Apparatus for cultivating plants

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11778964-B2
Application number	US-201916447088-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 20, 2019
Priority date	Feb 18, 2019
Publication date	Oct 10, 2023
Grant date	Oct 10, 2023

Abstract

An apparatus for cultivating plants may include a cabinet having a cultivation space; a door that opens and closes the cultivation space; at least one bed disposed in the cultivation space and on which plants are cultivated; at least one light assembly that radiates light for photosynthesis toward the at least one bed; a water tank that stores water to be supplied to the at least one bed; a machine compartment separated from the cultivation space at a lower portion in the cabinet, that communicates with an outside of the apparatus, and that accommodates a compressor and a condenser forming a cooling cycle for controlling a temperature of the cultivation space; an air duct that connects the machine compartment and the cultivation space and guides air in the machine compartment to the cultivation space; and a return duct that connects the cultivation space and the machine compartment and guides air in the cultivation space to the machine compartment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for cultivating plants, comprising:
a cabinet having a cultivation space;
a door that opens and closes the cultivation space;
at least one bed disposed in the cultivation space and on which plants are cultivated;
at least one light assembly that radiates light toward the at least one bed for photosynthesis;
a water tank that stores water to be supplied to the at least one bed;
an evaporator provided in the cultivation space at an inner rear wall of the cabinet;
a machine compartment separated from the cultivation space at a lower portion in the cabinet, that communicates with an outside of the apparatus, and that accommodates a compressor and a condenser;
at least one blower assembly disposed between the at least one light assembly and the at least one bed, wherein an outlet that discharges air toward a bottom surface of the at least one light assembly is formed at an upper end of the at least one blower assembly, and an inlet that suctions air from a top surface of the at least one bed is formed at a lower end of the at least one blower assembly;
a fan disposed in the machine compartment to suction external air of the apparatus into the machine compartment and force the air to flow inside of the machine compartment;
an air duct that connects the machine compartment and the cultivation space and guides air in the machine compartment to the cultivation space; and
a return duct that connects the cultivation space and the machine compartment and guides air in the cultivation space to the machine compartment, wherein an inlet of the air duct is disposed adjacent to the fan in a discharge direction of the fan, and the external air suctioned into the machine compartment flows into the inlet of the air duct when the fan rotates to be supplied to the cultivation space after passing through the machine compartment where the external air exchanges heat with the condenser and the compressor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the air duct is disposed closer to the at least one blower assembly than the return duct.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an outlet of the air duct is open toward the inlet.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an outlet of the air duct is disposed on a rear wall surface of the cultivation space.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , further comprising: wherein the at least one blower assembly is disposed upstream of the outlet of the air duct and covers the outlet.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an inlet of the return duct is disposed on a floor of the cultivation space that corresponds to a top surface of the machine compartment.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the evaporator is disposed above the return duct.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the return duct includes:
a duct mount disposed on a floor of the cultivation space and having a slope such that a width thereof decreases downward; and
a discharge pipe that extends through a top surface of the machine compartment from a lower end of the duct mount.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fan forcibly blows air for heat exchange of the condenser.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the inlet of the air duct is disposed in a blade area of the condenser fan.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein an outlet of the return duct is formed to face a bottom surface of the machine compartment.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein a fan guide that accommodates the fan is disposed in the machine compartment, and wherein an outlet of the air duct extends in parallel to the fan guide.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising:
an inner case that forms an inner side surface of the cultivation space;
an outer case spaced apart from the inner case and forming an external appearance of the cabinet; and
an insulating material that fills a space between the inner case and the outer case, wherein the air duct extends to the machine compartment between the inner case and the outer case.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the air duct includes:
a duct upper portion that passes between the inner case and the outer case; and
a duct lower portion that passes through a lower portion of the machine compartment, and wherein a frontward-rearward width of the duct upper portion is formed smaller than a frontward-rearward width of the duct lower portion, and cross-sectional areas of the duct upper portion and the duct lower portion are the same.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the duct upper portion is formed in an elliptical shape and wherein a cross-section of the duct lower portion is formed in a circular shape.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , comprising:
a duct connecting portion formed to be inclined or rounded between the duct upper portion and the duct lower portion and connecting the duct upper portion and the duct lower portion.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the return duct includes:
a duct mount disposed on a floor of the cultivation space and having a slope such that a width thereof decreases downward; and
a discharge pipe that extends through a top surface of the machine compartment from a lower end of the duct mount.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Oh Jongmin
• Lee Taeyang

Classifications

• A01G31/02 Primary

  Special apparatus therefor (self-acting watering devices A01G27/00) · CPC title

• A01G9/246 Primary

  Air-conditioning systems · CPC title

• A01G9/249

  Lighting means (with special arrangements for promoting growth A01G7/045) · CPC title

• F25D17/06

  by forced circulation · CPC title

• F25D23/003

  for cooling refrigerating machinery · CPC title