GREENHOUSE, METHOD FOR GROWING PLANTS USING THE SAME, AND LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE SUBSTRATE

• US 20080216399A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kagome Company Limited, Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Kagome Company Limited, Nippon Sheet Glass Company Limited
• Inventors: Tanaka, Hirokazu, Yamamoto, Toru, Kinoshita, Tsuyoshi, Kiyohara, Koichiro, Harada, Satoshi, Fukuhara, Taichi, Mukai, Shinji, Kishi, Ayumu
• Application Number:
  US11/854,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20080216399A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 47/17
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/14 Greenhouses cloches A01G13/04
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/1438 Covering materials therefor; Materials for protective coverings used for soil and plants, e.g. films, canopies, tunnels or cloches
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/22 Shades or blinds for greenhouses, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 27/00 Layered products comprising a layer of synthetic resin fibrous or filamentary layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/02; particulate layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/16; foamed layer made of a synthetic resin B32B5/18
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 17/3417 all coatings being oxide coatings
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor

Abstract

There is provided a greenhouse wherein a light transmissive substrate that maintains or increases light transmittance at visible wavelengths and has an insulation effect is used to reduce the running costs considerably as well as increase the yield of plants. In the greenhouse according to the present invention, a light transmissive substrate that has a visible light transmittance of 86% or more and solar radiation transmittance of 78% or less is used as the material for covering the greenhouse.

Claims

1. A greenhouse wherein a light transmissive substrate with a visible light transmittance of 86% or more and solar radiation transmittance of 78% or less is used.

2. A greenhouse according to claim 1, wherein the coefficient of heat transmission of the light transmissive substrate is 4 W/m²K.

3. A greenhouse according to claim 1 or 2, the light transmissive substrate comprises a single pane.

4. A greenhouse according to claim 3, wherein the single pane is made of a substrate, a transparent conducting film on the substrate, and a first low-refractive index film on the transparent conducting film having a lower refractive index than that of the transparent conducting film.

5. A greenhouse according to claim 4, wherein the material of the transparent conducting film is selected from the group consisting of tin oxide, indium oxide, tin-doped indium oxide (ITO), zinc-doped indium oxide (IZO), and zinc oxide.

6. A greenhouse according to claim 4, wherein the material of the first low-refractive index film is silicon oxide or magnesium fluoride.

7. A greenhouse according to claim 4, wherein a second low-refractive index film having a refractive index in-between the refractive indexes of the substrate and the transparent conducting film is provided between the substrate and the transparent conducting film.

8. A greenhouse according to claim 4, wherein a high-refractive index film and a third low-refractive index film in this order from the side of the substrate is provided between the substrate and the transparent conducting film, the high-refractive index film having a higher refractive index than that of the third low-refractive index film and the third low-refractive index film having a lower refractive index than that of the transparent conducting film.

9. A greenhouse according to claim 4, wherein the mean surface roughness (Ra) of irregularities of the film-side outermost surface of the single pane is in the range of 5 nm-100 nm.

10. qA cultivating method for cultivating plants using a greenhouse according to any one of claims 1 or 2.

11. A cultivating method according to claim 10, wherein the plants are fruit vegetables.

12. A cultivating method according to claim 11, wherein the fruit vegetables are tomatoes.

13. A light transmissive substrate used for a covering material of greenhouses, wherein the light transmissive substrate having a visible light transmittance of 86% or more, a solar radiation transmittance of 78% or less, and a coefficient of heat transmission of 4 W/m²K or less.