JP3049435B2 - Plant cultivation equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a plant cultivation device, and aims to provide a fully controlled plant cultivation device having high cultivation efficiency using a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp as an artificial light source. It is.

(Conventional technology) A fully controlled plant cultivation device (hereinafter referred to as a "cultivation device") is a device that shuts off natural (sun) light and uses only artificial light to optimize the temperature, CO ₂ concentration, Cultivation of plants is performed in a factory production manner by adjusting environmental conditions such as air volume, light quantity, nutrient solution temperature, and nutrient solution composition.

In a conventional cultivation apparatus, a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp such as a high-pressure sodium lamp and a metal halide lamp or a fluorescent lamp is used for growing a plant using an artificial light source. In general, the luminous efficiency of a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp increases as the wattage increases, so that a high-wattage lamp of 700 W to 1 kW is usually provided at a height of about 1.5 to 2 m above the cultivation panel, so that the cultivation panel is provided. It enhances the uniformity of the illuminance distribution on the surface and prevents the adverse effects of heat from the lamp on the plants.

Also, in the case of using a fluorescent lamp, unlike the case of using a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp, the light output per unit surface area of the light source is greatly reduced, and the luminous efficiency is low. Installed. The distance between the cultivation panel and the fluorescent light is close to about 30 cm because the heat from the fluorescent light is dispersed as well as the light output, and it is hardly affected by the heat even when approaching the plants. Therefore, it is common practice to provide cultivation panels and artificial light sources in multiple stages to effectively utilize the cultivation space.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In a conventional cultivation apparatus using a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp as an artificial light source, a high wattage lamp is used, so that energy use efficiency is high, but cultivation with a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is performed. The distance from the panel surface becomes longer, and this large space is created. As a result, the plant cannot be cultivated in multiple stages, the plant cultivation efficiency per floor area of the building is poor, and the costs of air conditioning and cultivation equipment are high. .

Further, when a fluorescent lamp is used as an artificial light source, the efficiency of use of the cultivation space is high, but the luminous efficiency of the fluorescent lamp is low, and it is difficult to obtain the illuminance required for plant growth, and the life characteristics such as the luminous flux maintenance ratio are poor. And so on. Furthermore, in these cultivation devices, the artificial light source is in the same space as the cultivation space, and all the heat generated from the artificial light source is radiated to the cultivation space. Air conditioning was needed. As described above, the conventional cultivation apparatus using an artificial light source includes a building having high heat insulation and airtightness, a high-precision, high-capacity air-conditioning apparatus for achieving an optimum room temperature, a lighting apparatus, a CO ₂ supply apparatus, and an environmental control apparatus for these. The production efficiency and energy utilization efficiency of the plant are low in spite of the necessity of expensive and large-scale equipment, which hindered the spread of cultivation equipment and was a major factor in increasing the production cost of the plant.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention provides a plant cultivation apparatus using a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp as an artificial light source, in which a lighting fixture incorporating a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is provided above a side wall of a culture chamber. The light distribution from the metal vapor discharge lamp is controlled so that the light emitted from the side of the cultivation room is directed parallel to the cultivation surface or in the direction of the ceiling, so that the cultivation surface is indirectly irradiated. Is provided with a reflecting material having a bent reflecting surface that uniformly reflects the radiation from the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp onto the cultivation surface. Alternatively, it has means for cooling the lighting equipment.

(Operation) The device of the present invention provides a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp on the side surface of the cultivation room, and irradiates light from the side surface of the cultivation room to irradiate the cultivation room over a wide area. Similarly, the infrared radiation emitted from the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp can be dispersed, and the mounting height of the lighting device can be relatively reduced as compared with the conventional method using the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp. Therefore, an adverse effect on the plants due to the heat of the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp can be prevented, the distance between the cultivation panel and the ceiling can be shortened, and significant space saving and reduction in equipment cost can be achieved. Furthermore, the illuminance distribution on the cultivation surface can be made more uniform by providing a reflector having a bent reflection surface for reflecting the radiation from the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp on the ceiling of the cultivation room.

Further, since the lamp room is provided in a narrow range on the side surface of the cultivation apparatus, the space between the lamp room and the cultivation room space is airtightly sealed and the lamp room is projected to the outside air or the outside air is introduced into the lamp room, or the lamp is introduced. Alternatively, it is easy to provide means for cooling the lamp chamber, such as water-cooling the lighting equipment. In addition, since a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is used as an artificial light source, it is easy to obtain the illuminance required for plant growth, and since it has high efficiency, high output characteristics, and excellent life characteristics, the lamps are installed. The number of lights can be reduced.

(Examples) Hereinafter, the present invention will be described using preferred examples. FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a cultivating apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a side surface of the cultivating apparatus shown in FIG.

The inside of the box-shaped cultivation room (1) is a cultivation bed (2) in which a nutrient solution necessary for plant growth is circulated on the floor surface, and a cultivation panel (3) made of, for example, styrene foam for fixing the plant.
Are provided, and vegetables (4) such as salad vegetables and lettuce are planted on the planting panel. The upper surface of this vegetable (4) is defined as a cultivation surface (12). Lighting fixtures (6), (6 ') having built-in high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps (5), (5') comprising a straight tubular high-pressure sodium lamp at the upper end of the wall surface.
Is attached. This lighting fixture (6), (6 ')
Is a parabolic aluminum reflector (7), (7 ')
And louvers (8), (8 '), etc., and most of the light emitted from the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps (5), (5') is horizontally arranged in the vegetable (4) in the growing room (1). Cultivation surface (1)
The light distribution is controlled so that the light reaches the cultivation room (1) in a linear and horizontal direction so as to irradiate indirectly to 2). In addition, a light-transmitting heat-resistant glass plate (9) is provided at the opening of the lighting equipment (6), (6 ') to the cultivation room (1).
(9 ') is provided in an airtight manner.

On the ceiling of the cultivation room (1), lighting equipment (6),
The wings gradually descend toward the center of the cultivation room (1) so that the radiated light from (6 ') irradiates almost the entire surface of the cultivation panel (3), that is, the cultivation surface (12) uniformly. Reflective material made of Styrofoam with high reflectance of 10% (10)
Is attached. The height of the cultivation room (1) is about 0.7m,
Lighting fixtures (6), (6 ') are provided on the upper side in the longitudinal direction with a width of about 1.6m and a length of about 6m, and cultivation panels (3)
The average illuminance on the top surface is about 20Klx.

As a light condition for economically and uniformly growing a plant, uniformity of illuminance on the cultivation panel surface in addition to the light component of the artificial light source is a major factor. One method of improving the uniformity of illuminance is to disperse light using a large number of low wattage lamps. In this method, as in the case of using fluorescent lamps as artificial light sources, equipment costs due to the increase in the number of installed lamps are increased. This is not a preferable method because the cost of lighting power increases due to the increase in the luminous efficiency and the production cost of the plant to be cultivated.
Therefore, it is necessary to use a high-wattage high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp with high luminous efficiency as much as possible. In this embodiment, a 450 W high-pressure sodium lamp is used. The heat generated from the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps (5) and (5 ') or the heat re-emitted from the lighting fixtures (6) and (6') causes the outside air to enter the lighting fixtures (6) and (6 '). Most of them are removed by introduction.

Another method is a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp (5),
(5 ') It is also possible to use a method of cooling the lighting fixtures (6) and (6') with water, or blowing outside air on the outer surfaces of the lighting fixtures (6) and (6 ').

The cultivation room (1) is controlled so that the environment such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and CO ₂ concentration is optimized for plant growth by circulating cool air by an air conditioner. ), (5 '), the heat required for air conditioning can be greatly reduced as compared with the conventional method because of the small heat intrusion.

The total area of the cultivation panel (3) in the cultivation room (1) is about 10
m ² , the irradiation area of the cultivation panel (3) per high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is about 2.5 m ² . The inner wall surface of the cultivation room (1) is made of a high light reflective material having a light reflection characteristic of 70% or more, thereby further improving the effective use of light and the uniformity of the illuminance distribution. The distance between the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps (5), (5 ') and the upper surface of the cultivation panel (3) is
It is preferable that the cultivation space be as short as possible from the viewpoint of utilization efficiency. Considering that the artificial light source and the cultivation bed are multistage, at least the light center of the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps (5) and (5 ') and the cultivation panel ( 3) The distance between the upper surfaces is preferably within 1 m.

Here, if the irradiation area of the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps (5) and (5 ') per lamp on the cultivation bed top surface is less than 1 m ² , the number of installation lamps increases, and naturally the required illuminance on the cultivation panel top surface It is not economical because the wattage (the size of the lamp) for obtaining is small and the luminous efficiency is reduced. Also,
Conversely, if the irradiation area per lamp exceeds 5 m ² , the number of installed lights will decrease, but the distance between the light center and the cultivation panel is shortened to 1 m or less, so the illuminance distribution on the top of the panel will vary widely, A part deviated from the optimum illuminance of the plant is also not preferable.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic sectional view of another embodiment of the cultivation apparatus according to the present invention. First, a lighting fixture (6) with a built-in high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp (5), (5 ') in the upper part of the cultivation room side wall,
(6 ') is provided, and on the ceiling in the cultivation room (1), a reflector is used to uniformly irradiate the cultivation surface (12) with light emitted from the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps (5) and (5'). As (10), a corrugated aluminum reflector is provided.

On the cultivation surface (12), a flask (11) containing a plant cultured with tissue is placed. Using a 250 W metal halide lamp, the illuminance 2 to 5 KlX is optimal for tissue culture by indirect lighting. Like that. Also, in this embodiment, the light distribution of the lighting devices (6) and (6 ') is directed to the reflector (10) on the ceiling without using a louver to diffuse the light, and the cultivation surface (12)
In addition, the exhaust heat of the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamps (5) and (5 ') is applied to the outside surfaces of the lighting fixtures (6) and (6') without using translucent heat-resistant glass. The system is exposed to

(Effects of the Invention) As described in detail above, the cultivation apparatus according to the present invention can reduce the height of the cultivation apparatus and make it compact, and furthermore, can easily discharge the heat from the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp, so that the power required for air conditioning is obtained. Costs can be significantly reduced.

In addition, since it is easy to arrange the plant cultivation apparatus three-dimensionally (for example, in three stages) and the space utilization efficiency of the plant cultivation can be further increased, the initial equipment cost for the plant cultivation ability, particularly for the building, is also significantly reduced. it can.

In addition, the downsizing makes it easy to unitize the cultivation equipment, making it easy to manufacture, move, and assemble the equipment, and setting up the installation place with a few restrictions. Has many advantages.

As described above, according to the present invention, the initial control costs, the power costs required for air conditioning, etc., and the operating costs are reduced, and furthermore, it becomes easier to respond according to the cultivation scale. The effect is very large.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a cultivation apparatus according to the present invention, FIG.
The figure is a schematic sectional view of the side surface of the cultivation apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of another embodiment of the plant cultivation apparatus according to the present invention. 1 ... Cultivation room, 3 ... Cultivation panel, 4 ... Vegetables, 5,5 '
…… High pressure metal vapor mercury lamp 6,6 ′ …… Lighting equipment, 10 …… Reflective material

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Haruo Kokubo No. 1 Nishinosho Inono Baba-cho, Kichijo-in, Minami-ku, Kyoto-shi, Japan Inside Nippon Battery Co., Ltd. (56) References JP-A-57-198028 (JP, A JP-A-62-155030 (JP, A) JP-A-1-10978 (JP, A)

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] In a plant cultivation apparatus using a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp as an artificial light source, a lighting fixture having a high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is provided at the upper part of a side wall of a cultivation room, and radiation light from the high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp is provided. Light distribution is controlled from the side of the cultivation room to be mainly parallel to the cultivation surface or to the direction of the ceiling, so that the cultivation surface is indirectly illuminated. A plant cultivation apparatus provided with a reflector having a bent reflecting surface for uniformly reflecting the emitted light on the cultivation surface. 2. A plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for cooling said high-pressure metal vapor discharge lamp or lighting equipment.