Greenhouse as well as roof element for such a greenhouse having increased light transmission

• US 6,898,902 B1
• Filed: 08/17/2000
• Issued: 05/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Agrotechnology And Food Innovations B.V.., General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: Instituut VOOR Milieu- EN Agritechniek BV
• Inventors: Stoffers, Johannes Andreas, Sonneveld, Pieter Jan
• Primary Examiner(s): Friedman, Carl D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HORTON, YVONNE MICHELE
• Application Number:
  US10/049,854
• Time in Patent Office: 1,748 Days
• Field of Search: 52/901, 52/902, 522/204, 526/43, 47/17
• US Class Current: 52/18
• CPC Class Codes: A01G 9/14 Greenhouses cloches A01G13/04
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 40/25 Greenhouse technology, e.g. cooling systems therefor

Abstract

Greenhouse (1) provided with a roof element (2) having a multiplicity of transverse ribs (12, 13, 14, 15) or pyramids uniformly distributed over the roof element. The roof element can be constructed double-walled as a hollow-core sheet from transparent plastic and can comprise a base sheet with the rib-shaped or pyramid-shaped roof surfaces fixed thereon. The light yield in a horticultural greenhouse can be increased by the roof elements.

Claims

1. A roof panel for a greenhouse roof, the panel comprising:

plural pairs of transparent roof subpanels (12, 13), said roof subpanels of each of said pairs meeting along a respective apex (16) that runs at a first non-zero angle (θ

) from horizontal when installed in a greenhouse roof, said roof subpanels sloping away from said apex at a second non-zero angle (γ

) that remains constant along a length of said apex, said apexes being parallel to each other, each of said pairs of roof subpanels meeting an adjacent one of said pairs along a respective nadir (18) that runs at the first non-zero angle from horizontal, said nadirs being parallel to said apexes,

each of said roof subpanels comprising a roof sheet (71) and a base sheet (73) that are separated from each other by a first non-zero distance (h₄), said roof sheet and said base sheet being parallel to each other and connected to each other with partitions (75, 76).

2. The roof panel of claim 1, wherein said partitions extend vertically and connect said roof sheet to said base sheet only at said apex and said nadir.

3. The roof panel of claim 1, wherein said nadirs are separated from each other by a distance that is from 1 cm to 10 cm.

4. The roof panel of claim 1, wherein said nadirs are separated from each other by a distance that is from 1.5 cm to 3 cm.

5. The roof panel of claim 1, wherein the first non-zero distance is from 1 cm to 10 cm.

6. The roof panel of claim 1, wherein the first non-zero distance is from 1.5 cm to 3 cm.

7. The roof panel of claim 1, wherein said nadirs are separated from each other by a distance that is from 1.5 cm to 3 cm, and wherein the first non-zero distance is from 1.5 cm to 3 cm.

8. The roof panel of claim 1, wherein said roof panel comprises transparent plastic 0.5 mm to 5 mm thick.

9. The roof panel of claim 1, wherein said roof panel comprises transparent plastic 0.5 mm to 2 mm thick.

10. A greenhouse roof with a longitudinal direction (L) and a transverse direction (D) perpendicular thereto, the roof comprising:

plural pairs of transparent roof surfaces (5, 6, 7, 8) in succession in the transverse direction, the roof surfaces of each pair of the plural pairs of roof surfaces meeting adjacent to a respective first apex (9, 10), each of the roof surfaces extending from adjacent to a respective base edge (11) at a first non-zero angle (θ

) from a horizontal extending in the transverse direction, each said first apex and each said base edge extending in the longitudinal direction; and

each of the roof surfaces comprising plural pairs of roof subpanels (12, 13) in succession in the longitudinal direction, the roof subpanels of each pair of the plural pairs of roof subpanels meeting along a respective second apex (16) that runs at the first angle from the horizontal and extends from adjacent to a respective said base edge to a respective said first apex, each of the roof subpanels lying at a second non-zero angle (γ

) relative to a horizontal extending in the longitudinal direction, wherein said roof subpanels of one said roof surface meet said roof subpanels of an adjoining said roof surface adjacent to said first apex along two edges that slope away from said first apex at the second angle (γ

) relative to the horizontal wherein said roof surfaces are double-walled.

11. The roof of claim 10, further comprising a base sheet that is attached to said roof surfaces with links.

12. The roof of claim 11, wherein said base sheet is flat and said links are attached to each said peak.

13. The roof of claim 11, wherein said base sheet is flat and said links are attached to said base sides.

14. The roof of claim 11, wherein said base sheet has plural base surfaces that are each generally parallel to an adjacent one of said roof surfaces.

15. The roof of claim 11, wherein a distance (h₄) between said base sheet and said second apex is from 1 cm to 10 cm.

16. The roof of claim 11, wherein a distance (h₄) between said base sheet and said second apex is from 1.5 cm to 3 cm.

17. The roof of claim 10, wherein a distance (d₂, d₃, d₄) between edges of said pairs of roof subpanels is from 1 cm to 10 cm.

18. The roof of claim 17, wherein the distance (d₂) between edges of said pairs of roof subpanels is from 1.5 cm to 3 cm.

19. The roof of claim 11, wherein a distance (h₄) between said base sheet and said second apex is from 1.5 cm to 3 cm, and wherein the distance (d₂) between edges of said pairs of roof subpanels is from 1.5 cm to 3 cm.

20. The roof of claim 10, wherein the first angle is from 30°

to 75°

.

21. The roof of claim 20, wherein the first angle is from 45°

to 75°

.

22. The roof of claim 10, wherein said roof subpanels comprise transparent plastic 0.5 mm to 5 mm thick.

23. The roof of claim 22, wherein said transparent plastic is 0.5 mm to 2 mm thick.

24. The roof of claim 10, wherein a distance (d₂) between edges of said pairs of roof subpanels is between 0.5 and 0.001 times a distance (d₁) between the base edges of the transparent roof surfaces.

25. The roof of claim 10, wherein a height (h₂) of the second apex relative to the base edge (11) is between 0.5 and 0.001 times a height (h₁) of the first apex relative to the base edge (11).