JP5782701B2 - Plant cultivation equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a plant cultivation device, and more particularly, to a plant cultivation device in which a plant is cultivated at a desired temperature state.

  Conventionally, the following apparatus is known as a plant cultivation apparatus which grows a plant in a desired temperature state. A plurality of mounting shelves are provided along the vertical direction in a storage inside the case body, which is a heat-insulating housing with an opening formed on the front surface, and plants are placed on each mounting shelf. ing. In addition, an air passage inside the storage box that is sucked through the suction port is formed at a location inside the case body and outside the storage box, and an evaporator is disposed in the air passage. The air passing through the air passage is cooled by an evaporator and then blown out from a blowout port provided in the upper part of the storage. The air blown out from the outlet passes through the storage and is sucked into the suction port and circulated, whereby the inside of the storage is adjusted to a desired temperature. Furthermore, the nutrient solution stored in the nutrient solution tank by the drive of the pump is allowed to flow sequentially from the uppermost mounting shelf toward the lower mounting shelf.

  In such a plant cultivation apparatus, since the nutrient solution is circulated so as to spread over the entire area of each mounting shelf, the capacity of the nutrient solution tank becomes excessive, and the nutrient solution tank is provided inside the case body. However, it was disposed outside the case body (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-94624

  However, in the plant cultivation apparatus as described above, since the nutrient solution tank is disposed outside the case body, the temperature of the nutrient solution stored in the nutrient solution tank becomes higher than the internal temperature of the storage. May end up. Since the nutrient solution stored in such a nutrient solution tank passes through the storage by driving the pump, the heat load of the storage becomes excessive, and the power consumption for cooling the storage temperature of the storage Increases the amount. Further, when the temperature of the nutrient solution stored in the nutrient solution tank rises, there is a problem that the nutrient solution itself deteriorates quickly.

  An object of this invention is to provide the plant cultivation apparatus which can aim at reduction of power consumption, aiming at suppression of deterioration of a nutrient solution in view of the said situation.

In order to achieve the above object, a plant cultivation apparatus according to the present invention includes a case main body that is a heat insulating housing having an opening formed on the front surface, and a storage defined in the case main body along the vertical direction. A plurality of tiers and a mounting shelf on which a plant to be cultivated is placed, and a suction opening and an outlet formed in the storage, inside the case body, inside and outside the storage and air circulation means for circulating air between the air passage, the air and a cooling means for cooling the air circulated by the circulating means, a pre-described shelf in the placed plants in the desired temperature state A plurality of nutrient solution circulating means for circulating the nutrient solution stored in its nutrient solution tank in a manner in which it is allowed to flow down sequentially from the upper stage side to the determined section in the mounting shelf of each stage in the plant cultivation apparatus adapted to be cultivated Comprising the nutrient solution circulation means The nutrient solution tank constituting characterized by being arranged in the air passage.

  Moreover, the plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 2 of the present invention is characterized in that, in claim 1 described above, the above-described shelf is divided and provided for each of the sections.

  According to the plant cultivation apparatus of the present invention, the nutrient solution stored in its nutrient solution tank in a mode in which the plurality of nutrient solution circulation means sequentially flow down from the upper stage side to the determined section in each stage mounting shelf. Since it is circulated, the capacity of each nutrient solution tank can be reduced. Moreover, since the nutrient solution tanks constituting the nutrient solution circulation means are respectively arranged in the air passages circulated by the air circulation means, the nutrient solution stored in the nutrient solution tank can be cooled appropriately. Thereby, while being able to suppress deterioration of nutrient solution, the thermal load inside a storage can be reduced. Therefore, there is an effect that it is possible to reduce the power consumption while suppressing the deterioration of the nutrient solution.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing a case where an internal structure of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the side. FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the case where the plant cultivation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the front.

  Exemplary embodiments of a plant cultivation apparatus according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing a case where an internal structure of a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is viewed from the side. The plant cultivation apparatus illustrated here includes a case main body 10.

  The case main body 10 is a substantially rectangular heat insulating casing having an opening 10a formed on the front surface. A storage case 11 is defined in the case body 10 and an air circulation means 20 is provided therein. The front opening 10 a of the case body 10 is opened and closed by the door body 1.

  The storage 11 is a room defined in such a manner as to face the front opening 10a, and a plurality of mounting shelves 12 are arranged in a plurality of stages (six stages in the illustrated example) along the vertical direction. The mounting shelf 12 is for mounting a plant to be cultivated. The configuration of the mounting shelf 12 will be described later.

  The air circulation means 20 includes an air passage 21 and a circulation fan F. The air passage 21 is a passage of air from the inlet 22 to the outlet 23. Here, the suction port 22 is an opening for sucking air inside the storage 11 and extends along the left-right direction of the storage 11. The suction port 22 is disposed at the lower front edge of the storage case 11, that is, at the lower portion near the front opening 10 a of the case body 10. The air outlet 23 is an opening for blowing air into the storage 11. The air outlet 23 extends in the left-right direction of the storage 11 and is provided at the upper front edge of the storage 11.

  Such an air passage 21 is outside the storage 11 and below the lower duct 21a, outside the storage 11 and the rear duct 21b on the back side, outside the storage 11 and above it. The upper duct 21c is connected to the upper duct 21c.

  The circulation fan F circulates air and is disposed in a boundary region between the rear duct 21b and the upper duct 21c. In the present embodiment, the circulation fan F is disposed in the boundary region between the rear duct 21b and the upper duct 21c. However, in the present invention, the position of the circulation fan F is not particularly limited, As long as the function of the circulation fan F mentioned later can be exhibited, you may arrange | position anywhere.

  In such an air circulation means 20, the circulation fan F is driven to suck in air (internal air) inside the storage 11 through the suction port 22, and the sucked air is blown in such a manner that it passes through the air passage 21. The air is circulated between the inside and the outside of the storage 11 by sending the air to the outlet 23 and blowing the air sent through the outlet 23 into the storage 11.

  An evaporator (cooling means) 24 is provided in the rear duct 21 b of the air passage 21. The evaporator 24 constitutes a refrigerant circulation means for circulating the refrigerant together with a compressor, a condenser and an expansion mechanism which are not explicitly shown in the drawing. Here, the compressor compresses the refrigerant, and the condenser condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor. The expansion mechanism adiabatically expands the refrigerant condensed in the condenser to bring it into a low-temperature and low-pressure state.

  The evaporator 24 exchanges heat between the air passing through the rear duct 21b from the lower side to the upper side when the circulating fan F is driven and the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion mechanism. More specifically, the evaporator 24 The air passing through the rear duct 21b is cooled by evaporation. The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 24 is returned to the compressor and compressed.

  FIG. 2 is a front view schematically showing the case where the plant cultivation apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is viewed from the front, and the illustration of the door body 1 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the plant cultivation apparatus according to the present embodiment has a structure in which each stage mounting shelf 12 is divided into two on the left and right sides, and a plurality (two in the example shown in the figure). ) Nutrient solution circulation means 30.

  Each mounting shelf 12 is formed with a groove 12a through which the nutrient solution circulated by the corresponding nutrient solution circulation means 30 passes. Although not clearly shown in the figure, the plant is placed in a state where the roots are immersed in the nutrient solution passing through the groove 12a, or the plant is planted in a medium arranged so as to be able to absorb the nutrient solution passing through the groove 12a. The plant is placed in the state.

  Two nutrient solution circulating means 30 are provided on the left and right sides corresponding to the mounting shelves 12 at each stage divided into two on the left and right sides. The nutrient solution circulation means 30 includes a nutrient solution tank 31, a solution feeding pipe 32, a connection pipe 33, and a return pipe 34.

  The nutrient solution tank 31 stores a nutrient solution. In the present embodiment, the nutrient solution tank 31 is disposed inside the case body 10 and in the lower duct 21a. The liquid feed pipe 32 is for sending the nutrient solution in the nutrient solution tank 31 to the uppermost mounting shelf 12, and one end is immersed in the nutrient solution in the nutrient solution tank 31 and the other end is placed on the uppermost stage. It communicates with the groove 12 a of the shelf 12. A pump 32 a is provided in the middle of the liquid feeding pipe 32. The connection pipe 33 connects the groove 12a of the mounting shelf 12 at each stage. The return pipe 34 is for returning the nutrient solution from the lowermost mounting shelf 12 to the nutrient solution tank 31. One end communicates with the groove 12 a of the lowermost mounting shelf 12, and the other end is the nutrient solution tank. 31 is entered.

  In the plant cultivation apparatus by the above structures, the internal temperature of the storage 11 can be hold | maintained to desired temperature by driving the circulation fan F and a compressor.

  By driving the circulation fan F, the air inside the storage 11 is sucked through the suction port 22, passes through the lower duct 21a, and enters the rear duct 21b. The air that has entered the rear duct 21 b passes through the evaporator 24, is cooled, becomes cold air, passes through the upper duct 21 c, and is blown out from the outlet 23. The air (cold air) blown out from the air outlet 23 flows toward the suction port 22, thereby cooling the internal temperature of the storage 11.

  And the nutrient solution stored in each nutrient solution tank 31 circulates as follows when the pump 32a which comprises each nutrient solution circulation means 30 drives.

  In the left nutrient solution circulation means 30, the nutrient solution stored in the nutrient solution tank 31 is sent to the uppermost left mounting shelf 12 through the solution feed pipe 32. The nutrient solution sent to the uppermost left mounting shelf 12 passes through the groove 12a of the mounting shelf 12, and then sequentially passes through the groove 12a of the lower left mounting shelf 12 through the connecting pipe 33. And the nutrient solution which passed the groove | channel 12a of the lowermost left mounting shelf 12 returns to the nutrient solution tank 31 through the return pipe 34, and circulates by repeating this thereafter.

  On the other hand, in the right nutrient solution circulation means 30, the nutrient solution stored in the nutrient solution tank 31 is sent to the uppermost right mounting shelf 12 through the solution feeding pipe 32. The nutrient solution delivered to the uppermost right mounting shelf 12 passes through the groove 12a of the mounting shelf 12, and then sequentially passes through the groove 12a of the lower right mounting shelf 12 through the connecting pipe 33. And the nutrient solution which passed the groove | channel 12a of the lowermost right mounting shelf 12 returns to the nutrient solution tank 31 through the return pipe 34, and circulates by repeating this after that.

  In this way, the nutrient solution circulation means 30 circulates the nutrient solution stored in its own nutrient solution tank 31 in such a manner that the nutrient solution circulation means 30 sequentially flows down from the upper stage side to the determined section of each stage mounting shelf 12.

  As described above, in the plant cultivation apparatus according to the present embodiment, the plurality of nutrient solution circulating means 30 each feeds itself in such a manner that each of the plurality of nutrient solution circulation means 30 sequentially flows down from the upper stage side to the determined section of each stage mounting shelf 12. Since the nutrient solution stored in the solution tank 31 is circulated, the capacity of each nutrient solution tank 31 can be reduced, and each nutrient solution tank 31 is located inside the case main body 10 and in the lower duct 21a. In other words, the nutrient solution stored in the nutrient solution tank 31 can be appropriately cooled. Thereby, while being able to suppress deterioration of a nutrient solution, the thermal load inside the storage 11 can be reduced.

  Therefore, according to the plant cultivation apparatus which is an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the power consumption while suppressing the deterioration of the nutrient solution.

  According to the plant cultivation apparatus, since the mounting shelf 12 at each stage is divided into left and right, the left and right mountings at each stage can be changed by changing the type of nutrient solution to be circulated by the right and left nutrient solution circulation means 30. It is possible to shift the growth timing of the plants on the placement shelf 12 or to grow different plants on the left and right placement shelves 12 of each stage.

  In addition, in the said storage 11, although it does not show clearly in a figure, the light source (for example, LED and fluorescent lamp) for growing the plant mounted in each mounting shelf 12 is a ceiling or the lower part of the mounting shelf 12 May be provided as appropriate. The plant growth timing can also be adjusted by changing the illuminance of the light source of the left and right mounting shelves 12 of each stage.

  Moreover, according to the said plant cultivation apparatus, while aiming at size reduction of the nutrient solution tank 31, it arrange | positions in the air path 21 and cools the nutrient solution stored in the nutrient solution tank 31 moderately, At the time of nutrient solution replacement | exchange The nutrient solution can be cooled satisfactorily, and this can also reduce the amount of power consumption, thereby saving energy.

  The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but the present invention is not limited to this, and various modifications can be made.

  In the embodiment described above, each stage mounting shelf 12 is divided into left and right two parts. However, in the present invention, each stage mounting shelf does not necessarily have to be divided into a plurality of sections. It is only necessary that the liquid circulating means has a configuration that allows the nutrient solution to flow down to a predetermined section of each stage mounting shelf. This also makes it possible to grow different plants for each section and to shift the growth timing of the plants.

  As described above, the plant cultivation apparatus according to the present invention is useful for cultivating plants.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Case main body 10a Front opening 11 Storage 12 Mounting shelf 12a Groove 20 Air circulation means 21 Air passage 21a Lower duct 21b Rear duct 21c Upper duct 22 Suction port 23 Outlet 24 Evaporator 30 Nutrient solution circulation means 31 Nutrient solution tank 32 Liquid feed pipe 32a Pump 33 Connection pipe 34 Return pipe F Circulation fan

Claims (2)

A case body which is a heat insulating housing with an opening formed on the front surface;
A mounting shelf provided with a plurality of stages along the vertical direction in a storage room defined inside the case main body, and on which plants to be cultivated are placed,
An air circulation means for circulating air between the inside of the storage and an external air passage inside the case body through the suction port and the outlet formed in the storage;
In plant cultivation apparatus that the a cooling means for cooling the air circulated by the air circulation means, cultivating placed before described shelf the plant at the desired temperature state,
A plurality of nutrient solution circulation means for circulating the nutrient solution stored in its own nutrient solution tank in a mode that sequentially flows down from the upper stage side to the determined section in each stage mounting shelf,
Plant cultivating device, characterized in that the nutrient solution tank constituting the nutrient solution circulating means is arranged in said air passage.   The plant cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the placement shelf is divided and provided for each of the sections.

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