Artificial culture device and device for producing substance produced by photosynthetic organism cultured in artificial culture device

Abstract

[Problem] To provide an artificial culture device for artificially culturing a photosynthetic organism by configuring a multilayered structure as a surface light-emitting unit which is a surface light source having a wide area, using multiple LED elements disposed side by side and enabling surface light-emission from a panel.　[Solution] The present invention comprises: a surface light-emitting unit 110 enabling surface light-emission, wherein an LED line light source 120 and a surface light-emitting panel 150 are taken as one unit, the surface light-emitting panel 150 including a transparent body 151 comprising a light-emitting surface and a light-guiding side surface for introducing irradiated light from a side surface and a diffusion structure 153 that reflects and diffuses irradiated light received from the light-guiding side surface to cause the light-emitting surface to emit light; a support structure 170 for supporting the surface light-emitting unit 110 in a predetermined arrangement; and a culture liquid supply part 180 for introducing a culture liquid containing a photosynthetic organism and carbon dioxide-containing water onto the surface of the surface light-emitting panel 150 of the surface light-emitting unit and bringing the culture liquid into contact with the surface of the surface light-emitting panel 150 of the surface light-emitting unit. The photosynthetic organism in the culture liquid on the surface of the surface light-emitting panel 150 is caused to perform photosynthesis.

Description

Artificial culture device and device for manufacturing products produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device

[0001] The present invention relates to an artificial culture device and an artificial culture device using a crossover cooling water conduit. The photosynthetic organisms to be cultured are not particularly limited, and a wide range of organisms can be cultured, including carbohydrate-producing organisms and biofuel-producing organisms.

[0002] Human activities from the past to the present have relied heavily on fossil fuels, which has had an impact on the global environment, resulting in various problems such as climate change. In recent years, measures to protect the global environment, such as the development of renewable energy that does not place a burden on the global environment, have progressed rapidly. Sosuke Naito, the inventor of this application, has been considering the future of industries that utilize photosynthesis.

[0003] The first promising industry that utilizes photosynthesis is agriculture. Because agriculture is based on plant photosynthesis, it can be said to be an industry that places no burden on the global environment. In modern society, considering issues such as carbon neutrality, food shortages, and pharmaceutical raw materials, the development of industries that utilize photosynthesis—in other words, the development of agriculture—is considered to hold the key to success. When using sunlight in agriculture, many problems must be solved, including unstable production due to regional differences in sunlight duration and illuminance, seasons, and weather, as well as uneven regional distribution of agricultural products and limited harvest seasons. All of these problems result from relying solely on sunlight for photosynthesis. Sosuke Naito, the inventor of this application, has conducted extensive research into low-cost, operational agriculture that does not rely on sunlight but instead uses artificial lighting from LED elements.

[0004] The second promising industry that utilizes photosynthesis is the production of plant-derived biofuels. The production of plant-derived biofuels is considered a new energy source that can replace conventional fossil fuels. This is a technological field that has rapidly gained attention as the issue of carbon neutrality has been raised, and research is being conducted into the production of plant-derived biofuels using algae that produce hydrocarbons through photosynthesis. Sosuke Naito, the inventor of this application, has conducted extensive research into the production of plant-derived biofuels that can be operated at low cost using artificial lighting from LED elements.

[0005] In the prior art, high-power LED elements (light-emitting diode elements) have been developed and are beginning to be used as light sources for artificial lighting. In particular, white LED elements are capable of emitting light of many wavelengths, making them suitable for artificial lighting in artificial cultivation devices for plants that perform photosynthesis. Their compact size, low power consumption, and long lifespan are also contributing to their widespread use. Furthermore, because LED elements emit light with a relatively uniform wavelength and generate relatively little heat, it has been proposed to use artificial lighting devices with a large number of LED elements arrayed as lighting fixtures for artificial cultivation.

[0006] In the prior art, the artificial light sources that have been used have been LED light bulb devices that imitate the electric lamps of the prior art, which are made up of an assembly of multiple LED elements, and straight-tube LED lighting devices that imitate the fluorescent lamps of the prior art, which incorporate an LED line light source that has multiple LED elements arranged in a line.

[0007] The plant cultivation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP 2013-17397 A) utilizes conventional straight-tube LED lighting fixtures. As shown in FIG. 14 , the plant cultivation device includes a cultivation rack 3 having a mounting shelf 4 on which a cultivation tank 2 is placed, and straight-tube LED lighting fixtures 5 arranged at intervals above the mounting shelf 4. The cultivation rack 3 is constructed by arranging multiple vertical supports 8, connecting the vertical supports 8 with horizontal members 9 to form a single vertical frame 7, and connecting a pair of left and right vertical frames 7A, 7B with connecting members 18 to form the cultivation rack 3. Multiple support members 6 protrude from the sides of the vertical supports 8 of the vertical frame 7, and straight-tube LED lighting fixtures 5 are attached to these support members 6. As described in paragraph 0028 of the publication, the straight-tube LED lighting fixtures 5 are fixed to the vertical supports 8 by screws, rivets, or the like, to the receiving portions 32 of the support members 6.

[0008] As described above, Patent Document 1 describes a device that utilizes conventional straight-tube LED lighting fixtures, in which a structure called a cultivation rack is assembled and a straight-tube LED lighting fixture is fixed and positioned opposite the cultivation rack.

[0009] JP 2013-017397 A JP 2015-006165 A JP 2008-300158 A JP 2010-251114 A

[0010] In recent years, photosynthetic organisms capable of fixing carbon dioxide in the air or liquid to synthesize carbohydrates and even biofuels have been discovered, and research is being conducted into cultivating these organisms by irradiating a culture solution with sunlight. In other words, there is a need for technology that applies artificial cultivation devices to artificial culture devices. The first problem with applying conventional straight-tube LED lighting devices is the narrow illumination area they provide, which is typically achieved using LED bulbs or straight-tube LED lighting devices. While the irradiated light is concentrated in the area directly below these LED bulbs or straight-tube LED lighting devices, only a limited area is utilized in terms of the overall size of the artificial culture device. This has been one of the reasons for the high cost of conventional artificial culture devices for photosynthetic organisms.

[0011] The second problem with applying conventional straight-tube LED lighting devices is the light-receiving efficiency of LED light. Conventional straight-tube LED lighting devices require a certain amount of spatial distance between the light source and the photosynthetic organisms, which inevitably reduces the light-receiving efficiency of LED light. In particular, when culturing photosynthetic organisms, the organisms are suspended in a culture solution, which necessitates a spatial distance between the electronic straight-tube LED lighting device and the culture solution for the photosynthetic organisms, inevitably reducing the light-receiving efficiency of LED light. Furthermore, because the photosynthetic organisms are suspended in the culture solution, it is more difficult for LED light to reach photosynthetic organisms floating in the lower part of the culture solution than photosynthetic organisms at the top of the culture solution, resulting in a problem of reduced light-receiving efficiency of LED light.

[0012] The third problem with applying conventional straight-tube LED lighting devices is cooling the heat generated by them. A large number of straight-tube LED lighting fixtures are installed, and large-scale plant factories, for example, often have many straight-tube LED lighting fixtures. Furthermore, to prevent pest intrusion and weather changes, artificial culture device units are installed indoors and isolated from the outside world. Therefore, heat countermeasures for straight-tube LED lighting devices are important. Dissipating heat is particularly difficult in the summer, and cooling using air conditioning devices increases electricity costs. It is feared that this problem could become a major obstacle to the widespread use of artificial culture devices in plant factories in the future.

[0013] The plant cultivation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 does not disclose any special measures to increase the illumination area. In other words, the area directly below the straight-tube LED lighting devices arranged in a cultivation rack has an illumination angle of approximately 90 degrees and a short illumination distance, providing a good lighting environment for the LED illumination light. However, as the area moves away from the area directly below, the illumination angle becomes smaller and the illumination distance becomes longer, deteriorating the lighting environment. Furthermore, Patent Document 1 does not disclose any special measures to deal with heat generated by the plant cultivation device. Instead, the device relies on so-called heat conduction through the electronic boards and straight tubes of the straight-tube LED lighting devices 5 and air cooling (air cooling), and does not employ any efficient thermal countermeasures such as water cooling.

[0014] In the prior art, water-cooled thermal solutions are known as thermal solutions partially adopted in general machinery. In the prior art, water-cooled thermal solutions are also known for straight-tube LED lighting fixtures. For example, Patent Document 2 (JP 2008-300158 A) discloses a semiconductor light source such as an LED that is cooled using a thin jacket through which a coolant passes. As shown in FIG. 15 , a number of LEDs 12 are mounted on a conductor layer 13 of a light source substrate 11, and heat generated by the LEDs 12 is dissipated by transferring it to a cooling jacket 15. For example, Patent Document 3 (JP 2010-251114 A) discloses a water-cooled LED lighting device. As shown in FIG. 16 , a water-cooled LED lighting device 1 is disclosed that includes a housing 2, a light source unit 3 using LEDs as a light source, a water-cooled unit 5 including a water-cooled jacket 20, a radiator 21, a circulation pump 23, and a fan 22, and a control circuit unit 4 that controls the lighting of the light source unit 3.

[0015] However, the water-cooled LED lighting devices disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are all equipped with a water-cooling cooling device within the housing of the device itself. The water used in the water-cooling cooling device is assumed to be repeatedly circulated within the housing of the device itself. Because it is difficult to fit the pump device necessary for circulation within the LED lighting device, only a portion of the circulation path is extended to the outside. Even if the water-cooled LED lighting devices disclosed in Patent Documents 3 and 4 are equipped with a water-cooling cooling device as a single device, even if multiple LED lighting devices are used, the devices disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 are assumed to be cooled by water by simply arranging them with each device equipped with an independent water-cooling mechanism.

[0016] The water-cooled LED lighting devices disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 operate on the premise that cooling is sufficient to prevent the LEDs themselves from being degraded by heat, and the objective of lowering the temperature of the environment where they are installed is not suggested, nor is it cited as a problem. Therefore, water can be kept confined within a circulating pipe within the housing of the device itself. In particular, it is common knowledge that water should be avoided for electronic devices, including LEDs, due to concerns about short circuits, and even if a water-cooling system is adopted, it is important to circulate the water within a sealed housing of the device itself.

[0017] In particular, in the case of an artificial culture device that uses a large number of densely arranged LED lighting fixtures indoors, isolated from the outside world, simply circulating water in a sealed circulation path as disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3 will gradually accumulate heat, resulting in insufficient heat dissipation efficiency throughout the room where the artificial culture device is installed, and the environmental temperature will rise, potentially creating an unsuitable growth environment for the plants being cultivated.

[0018] In view of the above problems, the inventor of the present application, Sosuke Naito, has continued his research into the development of technology for artificial lighting devices using LED elements, and has come up with the present invention. The objective of this invention is to provide an artificial culture device with a multi-layered structure that uses multiple LED elements, which are originally point light sources, but which emit light from the surface of the panel to form a surface-emitting unit that is a wide-area surface light source, and further, an artificial culture device that has effective heat countermeasures.

[0019] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the artificial culture device of the present invention is an artificial culture device for artificially culturing photosynthetic organisms, and includes an LED line light source having a large number of LED chips arranged thereon, a transparent body having a light-emitting surface and a light-guiding side surface that introduces irradiated light from the side of the light-emitting surface, a surface-emitting panel having a diffusion structure that serves as a light-guiding plate that reflects and diffuses the irradiated light received from the light-guiding side surface, causing the light-emitting surface to emit light, a surface-emitting unit that combines the LED line light source and the surface-emitting panel into a single unit, with the light-guiding side surface of the surface-emitting panel facing the irradiated surface of the LED line light source, causing the light-emitting surface to emit light, a culture solution supply section that introduces and brings into contact with the surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit a culture solution containing the photosynthetic organisms and water containing carbon dioxide, and an artificial culture device that causes the photosynthetic organisms in the culture solution on the surface of the surface-emitting panel to perform photosynthesis using the LED irradiation light irradiated from the surface-emitting unit.

[0020] According to the artificial culture device of the present invention, the effective irradiation area is increased by diffusing the LED irradiation light using a diffusion structure that serves as a light guide plate inside the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit and emitting it from the surface.In addition, the surface-emitting panel emits the irradiation light, and the photosynthetic organisms are introduced onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit and come into contact with it, so that the photosynthetic organisms flow directly over the light-emitting surface, becoming closer to the LED irradiation light, thereby increasing the light-receiving efficiency of the photosynthetic organisms and improving photosynthetic efficiency.

[0021] The artificial culture device of the present invention can be configured in at least two configuration patterns. The first configuration pattern of the artificial culture device includes an inclined support structure that supports the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel at an incline, and a culture medium supply unit that pours the culture medium onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel. In other words, the artificial culture device of the present invention described above includes a culture medium movement control frame that acts as a barrier to control the movement direction of the culture medium on a portion of the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit, and an inclined support structure that supports the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit at an incline. The culture medium supply unit pours the culture medium onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel. The culture medium flows over the upper surface of the surface-emitting panel by controlling the inclination and the movement direction of the culture medium movement control frame, and in the process, receives the LED irradiation light and performs the photosynthesis. The inclination angle of the surface-emitting panel by the inclined support structure is preferably greater than 0 degrees and less than 20 degrees. If the inclination is greater than 0 degrees, there is a risk that the culture medium will not flow and will become stagnant, and if the inclination is greater than 20 degrees, there is a risk that the flow of the culture medium will become too great, shortening the period during which photosynthesis can occur in the photosynthetic organisms.

[0022] With the above configuration, even if the surface-emitting panel is placed at an angle, the culture solution movement control frame and the inclined support structure prevent the culture solution flowing on the surface of the transparent body from flowing randomly in all directions, and instead flow slowly and gently over the surface as a whole, allowing the photosynthetic organisms to receive the light emitted by the LEDs and perform photosynthesis. Furthermore, the direction of the culture solution flow can be reliably controlled even while the culture solution flows slowly.

[0023] In the prior art, even if it was possible to imagine the use of surface-emitting panels, only one of the following configurations could be envisioned: either a configuration in which the surface-emitting panel is placed facing planted plants at a spatial distance, or a configuration in which the surface-emitting panel is placed facing the top surface of an aquarium such as a pool in which algae are placed at a spatial distance, and the surface-emitting panel is placed facing the top surface of the aquarium, such as a pool in which algae are placed, and the surface-emitting panel is placed facing the top surface of the aquarium to irradiate algae. However, according to the artificial culture device of the present invention, a culture solution containing photosynthetic organisms and carbon dioxide-containing water is poured onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel that emits light, and the culture solution flows along the slope on the surface of the surface-emitting panel of the light-emitting unit, allowing photosynthesis to occur, which is an original concept not found in the prior art.

[0024] The artificial culture device of the first configuration pattern can also be configured as a combined structure in which multiple surface-emitting units are combined. For example, the combined structure of the artificial culture device of the first configuration pattern includes a serial bridge structure in which multiple surface-emitting units are connected in series, where the serial bridge structure does not include a culture solution movement control frame between the joints between the surface-emitting panels, and the serial bridge structure includes a culture solution bridge connection structure that allows the culture solution on the surface of the surface-emitting panel to be transferred between the surface-emitting panels of the surface-emitting units. The culture solution flows between the multiple surface-emitting units of the combined structure, allowing the photosynthetic organisms in the culture solution to photosynthesize. This configuration allows the direction of the culture solution to be controlled, allowing it to flow between multiple surface-emitting units. By flowing slowly between the multiple surface-emitting units, the photosynthetic period of the photosynthetic organisms can be extended.

[0025] Next, as another example of a specific example of a combination structure in the artificial culture device of the first configuration pattern, there is a multi-layered structure in which a plurality of the surface-emitting units are multi-layered. For example, a first example of the multi-layered structure is a first group in which, in a vertical arrangement, each of the surface-emitting units is arranged at an angle greater than 0 degrees, and a second group in which the surface-emitting units sandwiched between the surface-emitting units of the first group are arranged at an angle less than 0 degrees, the surface-emitting units are arranged in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and in a horizontal arrangement, the lower inclined end of the upper surface-emitting unit is shorter than the upper inclined end of the lower surface-emitting unit, so that if a surface-emitting unit falls from the lower inclined end of the upper surface-emitting unit, it is received by the lower surface-emitting unit, and the culture solution is poured onto the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit in the upper layer of the multi-layered structure via the culture solution supply unit, and the culture solution flows down between the plurality of surface-emitting units in a zigzag pattern in the vertical and horizontal directions, causing photosynthesis.

[0026] According to the artificial culture device of the present invention, which is the first example of the multilayer structure of the first structural pattern described above, a culture solution containing photosynthetic organisms, carbon dioxide-containing water, and necessary nutrients is poured directly onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel or onto a transparent plate placed on the surface of the surface-emitting panel, and photosynthesis is carried out as the culture solution slowly flows down in a zigzag pattern vertically and horizontally between the multiple surface-emitting units, which is an original technology.

[0027] It is also possible to circulate the culture solution by pumping it up from the bottom surface-emitting unit of the multilayer structure and introducing it back into the top surface-emitting unit. By circulating the culture solution and allowing it to flow slowly between multiple surface-emitting units, it is possible to ensure a long photosynthetic period for photosynthetic organisms.

[0028] For example, a second example of a multi-layered structure may be one that is vertically arranged and comprises a first group in which each surface-emitting unit is arranged at an angle greater than 0 degrees, and a second group in which the surface-emitting units sandwiched between the surface-emitting units of the first group are arranged at an angle less than 0 degrees, the surface-emitting units are arranged in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and horizontally arranged such that the lower end of the slope of the upper surface-emitting unit is shorter than the upper end of the slope of the lower surface-emitting unit, so that if a surface-emitting unit falls from the lower end of the slope of the upper surface-emitting unit, it will be received by the surface-emitting unit in the lower layer, and the culture solution is poured onto the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit in the top layer of the multi-layered structure via the culture solution supply section, and the culture solution flows down in a zigzag pattern vertically and horizontally between the plurality of surface-emitting units, allowing photosynthesis to occur. According to the artificial culture device of the present invention, which is the second example of the first configuration pattern, the transfer of each layer of the multi-layered structure can be carried out by gravity alone, and moreover, photosynthesis can be carried out efficiently by allowing the culture solution to flow slowly down in a zigzag manner in the vertical and horizontal directions between the multiple surface light-emitting units, which is an original technology.

[0029] As a modification, in either the configuration of the first example or the second configuration of the multilayer structure of the first structural pattern, the surface-emitting panel can be configured to emit light from both sides. That is, in the surface-emitting panel, the light-emitting surfaces are on both the front and back sides of the transparent body, the diffusing structure is in a middle layer of the transparent body and reflects and diffuses the irradiated light received from the light-guiding side surfaces toward both the front and back sides, in the surface-emitting unit, the light-guiding side surfaces of the surface-emitting panel face the irradiation surface of the LED line light source, causing surface emission from both the light-emitting surface on the front side and the light-emitting surface on the back side, the culture solution supply unit introduces a culture solution containing the photosynthetic organism and carbon dioxide-containing water onto the upper surfaces of the surface-emitting panels of the surface-emitting units, and in the combined structure, the culture solution flowing over the surface-emitting panels of the surface-emitting units of a given stage receives irradiated light from the light-emitting surface on the front side of the given stage and also receives irradiated light from the light-emitting surface on the back side of the surface-emitting panels of the surface-emitting units of an upper stage. With the above configuration, as the culture liquid flows in a zigzag pattern between the multiple tiers of surface-emitting units, the culture liquid flowing over the surface-emitting panels of the surface-emitting units receives irradiated light from the light-emitting surface on the front side of the tier, and also from the light-emitting surface on the back side of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit on the upper tier.This allows the photosynthetic organisms contained in the culture liquid to receive irradiated light from both above and below, allowing for efficient photosynthesis.

[0030] Next, the artificial culture device of the second configuration pattern is configured so that the culture solution is temporarily stored in a culture solution storage tank, and at least a portion of the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit is suspended and supported in the culture solution in the culture solution storage tank. For example, in the second configuration pattern of the artificial culture device of the present invention, the culture solution supply unit includes a culture solution storage tank that temporarily stores the culture solution, and a stirring mechanism that circulates and stirs the culture solution in the culture solution storage tank so that the culture solution approaches the surface of the suspended surface-emitting panel, and the support structure is a suspended support structure that supports at least a portion of the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit in the culture solution in the culture solution storage tank. In the prior art, the only way to do this was to have sunlight or artificial LED light facing the top surface of the culture medium storage tank, so that the light was directed onto the surface of the culture medium storage tank from above, but with the artificial culture device of the present invention having the second configuration described above, the light can be guided three-dimensionally into the three-dimensional liquid space in the vertical, horizontal, and depth directions of the culture medium inside the culture medium storage tank. Note that since the surface light-emitting panel is immersed in the culture medium storage tank, a culture medium movement control frame is not required, but insulation of the immersed portion of the surface light-emitting panel must be ensured.

[0031] Other configuration innovations include a double-sided light-emitting structure in which the diffusion structure of the surface-emitting panel is located in the middle layer of the transparent body, and the irradiated light received from the light-guiding side surface is reflected and diffused in both directions toward the front side and the back side; a light-transmitting plate member provided above the front side of the surface-emitting unit; and a reflecting plate member with a reflective surface provided below the back side of the surface-emitting unit; and the culture solution supply unit introduces culture solution containing the photosynthetic organisms and carbon dioxide-containing water between the surface-emitting unit and the light-transmitting plate member, and between the surface-emitting unit and the reflecting plate member, respectively, so that the culture solution introduced to the front side of the surface-emitting unit can undergo photosynthesis using external light and irradiated light from the surface-emitting unit, and the culture solution introduced to the back side of the surface-emitting unit can undergo photosynthesis using irradiated light from the surface-emitting unit and reflected light from the reflecting plate member. With the above configuration, the upper surface of each stage of the culture device is covered with a translucent plate member, allowing light from the outside (sunlight) to be introduced, and together with the light irradiated from the surface-emitting unit, light irradiated from both the top and bottom can be used.

[0032] Photosynthetic organisms that can be used in the artificial culture device of the present invention include, but are not limited to, algae, phytoplankton, euglena, bacteria with chloroplasts, microorganisms with chloroplasts, and bacteria with chloroplasts. Any of these or a mixture of selected organisms may also be used. It is expected that algae and phytoplankton that produce biofuels through photosynthesis will be discovered or genetically engineered at present or in the future, and these are photosynthetic organisms that can be used in the artificial culture device of the multilayer structure of the present invention.

[0033] Next, as a modification of the artificial culture device of the present invention having the above-mentioned configuration, it is possible to provide a thermal countermeasure and adopt a crossover water-cooling structure in which water-cooling water is passed between a plurality of surface light-emitting panels to exchange heat generated by the LED line light source. That is, it is provided with an LED line light source having a large number of LED chips arranged thereon, a crossover water-cooling water guide pipe provided next to the LED line light source and through which water-cooling water flows, an LED water-cooling structure that water-cools the heat generated by the LED line light source by the water-cooling water flowing through the crossover water-cooling water guide pipe, and a surface light-emitting panel having a light-emitting surface and a light-guiding side surface that introduces irradiated light and a light-guiding plate that diffuses the irradiated light received from the light-guiding side surface to make the light-emitting surface emit light, and the LED line light source, the LED water-cooling structure and the surface light-emitting panel are integrated into one unit. a water-cooled surface light-emitting unit in which the light-guiding side of the surface light-emitting panel is placed opposite the irradiation surface of the LED line light source, causing the light-emitting surface to emit light, and the heat generated by the LED line light source is water-cooled using the LED water-cooling structure; and a water-cooled water-transfer pipe connecting multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units to form a water-cooled water transfer connection for the water-cooled water to transfer between multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units, and applying the water-cooled water-transfer pipe that irradiates the light-emitting surface of the surface light-emitting panel onto an irradiation target.

[0034] According to the above-mentioned water-cooled artificial culture device of the present invention, the combination of the "water-cooled water conduit" and "LED water-cooling structure" formed within the water-cooled artificial culture device and the "water-cooled water crossover" formed between multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units allows water cooling water to be efficiently passed through the water-cooled artificial culture device composed of multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units, and heat generated by the LED line light source can be transported outside the system to provide heat management. In winter, the heat recovered through the water-cooled water conduit via the water-cooled water crossover connection of the water-cooled artificial culture device can be used to directly heat the environment or indirectly heat the environment via an installed heat exchanger. In summer, heat can be transported outside the system of the water-cooled artificial culture device and released outdoors via an outdoor heat exchanger.

[0035] To simplify the configuration of the crossover water-cooled artificial culture device of the present invention, the crossover water-cooled water conduit may be shared among multiple devices. For example, two water-cooled surface-emitting units may be arranged in parallel with the light-guiding sides of the surface-emitting panels facing each other, so that their LED water-cooling structures are adjacent to each other, thereby sharing the crossover water-cooled water conduit. This configuration allows for a single shared crossover water-cooled water conduit, with crossover water-cooled artificial culture devices arranged on both sides of it, enabling multiple units to be installed horizontally. Rotating this configuration by 90 degrees also enables multiple units to be installed vertically. Another example is a configuration in which two water-cooled surface-emitting units are stacked with the light-guiding sides of the surface-emitting panels facing the same direction, so that their LED water-cooling structures are adjacent to each other, thereby sharing the crossover water-cooled water conduit. According to this configuration, one crossover water cooling water pipe can be shared, and multiple crossover water cooling type artificial culture devices can be stacked in the height direction by arranging them so that they overlap.In addition, this configuration can also be rotated 90 degrees to multiple devices.

[0036] Furthermore, in the artificial culture device of the present invention, the voltage supply can also be devised. That is, in the configuration of the artificial culture device of the present invention, the voltage supplied to the LED line light source can be configured by electrically connecting the LED line light sources between the water-cooled surface light-emitting units and providing a current-transfer connection structure in which the supplied power is transferred between the multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units. With this configuration, power can be efficiently supplied to each LED line light source in a large-scale artificial culture device.

[0037] It is preferable that the supply voltage supplied to each LED line light source be the rated voltage. Furthermore, a configuration is also possible that includes a crossover current adjustment unit that adjusts the supply current so that an excess current greater than the rated current flows through the multiple LED chips of the LED line light source. The inclusion of a crossover current adjustment unit allows excess current greater than the rated current to flow through the LED chips, thereby increasing the luminance of the LED chips and enabling water cooling of the heat generated by the LED chips using an LED water-cooling structure. In other words, the artificial culture device of the present invention can improve the illuminance of artificial lighting and enable photosynthesis by photosynthetic organisms to be carried out more efficiently. Furthermore, when applied to an artificial culture device, small voltage fluctuations and flickering of LED light are often not a problem, and in many cases, a simple adjustment of the commercial power supply transformer is sufficient. Furthermore, a voltage source such as that disclosed in PCT / JP2018 / 013206, previously filed by the present inventor, can also be applied. In this voltage supply configuration, it is preferable that the power supply device includes a current control mechanism that controls the amount of current supplied by a switching circuit or thyristor circuit, allowing the amount of current to be variably adjusted depending on the situation. With the above configuration, it becomes easy to control the amount of current supplied by the current control mechanism in accordance with the species of photosynthetic organism being cultured, and it is possible to obtain the optimum illuminance from the LED for the photosynthetic organism being cultured.

[0038] Next, the apparatus for producing a product produced by a photosynthetic organism cultured in an artificial culture device according to the present invention is characterized by comprising an extraction device for extracting the product produced by the photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device through photosynthesis, and a recovery device for recovering the product extracted by the extraction device. The extraction device is not particularly limited. Various devices are possible, such as a device that recovers photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device and breaks down the cell walls with an alcohol solution to extract intracellular material, a squeezing device, or a cell wall crushing device using solar drying. The recovery device is not particularly limited. Various devices are possible, such as a static separation device that utilizes the specific gravity difference between the extracted intracellular material and a medium, a membrane separation device that uses a functional membrane, or an adsorption recovery device that introduces an adsorbed material into a liquid. The product produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in an artificial culture device may include carbohydrates, hydrocarbons, etc. Research into biofuels has been active in recent years, and photosynthetic organisms that can produce hydrocarbons, or so-called biofuels, as product materials produced by photosynthetic organisms through photosynthesis are known. As research continues, it is expected that microorganisms and photosynthetic organisms with high production efficiency will become available.

[0039] According to the artificial culture device of the present invention, surface light can be emitted by the light guide plate inside the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit, thereby widening the effective irradiation area, and since photosynthetic organisms are introduced onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit, the distance between the photosynthetic organisms and the LED light is shortened, increasing the light reception efficiency of the photosynthetic organisms and improving photosynthetic efficiency. According to the artificial culture device of the multilayer structure of the present invention, a culture solution containing photosynthetic organisms and carbon dioxide-containing water can be poured directly onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel that has been made to emit light, or onto a transparent plate provided on the surface of the surface-emitting panel, and photosynthesis can be carried out as the culture solution flows down vertically and horizontally in a zigzag pattern between the multiple surface-emitting units, thereby enabling efficient photosynthesis. Furthermore, according to the artificial culture device of the present invention, by combining a "crossover water cooling water conduit," an "LED water cooling structure," and a "water cooling water crossover connection" formed between multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units, water for water cooling can be efficiently passed between multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units, and heat generated by the LED line light source can be transported outside the system to provide thermal countermeasures, thereby improving the illuminance of artificial lighting in the artificial culture device and enabling photosynthesis by photosynthetic organisms to be carried out more efficiently.Furthermore, the production material manufacturing device of the present invention can extract and recover production materials produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device, allowing for efficient production of biofuels.

[0040] 1 is a diagram (part 1) showing a simplified configuration of the artificial culture device 100. 2 is a diagram (part 2) showing a simplified configuration of the artificial culture device 100. 3 is a diagram (part 1) showing a simplified arrangement of the light-emitting surface 152 and the diffusion structure 153 in the surface-emitting panel 150. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the ends of multiple surface-emitting units 110 are connected to ensure a long circulation path for the culture solution. 5 is a diagram (part 1) showing a simplified configuration of a zigzag-type artificial culture device with a multilayer structure in which the surface-emitting units 110 are stacked vertically. 6 is a diagram (part 2) showing a simplified configuration of a zigzag-type artificial culture device with a multilayer structure in which the surface-emitting units 110 are stacked vertically. 7 is a diagram (part 2) showing a simplified configuration of an artificial culture device 100 with a crossover water-cooling heat dissipation measure. 8 is a diagram (part 1) showing a simplified diagram of the heat exchange of the LED line light source 120 with the crossover water-cooling water conduit 130 via the LED water-cooling structure 140 and carried away by the flow of the water-cooling water. 9 is a diagram (part 1) showing a simplified diagram of a crossover voltage connection structure in which current is passed between multiple water-cooled surface-emitting units 110. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration in which a plurality of surface-emitting units 110 are arranged facing each other and suspended over a culture solution storage tank 182. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration in which a plurality of surface-emitting units 110 are arranged in a circumferential manner, concentrically arranged, and suspended over a culture solution storage tank 182. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a horizontally arranged artificial culture device. FIG. 4 is a simplified diagram showing an apparatus for producing a product produced by a photosynthetic organism cultured in an artificial culture device according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conventional plant cultivation device disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP 2013-17397 A). FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a conventional water-cooled LED illumination device disclosed in Patent Document 3 (JP 2008-300158 A). FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional water-cooled LED illumination device disclosed in Patent Document 4 (JP 2010-251114 A).

[0041] Examples of the artificial culture device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. It goes without saying that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the specific applications, shapes, and numbers shown in the following examples. Example 1 describes a basic surface-emitting unit 110 of the artificial culture device. Example 2 shows an example of the configuration of an artificial culture device using a serial bridge structure in which multiple surface-emitting units are connected in series. Example 3 shows an example of the configuration of a zigzag-type artificial culture device in which basic surface-emitting units are vertically stacked. Example 4 shows an example of the configuration of an artificial culture device using a crossover water / cooling water conduit. Example 5 shows an example of the configuration of a hanging-type artificial culture device in which basic surface-emitting units are suspended in a culture medium storage tank. Example 6 shows an example of the configuration of a horizontal-installation-type artificial culture device in which basic surface-emitting units are horizontally arranged in a culture medium storage tank. Example 7 shows an example of the configuration of an apparatus for producing a product produced by a photosynthetic organism cultured in the artificial culture device of the present invention.

[0042] An example of the basic configuration of the artificial culture device 100 of the present invention according to Example 1 is shown. Example 1 is a configuration example in which the basic surface-emitting unit 110 is used alone in the artificial culture device 100. Figures 1 and 2 are simplified diagrams showing the configuration of the artificial culture device 100. Some components, such as the LED voltage control circuit, are omitted from the illustration. Figure 1 is a simplified perspective view of the configuration of the artificial culture device 100. Figure 2 is a simplified side view of the configuration of the artificial culture device 100. Note that, due to the nature of the illustration, the LED line light source 120 and voltage supply line 160 of the surface-emitting unit 110 are not shown. As shown in Figure 1, the artificial culture device 100 of the present invention is configured to include a surface-emitting unit 110 as a basic unit, a support structure 170, and a culture medium supply unit 180. The artificial culture device 100 of the present invention can be configured in various ways by combining multiple surface-emitting units 110, which are the basic structure.

[0043] First, a single surface-emitting unit 110 will be described. The surface-emitting unit 110, which is the basic unit of the artificial culture device 100, is configured to include an LED line light source 120, a surface-emitting panel 150, and a voltage supply line 160. FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view of the surface-emitting side of the surface-emitting unit 110, in this example, from above. Some components are shown in a simplified view with the internal structure transparent. Note that in the example of FIG. 1, the diffusion structure 153 is located near the back surface, and the light-emitting surface 152 is located on only one side. FIG. 1(b) is a simplified exploded view showing the individual components that make up the surface-emitting unit 110. The surface-emitting panel 150, the LED line light source 120, and the voltage supply line 160 are simply illustrated.

[0044] Below, we will explain each component of the water-cooled surface-emitting unit 110 in order. The LED line light source 120 is an illumination body in which a large number of LED elements 122 are mounted in a line along an electronic board 121. In this configuration example, the LED line light source 120 is mounted facing the light-guiding side surface 154 of the surface-emitting panel 150 so that irradiation light is guided to the light-guiding side surface 154 of the surface-emitting panel 150. Therefore, the side of the LED line light source 120 facing the light-guiding side surface 154 of the surface-emitting panel 150 becomes the light irradiation surface.

[0045] The LED element 122 is in the form of a chip, with the light-emitting surface of the LED element on the front surface and the electrode surface on the back surface. In this example, the LED element is a surface-mounted (SMD) LED element. The LED element 122's emission wavelength can be selected according to the intended use and is available in a variety of wavelengths. An LED element with an emission wavelength that includes many wavelengths effective for photosynthesis in photosynthetic organisms is preferable. While this depends on the type of photosynthetic organism and the type of chloroplasts it possesses, wavelengths that are easily absorbed by chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and beta-carotene and are related to photosynthesis and growth are generally considered to be efficiently utilized for photosynthesis in the following wavelengths: 400-470 nm (blue wavelength), 640-690 nm (red wavelength), and 710-740 nm (far-infrared wavelength). Therefore, an LED element 122 that emits light with a central wavelength of 400-470 nm (blue wavelength), 640-690 nm (red wavelength), or 710-740 nm (far-infrared wavelength), or a combination of these, is preferable.

[0046] The photosynthetic organisms contained in the culture solution may be algae, phytoplankton, euglena, bacteria with chloroplasts, microorganisms with chloroplasts, or bacteria with chloroplasts, or a combination thereof. Depending on the purpose, for example, photosynthetic organisms with a high ability to produce hydrocarbons that can be used as biofuels are preferable. Photosynthetic organisms with a high ability to produce carbohydrates are also preferable. Genetically modified photosynthetic organisms with a high photosynthetic ability or artificial photosynthetic organisms with a high ability to produce hydrocarbons that can be used as biofuels may also be used. These LED elements 122 are arranged in a line to form the LED line light source 120. For example, 30 LEDs 122 are mounted so that they emit light forward. A detailed description of the LED voltage control circuit is omitted; however, it receives an externally supplied voltage and controls the supply of the necessary power to the LED line light source 120.

[0047] The surface-emitting panel 150 is a panel that diffuses the irradiated light received from the LED line light source 120 to illuminate the light-emitting surface. In other words, it can diffuse light from the side and illuminate the entire light-emitting surface 152 using the diffusion structure 153. The surface-emitting panel 150 basically includes a panel base material 151, a light-emitting surface 152, a diffusion structure 153, and a light-guiding side surface 154, and optionally includes a culture solution flow control frame 155. The surface-emitting unit 110 can be arranged in two ways: with the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 facing upward, or with the surface-emitting panel 150 hanging down so that the light-emitting surface faces horizontally. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1 , the surface-emitting unit 110 is arranged in a way that the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 faces upward. In the examples of the artificial culture device 100 having a multilayer structure in Examples 2, 3, and 5 described below, the surface-emitting unit 110 is arranged so that the light-emitting surface of each surface-emitting panel 150 faces upward. Also, in the example of the artificial culture device 100 having a combined structure in Example 4 described below, the surface-emitting unit 110 is arranged so that each surface-emitting panel 150 hangs down in the culture solution storage tank and the light-emitting surface faces horizontally. These will be described in detail in each example.

[0048] The panel substrate 151 is the panel material of the surface-emitting panel. A translucent material is preferable; in this example, a highly transparent acrylic resin is used. The size of the panel substrate 151 is not limited, but it is generally a plate-like body. Depending on the application, it may be from several tens of centimeters square to several meters square, or even several tens of meters square. The shape of the panel substrate 151 is also not limited. It is generally rectangular. That is, the light-emitting surface 152 is square or rectangular. For special applications, the light-emitting surface 152 may be elliptical, circular, or even irregular. The three-dimensional shape of the panel substrate 151 is also not limited. While both the front and back surfaces are generally flat, the light-emitting surface 152 on the front surface may be convex or concave. The surface of the panel substrate 151 is preferably water-repellent. The culture solution slowly flows down the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110, but because the slope created by the arrangement of the surface-emitting panel 150 is small, if the viscosity of the culture solution increases as the photosynthetic organisms grow, the culture solution will become less likely to flow and may stagnate on the surface-emitting panel 150. For this reason, it is preferable to apply a water-repellent treatment to the surface of the panel base material 151 of each surface-emitting panel 150 to reduce the coefficient of friction.

[0049] The light-emitting surface 152 is all or part of the surface of the panel base material 151. It is a surface that emits light upon receiving the irradiated light diffused by the diffusion structure 153. Depending on the arrangement of the diffusion structure 153 in the surface-emitting panel 150 and the presence or absence of a reflector, the light-emitting surface 152 can be provided on only one surface, or on both the front and back surfaces.

[0050] The diffusion structure 153 is a structure provided inside the panel base material 151 and uniformly diffuses the LED light received from the side. It typically has dots or grooves formed therein. Because the LED light introduced as illumination light travels in a straight line, the light-emitting surface 152 does not emit light uniformly without the diffusion structure 153. The diffusion structure 153 scatters the light received from the side in a straight line using the dots or grooves, allowing the entire light-emitting surface 152 to emit light. The diffusion structure 153 can be provided inside the panel base material 151 by various methods. For example, laser processing is one method. A predetermined surface is imagined inside the panel base material 151, and a laser is focused to scratch the predetermined surface to form an uneven surface. For example, silk printing is one method. A dot pattern is printed on the back surface of the panel base material 151 using luminescent ink. For example, cutting is one method. A groove pattern or dot pattern is cut into the back surface of the panel base material 151 using a plotter. For example, molding is one method. A mold with a groove pattern or dot pattern is prepared, and molten acrylic material is poured into the mold to form the acrylic material. In this manner, the diffusing structure 153 is provided with a pattern that reflects and scatters the light emitted by the LED. In this configuration example, the light emitted by the LED is guided from the light-guiding side surface 154. Therefore, in order to make the light-emitting panel 150 emit light uniformly, it is also possible to adjust the density of the dots and grooves of the diffusing structure 153 depending on the distance from the light-guiding side surface 154. For example, by making the density relatively low in areas closer to the light-guiding side surface 154 and making the density of the dots and grooves of the diffusing structure 153 relatively high the further away from the light-emitting panel 150, the light-emitting panel 150 can emit light uniformly.

[0051] FIG. 3 is a diagram simply illustrating the arrangement of the light-emitting surface 152 and the diffusing structure 153 in the surface-emitting panel 150, and the presence or absence of a reflector 153-2. FIG. 3( a) is a diagram simply illustrating a configuration in which the light-emitting surface 152 is provided on both sides. FIG. 3( b) is a diagram simply illustrating a configuration in which the light-emitting surface 152 is provided on only one side. FIG. 3( a) shows the diffusing structure 153 provided near the center of the panel substrate 151. That is, the dots and grooves of the diffusing structure reflect and diffuse light both toward the front and back sides. That is, the LED illumination light is diffused toward the front side and also toward the back side. Thus, whether the light-emitting surface 152 in the surface-emitting panel 150 is one-sided or two-sided depends on the presence or absence of the diffusing structure 153 and the reflector 153-2 inside the panel substrate 151. FIG. 3( b) shows the diffusing structure 153 provided inside the panel substrate 151 on the back side of the panel substrate 151 or near the back side. That is, while the light emitted by the LED is scattered in both directions by the diffusion structure 153, the light emitted by the LED is diffused in only one direction by providing the reflector 153-2.

[0052] The light-guiding side surface 154 is a surface that introduces the LED irradiation light from the LED line light source 120. The light-guiding side surface 154 of the surface-emitting panel 150 is disposed opposite the irradiation surface of the LED line light source 120, and the LED irradiation light from the LED line light source 120 is introduced. Note that although the introduced LED irradiation light is a straight light, it is preferable to introduce it so that it is incident in the direction of the diffusion structure 153. The introduced LED irradiation light is uniformly diffused by the diffusion structure 153, and the light-emitting surface 152 emits light.

[0053] The culture medium movement control frame 155 is a structure that serves as a kind of "embankment" attached to a portion of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110, and acts as a bank that controls the movement direction of the culture medium, like a river embankment. When the artificial culture device 100 of the present invention is used by placing the surface-emitting unit 110 on its side at a slight incline and introducing culture medium onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 to contact it, the culture medium movement control frame 155 controls the culture medium introduced onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 to flow in a predetermined direction without spreading uncontrollably. In Figure 2, the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 is inclined from left to right in the figure, and the culture medium flows down along this inclination. In Figure 2, the embankment-shaped culture solution movement control frame 155 pieces are not shown to make it easier to see how the culture solution flows on the surface-emitting panel 150 at the sides. However, there are embankment-shaped culture solution movement control frame 155 pieces on the side of the flow, and the culture solution flows from the top to the bottom without flowing out to the side, and the slope controls the flow so that it flows from the right to the left in the figure. The placement position, length, height, etc. of the culture solution movement control frame 155 are not limited, but it is preferable to take care not to interfere with the surface-emitting areas of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 and to ensure that the LED light reception efficiency is sufficiently improved at the surface-emitting areas of the culture solution. The culture solution movement control frame 155 is an optional component. It is preferable to provide this in an artificial culture device with a serial crossover connection configuration in which the surface light-emitting panels 150 of Example 2 described later are connected in series, an artificial culture device with a zigzag type in which the surface light-emitting panels 150 of Example 3 described later are multi-layered, and an artificial culture device using a crossover water and cooling water conduit of Example 4 described later, but it is not necessary to provide this in an artificial culture device with a hanging type to a culture medium storage tank of Example 4 described later.

[0054] The voltage supply line 160 is a metal strip or wire that supplies electricity to the LED line light sources 120. In this example, electricity is supplied to the entire water-cooled surface light-emitting unit 110 in a continuous manner, and the structure is such that power can be supplied to each of the LED line light sources 120.

[0055] In this way, the surface light emitting unit 110 is a single unit that combines the LED line light source 120, the surface light emitting panel 150, the voltage supply line 160, and, if necessary, the optional culture medium movement control frame 155.

[0056] The support structure 170 is a structure that supports the surface-emitting unit 110 in a predetermined position and at a predetermined inclination angle. By supporting the surface-emitting unit 110 in a predetermined position with the support structure 170, the culture solution can flow stably relative to and come into contact with the surface-emitting unit 110.

[0057] Here, there are two patterns of the support structure 170. The first pattern of the support structure 170 is an inclined support structure 171 that supports the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 by tilting it and laying it down. As shown in FIG. 1, the basic configuration example of this Example 1 is illustrated as including the inclined support structure 171. Note that the configuration example of the artificial culture device 100 with a serial crossover connection structure according to Example 2 and the configuration example of the multilayer structure zigzag-type artificial culture device 100 according to Example 3 adopt the inclined support structure 171. The second pattern of the support structure 170 is a hanging support structure 172 that supports the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 by hanging it upright. Note that the configuration example of the hanging-type artificial culture device according to Example 4, in which the surface-emitting panel 150 of the basic surface-emitting unit 110 hangs down into a culture medium storage tank, adopts the hanging support structure 172.

[0058] 1, the tilt support structure 171 is simply illustrated, but as shown in Fig. 1, the tilt support structure 171 supports the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 so that it lies at an incline. The tilt angle θ of the surface-emitting panel 150 by the tilt support structure 170 is preferably in the range of more than 0 degrees and less than 20 degrees, and is set to, for example, 3 degrees in this example.

[0059] Next, the culture solution supply unit 180 will be described. The culture solution supply unit 180 is a supply device that introduces a culture solution containing photosynthetic organisms, carbon dioxide-containing water, and necessary nutrients onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 for contact. In this example, the culture solution supply unit 180 also has two patterns depending on the arrangement configuration of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 using the support structure 170.

[0060] In the first pattern of the culture medium supply unit 180, the culture medium supply unit 180 includes a culture medium supply pipe 181, and the culture medium is poured onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150, which is supported at an incline. This pattern is for a configuration in which the support structure 170 is an inclined support structure 171, and the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 is supported by the inclined support structure 171 so that it is laid down at an incline. Note that, since the culture medium is continuously circulated and supplied, a configuration is also possible in which the culture medium that flows downward is then circulated through a circulation path (not shown), pumped upward, and discharged again from the culture medium outlet 181. With this first pattern configuration, as shown in FIG. 2, in the artificial culture device 100, the culture medium flows slowly over the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150, which is laid down along the incline. Although not shown in FIG. 2, in the first pattern configuration, it is preferable to provide a culture medium movement control frame 155, which acts as a dike, on the side of the flow to control the flow of the culture medium in one direction. In the configuration example of the artificial culture device 100 with a serial crossover connection structure according to Example 2 and the configuration example of the artificial culture device 100 with a multilayer structure and a zigzag type according to Example 3, the culture medium supply unit 180 employs a culture medium supply pipe 181. In the basic configuration example of Example 1, the support structure 170 is an inclined support structure 171, and the culture medium supply unit 180 is a culture medium supply pipe 181.

[0061] The second pattern of the culture medium supply unit 180 is a pattern in which the support structure 170 is a hanging support structure 172, and the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 is supported by the hanging support structure 170 in a hanging manner in a culture medium storage tank, and the culture medium supply unit 180 is configured to include a culture medium storage tank 182 that temporarily stores the culture medium, and an agitation mechanism 183 that causes the culture medium to convect within the culture medium storage tank 182 so as to approach the surface of the hanging surface-emitting panel 150. Note that in the configuration example of the hanging-type artificial culture device according to Example 4, in which the surface-emitting panel 150 of the basic surface-emitting unit 110 is hung down in a culture medium storage tank, the culture medium storage tank 182 and the agitation mechanism 183 are employed.

[0062] Because photosynthesis by photosynthetic organisms takes time, the configuration of the culture medium supply pipe 181 according to this first configuration pattern preferably includes a circulation channel for the culture medium. While the culture medium supply section 180 is simply depicted as a culture medium supply pipe 181 in FIG. 2 , it is preferable that the culture medium supply pipe 181 have a circulation channel formed therein so that the culture medium circulates around the surface-emitting unit 110 multiple times. That is, as shown in FIG. 2 , the culture medium flows down the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110, circulates thereafter, returns to the outlet of the culture medium supply pipe 181, and is introduced onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110. Although not depicted in FIG. 2 , a power source such as a pump required for forming the circulation channel is also provided as part of the circulation channel.

[0063] The above is an outline of the basic configuration of the artificial culture device 100 of the present invention according to Example 1, that is, the configuration when the surface-emitting panel 110 is used alone. To summarize the operation of the artificial culture device 100 of the present invention according to Example 1, the LED irradiation light is diffused onto the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 to emit light, and the culture solution is introduced into the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 by the culture solution supply unit 180, allowing photosynthesis by photosynthetic organisms to be carried out efficiently. In the pattern shown in Example 1, the surface-emitting unit 110 is slightly tilted by the tilted support structure 171, and the surface-emitting panel 150 is placed in a lying position. The culture solution supply unit 180 pours the culture solution onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150, causing the culture solution to move slowly over the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150, receiving the LED irradiation light in the process to efficiently carry out photosynthesis.

[0064] Example 2 shows an example of the configuration of an artificial culture device 100 in which multiple surface-emitting units 110 are connected in series, creating a "series bridge structure" in which the culture solution flows between the multiple surface-emitting units 110. Example 2 is a configuration in which multiple surface-emitting units 110 described in Example 1 are connected in series to ensure a long culture solution flow path. In other words, this is an example of a configuration in which the ends of the surface-emitting units 100 are connected to each other to create a serial bridge connection structure for the culture solution. The culture solution flows over the surfaces of multiple surface-emitting panels 150, and the joints are seamlessly connected to ensure a seamless transfer of the culture solution. In the configuration shown in Example 1, a longer circulation path is advantageous, so the ends of multiple surface-emitting units 110 are connected to each other to ensure a long circulation path for the culture solution between the multiple surface-emitting units 110.

[0065] As shown in Figure 4, in an example configuration in which the ends of multiple surface-emitting units 110 are connected to each other to ensure a long circulation path for the culture medium, it is preferable that not only are the ends of the multiple surface-emitting units 110 connected to each other, but the end shapes of the culture medium flow control frames 155 are also matched, and that the culture medium flow control frames 155 are also continuous at the connection parts of the surface-emitting units 110.

[0066] Furthermore, it is also preferable to form a current-transfer connection structure 161 in which the voltage supply wire 160 is also connected across adjacent surface-emitting units 110 to electrically connect them. In Fig. 1, the terminal of the voltage supply wire 160 is simply drawn at the end of the electronic board 121 of the LED line light source 120, but the current-transfer connection structure 161 can be formed by electrically connecting the ends of multiple surface-emitting units 110 together.

[0067] 4, in the serial bridge structure, no culture solution movement control frame 155 is provided between the joints between the surface-emitting panels 150, and the joints are disconnected, allowing a seamless connection between the end of the preceding surface-emitting panel 150 and the tip of the succeeding surface-emitting panel 150. In other words, the joints between the surface-emitting panels 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 are smoothly connected.

[0068] 4, in the serial transfer structure, the joints between the surface-emitting panels 150 of the surface-emitting units 110 are smoothly connected, forming a "culture solution transfer connection structure" in which the culture solution flows over the surfaces of the surface-emitting panels 150 and is passed from the preceding surface-emitting panel 150 to the succeeding surface-emitting panel 150. In this way, in the combined structure, the culture solution flows between the multiple surface-emitting units 110, ensuring a long flow path, and promoting photosynthesis of photosynthetic organisms in the culture solution.

[0069] Even if serial culture medium flow paths are formed as a "culture medium crossing connection structure," it is still preferable that a circulation path be formed in the culture medium supply section 180 so that the culture medium circulates through the surface-emitting unit 110 multiple times, as shown in Fig. 2. That is, it is preferable that the culture medium flows down the surfaces of the surface-emitting panels 150 of the serially connected surface-emitting units 110, circulates there, returns to the outlet of the culture medium supply pipe 180 shown in Fig. 4, and is introduced onto the surfaces of the surface-emitting panels 150 of the surface-emitting units 110. The culture medium flows slowly over the surfaces of the surface-emitting panels 150 of the serially connected surface-emitting units 110, flows into the circulation path of the culture medium supply section 180 one level below, is pumped up, and is supplied again, repeatedly, thereby ensuring a long circulation path.

[0070] Example 3 shows an example of the configuration of a zigzag-type artificial culture device with a multilayer structure in which the surface-emitting units 110 shown in Example 1 or Example 2 are vertically layered. Using a zigzag-type artificial culture device 100 with a multilayer structure in which the surface-emitting units 110 are vertically layered allows the culture solution to flow slowly over the surface of each surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 in the current stage, and then slowly flow over the surface of each surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 one stage below the current stage, thereby ensuring a long circulation path. Furthermore, if each surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 is a double-sided light-emitting type, light is also irradiated from the back of the upper surface-emitting panel 150 as the culture solution slowly flows over the surface of each surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 in the current stage, thereby extremely increasing the efficiency of photosynthesis.

[0071] 5 and 6 are diagrams briefly illustrating the configuration of a zigzag-type artificial culture device having a multilayer structure in which surface-emitting units 110 are stacked vertically. In the configuration example shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, surface-emitting units 110-1 belonging to the first group and surface-emitting units 110-2 belonging to the second group are alternately arranged in the vertical direction to form a multilayer structure. The surface-emitting units 110-1 belonging to the first group are arranged at an angle greater than 0 degrees and less than 20 degrees as shown. The surface-emitting units 110-2 belonging to the second group are arranged at an angle less than 0 degrees and less than minus 20 degrees as shown. The surface-emitting units 110-1 belonging to the first group and the surface-emitting units 110-2 belonging to the second group are arranged alternately in the vertical direction, resulting in a zigzag arrangement of multiple surface-emitting units 110 in the vertical direction.

[0072] The "zigzag fold" referred to here means that the surface-emitting unit 110-1 belonging to the first group and the surface-emitting unit 110-2 belonging to the second group are stacked in staggered layers to form a multi-layer structure, and each layer has a gentle slope from the top to the bottom, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. This relationship continues across multiple layers.

[0073] Below, two configuration examples of a zigzag-type artificial culture device with a vertically multilayered structure will be described. Figure 5 is a simplified diagram showing a zigzag-type artificial culture device 100 with a multilayered structure according to the first configuration example. As shown in Figure 5, a culture medium supply pipe 181 is interposed between the zigzag-shaped surface-emitting units 110 belonging to the first group and the second group, and between the second group and the first group. The culture medium is collected at the end of each surface-emitting unit 110 and supplied to the upper end of the lower surface-emitting unit 110. Furthermore, a large circulation culture medium supply pipe 181 may be present from the bottom to the top of the zigzag-type vertically multilayered structure. In other words, in this first configuration example of the zigzag-type artificial culture device, the culture medium is transferred between the surface-emitting units 110 of each level by operating the culture medium supply pipe 181.

[0074] As shown in Figure 5, a culture solution containing photosynthetic organisms and carbon dioxide-containing water is poured onto the surface-emitting panels 150 of the surface-emitting units 110 of the multi-layered artificial culture device 100, and the culture solution flows down vertically and horizontally in a zigzag pattern between the multiple surface-emitting units 150. As shown in Figure 5, a culture solution supply pipe 181 is provided at the joints between the surface-emitting panels 150 of the surface-emitting units 110 of each stage, and the culture solution that has flowed through each stage is collected at the end of the surface-emitting panel 150 and flows to the top end of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the next stage through the culture solution supply pipe 181. The culture solution is transferred between the surface-emitting panels 150 of the surface-emitting units 110 of each stage via this culture solution supply pipe 181, and the culture solution circulates while being passed between the surface-emitting panels 150 of the surface-emitting units 110 of each stage of the zigzag-type artificial culture device of the first configuration example.

[0075] 6 is a simplified diagram showing a multilayered zigzag-type artificial culture device 100 according to a second configuration example. As shown in FIG. 6, gravity is utilized for both the transfer between the zigzag-shaped surface-emitting units 110 belonging to the first group and the second group, and the transfer between the second group and the first group. In other words, in the second configuration example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the horizontal arrangement of the zigzag-type artificial culture device of the multilayered structure, the lower inclined end of the upper surface-emitting unit 110 is shorter than the upper inclined end of the lower surface-emitting unit 110, so that if a liquid falls from the lower inclined end of the upper surface-emitting unit 110, it is received by the lower surface-emitting unit 110. This structure allows the transfer of culture solution between the upper surface-emitting unit 110 and the lower surface-emitting unit 110 due to gravity to continue across multiple levels.

[0076] Furthermore, if each surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting units 110 used in the artificial culture device 100 is a double-sided surface-emitting type, even while flowing slowly along the slope on the surface of the surface-emitting unit 110 of the current stage, the cells are exposed to the LED illumination from the surface-emitting unit 110 of the current stage and the LED illumination from the backside of the surface-emitting unit 110 of the upper stage, thereby enabling efficient photosynthesis.

[0077] Example 4 shows an example of the configuration of an artificial culture device using a crossover water cooling water conduit. Figure 7 is a simplified diagram showing the configuration of an artificial culture device 100 equipped with a crossover water cooling system as a heat dissipation measure. As shown in Figure 7, the artificial culture device 100 is configured as the surface light-emitting unit 110, voltage supply line 160, support structure 170, and culture medium supply unit 180 of the artificial culture device 100 described in Examples 1 and 2, with the surface light-emitting unit 110 equipped with a crossover water cooling water conduit 130 and an LED water-cooling structure 140. In addition, the voltage supply line 160 is configured with a crossover current adjustment unit 161.

[0078] The crossover water cooling water conduit 130 is a pipe through which water-cooled water flows. Because it is used for water-cooled heat exchange, it is preferably made of a material with good thermal conductivity. For example, a metal pipe such as an aluminum pipe or a copper pipe is preferable. The crossover water cooling water conduit 130 is installed alongside the LED line light source 120, and is configured to easily absorb heat generated by the LED line light source 120. The ends of the crossover water cooling water conduit 130 are connected across adjacent water-cooled surface light-emitting units 110, forming a water-cooled water crossover connection 131 through which water flows. In this way, the crossover water cooling water conduit 130 and the water-cooled water crossover connection 131 can be used to connect multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units 110 and multiple crossover water-cooled artificial culture devices 100, thereby forming a large-scale crossover water-cooled artificial culture device 100 through which water-cooled water flows throughout the device.

[0079] The LED water-cooling structure 140 efficiently exchanges heat between the LED line light source 120 and the connecting water-cooling water conduit 130, and water-cools the heat generated by the LED line light source 120 using the cooling water flowing through the connecting water-cooling water conduit 130. The configuration is not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The structure of the LED water-cooling structure 140 is not limited. For example, the LED elements 122 of the LED line light source 120 are arranged on a thin electronic substrate 121, and the structure may be formed of a wire member or a pillar member made of a highly thermally conductive material (e.g., aluminum or copper) that connects the back side (the side opposite the mounting surface of the LED elements 122) of the thin electronic substrate 121 on which each LED element 122 is mounted to the connecting water-cooling water conduit 130 while maintaining electrical insulation.

[0080] The crossover current adjustment unit 161 adjusts the supply current so that an excess current greater than the rated current flows through the many LED chips 122 of the LED line light source 120. By causing the crossover current adjustment unit 161 to pass an excess current greater than the rated current through the LED chips 122, heat generated in the LED chips 122 is water-cooled by the crossover water-cooling water conduit 130 and the LED water-cooling structure 140.

[0081] FIG. 8 is a simplified diagram illustrating how heat from the LED line light source 120 is exchanged with the crossover water-cooling water conduit 130 via the LED water-cooling structure 140 and carried away by the flow of water-cooling water. This diagram is a plan view. To facilitate understanding of the heat exchange, only a portion of the device configuration is shown in FIG. 8 . The LED water-cooling structure 140 is also omitted. Only two connected water-cooled surface-emitting units 110 are shown. The water-cooling water in the crossover water-cooling water conduit 130 flows from bottom to top in the figure. Arrows are used to clearly illustrate the movement of heat and the flow of water-cooling water. FIG. 9 is a simplified diagram illustrating a crossover voltage connection structure that passes current between multiple water-cooled surface-emitting units 110. As shown in FIG. 9 , the terminals of the crossover voltage supply line 160 are connected across adjacent water-cooled surface-emitting units 110, forming a crossover voltage connection structure that also passes current. In the water-cooled surface light-emitting unit 110 in Figure 1, a terminal of a crossover voltage supply line 160 is simply drawn at the end of the electronic board 121 of the LED line light source 120, but by electrically connecting these terminals together, a crossover voltage connection structure as shown in Figure 9 is formed. These crossover voltage supply lines 160 and the crossover voltage connection structure connect multiple water-cooled surface light-emitting units 110 together, forming a large-scale crossover water-cooled artificial culture device 100. Furthermore, multiple crossover water-cooled artificial culture devices 100 can be connected together to form a large-scale crossover water-cooled artificial culture device group.

[0082] The above is an example of the basic configuration of the water-cooled artificial culture device 100 of the present invention according to Example 4. Even if the LED chip emits light at such high brightness that heat dissipation would not be able to keep up with conventional technology, the water-cooled surface-emitting lighting device of the present invention can sufficiently dissipate heat by water cooling, making it possible to improve the illuminance of the LED line light source.

[0083] Example 5 shows an example of the configuration of a hanging-type artificial culture device in which a basic surface-emitting unit is suspended in a culture medium storage tank. The culture medium supply unit 180 is configured to include a culture medium storage tank 182 that temporarily stores the culture medium and an agitation mechanism 183, and the support structure is configured to support at least a portion of the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 by hanging it down in the culture medium in the culture medium storage tank 182. The agitation mechanism 183 agitates the culture medium in the culture medium storage tank 182, allowing photosynthetic organisms to approach the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150 suspended in the culture medium storage tank 182. Note that since the light-emitting panel 150 is immersed in the culture medium storage tank 182, a culture medium movement control frame 155 is not required, but insulation of the immersed portion of the surface-emitting panel 150 must be ensured.

[0084] Various designs are possible for the configuration of a hanging-type artificial culture device. FIG. 10 shows a configuration in which multiple surface-emitting units 110 are arranged facing each other and hanging down from a culture medium storage tank 182. This is shown in a perspective view. To make the configuration of each part easier to understand, the culture medium stored in the culture medium storage tank 182, the support structure 170, and some of the components of the surface-emitting units 110 are not shown in FIG. 10 . Although the support structure 170 is not shown in FIG. 10 , multiple surface-emitting units 110 are arranged facing each other at a predetermined interval, and the surface-emitting units 110 hang down so that at least a portion of the surface-emitting panel 150 is immersed in the culture medium in the culture medium storage tank 182. The surface-emitting units 110 may have the configurations shown in Examples 1 and 2. Here, the surface-emitting units 110 are assumed to be of a double-sided light-emitting type. The culture solution storage tank 182 is provided with an agitation mechanism 183 for agitating the culture solution, so that the photosynthetic organisms in the culture solution receive the LED irradiation light from the surface light-emitting unit 110 evenly.

[0085] FIG. 11 shows a configuration in which multiple surface-emitting units 110 are arranged in a circumferential manner, arranged concentrically, and suspended in a culture medium storage tank 182. The diagram is a plan view. Due to the nature of the illustration, FIG. 11 does not show the culture medium stored in the culture medium storage tank 182, the support structure 170, or some of the components of the surface-emitting units 110. The surface-emitting units 110 may have the configurations shown in Examples 1 and 2. While the support structure 170 is not shown in FIG. 11 , multiple surface-emitting units 110 are arranged concentrically at predetermined intervals, suspended so that at least a portion of the surface-emitting panel 150 is immersed in the culture medium in the culture medium storage tank 182. These are merely examples, and various other arrangements are possible.

[0086] Example 6 shows a configuration example of a horizontally installed artificial culture device in which basic surface-emitting units are arranged horizontally within a culture medium storage tank. The culture medium supply unit 180 is configured to include a culture medium storage tank 182 that temporarily stores the culture medium, and may further include a stirring mechanism 183. The support structure 170 is configured to horizontally support the surface-emitting panel 150 of the surface-emitting unit 110 in the culture medium in the culture medium storage tank 182. Various designs are possible for horizontally installed artificial culture devices. Because the light-emitting panel 150 is immersed in the culture medium storage tank 182, a culture medium movement control frame 155 is not required, and insulation of the surface-emitting panel 150 must be ensured. In a configuration with a stirring mechanism 183, the stirring mechanism 183 stirs the culture medium in the culture medium storage tank 182, stirring the mixture so that photosynthetic organisms approach the surface of the surface-emitting panel 150. Here, a configuration with a stirring mechanism 183 is described.

[0087] FIG. 12 shows an example of the configuration of a horizontally arranged artificial culture device. FIG. 12(a) is a view from the side in the longitudinal direction. To make the internal structure easier to understand, the internal structure is shown as it is seen from the side. While FIG. 12(a) would normally have side walls 185 for sealing the culture solution inside, the side walls 185 are not shown in the illustration. FIG. 12(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 11(a). To make the configuration of each part easier to understand, the culture solution stored in the culture solution storage tank 182, the culture solution supply unit 181, the support structure 170, and some of the components of the surface-emitting unit 110 are not shown in FIG. 12. While the support structure 170 is not shown in FIG. 12, the surface-emitting unit 110 is horizontally arranged near the center of the culture solution storage tank 182. The surface-emitting unit 110 may have the configuration shown in Examples 1 and 2. Here, the surface-emitting unit 110 is a double-sided light-emitting type. In this configuration example, a culture solution storage tank 182 is provided with an agitation mechanism 183 for agitating the culture solution, so that a flow occurs in the culture solution.

[0088] As shown in Figure 12, the horizontally arranged artificial culture device 100 is configured with a culture medium storage tank 182 containing a stirring mechanism 183, a light-transmitting plate member 184, reflecting plate members 185 (bottom, right side, left side), and a folded end 186. The culture medium storage tank 182 is equipped with a longitudinal upstream flow path, a longitudinal downstream flow path, and a folded end 186 connecting them, forming a circulating path. Stirring by the stirring mechanism 183 causes the culture medium to flow from the longitudinal upstream flow path through the folded end 186 to the longitudinal downstream flow path, and then through the folded end 186 on the right side of the figure (not shown) to the longitudinal upstream flow path.

[0089] The translucent plate member 184 provided above the front surface of the surface-emitting unit 110 is made of a translucent material and can take in external light into the culture solution storage tank 182. For example, sunlight can be taken in. The reflector member provided below the back surface of the surface-emitting unit 110 has a reflective surface on the inner surface side of the culture solution storage tank 182 and can reflect LED irradiation light irradiated from the bottom surface of the surface-emitting unit 110, which emits light from both sides, and irradiate the light onto the inner surface side of the culture solution storage tank 182.

[0090] The culture solution supply unit 181 supplies the culture solution to the above-mentioned upstream and downstream paths, and in this configuration example, the upstream path between the light-transmitting plate member 184 and the surface-emitting unit 100 is configured to receive external light such as sunlight and LED irradiation light emitted from the surface-emitting unit 110. Also, the downstream path between the surface-emitting unit 100 and the reflecting plate member 185 is configured to receive LED irradiation light emitted from the surface-emitting unit 110 and LED irradiation light reflected from the reflecting plate member 185. Photosynthesis of photosynthetic organisms in the culture solution is carried out efficiently.

[0091] In addition, the configuration example of Figure 12 can be a type of crossover water-cooled artificial culture apparatus 100 using the crossover water cooling water conduit 130 shown in Example 4. Figure 12(c) is a simplified diagram showing a configuration example of a crossover water-cooled artificial culture apparatus 100 in which the crossover water cooling water conduit 130 shown in Example 4 is added to the horizontally arranged artificial culture apparatus 100 of Example 6 to implement a crossover water-cooled heat dissipation measure. In this configuration, as shown in Figure 12(c), the water-cooled water conduit 130 is arranged along the end of the surface-emitting unit 110, facing the LED line light source 120 (not shown). In other words, the water-cooled water conduit 130 shown in Figures 7 and 8 is arranged between the surface-emitting unit 110 and the reflector material 185 on the right wall.

[0092] Example 7 shows an example of the configuration of an apparatus for producing a product produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device of the present invention. Products that can be produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device 100 shown in Examples 1 to 7 include carbohydrates and hydrocarbons. Research into biofuels has been active in recent years, and photosynthetic organisms that can produce hydrocarbons, or so-called biofuels, are known as products that can be produced by photosynthesis. Figure 13 is a simplified diagram of an apparatus for producing a product produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device of the present invention. As shown in Figure 13, the production device 200 is configured to include an extraction device 210 that extracts the product produced by photosynthesis by photosynthetic organisms cultured in any of the artificial culture devices 100 shown in Examples 1 to 7, and a recovery device 220 that recovers the product extracted by the extraction device 210.

[0093] The extraction device 210 is not particularly limited. For example, some devices are equipped with a tank filled with an alcohol solution. Photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device 100 are taken into the tank and exposed to the alcohol solution to break down the cell walls and extract the intracellular substances. Other devices are equipped with a squeezing device inside the tank. The photosynthetic organisms are squeezed, much like squeezing juice, to extract the substances produced inside the cells. There are also cell wall crushing devices that use sunlight drying. If the organisms are aquatic or saltwater microorganisms, the cell walls are broken down by drying using sunlight, and the substances produced inside the cells are extracted.

[0094] Next, the recovery device 220 is not particularly limited. For example, there is a static separation device that utilizes the difference in specific gravity between the extracted intracellular material and the medium. If the product material produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in a culture solution is a hydrocarbon such as biofuel, the specific gravity is determined by the size of the linear chain. Materials with a specific gravity lower than that of water float, while materials with a specific gravity higher than that of water sink, allowing separation, and the supernatant or sediment layer is recovered. For example, there is a membrane separation device that uses a functional membrane. Separation and recovery is possible using a functional membrane that allows only the medium, such as water or seawater, to pass through while blocking hydrocarbons such as biofuel. For example, there is an adsorption recovery device that introduces an oil adsorbent into a tank. Oil adsorbent fibers and oil adsorbent sheets with the property of adsorbing hydrocarbons such as biofuels are available on the market. These oil adsorbent materials are introduced into the tank to adsorb and recover the oil.

[0095] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, but the present invention can be widely applied to a cross-flow water-cooled artificial culture device, a multi-layered artificial culture device using the same, an artificial plant culture device using the same, and a lighting device for a building structure using the same.

[0096] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Artificial culture device 110 Surface light-emitting unit 110 120 LED line light source 130 Crossover water cooling water conduit 140 LED water cooling structure 150 Surface light-emitting panel 160 Voltage supply line 170 Support structure 180 Culture solution supply unit 200 Production device for products of photosynthetic organisms

Claims

1. An artificial culture device for artificially culturing photosynthetic organisms, comprising: an LED line light source having a large number of LED chips arranged thereon; a transparent body having a light-emitting surface and a light-guiding side surface that introduces irradiated light from a side surface of the light-emitting surface; a surface-emitting panel having a diffusion structure that serves as a light-guiding plate that reflects and diffuses the irradiated light received from the light-guiding side surface and causes the light-emitting surface to emit light; a surface-emitting unit that comprises the LED line light source and the surface-emitting panel as a single unit, and that faces the light-guiding side surface of the LED line light source to cause the light-emitting surface to emit light; a support structure that supports the surface-emitting unit in a predetermined arrangement; a culture solution supply section that introduces a culture solution containing the photosynthetic organisms and water containing carbon dioxide to contact the surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit; and an artificial culture device that causes the photosynthetic organisms in the culture solution on the surface of the surface-emitting panel to photosynthesize using the LED irradiation light irradiated from the surface-emitting unit.

2. The artificial culture device described in claim 1, characterized in that the surface-emitting unit is arranged so that the light-emitting surface faces upward, a culture medium movement control frame is provided on a part of the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit as a dike wall controlling the movement direction of the culture medium, the support structure is an inclined support structure that supports the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit at an incline, the culture medium supply unit pours the culture medium onto the surface of the surface-emitting panel, and the culture medium flows over the upper surface of the surface-emitting panel by controlling the inclination and the movement direction of the culture medium movement control frame, and in the process receives the LED irradiation light and performs the photosynthesis.

3. The artificial culture device according to claim 1, wherein a combination structure is formed by combining a plurality of the surface-emitting units, the combination structure being a serial transition structure in which the plurality of the surface-emitting units are connected in series, the serial transition structure being provided with a culture solution transition connection structure that allows the culture solution on the surface of the surface-emitting panel to be passed between the surface-emitting panels of the surface-emitting units, and the culture solution flows between the plurality of surface-emitting units of the combination structure, thereby causing the photosynthetic organisms in the culture solution to perform photosynthesis.

4. The artificial culture device according to claim 1, wherein the combined structure is a multi-layered structure in which a plurality of the surface-emitting units are multi-layered, and the combined structure is composed of a first group in which, in a vertical arrangement, each of the surface-emitting units is arranged at an angle greater than 0 degrees for every other layer, and a second group in which the surface-emitting units sandwiched between the surface-emitting units of the first group are arranged at an angle less than 0 degrees, the surface-emitting units belonging to the first group and the surface-emitting units belonging to the second group are arranged alternately in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and the culture solution is flowed from the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit in an upper tier of the multi-layered structure onto the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit in that tier via the culture solution supply unit, and then from the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit in that tier onto the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit in the lower tier, and the culture solution flows down vertically and horizontally in a zigzag pattern between the plurality of surface-emitting units to perform photosynthesis.

5. The artificial culture device described in claim 4, characterized in that the diffusion structure of the surface-emitting panel is located in the middle layer of the transparent body and is provided with a double-sided light-emitting structure that reflects and diffuses the irradiated light received from the light-guiding side in both directions, the front side and the back side, the culture solution supply unit introduces culture solution containing the photosynthetic organisms and water containing carbon dioxide onto the upper surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit, and in the combined structure, the culture solution flowing over the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit of the current stage receives irradiated light from the light-emitting surface on the front side of the current stage and also receives irradiated light from the light-emitting surface on the back side of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit of the upper stage.

6. The artificial culture device according to claim 3, wherein the combination structure is a multi-layered structure in which a plurality of the surface-emitting units are multi-layered, and the combination structure is made up of a first group in which, in a vertical arrangement, each of the surface-emitting units is provided with an arrangement angle greater than 0 degrees for every other layer, and a second group in which the surface-emitting units sandwiched between the surface-emitting units of the first group are provided with an arrangement angle less than 0 degrees, the surface-emitting units are arranged in a zigzag pattern in the vertical direction, and the surface-emitting units are arranged in a zigzag pattern in the horizontal direction such that, when the surface-emitting units fall from the zigzag lower end of the surface-emitting units in the upper row, they are received by the surface-emitting units in the lower row, and the culture solution is caused to flow onto the surface-emitting panels of the surface-emitting units in the uppermost row of the multi-layered structure by the culture solution supply unit, and the culture solution is allowed to flow down between the plurality of surface-emitting units in a zigzag pattern in the vertical and horizontal directions while photosynthesis takes place.

7. The artificial culture device described in claim 5, characterized in that the diffusion structure of the surface-emitting panel is in the middle layer of the transparent body and is provided with a double-sided light-emitting structure that reflects and diffuses the irradiated light received from the light-guiding side in both directions, the front side and the back side, the culture solution supply unit introduces culture solution containing the photosynthetic organisms and water containing carbon dioxide onto the upper surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit, and in the combined structure, the culture solution flowing over the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit of the current stage receives irradiated light from the light-emitting surface on the front side of the current stage and also receives irradiated light from the light-emitting surface on the back side of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit of the upper stage.

8. The artificial culture device described in claim 1, characterized in that the culture medium supply unit is equipped with a culture medium storage tank for temporarily storing the culture medium, and a stirring mechanism for stirring the culture medium by convection in the culture medium storage tank so that the culture medium approaches the surface of the hanging surface-emitting panel, and the support structure is a hanging support structure that supports at least a portion of the light-emitting surface of the surface-emitting panel of the surface-emitting unit by hanging it down into the culture medium in the culture medium storage tank.

9. The artificial culture device described in claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a double-sided light-emitting structure in which the diffusion structure of the surface-emitting panel is located in the middle layer of the transparent body, and the irradiated light received from the light-guiding side surface is reflected and diffused in both directions of the surface side and the back side, a translucent plate member provided above the surface side of the surface-emitting unit, and a reflector member with a reflective surface provided below the back side of the surface-emitting unit, and the culture solution supply unit introduces culture solution containing the photosynthetic organisms and water containing carbon dioxide between the surface-emitting unit and the translucent plate member, and between the surface-emitting unit and the reflector member, respectively, and the culture solution introduced to the surface side of the surface-emitting unit enables photosynthesis by external light and irradiated light from the surface-emitting unit, and the culture solution introduced to the back side of the surface-emitting unit enables photosynthesis by irradiated light from the surface-emitting unit and reflected light from the reflector member.

10. The artificial culture device according to claim 1, characterized in that the wavelength of the LED irradiation light emitted by the LED line light source includes any one of 400 to 470 nm, 640 to 690 nm, or 710 to 740 nm, or a combination thereof.

11. An artificial culture device as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that it comprises a water-cooled water crossing pipe connected to the LED line light source and flowing water-cooled water inside, an LED water-cooling structure that cools the heat generated by the LED line light source by the water-cooled water flowing through the water-cooled water crossing pipe, and a water-cooled water crossing connection structure that connects the water-cooled water crossing pipes between a plurality of surface-emitting units so that the water-cooled water crossing connection structure passes between a plurality of water-cooled surface-emitting units, the surface-emitting unit being a water-cooled surface-emitting unit that water-cools the heat generated by the LED line light source with the LED water-cooling structure, and the water-cooled water crossing pipes are connected between a plurality of water-cooled surface-emitting units so that the water-cooled water crossing connection structure passes between a plurality of water-cooled surface-emitting units.

12. An apparatus for producing product substances produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in an artificial culture device, comprising: an extraction device for extracting product substances produced by photosynthesis by the photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device described in any one of claims 1 to 10; and a recovery device for recovering the product substances extracted by the extraction device.

13. An apparatus for producing product substances produced by photosynthetic organisms cultured in an artificial culture device, comprising: an extraction device for extracting products produced by photosynthesis by the photosynthetic organisms cultured in the artificial culture device described in claim 10; and a recovery device for recovering the product substances extracted by the extraction device.

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