JPS6374429A - Hydroponic facilities for leaf vegetables - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Abstract] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a hydroponic cultivation facility for leafy vegetables, and more specifically, it uses both sunlight and electric light to adjust indoor temperature and humidity and supply carbon dioxide gas. This invention relates to a system for cultivating leafy vegetables with high efficiency.

[Prior art]

In order to harvest lettuce and other leafy vegetables in a short period of time, greenhouses have been equipped with temperature control functions, electric lighting devices have been adopted, hydroponic cultivation has been adopted, and in some cases, the process from sowing to harvest has been reduced. Various methods, devices, or equipment have been devised and used, such as installing devices that make it simple and highly efficient.

For example, conventionally used greenhouses such as vinyl-lined greenhouses are shielded from the outside air in order to avoid wind and receive only one light during cold seasons such as winter, and to maintain heat. During hot and humid seasons such as summer, the hem is rolled up or a fan is turned on to prevent the indoor temperature from rising and to allow ventilation, which generally allows ventilation between the indoor and outdoor spaces depending on the outside temperature. It looks like this. By the way, there are some vinyl-lined greenhouses that are designed to be airtight throughout the year. This depends on the climate of the region where it will be used, but in relatively low-temperature regions, securing room temperature is the top priority, and mechanical devices are introduced for ventilation and humidity control to avoid the negative effects of sealing. There is something that has been resolved. Such greenhouses have a double-walled roof and side walls made of transparent vinyl sheets, etc., and the interior of the double space is airtight.

Air from the greenhouse is blown into the double space by a fan to form a heat insulating layer, which prevents the room temperature from dropping by blocking the room from outside air and providing heat insulation.

The above is a greenhouse itself, but as mentioned above, there is also a hydroponic cultivation system that reduces the amount of manual work required from seeding to shipping. In this system, a flowerpot is placed on a waterway formed in the ground, and a member is provided on the waterway to maintain the position of the flowerpot above the water surface and to support and move the flowerpot. According to this, planting work can be carried out simply by fitting the flowerpot into the moving member, and by moving it, new flowerpots can be sent out one after another from the same location. There is a nutrient solution flowing in a waterway under the flowerpot, which can absorb nutrients. At harvest time, if the movable member sequentially returns the pots to the place where they were planted, the worker can harvest and send the cultivated produce for packaging and other processes without having to move his or her body.

The above is related to cultivation forms and logistics, and one of the recent cultivation methods is cultivation by electric lighting and cultivation by supplying carbon dioxide gas. Electric lighting is sometimes done to supplement the sunlight that cannot be obtained at night, while others are used to darken the surrounding area and suppress the rise in room temperature due to the intrusion of solar heat, supplying carbon dioxide gas under appropriate illuminance. It is also being done to significantly speed up growth by promoting photosynthesis.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

As mentioned above, improvements have been made to the greenhouse itself, selection of cultivation forms such as hydroponics, improvements in terms of distribution of cultivated products,
In addition, various solutions such as growth promotion methods have been independently developed. However, since hydroponic cultivation requires water channels, it is generally cultivated on a flat surface, and the land utilization rate is not as high as in fields. Furthermore, in hydroponic cultivation, the roots are underwater, which tends to inhibit root respiration, which is easy to do in soil cultivation, and to alleviate this, air is blown into the nutrient solution flowing through the waterway. However, there is a limit to the amount of oxygen that can be dissolved in the liquid, and it tends to be much less than the amount of oxygen in the soil. As a result, the roots often become swollen and long, and the growth of the leaves often slows down, which poses a problem that increases the number of days until harvest and increases cultivation costs during that period. On the other hand, in light cultivation, even if the light is used from dusk to early morning, the power consumption during that period is enormous. Furthermore, in order to avoid temperature rise due to sunlight and to avoid excessive energy consumption due to temperature control, there is a problem in that production costs become extremely high if the lighting is made darker than during the day.

The present invention was made to solve each of the above-mentioned problems, and its purpose is to enable the temperature and humidity necessary for cultivation and indoor ventilation, and also to enable labor-saving work with a high land utilization rate. To provide a hydroponic cultivation facility for leaf vegetables capable of cultivating a large quantity of inexpensive leaf vegetables by reducing the number of days required for harvesting while suppressing energy consumption such as electric power.

[Means to solve the problem]

The first feature of the hydroponic cultivation facility for leafy vegetables of the present invention is
Referring to Figures (a) and (b), the roof 2 and side walls 3 have a double structure, and a fan 16 is provided therein to introduce indoor air, and a fan 16 that circulates a breeze indoors. A nutrient solution 39 (see Fig. 3) is placed inside the enclosed greenhouse 1 for cultivating leafy vegetables, in which air-tight shutters 13 to 15 are attached to the walls.
A large number of gutters 26 for distributing green vegetables 41 are arranged in parallel in multiple stages on the left and right sides of the earthwork at intervals that allow the leaf vegetables 41 to grow to their harvested size. A guide body 26A (see FIG. 2) is formed in the upper part of the gutter 26 and extends in the direction of the gutter.
A sheet material 30 is provided which can be fed out and rolled up while being guided by the guide body.

The sheet material 30 has holes 30a that support the flowerpots 31 at intervals that allow the leafy vegetables 41 to grow to the size at the time of harvest.
See Figure 2] is opened, and the flower pot 31 is opened [! It is supported at such a position that its bottom almost touches the nutrient solution 39 in the container 26.

Furthermore, a fluorescent light 46 is arranged on the lower surface of all the gutters 26 except the lowest one, and it is possible to provide low-intensity close illumination to the leafy vegetables 41 of the lower gutters 26, and to bring carbon dioxide into the room. A supply gutter device 47 and a humidifier 48 for humidity control are installed in the room.

〔Effect of the invention〕

Since hydroponic cultivation is carried out using gutters arranged in multiple stages in a highly insulated greenhouse, the number of harvest times per area is significantly increased.Furthermore, the pots are fitted to the sheet material and moved, so it is easier to sow or grow. Planting and harvesting requires extremely light labor,
In addition, advanced labor savings can be achieved by using robots and the like. The nutrient solution flowing through the gutter is just enough to soak into the bottom of the pot, allowing the roots to easily breathe from the humid air, and the light breeze and carbon dioxide supply in the greenhouse promotes photosynthesis, which promotes growth. You can hasten it. Furthermore, it utilizes sunlight and provides low-power lighting using fluorescent lights, which can reduce energy consumption.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be explained in detail below based on the drawings.

FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) are cross-sectional views of a greenhouse 1, which is a hydroponic cultivation facility for leafy vegetables, in which the roof 2 and side walls 3 are made of a transparent sheet 4.4 such as a plastic sheet such as vinyl and made of zinc (not shown). It is formed so as to double cover pillars such as plated steel or arcuate beams, and the lower end thereof is buried in the ground to make the double space 5 airtight. Note that a transparent plate material with particularly high rigidity is used for a shutter, a fan, and a portion of the side wall 3 that will be described later, as well as a portion where a worker enters and exits.

However, even at that location, a single layer structure is used, and a double space 5 is formed surrounding the greenhouse 1.

Indoor air 8, which is pumped by a C fan 16, is then introduced into the electric space 5 through a cylindrical duct 6, forming an insulating air barrier between the room and the outside. In this example, the fan 16 for pumping into the single space 5 is shared with the indoor circulation fan described below, but it is of course possible to provide a fan exclusively for pumping into the space 5.

Such a greenhouse 1 is equipped with a fan 1 that circulates a breeze indoors.
6 is installed. This is arranged, for example, within the end of a cylindrical duct 6 installed horizontally in the upper space of the room, and air is blown out through a plurality of small holes 9 opened on the side of the duct 6. ing. The speed is, for example, about 0.6n+/sec, and promotes transpiration from the leaf surface to aid photosynthesis. Note that the remaining air that has not been blown out is sent out to the -1 heavy space 5 as described above.

As mentioned above, the greenhouse 1 has a sealed structure, but there are openings 1 for discharging indoor air and taking in outside air.
0 to 12 are appropriately provided on the side wall 3, and highly airtight shutters 13 to 15 are attached to each. A C fan 16, 17 and a filter 18 are installed before or after each shutter as necessary, and indoor air
An air conditioner 19 is provided for heating and cooling the air conditioner. For example, when the temperature inside the greenhouse 1 increases, the shutter 13 opens and cold air from outside is introduced and added to the circulating air.

At this time, the shutter 14 is opened and some of the indoor air is exhausted, allowing the introduction of cool air from the shutter 110 to be carried out efficiently. Furthermore, when the temperature rises, the shutter 14 opens and the fan 17 rotates ζ, discharging the warm air inside the greenhouse.

At the same time, the shutter 15 opens and cold air from outside is introduced. If the temperature still exceeds the set temperature, water from the pool 20 is circulated through the filter 18 in the opening 120 to keep it moist, and during this time the heat of vaporization is removed and the inside of the greenhouse 1 is cooled. Furthermore, when it is necessary to lower the indoor temperature, the air conditioner 19 is operated, and the generated cold air is blown to the end opening of the tallite 6 by the fan 21, and is forcedly sent by the fan 16 to supply the cold air into the greenhouse. to cool down.

Conversely, when the temperature inside the greenhouse l falls below the set temperature, the air conditioner 19 is operated and the generated warm air is blown to the end opening of the duct 6 by the fan 21.
Hot air is supplied under pressure into the greenhouse 1, raising the temperature inside the greenhouse. Additionally, a device is installed to humidify and maintain appropriate humidity as necessary as the temperature rises. This humidifier 4
Reference numeral 8 is, for example, a water sprinkler type, which is installed near the ceiling of the greenhouse 1 and sprays water in the left and right directions. Fine water droplets float to achieve the desired humidity.

A three-dimensional hydroponic cultivation device described below is installed in the greenhouse l equipped with functions such as temperature and humidity adjustment and ventilation as described above. That is, the pedestal 25 is assembled indoors,
A large number of gutters 26 through which the nutrient solution flows are arranged in parallel in multiple stages, vertically and horizontally.

The horizontal spacing of the gutter 26 is set to be wide enough to allow leafy vegetables to grow to the size at harvest time, and the vertical spacing is set to a distance that provides the necessary brightness for growth. With such a three-dimensional arrangement, the degree of land utilization is multiplied by the number of stages of the frames 25, and the productivity per unit area is dramatically improved. Note that the nutrient solution flows through the gutter 26, and the nutrient solution that has reached the limit is returned to the nutrient solution adjustment tank 28 through the connecting pipe 27 provided for each gutter, and the fertilizer concentration and components are adjusted. It is designed to be returned to the valley gutter again by a rear pump 29.

By the way, a sheet material 30 that can be fed out and rolled up in the longitudinal direction of the gutter is installed above the [126] as shown in FIG. That is, guide bodies 268 are formed on the upper left and right sides of the valley gutter 26 to guide the movement of the sheet material 30. The sheet material 30 has flower pots 31 arranged at intervals of, for example, 250 mm, at which leaf vegetables can grow to the size at the time of harvest.
A hole 30a into which the flower pot is inserted is opened, and most of the flowerpot is supported by fitting into the hole. The sheet material is, for example, a slightly flexible plastic plate with a thickness of about 2.5 mm, and is wound up by a winding machine 35 (see FIG. 1(b)). The flower pots 31 are collected in the work space 36 in front of the winder 35, and when being unrolled, the planting work can be done simply by fitting the flower pots 31 into the holes 30a, and by moving them, new flower pots are placed one after another. 31 can be fed out to the other end of the gutter 26.

In addition, a conveyor 37 is installed in the work space 36, and it is possible to carry it out to the process for packaging and shipping work.On the other hand, although not shown, a cart or the like is used to transport the flower pots 31 with young leaves planted therein. It is now possible to import it.

Incidentally, the position of the flowerpot '31 within the gutter 26 is as shown in FIG. The cross section of the gutter 26 is, for example, 50111.
111 squares, and the diameter of the flower pot 31 is 3 On + m height is 35
It is something like mm. A slit 31a is provided at the bottom of the flower pot, and the lower half of the slit is immersed in the nutrient solution 39. For example, vermiculite grains 40 are placed in the flowerpot 31, but the slit 31
While the roots 41A coming out of the nutrient solution 39 absorb nutrients from the nutrient solution 39, the roots 41B inside the flower pot can also breathe with the air inside the flower pot 31, which is kept moist by capillary action.

This multi-tiered hydroponic device 43 is equipped with a device capable of supplying low-intensity electricity and carbon dioxide gas, which will be described below. That is, as shown in FIG. 1(a), straight tube fluorescent lights 46 are arranged on the lower surfaces of all the gutters 26 except for the lowest one.
It becomes possible to provide low-intensity proximity lighting to the leafy vegetables 41 in the lower gutter 26, and this can be achieved with a low amount of electric power. As shown in the diagram, the fluorescent lights are arranged so that they overlap in the vertical direction, so that the light from the fluorescent lights on the upper left and right sides overlaps with the leafy vegetables diagonally below, so that the same level of illuminance as the leafy vegetables directly below can be obtained. It is good to take this into consideration. In addition to the above electric lighting equipment °ζ
A device 47 for supplying carbon dioxide gas into the room is also provided, and the growth of cultivated plants is promoted by the combination of electric light and sunlight and the supply of carbon dioxide gas of, for example, about 1,000 ppm, which most promotes photosynthesis. It looks like this. By the way, the above-mentioned fluorescent lamp 46 is not limited to the arrangement shown in the figure.
They may be located under all the gutters, or may be arranged in a staggered manner, or every second gutter. Greenhouse 1 allows sunlight to pass through it, so it uses 111g of sunlight during the day, and because of its multi-tiered structure, it lights up the leafy vegetables in shaded areas with the intention of supplementing the sunlight. It is sufficient that the arrangement is such that the light can be spread throughout each stage when supplying carbon dioxide gas and supplying low-intensity electric light. However, if necessary, fireflies and light lamps may be installed above the top gutter.
The amount of light will decrease on the third, second, and bottom rows, so when using fluorescent lights to compensate for this, the length of lighting time will depend on the growth of leafy vegetables and the intensity of sunlight on the top row. The decision should be made by taking these factors into consideration.

In the hydroponic cultivation facility for leafy vegetables configured as described above, the following operation is performed to harvest "C" leafy vegetables in a short period of time.

The greenhouse 1 has a roof and side walls covered almost entirely with seven layers of plastic sheets such as vinyl, and air 8 is constantly blown into the greenhouse by a fan 16 to improve heat insulation. A sheet material 30 is inserted into the valley gutter 26 on the pedestal 25, and a flowerpot 31 in which seedlings have been raised is planted in the vermiculite grains 40. The adjusted nutrient solution 39 is fed from the bottom end of the flower pot 31a to the flower pot 3.
It penetrates into the vermiculite grains 40 of No. 1, and the inside of the flowerpot 31 becomes moist. The roots take in the amount of nutrients necessary for growth from the part immersed in the nutrient solution 39, and oxygen from within the vermiculite grains 40. In addition, during the planting work, the hole 3 is opened at the position where the sheet material 30 is fed out.
This is done by fitting the flower pots 31 into the gutter 0a, and the flower pots 31 are sent out one after another toward the other end of the gutter 2G.

When the flower pots 31 are arranged in the valley gutter 26, photosynthesis is performed by sunlight during the day. Flowerpots placed on the top gutter can expect sufficient sunlight, but those on the third and fourth tiers receive less sunlight.

If it is necessary to compensate for this, the fluorescent lamp 46 is turned on. Since the greenhouse 1 is a closed type and has a heat insulating layer, a rise in indoor temperature is suppressed. If the room temperature is low, the air conditioner 19 heats the room, and the fan 21 blows air toward the end of the cylindrical duct 6. The warm air is introduced into the duct G by the fan 16, blown out from the holes 9, and circulated within the greenhouse.

When the room temperature becomes high, the air conditioner 19 is stopped or the fan 16 is turned on, and cold air from the outside is taken in through the opened shutter 13. When the indoor room becomes excessively warm due to sunlight, the shutter 14 opens and indoor air is discharged, while cooling air that has passed through the filter 18 is introduced through the open shutter 15. In this way, the optimum temperature for growth, e.g.
temperature is ensured.

After sunset, the all-fluorescent lamp 46 is turned on until dawn, and together with the electric light from a nearby position, carbon dioxide gas of, for example, 1,000 ppm, which is suitable for carbon dioxide assimilation, is supplied into the duct 6 via the pipe 7. Ru. In addition, in winter, when the outside temperature is low even during the day, there is often no need to take in outside air or partially exhaust indoor air, so the degree of airtightness of greenhouse 1 is extremely high. Carbon dioxide gas is also supplied during the day. Since the greenhouse 1 is of a closed type, a drop in concentration due to leakage hardly occurs. As described above, solar power is used to reduce electricity costs, and flat cultivation, which relies on sunlight, is converted to multi-stage vertical cultivation, achieving low cost, high growth, and high productivity per unit land area.

By combining closed greenhouses, multi-tiered vertical cultivation, low-intensity electric lighting, and high carbon dioxide cultivation, the growth rate is much faster than when each is applied to China and Germany in the past. Low power costs can be achieved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 (a) and (b) are cross-sectional views of a greenhouse, which is a hydroponic cultivation facility for leafy vegetables, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the gutter and the sheet material attached to it, and Figure 3 is a flower pot attached to the sheet material. A diagram of the installed state. 2-roof, 3-side wall, 13-15-shutter, 16-
Fan, 2G-gutter, 26A-guide body, 30 sheet material, 30 a hole, 31-flowerpot, 39-nutrient solution, 41 leafy vegetables, 47-carbon dioxide gas supply device, 48-humidifier.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) The roof and side walls are double-layered, and a fan is installed to introduce indoor air into the structure, as well as a fan to circulate a breeze inside the room, and highly airtight shutters are attached to the walls. In a closed greenhouse for cultivating leafy vegetables, a large number of gutters for distributing nutrient solution are arranged parallel to each other in multiple tiers, vertically, horizontally, and vertically at intervals that allow the leafy vegetables to grow to the harvested size. A guide body extending in the longitudinal direction is formed, and a sheet material that can be fed out and rolled up while being guided by the guide body is provided, and the sheet material is provided with flower pots at intervals that allow leafy vegetables to grow to the harvested size. A hole is opened to support the plant pot, and the pot is supported at a position where the bottom touches the nutrient solution in the gutter.Fluorescent lights are placed on the underside of all the gutter except the bottom gutter. Hydroponic cultivation of leafy vegetables, characterized in that low-intensity close-up lighting is possible for leafy vegetables in the lower gutter, and a device for supplying carbon dioxide gas into the room and a humidifying device for humidity control are installed. facility.