Stable providing with a climate control system, and also a method for controlling the climate in such a stable

• US 6,374,623 B1
• Filed: 05/19/2000
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Bokalan B.V., Richard Kusters
• Original Assignee: Bokalan Bv/Richard Kusters
• Inventors: Gubbels, Henricus Anthonius
• Primary Examiner(s): Walberg, Teresa
• Assistant Examiner(s): FASTOVSKY, LEONID M
• Application Number:
  US09/575,328
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: 621/766, 62/97, 621/26, 623/241, 621/80, 454/238, 236/49.3, 236/338, 165/224, 165/229, 165/200, 222/1
• US Class Current: 62/176.6
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0047 Air-conditioning, e.g. ventilation, of animal housings
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 1/0076 Arrangement of heaters or heat exchangers
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0038 in combination with simultaneous exhaustion of inside air
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/005 mounted on the floor; standing on the floor
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0057 mounted in or on a wall
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 1/0087 with humidification means

Abstract

The invention relates to a stable comprising a floor, upright walls bounding said floor, in which walls one or more fans are present, and a roof covering a space bounded by said floor and said walls, in which roof means for exhausting spent air are present, which spent air is used for controlling the temperature of the air to be supplied, wherein said fans supply conditioned air essentially at floor level, wherein the amount of air to be supplied and the temperature thereof can be controlled for each fan individually.

Claims

1. A stable comprising a floor, upright walls bounding said floor, which walls are provided with air supply means, and a roof covering a space bounded by said floor and said walls, in which roof means for exhausting spent air are present, wherein said spent air is used for controlling the temperature of the air to be supplied, and including several fans which supply conditioned air essentially at stable floor level, wherein the amount of air to be supplied and the temperature thereof can be controlled for each fan individually.

2. A stable according to claim 1, including a heat pump, wherein the temperature of the air to be supplied can be adjusted by means of the heat pump, which heat pump is connected to the spent air.

3. A stable according to claim 2, including temperature measuring sensors which are present at stable floor level, which sensors are connected to said heat pump.

4. A stable according to claim 1, including sensors for measuring the CO₂ level which are present at stable floor level, which sensors are connected to said fans.

5. A stable according to claim 1, including an atomizing unit and sensors for measuring the relative humidity which are present at stable floor level, which sensors are connected to the atomizing unit.

6. A stable according to claim 5, wherein said atomizing unit is present in the fan.

7. A stable according to claim 5, wherein said atomizing unit is disposed above the stable floor.

8. A stable according to claim 1, including sensors for measuring the NH₃ level which are present at stable floor level, which sensors are connected to said fans.

9. A stable according to claim 8, including a heat pump, temperature measuring sensors positioned at the stable floor level and operatively connected to said heat pump, sensors for measuring the CO₂ level positioned at the stable floor level which are connected to said fans, and wherein said temperature sensors, said NH₃ sensors and said CO₂ sensors are connected to said heat pump and said fans via an automated control unit.

10. A stable according to claim 2, wherein the spent air is discharged to said heat pump under a slight overpressure.

11. A stable according to claim 2, including an assister fan provided for discharging the spent air to said heat pump.

12. A stable according to claim 1, wherein the stable floor is provided with heating and cooling elements.

13. A stable according to claim 12, wherein the temperature of the stable floor can be adjusted independently of the temperature of the air to be supplied.

14. A stable according to claim 1, including a washing unit, wherein the spent air existing from said heat pump is connected to said washing unit.

15. A method for controlling the climate in a stable as set forth in claim 1 and including a heat pump, comprising the steps of conditioning fresh outside air by means of a heat pump, supplying the conditioned air to said stable via several fans, essentially at stable floor level, thereafter withdrawing the spent air from the stable, and feeding the spent air to a heat pump in order to recover the energy present in the spent air, wherein the amount of air to be supplied and the temperature thereof can be controlled for each fan.

16. A method according to claim 15, including the step of controlling the temperature of the air to be supplied, which is to be conditioned, by means of one or more temperature sensors, which are mounted at stable floor level.

17. A method according to claim 15, including the step of controlling the amount of air to be supplied essentially at stable floor level by means of one or more sensors for measuring the NH₃ level and/or the CO₂ level, which are present substantially at stable floor level.

18. A method according to claim 15, including the step of supplying the spent air which exists from the heat pump to a washing unit.

19. A method according to claim 15, including the step of adjusting the temperature of the stable floor so that the emission of NH₃ from the manure is minimized.

20. A method according to claim 15, including the step of controlling the relative humidity essentially at stable floor level by means of one or more sensors for measuring the relative humidity, which sensors are connected to an atomizing unit.