KR102627119B1 - Air circuration system for a closed plant factory - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art described above. The purpose of the present invention is to precisely control air circulation in a closed plant factory to increase temperature uniformity and maximize production volume. Provides a circulation system.
Accordingly, the closed plant factory air circulation system according to one aspect of the present invention includes a container in which crops are isolated from the outside and placed in a cultivation module to grow, and a container disposed above one side of the container to discharge air at a first set temperature to the other side. A first air conditioner, at least one first vent disposed on the upper side to guide air discharged from the first air conditioner to the other side, and disposed on the other side of the container to draw in the air delivered from the first vent and surrounding air and a second air conditioner that discharges air at a second set temperature downward and a dehumidifier adjacent to the first air conditioner or the second air conditioner, and the air discharged from the dehumidifier is directed toward the first air conditioner or the second air conditioner. It is installed to do so.

Description

Closed plant factory air circulation system {AIR CIRCURATION SYSTEM FOR A CLOSED PLANT FACTORY}

The present invention relates to an air circulation system, and more specifically, to an air circulation system for precisely controlling the temperature inside a closed plant factory.

A plant factory is a technology that produces plants in a closed space with a controlled internal environment, and can be said to be an environment-preserving production system aimed at providing safe food and cutting materials.

In theory, these plant factories have stable supply, are not affected by weather fluctuations such as freezing or disturbance, typhoons, are not damaged by pathogens or pests, and have a certain amount, certain shape or taste, nutritional value, etc. And the ability to supply crops at stable prices is mentioned as an advantage. In addition, because plant factories have high stability and no invasion of pathogens or pests, there is no need to spray pesticides for their prevention or extermination, and safe production without pesticides is expected to be possible.

However, plant factories developed to date are still in their early stages. In other words, controlling the closed environment of a plant factory requires very detailed control. In other words, a plant factory must control the operation of various target devices in a closed environment, and the operation of all target devices must be controlled in relation to each other. For example, even when controlling the internal temperature, if only the temperature of the area adjacent to the air conditioner is controlled, the overall temperature control of the cultivation unit where the crops are placed cannot be controlled, ultimately destroying the plant growth environment at a rapid rate.

Nevertheless, to date, only the abstract structure of a plant factory and the abstract control of the environment for crop cultivation have been disclosed, as in prior art literature.

Korean Patent No. 10-2128166 (2020.6.23) Plant cultivation system

The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the prior art described above. The purpose of the present invention is to precisely control air circulation in a closed plant factory to increase temperature uniformity and maximize production volume. Provides a circulation system.

A closed plant factory air circulation system according to an aspect of the present invention includes a container in which crops are grown isolated from the outside and placed in a cultivation module, and a device disposed above one side of the container and discharging air at a first set temperature to the other side. 1 air conditioner, at least one first vent disposed on the upper side to guide air discharged from the first air conditioner to the other side, disposed on the other side of the container to draw in the air delivered from the first vent and surrounding air A second air conditioner discharging air at a second set temperature downward and a dehumidifying unit adjacent to the first air conditioner or the second air conditioner, wherein air discharged from the dehumidifying unit is directed toward the first air conditioner or the second air conditioner. It is installed.

At this time, the dehumidifier may discharge dehumidified air so that the first air conditioner or the second air conditioner inhales it.

In addition, the closed plant factory thermal circulation system further includes a light source that applies light to the cultivation module, the light source includes a plurality of LEDs, and the LEDs are disposed on the cultivation module and supplied to the LED module. The AC-DC conversion unit that converts the direct current may be installed separately from the cultivation module.

Additionally, the AC-DC converter may be electrically connected to an LED module composed of a plurality of LEDs and spaced apart from a set distance or more.

Additionally, the AC-DC converter may be installed in an area adjacent to a path where air blown from the dehumidifier heads toward the first air conditioner or the second air conditioner.

Additionally, the AC-DC converters may be formed in an even number and the same number may be installed on one side and the other side of the container, respectively.

In addition, the cultivation module is installed so that water moves from the other side of the cultivation module to one side according to a height gradient, and the direction of movement of the water and the direction of air induction of the first air conditioner or the first vent may be installed oppositely.

In addition, the closed plant factory air circulation system further includes a second ventilation unit disposed on the lower side of the container to guide air discharged from the second air conditioner to the lower side of the container, and the cultivation module is connected to the first ventilation unit. It may be disposed between and the second ventilation unit.

In addition, at least one local fan is further attached to the cultivation module to induce air in one direction, and the cultivation module is installed in multiple stages, with the air induction direction of the local fan disposed at the top and the local fan disposed at the bottom. The air induction direction may be formed differently.

The present invention can achieve remarkably uniform temperature control by organically installing the air conditioner, dehumidifying unit, and ventilation unit and controlling them together.

Additionally, the present invention separates the heat emitted from the light source and allows the separated portion to be directly absorbed into the air conditioner, thereby achieving more uniform temperature control.

In addition, the present invention can achieve more efficient temperature control and air circulation control because the heat controlled by the air conditioner and the heat emitted by other target devices are controlled together in one air circulation path.

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a closed plant factory air circulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the sensor unit of FIG. 1 in more detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the target device of FIG. 1 in more detail.
Figure 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of each target device in a closed plant factory air circulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement it. Since the present invention can be subject to various changes and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be described in detail by illustrating them in the drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

Terms containing ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

For example, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term and/or includes any of a plurality of related stated items or a combination of a plurality of related stated items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related technology, and unless explicitly defined in the present application, should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal sense. No.

Hereinafter, a closed plant factory air circulation system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of a closed plant factory air circulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a diagram showing the sensor unit of Figure 1 in more detail, and Figure 3 is a diagram showing the target device of Figure 1 in more detail. It is a diagram, and FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of each target device in a closed plant factory air circulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the closed plant factory air circulation system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention is blocked from the external atmosphere and external light and separately and independently controls the internal crop growth conditions, largely using the sensor unit 100. , including a control unit 200, a target device 300, a cultivation module 400, and a server 500.

Referring to FIG. 2, the sensor unit 100 detects the internal environmental conditions and includes a temperature sensor 110 that detects the internal temperature in more detail, a humidity sensor 120 that detects the internal humidity, and an internal CO2 concentration. It includes a CO2 sensor 130 that measures and a flow sensor 140 that detects the flow of water, and may further include a pH sensor (not shown), an EC sensor 150, etc.

At this time, it is preferable that the above-mentioned temperature sensor 110, humidity sensor 120, and CO2 sensor 130 are placed in an internal gas atmosphere, and a plurality of them are placed in each zone to obtain an average value. This is because a temperature gradient may occur even when dividing the internal space using a large-area container.

Meanwhile, the control unit 200 controls the target device 300 according to the detection value of the sensor unit 100 to optimize internal environmental conditions. In more detail, the control unit controls the air conditioner 310, the light source 320, the dehumidifier 330, the ventilation unit 340, and the local fan 350, which are the target devices 400, to control overall air circulation. At this time, the spatial organicity of each target device 400 becomes very important.

Referring to FIG. 4, first, the air circulation system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention is isolated from the outside and includes a container C in which crops are grown where a cultivation module 400 is placed.

The cultivation module 400 according to this embodiment is arranged inside the container C to form a plurality of stages 400a and 400b. In the drawing, the cultivation modules 400 are formed of two, but this is not limited to this, and it is preferable to arrange them so that the number of rows and columns is maximized within the allowable interior area.

Basically, the cultivation module 400 allows a plurality of crops 11 to grow by placing them on the crop base 12 and causes roots to emerge from the lower part of the crop base 12. At this time, the water pump 380 transfers water from the lower part to the cultivation module 400, so that each crop 11 receives water. The cultivation module 400 forms a height gradient so that water moves to one side according to gravity, and the final moved water falls into the irrigation tank 370.

In Figure 4, the length of reference symbol ha is formed to be larger than hb. That is, water flows from the right to the left of the cultivation module 400. At this time, in FIG. 4, the lengths of ha and hb are shown without a significant difference, but in an actual large-capacity container, when one cultivation module has a height gradient, the actual length deviation may be very large. Therefore, in FIG. 4, the first air conditioner 310a is not placed at the top, but there may be a large height difference from the top cultivation module 400a. This prevents direct application of cold or hot air to the crops 11, thereby eliminating risk factors for growth. Therefore, in the cultivation module 400 using a height gradient water flow, it is very important to set the water flow direction and the main air movement direction to be opposite to each other.

Accordingly, the first air conditioner 310a is disposed above one side (left) of the container C and discharges air of the first set temperature to the other side (right). Here, the first set temperature refers to a temperature that is greater or less than the target temperature after the set time. However, it is obvious that the first set temperature can be changed in various ways depending on the control temperature conditions.

The first ventilation unit 340a is disposed on the upper side to guide the air discharged from the first air conditioner 310a to the other side. Here, the first ventilation unit 340a serves to guide air from one side to the other side (right direction in FIG. 4). However, although the first ventilation unit 340a is shown as one in FIG. 4, it may be arranged in plural numbers in proportion to the length of the cultivation module 400.

The second air conditioner 310b is disposed on the other side of the container, takes in the air delivered from the first ventilation unit 310a and surrounding air, and discharges air at a second set temperature downward. Here, the second set temperature may be the same as the above-mentioned first set temperature or may be set differently depending on whether heat is emitted by operating a surrounding target device.

The dehumidifying unit 400 serves to remove moisture generated by crops through transpiration. In large-capacity plant factories, extensive removal of moisture is required, and at this time, heat emission occurs to a large extent. Therefore, in the air circulation system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the dehumidifying unit 330 is composed of at least one dehumidifier, and the air discharged from the dehumidifier is used in the first air conditioner 310a or the second air conditioner 310b. Direct it towards the side so that the heat emitted in the minimum path is absorbed. Accordingly, in Figure 4, the first air conditioner (310a) absorbs the heat emitted by the first dehumidifier (330a) on the shortest path, and the second air conditioner (310b) absorbs the heat emitted by the second dehumidifier (330b) on the shortest path. It is shown that air dehumidified for absorption is discharged.

The light source 320 may be composed of a plurality of LEDs that are disposed on the cultivation module 400 and apply light to the cultivation module 400. At this time, it is desirable for the LED to be used in a mixture of normal white light and red light to supplement the red light, which is the wavelength peak lacking in normal white light. In addition, at this time, white light is initially emitted using a blue-based bare chip, and when the light is excited by the phosphor and expresses white, the blue wavelength peak is highlighted and can be used to supplement the blue-based light required for photosynthesis. , if the wavelength peak of the bare chip itself is light distant from the blue series, it is also desirable to add another LED that separately emits blue light. Accordingly, the growth rate can be increased by allowing the chlorophyll of crops to mainly absorb blue-violet light (430-460 nm) and red light (630-680 nm).

However, in the closed plant factory air circulation system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, the AC-DC converter 325, which converts direct current supplied to the LED, is installed spaced apart on the cultivation module 400. In other words, the AC-DC converter 325 is electrically connected to an LED module composed of a plurality of LEDs and is spaced apart from a set distance or more. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, the AC-DC converter 325 is installed in an area adjacent to the path where the air blown from the dehumidifier 330 heads toward the first air conditioner 310a or the second air conditioner 310b. .

Therefore, the heat emitted by the AC-DC converter 325 is drawn into the first air conditioner 310a or the second air conditioner 310b while forming the shortest distance, like the heat emitted by the dehumidifier 330 described above. The increase can be minimized. In this case, unlike what is shown in FIG. 4, the AC-DC converter 325 may be formed in plural numbers and the same number may be symmetrically arranged. That is, the AC-DC converter 325 is formed in plural but even numbers, and the same number is installed on one side and the other side of the container, respectively, and is installed adjacent to the air conditioner 310, thereby minimizing differential application of heat.

The second ventilation unit 340b is disposed on the lower side of the container C to guide the air discharged from the second air conditioner 310b to one side downward. Here, the second ventilation unit 340b serves to guide air from the other side to one side (left direction in FIG. 4). Likewise, although the second ventilation unit 340b is shown as one unit in FIG. 4, it may be arranged in plural numbers in proportion to the length of the cultivation module 400. At this time, in order to ensure consistency of air circulation, the cultivation module 400 is preferably placed between the first ventilation unit 340a and the second ventilation unit 340b.

Meanwhile, as described above, the cultivation module 400 is preferably formed in a plurality of stages for high-intensity mass production. In this case, if the degree of integration is further increased, eddy currents may be generated between each cultivation module, which may act as an obstacle to air circulation. Therefore, in the air circulation system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, at least one local fan 350 for guiding air in one direction is attached to each cultivation module 400a and 400b.

At this time, it is preferable that the air induction direction of the local fan 350 placed at the top and the air induction direction of the local fan 350 placed at the bottom are different from each other. In FIG. 4, the local fan 350 placed at the top assists in guiding air to the right, which is the same direction as the main air movement, and in the case of the local fan placed at the bottom, it guides air to the left, which is the same as the main air movement direction. It is shown that it is assisting. The action of the local fan 350 assists air circulation in the main direction, thereby enabling more uniform air circulation and temperature control.

As described above, the present invention can achieve remarkably uniform temperature control by organically installing the air conditioner, dehumidifying unit, and ventilation unit and controlling them together. Additionally, the present invention separates the heat emitted from the light source and allows the separated portion to be directly absorbed into the air conditioner, thereby achieving more uniform temperature control. In addition, the present invention can achieve more efficient temperature control and air circulation control because the heat controlled by the air conditioner and the heat emitted by other target devices are controlled together in one air circulation path.

In the above specification and drawings, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, and although specific terms have been used, these are merely used in a general sense to easily explain the technical content of the present invention and aid understanding of the present invention. It is not intended to limit the scope. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that in addition to the embodiments disclosed herein, other modifications based on the technical idea of the present invention can be implemented.

C: container
11: Crops
12: Crop base
100: sensor unit
110: Temperature sensor
120: Humidity sensor
130: CO2 sensor
140: Water flow detection sensor
200: control unit
300: target device
310,310a,310b: Air conditioner
320: light source
325: AC-DC conversion unit
330,330a,330b: Dehumidification unit
340: Ventilation unit
350: Local fan
360: CO2 valve
370: Irrigation container
380: Water pump
400,400a,400b: Cultivation module
500: Server
1000: Plant factory air circulation system

Claims (9)

A container for growing crops isolated from the outside and placed in a cultivation module;
a first air conditioner disposed above one side of the container and discharging air at a first set temperature to the other side; and
a second air conditioner disposed on the other side of the container, taking in the air delivered from the first air conditioner and surrounding air and discharging air at a second set temperature downward;
Including,
The cultivation module is installed so that water moves from the other side of the cultivation module to one side according to a height gradient, and the direction of movement of the water and the direction of air induction of the first air conditioner are installed in the opposite direction. A closed plant factory air circulation system. .
According to paragraph 1,
The closed plant factory air circulation system further includes a dehumidifying unit adjacent to the first or second air conditioner,
A closed plant factory air circulation system, wherein the dehumidification unit discharges dehumidified air so that the first air conditioner or the second air conditioner inhales it.
According to paragraph 1,
The closed plant factory thermal circulation system further includes a light source that applies light to the cultivation module,
The light source includes a plurality of LEDs, the LEDs are disposed on a cultivation module, and an AC-DC converter for converting direct current supplied to the LED module is installed spaced apart from the cultivation module. Factory air circulation system.
According to paragraph 3,
A closed plant factory air circulation system, wherein the AC-DC converter is electrically connected to an LED module composed of a plurality of LEDs and is spaced apart from a set distance or more.
delete delete delete According to paragraph 1,
The closed plant factory air circulation system includes at least one first vent disposed on the upper side to guide the air discharged from the first air conditioner to the other side, or to guide the air discharged from the second air conditioner to the lower side of the one side. A closed plant factory air circulation system further comprising a second vent disposed below the container, wherein the cultivation module is disposed between the first vent and the second vent.
According to paragraph 1,
At least one local fan is further attached to the cultivation module to guide air in one direction, and the cultivation modules are installed in multiple stages, with the air induction direction of the local fan placed at the top and the air from the local fan placed at the bottom. A closed plant factory air circulation system characterized by different induction directions.