JP2017046615A - Air-conditioning system for plants - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable the supply of an air flow having a less temperature spot and wind speed spot to a plant while suppressing the increase in running cost.SOLUTION: An air conditioning unit (20) for blowing the air which is conditioned is provided. A duct (30) in which a plurality of ejection holes (34) for ejecting the air blowed by the air conditioning unit (20) to a plurality of plants planted side by side is formed is provided. The plurality of ejection holes (34) are arranged along the direction of a plant arrangement so that the ejected air flows cross each other between the duct (30) and the plant.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to an air conditioning system for plants.

  For example, in a greenhouse that grows strawberries, air conditioning in the greenhouse is performed in order to adjust the shipping time. Such air conditioning in a greenhouse is generally provided with an air conditioning unit that performs cooling and dehumidification, and air conditioned air is supplied to a space in the greenhouse by a duct (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

JP-A-5-308859

  However, in the example of the above patent document, since the temperature of the air in the entire greenhouse is adjusted, the initial cost and the running cost tend to be large, and in the vicinity of the plant due to the influence of the heat of the lighting equipment, etc. May cause temperature spots or wind speed spots. Such temperature spots and wind speed spots are not preferable for plant cultivation.

  For that, it is possible to suppress the running cost by blowing out air conditioned air targeting the vicinity of the plant to be cultivated, but it is necessary to plant the plant in consideration of the position of the air outlet, Workability is reduced. Further, for example, in the cultivation of strawberries, the direction in which the crown portion extends may change with growth, so a mechanism for changing the direction in which the air is blown out is required, which may lead to complicated equipment and increased costs.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above problems, and in an air conditioning system for plants, it is possible to supply air currents with less temperature spots and wind speed spots to plants while suppressing an increase in running cost. The purpose is to be.

In order to solve the above problems, the first invention is
An air conditioning unit (20) for blowing air conditioned,
A duct (30) formed with a plurality of ejection holes (34) for ejecting air blown by the air conditioning unit (20) to a plurality of plants (14) planted side by side;
With
The plurality of ejection holes (34) are arranged along the direction in which the plants (14) are arranged between the duct (30) and the plants (14) so that the ejected air currents cross each other. It is characterized by that.

  In this configuration, since the airflows ejected from the duct (30) cross each other, the airflow becomes a band extending in the direction in which the ejection holes (34) are arranged.

The second invention is the first invention, wherein
The air conditioning unit (20) blows with a constant air volume,
In the duct (30), the interval (i) between the ejection holes (34) and the opening area (A) of each ejection hole (34) are set so that the ejected air currents cross each other. Features.

The third invention is the first or second invention, wherein
Air conditioning of the cultivation room (S) of the plant (14) is performed by air ejected from the plurality of ejection holes (34).

  According to the present invention, since the airflow is in a band shape, even if the planting position of the plant to be cultivated is slightly deviated from the ejection hole, an airflow having a uniform wind speed can be given to the plant. That is, in the present invention, it becomes possible to reduce temperature spots and wind speed spots in the vicinity of plants.

FIG. 1 schematically shows an air conditioning system. FIG. 2 shows the side shape of the duct. FIG. 3 shows the relationship between the position of the ejection hole and the airflow. FIG. 4 shows the cross-sectional shape of the duct. FIG. 5 shows a simulation result of the airflow from the duct. FIG. 6 shows the simulation result of the airflow from the duct. FIG. 7 shows another arrangement example of the ejection holes.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are essentially preferable examples, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, its application, or its use.

<< Embodiment of the Invention >>
As an embodiment of the present invention, an example of an air conditioning system installed in a plant factory that grows strawberries will be described.

<overall structure>
FIG. 1 schematically shows an air conditioning system (10) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The air conditioning system (10) includes an air conditioning unit (20) and a duct (30). This air conditioning system (10) is installed in a cultivation room (S) of a so-called plant factory, and supplies air conditioned air to a planted seedling (a seedling of a strawberry (14)).

  A cultivation shelf (12) is installed in the cultivation room (S). On the cultivation shelf (12), a plant in which strawberry seedlings (14) are planted at approximately equal intervals in a horizontally elongated container (not shown) in which a medium is accommodated is placed. Although not shown, a lighting device that illuminates the strawberry seedling (14) may be installed near the cultivation shelf (12). By controlling the lighting, a day or night state can be artificially created. Moreover, a container and the cultivation shelf (12) may be integrally covered with the film member comprised, for example with the white vinyl sheet. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a state where there is only one row of strawberry seedlings (14), the number of rows of strawberry seedlings (14) may be plural.

<Air conditioning unit (20)>
For the air conditioning unit (20), for example, a heat pump type air conditioner is employed. The air conditioning unit (20) of the present embodiment air-conditions (heats or cools) the air sucked from the inlet (not shown) (see the thick arrow in FIG. 1), and then the outlet (21 ). In this example, the air inlet of the air conditioning unit (20) opens in the cultivation room (S). On the other hand, one end of a duct (30) is connected to the air outlet (21) of the air conditioning unit (20). That is, the air conditioning unit (20) is configured to suck in air inside the cultivation room (S), air condition (heat or cool), and then send the air after air conditioning into the duct (30). ing. In this example, it is assumed that the air volume of the air conditioning unit (20) is controlled to be constant.

<Duct (30)>
The duct (30) is configured by a bottomed cylindrical body that is formed long in the axial direction. Specifically, in this embodiment, the duct (30) is configured by closing one end of a pipe material made of polyvinyl chloride having a diameter of 71 mm. The material of the duct (30) is an example, and for example, polyethylene or the like can be used. And as shown in FIG. 1, a duct (30) is arrange | positioned so that it may extend along the direction where the strawberry (14) was located in a line, The edge part by the side of the opening is the blower outlet ( 21) is connected.

  The duct (30) is formed with a plurality of ejection holes (34) along the direction in which the strawberries (14) are arranged (that is, along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation shelf (12) in this example). (See FIG. 2). Therefore, when air is blown from the air conditioning unit (20), the blown air is ejected from the respective ejection holes (34).

  This embodiment is characterized by the structure of these ejection holes (34). Specifically, these spout holes (34) are arranged along the direction in which the seedlings of strawberry (14) are arranged so that the ejected airflow crosses each other between the duct (30) and the cultivated strawberry (14). Has been placed. In order to cross the airflow from each ejection hole (34) at a desired position, the interval (i) between the ejection holes (34) and the opening area (A) of each ejection hole (34) may be adjusted. . Note that the air volume of the air conditioning unit (20) is not a very large factor with respect to the crossover position of the airflow.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the distance from the duct (30) to the crossing position of the airflows is L, and the spread angle of the airflow in the ejection hole (34) is θ, the relationship of i = 2 × L × tanθ There is. The spread angle (θ) can be adjusted by, for example, the opening area (A) of the ejection hole (34). In order to actually design the duct (30), for example, the distance L from the duct (30) to the crossing position of the airflows is determined, and the combination of the interval (i) and the spread angle (θ) is examined. Conceivable. At this time, the distance (L) is set to a value smaller than the distance from the duct (30) to the strawberry (14) (plant) planting position.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, it is necessary to consider that the air volume of an air conditioning unit (20) is constant. For example, if the interval (i) is reduced, the number of the ejection holes (34) increases, and the wind speed changes accordingly. For example, depending on the number of the ejection holes (34), it may be considered that sufficient air speed cannot be obtained with the air volume of the air conditioning unit (20). That is, it is necessary to examine whether the number of the ejection holes (34) is suitable for the desired wind speed. Similarly, if the air conditioning unit (20) is constant, the size of the opening area (A) contributes to the wind speed, so whether the opening area (A) of the ejection hole (34) is suitable for the desired wind speed It is also necessary to consider. Regarding the wind speed, it is necessary to consider the wind speed suitable for the plant to be cultivated at the position where the plant is planted. Note that the wind speed may be targeted at a wind speed suitable for plant photosynthesis, for example.

  As an example, in this embodiment, taking into account photosynthesis of strawberry (14), L = 50 mm, θ = 10 °, i = 18 mm while setting 1 m / s as the wind speed near the planting position of strawberry (14). It was. In the present embodiment, the ejection hole (34) is a circular hole, and the opening area (A) is adjusted by adjusting the diameter (φ). At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, when the thickness (thickness) of the duct (30) is d, it is desirable that the diameter (φ) and the thickness (d) satisfy the relationship φ <d. . By doing so, an air flow is generated substantially perpendicular to the ejection hole (34).

<Air conditioning operation>
When the air conditioning unit (20) is operated, the air in the cultivation room (S) is sucked into the air conditioning unit (20), air-conditioned (for example, cooled) in the inside, and then passed through the outlet (21). And sent out into the duct (30).

  The air that has entered the duct (30) flows toward the tip of the duct (30), and from the plurality of ejection holes (34) formed in the duct (30) toward the plant (strawberry (14)). Is ejected. The airflow coming out of the ejection hole (34) spreads in a conical shape, goes straight while entraining surrounding air, and forms a continuous airflow like a belt at a point separated from the duct (30).

  5 and 6 are simulation results of the airflow state. In these figures, the wind speed distribution is shown by contour maps. For example, referring to FIG. 5, the air currents cross each other in the vicinity of the broken line, and in the portion closer to the strawberry (14) than the crossing position, the direction in which the strawberry (14) is arranged (the direction in which the ejection holes (34) are arranged) ) Is a belt-like airflow extending to. In the belt-shaped portion of the airflow, the temperature spots are small and the wind speed spots are also small. Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, each of the ejection holes (34) is arranged so that the belt-like part of the airflow is located in the crown part (stock part) where the strawberry (14) grows. The position is set. Thereby, in this embodiment, the air-conditioned air with small temperature spots and wind speed spots is supplied near the crown portion of the strawberry (14). In strawberry cultivation, temperature management of the crown part is important, and the timing of flower bud differentiation can be controlled by controlling the crown part to an appropriate temperature. Thereby, it is possible to control the harvest time of strawberries, and it is possible to harvest strawberries even when they cannot normally be harvested.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the airflow supplied to the plant from the duct (30) spreads in the space in a cultivation room (S) after that, and air-conditions the cultivation room (S). At this time, in a space away from the plant, temperature spots and wind speed spots become larger than temperature spots and wind speed spots in the vicinity of the plant, but this is not a problem for plant cultivation.

<Effect in this embodiment>
As described above, in this embodiment, air conditioned air is supplied to the plant as a belt-like airflow, so even if the planting position of the plant is slightly shifted, an airflow with a uniform wind speed is applied to the plant. (In other words, there is no point where there is no wind at the planting position). That is, in this embodiment, it is possible to reduce temperature spots and wind speed spots near the plant. Thereby, in this embodiment, it becomes possible to control the cultivation environment of a plant appropriately. In particular, in the above example, the temperature of the crown portion of the strawberry is accurately controlled, and the timing of bud flower bud differentiation can be controlled more accurately.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since an airflow spreads in strip shape, it is not necessary to match the planting position of the plant with the ejection hole, and workability is not deteriorated.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since air-conditioned air is directly supplied to plants, it is possible to reduce running costs as compared with an apparatus that air-conditions the entire cultivation room.

  Further, the above duct structure hardly increases the equipment cost.

<< Other Embodiments >>
In addition, a plurality of rows (for example, two rows) of ejection holes (34) are provided in one duct (30), and the plurality of rows of ejection holes (34) are used to supply airflow to plants arranged in one row. May be. FIG. 7 illustrates a two-row arrangement of the ejection holes (34). As shown in the figure, the interval between the adjacent ejection holes (34) is determined such that the airflows intersect each other as described in the above example. By arranging in a plurality of rows in this way, the airflow becomes a thick band, and the airflow spots can be made smaller.

  Alternatively, a plurality of rows of ejection holes (34) may be provided in one duct (30), and airflow may be supplied to plants arranged in two rows by one duct (30).

  Moreover, the plant to grow is not limited to a strawberry.

  Further, the cross-sectional shape of the duct is not particularly limited, and the shape of the ejection hole is not limited to the illustrated circular hole.

  The present invention is useful as an air conditioning system for plants.

10 Air conditioning system 14 Strawberry (plant)
20 Air conditioning unit 30 Duct 34 Ejection hole

Claims (3)

An air conditioning unit (20) for blowing air conditioned,
A duct (30) formed with a plurality of ejection holes (34) for ejecting air blown by the air conditioning unit (20) to a plurality of plants (14) planted side by side;
With
The plurality of ejection holes (34) are arranged along the direction in which the plants (14) are arranged between the duct (30) and the plants (14) so that the ejected air currents cross each other. An air conditioning system for plants characterized by that. In claim 1,
The air conditioning unit (20) blows with a constant air volume,
In the duct (30), the interval (i) between the ejection holes (34) and the opening area (A) of each ejection hole (34) are set so that the ejected air currents cross each other. An air conditioning system for plants. In claim 1 or claim 2,
An air conditioning system for plants, wherein the air in the cultivation room (S) of the plant (14) is conditioned by air ejected from the plurality of ejection holes (34).

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