Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
  • A01G9/24—Devices or systems for heating, ventilating, regulating temperature, illuminating, or watering, in greenhouses, forcing-frames, or the like
  • A01G9/241—Arrangement of opening or closing systems for windows and ventilation panels
  • A01G9/242—Arrangement of opening or closing systems for windows and ventilation panels for greenhouses with flexible coverings
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A01—AGRICULTURE; FORESTRY; ANIMAL HUSBANDRY; HUNTING; TRAPPING; FISHING
  • A01G—HORTICULTURE; CULTIVATION OF VEGETABLES, FLOWERS, RICE, FRUIT, VINES, HOPS OR SEAWEED; FORESTRY; WATERING
  • A01G9/00—Cultivation in receptacles, forcing-frames or greenhouses; Edging for beds, lawn or the like
  • A01G9/14—Greenhouses
  • A01G9/143—Equipment for handling produce in greenhouses
• • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
  • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A—TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
  • Y02A40/00—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production
  • Y02A40/10—Adaptation technologies in agriculture, forestry, livestock or agroalimentary production in agriculture
  • Y02A40/25—Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an automatic opening and closing apparatus and method for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse, and particularly to a central winding type automatic opening and closing apparatus for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse, in which a sheet roll formed by winding a vinyl sheet around a winding pipe is arranged above a warming tunnel so that the vinyl sheet is automatically unwound or wound in accordance with rotation of the winding pipe, thereby automatically closing or opening the warming tunnel. More particularly, the present invention relates to a central winding type automatic opening and closing apparatus for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse, in which the space where crops are grown is isolated from other spaces in the greenhouse so that only the isolated space is warmed, thereby reducing heating costs in accordance with elimination of warming of unnecessary spaces.
• an arch- shaped warming vinyl curtain for retaining warmth is installed in the roof of a greenhouse.
• a horizontal warming curtain made of a vinyl sheet or a thermal insulating sheet such as a non-woven fabric is installed at a desired level below the warming vinyl curtain.
• Side curtains are also installed near respective walls of the greenhouse. By these curtains, a closed space to be heated or warmed is defined.
• a tunnel may be formed only at an area where crops are grown, by use of bamboo ribs or stainless steel wires, in order to warm only the crop growing area.
• the former greenhouse heating system is inefficient and uneconomical in that considerable energy is wasted because heating or warming is carried out even for unnecessary spaces where there is no crop, for example, the top portion of the greenhouse or furrows.
• the latter greenhouse heating system is limitedly used for short green vegetables.
• a vinyl sheet should be manually covered over or removed from the tunnel in order to close or open the tunnel at desired times. For this reason, a lot of labor and time are required. Also, there is a problem in that the manual work for opening and closing the tunnel is very troublesome.
• an object of the invention is to provide a central winding type automatic opening and closing apparatus for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse, in which the space where crops are grown is isolated from other spaces by a warming tunnel in the greenhouse so that only the isolated space is warmed, thereby reducing waste of energy in accordance with elimination of warming of unnecessary spaces, and a vinyl or non-woven fabric sheet covering the warming tunnel is automatically removed and covered again, thereby eliminating inconvenience in opening and closing the warming tunnel while reducing the labor and time taken to open and close the warming tunnel.
• Another object of the invention is to provide a central winding type automatic opening and closing apparatus for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse, which is capable of automatically opening and closing an arch-shaped double warming curtain or partition curtain installed below the roof of the greenhouse, thereby achieving an improvement in operating efficiency while reducing labor and time.
• Another object of the invention is to provide a central winding type automatic opening and closing apparatus for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse, in which a sheet roll formed by winding a two-ply vinyl sheet around a winding pipe is arranged above a warming tunnel or curtain so that the vinyl sheet is automatically unwound or wound in accordance with rotation of the winding pipe, thereby efficiently closing or opening the warming tunnel.
• the present invention provides a central winding type automatic opening and closing apparatus for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse, comprising: a plurality of sheet roll holders arranged along a clip fixing rod extending across arch-shaped tunnel frames uniformly spaced apart from one another in a longitudinal direction, each of the sheet roll holders including a holder body provided with a central vertical bolt hole, and mounted to the clip fixing rod while being adjustable in level by a bolt extending through the bolt hole, nuts coupled to the bolt, and a fixing clip mounted to an upper end of the bolt, the holder body having a rest hole defined at a central portion of the holder body, and a pair of support arms extending inwardly toward each other from opposite sides of the holder body at a lower end of the bolder body, a pair of support rollers rotatably mounted to facing ends of the support arms, respectively, and a guide roller rotatably mounted to the holder body by a bracket extending downwardly from an upper end of the holder body into the rest hole so that it
• the sheet is wound around the winding pipe in a state in which it is folded to have two plies so that the sheet roll has two leading ends.
• Sheet support members are attached to respective leading ends of the sheet roll.
• the sheet roll around the winding pipe is stably supported by the support rollers mounted to respective support arms of the sheet roll holder and the guide roller supported by the bracket to be arranged in the rest hole.
• the support rollers and the guide roller are surface-treated to prevent the sheet from being damaged or crumpled due to a frictional resistance or slippage thereof generated when it comes into contact with the rollers.
• the present invention provides a central winding type automatic opening and closing method for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse, comprising the steps of: winding a two-ply vinyl or non-woven fabric sheet around a winding pipe, thereby forming a sheet roll having two leading ends; rotatably supporting the sheet roll wound around the winding pipe by a plurality of sheet roll holders installed above a warming tunnel to extend in a longitudinal direction of the warming tunnel; and normally or reversely rotating the winding pipe so that the leading ends of the sheet roll are moved along opposite side portions of the warming tunnel, respectively, thereby closing or opening the warming tunnel.
• Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an automatic tunnel opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention
• Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a part of the automatic tunnel opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention
• Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the coupled state of a winding pipe according to the present invention
• Fig. 4 is a side view illustrating a connecting member for the winding pipe according to the present invention
• Fig. 5 is a side view illustrating a sheet roll formed by winding a vinyl sheet around the winding pipe in accordance with the present invention
• Figs. 6a and 6b are enlarged front views respectively illustrating operations of the automatic tunnel opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention.
• Figs. 7a and 7b are front views respectively illustrating embodiments of the automatic tunnel opening and closing apparatus according to the present invention.
• the automatic opening and closing apparatus which is denoted by the reference numeral 1
• the automatic opening and closing apparatus includes a plurality of sheet roll holders 50 arranged along a clip fixing rod 70 extending across arch-shaped tunnel frames 10 uniformly spaced apart from one another in a longitudinal direction.
• Each sheet roll holder 50 includes an inverted-U-shaped holder body 50' having a vertical bolt hole 50a through which a vertical bolt 60 extends.
• a pair of nuts 61 are coupled to the vertical bolt 60 at upper and lower surfaces of the top portion of the holder body 50', so that the holder body 50' can be mounted to the bolt 60 at a desired level.
• a fixing clip 71 is mounted to the upper end of the bolt 60.
• the holder body 50' is mounted to the clip fixing rod 70 while being adjustable in level by the bolt 60 and nuts 61.
• the holder body 50' is centrally defined with a rest hole 50b for receiving a sheet roll formed by a vinyl or woven fabric sheet 30 wound around a winding pipe 40.
• the holder body 50' is formed at the lower end thereof with a pair of support arms 50d and 50e extending inwardly toward each other from opposite sides of the holder body 50'.
• Support rollers 51 and 52 are rotatably mounted to facing ends of the support arms 50d and 50e, respectively.
• a guide roller 52 is rotatably mounted to the holder body 50' by means of a bracket 50" extending downwardly from the upper end of the holder body 50' into the rest hole 50b such that it is centrally arranged in the rest hole 50b.
• a hollow sheet support member is attached to the leading end of the sheet roll wound around the winding pipe 40.
• the winding pipe 40 is coupled at one end thereof to a separate motor means (not shown) so that it is rotatable to unwind and wind the sheet roll.
• the sheet roll wound around the winding pipe 40 is supported by the support rollers 51 and 52 arranged at the bottom of the rest hole 50b in the sheet roll holder 50.
• the sheet 30 is wound around the winding pipe 40 in a state in which it is folded to have two plies.
• the sheet roll formed by the sheet 30 wound around the winding pipe 40 has two leading ends.
• hollow sheet support members 31 and 32 are attached to respective leading ends of the sheet roll around the winding pipe 40, as shown in Fig. 2.
• the sheet roll around the winding pipe 40 is stably supported by the support rollers 51 and 52 mounted to respective support arms 50d and 50e of the sheet roll holder 50 and the guide roller 53 supported by the bracket 50" to be arranged in the rest hole 50b.
• the support rollers 51 and 52 and the guide roller 53 are surface- treated in order to prevent the sheet 30 from being damaged or crumpled due to a frictional resistance or slippage thereof generated when it comes into contact with the rollers.
• a warming tunnel having the form of a small-size greenhouse is defined by an appropriate number of arch-shaped tunnel frames 10 each having a desired size.
• a vinyl sheet is covered over the arch-shaped tunnel frames 10.
• the vinyl sheet is wound around or unwound from the winding pipe 40, which is centrally arranged above the warming tunnel defined by the arch-shaped tunnel frames 10, in accordance with rotation of the winding pipe 40.
• the vinyl sheet is wound around the winding pipe 40 in a state in which it is folded to have two plies. At this time, the folded end of the vinyl sheet is fixedly attached to the winding pipe 40 while extending in the longitudinal direction of the winding pipe 40.
• the sheet roll formed by the vinyl sheet wound around the winding pipe 40 has two leading ends.
• This sheet roll wound around the winding pipe 40 is supported by a plurality of sheet roll holders 50.
• each sheet roll holder 50 is mounted to the clip fixing rod 70 by means of one fixing clip 71 coupled to the clip fixing rod 70, one vertical bolt 60 extending through the vertical bolt hole 50a of the sheet roll holder 50, and two nuts 61 coupled to the vertical bolt 60 at the upper and lower surfaces of the top portion of the sheet roll holder 50 to fix the level of the sheet roll holder 50.
• the winding pipe 40 includes a plurality of unit pipe members connected to one another by connecting members 43.
• the connecting member 43 has a central flange 43c having the same outer diameter as the unit pipe members 41 and 42, and a pair of fitting portions extending longitudinally from opposite ends of the central flange 43c respectively while having an outer diameter slightly less than that of the unit pipe members 41 and 42.
• the fitting portions of the connecting member 43 are formed with fitting protrusions 43 a and 43b arranged around their outer surfaces while extending longitudinally, respectively.
• the connecting member 43 is fitted in two unit pipe members 41 and 42 at its fitting portions, respectively.
• the fitting of the connecting member 43 is carried out by striking the connecting member 43 or the unit pipe members 41 and 42 using a hammer such that the unit pipe members 41 and 42 at opposite sides of the connecting member 43 are moved toward each other. At this time, the fitting protrusions 43a and 43b are pressed against respective inner surfaces of the unit pipe members 41 and 42, so that the connecting member 43 is firmly fitted in the unit pipe members 41 and 42. Thus, the unit pipe members 41 and 42 are firmly connected to each other.
• the sheet roll holders 50 are arranged along the winding pipe 40 while being uniformly spaced apart from one another.
• the rest hole 50b defined in each sheet roll holder 50 has a size capable of allowing the sheet roll wound around the winding pipe 40 to rotate freely within the rest hole 50b.
• An opening 50c is defined between the facing ends of the support arms 50d and 50e. The opening 50c communicates with the rest hole 50b so that the sheet 30 is allowed to pass through the opening 50c when it is unwound from and wound around the winding pipe 40.
• the support arms 50d and 50e are symmetrically arranged at opposite sides of the opening 50c to support the sheet roll wound around the winding pipe 40.
• the support rollers 51 and 52 are rotatably mounted to the facing ends of the support arms 50d and 50e, respectively, so as to allow the sheet 30 to move smoothly with a minimum of friction in a friction-minimized state during the tunnel opening and closing procedures.
• a lowering means is provided at each leading end of the sheet 30 in order to allow the sheet 30 to move downwards along each tunnel frame 10 between the support rollers 51 and 52 by gravity as it is unwound from the winding pipe 40.
• the lowering means comprises the hollow sheet support members 31 and 32 attached to respective leading ends of the sheet roll around the winding pipe 40.
• the lowering means may further comprise weight members 31a and 32a arranged within the sheet support members 31 and 32 while extending longitudinally along the sheet support members 31 and 32, respectively. In accordance with this configuration, it is possible to adjust the automatic or manual tunnel opening and closing speeds by appropriately adjust the weight of the weight members 31a and 32a.
• Each of the sheet support members 31 and 32 comprises a PVC hose or house pipe made of a material exhibiting a superior ability to maintain tight contact with the ground and maintain the tunnel in a tightly closed state.
• the distance between the contact point between the support roller 51 and the sheet roll and the contact point between the support roller 52 and the sheet roll is gradually reduced as the sheet 30 of the sheet roll is unwound from the winding pipe 40 in order to close the warming tunnel from an open state, that is, the diameter of the sheet roll is gradually reduced.
• the sheet roll has a considerable diameter, so that the reduction in diameter of the sheet roll is considerable during the tunnel closing procedure.
• the winding pipe 40 In order to allow the winding pipe 40 to be inserted into the rest holes 50b of the sheet roll holders 50 through the openings 50c, the winding pipe 40 should have a diameter smaller than that of the space between the support rollers 51 and 52.
• the wound amount of the sheet 30 is determined so that the sheet 30 remains around the winding pipe 40 by several turns, for example, 3 or 4 turns, in the state of completely closing the warming tunnel.
• the tunnel opening and closing apparatus further includes means for supporting the sheet roll wound around the winding pipe 40 to maintain the sheet roll in a stable state without rolling easily during the sheet unwinding procedure for closing the tunnel or even when external impact or vibration is applied thereto.
• This means comprises the guide roller 53 mounted to the sheet roll holder 50 by the bracket 50", and arranged in the rest hole 50b above the sheet roll while facing the support rollers 51 and 52 to support the top portion of the sheet roll.
• the guide roller 53 is used as an auxiliary support means. Accordingly, the guide roller 53 may not come into contact with the outer surface of the sheet roll wound around the winding pipe 40.
• the support members 31 and 32 may have a relatively large weight to easily lower the sheet 30 by virtue of the weight.
• the weight of the support members 31 and 32 may be determined, taking into consideration the power consumption and the load of the driving unit in the sheet winding procedure (tunnel opening procedure).
• the support members 31 and 32 may have a relatively small weight to reduce the torque applied to the winding pipe 40, thereby allowing the sheet 30 to be easily unwound and wound.
• the manual tunnel opening and closing may be performed when a failure of the automatic opening and closing control system, for example, a power supply failure, or an emergency situation occurs.
• the manual tunnel opening and closing operation may be achieved by disconnecting the pipe driving unit from the automatic opening and closing control system, and then manually manipulating the pipe driving unit.
• the automatic tunnel opening and closing operation may be controlled, taking into consideration the friction of each movable element in the apparatus, and the moving speed of the movable element, in order to prevent the sheet 30 from being unwound and wound at an excessively high speed causing damage to the construction of the apparatus, or at an excessively low speed causing undesirably lengthy opening and closing operations.
• the automatic tunnel opening and closing operation can be achieved using a drive motor for transmitting power for normal rotation and reverse rotation to the winding pipe 40, temperature sensors for sensing the temperature of the warming tunnel, and a remote controller for controlling the drive motor in a remote control fashion, based on the tunnel temperature sensed by the temperature sensors.
• a drive motor for transmitting power for normal rotation and reverse rotation to the winding pipe 40
• temperature sensors for sensing the temperature of the warming tunnel
• a remote controller for controlling the drive motor in a remote control fashion, based on the tunnel temperature sensed by the temperature sensors.
• a plurality of clip fixing rods 70 are installed in a greenhouse where warming tunnels are to be formed.
• the clip fixing rods 70 extend in parallel in the longitudinal direction of the greenhouse at a desired level while being uniformly spaced apart from one another.
• a plurality of tunnel frames 10 for defining each warming tunnel are then installed on the ground in the greenhouse such that they are arranged in a direction crossing an associated one of the clip fixing rods 79 and uniformly spaced apart from one another while being symmetrical with respect to the associated clip fixing rod 79.
• a plurality of fixing clips 71 to which respective bolts 60 are coupled, are mounted to each clip fixing rod 79.
• Each bolt 60 extends downwardly from the clip fixing rod 79 at the middle portion of the warming tunnel defined by the tunnel frames 20.
• One sheet roll holder 50 is then coupled to each bolt 60.
• the coupling of the sheet roll holder 50 to the bolt 60 is achieved by threadedly coupling the nut 61 with an upper thread portion of the bolt 60, fitting the sheet roll holder 50 around the bolt 60 while making the bolt 60 extend through the vertical bolt hole 50a of the sheet roll holder 50, threadedly coupling the nut 62 with a lower thread portion of the bolt 60, and fastening the nuts 61 and 62 to firmly hold the sheet roll holder 50 at a desired level.
• the winding pipe 40 is formed by connecting a plurality of unit pipe members to one another in such a fashion that adjacent unit pipe members 41 and 42 are connected to each other by one connecting member 43. That is, the connecting member 43 is fitted in the unit pipe members 41 and 42 at its fitting portions formed with fitting protrusions 43a and 43b, respectively.
• the fitting of the connecting member 43 is carried out by striking the connecting member 43 or the unit pipe members 41 and 42 using a hammer such that the unit pipe members 41 and 42 at opposite sides of the connecting member 43 are moved toward each other.
• the winding process is carried out using the motor means connected to the winding pipe 40.
• the sheet roll formed in accordance with the winding process is held in the rest holes 50b of the sheet roll holders 50.
• the leading ends of the sheet roll extend downwardly through the openings 50c of the sheet roll holders 50 such that the sheet support members 31 and 32 attached to respective leading ends of the sheet roll are arranged below the openings 50c or at a position at least lower than the position where the sheet roll comes into contact with the support rollers 51 and 52 of each sheet roll holder 50. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the sheet from being engaged between anyone of the support rollers 51 and 52 and the sheet roll in the tunnel closing procedure, thereby allowing the sheet from being smoothly unwound from the sheet roll.
• the vinyl sheet is wound around the winding pipe 40 in a state in which it is folded to have two plies, as shown in Figs. 6a and 6b.
• the winding of the vinyl sheet is carried out, starting from the folded end thereof.
• the winding of the vinyl sheet is carried out under the condition in which the winding pipe 40 is received in the rest holes 50b of the sheet roll holders 50.
• a sheet roll is formed around the winding pipe 40 received in the sheet roll holders 50.
• the winding pipe 40 is connected to an opening and closing control means (not shown) including a drive motor so that it is normally or reversely rotated to open or close an associated one of warming tunnels in accordance with an operation of the drive motor. Accordingly, the formation of the sheet roll can be achieved using the drive motor.
• each sheet roll is normally rotated, thereby causing the vinyl sheet to be downwardly unwound from the sheet roll in accordance with the weight of the sheet support members 31 and 32 and its weight members 31a and 32a.
• the support rollers 51 and 52 of each sheet roll holder 50 guide the unwinding of the vinyl sheet while rotating in opposite directions, so that two leading ends of the vinyl sheet diverge from each other, and move downwardly along opposite portions of each tunnel frame 20.
• the downward movement of the vinyl sheet is completed. Referring to Figs. 7a and 7b, it can be seen that each warming tunnel is completely closed. The opening of each warming tunnel is carried out by rotating the associated winding pipe 40 in a direction opposite to that of the tunnel closing procedure.
• the opening/closing degree of each warming tunnel can be easily adjusted by adjusting the number of rotations of the associated winding pipe 40.
• the automatic opening and closing apparatus for each warming tunnel can be automatically controlled in a remote control fashion, based on the properties of crops to be cultivated and the internal temperature of the warming tunnel.
• the warming condition of the warming tunnel can be easily controlled.
• the above described central winding type automatic opening and closing apparatus 1 for warming tunnels and curtains in a greenhouse can minimize the space to be warmed while separating each warming tunnel from the greenhouse by an air layer isolated from the atmosphere.
• the automatic opening and closing apparatus 1 also has a simple configuration capable of achieving an easy installation of the greenhouse and a maintenance and repair of the apparatus associated with growing of crops with a minimum of labor.
• the automatic opening and closing apparatus 1 can be applied to various greenhouses irrespective of the greenhouse installation type or construction.
• the apparatus 1 can be applied to glass greenhouses, vinyl greenhouses, multi-type greenhouses, single-type greenhouses, or greenhouses for rain shelter cultivation.
• a greenhouse having a double structure including warming tunnels of different sizes is installed in the illustrated case, the installation place, size and area of the greenhouse or its warming tunnels can be appropriately determined in accordance with the installation area and characteristics of the greenhouse, the kind of crops to be cultivated, and the condition of cultivation, without being limited to the illustrated case.
• the central winding type automatic opening and closing apparatus and method for warming tunnels and warming curtains in a greenhouse are efficient and economical in that only the space where crops are grown is warmed in an isolated state, thereby reducing the energy (expense) required to warm the greenhouse, because no warming of unnecessary spaces is carried out.
• warming tunnels can be automatically opened and closed. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the labor and time required in opening and closing the warming tunnels while eliminating inconvenience occurring when the opening and closing of the warming tunnels are manually carried out. Also, any one can easily carry out the opening and closing of the warming tunnels because the construction of each warming tunnel and the tunnel opening and closing system are simple.
• the maintenance and repair of the apparatus can be achieved with a minimum of labor, so that it is possible to reduce labor and maintenance expenses.
• the present invention contributes greatly to increasing farm household income.

Landscapes

• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Environmental Sciences (AREA)
• Greenhouses (AREA)

Priority Applications (2)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=28036126

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (4)

Cited By (3)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (5)

Family Cites Families (5)

• 2002
  • 2002-03-20 KR KR1020020015025A patent/KR20030075675A/ko not_active Ceased
  • 2002-09-17 JP JP2003575702A patent/JP4095966B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2002-09-17 WO PCT/KR2002/001733 patent/WO2003077641A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2002-09-17 AU AU2002367766A patent/AU2002367766A1/en not_active Abandoned

Patent Citations (5)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events