JPH01128729A - Device for growing plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain the title device, capable of remarkably reducing initial equipment cost, etc., by providing respective plural mobile cultivation beds in the two upper and lower stages, counterchanging the upper and lower beds at a given time interval and irradiating only the lower beds with artificial light. CONSTITUTION:The aimed device is constituted by respectively providing plural mobile cultivation beds 4 in the two upper and lower stages, counterchanging the cultivation beds 4 in the upper stage with those in the lower stage at a given time interval and simultaneously irradiating only the cultivation beds on the upper stage with light from artificial light sources 2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION FIELD OF INDUSTRIAL APPLICATION The present invention relates to a plant growing device, and is particularly intended to improve production efficiency in a fully controlled plant factory using an artificial light source.

Conventional Technology Recently, plant factories have been gradually realized that aim to produce vegetables and other plants in large quantities continuously without being influenced by natural conditions by artificially controlling environmental conditions. There is. Types of plant factories can be broadly divided into those that use sunlight to actively utilize sunlight, and those that use fully controlled plant factories that utilize artificial light from artificial light sources. Since the fully-controlled version 11 uses only artificial light without using unstable sunlight, the building has a windowless structure and no roof.

High-performance insulation materials are used for the ceiling and walls, and the indoor temperature and humidity are controlled to an appropriate level using air conditioners. Also, in order for plants to carry out photosynthesis efficiently, the carbon dioxide concentration indoors is 2 to 3 times that of the atmosphere! The price has been increased to ￥ degree. Furthermore, in order to improve the absorption of fertilizers and prevent the infiltration of pathogenic bacteria, a hydroponic cultivation method using a cultivation bed and 38M solution is used instead of using soil as a medium.

Next, the conventional method will be explained using FIG. This figure is a schematic diagram of a conventional general fully controlled plant factory.Lamps such as high-pressure sodium lamps and metal halide lamps are installed on the ceiling of the cultivation room 1 as an artificial light source 2 through lighting tools 3 to the cultivation bed 4. It is installed so that the illuminance on the top surface is almost uniform. Cultivation bed 4 usually has a width of about 1
A rectangular type with a length of about 10 m and a depth of about 20 Lm is used, and the inside thereof is filled with a culture solution to a depth of about 10 ann. This culture solution is circulated and controlled by a separately provided tank and nutrient solution circulation device (not shown). A Styrofoam panel with holes for planting is provided on the top surface of the cultivation bed 4, and plants are planted there. In addition, the cultivation bed 4 is fixed at a fixed place on the floor surface or can be moved slightly to the short side of the rectangle in order to secure a passage. It is located at a height of approximately 70an from the floor. In addition, an air conditioner 5 and a carbon dioxide supply device 6 are attached to the side of the cultivation room 1.

In a fully controlled plant factory configured in this way, one cycle is generally 24 hours a day, with a light period of about 12 to 16 hours (artificial light source is turned on) and a dark period of about 8 to 12 hours (when plants are turned on). below the light compensation point - artificial light sources are turned off) to adjust the amount of time the plants are exposed to light. The reason for establishing a light period and a light period is that (a) Even if the artificial light source is kept on constantly, the power consumed by the artificial light source is large for plant growth, resulting in poor production efficiency.

(b) The quality of the produced plants, such as the color of the leaves and the shape of the cap, deteriorates, making them unmarketable.

Due to reasons such as.

In addition, the above ``plant light i+f+ Fm +:'i J
refers to the brightness when the carbon dioxide consumption required for photosynthesis by plants and the amount of carbon dioxide gas emitted by respiration are in balance.In the 2008 season, if the brightness is not below this light compensation point, weak light irradiation will occur. Due to the effects of this, the plants become elongated, causing problems with their morphology.

In addition, the room temperature is generally set at a lower temperature than the V temperature during the light period. This refers to the quality of the coloring effect on the tips of the leaves of plants, etc.
This is done to suppress the wastage of the white of the body due to respiratory action. In addition, the humidity is set at around 80%, and the carbon dioxide concentration is set at about 400 to 1200 ppm.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention In a completely controlled plant factory using an artificial light source, l! High precision for optimal room temperature,
Despite the need for expensive equipment such as large-capacity air conditioners, lighting equipment, carbon dioxide gas supply equipment, and environmental control equipment for these, plant production efficiency is low, which hinders the development of fully controlled plant factories. , and was a major factor in increasing plant production costs.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention provides a plant growing device that uses an artificial light source as a light source for growing plants, in which a number of cultivation beds are provided in two layers each, upper and lower, and the cultivation beds are movable. The cultivation beds were rotated up and down at regular intervals, and only the upper cultivation beds were irradiated with light from an artificial light source.

Function The device according to the present invention has almost the same initial equipment as the conventional one, except for the relatively inexpensive cultivation beds and culture solution, by having the same number of cultivation beds in the upper and lower tiers and replacing the upper and lower cultivation beds. With the investment, you can increase the plant production by about 21 tI. Alternatively, it is possible to significantly reduce the initial M IQ capital needed to achieve the same plant production as before. In addition, changes in lighting, temperature, carbon dioxide gas, culture fluid costs, etc. in the daily schedule of the entire plant factory will be reduced, and this will lead to improvements in the operation of various devices and savings due to the efficient use of electricity. Electrification is being planned.

In addition, since the artificial light source remains lit for 24 hours, the life of the lamp, which is an artificial light source, is no longer viable, and in winter, the heat from the artificial light source can be used, making heating unnecessary.

Fruit example Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained using examples.

Figure 1 shows a complete υ11 plant growing device according to the present invention.
This shows an outline of a 11-type plant factory, in which a high-pressure sodium lamp is installed as an artificial light source 2 in the ceiling 11 of the cultivation room 1, similar to the conventional system shown in FIG. A lamp such as a metal halide lamp is attached via a lighting fixture 3. The width of the cultivation j8 bed 4 is approximately 1 for ease of operation and the cultivation method described below.
A rectangular shape with a length of about 10 m and a depth of about 10 Crt1 is preferable. The cultivation method is the NFT method (Nutr
ient Film Techr+1que) is adopted, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of this NFT method seen from the side direction of FIG. 1. A cultivation bed 4 is mounted on a pedestal 7 at an angle of about 1.5° in the longitudinal direction. A planting panel 8 is provided on the top surface of the cultivation bed 4 so as to cover the entire surface, and plants 1 are inserted into the planting holes of this planting panel 8 through urethane cubes 9 of about 21 squares.
0 is planted. On the other hand, the culture solution 11 is passed through a partition plate 12 for adjusting the flow rate provided in the direction of the short side of the rectangular cultivation bed 4, so that it forms a uniform thin layer of approximately 1 to 21 layers from the bottom surface in an intermittent manner. Let it flow naturally.

In this method, the roots of the upper part of the plant body 10 are exposed to the air, and oxygen from the air can be directly taken in from the roots. On the other hand, the culture solution 11 that has flowed down returns to the tank 13 and is again circulated and sent to the cultivation bed by the pump 14.

In addition, in the NF'T method, the amount of culture solution on the cultivation bed can be reduced, and as a result, the structural material of the cultivation bed does not require strength, so the cultivation bed can be made much lighter and simpler than the conventional method. The cultivation bed 4 is provided with five upper stages and five lower stages on rollers 15 set so as to have an inclination of about 1.5'' in the long side direction of the cultivation bed. (In this embodiment, the cultivation bed The number of cultivation beds in the upper and lower tiers was set to 5, but it is more efficient as the number of cultivation beds in the upper and lower tiers increases, as the proportion of moving space that can be accommodated in the cultivation room becomes smaller.)
This cultivation bed 4 is designed so that the upper and lower stages can be exchanged. The method is as follows: First, a lifting device (
(not shown) and move all the other cultivation beds in the upper row to the right, that is, to the short side direction of the rectangular cultivation bed by one bed. Next, the cultivation bed is lifted from 81 to the B2 position by lifting devices (not shown) provided at positions 81 and 82, and fixed at the position 82 by a holding device (not shown).
The cultivation bed that was previously moved to position A2 on the upper stage is moved from A2 to positions A3 and A4. At the same time, all the cultivation beds 4 that have become lower rows are moved one bed to the left. By repeating this operation, the 18 beds above and below can be replaced.

In the conventional method, a space such as a working passage for planting seedlings, harvesting, etc. is required between each cultivation bed, but in the device according to the present invention, the working space is the cultivation bed movement space Δ
2. It is not necessary to provide a work passage or the like in the cultivation room, just by using the locations of 2 and A3, or by providing one location between A2 and A3 and the wall surface. Furthermore, the moving spaces A2 and A3 of the cultivation beds can be made unnecessary by installing a lifting device (not shown) at the positions of A+ and Aa, for example, and securing the moving space A5 between A1 and A4. If used, the inside of the cultivation room 1 can be used more effectively.

An efficient way to move the upper and lower cultivation beds is to keep the same number of cultivation beds in the upper and lower rows and change them all at once at regular intervals (for example, 12 hours). , cultivating during the dark period, changing the plants at a shorter time period, or even replacing one to several plants at a time can have 19 times more effects. (However, since the cultivation bed must be moved horizontally to prevent the liquid from spilling out and the plants from tipping over, if there is only one cultivation bed in each of the upper and lower tiers, the proportion of moving space that can be squeezed into the cultivation room becomes large, making it difficult to (To prevent the effects of the invention from being expected, two or more cultivation beds should be provided in each of the upper and lower tiers.) In addition, replacing one to several cultivation beds at a time will reduce the influence of uneven irradiation on the cultivation bed surface caused by the artificial light source, The angle of the light that enters the east side of the plant changes, allowing the light to hit the plants more evenly, which is also effective in reducing variations in plant quality.

In order to uniformly illuminate the top surface of the planting panel 8, it is possible to relatively shorten the distance between the artificial light source and the top surface of the cultivation bed by using a large number of low-wattage light sources; There are problems in that not only the luminous efficiency with respect to the electric power consumed by the artificial light source decreases, but also the cost of lighting equipment increases due to the increase in the number of lights.

Therefore, in an actual plant factory, a high-wattage artificial light source is used, and the distance between the artificial light source and the top of the cultivation bed is approximately 1.
By spacing them relatively far apart, at about 51, it is possible to reduce initial lighting equipment costs and at the same time obtain a fairly uniform illuminance distribution.

The environment in the cultivation room 1 is controlled by installing a movable shielding plate 1G in the area where the lifting device is located between the upper and lower tiers, and shielding the lower tier so that the brightness is below the light compensation point of the plants. . or,
The environmental conditions of the upper and lower stages are controlled by an air conditioner 5 and a carbon dioxide supply device 6. As mentioned above, the room temperature in the dark period is generally set to be slightly lower than the room temperature in the bright room, but in the device according to the present invention, the upper and lower stages are almost completely isolated by the shielding plate 16, so each room can be individually adjusted to the environment. can be controlled.

Effects of the Invention As detailed above, the plant growing device according to the present invention can significantly reduce the initial installation cost compared to the conventional system by simply adding a relatively simple cultivation bed moving mechanism. Since the operating rate of the entire plant growing device is increased and power consumption is reduced, the cost of producing plants can also be reduced. The effect of this is great.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a fully controlled plant factory which is a plant growing apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the FT system as seen from the side direction of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a fully controlled plant factory, which is a conventional plant growing device. 1...Cultivation room, 2...Artificial light source 4...Cultivation bed 1, j%-1 diagram Z flash pump tongue 2

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a plant growing device using an artificial light source as a light source for growing plants, a plurality of cultivation beds are provided in each of the upper and lower two stages, and the cultivation beds are made movable so that the cultivation beds are changed up and down at regular intervals, A plant growing device characterized in that only the upper cultivation bed is irradiated with light from an artificial light source.