JP4516161B2 - Lighting panel for plant cultivation - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a lighting panel for plant cultivation.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in greenhouse cultivation of vegetables and the like, in order to be able to ship when the commercial value is high by adjusting the cultivation time, lighting such as fluorescent lamps is sometimes applied to plants to extend the sunshine hours. Moreover, in plant cultivation of vegetables, etc., in order to secure a sufficient cultivation area, cultivation tanks are stacked on several shelves and cultivated by illuminating each cultivation tank. On the other hand, it is also proposed to use a panel in which a large number of light emitting diodes (LEDs) are arranged as a lighting fixture for plant cultivation because the wavelengths of emitted light are relatively uniform and the amount of heat generated is relatively small. (See Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-275779).
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the case of traditional lighting fixtures such as fluorescent lamps, the power consumption is large, so that the cost of electricity is high, and the amount of heat generated is high, so the power consumption of the cooling device is also large. On the other hand, in the case of the panel using a light emitting diode, since the humidity of the plant cultivation environment is high, there is a problem that the panel tends to deteriorate and the durability is inferior. An object of the present invention is to provide an illumination panel for plant cultivation that has low power consumption and high durability even in a high humidity environment.
[0004]
The lighting panel for plant cultivation of the present invention includes a metal base, a large number of light emitting diodes arranged on the base, and a translucent cover disposed with a space between the base. The frame is interposed between the base and the cover, is arranged so as to surround the space, and the inside communicates with the space, and is filled around the frame, so that the space is hermetically sealed with respect to the outside. and a sealing member for maintaining said dry inert gas is filled in the space, the inside frame is oxygen scavenger and drying agent is accommodated, a pipe to the base of the outer or Fins are provided, and the refrigerant is sent to the pipes or fins .
[0005]
[Operation and effect of the invention]
Since the lighting panel of the present invention uses a light emitting diode as a light source, it uses less power than a traditional light source such as a fluorescent lamp. Moreover, since the calorific value is small, the power consumption of the cooling equipment is small. Furthermore, the growth of plants can be promoted by selecting light emitting diodes that contain a large amount of light of a wavelength suitable for plant cultivation and a small amount of light of an inappropriate wavelength.
[0006]
The light-emitting diode is accommodated in a space between the metal base and the light-transmitting cover, and the space is hermetically sealed by a sealing material, so that moisture does not enter from the outside. Therefore, the light emitting diode is less deteriorated by moisture and has high durability. Since the space is sealed, heat accompanying light emission tends to accumulate. However, since the light emitting diodes are arranged on the metal base, heat generated by light emission is dissipated to the outside through the base. Therefore, the heat accumulation in the space is relatively small.
[0008]
In the lighting panel in which the space is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon gas, the light emitting diode is protected from deterioration due to oxidation. When the dry inert gas is filled and the oxygen scavenger and desiccant are contained in the frame, the light emitting diode can be further protected from oxygen and moisture, and the durability is improved.
[0009]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, an embodiment of the illumination panel of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a lighting panel according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of the lighting panel, and FIGS. 3 and 4 are cross sections each showing a configuration outside the scope of the present invention. FIG. 5 and FIG. 5 are perspective views showing one embodiment of a cultivation shelf using the lighting panel of the present invention.
[0010]
The proof panel A shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 includes a base 1 made of a metal plate having a high thermal conductivity such as aluminum, and a glass plate cover disposed at a distance H so as to face the base 1. 2 are provided. The base 1 and the cover 2 are each rectangular, and a frame member 3 is interposed between them. For example, the frame member 3 is formed by bending a metal thin plate into a C-shaped cross section into a square pipe shape, and has a joint 4 between the ends on the inner side. The internal space of the frame member 3 communicates with the inner space S surrounded by the frame member 3 by the joint 4. The inner frame material 3 is filled with a desiccant 5 and an oxygen scavenger. The frame member 3 may be made of synthetic resin.
[0011]
The sizes of the base 1 and the cover 2 are not particularly limited, and those having various sizes from about 10 cm on a side to about 5 m can be used. However, from the viewpoint of ease of assembly and transportation, and efficiency, one having a side of about 50 cm to 2 m, particularly about 1 m is preferable. The thickness of the base 1 is preferably about 0.3 to 3 mm. The cover 2 preferably has a thickness of about 1 to 5 mm. Moreover, although the space | interval H of the base 1 and the cover 2 changes also with the magnitude | sizes of a panel, about 3-20 mm is preferable and especially about 5-10 mm is still more preferable.
[0012]
On the inner surface side of the base 1, a light emitting unit 9 in which a large number of light emitting diodes 8 are arranged on the surface of a substrate 7 made of an aluminum thin plate or the like is arranged. The substrate 7 is fixed in close contact with the base 1 by brazing or the like so as to be highly heat-conductive. A large number of recesses 10 are formed in the substrate 7, and the light emitting diode 8 is accommodated in each recess 10 so as not to move. The inner surface of the recess 10 also functions as a reflecting surface. The type of the light-emitting diode 8 is not particularly limited, but red light having the highest use efficiency for the photosynthesis reaction of plants and a peak wavelength of 600 nm is preferable. On the substrate 7, the wiring of the light emitting diode 8 is formed by a printed wiring or the like in a series or parallel wiring pattern. However, you may wire by connecting a line separately. Wirings between the substrates 7 are connected to each other, and are then taken out from the corner portion of the illumination panel A and sealed with a sealant described later.
[0013]
A space S between the base 1 and the cover 2 is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen gas or argon gas. Therefore, deterioration due to oxidation of the light emitting diode is reduced. A sealing material 11 such as a silicone sealant is filled around the frame material 3 to seal the space S between the base 1 and the cover 2. The frame material 3 and the base 1 or the cover 2 may be temporarily attached with, for example, a double-sided tape and filled with the sealing material 11 so that the whole is integrated.
[0014]
The lighting panel A configured as described above is arranged on the upper side of each shelf 22 of the stacked shelf 21 shown in FIG. 5, for example, and the cultivation tanks 23 of plants to be cultivated are arranged on each shelf 22. Thereby, the light of the light-emitting diode 8 is irradiated to the plant, and the growth of the plant is promoted in combination with the supply of moisture and nutrients, temperature control, etc., and it can be harvested efficiently. In that case, the room in which the stacked shelf 21 in which the cultivation tank 23 and the like are arranged has high humidity. However, as shown in FIG. 2, the light emitting diode 8 is sealed between the base 1 and the cover 2, and moisture inside is absorbed by the desiccant 5, so that the humidity is extremely low. Therefore, the light emitting diode 8 is protected from deterioration due to moisture. The light emitting diode 8 generates less heat than a conventional fluorescent lamp or the like, but generates heat to some extent with light emission, and heat accumulates in the lighting panel A. However, since the heat conduction of the base 1 is high, heat is efficiently radiated from the upper surface side of the lighting panel A to the outside. Therefore, the light emitting diode 8 is protected from deterioration due to heat.
[0015]
A heat radiating fin may be attached to the base 1 of the lighting panel A in FIG. The fins 25 can be manufactured, for example, by bending a thin metal plate having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum into a C shape. It is preferable to send air to the fins 25 with a blower or the like.
[0016]
In the lighting panel B shown in FIG. 3, a frame material 26 made of synthetic resin is used instead of the frame material filled with the desiccant. Therefore, there is little heat conduction from the cover 2 side to the base 1 side. Further, in the lighting panel B, a pipe 27 for passing a coolant such as cooling water is disposed in close contact with the upper surface of the base 1. A chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant such as alternative chlorofluorocarbon or a refrigerant such as alcohol may be used, or cold air may be passed through the pipe 27. Further, the substrate 7 on which the light emitting diodes 8 are arranged is flat without providing a recess. Therefore, the thermal conductivity from the substrate 7 to the base 1 is higher. In this way, the heat conduction from the cover 2 to the base 1 is reduced, the heat dissipation of the light emitting diode 8 is enhanced, and the base 1 is forcibly cooled by providing the refrigerant pipes 27. Temperature control can be performed more reliably. Thereby, since the light emitting diode 8 is maintained at a low temperature, the efficiency is increased. Note that the shelf 22 in FIG. 5 can be made of a pipe, and the refrigerant can be sent to the pipe using the pipe. In addition, an air-cooling method in which cold air is sent by a duct can be adopted.
[0017]
In the lighting panel C of FIG. 4, the light emitting diode 8 is directly attached to the base 1. Further, a frame material, such as a frame material, interposed between the base 1 and the cover 2 is omitted, and the gap between the two is simply maintained by the seal material 11. In a relatively small lighting panel, the base and the frame material can be omitted in this way.
[0018]
Light-emitting diodes 8 may be sealed with a sealing material such as epoxy resin, including bonding as usual. However, there are cases where more no sealant synthetic resin improves the durability of the light emitting diode 8.
[0019]
In the above-described lighting panels A to C, the glass plate cover 2 is adopted on the lower surface side, but a transparent synthetic resin plate such as an acrylic plate, or a laminate of glass or a synthetic resin plate and a synthetic resin film. A cover such as can also be used.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an embodiment of a lighting panel of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of the illumination panel.
3 is a cross-sectional view showing the shape condition of the lighting panel outside the scope of the present invention.
4 is a sectional view showing the shape condition of the lighting panel outside the scope of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a cultivation shelf using the lighting panel of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
A lighting panel 1 base 2 cover 3 frame material 5 desiccant 7 substrate 8 light emitting diode 9 light emitting unit 10 recess 11 seal material H interval S space B lighting panel 21 stacking shelf 22 shelf 23 cultivation tank 26 frame material 27 piping

Claims (1)

A metal base,
A number of light emitting diodes arranged on the base;
A translucent cover disposed with a space between the base and the base;
A frame that is interposed between the base and the cover, is disposed so as to surround the space, and has an interior communicating with the space;
A seal material filled around the frame and for maintaining the space airtight with respect to the outside;
The space is filled with a dry inert gas,
The oxygen scavenger and drying agent is accommodated in the frame body,
Pipes or fins are provided on the outer surface of the base,
Refrigerant is sent to the pipe or fin,
Lighting panel for plant cultivation.

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