WO2024106549A1

WO2024106549A1 - Air circulation system for plant factory

Info

Publication number: WO2024106549A1
Application number: PCT/KR2022/017916
Authority: WO
Inventors: 백경훈; 김기훈; 이도건
Original assignee: 주식회사 엔씽
Priority date: 2022-11-14
Filing date: 2022-11-14
Publication date: 2024-05-23
Also published as: KR20240070756A

Abstract

The present invention relates to an air circulation system for a plant factory, which enables extremely precise control of air circulation in a plant factory so as to enhance uniformity of temperature and humidity and further maximize production. The air circulation system for a plant factory, according to one aspect of the present invention, comprises: a container for growing crops disposed in a cultivation module, isolated from the outside; a first air conditioner disposed on one side of the container to discharge air at a first set temperature toward the other side; and a duct part, which is connected to the first air conditioner to convey air at the first set temperature toward the other side and has a plurality of through-holes formed therein so as to convey air at the first set temperature uniformly throughout the cultivation module, wherein the through-holes are formed along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation module.

Description

Plant factory air circulation system

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 annual supply of planting material.

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.

Accordingly, the present applicant invented a system that precisely controls air circulation in the plant factory as in the prior art literature, but as the crops grow, the direction of convection is disturbed, and the temperature or humidity varies widely as the growing season progresses. This occurred, causing variation in crop quality.

[Prior art literature]

[Patent Document]

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0084848 (2022.6.21), AIR CIRCURATION SYSTEM FOR A CLOSED PLANT FACTORY

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

A 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 first air conditioner disposed on one side of the container and discharging air at a first set temperature to the other side. , a duct portion connected to the first air conditioner and having a plurality of through holes formed therein to deliver air at a first set temperature to the other side and uniformly deliver air at a first set temperature to the cultivation module, wherein the through holes are It is formed along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation module.

At this time, the cultivation module includes a first group cultivation module consisting of a plurality of rows and a second group cultivation module arranged spaced apart from the first group cultivation module and forming a plurality of rows, and the duct portion is configured to operate the first group cultivation module. It is disposed between the module and the second group of cultivation modules, and the through hole may be formed by rotating the first group of cultivation modules and the second group of cultivation modules at the center of the bottom of the duct portion according to the distance from each other.

Additionally, the through hole may include a first through hole formed toward the bottom of the duct portion and a second through hole formed toward the side of the duct portion.

In addition, the duct portion may be composed of a plurality of duct portions, and the air emitted from the first through hole provided in one duct portion may be arranged to be close to the air emitted from the first through hole provided in another adjacent duct portion. there is.

Additionally, the air emitted from the second through-hole provided in one of the duct parts may be arranged to be away from the air emitted from the second through-hole provided in another adjacent duct part.

Additionally, the sizes of the through holes may vary from one side to the other.

Additionally, the first through hole and the second through hole may have different sizes.

In addition, a guide plate is installed at the other end of the duct section, and the guide plate prevents the backflow of the supplied air of the first set temperature and at the same time allows the air of the first set temperature to be delivered only to the lower part of the other side.

In addition, a second air conditioner is further installed on the other side of the container, a dehumidifying unit is further installed on one side or the other side of the container, the height of the first air conditioner is installed higher than the second air conditioner, and the first air conditioner or The second air conditioner is installed adjacent to the direction in which the dehumidifier discharges air, and can directly suck in the air discharged by the dehumidifier.

The present invention spreads the set temperature uniformly to the other side and the cultivation module through a duct coupled to the air conditioner.

In addition, the present invention can achieve remarkably uniform temperature control by organically arranging and controlling the dehumidifying unit and the ventilation unit together.

In addition, the present invention separates the heat emitted from the light source and intensively cools the separated portion at the end of the duct, 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 air delivery process of the plant factory air circulation system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the duct part of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is an installation photo of the duct part of Figure 4.

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 practice 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 without departing from the scope of the present invention, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component. 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 generally 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, 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, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the duct part of FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is an installation photo of the duct part of Figure 4.

Referring to FIG. 1, the 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. It largely consists of a sensor unit 100 and a control unit. It includes (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.

Accordingly, the cultivation module 400 may be composed of a first group of cultivation modules consisting of a plurality of rows and a second group of cultivation modules arranged to be spaced apart from the first group of cultivation modules and also consisting of a plurality of rows. Furthermore, it may be composed of a first group of cultivation modules consisting of a plurality of columns and rows, and a second group of cultivation modules arranged separately from the first group of cultivation modules and similarly consisting of a plurality of columns and rows.

Additionally, the cultivation module 400 basically 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.

At this time, in Figure 4, the installation height of the cultivation module is formed to be higher on the right than on the left. That is, water flows from the right to the left of the cultivation module 400 according to this height purchase. At this time, in Figure 4, there is no significant difference between the right and left heights of the cultivation module. However, 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 disposed at the top, above one side (left) of the container C, and discharges air of the first set temperature to the other side (right). However, as described above, because the height gradient of the cultivation module and the temperature of the first air conditioner 310a are applied for the first time, the left side of the upper cultivation module 400a has a relatively lower temperature (or a significantly higher temperature) than the right side. ) may be approved.

Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to avoid such direct strong temperature application and to transmit uniform temperature as will be described later, the first air conditioner 310a does not discharge air of the first set temperature directly into the space, but rather discharges air at the first set temperature through the duct portion 311. Allow air to move. Meanwhile, 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.

This duct portion 311 is made of fabric material or tin material and is connected to the discharge portion of the first air conditioner 310a to move the discharged air of the first set temperature to the other side to prevent leakage. Meanwhile, it is also obvious that a plurality of duct units 311 may be provided depending on the size of the container.

In addition, through-

holes

313 and 315 are formed in the duct portion 311, and the through-

holes

313 and 315 are formed along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation module 400 to provide air discharged from the first air conditioner 310a to the cultivation module 400. is formed to be transmitted. Accordingly, air of the same first set temperature is uniformly delivered to all crops horizontally arranged in the cultivation module 400.

Meanwhile, as described above, the cultivation module 400 may be composed of a first group of cultivation modules forming a plurality of stages (rows) and a second group of cultivation modules spaced apart from this and forming a plurality of stages (rows). However, it is preferable that the duct portion 311 is disposed in the middle of the spaced apart space for uniform temperature transfer.

Also, in this case, for even temperature transfer, it is preferable that the duct portion 311 consists of two parallel to each other. However, in this case, the formation positions of the above-mentioned through

holes

313 and 315 are very important. As seen in FIG. 4, the circulation of temperature occurs largely clockwise, but in addition to being applied to the crops 11 placed in each cultivation module 400, the temperature is applied to the ground direction of FIG. 4, that is, a plane perpendicular to FIG. 4. This is because direction must be taken into account. In other words, the circulation of air is carried out in the direction perpendicular to the above-mentioned plane (direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the cultivation module) to the crops placed in each cultivation module, in addition to the direction in which the duct part 311 delivers air at a largely set temperature. This is because convection must be taken into account.

Accordingly, it is preferable that the duct portion 311 according to this embodiment be formed by dividing the through holes into a first through hole 313 and a second through hole 315. Here, the first through hole 313 refers to one formed on the lower side of the duct portion 311 (approximately toward the cultivation module), and the second through hole 315 refers to one formed on the side along the longitudinal direction of the duct portion.

However, as described above, shock is reduced when the crops placed in the cultivation module are contacted indirectly or with air that has moved a predetermined distance in space rather than directly with the air initially discharged by the air conditioner. Therefore, when the duct portion 311 is formed in two, it is preferable that the first through hole 313 is formed at an angle spaced apart from the lower center of the duct portion by rotation, as shown in FIG. 5 .

That is, in FIG. 5, the first through hole 313 formed in the duct portion on the left side is formed at a position rotated from the center to the right, and the first through hole 313 formed in the duct portion on the right side is rotated from the center to the left. formed in location. Accordingly, the air discharged from the first through hole 313 formed in the duct section on the left and the air discharged from the first through hole 313 formed in the duct section on the right side become closer to each other, and first exist in the area adjacent to that area. It also functions to sufficiently mix with other air particles. At the same time, since the target temperature is transmitted by contact with each crop 11 of the cultivation module 400, a more even temperature application is possible.

Meanwhile, as described above, the second through hole 315 refers to a side formed along the longitudinal direction of the duct portion 311. The second through hole 315 is formed in two parallel duct portions 311. In this case, the air emitted from the second through-hole 315 provided in one duct portion is arranged to be away from the air emitted from the second through-hole 315 provided in another adjacent duct portion. That is, the air emitted from the second through hole is emitted toward the wall of the container.

Accordingly, the air discharged from the second through-hole is rotated on the wall of the container and falls to the bottom (in the case of cooled air), which is mixed with the surrounding air that was previously placed and is applied to the crops placed in the adjacent cultivation module. Therefore, air of the target temperature is delivered uniformly to the cultivation module in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction while preventing shock to the crops.

However, here, it is preferable that the size of the first through hole 313 is formed differently from the size of the second through hole 315. In more detail, it is preferable that the size of the second through hole 315 is larger than the size of the first through hole 313. This is because the cultivation modules are generally formed to be long in the horizontal direction, and the temperature applied to the crops placed in each cultivation module is more directly affected by the discharge from the first through hole 313. However, in this case, considering the flow rate and pressure, it would be preferable to form the second through-holes 315 to be smaller than the number of first through-holes 313. Additionally, taking pressure into account, it is desirable to make the size of the through hole different or larger from one side (left) to the other side (right).

Meanwhile, a guide plate 319 is formed at the other end of the duct portion 311. The guide plate prevents the backflow of the supplied air of the first set temperature and at the same time serves to deliver the air of the first set temperature only to the lower part of the other side.

Meanwhile, as shown, this embodiment may further include a second air conditioner 310b. The second air conditioner 310b is suitable for creating a heat circulation (cooling air circulation) structure as shown in FIG. 4 by discharging air at the second set temperature downward. Meanwhile, in this embodiment, it is also possible to connect a duct (not shown) to the second air conditioner 310b to transmit air from the other side to one side, and to transmit air with a precise temperature to each cultivation module through the penetration portion. In the case of the air, which has the property of falling, the mixing efficiency of the air becomes lower than when the duct is located at the top, so as described above, it is preferable that the duct 311 is installed only at the top.

However, due to the installation of the duct part 311, cold air, which is air of the target set temperature, does not flow directly back to the upper part of the other side, but falls after reaching the upper part, so the second air conditioner 310b is not installed on the upper side of the other side of the container. It is desirable to install it further down. That is, the height of the second air conditioner must be installed lower than that of the first air conditioner to further maximize cooling efficiency and significantly reduce power consumption.

Meanwhile, 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. However, in the air circulation system according to this embodiment, the duct portion directly transmits air of the first temperature to the other side, so the humidity on the other side is dramatically lowered compared to the conventional structure. Therefore, in the air circulation system according to this embodiment, it is possible to omit the installation of the second dehumidifier 330b, which leads to significant cost savings.

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 plant factory air circulation system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention, an AC-DC converter 325 that 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 to directly contact the air blown out from the duct unit 330. Accordingly, the heat emitted by the AC-DC converter 325 can be directly cooled according to the transfer of the set temperature of the duct described above.

The ventilation unit 340 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 ventilation unit 340 serves to guide air from the other side to one side (left direction in FIG. 4). Likewise, although the ventilation unit 340 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 on the ventilation unit 340.

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. Accordingly, 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 may be further attached to each

cultivation module

400a and 400b.

At this time, it is preferable that the air induction direction of the local fan 350 disposed at the top is different from the air induction direction of the local fan 350 disposed at the bottom. 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.

[Explanation of symbols]

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

311: Duct part

313: First through hole

315: Second through hole

319: Guide plate

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

A container for growing crops isolated from the outside and placed in a cultivation module;

a first air conditioner disposed on one side of the container and discharging air at a first set temperature toward the other side;

A duct part connected to the first air conditioner and having a plurality of through holes formed therein to deliver air at a first set temperature to the other side and uniformly deliver air at a first set temperature to the cultivation modules;

Including,

A plant factory air circulation system, wherein the through hole is formed along the longitudinal direction of the cultivation module.
According to paragraph 1,

The cultivation module includes a first group of cultivation modules consisting of a plurality of rows and a second group of cultivation modules arranged spaced apart from the first group of cultivation modules and forming a plurality of rows,

The duct portion is disposed between the first group cultivation module and the second group cultivation module,

The through hole is a plant factory air circulation system, characterized in that the first group of cultivation modules and the second group of cultivation modules are formed by rotating at the bottom center of the duct part according to the distance from each other.
According to paragraph 2,

The through hole is a plant factory air circulation system characterized in that it includes a first through hole formed toward the bottom of the duct portion and a second through hole formed toward the side of the duct portion.
According to paragraph 3,

The duct portion consists of a plurality of pieces,

A plant factory air circulation system, characterized in that the air emitted from the first through hole provided in one duct part is arranged to be close to the air emitted from the first through hole provided in another adjacent duct part.
According to clause 4,

A plant factory air circulation system, characterized in that the air emitted from the second through-hole provided in one of the duct parts is arranged to be away from the air emitted from the second through-hole provided in another adjacent duct part.
According to paragraph 1,

A plant factory air circulation system, characterized in that the size of the through hole is formed differently from one side to the other side.
According to paragraph 3,

A plant factory air circulation system, wherein the first through hole and the second through hole have different sizes.
According to paragraph 1,

A guide plate is installed at the other end of the duct section, and the guide plate prevents the backflow of the supplied air of the first set temperature and at the same time transmits the air of the first set temperature only to the lower part of the other side. .
According to clause 8,

A second air conditioner is further installed on the other side of the container,

A dehumidifying unit is further installed on one side or the other side of the container,

The height of the first air conditioner is installed higher than the second air conditioner,

The plant factory air circulation system, wherein the first air conditioner or the second air conditioner is installed adjacent to the direction in which the dehumidifier discharges air and directly suctions the air discharged by the dehumidifier.