JPH08172934A - Plant-cultivating facility house - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide the house capable of stably realizing plant cultivation in high harvest while reducing the production cost. CONSTITUTION: This house A virtually closed by wall layers 3 with thermal insulation and free from any window facing on the outside is divided into two floors, upper room B and lower room C, through an intermediate layer 4 with thermal insulation as well, and the layer 4 is afforded with openings respectively openable at the same time by doors 5-7. Lighting lamps 8 and a plant-cultivating facility are installed in the lower room C, while the upper room B represents a space free from any virtual heat source. For the temperature control of the lower room C, the doors 5-7 are subjected to opening/closing control to substitute the air in the room B(C) for that in the room C(B), thus keeping the temperature of the lower room C constant.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a plant cultivation facility building capable of reducing the production cost of a fully controlled plant factory and stably realizing plant cultivation with a high yield rate, and particularly, It concerns the improvement of its structure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a technique relating to a plant factory for cultivating plants without being affected by changes in the natural environment, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. Sho 60-85142 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-28.
2526, JP-A-63-119631, JP-A-5-38227, and JP-A-5-308857.

Among the so-called plant factories, conventional cultivation facilities such as so-called greenhouses and greenhouses are so-called solar combined type, and the wall surface does not have an adiabatic structure, has good ventilation, and has a closed structure. I can't say. It also has a light-transmitting window.

On the other hand, artificial lighting, air conditioning equipment, temperature control equipment, etc. are installed in a building that is insulated from the external environment and is substantially sealed to artificially adjust the environment to accelerate the production rate of plants. Is called a fully controlled plant factory.

Since the fully controlled plant factory grows plants by artificial lighting in a closed building, it has the following features as a business in comparison with the solar combined type plant. 1. Since optimal growth conditions can be set, the growth rate is fast, and therefore the production volume and facility turnover rate are high. Therefore, the production unit price is reduced.

2. Since it can be produced regardless of the weather conditions in the outside world, planned production is possible and there is no uncertainty of delivery date.

3. It is completely pesticide-free and pest-free, and because it has a high dense planting rate, it can improve productivity and add value. Furthermore, it protects the health of workers and does not damage the environment.

[0008]

However, the problem of the fully controlled plant factory is the problem related to artificial lighting, and the cost therefor and the cost of summer cooling by the heat source of the lamp. Since the heating in winter is a closed structure, unlike the conventional greenhouse, it is mostly covered by the internal lamp heat source, and the heating cost is extremely low. Instead, the cooling cost in summer is an important issue, and if it is reduced, the economic efficiency of a fully controlled plant factory can be dramatically improved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above technical problems, and provides a plant cultivation facility building capable of stably realizing plant cultivation with a high yield while reducing production costs. The purpose is to

[0010]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a plant cultivation facility building which is substantially sealed by an insulating wall layer and has no window to the outside. The inside is divided into upper and lower two floors, and the middle layer is also constructed in a heat insulating manner and has an opening that can be opened and closed at the same time.The plant cultivation facility is placed on the lower floor and the upper floor is substantially The structure is characterized by not installing a heat source.

[0011]

According to such a structure, the building is shielded from natural light and outside temperature by the adiabatic wall layer. The building is divided into upper and lower floors by the middle floor, and the middle floor (that is, the one in charge of the ceiling of the lower floor and the floor of the upper floor) has a space of the upper floor and a lower floor. There is provided an opening that can be connected to and disconnected from the space. Then, artificial lighting is provided on the upper part of the lower floor to cultivate, and in the summer when the room temperature of the lower floor where the plant is cultivated rises, when the opening is opened, it accumulates in the upper space of the lower floor. The heat from the existing artificial lighting can be discharged to the upper floor, and the temperature of the lower floor can be controlled by the relatively cool air (cool air) that descends to the lower space of the lower floor where the plants are cultivated. It can be stabilized at a substantially constant level. Further, even if there is a room where the temperature exceeds the optimum temperature for cultivation and forced cooling is required by the cooling device, power consumption can be reduced.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are longitudinal sectional views showing the structure of the building, and FIGS. 3 and 5 are explanatory views for explaining the function and effect thereof.

The structure will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.
The outer shape of the building A is constructed by using, as the outer wall 1, a material that does not have air permeability and has heat insulating properties and light shielding properties (a property that does not transmit light), such as a concrete block or a straight material in which glass wool is interposed. Further, an inner wall 2 having the same properties as described above is further laminated on the inner surface of the outer wall 1.
Thus, the wall of the laminated structure of the outer wall 1 and the inner wall 2 (hereinafter,
By constructing the building A with the wall layer 3), the inside of the building A is almost completely sealed so as not to be affected by the external environment. In reality, ideal complete sealing is impossible due to the characteristics of the outer wall 1 and the inner wall 2 that form the wall layer 3, but the structure is such that the hermeticity is obtained as much as possible. As described later, this is premised on the application of carbon dioxide gas in order to increase the productivity, so the hermeticity is a necessary condition,
Therefore, the building A cannot ventilate the outside air like a normal house facility even when it requires cooling. The building is essentially a closed structure.

Further, the inside of the building A is divided into two upper and lower parts by a wall (hereinafter referred to as an intermediate layer) 4 similar to the above wall layer 3, so that an upper chamber B and a lower chamber C on the attic side are separated. It is configured. An opening is formed in one or more places of the mid layer 4, and the open / close doors 5 to 7 are swingably supported via a hinge mechanism attached to a predetermined part of the mid layer 4. Is closed as shown in FIG. 1, the opening is sealed, and when opened as shown in FIG. 2, the upper chamber B and the lower chamber C can be communicated with each other through the opening.

The lower chamber C is provided with illumination lamps 8 to 10 fixed to one end of the intermediate layer 4. The number of these illumination lamps 8 to 10 is not limited to three, and can be set to an appropriate number according to the scale of the building A, and the installation intervals of each can also be set appropriately. Further, as the illumination lamps 8 to 10, a sodium lamp, a halogen lamp, or another lamp that emits light having a wavelength similar to natural light is applied.

Further, if necessary, one or more temperature sensors (not shown) for constantly detecting the room temperature are installed in the lower chamber C, and the fluctuation of the detected temperature is eliminated based on the set temperature. Thus, the air conditioner 11 that supplies cold air or warm air to the lower chamber C can be installed. During operation, the air conditioner 11 inhales air and the like in the lower chamber C through an exhaust pipe 12 provided in a hole formed in a predetermined portion of the wall layer 3 on the lower chamber C side, and inhales the air. Air or the like is heat-exchanged to cool air or warm air by a heat exchanger (not shown), and then, to the lower chamber C again via the supply pipe 13 provided in the hole formed in the other portion of the wall layer 3. Supply. The exhaust pipe 12 and the supply pipe 13 are hermetically sealed so that no gap is formed between the holes, and the air in the lower chamber C is prevented.
Since it circulates in the closed loop formed by 1, the exhaust pipe 12 and the supply pipe 13, the upper chamber B and the lower chamber C are shut off from the outside air.

Further, although not shown, an irrigation pipe and a medium for cultivating the plant D in the lower chamber C, and
A carbon dioxide gas supply adjusting system is provided for supplying carbon dioxide gas essential for photosynthesis of plants and adjusting the concentration thereof.

Next, the function of the building A thus shielded from the external environment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.
In order to facilitate understanding of the principle of the invention, it is assumed that the temperature in the lower chamber C that is optimal for plant growth is controlled to be maintained at T _CO (for example, 20 ° C), and the actual temperature in the lower chamber C is controlled. Is T _C , the actual temperature of the upper chamber B is T _B , and the actual temperature of the outside air is T _O. Furthermore, the illumination lamps 8-10 are
It is always lit with a constant illuminance that is optimal for plant growth.

In FIG. 3, when the outside air temperature T _O is lower than the temperature of the lower chamber C as in winter, the heat insulation effect of the wall layer 3 and the heat generated by the illumination lamps 8 to 10 cause the lower chamber C to be heated. The temperature T _C becomes higher than the outside air temperature T _O. Furthermore,
Since the wall layer 3 and the intermediate layer 4 do not exert a perfect heat insulating effect, but substantially exert a heat insulating effect,
The temperature T _B of the upper chamber B, which is separated from the illumination lamps 8 to 10, which also has the effect of a heat source, is lower than the temperature T _C of the lower chamber C and higher than the outside air temperature T _O. That is,
The relationship of T _O <T _B <T _C is maintained. Furthermore, upper chamber B
Has a buffering effect on the lower chamber C in which the plant is cultivated, so that the temperature T _C of the lower chamber C is unlikely to be affected by the outside air temperature T _O, and the heat retaining property of the lower chamber C is maintained.

Here, due to the heat retaining effect of the illumination lamps 8 to 10 and the wall layer 3 and the intermediate layer 4, the temperature T _C of the lower chamber C actually drops below the set temperature T _{CO by} more than a predetermined allowable range. In this case, the air conditioner 11 is activated in response to the detection signal of the temperature sensor installed as necessary, warm air is supplied into the lower chamber C via the supply pipe 13, and the actual temperature T _C becomes the set temperature. After returning to T _CO , the air conditioner 11 is turned off and stopped.

If the temperature T exceeds the predetermined allowable range,
_{If C} has risen above the set temperature T _{CO, the} temperature of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the opening / closing doors 5 to 7 are opened, heat is released to the upper chamber B through the opening of the intermediate layer 4, and when the temperature T _C of the lower chamber _C reaches the set temperature T _CO , the opening / closing doors 5 to 7 are opened. Is closed, and the upper chamber B and the lower chamber C are again blocked by the intermediate layer 4.

By controlling the temperature of the lower chamber C by opening and closing the opening and closing doors 5 to 7 as described above, the frequency of use of the air conditioner 11 can be greatly reduced, and the consumption of air can be reduced accordingly. It is possible to significantly reduce power consumption and reduce production costs while maintaining the growth of plants.

Next, with the open / close doors 5 to 7 closed as shown in FIG. 1, when the outside air temperature T _O becomes higher than the set temperature T _CO as in the summer, the air conditioner 11 is turned on. After a lapse of a long period of time not operate, the relationship between the temperature T _C of the outside air temperature T the temperature of the _O and the upper chamber B T _B and a lower chamber C is generally a T _C> T _B> T _O. And
Even if the wall layer 3, the intermediate layer 4, and the upper chamber B are present, in reality, the temperature T _C of the lower chamber C tends to rise above the set temperature T _CO . This is not a favorable situation.

In this way, when the temperature T _C rises above the set temperature T _CO over a predetermined allowable range, the opening / closing doors 5 to 7 are opened as shown in FIG. That is, if the opening and closing doors 5 to 7 are kept closed as shown in FIG.
As is well known, the temperature T _B in the inside rises because the temperature of the air and the like rises. Therefore, the temperature in the upper space actually becomes higher, and the intermediate layer 4
Has a temperature distribution such that the lower the space is, the lower the temperature distribution becomes, while the actual temperature in the lower chamber C is higher in the upper space closer to the intermediate layer 4 due to the heat generation and rising heat of the illumination lamps 8 to 10. And the lower space near the ground has a lower temperature. Further, the temperature T _BL of the space near the intermediate layer 4 of the upper chamber B is lower than the temperature T _CU of the upper space of the lower chamber C because the heat generation of the illumination lamps 8 to 10 is blocked by the intermediate layer 4. (T _BL <T _CU ).

[0025] Therefore, if the measured temperature T _C of the lower chamber C rises above a predetermined acceptable range than the set temperature T _CO, as shown in FIG. 4, it opens the door 5-7, the upper chamber B
The air or the like at the temperature T _BL (shown as cool air in the figure) is naturally lowered to the lower chamber C, and the air or the like at the temperature T _CU of the lower chamber C is naturally raised to the upper chamber B to perform the replacement naturally. Let As a result, the temperature T _C of the lower chamber C can be lowered and adjusted to approach a predetermined set temperature T _CO .

However, if the temperature T _C does not fall sufficiently even if the opening / closing doors 5 to 7 are opened, the air conditioner 11 is activated to forcibly cool the inside of the lower chamber C.
At this time, T _C <T _B <T _O. This is a reverse in the case of winter, it is possible to so small a temperature difference between the upper floor and the lower floor _{(T O -T C)> (} T B -T C).
That is, it is possible to minimize the outside heat from above reaching the lower floor via the upper floor.

In this way, by controlling the temperature of the lower chamber C by opening / closing the opening / closing doors 5 to 7, even if the air conditioner 11 is used, the frequency of its use is greatly increased. As a result, it is possible to significantly reduce the power consumption and to reduce the production cost while maintaining the growth of plants.

In detail, even in the lower chamber C, the temperature distribution in the upper space near the intermediate layer 4 is lower than the temperature in the lower space near the ground where the plants are cultivated. Will occur. And the set temperature T _CO
The actual temperature T _C detected by the temperature sensor and the temperature sensor is set to, for example, the temperature of a constant space region (relatively lower space) where the plant is cultivated, and the actual temperature T _C is the set temperature T _CO. The actual temperature of the upper space near the intermediate layer 4 is higher than the set temperature T _CO even in a state substantially equal to. However, the fact that the actual temperature of the upper space near the middle layer 4 becomes high exerts a buffering effect on the outside air temperature T _O and the temperature T _B of the upper chamber B when the outside air temperature decreases like in winter. It will be. Then, by controlling the opening / closing of the opening / closing doors 5 to 7, it is possible to adjust the temperature T _C without causing a large temperature fluctuation by only letting the rising temperature of the upper space near the intermediate layer 4 escape to the upper chamber B. .

As described above, according to this embodiment, the building A of the completely controlled plant factory can be realized with a simple structure, and in particular, the upper chamber B and the lower chamber C are separated by the intermediate layer 4. Since the opening and closing of the opening of the mid layer 4 is controlled appropriately, the air conditioner 1 that consumes a large amount of power is required.
It exerts an excellent function of enabling temperature control under optimal conditions without using 1 or the like or by greatly reducing the frequency of use. Further, such temperature control can be made possible by dividing the inside of the building A into the upper chamber B and the lower chamber C by the intermediate layer 4 having the opening and closing doors 8 to 9,
The point is that the heat capacity and the like of air and other objects used for temperature control are stored in the space of the upper chamber B. And, it has an excellent feature in that it is realized with an extremely simple structure.

Incidentally, it is desirable that the volume of the upper chamber B is optimally designed by taking into consideration the production amount of plants in the lower chamber C and calculating the volume of air or the like required for the temperature adjustment.

Next, the result of the simulation will be shown. The effect of such a large-scale plant factory is actually
Since it may be difficult to construct the above and disclose it in concrete experimental results, the simulation results are shown below.

In the general case, for example, assuming that a building A having a floor area of 300 m ² is constructed, the average thermal conductivity is about 0.1.
(W / mK) and a thickness of about 10 cm is used to construct a closed building A using the wall layer 3 and the intermediate layer 4. And, while incorporating the hydroponic equipment for cultivating the plant in the lower chamber C,
The illumination lamps 8 to 10 are turned on with an illuminance that satisfies the optimum cultivation conditions. In this case, the illumination lamps 8 to 1
The power consumption of 0 is about 50 kW.

When the outside air temperature T _O is 32 ° C., for example, in summer (see FIG. 3), the power that intrudes into the building A from the outside is about 10 kW. When the effective heat capacities of the upper chamber B and the lower chamber C are about the same, and the opening of the intermediate layer 4 is closed by the opening / closing doors 5 to 7, the upper chamber B has a temperature of 30 ° C. Temperature T _C = 22 ℃
In order to maintain the above, the air conditioning power installed in the lower chamber C requires 20 kW for air conditioning.

As in the case of the present invention, when the opening area of the opening provided in the intermediate layer 4 is appropriately selected and the air conditioner 11 is installed in the lower chamber C, T _B = 2 in the upper chamber B.
7 ° C., the temperature T _C of the space in the lower chamber C in the vicinity where the plants are cultivated is 22 ° C. This is the upper chamber B, the lower chamber C
This is because there is a rise in warm air from. Since the temperature difference through the intermediate layer is small, the power consumption for modulation is 10 kW. As is clear from the above results, the saving of power consumption is clear.

On the other hand, (see Figure 4) as in winter, when the outside air temperature is T _O = 0 ° C., if it is assumed that to keep the set temperature T _CO in the lower chamber C to 20 ° C., the openings Is released,
Temperature of the space in the lower chamber C in the vicinity where the plant is cultivated T _C =
It becomes 15 ° C. This is because the cold air directly acts from the upper chamber B and the heating heat capacity increases. Temperature T _B of the upper chamber B also becomes 15 ° C.. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to heat by the air conditioner 11, which is disadvantageous. On the other hand, the opening of the middle layer 4 is opened and closed with a door 5 to
If it is closed by 7, the set temperature T _CO can be obtained with almost no heating due to self-heating. At this time, the temperature of the upper chamber B becomes T _B = 10 ° C.

As is clear from the above simulation results, even if the outside air temperature in summer or winter varies greatly from the set temperature, it is possible to set the desired temperature throughout the year, and the power consumption for that is also possible. It can be significantly reduced. Then, plant cultivation (production) can be performed all year round regardless of the season.

In this embodiment, the inside of the building A is divided into upper and lower halves by the intermediate layer 4, and heat convection is performed between the upper chamber A and the lower chamber B, so that the temperature can be adjusted inexpensively. Although the case has been described above, it is possible to have such a basic structure and further add various structural modifications.

Further, generally, as a method for keeping the inside of the building at a constant temperature, the first building for cultivating plants is constructed, and the second building having a larger volume than the first building is constructed. A so-called double structure that encloses the entire first building is conceivable. According to such a structure, the structure shown in FIGS.
Unlike this embodiment shown in FIG. 2, all of the roof and the wall are required independently for each of the first and second buildings, and substantially two buildings are built. Therefore, not only the cost problem arises, but also the technical difficulty of constructing a large-scale plant factory arises.

On the other hand, according to the present invention including this embodiment, basically, one building in the middle layer is divided into upper and lower parts.
Since the temperature can be controlled by the divided structure, it exhibits an excellent effect especially when constructing a large-scale plant factory. However, in the case where the above-mentioned generally conceivable so-called double structure is provided with the intermediate layers as shown in this embodiment for the first and second buildings, respectively, it is easy to realize from the present invention. Such a modified structure utilizes the technique of the present invention.

By the way, when the annual expenses were calculated using the building having the structure according to this example, a glass wool heat insulating wall having a thickness of about 5 cm was applied to the wall layer 3 and the intermediate layer 4 about 3 m below the eaves. In the case of a building with a building area of 100 tsubo, the power consumption required for air conditioning can be reduced by 20% to 30%.

[0041]

According to the present invention as described above,
The insulating wall layer shields the building from natural light and outside temperature, and the middle layer divides the building into upper and lower floors. An opening that can be intermittently provided is provided, and artificial lighting is provided at the upper part of the lower floor to cultivate, and the opening is opened in the summer, when the room temperature of the lower floor where the plant is growing rises. And the heat caused by artificial lighting etc. accumulated in the upper space of the lower floor can be discharged to the upper floor, and the relatively cool air coming down to the lower space of the lower floor where plants are cultivated. By (cool air), the temperature of the lower floor can be stabilized at a substantially constant level. Further, even if there is a room where the temperature exceeds the optimum temperature for cultivation and forced cooling is required by the cooling device, power consumption can be reduced.

As described above, it is possible to provide a completely controlled plant factory capable of cultivating plants throughout the year irrespective of seasonal changes and reducing the production cost therefor.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the structure of an embodiment of a plant cultivation facility building according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view further showing the structure of one embodiment of the plant cultivation facility building according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view corresponding to FIG. 1 for explaining the function of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2 for further explaining the function of one embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

A ... Building, B ... Upper chamber, C ... Lower chamber, D ... Plants to be cultivated, 1 ... Outer wall, 2 ... Inner wall, 3 ... Wall layer, 4 ... Intermediate layer, 5
7 ... Opening / closing door, 8-10 ... Illumination lamp, 11 ... Air conditioner, 12 ... Exhaust pipe, 13 ... Supply pipe.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An inside of a building that is substantially closed by an insulating wall layer and has no window to the outside is divided into upper and lower two floors, and an intermediate layer thereof is also constructed in an insulating manner and can be opened and closed at the same time. A plant cultivation facility building that has an opening, a plant cultivation facility is located on the lower floor, and no substantial heat source is installed on the upper floor.