Hydroponic apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10349588-B2
Application number	US-201515329425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 1, 2015
Priority date	Sep 3, 2014
Publication date	Jul 16, 2019
Grant date	Jul 16, 2019

Abstract

A hydroponic apparatus includes: a cultivation tank that encloses an underground space with a ground surface portion that separates the underground space and an aboveground space; a light applying unit that is controlled to go into either of a light period in which light is applied to the plant and a dark period in which light is not applied to the plant; an aboveground temperature detection unit that detects a temperature of the aboveground space; an aboveground temperature adjustment unit that adjusts the temperature of the aboveground space and a control unit that controls the aboveground temperature adjustment unit based on information on the temperature of the aboveground space detected by the aboveground temperature detection unit. The control unit controls the aboveground temperature adjustment unit such that the temperature of the aboveground space in the dark period is lower than the temperature of the aboveground space in the light period.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A hydroponic apparatus comprising:
a ground surface portion that separates an underground space where an underground portion of a plant grows and an aboveground space where an aboveground portion of the plant grows;
a cultivation tank that encloses the underground space together with the ground surface portion and stores water or nutrient solution to be supplied to the plant;
a light applying unit that is controlled to enter either of a light period state in which light is applied to the plant and a dark period state in which light is not applied to the plant;
an aboveground temperature detector that detects a temperature of the aboveground space;
an aboveground temperature adjuster that adjusts the temperature of the aboveground space; and
an underground temperature detector that detects an ambient temperature of the underground space;
an underground temperature adjuster that adjusts the ambient temperature of the underground space, and
a controller that controls the aboveground temperature adjuster based on information on the temperature of the aboveground space detected by the aboveground temperature detector while controlling the light applying unit, wherein
the controller controls the aboveground temperature adjuster such that the temperature of the aboveground space in the dark period state is lower than the temperature of the aboveground space in the light period state,
the controller controls the underground temperature adjuster and the aboveground temperature adjuster in the light period state such that the temperature of the underground space is lower than the temperature of the aboveground space based on the information on the temperature of the underground space detected by the underground temperature detector, and
the controller controls the underground temperature adjuster such that the temperatures of the underground space in both the light period state and the dark period state are kept at the same temperature.

2. The hydroponic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller controls the aboveground temperature adjuster in the dark period state such that the temperature of the aboveground space decreases gradually from the temperature of the aboveground space in the light period state to a specified temperature.

3. A hydroponic apparatus comprising:
a ground surface portion that separates an underground space where an underground portion of a plant grows and an aboveground space where an aboveground portion of the plant grows;
a cultivation tank that encloses the underground space together with the ground surface portion and stores water or nutrient solution to be supplied to the plant;
a light applying unit that is controlled to enter either of a light period state in which light is applied to the plant and a dark period state in which light is not applied to the plant;
an aboveground temperature detector that detects a temperature of the aboveground space;
an aboveground temperature adjuster that adjusts the temperature of the aboveground space;
an underground temperature detector that detects a temperature of the underground space;
an underground temperature adjuster that adjusts the temperature of the underground space, and
a controller that controls the aboveground temperature adjuster based on information on the temperature of the aboveground space detected by the aboveground temperature detector while controlling the light applying unit, wherein
the controller controls the aboveground temperature adjuster such that the temperature of the aboveground space in the dark period state is lower than the temperature of the aboveground space in the light period state,
the controller controls the underground temperature adjuster and the aboveground temperature adjuster in the light period state such that the temperature of the underground space is lower than the temperature of the aboveground space based on the information on the temperature of the underground space detected by the underground temperature detector, and
the controller controls the underground temperature adjuster and the aboveground temperature adjuster in the dark period state such that the temperature of the aboveground space approaches to the temperature of the underground space.

4. The hydroponic apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the controller controls the aboveground temperature adjuster in the dark period state such that the temperature of the aboveground space decreases gradually from the temperature of the aboveground space in the light period state to a specified temperature.

5. A hydroponic apparatus comprising:
a ground surface portion that separates an underground space where an underground portion of a plant grows and an aboveground space where an aboveground portion of the plant grows;
a cultivation tank that encloses the underground space together with the ground surface portion and stores water or nutrient solution to be supplied to the plant;
a light applying unit that is controlled to enter either of a light period state in which light is applied to the plant and a dark period state in which light is not applied to the plant;
an aboveground temperature detector that detects a temperature of the aboveground space;
an aboveground temperature adjuster that adjusts the temperature of the aboveground space;
an underground temperature detector that detects a temperature of the underground space;
an underground temperature adjuster that adjusts the temperature of the underground space, and
a controller that controls the aboveground temperature adjuster based on information on the temperature of the aboveground space detected by the aboveground temperature detector while controlling the light applying unit, wherein
the controller controls the aboveground temperature adjuster such that the temperature of the aboveground space in the dark period state is lower than the temperature of the aboveground space in the light period state,
the controller controls the underground temperature adjuster and the aboveground temperature adjuster in the light period state such that the temperature of the underground space is lower than the temperature of the aboveground space based on the information on the temperature of the underground space detected by the underground temperature detector,
the controller controls the underground temperature adjuster and the aboveground temperature adjuster in the dark period state such that the temperature of the aboveground space becomes the same temperature as the underground space.

6. The hydroponic apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the controller controls the aboveground temperature adjuster in the dark period state such that the temperature of the aboveground space decreases gradually from the temperature of the aboveground space in the light period state to a specified temperature.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yano Hiroshi
• Jeong Woohyeun

Classifications

• A01G31/00

  Soilless cultivation, e.g. hydroponics (growth substrates therefor A01G24/00; cultivation of seaweed A01G33/00) · CPC title

• A01G7/045

  with electric lighting · CPC title

• Y02P60/216

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• A01G7/00

  Botany in general · CPC title

• Y02P60/146

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic