JP2009103411A - Humidifier device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a humidifier device capable of stabilizing sprouting and seedling without applying damage when providing moisture to seeds. <P>SOLUTION: In the humidifier device 1, water 11 is poured into a thermal insulation container 2 and moisture is provided to objects S to be humidified such as seeds housed in the thermal insulation container an upper space part 7 and a lower space part 8 are formed by a partitioning material 10 inside of the thermal insulation container 2. The objects to be humidified are housed in the upper space part 7, and the water 11 is stored in the lower space part 8. It is provided with a humidification filter 12 vaporizing the water stored in the lower space part 8, a venting passage 9 communicating the lower space part 8 with the upper space part 7, and a fan 6 to be used as a circulator. Humidification air containing the vaporized moisture is circulated by the fan 6 through a partition material 10, the venting passage 9, and the humidification filter 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a humidifying apparatus that supplies moisture to seeds and the like, and more particularly to a humidifying apparatus that can supply appropriate moisture uniformly when germinating seeds such as soybeans in the agricultural field.

  Conventionally, for example, it has been known that moisture damage can be reduced by controlling the humidity of soybean seeds, and germination and seedling establishment can be stabilized. However, the lack of a practical method for conditioning humidity has become an obstacle to popularization, and there is a need for an apparatus for simply conditioning a practical amount of seeds. Soybean seeds are stored after being dried to a moisture content of about 10%. In order to germinate, soy seeds need to be humidified in order to adjust the humidity to about 15%, which is less susceptible to moisture damage. Conventionally, some research institutes or the like have divided soybean seeds into water several times, or using a device such as a nursery to leave soybeans in a high humidity environment and humidify them. Yes.

In addition, as a conventional device of this type, a germination chamber in which at least a part of a wall is transparent, a spray device capable of adjusting the amount of water connected to the germination chamber, and a circulation connected to the germination chamber There is a germination curing device comprising an air circulation device capable of heating the air to be heated (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this device, light necessary for germination is provided by natural lighting by making the germination chamber wall transparent. Moreover, humidity adjustment is performed by adjusting the amount of mist sprayed from a spraying apparatus.
JP-A-6-269202

  By the way, in the method of directly spraying water as described above, when the seed surface is rapidly humidified, moisture unevenness, wrinkles, etc. may occur, leading to seed damage. In addition, it is necessary to master the amount of watering and the interval of watering. On the other hand, when germinating with a seedling device, it is necessary to humidify to maintain high humidity. Depending on the humidity, there is a risk that the seed may be damaged, or the humidification rate may change, resulting in excessive or insufficient humidification. . In either method, in order to avoid humidification unevenness, it is necessary to spread thinly or to stir, and there is a problem that the amount to be processed at one time is restricted and work time is required.

  Moreover, the germination curing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the configuration is complicated and the apparatus becomes large.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the object of the present invention is to germinate without giving damage to the humidified product when moisture is applied to the humidified product such as seeds. -To provide a humidifier that can stabilize seedling establishment. It is another object of the present invention to provide a humidifier having a simple configuration, easy operation and good workability.

  In order to achieve the above object, a humidifying device according to the present invention is a humidifying device that injects water into a heat insulating container and applies moisture to a humidified material such as seeds contained in the heat insulating container, An upper space portion and a lower space portion are formed by a partition material having air permeability inside the heat insulating container, and the humidified material is stored in the upper space portion, and water is stored in the lower space portion. A humidifying filter that vaporizes the water stored in the lower space, an air passage that communicates the lower space and the upper space, and a circulator; It is made to circulate with the said circulator through a partition material, an air passage, and a humidification filter.

  The humidifying device of the present invention configured as described above circulates the humidified air vaporized by water injected into the lower part of the heat insulating container with a circulator through the partition material, the air passage, and the humidification filter, and above the partition material. Since moisture is imparted to the seeds such as stored soybeans, appropriate moisture can be imparted to the humidified material such as seeds without damaging moisture unevenness or wrinkles, and stable germination can be achieved. .

  Moreover, as a preferable specific aspect of the humidifying device according to the present invention, the partition member includes a support body that supports the weight of the humidified object, and an upper portion of the support body on which the humidified object is placed. It is characterized by comprising a soft mat material. According to this configuration, the partition material support supports the weight of the humidified material, and the soft mat material supports the humidified material so as to absorb the impact of the humidified material. can do. And since the humidified material such as seeds is arranged randomly in contact with the soft mat material, the gap between the seeds can be taken randomly and the humidified air can be passed randomly to reduce moisture unevenness. .

  As another aspect of the humidifying device according to the present invention, the humidifying device further includes a cooling device that cools the humidified air to be circulated. In the humidifier configured in this way, the temperature of the humidified air that is circulated through the humidified material such as seeds can be cooled, so that the seeds and the like can be prevented from decaying due to the temperature rise, and germination can be stably germinated after humidification. Can be made.

  Furthermore, as another preferable specific aspect of the humidifier according to the present invention, the cooling device is a cooling device using a Peltier element. According to this configuration, when the cooling device is operated in order to prevent the humidified material such as seeds from being spoiled, the humidified material can be humidified with a low operating sound.

  The humidifying device of the present invention can uniformly apply moisture while reducing moisture unevenness, wrinkles, and the like when humidifying an object to be humidified such as seeds. As a result, the germination rate of humidified substances such as seeds can be increased, and germination and seedling establishment can be stabilized. In addition, the apparatus configuration is simple, and humidification work on seeds and the like can be facilitated.

  Hereinafter, one embodiment of a humidification device concerning the present invention is described in detail based on a drawing. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a humidifier according to this embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

  1 and 2, a humidifier 1 is a device that injects water into a heat insulating container 2 and applies moisture to a humidified object S such as seeds stored in a storage portion 3 in the heat insulating container 2. And the seeds to which moisture has been imparted by the humidifying device 1 can be stably germinated because moisture is imparted in a uniform state without moisture irregularities and wrinkles and without seed damage. .

  The heat insulating container 2 is made of a heat-insulating resin such as foamed acrylic or styrene foam, and is made up of a rectangular parallelepiped container 2a that opens upward and a lid 2b that covers the opening. The heat insulating container 2 is fixed in a state in which the heat insulating middle wall 5 is lifted from the bottom surface with a predetermined distance from one vertical wall 4a and away from the upper lid portion 2b. That is, the intermediate wall 5 is suspended from the bottom surface of the heat insulating container 2. Four fans 6 constituting a circulator are fixed between the upper end surface of the intermediate wall 5 and the lid 2b. The accommodating portion 3 for accommodating the humidified object is formed between the intermediate wall 5 and the other vertical wall 4b.

  In the container 2a of the humidifier 1, an upper space portion 7 and a lower space portion 8 are formed by a partition material 10 having air permeability that is held in a horizontal state with a predetermined interval from the bottom surface. And between the vertical wall 4a and the intermediate wall 5, the ventilation path 9 which connects the upper space part 7 and the lower space part 8 is comprised, and the upper space part between the intermediate wall 5 and the other vertical wall 4b is comprised. 7 is configured as the accommodating portion 3. With this configuration, the fan 6, which is a circulator, is disposed at the inlet of the air passage 9. In addition, you may arrange | position a fan to the vicinity of the intermediate part of a ventilation path, or an exit part.

  The partition member 10 includes a support body 10a that supports the weight of the humidified object such as seeds, and a soft mat member 10b that is disposed on the support body and on which the humidified object such as seeds is placed. A mat member 10b having air permeability as a cushioning material is placed on the upper surface of the body 10a. In this embodiment, a punching metal in which a large number of through holes are formed in a metal plate material is used as the partition material support 10a, and soft artificial grass is used as the mat material 10b.

  Artificial turf used as a mat material has excellent air permeability and an uneven surface, and has a function of buffering impacts on seeds such as soybeans placed as a humidified material. Also, because the seeds contained in the surface are randomly arranged instead of being aligned in a row due to the unevenness of the surface, a random air passage is configured and ventilation is sufficiently performed, so that seeds such as soybeans can be uniformly humidified preferable. As the support 10a, in addition to the punching metal described above, a wire mesh formed of a mesh that has air permeability and cannot pass through humidified objects such as seeds may be used.

  A part of the bottom surface of the container 2a is a flat surface, and the remaining part is an inclined surface. And the water 11 inject | poured from the upper opening in the heat insulation container 2 is stored by the bottom part. The amount of water to be injected is preferably the amount of water from the deepest surface to the shallowest part of the inclined surface. The humidifying device 1 vaporizes the stored water 11 to generate water vapor, and circulates the water vapor in the heat insulating container 2 with a fan 6 to give moisture to a humidified material such as stored seeds. Can do.

  The humidifier 1 includes a humidifying filter 12 that efficiently vaporizes the water 11 stored in the lower space 8 formed by the partition member 10. The humidifying filter 12 is made of a breathable fiber, non-woven fabric, or the like, and can suck up water by capillary action. The humidifying filter 12 is disposed in the lower space 8 below the intermediate wall 5 with no gap. The lower end portion of the humidifying filter 12 is immersed in the water 11 stored in the lower space 8 of the heat insulating container 2, and the water is sucked up by a capillary phenomenon. Then, when the air passes through the humidifying filter 12 containing the sucked-up water, the water is vaporized, and moisture is given to the air to obtain the humidified air. With this configuration, the humidified air is circulated from the lower space portion 8 through the partition member 10 to the upper space portion 7 so as to form an air flow that circulates through the air passage 9.

  The humidifying device 1 is provided with a cooling device 13 for cooling the humidified air passing through the air passage 9 in the air passage 9 for communicating the humid air from the lower space portion 8 to the upper space portion 7. The cooling device 13 includes a main body portion 13 a using a Peltier element, a heat absorbing portion 13 b is disposed in the air passage 9, and a heat radiating portion 13 c is disposed outside the heat insulating container 2. The cooling device 13 is configured to take heat away from the heat absorbing portion 13b by applying a DC voltage to a Peltier element having a PN junction, and to dissipate the heat taken away from the heat radiating portion 13c. It has the function of cooling the humidified air that circulates. The cooling device is not limited to a device using a Peltier element, and a cooling device that circulates a refrigerant used in an air conditioner or the like can also be used. Moreover, you may comprise so that a heat sink may be attached to the thermal radiation part 13c and heat dissipation efficiency may be improved as needed.

  The operation of the humidifying device 1 of the present embodiment configured as described above will be described below. The lid 2b of the heat insulating container 2 of the humidifier 1 is opened, and water 11 is poured into the container from the opening. The injection amount is the amount of water that can give a predetermined humidity to the humidified object. For example, the injection amount is adjusted according to the amount of the humidified object.

  After that, seeds such as soybeans are put into the upper space portion 7 which is the accommodating portion 3 in the heat insulating container 2 as a humidified material from the opening. That is, seeds such as soybeans are accommodated on the partition material 10 on the opposite side of the air passage 9 of the intermediate wall 5. Since the heat insulation container 2 is comprised from the container 2a with which upper direction is opened, it becomes a structure which is easy to accommodate humidified substances, such as a soybean. In addition, after injecting water into the heat insulation container 2, you may inject | pour so that it may not pour water into the to-be-humidified material accommodated through the ventilation path 9, after accommodating to-be-humidified material.

  In the partition material 10, seeds such as soybeans are placed on the artificial grass 10b on the lower punching metal 10a, and the weight thereof is supported by the punching metal 10a which is a support material. Since the stored seeds such as soybeans are placed on the soft artificial grass 10b that functions as a buffer material, the seeds such as soybeans are prevented from being damaged. The artificial turf 10b has an uneven surface, so that seeds such as soybeans are not arranged in a row but are randomly arranged, the gap between the seeds is not uniform and large, and the air permeability is good.

  When seeds such as soybeans are accommodated in the heat insulating container 2 as a humidified substance and the lid 2b is closed, the heat insulating container 2 is hermetically sealed. The water 11 stored on the bottom surface of the container 2a is sucked up by the humidifying filter 12 by capillary action. When the fan 6 is operated in this state, the air in the heat insulating container 2 flows counterclockwise in FIG. 1 and passes through the humidifying filter 12. At this time, the water sucked up by the humidifying filter 12 is vaporized, moisture is given to the passing air, and stable humidified air is formed at a humidity of about 90%. The humidified air circulates in the heat insulating container 2 through the partition material 10, the air passage 9 and the humidification filter 12 as indicated by the arrow F, passes through the support 10a of the partition material 10 and the artificial grass 10b, and is contained in the seed. Passes through the gaps between them to give moisture to the seeds.

  Since the seeds are placed and stored in a random state by the artificial turf 10b, which is a soft mat material, humidified air flowing through the gaps between the seeds flows randomly, and the seeds can be humidified in a uniform state. . For this reason, generation | occurrence | production of a water | moisture content nonuniformity, a wrinkle, etc. on a seed surface is prevented, and the damage to a seed can be prevented. In addition, as described above, the humidifying operation on the seed is performed by injecting water into the heat insulating container 2, storing the seed S as a humidified object in the storage portion 3 of the heat insulating container 2, and then operating the fan 6. Simply circulating the humidified air makes the work extremely easy.

  Further, the partition member 10 composed of the support 10a and the mat member 10b is installed in the horizontal direction, and the space portions 7 and 8 are formed on the upper and lower sides, so that the area of the partition member 10 can be increased. Since the humidified air can pass through a wide area through the partition material 10 that separates the lower space portion 8, seeds such as soybeans to be humidified can be uniformly humidified in a short time.

  When the outside air temperature is high, the cooling device 13 is operated. When a voltage is applied to the Peltier element in the main body portion 13a, the heat absorbing portion 13b is cooled, and heat is taken away from the humid air circulating in the air passage 9. And the deprived heat is dissipated from the heat radiating part 13c. The cooling device 13 using this Peltier element is suitable because it has a simple structure and does not generate an operation sound of a motor or the like during cooling and can be cooled in a quiet state.

  When the humidified air to be circulated is in a high temperature state, there is a possibility that the humidified material is spoiled, but the humidified air to be circulated by using the cooling device 13 is cooled to a low temperature state so that the seed does not deteriorate. The germination state after humidification can be stabilized. In addition, since the humidifying apparatus 1 of the present embodiment uses a soft mat member 10b, for example, artificial turf, as the partition member 10, even if the seed expands due to humidification, the expansion pressure is released three-dimensionally. The seeds are not overfilled in a planar manner. This can further prevent seed damage.

Using the humidifier 1 of this embodiment, 30 kg of soybean seeds were humidified. The dimensions of the humidifier 1 were about 60 cm in length, about 70 cm in width, and about 40 cm in height, and 70 mm thick foamed acrylic was used as a heat insulating material. And container 2a was reinforced with fiber reinforced resin (FRP). Four fans 6 that circulate the humidified air were used, and the overall power consumption was 100V55W, and the air volume was 2.3 m ³ / min. The amount of water injected into the heat insulating container 2 was 1.8 liters required to humidify 30 kg of soybean seeds by 5%. Humidification was performed by air circulation using the fan 6 under the above conditions. In this experiment, seed mixing was basically not performed during humidification.

  The humidity in the humidifier 1 was stable at about 90%. And 30 kg of soybean seeds could be humidified 5% within one day. In addition, about 3% of humidification unevenness was recognized in the seed at the time when the water receiving water disappeared, but by continuously circulating air using the fan 6, the humidification unevenness after 24 hours could be within 1%. . Normally, soybean seeds stored at a humidity of about 10% were humidified to about 15% by humidification using this apparatus, and the humidity could be set to a favorable level for germination.

  For example, when the temperature of the outside air is 25 ° C., the cooling device 13 used in the humidifying device 1 of the present embodiment can cool the temperature of the humidified air to about 16 ° C. by operating the cooling device 13. When the outside air temperature is high or the temperature inside the heat insulating container 2 rises due to continuous use of the fan, the temperature of the circulated humid air can be lowered by operating this cooling device. It is possible to prevent spoilage due to high temperature.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of a main part of another embodiment, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of a main part of still another embodiment.

  In FIG. 3 a, the humidifying device 21 has a heat insulating container 22 that is vertically divided by a partition member 23, and an upper space portion 24 and a lower space portion 25 are formed. The upper space portion 24 constitutes a housing portion for the humidified object S such as seeds, and the lower space portion 25 stores water W. Although not shown, the heat insulating container 22 is configured to open at the top and to be covered with a lid to form a sealed space. A plurality of humidifying filters 26 are arranged in the lower space 25 in a state where the lower ends thereof are immersed in the water W. As in the above-described embodiment, the partition member 23 is made of a punching metal or a wire mesh, and a soft mat material is used as necessary.

  The humidifier 21 has a basic configuration substantially the same as that of the above-described embodiment, but differs in the configuration of the air passage that communicates the upper and lower space portions. The air passage 27 as a feature of the present embodiment is configured to communicate the upper space portion 24 and the lower space portion 25 in a state of protruding from the heat insulating container 22 of the main body. A fan 28 that circulates the humidified air is arranged in the middle of the ventilation path 27, and the humidified air in the lower space 25 is communicated with the upper space 24 and is circulated through the ventilation path 27. Although not shown, a cooling device for cooling the humidified air may be provided in the middle of the air passage 27.

  In the humidifying device 21 configured as described above, the water sucked up by the humidifying filter 26 is vaporized to form humidified air, which is circulated through the ventilation path 27 by the fan 28. Since this humidifier 21 is provided with a ventilation path 27 separately from the heat insulating container 22, when a humidified object is accommodated in the accommodating portion of the heat insulating container, the humidified object such as seed is erroneously accommodated in the aeration path. Therefore, the humidifying operation is further simplified. That is, in the humidifying device 1 of the above-described embodiment, the seed that has fallen into the air passage 9 may be immersed in the stored water and rot, but the humidifying device 21 of this embodiment avoids such a fear. can do.

  Further, the humidifying device 21A shown in FIG. 3b is provided with an air passage 27A on the other side surface of the heat insulating container 22 with respect to the humidifying device 21 described above. A fan 28A is arranged in the middle of the air passage. In the humidifier 21A having this configuration, the flow of the humidified air that is circulated forms an arrow F1 that flows counterclockwise through one air passage 27 and an arrow F2 that flows clockwise through the other air passage 27A. Due to the flow of these two humidified airs, the humidification work of the humidified object can be achieved in a shorter time.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various designs can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

  For example, examples of foamed acryl and foamed polystyrene have been shown as the resin constituting the heat insulation container, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other resins such as foamed urethane can be used. Moreover, heat insulation containers other than resin can also be used. Furthermore, although the structure which has arrange | positioned one humidification filter in the lower space part was shown, you may make it arrange | position two or more. Moreover, in order to prevent seeds or the like from dropping into the air passage 9 with the humidifying device 1, a film, a net, or the like may be stretched.

  As an application example of the present invention, this humidifier can be used for applications other than humidification that promote germination of seeds and the like, and it can also be applied to applications for simply increasing the moisture content of the humidified material.

Sectional drawing of one Embodiment of the humidification apparatus which concerns on this invention. AA sectional view taken on the line AA of FIG. (A) is principal part sectional drawing of other embodiment of the humidification apparatus which concerns on this invention, (b) is principal part sectional drawing of other embodiment of the humidification apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  1: humidifier, 2: heat insulation container, 3: housing part, 5: intermediate wall, 6: fan (circulator), 7: upper space part, 8: lower space part, 9: air passage, 10: partition material, 10a: punching metal (support), 10b: mat material (artificial turf), 11: water, 12: humidification filter, 13: cooling device, S: seeds such as soybeans (humidified material), 21, 21A: humidification device , 22: heat insulation container, 23: partition material, 24: upper space part, 25: lower space part, 26: humidification filter, 27, 27A: air passage, 28, 28A: fan (circulator), W: water

Claims (4)

A humidifying device that injects water into an insulated container and applies moisture to a humidified material such as seeds contained in the insulated container,
In the humidifying device, an upper space portion and a lower space portion are formed by a partition material having air permeability inside the heat insulating container, the humidified material is accommodated in the upper space portion, and water is contained in the lower space portion. Is stored,
A humidifying filter that vaporizes water stored in the lower space, an air passage that communicates the lower space and the upper space, and a circulator.
A humidifying device characterized in that humidified air containing vaporized water is circulated in the circulator through the partition material, an air passage, and a humidifying filter.   The partition material includes a support that supports the weight of the humidified object, and a soft mat member that is disposed on the support and on which the humidified object is placed. Item 2. A humidifier according to Item 1.   The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein the humidifier further includes a cooling device that cools the humidified air to be circulated.   The humidifier according to claim 3, wherein the cooling device is a cooling device using a Peltier element.

Images