JPH04299927A - Cultivation apparatus and its control - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To carry out artificial culture in high efficiency at a low cost by providing the minimum number of apparatuses for controlling pH and fertilizer concentration and controlling the culture liquids in plural culture tanks to the conditions suitable for individual different kinds of plants in the tanks. CONSTITUTION:Culture liquids 11-15 in parallelly arranged culture tanks 1-5 are successively controlled by judging whether a remote operation valve is opened or not by a control panel 37 of an apparatus for controlling pH and fertilizer concentration, introducing the culture liquid from the above culture tank into an adjustment tank 30 and adjusting the concentration of the culture liquid in the adjustment tank 30 to a level suitable for the plant cultured in the above culture tank. In the above case, a circulation pump 48 is operated for a definite period, the fertilizer concentration and pH are detected by sensors 38, 39 and judgement is made on the suitability of the culture liquid for the culture of the above plant based on the detected values. When the result is inadequate, the condition is adjusted and when it is adequate, the remote control valve of the culture tank is closed and the adjustment work is transferred to the next culture tank.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a device for cultivating plants in an artificial facility or environment-controlled space using a hydroponic cultivation tank, and in particular to a device that provides suitable growth conditions for the roots of plants. and a control method.

0002

[Prior Art] As a conventional device, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-27
As described in Publication No. 9730, a collection means for collecting culture solution from a plurality of hydroponic beds, an analysis device for analyzing the collected culture solution, sterilization of the culture solution after analysis,
There is a culture fluid management system consisting of processing means for return and disposal.

0003

[Problem to be solved by the invention] Depending on the type of plant,
The optimal fertilizer concentration, composition, and pH for growth are different. Furthermore, even for the same plant, the optimal fertilizer concentration, composition, pH, etc. usually differ depending on the growth stage (growth process), and it is necessary to provide different nutrient solution conditions to each plant. In addition, in hydroponic cultivation, roots develop and extend throughout the cultivation tank, so the entire culture solution needs to have a uniform composition and conditions.

[0004] The above-mentioned conventional technology does not mention the fact that different nutrient solution conditions are given to each cultivation tank. The disadvantage is that it is not possible to control the nutrient solution conditions differently to grow crops at different stages. In addition, with conventional technology, the entire condition of the culture solution in a hydroponic bed is determined by sampling only the part where the bed is located, but the culture solution changes from moment to moment depending on where the roots are or not. Therefore, it is difficult to say that the concentration, composition, and pH of the entire culture solution are accurately known.

[0005]Furthermore, some types of plants immediately exhibit growth problems when the conditions of the culture medium become unfavorable, so it is necessary to carry out adjustments quickly.

The purpose of the present invention is to quickly control the overall nutrient solution conditions of each of the plurality of cultivation tanks installed to suit the type or stage of each crop, and to adjust the fertilizer concentration and concentration for each cultivation tank. An object of the present invention is to provide a cultivation device capable of adjusting pH and a method for controlling the cultivation device.

[0007]

[Means for solving the problem] In order to achieve the above object, the inlet and outlet sides of the nutrient solution to a plurality of cultivation tanks are connected independently, and the starting end of the piping on the inlet side is connected to the supply pump. The terminal end of the pipe on the outlet side is connected to the adjustment tank in the fertilizer concentration/pH adjustment tank. In this way, each cultivation tank is formed by piping as if it were a parallel electrical circuit. In addition, this can be accomplished by attaching remote control valves to the inlet and outlet sides of each cultivation tank, or by attaching a remote control valve to one of the inlet and outlet sides.

[0008]

[Operation] When sequentially controlling the culture solution in cultivation tanks installed in parallel, the control panel of the fertilizer concentration/pH adjustment device determines which remote control valve is open and generally adjusts the culture solution in the cultivation tanks. The nutrient solution in the adjustment tank is adjusted to a concentration suitable for the plants being grown in the tank. In this case, the circulation pump is operated for a certain period of time, and the sensor measures the fertilizer concentration and p.
H is detected, and it is determined whether this value is suitable for the plant. If not, the adjustment is made. If it is good, the remote control valve of the cultivation tank is closed and the adjustment is made to the next cultivation tank. move. In this way, there are cases where adjustment is performed while circulating the culture solution, cases where adjustment work is performed depending on the plant, and cases where adjustment work is performed with the remote control valve closed.

[0009]

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In the figure, cultivation tanks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are arranged side by side, and different types of plants 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are grown in each cultivation tank at the appropriate fertilizer concentration and pH.
It is cultivated in nutrient solution 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 that has . The cultivation tanks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are provided with solenoid valves 17, 18, 19, respectively, between the inlet pipe 16 and the cultivation tanks 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
20 and 21 are installed. Also, the outlet side piping 22
Solenoid valves 23, 24, 25, 26, and 27 are attached to the. The inlet pipe 16 is connected to a circulation pump 29 and reaches a regulating tank 30. The outlet pipe 22 similarly leads to the adjustment tank 30. Circulation pump 29, adjustment tank 30 is No. 1 tank 32, No. 2 tank 33, alkali tank 34,
It is attached on the base 31 together with the acid tank 35, and constitutes a fertilizer concentration/pH adjustment device as a single unit. Note that a pedestal 36 is fixed on the base 31, and a control panel 37 is attached thereon. Further, an electrical conductivity sensor 38, a pH sensor 39, and a stirrer 40 are immersed in the adjustment tank 30 so that the level of the nutrient solution is lower than the level of the nutrient solution. Now, the electromagnetic valves 17 and 23 are opened, the circulation pump 29 is operated, and the concentration of fertilizer in the nutrient solution 11 of the plants 6 planted in the cultivation tank 1 is measured by the electrical conduction sensor 38. Similarly, the pH is measured by the pH sensor 39, and a signal is sent to the control panel 37 to determine whether the values are appropriate. When the fertilizer concentration is determined to be an inappropriate value, the metering pumps 41 and 42 are started and the No. 1 tank 32,
The concentrated liquid is continuously supplied from the No. 2 tank 33 to the adjustment tank 30 until it reaches an appropriate value. The supplied concentrated liquid is stirred by a stirrer 40 so as not to be unevenly distributed in the nutrient solution 11. In addition, since the circulation pump 29 rotates continuously, the nutrient solution 1 in the cultivation tank 1
Concentrate is continued to be supplied until the entire fertilizer concentration in 1 reaches the appropriate fertilizer concentration. When the pH value reaches an appropriate value, it is determined whether the pH value is an appropriate value, and if the value is lower than the set range, the metering pump 43 is started and an alkali agent is introduced from the alkali tank 34 to raise the value to the set range. Further, if the determined value is higher than the set range, the metering pump 44 is started and the acid agent is introduced from the acid tank 35 until the value is within the set range. After continuous control for a certain period of time in this way, when the fertilizer concentration and pH value both reach appropriate values, the pump 29 is stopped, and the solenoid valves 17 and 2
Close 3 and continue cultivating plant 6. After this, cultivation tank 2
Before starting the control, it is determined whether the nutrient solution remaining in the pipes 16, 22 and the adjustment tank 30 affects the control of the nutrient solution 12. If it is determined that it is not affected, the nutrient solution 1 in cultivation tank 2
However, if it is determined that the system is affected, the drain valve 45 is opened and the adjustment tank 30 and piping 16, 22 are controlled.
Discard the nutrient solution. Thereafter, the drain valve 45 is closed, the supply valve 46 is opened to add raw water, the metering pumps 41 and 42 are opened to adjust the fertilizer concentration to match the nutrient solution 12, and the metering pump 43 or 49 is opened to adjust the pH value. . after that,
The electromagnetic valves 18 and 24 are opened and the circulation pump 29 is operated to perform the same control as the nutrient solution 11 in the cultivation tank 1. When the control is finished, close the solenoid valves 18 and 24, and close the solenoid valves 19 and 24.
25 is opened to control the nutrient solution 13 in the cultivation tank 3. In this way, the electromagnetic valves 20, 26, 21, 27 are opened and closed to sequentially control the nutrient solutions 14, 15 in the cultivation tanks 4, 5. Then, the process returns to the control of the cultivation tank 1 and repeats the control.

[0010] This embodiment has the effect that even if there are n cultivation tanks, the control can be performed in the same way. Although this figure shows the cultivation of different types of plants as an example, the same control can be performed in the case of simultaneous cultivation of plants of the same type at different stages (sizes). Further, in this embodiment, the culture solution can be controlled and adjusted while circulating the culture solution.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be explained based on FIGS. 3 and 4. As in the first embodiment, the fertilizer concentration of the nutrient solution 11 in the cultivation tank 1 is measured by the electrical conductivity sensor 38, and the pH
is measured by the pH sensor 39. In this case, solenoid valve 1
7 is closed, the solenoid valve 23 is opened, the pump 48 is operated, all of the nutrient solution 11 is put into the adjustment tank 47, and the solenoid valve 23 is closed. Then, the control panel 37 determines whether the fertilizer concentration and pH value are appropriate for the plants 6, and depending on the determination, fertilizers No. 1 and 2, acid agents, and alkaline agents are introduced. When the fertilizer concentration and pH value have reached the appropriate values, open the solenoid valve 17 and turn on the pump 2.
9 is operated, the adjusted nutrient solution 11 in the adjustment tank 47 is put into the cultivation tank 1, and the solenoid valve 17 is closed. And adjustment tank 4
If the nutrient solution 5 has no effect on the control of the nutrient solution 12 in the next cultivation tank 2, it is left as is, but if it has an effect, the valve 45 is opened and it is discarded. Then, open the valve 46 and add raw water to the nutrient solution 1.
Make one with composition 2. Similarly, cultivation tanks 2, 3, 4
, 5. Control is performed in the order of .

[0012] In this embodiment, since the nutrient solution in the cultivation tank is emptied, the roots of the plants are exposed to the air and the roots absorb oxygen from the air, which has the effect of promoting growth.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.
Explain using. This example differs from the first and second examples in that the adjustment tank 30 is eliminated and a sensor and a stirrer are provided in each cultivation tank.

Now, when controlling the nutrient solution 11 in the cultivation tank 1,
The solenoid valves 17 and 23 are opened and the circulation pump 29 is operated. The fertilizer concentration is measured with the electrical conductivity sensor 49, and the pH is
The sensor 54 measures the pH, sends a signal to the control panel 37, measures the value, and sends a metering pump 41, 42, 43 or 4.
4, and while rotating the agitator 59, adjust the fertilizer concentration.
Control the pH value to an appropriate value. When the control is completed, the circulation pump 29 is stopped and the solenoid valves 17 and 23 are closed. The nutrient solution in the pipes 16 and 22 can be used as is or drained by opening the drain valve 45.

[0015] And nutrient solution 12, 13, 14, 15
Electric conductivity sensors 50, 51, 5 in this order, respectively.
2, 53 to measure the fertilizer concentration, pH sensor 55,
While measuring the pH at points 56, 57, and 58, it is controlled using a fertilizer concentration/pH adjustment device.

[0016] In this embodiment, the fertilizer concentration/pH adjusting device is simple and can be manufactured at low cost.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. This embodiment differs from the first, second, and third embodiments in that the cultivation tanks 1 to 5 are placed above the adjustment tank 30 by means of a pedestal 28. Plants 6 to 10 of different varieties are planted in cultivation tanks 1 to 5. The adjustment tank 30 now contains a nutrient solution suitable for the nutrient solution 6. In order to measure the fertilizer concentration and pH of the nutrient solution 11 for the plants 6, the solenoid valve 17 is opened. Then, operate the circulation pump 29,
When the nutrient solution in the adjustment tank is poured into the nutrient solution 11 in the cultivation tank 1, the tank 64
It naturally flows down through the piping 22 and into the adjustment tank 30. This operation is continued until the nutrient solution in the adjustment tank 30 and the nutrient solution 11 are replaced. During this time, control is continued until the appropriate value for the plants 6 is reached. When the appropriate value is reached, the control ends, and it is determined whether the nutrient solution in the adjustment tank has any effect on the plants 7, and if there is no effect, the control moves on to the cultivation tank 2. If there is any influence, open the drain valve 45 and discard it. Then, open the valve 46 and inject the raw water into the adjustment tank, and then
The metering pumps 41, 42 and 43 or 44 are operated to mix the nutrient solution so as to meet the nutrient solution conditions in step 2. After that, the electromagnetic valve 18 is opened to control the nutrient solution 12 to the nutrient solution conditions suitable for the plants 7. In this way, by opening and closing the solenoid valves 19, 20, 21 of the other cultivation tanks 3, 4, 5, the nutrient solutions 13, 14, 15 are controlled to the nutrient solution conditions suitable for the plants 8, 9, 10. .

This embodiment can be applied when the water levels of the cultivation tank and the adjustment tank are located above and below each other, and has the advantage that one of the solenoid valves can be omitted.

[0019]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, the nutrient solution conditions are adjusted according to the type and size of plants growing in each cultivation tank.
It has the effect of quickly and uniformly controlling and adjusting the entire cultivation tank.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a nutrient solution control circuit of a cultivation device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a nutrient solution control circuit of a cultivation device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a nutrient solution control circuit of a cultivation device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a nutrient solution control circuit of a cultivation device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of FIG. 7;

[Explanation of symbols]

1-5...Cultivation tank, 6-10...Plant, 11-15...Nutritional solution,
17-27...Solenoid valve, 29...Circulation pump, 30...Adjustment tank, 37...Control panel, 38...Electric conductivity sensor, 39...p
H sensor, 47...adjustment tank, 48...circulation pump.

Claims (6)

[Claims] Claim 1: The inlet and outlet sides of the nutrient solution piping of a plurality of cultivation tanks are independently connected, and remote control valves are provided on the inlet and outlet sides of the piping, which form a piping system in parallel. ,
A cultivation device characterized in that one end of piping is connected to a regulating tank and the other end is connected to a pump. 2. The cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjustment tank has a larger capacity than any of the plurality of cultivation tanks. 3. The cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of cultivation tanks is provided with a fertilizer concentration sensor and a pH sensor. 4. The regulating tank includes a fertilizer sensor, p.
The cultivation device according to claim 1, further comprising an H sensor. 5. The cultivation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein all of the plurality of cultivation tanks are installed above the adjustment tank. 6. A method for controlling a cultivation device, which comprises adjusting the fertilizer concentration and pH of the nutrient solution for each cultivation tank using the device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.