Plant cultivator and control system therefor

• US 20030005626A1
• Filed: 07/05/2002
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: CCS Corporation
• Inventors: Sugishima, Yoshio, Yoneda, Kenji
• Granted Patent: US 6,725,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 47/69
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 31/02 Special apparatus therefor self-acting watering devices A01G27/00
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/246 Air-conditioning systems
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/249 Lighting means with special arrangements for promoting growth A01G7/045
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/26 Electric devices A01G9/249 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 60/21 Dinitrogen oxide [N2O], e.g. using aquaponics, hydroponics or efficiency measures

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide plant cultivator for research purposes for finding the optimum cultivation environment for plants, using LEDs as light source and a control system therefor. An illumination window 6 is provided in top face 5a of a cabinet body 2 surrounded by thermally insulating walls. In addition, an LED illumination element 16 is arranged in this illumination window 6 and in the vicinity of LED illumination element 16, there is provided LED control means that controls the LED illumination element 16. In addition, in cabinet body 2, there are provided at least some of a growth detection sensor that detects the state of growth of the plants, cultivation environment monitoring means that monitors the cultivation environment of the plants and cultivation environment generating means that generates the cultivation environment; and cultivation environment control means is provided that controls the cultivation environment generating means.

Claims

1. A plant cultivator wherein an opening/closing door is provided in a suitable face of a cabinet body surrounded by insulating walls;

an illumination window is provided in the upper face or a suitable side face;

an LED illumination element is arranged in said illumination window so as to face said illumination window;

LED control means that controls said LED illumination element is provided in a suitable side face of said cabinet or the vicinity of said LED illumination element; and

wherein the cabinet comprises at least some of a growth detection sensor that detects the state of plant growth, cultivation environment monitoring means that monitors the cultivation environment comprising at least one of the temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide gas concentration around the plants and a cultivation environment generating means that generates said cultivation environment, and further comprises cultivation environment control means that is provided at an appropriate location for controlling said cultivation environment generating means in accordance with information from said cultivation environment monitoring means.

2. The plant cultivator according to claim 1, wherein said LED illumination element is constituted by arranging a multiplicity of one or more types of LEDs selected from red LEDs, blue LEDs, green LEDs, white LEDs, infra-red LEDs and ultraviolet LEDs in suitable ratios on a board.

3. The plant cultivator according to claim 1 or 2., wherein a light amount sensor is provided within said cabinet and the amount of light that is emitted from said LED illumination element is controlled by said LED control means in accordance with the amount of light within the cabinet obtained by said light amount sensor.

4. The plant cultivator according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein said illumination window is formed by two transparent glass sheets or synthetic resin sheets with a space interposed therebetween or by integrally molded glass or synthetic resin with a space defined therein.

5. The plant cultivator according to any of claims 1 to 4, wherein said opening/closing door is formed by an inner door and an outer door, the inner door being formed of transparent glass sheet or synthetic resin sheet and the inner face of the outer door being a reflective face.

6. The plant cultivator according to any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the inside surface of the cabinet apart from said illumination window is constituted as an optically reflecting surface, said reflecting surface being constituted by attaching a white reflective sheet onto the inside thereof or applying white reflective paint thereon or by white resin.

7. The plant cultivator according to any of claims 1 to 6, wherein said cultivation environment monitoring means comprises a temperature sensor, said cultivation environment generating means comprises temperature generating means that heats or cools the interior of said cabinet, and said cultivation environment control means controls heating or cooling by said temperature generating means in accordance with the temperature within the cabinet obtained by said temperature sensor.

8. The plant cultivator according to any of claims 1 to 7, wherein said cultivation environment monitoring means comprises a carbon dioxide gas sensor, said cultivation environment generating means comprises carbon dioxide gas supply means that supply carbon dioxide gas from a carbon dioxide gas supply port provided in said cabinet, and said cultivation environment control means controls the amount of carbon dioxide gas supplied by said carbon dioxide gas supply means in accordance with the carbon dioxide gas concentration found by said carbon dioxide gas sensor.

9. The plant cultivator according to any of claims 1 to 8, wherein said cultivation environment monitoring means comprises a humidity sensor, said cultivation environment generating means comprises humidity generating means that humidify or dehumidify the interior of said cabinet, and said cultivation environment control means controls humidification or dehumidification by said humidity generating means in accordance with the humidity within the cabinet found by said humidity sensor.

10. The plant cultivator according to claim 7, wherein said temperature generating means comprises a heater and the heater is incorporated in a thermally insulating wall of said cabinet body.

11. The plant cultivator according to claim 7, wherein said temperature generating means comprises cooling means, and suitable cooling means is incorporated in a thermally insulating wall of said cabinet body.

12. The plant cultivator according to claim 7, wherein said temperature generating means comprises a Peltier element, cooling or heating being performed by this Peltier element.

13. The plant cultivator according to claim 9, wherein said humidity generating means comprises dehumidification means comprising a fin cooled by a Peltier element and a drain whereby water formed as dew on this fin is discharged to outside said cabinet body.

14. The plant cultivator according to claim 9, wherein said humidity generating means increases humidity by supplying mist into the interior of the cabinet from a mist supply port provided in said cabinet.

15. The plant cultivator according to claim 9, wherein the interior of said cabinet body is partitioned into a growth zone and a supply zone provided with air stirring means in its interior and communicating with said growth zone, said mist supply port and carbon dioxide gas supply port opening into the interior of said supply zone.

16. A plant cultivator control system that controls the plant cultivator according to any of claims 1 to 15 by means of a computer connected with the plant cultivator through a computer network, wherein said computer comprises cultivation environment control data storage means that stores cultivation environment control data for controlling at least one of carbon dioxide gas concentration, amount of light, temperature and humidity within said cabinet body, and cultivator control means that performs control by sending data to said cultivation environment control means and said LED control means provided in said plant cultivator in accordance with said cultivation environment control data.

17. The plant cultivator control system according to claim 16, wherein said cultivator control means compares said cultivation environment control data with cultivation environment detection data detected by at least one of said carbon dioxide gas sensor, said light amount sensor, said temperature sensor and said humidity sensor provided in said plant cultivator and controls said plant cultivator so as to match said cultivation environment control data.

18. The plant cultivator control system according to claim 16 or 17, wherein said cultivation environment control data is stored in spreadsheet format.

19. The plant cultivator control system according to any of claims 16 to 18, wherein said computer network is a network employing a CSMA/CD access control system.