, comprising a cogeneration facility for generating heat and electric power and heating the medium in the house to a medium temperature suitable for plant cultivation using the generated heat or electric power In the house, waste heat generated during operation of the cogeneration facility is stored in the house, and a heat storage tank for supplying heat necessary for the culture medium at night is installed, and the heat storage tank and the cogeneration facility Provided with a computer for controlling the operation of the machine, and a connection device between the computer and a sensor and a cogeneration facility installed in the house The computer has a function of predicting the amount of heat of the next day required for the heat storage tank based on weather forecast data such as temperature, and by controlling so that the predicted amount of heat is stored in the heat storage tank It was realized.

  A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In this example, a heat storage tank in which waste heat generated during operation of the cogeneration facility is stored is installed in the house, the amount of heat required for the heat storage tank the next day is predicted based on weather forecast data, and heat storage is performed at night. By releasing and supplying to the medium, the medium temperature suitable for plant cultivation can always be ensured regardless of changes in weather, and the excess or deficiency of heat can be minimized.

  Furthermore, this embodiment uses a cogeneration facility that generates heat and electric power by burning fuel, and an environment suitable for plant cultivation using the heat and electric power generated by the cogeneration facility. Improvement means, electric lighting (artificial day length control) toward the culture medium using electric power generated in the cogeneration facility, and carbon dioxide gas discharged from the cogeneration facility in the house The medium management and the plant growth are efficiently performed by providing a means for activating the metabolism of the plant by supplying to the sensor and a means for connecting the sensor in the house and the cogeneration facility to the Internet. In addition, although a present Example is applied to the automatic operation control system of the house for plant cultivation suitably installed in a comparatively small-scale agricultural facility or household facility, it is a medium or large-scale agricultural facility or household facility. It is also applicable to.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an automatic operation control system for a plant cultivation house according to the present embodiment. The automatic operation control system of the present invention is configured to generate electric power and heat by burning the fuel and operating the cogeneration facility 1 and supply the generated electric power and heat to various equipment facilities in the house 2. Yes. The entire system is controlled automatically by a computer 3 connected to the farm via the Internet or LAN.

  The cogeneration facility 1 is driven by a known heat engine such as a gas engine, a gas turbine, a fuel cell, a generator, a heat pump, an absorption cold / hot water generator, or the like. Further, as the fuel used in the cogeneration facility 1, for example, city gas, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) or fossil fuel supplied from the gas supply facility 4 is used. Carbon dioxide gas (exhaust gas) is generated in the cogeneration facility 1 by the combustion of the fuel or the like, and the generated carbon dioxide gas is supplied into the house 2 through the CO2 supply duct 5.

  The carbon dioxide gas is supplied into the house 2 after being adjusted to a predetermined carbon dioxide gas concentration by a CO2 control device (not shown). The carbon dioxide gas supply time zone is programmed in advance by the CO2 control device, and corresponds to the time zone in which the plant 6 absorbs carbon dioxide gas. Furthermore, a medium 7 for cultivating the plant 6 is provided in the house 2. The culture medium 7 is a liquid or solid culture medium prepared for growing crops 6 such as strawberries, melons, and chives and flowers, and can be applied to either soil cultivation or hydroponics. It is.

  Further, around the culture medium 7, a culture solution supply means 8, a culture medium heating means 9 and an illumination control means 10 are disposed. The culture solution supply means 8 supplies a culture solution such as liquefied fertilizer stored in a culture solution tank (not shown) to the culture medium 7. Moreover, the culture medium heating means 9 heats the temperature of the culture medium 7 to a temperature suitable for plant cultivation by the heat (including exhaust heat) generated in the cogeneration facility 1.

  The medium heating means 9 stores heat generated during operation of the cogeneration facility 1 and is stored in the heat storage tank 12 for supplying heat necessary for the medium 7 at night and the heat storage tank 12. A medium heating pipe 13 for sending heat into the medium 7 and an adjustment valve 14 installed in the middle of the medium heating pipe 13 are provided, and the heat storage tank 12 is disposed in the house 2. Further, the amount of heat supplied to the culture medium 7 can be arbitrarily adjusted and changed by controlling the valve opening degree of the adjustment valve 14 by the computer 3.

  In this embodiment, a backup boiler 15, which is a gas combustion type auxiliary heat source unit for generating hot water of a predetermined temperature and storing it in a hot water storage tank (not shown), is provided between the cogeneration facility 1 and the heat storage tank 12. The operation of the backup boiler 15 is controlled by the computer 3. The backup boiler 15 is operated so as to maintain a set temperature that is higher than the set temperature of the heat storage tank 12 by a predetermined value. For example, when the set temperature of the heat storage tank 12 is 15 ° C., the operating temperature of the backup boiler 15 is preferably set to 20 ° C.

  Moreover, the illumination control means 10 performs artificial illumination on the plant 6 under cultivation, and has a plurality of lighting fixtures 16. This illumination control means 10 irradiates the plant 6 with artificial light for the time set by the computer 3 and controls the plant 6 for photoperiod response such as floret differentiation.

  The internet connection interface 27 has a function of connecting the various sensors 22 to 26 in the house 2 and the control function unit of the cogeneration facility 1 to the computer 3 via the Internet. The Internet connection interface 27 converts the signals of the various sensors 22 to 26 and the control signal of the cogeneration facility 1 and the signal in the computer 3.

  Thus, according to the automatic operation control system, the cogeneration facility 1 burns gas fuel to generate electric power and heat. The generated electric power is sent into the house 2 through the wiring 19 and used as electric energy or drive energy by the illumination control means 10 and the culture solution supply means 8 in the house 2. In the automatic operation control system of this embodiment, the commercial power supply 18 can be shared by the grid interconnection control device 17 connected to the cogeneration facility 1 as necessary. Therefore, the plant 6 can be efficiently grown by performing artificial illumination on the plant 6 by the illumination control means 10 and artificially adjusting the day length.

  The heat generated in the cogeneration facility 1 is sent to the culture medium 7 through the culture medium heating pipe 13. Thus, the culture medium 7 can be adjusted to a temperature suitable for growing the plant 6.

  Furthermore, the heat generated in the cogeneration facility 1 can be used as a heat source for sterilizing germs present in the culture medium 7 and can also be used as a heat source for suppressing the propagation of pathogenic microorganisms.

  Furthermore, carbon dioxide gas generated by the combustion of fuel in the cogeneration facility 1 is supplied into the house 2 through the CO2 supply duct 5. Accordingly, the amount of carbon dioxide gas released into the atmosphere is reduced, and the carbon dioxide gas released into the house 2 is automatically supplied in an appropriate amount in a required time zone under the control of the computer 3.

  A configuration example of the computer 3 and its peripheral devices is shown in FIG. The computer 3 includes a function unit for converting signals of detection data (including carbon dioxide concentration data) from various sensors, a function unit for storing and displaying the data, and the temperature inside the house 2, the medium temperature, It has a function unit that automatically controls the temperature of the heat storage tank, the CO2 concentration in the house 2, and various operation times.

  Furthermore, the computer 3 is necessary for the heat storage tank 12 on the next day (or several hours later) based on the function unit (meteorological data capturing unit) that automatically captures weather forecast data from the Internet 20 and the captured weather forecast data. A prediction control unit including a functional unit that predicts the amount of heat and a functional unit that performs a heat storage operation on the heat storage tank 12 according to the prediction result and controls a heat storage time or a heat storage temperature is provided.

  The computer 3 generates an operation signal corresponding to the amount of heat predicted by the prediction control unit (hereinafter referred to as “predicted heat amount”), and transmits the operation signal to the Internet connection interface 27. Various operation parts 21 such as pumps and valves are controlled so as to be stored in the heat storage tank 12. When the computer 3 according to the present embodiment controls the operation of the heat storage tank 12, the backup boiler 15, the adjustment valve 14, and the like, the computer 3 corrects the predicted heat amount with reference to detection data sent from various sensors 22 to 27. can do.

  As shown in FIG. 2, various sensors 22 to 26 are connected to the computer 3 via the Internet connection interface 27, and these output signals are automatically transmitted to the computer 3. The sensors 22 to 26 include an outside air temperature sensor 22, a medium temperature sensor 23, a house temperature sensor 24, a temperature detector such as a heat storage tank temperature sensor 25, and a CO 2 sensor 26.

  The outside air temperature sensor 22 detects the temperature outside the house 2, and the medium temperature sensor 23 detects the temperature of the medium 7 in the house 2. The house temperature sensor 24 detects the temperature inside the house 2, and the heat storage tank temperature sensor 25 detects the heat storage temperature in the heat storage tank 12.

  The computer 3 predicts (including correction) a required amount of heat to be stored in the heat storage tank 12 on the next day, and transmits an operation signal such as an operation time corresponding to the predicted heat amount to the Internet connection interface 27. To do. Then, the controller 21 automatically adjusts the medium temperature suitable for the plant 6 by controlling the operation of the heat storage tank 12, the backup boiler 15, the adjustment valve 14, and the like.

  In the illustrated example, output data of various sensors 22 to 26 collected by the computer 3, weather forecast data, and the like are automatically input to the Internet connection interface 27.

  Further, the computer 3 adjusts and changes the heat supply time (heat storage time) and / or the heat storage temperature of the heat storage tank 12 in order to supply the heat storage tank 12 with the necessary amount of heat. Further, the computer 3 stops the heat storage operation for the heat storage tank 12 when the heat storage temperature becomes equal to or higher than the upper limit value of the predetermined range, and resumes the heat storage operation when the heat storage temperature becomes lower than the lower limit value of the predetermined range. Control to do.

  Furthermore, the historical information indicating the relationship between the weather forecast data, the temperature of the heat storage tank and the medium temperature, and the time of the heat storage operation is stored in the storage unit built in the computer 3. The computer 3 is configured to be able to correct the predicted heat quantity with reference to the past history information.

  Data stored in the computer 3 can be browsed via the web browser 28. The cogeneration facility 1 can be controlled via the web browser 28 and the computer 3.

  Next, an operation method of the system of the present invention will be described. First, during normal heating load operation, as shown in FIG. 3A, the lighting fixture 16 of the illumination control means 10 is turned on for 3 hours each in the morning and evening. Further, carbon dioxide gas is supplied into the house 2 during a time period from 7 am to 1 pm.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the heat storage operation is performed in the time zone from 6 am to noon and from 6 pm to 12:00 pm. The amount of heat stored in the heat storage tank 12 is supplied into the medium 7 by the medium heating pipe 13. In this case, the amount of heat supplied to the culture medium 7 is adjusted as appropriate so that the medium temperature suitable for cultivation of the plant 6 can be obtained by changing the valve opening or opening time of the adjustment valve 14 by the computer 3. The

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the amount of heat of the next day (or several hours later) necessary for the heat storage tank 12 is predicted based on weather forecast data such as temperature, and the predicted heat amount is stored in the heat storage tank 12. Therefore, a required amount of heat corresponding to a change in temperature or the like is stably supplied to the culture medium 7 in the house 2. Therefore, the culture medium temperature suitable for cultivation of the plant 6 can always be ensured, and the excess and deficiency of the amount of heat necessary for cultivation can be minimized.

  In this case, the weather forecast data can be automatically and regularly taken into the computer 3 via the Internet 20, and the weather forecast data can be collected and input unattended.

  In the present embodiment, the predicted heat amount can be corrected with reference to temperature data such as the house outside air temperature, the medium temperature, the house temperature, and the heat storage tank temperature. The predicted heat quantity can also be corrected with reference to history information indicating the relationship between the weather forecast data and the culture medium temperature. Thus, the medium temperature suitable for cultivation of the plant 6 can be more accurately heated.

  Furthermore, the heat amount predicted by the computer 3 is stored in the heat storage tank 12 by adjusting both or one of the heat storage temperature and the heat storage time of the heat storage tank 12, so that the cogeneration facility 1 operates at rated operation regardless of the magnitude of the predicted heat quantity. Can be maintained and controlled. Therefore, it is possible to reliably accumulate the necessary amount of heat in the heat storage tank 12 while always maintaining the operation efficiency of the cogeneration facility (gas engine) 1 in the optimum state.

  Furthermore, the heat storage operation is stopped when the heat storage temperature of the heat storage tank 12 exceeds a predetermined range, and the heat storage operation is restarted when the heat storage temperature falls below the predetermined range. The temperature of the tank 12 is set within a predetermined range. For this reason, while being able to perform heat storage operation easily by on-off control, the heat storage tank 12 can always be maintained in a predetermined temperature range.

  Further, a backup boiler 15 is installed outside the house 2 between the cogeneration facility 1 and the heat storage tank 12, and the backup boiler 15 has an operating temperature (for example, 20 ° C.) higher than the heat storage temperature (for example, 15 ° C.). Is set. Therefore, by supplying heat to the heat storage tank 12 through the backup boiler 15, the heat storage tank 12 can be quickly heated to the target heat storage temperature. Furthermore, the backup boiler 15 can function as backup means for the cogeneration facility 1 in an emergency.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the present invention naturally extends to the modified ones.

The schematic block diagram of the automatic driving | operation control system of the house for plant cultivation which shows one Example of this invention. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computer, a controller, and the like according to an embodiment. It is a graph which shows the operation method of the automatic operation control system which concerns on one Example, FIG. 3 (a) is a graph explaining the operation method at the time of normal heating load operation, FIG.3 (b) is the operation method at the time of thermal storage operation. A chart to explain.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cogeneration equipment 2 House 3 Computer 4 Gas supply equipment 5 CO2 supply duct 6 Plant 7 Medium 8 Medium supply means 9 Medium heating means 10 Electricity control means 12 Heat storage tank 13 Medium heating pipe 14 Adjustment valve 15 For backup Boiler (gas auxiliary heat source unit)
16 Lighting fixture 17 System connection control device 18 Commercial power supply 19 Power wiring 20 Internet 21 Various operation parts 22 Outside temperature sensor 23 Medium temperature sensor 24 House temperature sensor 25 Heat storage tank temperature sensor 26 CO2 concentration sensor 27 Internet connection interface 28 Web browser

Claims (5)

  A plant cultivation house comprising a cogeneration facility that burns fuel to generate heat and electric power, and uses the generated heat or electric power to heat the medium in the house to a medium temperature suitable for plant cultivation. In the automatic operation control system, heat generated during operation of the cogeneration facility is stored in the house, and a heat storage layer is provided for supplying heat necessary for the culture medium at night, and the heat storage tank and A computer for controlling the operation of the cogeneration facility, and a connection mechanism between the computer and the sensor installed in the house and the cogeneration facility are provided. The computer is necessary for the heat storage tank based on weather forecast data such as temperature. It has a function of predicting the heat amount of the next day, and is controlled so that the predicted heat amount is stored in the heat storage tank. Automatic operation control system of the House for plant cultivation to be.   2. The plant cultivation house according to claim 1, wherein the computer is connected to the house via the Internet or a LAN via an interface, and the stored data is browsed and the cogeneration facility is controlled by a web browser. Automatic operation control system.   The automatic operation control system for a plant cultivation house according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the computer has a function of fetching the weather forecast data from the Internet.   The computer has a function of storing history information indicating the relationship between the weather forecast data and the heating heat amount, calculates a predicted heat amount with reference to the history information, corrects the history information, and stores the heat storage temperature and the heat storage time. 4. The automatic operation control system for a plant cultivation house according to claim 1, wherein the predicted amount of heat is stored in the heat storage tank by adjusting a power generation time or the like.   The automatic operation control system for a plant cultivation house according to claim 1, wherein the cogeneration facility stores heat in the heat storage tank via an auxiliary heat source unit installed in the house.

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