KR20210011725A - Apparatus for cultivating plant and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a cabinet forming a cultivation space having a temperature controlled by a refrigeration cycle; a door opening and closing the cultivation space; a bed provided inside the cultivation space and having seating portions where pods are seated with seeds and nutrients; a water supply assembly for water supply to the bed; a light assembly emitting light toward the bed from the upper side of the bed; a recognition unit identifying the bed when the pod approaches; detection units provided at positions individually corresponding to the seating portions and detecting whether the pod has been inserted; and a control unit controlling the water supply assembly, the light assembly, and the refrigeration cycle by calculating operating conditions through information on the pod sent from the recognition unit and the detection units.

Description

Plant cultivation apparatus and control method thereof {Apparatus for cultivating plant and control method thereof}

The present invention relates to a plant cultivation apparatus and a control method thereof.

A general plant cultivation apparatus forms a predetermined cultivation chamber having an environment suitable for plant growth, and stores plants in the predetermined cultivation chamber. The plant cultivation apparatus is provided with a configuration for supplying nutrients and light energy necessary for plant growth, and plants grow by the supplied nutrients and light energy.

Recently, a small-sized plant cultivation device that can be placed indoors, such as a home appliance, has been developed, and a plant cultivation device capable of cultivating plants has been developed by automatically controlling water, nutrients, and light.

In International Patent Publication No. PCT/FR2018/050318, a number of containers are mounted on a tray containing water, a light source is provided above the tray to irradiate light to the container side, and a passage to absorb water from the container tray by a capillary shape at the bottom of the container. Is formed, the container is disclosed a device for plant cultivation that is provided with a configuration in which seeds in a replaceable form are disposed.

However, in such a conventional technology, as a structure in which seeds accommodated in a container are simply arranged and water is supplied by a capillary phenomenon, an active operation for plant cultivation cannot be performed. In particular, no configuration or control logic for cultivating various types of plants is disclosed, and only a structure for a basic plant cultivation apparatus that allows plants to grow by water supplied by a capillary phenomenon is disclosed.

In Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1954251, a tray is provided inside a case in which a cultivation space is formed, and a pod containing seeds or seedlings is mounted on the tray, and the pod is recognized to supply water and nutrients accordingly, A cultivation apparatus capable of growing plants by irradiating light by a light source module is disclosed.

In particular, a sensor is provided in the tray to recognize the mounting of the pod, and when the pod is mounted, the idea of controlling the cultivation apparatus through transmission of information through short-range communication has been disclosed. In addition, the idea of allowing the cultivation device to be connected to a user device to provide information on a plant being cultivated is disclosed.

However, in such a conventional technique, there is a problem in that it is difficult to perform a suitable operation when the types of plants being cultivated are varied. In particular, when the types of plants are diverse, it is difficult to supply appropriate nutrients in a timely manner, and there is a problem in that cultivation efficiency is deteriorated because a culture medium mixed with water is supplied at a time.

In addition, if only one sensor for detecting the pod is present in the tray, it is not possible to ensure accurate position detection of the pod and recognition of the pod, thereby making it impossible to operate for cultivation suitable for cultivated plants of each pod. There is.

An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation apparatus capable of effectively cultivating and managing different types of plants within one single cultivation space, and a control method thereof.

An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation apparatus capable of cultivating plants in optimal operating conditions suitable for a plurality of different types of plants and a control method thereof.

An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation apparatus and a method for controlling the same, capable of ensuring recognition of a pod in the form of a package containing plant seeds and nutrients and detection of the location.

The present invention automatically obtains the information and location of the pod when a pod in the form of a package containing the seeds and nutrients of the pod of the pod is inserted, and facilitates the cultivation information and location information of the plant through communication with a user device. It is an object of the present invention to provide a plant cultivation apparatus capable of being managed and a control method thereof.

An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation apparatus and a method for controlling the same, which improves hygiene by preventing contamination of the internal environment in which plants are grown, and maintains a clean state.

The plant cultivation apparatus and its control method according to the present embodiment include, when the pod provided in the cultivation space is input, the recognition unit identifies the pod, the detection unit senses the position, and the driving condition through the information of the recognition unit and the detection unit It is possible to perform the operation for plant cultivation by calculating.

The plant cultivation apparatus and its control method according to the present embodiment include a recognition unit that identifies a pod, a detection unit that detects the position of a pod, and calculates and calculates a driving condition using information provided through the recognition unit and the detection unit. It can be operated according to the established driving conditions.

In the plant cultivation apparatus and its control method according to the present embodiment, a recognition unit for identification of a pod is separately provided, and a detection unit for detecting the position of the pod after recognition of the pod corresponds to a seating unit on which the pod is seated. It is provided in a number corresponding to the pod may provide information on the arrangement position of the pod.

The plant cultivation apparatus and its control method according to the present embodiment, when the recognition unit recognizes the pod, notifies the user device of the pod recognition, and inputs the placement position of the pod using the user device to drive suitable for the recognized pod. It can be made to operate under conditions.

The plant cultivation apparatus and its control method according to the present exemplary embodiment may calculate a driving condition based on information on the pod identified by the recognition unit, and provide an appropriate flow rate according to the type and location of the recognized pod in a timely manner.

The plant cultivation apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a cabinet forming a cultivation space in which temperature is controlled by a refrigeration cycle; A door opening and closing the cultivation space; A bed provided inside the cultivation space and having a plurality of seating portions on which pods containing seeds and nutrients are seated; A water supply assembly for supplying water to the bed; A light assembly that irradiates light from above the bed toward the bed; A recognition unit that identifies the pod when the pod approaches; A plurality of sensing units provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of seating units individually to detect whether the pod is inserted; It may include a control unit for controlling the water supply assembly, the light assembly, and the refrigeration cycle by calculating a driving condition based on the information of the pod transmitted from the recognition unit and the detection unit.

The recognition unit may be accessible when the door is opened.

A display assembly may be provided in the cultivation space, the recognition unit may be provided at one side of the display assembly, and a recognition unit display unit for inducing access to the recognition unit may be formed at a position corresponding to the recognition unit.

When the pod is recognized by the recognition unit, the recognition unit display unit may visualize it.

When the pod is recognized by the recognition unit, a buzzer or speaker may be included to output the pod as a sound.

An identification unit recognizable by the recognition unit may be provided on the pod.

The identification unit may be an NFC tag, and the recognition unit may be an NFC reader.

The identification unit may be a barcode, and the recognition unit may be a barcode reader.

The identification unit may be a QR code, and the recognition unit may be a QR code reader.

The identification unit may have a specific shape displayed on the pod, and the identification unit may distinguish the identification unit.

The pod, and a container in which the seed and a medium containing nutrients are accommodated; It shields the opened upper surface of the container, and may include a container cover that is removed by the user.

The identification unit may be provided on the container cover.

The identification unit may be provided on the container.

The plurality of sensing units are disposed vertically above the seating unit, and may detect whether the pod is seated at a position away from the pod.

The plurality of sensing units may be provided in the light assembly.

The sensing unit is an illuminance sensor, and when the pod is inserted or removed, the presence or absence of the pod may be detected through a change in illuminance.

The sensing unit is a proximity sensor, and may detect the presence or absence of the pod by sensing a difference in distance from the sensing unit to the seating unit and the pod.

Each of the plurality of sensing units may be mounted on the seating unit.

The sensing unit may be a contact sensor or a switch.

The bed includes a lower bed in which water supplied from the water supply assembly is received, and an upper bed positioned above the lower bed and formed with the seating portion to support the pod, and the sensing unit is provided on the upper bed. It can be cheap c.

Plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet forming a cultivation space in which temperature is controlled by a refrigeration cycle; A door opening and closing the cultivation space; A bed provided inside the cultivation space and having a plurality of seating portions on which pods containing seeds and nutrients are seated; A water supply assembly for supplying water to the bed; A light assembly that irradiates light from above the bed toward the bed; A plurality of recognition units provided at positions individually corresponding to the plurality of seating units, identifying the pods and detecting whether or not they are inserted at the same time; It may include a control unit for controlling the water supply assembly, the light assembly, and the refrigeration cycle by calculating a driving condition based on the information of the pod transmitted from the recognition unit.

The recognition unit may be spaced apart from above the seating unit.

The recognition unit may be a camera that photographs the pod from above the pod.

The recognition unit may include an infrared LED that is irradiated toward the bed and an infrared camera that photographs the pod.

The recognition unit may be provided on a lower surface of the light assembly.

And, the plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a cabinet forming a cultivation space in which temperature is controlled by a refrigeration cycle; A door opening and closing the cultivation space; A bed provided inside the cultivation space and having a plurality of seating portions on which pods containing seeds and nutrients are seated; A water supply assembly for supplying water to the bed; A light assembly that irradiates light from above the bed toward the bed; A recognition unit that identifies the pod when the pod approaches; A communication unit for transmitting information through communication with a remote user device; And a control unit for controlling the water supply assembly, a light assembly, and a refrigeration cycle, wherein the control unit transmits information to the user device when the pod is recognized, and the user can set the position of the pod through the user device. , It is possible to calculate a driving condition based on the information of the Pod transmitted from the recognition unit and the location information of the Pod input from the user device.

The control method of the plant cultivation apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a bed in which a pod containing seeds and nutrients is seated in a cabinet forming a cultivation space, a light assembly that irradiates light to the pod, and water is supplied to the bed. In a plant cultivation apparatus including a water supply assembly and a refrigeration cycle for controlling a temperature of the cultivation space, the step of identifying the type of the pod by being approached to a recognition unit inside the cultivation space; Inputting location information of the pod; Calculating operating conditions of the light assembly, the water supply assembly, and the refrigeration cycle based on the identification information and location information of the pod; It may include performing the operation according to the calculated driving condition.

After the pod is identified by the recognition unit, the pod may be seated inside the cultivation space.

The location information of the pod may be input by a user device that communicates with the plant cultivation device.

A plurality of seating portions on which the pods are seated are formed in the bed, and the position information of the pods may be input by a plurality of sensing units respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of seating portions.

Each of the sensing units has a unique ID, and the position of the pod may be determined according to the ID of the sensing unit that senses the pod.

The plant cultivation apparatus and the control method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention can expect the following effects.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, seeds and nutrients of plants cultivable in the plant cultivation apparatus may be provided to the pod in the form of a package. At this time, the types of plants may be provided in various ways. The plant cultivation apparatus may include a recognition unit for identifying various types of the pods and a detection unit for detecting an arrangement position of the pods.

Accordingly, the plant cultivation apparatus can automatically receive information on plants to be grown and the arrangement position of the pods, and by operating the plant cultivation apparatus by calculating driving information based on the input information, various types of plants are stored in a single space. It will be able to provide an environment that can be grown in.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus may be connected to a user device through a network to transmit and output information about the pod and the location of the pod recognized by the recognition unit to the user device. Accordingly, the user can check the information of the plurality of pods through the user device, and there is an advantage of being able to easily check the state of the plant cultivation apparatus and the state of cultivated plants.

In addition, it is possible to set for the operation of the plant cultivation apparatus through the manipulation of the user device, and thus, there is an advantage that convenience of use and management efficiency can be further improved.

In addition, the pod may be disposed inside the cultivation space while the recognition is confirmed by the recognition unit, thereby ensuring recognition and identification of the pod. In addition, the sensing unit is provided as many as the number of the seating portions in which the pod is seated, and is positioned at a position corresponding to the seating portion, so that the pod can be accurately detected when the pod is inserted.

Accordingly, identification and position detection of the pod is guaranteed, thereby increasing operational reliability.

In addition, the pod contains nutrients suitable for cultivation of the plant together with seeds of the plant for cultivation. Therefore, it is possible to supply optimal nutrients only by supplying water during plant cultivation, and there is an advantage that appropriate nutrients and moisture can be supplied even in an environment in which a large number of heterogeneous plants are grown.

In addition, since no supply other than water is required to the pod, contamination of the piping of the water supply assembly can be prevented, and contamination of the water tank and bed can also be prevented, thereby maintaining a clean and hygienic environment. There is this.

In particular, by using the information provided by the recognition unit and the detection unit to supply an appropriate amount of moisture to the bed in a timely manner, moisture remains in the bed and contamination can be prevented. It has the advantage of being able to maintain a cleaner state by allowing it to be in a state.

1 is a perspective view of a plant cultivation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view of the plant cultivation apparatus in which the door is opened.
3 is an exploded perspective view of the plant cultivation apparatus.
4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cabinet that is one configuration of the plant cultivation apparatus.
5 is a view showing an arrangement of a water supply pipe inside the cabinet.
6 is a view showing a water supply structure of the bed, which is a component of the plant cultivation apparatus.
7 is a perspective view of the bed.
8 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the bed.
9 is an exploded perspective view of a pod seated on the bed.
10 is a bottom view of the pod.
11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the pod is seated on the bed.
12 is an exploded perspective view of the light assembly.
13 is a perspective view of the blower assembly.
FIG. 14 is a perspective view taken along line XIV-XIV' of FIG. 13.
15 is a perspective view of the plant cultivation apparatus in which the machine room is opened.
16 is a view schematically showing the operating state of the plant cultivation apparatus.
17 is a block diagram showing the flow of the control signal of the plant cultivation apparatus.
18 is a block diagram showing the operation of the plant cultivation apparatus step by step.
19 is a diagram illustrating a connection state between the plant cultivation apparatus and the server and user equipment.
20 is a view showing a display state of the display assembly of the plant cultivation apparatus.
21 is a flow chart showing a network setting process of the plant cultivation apparatus.
22 is a flowchart showing a process for recognizing the Pod.
23 is a diagram showing an operation state for recognizing and positioning the pod.
24 is a diagram showing another example of an operation state for recognizing and positioning the Pod.
25 is a flowchart showing a process of adding or removing the pod.
26 is a flowchart showing a process of notifying harvest and disposal of the plant cultivation apparatus.
27 is a diagram sequentially showing a notification and a screen manipulation state of the user device when an input crop is discarded.
28 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration for pod recognition and location setting of a plant cultivation apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
29 is a flowchart showing the process of recognizing the pod and setting a location.
30 is a flowchart showing a process of changing the position of the pod.
31 is a view showing an operation state for changing the position of the pod.
32 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration for recognizing a pod and setting a location of a plant cultivation apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
33 is a flowchart showing the process of recognizing the pod and setting a location.
34 is a perspective view of a refrigerator to which the structure of the plant cultivation apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is applied.
35 is a perspective view of the refrigerator in which the door of the cultivation room is opened.
36 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cultivation chamber.
37 is a cross-sectional view of the cultivation chamber.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail together with the drawings. However, the present invention cannot be said to be limited to the embodiments in which the spirit of the present invention is presented, and other inventions that are regressive by addition, change, deletion, etc. of other components, or other embodiments included within the scope of the present invention can be easily performed Can be suggested.

1 is a perspective view of a plant cultivation apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. And, Figure 2 is a perspective view of the open door of the plant cultivation apparatus. And, Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the plant cultivation device. And, Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a cabinet that is a component of the plant cultivation apparatus.

As shown in the drawing, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 10 forming a space in which plants are grown, and a door 20 that opens and closes the cabinet 10. The appearance can be formed by this. In this case, it is preferable that the plants to be grown are generally cultivated by the user, such as leaves, herbs, etc. that can be used in wraps or salads, and are easy to cultivate, and do not take up much space.

The cabinet 10 is formed such that the front surface thereof is opened, and a cultivation space 11 may be provided therein. The cabinet 10 may include an outer case 130 forming an outer shape and an inner case 140 forming the cultivation space. In addition, an insulating material 101 may be provided between the outer case 130 and the inner case 140 to insulate the inside and the outside of the cabinet 10. Therefore, the cultivation space 11 can maintain a set temperature.

A control unit 18 may be provided on the rear surface of the cabinet 10, that is, the rear surface of the outer rear plate 134. The control unit 18 may be configured to control the overall operation of the plant cultivation apparatus. The control unit 18 may include a compressor PCB 181 separately provided to control the compressor 32.

The inner case 140 may be formed of a metal material, and may be formed of a plurality of plates forming the inner side of the cabinet 10, that is, the cultivation space 11. Of course, at least a part of the inner case 140 may be formed of a plastic material.

The inner case 140 may be formed of a metal material having excellent thermal conductivity such as aluminum. The inner case 140 made of a metal material has excellent heat transfer performance, so that when the cultivation space 11 is heated or cooled, the inside of the cultivation space 11 may have a more even temperature distribution. In addition, the inner case 140 may be configured to reflect light irradiated from the light assembly 60. The light irradiated from the light assembly 60 is reflected from the surface of the inner case 140 made of a metal material so that the light can be evenly irradiated to the plants in the entire area of the bed 50, and the light is not irradiated. Area can be resolved. To this end, surface treatment, painting, or film attachment may be further performed on each surface of the inner case 140 to improve reflective performance.

Inside the cabinet 10, a plurality of beds 50 may be arranged vertically. In this embodiment, two upper and lower beds 50 may be provided. Of course, two or more beds may be further provided depending on the size of the cabinet 10.

In addition, the bed 50 may have a structure in which a plurality of pods 90 containing plant seeds and nutrients required for cultivation are seated. The bed 50 may be referred to as a shelf or a tray. The pod 90 may be provided in a form in which various kinds of seeds and nutrients suitable therefor may be suitably combined, and the user may select a product to be cultivated. In addition, the bed 50 may have a structure capable of maintaining the seated and seated state of the pod 90.

In addition, a flow path through which water supplied from the water tank 40 flows may be formed in the bed 50. In addition, the bed may maintain an appropriate water level so that moisture can be supplied to the pod 90 at all times.

Both sides of the cabinet 10 may be provided with draw-out guides 56, and both ends of the bed 50 may be supported in a state seated on the draw-out guide 56, and the draw-out guide ( 56), the bed 50 can be drawn in and out in the front-rear direction. The bed 50 can be withdrawn from the inside of the cultivation space 11, and the pod 90 can be easily seated and managed on the bed 50 while the bed 50 is pulled out. There will be.

The cabinet 10 may be provided with a refrigeration cycle including a compressor 32, a condenser 33, and an evaporator 31, and the internal temperature of the cultivation space may be adjusted through a refrigeration cycle. At this time, the evaporator 31 may be disposed on the inner rear wall of the cabinet 10, and the rest of the components such as the compressor 32 and the condenser 33 are provided at the lower end of the second half of the cabinet 10. (12) Can be placed in space. The machine room 12 may be separated from the cultivation space 11 and thus has an arrangement structure capable of preventing the inflow of noise, maintaining insulation of the cultivation space 11, and ensuring user safety.

The evaporator 31 may be disposed on the front (inner side of the cultivation space) of the inner rear plate 140 forming the rear wall of the cultivation space, and a heater 102 may be provided on the rear surface. Accordingly, heating and cooling can be performed in the rear area of the cultivation space.

The evaporator 31 may be provided with a roll bond type heat exchanger, and may be referred to as a heat exchanger. The evaporator 31 may have a plate-like structure that is easily attached to the inner rear wall of the cabinet 10. In addition, the evaporator 31 minimizes the loss of the cultivation space 11 due to the plate-like structure, while being close to the cultivation space 11, it is possible to effectively control the temperature of the cultivation space 11.

The evaporator 31 is located between the inner rear plate 146 and the blower assembly 80 and may be cooled by a refrigerant flowing by driving the compressor 32. In addition, the air cooled through the blower assembly 80 may circulate the inside of the cultivation space 11 to evenly cool the cultivation space 11.

The heater 102 may be provided on the rear surface of the inner rear plate 146 and may be configured to be buried by the heat insulating material 101. The heater 102 may be disposed in a region corresponding to the evaporator 31. The inside of the cultivation space 11 may become a humid environment due to continuous supply of moisture and respiration of plants. Therefore, the heater 102 is preferably disposed on the rear surface of the inner rear plate 146 so as not to be exposed to the inside of the cultivation space 11 for safety and durability.

The area of the inner rear plate 146 may be heated by the driving of the heater 102, and the heated air circulates inside the cultivation space 11 by the blower assembly 80 to circulate the cultivation space 11 Can be heated evenly. In addition, since the heater 102 is located in a region corresponding to the evaporator 31, it may be operated when the evaporator 31 is frozen and used for defrosting the evaporator 31.

The inside of the cultivation space 11 by the evaporator 31 and the heater 102 is able to maintain a temperature suitable for the growth of plants (eg, 18° C.-28° C.). The temperature inside the cultivation space 11 is sensed by the internal temperature sensor 182, so that it can be kept constant regardless of the external temperature of the cabinet 10.

In addition, a blower assembly 80 may be provided in front of the evaporator 31. The blower assemblies 80 that are disposed above and below are only different in their mounting positions, but have the same structure and shape. The blower assembly 80 may be provided as many as the number corresponding to the number of the beds 50, and air may be blown from the rear of the bed 50 toward the front. Accordingly, independent air circulation may be performed in each space inside the cultivation space 11 partitioned by the bed 50.

The air inside the cultivation space is circulated by the blower assembly 80, and in particular, the circulated air passes through the evaporator so that the entire interior of the cultivation space 11 has a uniform temperature, while the temperature can be quickly controlled. You can make it happen. In addition, air circulated by the blower assembly 80 may flow while passing through the upper surface of the bed 50 and the lower surface of the light assembly 60.

The air flowing by the blower assembly 80 passes the upper surface of the bed 50 to facilitate the breathing of the plants grown in the bed 50 and allow the plants to be properly shaken, thereby controlling stress and growing. It can provide the optimum airflow required for Further, the air flowing by the blower assembly 80 passes through the lower surface of the light assembly 60 to prevent overheating of the light assembly 60.

Meanwhile, a light assembly 60 may be provided above the bed 50. The light assembly 60 irradiates light toward the bed 50 to provide light necessary for plants. In this case, the amount of light irradiated by the light assembly 60 may be set similarly to sunlight, and an amount of light and an irradiation time optimized for the plant to be grown may be set.

A water tank 40 may be provided on a bottom surface inside the cabinet 10. The water tank 40 may store water supplied to the bed 50. The water tank 40 may be located under the bed 50 located at the bottom of the plurality of beds 50, and the front surface may be located at a position corresponding to the front end of the bed 50. I can.

The water tank 40 may have a length in a horizontal direction corresponding to a width of an inner space of the cabinet 10. In addition, the length of the water tank 40 in the vertical direction may be formed to correspond to a distance between the bed 50 positioned at the bottom and the bottom surface of the cultivation space 11. That is, the water tank 40 may be formed to fill the entire space under the bed 50 located at the bottom, and the space behind the water tank 40 is formed by the water tank 40. It can be masked.

A water supply case 49 may be provided in the rear space covered by the water tank 40. A pump 494, a flow sensor 495, and a water supply valve 496, which will be described below, may be provided inside the water supply case 49. The water supply case 49, the internal components of the water supply case 49, and a pipe connected to the water supply case 49 may be referred to as a water supply unit or a water supply assembly.

The water tank 40 may be mounted on the inside of the cabinet 10 so as to be withdrawn in the front and rear directions, and may have a detachable structure. Accordingly, it is possible to supply water to the water tank 40 or have a structure that facilitates cleaning and maintenance.

Meanwhile, the display assembly 70 may be provided at a front end of the bed 50. In addition, the display assembly 70 may be exposed through the opened front surface of the cabinet 10. The display assembly 70 may output the operating state of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 to the outside. In addition, the display assembly 70 may be configured to input a user's manipulation. Accordingly, the display assembly 70 may be referred to as a manipulation unit, and may set and input the overall operation of the plant cultivation apparatus. For example, the display assembly 70 may include a touch screen structure, and may include a structure such as a button and a switch.

The display assembly 70 may be positioned on the same front surface as the front end of the bed 50. The display assembly 70 may be positioned at a front end of the opened front surface of the cabinet 10, and may be disposed to be very close to the rear surface of the door 20 when the door 20 is closed.

The machine room 12 may be communicated with the cultivation space 11 by the supply duct 17, and thus carbon dioxide (CO ² ) required for plant growth is transferred from the machine room 12 to the cultivation space 11. Can be supplied. In addition, the air inside the cultivation space 11 may be discharged through the return duct 150. At least one side of the supply duct 17 and the return duct 150 may have a structure capable of opening and closing, and may be opened when carbon dioxide is supplied.

The machine room 12 has a structure partitioned from the cultivation space 11 and forms the stepped portion 147 inside the cultivation space 11. The water tank 40 and the water supply case 49 are sequentially arranged in front of the stepped portion 147 in succession. Therefore, by arranging the machine room 12, the water tank 40 and the water supply assembly to completely fill the space under the bed 50 located at the bottom, it is possible to prevent the loss of the cultivation space 11 do. In addition, the water tank 40 may be disposed adjacent to the front of the opened cabinet 10 to facilitate user access.

The water tank 40 may be disposed to be slidable in and out of the cabinet 10 for water supply and service. In addition, since the water supply case 49 maintains a fixed state inside the cabinet 10, a connection pipe 492 provided in the water supply case 49 and a suction pipe provided inside the water tank 40 412 may be configured to be selectively connected or separated from each other.

Meanwhile, the lower surface of the cabinet 10 may be slightly spaced apart from the ground on which the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is installed, and a bottom case 19 may be provided on the lower surface of the cabinet 10. The bottom case 19 may accommodate electrical components disposed outside the cabinet 10 such as a door switch 195 to be described below and a communication unit 185. The bottom case 19 may be provided on a lower surface of the cabinet 10 and may be configured not to be exposed to the outside when the door 20 is closed.

The door 20 may be formed to have a size capable of shielding the opened front surface of the cabinet 10. In addition, an upper hinge 211 and a lower hinge 212 may be axially coupled to the upper and lower ends of one of the left and right sides of the door 20. The door 20 may be rotatably coupled to the cabinet 10 by the upper hinge 211 and the lower hinge 212, and the cultivation space 11 is opened by the rotation of the door 20. Can be opened and closed.

The door 20 may have a structure in which at least a portion of the door can be seen through, and may be configured such that the cultivation space 11 can be checked even when the door 20 is closed. In addition, when the display assembly 70 is operated, even when the door 20 is closed, the display assembly 70 may be configured to check the state of the display assembly 70 through the door 20.

In detail, the door 20 may include a door frame 22 forming a circumference and having a central portion opening, and a door panel 23 shielding the opening of the door frame 22. The door panel 23 may be formed of a glass or transparent plastic material to have a structure in which the inside is possible. In addition, the door panel 23 may have a color or a colored coating, a metal deposition or a film may be attached to selectively show or prevent the cultivation space 11 from being viewed.

For example, when the light assembly 60 is turned on while the door 20 is closed, the inside of the cultivation space 11 is brightened, so that the interior can be seen through the door panel 23. Conversely, when the light assembly 60 is turned off while the door 20 is closed, the inside of the cultivation space 11 becomes dark, and in addition, the cultivation space due to the color or optical characteristics of the door panel 23 (11) can be made invisible. Due to this structure, it is possible to easily check the inside of the cultivation space 11 even when the door 20 is closed to check the growth status of plants and have an interior effect, and maintain a neat appearance when the inside is not necessary. I can.

In addition, when the light assembly 60 is turned on, the display assembly 70 may be visualized through the door panel 23. Accordingly, when the door 20 is closed, the user can check information through the display assembly 70. Further, even when the light assembly 60 is turned off, when the display assembly 70 itself is turned on to emit light, only the display assembly 70 may be visualized through the door 20.

Meanwhile, a plurality of the door panels 23 may be disposed in front and rear, and an insulating space may be formed between the plurality of door panels 23. And, if necessary, the door panel 23 may include insulating glass. Therefore, it is possible to insulate the inside and the outside of the cabinet 10.

A door handle 221 for rotating the door 20 may be provided on one front side of the door frame 22. In addition, a gasket 222 is provided around the rear surface of the door frame 22 to seal the airtight between the cabinet 10 and the door 20. Further, although not shown, the door 20 may be provided with a door heater 24 for preventing condensation from occurring on the surface of the door 20.

Hereinafter, the structure of the water supply assembly will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

5 is a view showing an arrangement of a water supply pipe inside the cabinet. And, Figure 6 is a view showing a water supply structure of the bed is a component of the plant cultivation apparatus.

As shown in the drawing, the water supply case 49 may be formed in a box shape with an open rear surface. In addition, a space in which the connection pipe 492, the pump 494, the flow sensor 495, and the water supply valve 496 can be accommodated may be provided inside the water supply case 49.

The water supply case 49 may be formed equal to or slightly lower than the height of the stepped portion 147 in a state mounted inside the cultivation space 11. In addition, the opened rear surface of the water supply case 49 may be shielded by the front surface of the stepped portion 147.

A case hole 491 communicating with the connection pipe 492 may be formed on one front side of the water supply case 49. The case hole 491 may be formed at a position corresponding to the inlet of the connection pipe 492. In addition, when the water tank 40 is mounted, the suction pipe 412 may pass through the case hole 491 and be connected to the connection pipe 492.

A tank switch 493 may be mounted on the other front side of the water supply case 49. The tank switch 493 may protrude toward the water tank 40 and is configured to be pressed by the rear surface of the water tank 40 when the water tank 40 is mounted as shown in FIG. 7. do.

Accordingly, the tank switch 493 may detect whether the water tank 40 is normally mounted and water supply is possible, and transmit it to the control unit. When the mounting signal of the water tank 40 is not input by the tank switch 493, the pump may not be operated. In addition, it is possible to display information on the water tank 40 that is not mounted on the display assembly 70 so that the user can recognize it.

A bracket 497 may be provided inside the water supply case 49. The bracket 497 allows the pump 494, the flow sensor 495, and the water supply valve 496 to be mounted.

The connection pipe 492, the pump 494, the flow sensor 495, and the water supply valve 496 are sequentially connected by a pipe, and the water in the water tank 40 is transferred to the water in the water tank 40 by the operation of the pump 494. It may be supplied to the bed 50 through the flow sensor 495 and the water supply valve 496.

The flow sensor 495 detects the flow rate of the supplied water, and prevents excess water from being supplied to the bed 50 and overflowing. In addition, the amount of water supplied to the bed 50 may be adjusted by quantitative water supply through the flow sensor 495. Therefore, it is possible to supply the optimal amount of water to the bed 50 at each stage of plant growth so as not to maintain a state in which excessive moisture is supplied to the bed 50. Through this, the bed 50 can always be kept clean.

The water supply valve 496 is opened when the pump 494 is driven so that water can be supplied toward the bed 50. A plurality of water supply valves 496 may be provided according to the number of the beds 50, and one water supply valve 496 may be branched to supply water to each of the plurality of beds 50.

The water tank 40 may be disposed in front of the water supply case 49, and the tank switch 493 is pressed in a completely retracted state. In addition, when viewed from the front, the area below the bed 50 may be completely shielded by the water tank 40. The front surface of the water tank 40 may be located on the same plane as the front surface of the bed 50, and since it is disposed vertically in a state adjacent to each other, it may have a sense of unity than when viewed from the front.

As shown in the drawing, an upper water supply pipe 498 and a lower water supply pipe 497 may be connected to the water supply valve 496 so as to supply water to the upper bed 50 and the lower bed 50, respectively. The upper water supply pipe 498 and the lower water supply pipe 497 are independently arranged, and extend toward the rear end of the bed 50 to supply water required for plant growth.

In order to secure the space of the water tank 40 and to facilitate the flow path arrangement, the connection pipe 492, the pump 494, the flow sensor 495, and the water supply valve 496 may be continuously arranged in a horizontal direction. have. The water supply valve 496 may be located at the outermost side of the water supply case 49, and the upper water supply pipe 498 and the lower water supply pipe 497 may also be disposed to pass through the side wall surface of the water supply case 49. have.

On the other hand, a water supply pipe guide part 103 may be formed on a side wall surface of the inside of the cabinet 10 adjacent to the water supply valve 496. The water supply pipe guide part 103 may be formed to be recessed or opened in one of the left and right side walls of the storage space, that is, the inner side plate 141.

The water supply pipe guide part 103 may extend upward from the one side adjacent to the water supply valve 496 and extend rearward along the upper end of the stepped part 147. Accordingly, the upper water supply pipe 498 and the lower water supply pipe 497 connected to the water supply valve 496 are formed along the side wall of the cultivation space 11, that is, the rear wall surface of the cultivation space 11, that is, the inner rear plate 146 Can be guided to the location of.

In order to mount the lower bed 50, draw-out guides 56 are mounted on both sides of the cultivation space 11, and at this time, the draw-out guides 56 extend in the front and rear directions among the water supply pipe guides 103 It is configured to cover the old section. Therefore, in the state in which the lower bed 50 is mounted, the water supply pipe guide 103 is not exposed to the outside, so that the appearance can be made more neat.

The upper water supply pipe 498 and the lower water supply pipe 497 are located in the corner regions of the rear and side surfaces of the cultivation space 11. That is, the upper water supply pipe 498 and the lower water supply pipe 497 may be bent upward in a corner region where the inner rear plate 146 and the inner side plate 141 are adjacent to each other to extend. The upper water supply pipe 498 extends to the water supply part 524 of the upper bed 50, and the lower water supply pipe 497 extends to the water supply part 524 of the lower bed 50, so that the upper bed 50 It is configured to enable water supply to each of the and lower bed 50.

The water supply pipes 497 and 498 are guided along the inner side of the cultivation space 11 to facilitate placement, and extend upward along the corner region of the cultivation space 11 to minimize interference between internal components.

In particular, the water flowing along the water supply pipes 497 and 498 is disposed at a position away from the evaporator so as not to interfere with the evaporator 31 mounted on the front of the inner rear plate 146 and is frozen by the cold air of the evaporator. Or excessive temperature decrease. In addition, it has a structure that prevents interference with the internal structure of the cabinet 10 such as the evaporator 31 and facilitates the arrangement.

The water supply pipes 497 and 498 may be formed of a metal pipe such as stainless steel. Therefore, the private water supply pipes 497 and 498 can be managed in a sanitary manner, and the shape can be maintained firmly, preventing clogging due to deformation or bending of the flow path, and reliable water supply is possible.

The water supply pipes 497 and 498 have a structure that passes through the water supply part 524 and extends upward and then bends toward the water supply part 524 again. The outlets of the water supply pipes 497 and 498 may be formed to face the inside of the water supply part 524 from an upper side adjacent to the water supply part 524.

Meanwhile, a water supply pipe holder 48 may be mounted at a position corresponding to the water supply unit 524. The water supply pipe holder 48 may be formed of a plastic or rubber material, and may be fixedly mounted on the inner rear plate 146. In addition, by fixing the water supply pipes 497 and 498, the outlet of the water supply pipes 497 and 498 may always face the inside of the water supply part 524 at a set height.

In detail, the water supply pipe holder 48 may be formed in a semicircular shape, and a round portion 481 through which the water supply pipes 497 and 498 pass may be formed along a rounded circumference of the water supply pipe holder 48. The round portion 481 may be formed to correspond to the bent shape of the water supply pipes 497 and 498, and the rear surface thereof is opened and formed in a concave shape to accommodate the bent portions of the water supply pipes 497 and 498. In addition, the outlets of the water supply pipes 497 and 498 may pass through the round part 481 and extend downward to be closer to the water supply part 524.

In addition, a holder fixing hole 482 to which a screw is fastened may be formed in a central portion of the water supply pipe holder 48. The screw passes through the holder fixing hole 482 and is fastened to the inner rear plate 146 so that the water supply pipe holder 48 can maintain a fixed state at a set position.

Meanwhile, the water supply pipes 497 and 498 and the water supply pipe holder 48 may be covered when the blower assembly 80 is mounted, and may be prevented from being exposed to the outside when the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is used in general.

The structure of water supply to the upper bed 50 and the lower bed 50 is the same only as the difference in the upper and lower positions thereof, and the water supplied to the water supply part 524 is a water collecting part inside the bed 50 ( It is stored in 523 and can supply moisture to the pod 90 mounted on the bed 50.

Hereinafter, the structure of the bed 50 will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. Even if a plurality of the beds 50 are provided, only one bed 50 will be described because they all have the same structure as only the mounting positions are different.

7 is a perspective view of the bed. And, Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view showing the structure of the bed.

As shown in the drawing, the bed 50 may be formed in a rectangular plate shape that divides the cabinet 10, and it is possible to draw in and out of the draw-out guide 56 mounted on both sides of the cabinet 10. Can be settled.

The bed 50 may include a bottom bed 52 that forms a lower structure through which water is supplied as a whole. The bottom bed 52 forms the overall shape of the bed 50 and may be formed of a plastic material.

Bed flanges 522 extending laterally are formed at both side ends of the bottom bed 52. The bed side 53 may be coupled to the lower surface of the bed flange 522.

A depression 521 is formed in the bottom bed 52, and an upper bed 51 may be seated in the depression 521. The depression 521 may be formed in a shape corresponding to the shape of the upper bed 51. That is, it is formed at a position corresponding to the pod seating portion 511 formed on the upper bed 51, and is recessed into a shape corresponding to the pod seating portion 511 so that the pod seating portion 511 can be overlapped. I can.

In addition, a water supply part 524 and a water collecting part 523 for storing water supplied through the water supply part 524 may be formed in the bottom bed 52. Water stored in the water collecting part 523 may be continuously supplied to the pod 90.

In detail, the water collecting part 523 is located at the center of the bottom bed 52 and may extend from a left end to a right end of the bottom bed 52. In addition, the water collecting part 523 may be depressed further downward than the recessed part 521 so that water is stored only in the area of the water collecting part 523. The water collecting part 523 may be formed to have a predetermined width in the front-rear direction so that all the seating part openings 512 formed in the upper bed 51 can be accommodated.

In addition, the water supply part 524 may be formed at a corner of the rear end of the bottom bed 52. The water supply part 524 has a shape slightly protruding rearward from the bottom bed 50, and has an open top surface and is formed in a concave shape to receive water from the water supply pipes 497 and 498 positioned above. In addition, the water supply part 524 may be positioned further above the water collecting part 523 so that water from the water supply part 524 naturally flows to the water collecting part 523.

A water guide part 525 may be recessed between the water supply part 524 and the water collecting part 523. The water supply part 524 and the water collecting part 523 may be connected by the water guide part 525, and the water supplied to the water supply part 524 is the water collecting part 525 along the water guide part 525. 523). In addition, the water guide part 525 may be formed to have a slope that gradually decreases toward the water collecting part 523 from the water supply part 524. Therefore, when water is supplied to the water supply unit 524, it may be naturally supplied to the water collecting unit 523 along the water guide unit 525.

A water detection member 526 capable of detecting a water level may be provided in the water collecting part 523. Therefore, when water supply to the plant being cultivated is required, the water level of the water collecting unit 523 or the presence of moisture is checked through the water detection member 526, and then whether water is supplied to the bed 50 from the water tank 40 is determined. You decide.

A pair of the water sensing members 526 may be provided, and may be disposed to be spaced apart from each other. The water detection member 526 may be disposed on both sides of the center of the water collecting part 523 to facilitate moisture detection and to facilitate the arrangement of the electric wire 544 for supplying power to the water detection member 526.

The water sensing member 526 may be formed of a conductive metal material, and may be formed in a plate shape bent to pass through the bottom bed 52. Therefore, one end of the water sensing member 526 extends to the bottom surface of the water collecting part 523, and the other end penetrates through one side of the bottom bed 52 and is exposed to the bottom surface of the bottom bed 52. It can be configured to be.

In addition, power may be supplied to the pair of water sensing members 526, and when water is present in the water collecting part 523, between the pair of water sensing members 526 may be energized. In addition, when there is no water in the water collecting part 523, electricity between the pair of water sensing members 526 is not energized, and at this time, water is supplied to the water collecting part 523 by driving the pump 494. You can do it. That is, the pair of water sensing members 526 serves as an electrode inside the water collecting part 523, and from the water tank 40 depending on whether or not the water sensing member 526 is energized. You can determine the series of

In addition, a bed handle 520 may be formed on the front surface of the bottom bed 52.

Meanwhile, a bed bracket 54 may be provided below the bottom bed 52. The bed bracket 54 may be located in the center of the rear part of the bottom bed 52. In addition, the water sensing member 526 exposed on the bottom surface of the bottom bed 52 may be disposed in a position to cover from below. In addition, the bed bracket 54 may be fixedly mounted to the bottom cover 55.

The bed bracket 54 is fixedly mounted in the center of the bottom cover 55. In addition, the upper surface of the bed bracket 54 may be disposed to face the lower surface of the bottom bed 52.

A pair of terminal mounting portions 541 protruding upward on both sides of the upper surface of the bed bracket 54 may be positioned at positions corresponding to the water sensing member 526. In addition, the power terminal 543 is mounted on the upper surface of the terminal mounting portion 541 to pass through.

In addition, a wire guide portion 542 may be formed between the pair of terminal mounting portions 541. The wire guide part 542 is recessed in the lower surface of the bed bracket 54, and when the bed bracket 54 is coupled to the bottom cover 55, a space in which the wire 544 can be accommodated is provided. Will be provided. In addition, the wire guide portion 542 may be formed to connect the terminal mounting portions 541 on both sides so that the wire 544 is connected to the power terminals 543 on both sides.

In a state in which the bottom bed 52 is retracted, the power terminal 543 may come into contact with the water sensing member 526 to enable power supply. Further, it is possible to determine whether or not water is supplied in the bottom bed 52 through the water sensing member 526, and operation of the pump 494 and the water supply valve 496 can be instructed.

Meanwhile, the moment the bottom bed 52 is withdrawn, the power terminal 543 and the water sensing member 526 are separated from each other, and power supply to the water sensing member 526 is cut off. That is, from the moment when the bottom bed 52 is withdrawn, power supply to the water sensing member 526 is stopped, and in this state, the pump 494 or the water supply valve 496 is forcibly stopped so as not to operate. When the pump 494 is driven or the water supply valve 496 is opened while the bed 50 is withdrawn, the water supplied through the water supply pipes 497 and 498 cannot be supplied to the bed 50 and is poured out. There may be problems that can occur. In this way, by detecting the withdrawal state of the bed 50, the operation of the pump 494 or the water supply valve 496 may be prevented.

In addition, the electric wire 544 is disposed on the fixed bottom cover 55 without disposing a separate electric wire on the bottom bed 52 on which the water sensing member 526 is disposed. A structure is provided so that the withdrawal of the bottom bed 52 is smoothly performed without interference of the electric wire 544 during drawing-out.

The bottom cover 55 is formed in a plate shape, and is bent so as to have a lower surface and a rear surface to shield the rear part of the bottom bed 52 from below. In addition, the bed bracket 54 may be mounted on the bottom bracket 55.

The bottom cover 55 may be fixedly mounted on the inner case 140, and thus maintains a fixed state even when the bed 50 is withdrawn. In addition, when the bottom bed 52 is inserted, power may be supplied to the water sensing member 526. Conversely, when the bottom bed 52 is withdrawn, power supply to the water sensing member 526 is impossible.

The upper bed 51 is seated on the upper surface of the bottom bed 52 and may form the upper surface of the bed 50. The upper bed 51 may be made of a metal material such as stainless steel, so that the appearance is neat and hygienic.

The upper bed 51 is formed in a size capable of shielding the recessed portion 521 of the bottom bed 52, and may be formed in a plate shape. In addition, a plurality of pod seating portions 511 on which the pod 90 is seated may be formed on the upper bed 51. The pod seating portion 511 is formed in a shape corresponding to the pod 90, and a plurality of the pod seating portions 511 may be arranged in succession. Accordingly, a plurality of the pods 90 may be disposed on the upper bed 51.

A plurality of the pod seating portions 511 may be disposed in the first half and the second half with respect to the center, and may have the same size. In addition, a seating portion opening 512 may be formed in the pod seating portion 511. The seating part opening 512 allows a part of the pod 90 to pass through and contact with water collected in the bottom bed 52.

At least one or more of the seating portion openings 512 may be formed for each of the pod seating portions 511. One or more of the seating part openings 512 may be formed according to the structure of the pod 90. In addition, the receiving part opening 512 may be located in a region corresponding to the water collecting part 523.

In detail, when the upper bed 51 is seated on the bottom bed 52, the seating portion opening 512 is located on the water collecting portion 523 so that the water stored in the water collecting portion 523 is stored in the seating portion. It may be supplied to the pod 90 through the opening 512.

In this embodiment, the water collecting part 523 is disposed in the horizontal direction at the center of the bottom bed 52, and therefore, the seating part openings 512 are also located above the water collecting part 523. It may be formed in a position close to the center side of the upper bed 51 as possible. The position of the receiving portion opening 512 may have various structures depending on the arrangement and shape of the water collecting portion 523.

Hereinafter, the structure of the pod will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

9 is an exploded perspective view of a pod seated on the bed. And, Figure 10 is a bottom view of the pod. And, Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the pod is seated on the bed.

As shown in the figure, the pod 90 seated on the upper bed 51 is a medium 93 containing seeds and nutrient solution inside the container 91, Pod having a shape corresponding to the pod seat 511 ) Can be accommodated. The pod 90 may be configured to contain a nutrient solution suitable for cultivated plants.

The pod 90 may be configured for each type of plants that can be cultivated by the plant cultivation device 1. Of course, each of the pods 90 composed of various types of plants have the same size, and may have a size set to be accommodated in the pod seating portion 511. Therefore, the user can start cultivation by selecting the pod 90 of the plant desired to be cultivated and placing it at a desired position on the bed 50.

The pod 90 may be configured such that nutrients suitable for cultivated plants are included in the container 91 so that supply of nutrients from the outside during cultivation is not required. Therefore, after placing the pod 90 on the bed 50, water and nutrients can be provided through appropriate moisture supply.

On the other hand, the pod 90 includes a container 91 that forms a space 911 in which the seeds and the medium are accommodated, and the container 91 has a size and shape corresponding to the pod seat 511. Have. All configurations of the pod 90 may be accommodated inside the container 91.

In addition, a container protrusion 912 having a shape corresponding to the seating part opening 512 may be formed on the bottom surface of the container 91. The container protrusion 912 is formed to pass through the seating portion opening 512 when the pod 90 is seated on the pod seating portion 511.

In addition, the container protrusion 912 may extend to a position where the lower end of the container protrusion 912 touches or is adjacent to the bottom surface of the water collecting part 523. In addition, a water inlet 913 may be opened on a bottom surface of the container protrusion 912. In addition, an absorption sheet 92 for absorbing water may be provided inside the container protrusion 912. The absorbent sheet 92 may be formed of a variety of materials capable of absorbing water, such as a nonwoven fabric, felt, or sponge.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 9, when the pod 90 is seated on the pod seat 511, the container protrusion 912 is located inside the water collecting portion 523. In addition, the water of the water collecting part 523 may be introduced into the container 91 through the water inlet 913 of the container protruding part 912, and passed through the absorption sheet 92. Water supplied to the inside of the container 91 may be mixed with the nutrient solution of the medium 93, and may be supplied to the seeds or plants so that active growth occurs. In addition, a pod cover 94 is provided on the inner upper surface of the container 91, that is, the upper surface of the medium 93 to protect the medium 93 and the seeds inside the container 91.

The medium 93 contains a nutrient solution necessary for plant growth, and is configured so that plant growth can proceed at an appropriate speed if only water is supplied without supplying additional components. In addition, the nutrient solution exists only in the cartridge, and only water is supplied to the bed 50 in the plant cultivation apparatus 1. Therefore, contamination of the plant cultivation apparatus 1, in particular, the water tank 40 and the water supply pipes 497 and 498 due to the nutrient solution is prevented at the source. Through this structure, the interior of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can be kept in a clean state at all times, and it is possible to supply appropriate nutrients even in an environment where various types of plants are cultivated at the same time.

In other words, no matter what kind of crops are cultivated, only water is supplied in a timely manner, and water and nutrients can be supplied. Even when various types of crops are mixed and cultivated, crops can be cultivated if only water is supplied without additional nutrient supply. Is done. Therefore, there is an advantage that only water is supplied to the inside of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 and thus the inside of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can be prevented from being contaminated by organic substances such as nutrients.

Meanwhile, the pod 90 may include a pod cover 94. The pod cover 94 shields the upper surface of the pod 90 so as to prevent contamination or leakage of the medium 93. The at least part of the pod cover 94 may be removed or separated, and may be removed or separated before the pod 90 is seated on the seating portion 511.

On the other hand, the pod 90 may be provided with an identification unit 941 for recognizing information on the crop to be grown. The identification unit 941 may be provided in various forms, such as an NFC tag, a QR code, and a barcode, and can be easily recognized through the recognition unit 183 provided to the plant cultivation device 1. I can.

That is, the operation of the plant cultivation device 1 can be controlled according to the information of the pod 90 recognized by the recognition unit 183, and the information is transmitted to the user device 3 or the server 2 The operation of the plant cultivation device 1 or related usage information may be provided.

The identification unit 941 may be provided on the pod 90 itself or on inner and outer surfaces of the pod 90, and may be formed on the pod cover 94. Accordingly, the user performs a task of recognizing the pod 90 by the recognition unit 183 before mounting the pod 90 on the seating portion 511.

Hereinafter, the light assembly 60 will be described with reference to the drawings.

12 is an exploded perspective view of the light assembly.

As shown, the light assembly 60 is disposed above the bed 50 and may irradiate light above the bed 50. In addition, the light assembly 60 may have an arrangement structure that minimizes the loss of the cultivation space 11 and has high space utilization. To this end, the light assembly 60 may be disposed at a position adjacent to the upper surface of the cultivation space 11 and the lower surface of the bed 50 disposed above.

The light assembly 60 may have a size corresponding to the top surface of the cultivation space 11 or the bed 50. Therefore, it is possible to evenly irradiate light to the entire area of the bed 50 disposed below.

The light assembly 60 may include a light case 61 in which a lower surface is opened and an LED module 62 is accommodated therein. The light case 61 may be formed in a rectangular plate shape, and an edge 613 extending downwardly along the periphery may be formed.

Further, a plurality of case restriction holes 612 may be formed on the upper surface of the light cover 63. The case confinement holes 612 may be formed at four corners of the upper surface of the light cover 63, respectively. In addition, the light assembly 60 may be fixedly mounted by passing a fastening member fastened to the lead-in/out guide 56 and the inner upper plate 142 through the case confinement hole 612.

Wire guide ribs 614 for guiding wires connected to the LED module 62 may be formed on both sides of the lower surface of the light cover 63. The wire guide ribs 614 are formed to extend long in the front-rear direction, and a pair may be disposed on both left and right sides. A pair of the wire guide ribs 614 are spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of wire binding portions 615 may be formed between the wire guide ribs 614.

In addition, the LED module 62 may be mounted on the light case 61. The LED module 62 may be configured such that a plurality of LEDs 621 are mounted on a substrate. A plurality of the LEDs 621 may be continuously disposed on the substrate at regular intervals. The LED 621 may be configured to have a light amount (wavelength) similar to that of sunlight, and may be configured to irradiate light of a color capable of promoting photosynthesis of plants.

The LED module 62 may be formed in plural. For example, the LED module 62 may be formed in a number corresponding to a position corresponding to a position where the pod 90 is seated. Accordingly, the corresponding LED module 62 may be controlled to provide an appropriate amount of light according to the pod 90 seated on the bed 50.

In addition, some of the LED modules 62 may have different outputs, and may be configured to irradiate light with different outputs or different wavelengths according to the position of the cultivated plant.

For example, plants disposed on the left and right sides of the bed 50 may not be relatively well irradiated with light compared to the center side of the bed 50, and thus the output of the LED module 62 disposed at the left and right sides Is higher than the output of the central LED module 62 so that the plants of the whole bed can receive light evenly. And, if necessary, by adjusting the spacing or arrangement of the LEDs 621 mounted on the substrate, it may be possible to evenly irradiate light to the entire bed 50.

Meanwhile, a light cover 63 may be provided on an opened lower surface of the light case 61. The light cover 63 may be mounted on the light case 61 to shield an opened lower surface of the light case 61 and may be configured to protect the LED module 62 disposed therein.

The light cover 63 may be formed of a transparent material to allow light to pass therethrough, and a coating or surface treatment for diffusion of light may be added to the lower surface of the light cover 63.

An edge 632 is formed around the lower surface of the light cover 63 to provide a space 631 in which the LED module 62 is accommodated inside the edge. In addition, the rim 632 may be coupled to the light case 61 to seal the inside of the light case 61. Meanwhile, a wire outlet 632a may be formed on the rear surface of the light cover 63. The wire outlet 632a is configured to be opened rearward through a passage through which the wires inside the light case 61 enter and exit so that the incoming and outgoing wires are not exposed and can be directed to a connector on the rear wall of the cultivation space 11.

Further, a blower assembly mounting portion 633 to which the blower assembly 80 can be mounted may be formed on both sides of the rear end of the light cover 63. The blower assembly mounting portion 633 is formed to be recessed so that the blower brackets 816 provided at both upper ends of the blower assembly 80 can be inserted.

Hereinafter, the blower assembly will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

13 is a perspective view of the blower assembly. And, FIG. 14 is a cutaway perspective view XIV-XIV' of FIG. 13.

As shown in the drawing, the blower assembly 80 is configured to circulate air above the cultivation space 11 partitioned by the bed 50. Accordingly, the blower assembly 80 is provided as many as the number corresponding to the number of the beds 50, and is provided at the lower end of the light assembly 60 and at the upper side adjacent to the bed 50.

In addition, the air heated or cooled by the heater 102 or the evaporator 31 is discharged from the upper end, and the air is sucked in a position adjacent to the upper surface of the bed 50 so that the inside of the cultivation space 11 It has a structure that can circulate air.

The heater 102 and the evaporator 31 may be disposed in an intermediate region of the inner rear plate 146 in the vertical direction, and at least a portion may overlap with a part of the blower assembly 80 disposed above and below the inner rear plate 146. Is composed. Accordingly, the air heated and cooled by the heater 102 and the evaporator 31 may be circulated by the blower assembly 80, and the cultivation space ( 11) The entire partitioned space can be cooled or heated evenly.

The blower assembly 80 is spaced apart from the inner rear plate 146 in order to facilitate the inflow of cooled or heated air, and is configured not to interfere with the evaporator 31. In addition, the blower assembly 80 may be configured such that an upper end is coupled to a lower end of the light assembly 60.

When the blower assembly 80 is mounted inside the cultivation space 11, the components provided in the inner rear plate 146 including the evaporator 31 may be shielded to prevent external exposure. However, in FIG. 35, in order to explain the arrangement relationship between the evaporator 31 and the blower assembly 80, the blower cover 84 forming the front surface of the blower assembly 80 is separated.

The blower assembly 80 is formed to be elongated in the horizontal direction, and may be configured to correspond to the length of the inner rear plate 146 in the horizontal direction. In addition, the air blown by the blowing fan 82 provided in the central portion is branched in both sides by the blower body 81 and is configured to be discharged forward with an even air volume at the outlet side.

The blower assembly 80 includes a blowing fan 82, a blower body 81 on which the blowing fan 82 is mounted, and an inner plate forming the rear wall of the cultivation space 11 including the blower body 81 Shielding a portion of the 140 may be configured to include a blower cover 84.

In detail, the blowing fan 82 may be formed in a box fan shape, and may be provided in the center of the blower body 81. Further, the blowing fan 82 may discharge air introduced from the rear of the blower assembly 80 to the front.

The blower body 81 provides a space in which the blowing fan 82 is mounted, and is configured to guide the discharge of air discharged by the blowing fan 82. The blower body 81 is injection-molded of a plastic material, and a fan mounting portion 811 recessed in a shape corresponding to the blowing fan 82 is formed in the center of the rear surface of the blower body 81. Further, the fan mounting part 811 is opened so that air can be introduced into the blowing fan 82 when the blowing fan 82 is rotated.

On the other hand, a discharge guide part 815 may be formed on the front upper end of the blower body 81. The discharge guide part 815 guides the air discharged by the blowing fan 82 to be discharged to the front of the blower body 81. The discharge guide part 815 forms a surface protruding forward as it goes from the bottom to the top. That is, the discharge guide part 815 forms an inclined surface or a round surface, and guides the air flowing from the bottom upward to the front. At this time, since the end of the discharge guide 815 is adjacent to the lower surface of the light assembly 60, the air discharged from the blower assembly 80 is discharged from the light assembly 60 by the discharge guide 815. ), it can flow forward from the rear end. When the light assembly 60 generates heat by such air flow, the light assembly 60 can be cooled.

A blower bracket 816 inserted into the blower assembly mounting portion 633 may be provided on both left and right sides of the upper surface of the blower body 81. The blower bracket 816 may be formed in a vertically bent shape. One end of the blower bracket 816 may be coupled to an upper surface of the blower body 81, and the other end may be mounted on the blower assembly mounting portion 633 formed at a rear end of the lower surface of the light assembly 60. Accordingly, the light assembly 60 and the blower assembly 80 may be coupled to each other in a form perpendicular to each other. In addition, the blower assembly 80 may discharge air from the rear end of the light assembly 60 toward the front.

Meanwhile, the blower cover 84 may shield both the blower body 81 and the components mounted on the blower body 81 in front of the blower body 81. In addition, when the blower assembly 80 is mounted, the blower cover 84 may form the exterior of the rear wall of the cultivation space 11.

The blower cover 84 may be formed of the same metal material as the inner side plate 141, and may be formed by bending a plate-shaped material. The blower cover 84 may have an edge portion 84 bent along the periphery, and the blower body in which the blowing fan 82 is mounted in an inner space formed by the edge portion 84 ( 81) can be accommodated.

The upper surface of the blower cover 84 is formed to be open. In addition, the opened upper surface of the blower cover 84 may be located at a position corresponding to the upper end of the blower body 81. Accordingly, the air discharged along the discharge guide part 815 may be discharged through the opened upper surface of the blower cover 84.

Both side surfaces of the blower cover 84 among the rim portions 841 may be formed to surround both side surfaces of the blower body 81. In addition, the blower cover 84 may extend further downward than the blower body 81. The blower cover 84 may extend to the upper surface of the bed 50. Accordingly, when the blower assembly 80 is mounted, the rear wall surface of the space corresponding to the space between the light assembly 60 and the bed 50 is formed. In addition, components mounted on the inner rear plate 146 may be shielded so that the exterior may look very neat.

On the other hand, of the edge portions 84, the edge portion 84 forming the lower surface of the blower cover 84 has an extended length shorter than that of both sides. Accordingly, the lower surface of the blower cover 84 may be spaced apart from the inner rear plate 146, and thus a space through which air may be introduced downward may be formed. That is, in a state in which the blower assembly 80 is mounted, a suction port through which air is sucked is formed on the lower surface of the blower cover 84.

In addition, an end of the edge portion 84 forming the lower surface of the blower cover 84 may be bent downward to form a bent portion 841a. The bent portion 841a may further extend downward from the rear of the bed 50. Accordingly, the configuration on the inner rear plate 146 is shielded and the lower end of the blower cover 84 is not exposed, thereby enabling a cleaner appearance. In addition, the bent portion 841a is spaced apart from the rear end of the bed 50 and the inner rear plate 146, respectively, and it is possible to form an intake port of the air flowing into the blower cover 84.

On the other hand, in order to actively maintain photosynthesis of plants arranged inside the cultivation space 11, carbon dioxide is essentially required. In order to continuously supply carbon dioxide to the cultivation space 11, a supply duct 17 and a return duct 150 connecting the machine room 12 and the inside of the cultivation space may be further provided.

Hereinafter, structures of the supply duct 17 and the return duct 150 will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

15 is a perspective view of the plant cultivation apparatus in which the machine room is opened.

As shown, the machine room 12 is opened toward the rear of the cabinet 10, and a compressor 32 and a condenser 33 constituting a refrigeration cycle may be mounted inside the machine room 12. . In addition, a fan guide 341 may be provided between the compressor 32 and the condenser 33, and a condenser fan 34 may be provided in the fan guide 341.

External air is sucked into the condenser 33 by the driving of the condenser fan 34 and then is directed to the compressor 32 through the condenser fan 34. The air flow inside the machine room 12 may be forced by the condenser fan 34, and cooling or heat exchange of the condenser 33 and the compressor 32 is possible through this.

Meanwhile, the supply duct 17 communicating with the cultivation space 11 extends to a position adjacent to the condenser fan 34. In this case, the supply duct 17 may extend downward from the space in which the compressor 32 is disposed among the spaces partitioned by the fan guide 341, and in particular, the opened lower end of the supply duct 17 is It may be formed to face the condenser fan 34. Accordingly, a separate fan for supplying carbon dioxide is not required, and when the condenser fan 34 is rotated, air from the machine room 12 may flow into the inlet of the supply duct 17. And the air inside the machine room 12 flows to the cultivation space 11 through the supply duct 17.

The return duct 150 may extend downward on one side spaced apart from the supply duct 17. The discharge pipe 152 of the return duct 150 may extend to the blade region of the condenser fan 34. In addition, the opened lower end of the discharge pipe 152 may be formed to look downward. Accordingly, the air forcedly blown by the condenser fan 34 quickly passes through the opening of the discharge pipe 152. Accordingly, a negative pressure may be formed on the opened lower surface of the discharge pipe 152, and air in the cultivation space 11 may be introduced into the return duct 150 and discharged to the machine room 12.

As such, by the rotation of the condenser fan 34, the air in the machine room 12 passes through the supply duct 17 and is forcibly supplied to the cultivation space 11 to supply carbon dioxide to the inside of the cultivation space 11 This becomes possible. In addition, plants in the cultivation space 11 may perform photosynthesis using supplied carbon dioxide.

Air inside the cultivation space 11 may be discharged into the machine room by the return duct 150. Continuous supply of carbon dioxide to the cultivation space 11 is possible by forced air flow through the supply duct 17 and the return duct 150. In addition, the amount of air flowing from the machine room 12 to the cultivation space 11 may be adjusted according to the type of plant to be grown and the amount of carbon dioxide supplied in the growth stage.

Hereinafter, the overall operation of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention having the above structure will be schematically described.

16 is a view schematically showing the operating state of the plant cultivation apparatus. And, Figure 17 is a block diagram showing the flow of the control signal of the plant cultivation apparatus. And, Figure 18 is a block diagram showing the operation of the plant cultivation apparatus step by step.

Referring to the drawings, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be first installed in an indoor space for use. The plant cultivation apparatus 1 is connected to power for operation, and a setting operation for smooth operation may be performed. [S10]

In a state in which the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is installed, the pod 90 is placed inside the plant cultivation apparatus 1 to start plant cultivation. The pod 90 may contain seeds and nutrients of plants suitable for cultivation in the plant cultivation apparatus 1, and may be provided in a standardized state such as a package or cartridge in the container 91. The pod 90 may directly select a type of plant desired by the user, or a suitable plant type may be suggested through the cultivation information provided by the plant cultivation device 1 and selected by the user. The cultivation information may include information for cultivating plants using the corresponding plant cultivation apparatus 1, such as an environment for cultivation, such as a type of plant, an amount of sunlight and amount of sunlight, and an amount of water supply.

Meanwhile, various types of the pod 90 may be provided, and the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may set various operating conditions suitable for various plants of the pod 90. In addition, information on the pod 90 to be grown may be analyzed or processed, and may be provided to a user.

To this end, the pod 90 undergoes a process of being recognized by the plant cultivation device 1 while being mounted on the plant cultivation device. That is, before mounting the selected pod 90 on the plant cultivation device 1, the pod 90 is recognized through the plant cultivation device 1 and cultivation information is transmitted to the plant cultivation device 1 and the user. It can be delivered to the device (3). [S20]

When the pod 90 is recognized by the plant cultivation device 1 by the user's manipulation, the plant cultivation device 1 sets a suitable operating condition for the pod 90 inside the plant cultivation device, and the set Driving is performed according to the driving conditions. The operating conditions may include the temperature of the cultivation space 11, the illuminance of the light assembly 60, the on-off time of the light assembly 60, the amount of water supply, the operation time of the water supply assembly, and the like. It can be set to have different values depending on the type.

On the other hand, while the pod 90 is seated on the bed 50, water from the water tank 40 may be supplied to the bed 50 according to a set operating condition. In addition, the nutrient solution contained in the pod 90 together with water supplied to the bed 50 may be supplied to the seeds or plants in the pod 90.

Then, the light assembly 60 is operated according to the set driving conditions, and light is irradiated toward the plants of the pod 90. The light assembly 60 may be controlled to provide an appropriate amount of light according to a type of plant and a growing state. For example, by turning the light assembly 60 on and off according to the actual amount of sunlight according to the season, the plants inside the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may grow in an environment similar to that growing in an external natural environment.

The plants of the bed 50 perform photosynthesis by light provided by the light assembly 60, and in this process, the necessary carbon dioxide can be supplied in a necessary amount through the supply duct 17. In particular, carbon dioxide can be simultaneously supplied to the cultivation space using the condenser fan 34 without a separate dedicated fan, and the air inside the cultivation space 11 is recovered to the machine room 12 and the machine room 12 It is possible to circulate between and the cultivation space (11).

On the other hand, when the temperature inside the cultivation space 11 is too low, the heater 102 is driven, and when the temperature inside the cultivation space 11 is too high, the refrigeration cycle is driven and the evaporator 31 is cooled. It will work. By the heater 102 and the evaporator 31, the cultivation space 11 may maintain a temperature suitable for the growth of cultivated plants.

Air heated or cooled by the heater 102 or the evaporator 31 is discharged forward through the blower assembly 80. At this time, air flows from the rear end of the light assembly 60 to the front, and the lower surface of the light assembly 60 is cooled during the air flow process.

Then, the air moved forward is moved downward and then flows from the front end of the bed 50 to the rear end of the bed 50. Stems and leaves of plants grown in the bed 50 are shaken by the flow of air flowing from the upper surface of the bed 50, so that the appearance of the grown plants can be remarkably improved.

Air flowing into the rear end of the bed 50 may be cooled or heated again by the evaporator 31 or the heater 102, and may be discharged to the light assembly 60 by the blower fan 82. .

In addition, the inside of the cultivation space 11 may be continuously and uniformly heated and cooled through the air circulation process, and the entire cultivation space 11 may be maintained at a set temperature.

In this way, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is continuously operated according to the set operating conditions, and the seeds of the pod 90 are continuously grown after the germination stage. [S30]

On the other hand, through the continuous operation of the plant cultivation apparatus 1, the plant growing in the pod 90 may reach a harvestable time. When the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is operated while maintaining the set operating conditions, the harvestable time may be calculated. The plant cultivation apparatus 1 may indicate that the plant to be cultivated has reached the harvestable state when the calculated harvestable time is reached.

Of course, the user can check the inside of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 through the door 20, and the plant growth state even when the door 20 is not opened while the light assembly 60 is turned on. You will be able to see with the naked eye. Therefore, even if there is no notification of the possible cultivation time through the plant cultivation apparatus 1, plants may be harvested according to the user's preference.

On the other hand, when all the plants of the pod 90 are harvested, or when the time of disposal is reached after the harvest time has passed, the user may take out the pod 90 from the plant cultivation apparatus 1, collect it, and discard it. Of course, it will be possible to continue cultivation by taking out the pod 90 and recovering it and putting another pod 90 if the user wants it in a state that has not reached the harvest time. [S40]

While repeatedly performing such a process, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 enables continuous and continuous cultivation of plants.

Hereinafter, a control method in each cultivation step described above will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

Hereinafter, a network connection during the initial setting of the plant cultivation device 1 will be described.

19 is a diagram illustrating a connection state between the plant cultivation apparatus and the server and user equipment. And, Figure 20 is a view showing a display state of the display assembly of the plant cultivation apparatus. And, Figure 21 is a flow chart showing a network setting process of the plant cultivation apparatus.

Referring to the drawings, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 needs to perform an initial setting step. The initial setting step (S10) may be performed when starting in a state for installation or in a state in which the power is completely turned off. The initial setting step may be performed in a state where basic setting is required before the operation of the plant cultivation apparatus 1.

The plant cultivation apparatus 1 may set and change control the operating conditions of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 through communication with the user equipment 3 carried by the user or the server 2 in a remote location. In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may exchange cultivation information or driving information of the plant cultivation apparatus with the user device 3 and the server 2. The user device 3 may be, for example, a mobile phone or a tablet PC capable of displaying a screen and allowing a user to manipulate an input.

In detail, after the plant cultivation device 1 is disposed in a position for use, a power cord is connected so that power for operation is applied to the plant cultivation device 1. [S111]

When power is applied to the plant cultivation apparatus 1, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be in a state in which a network connection is possible. In this case, the user may operate the network operation unit 702 of the display assembly 70 to perform an operation for connecting the plant cultivation apparatus 1 to the network. [S112]

For example, the display assembly 70 may include a manipulation unit. The manipulation unit may include a button structure through which a user can input manipulation by a touch or push manipulation. In addition, the manipulation unit may be turned on and off to display a corresponding manipulation to display an manipulation state. The operation unit may include a power operation unit 701 for turning on and off the power of the plant cultivation apparatus, a network operation unit 702, a light operation unit 703, and a cultivation mode operation unit 707. Each of these is arranged so that an operation can be inputted by a user, and may have a structure capable of lighting so that the user can recognize the operation state. On the other hand, in the display assembly 70, a recognition display unit 704 for recognizing the pod 90, a water supply display unit 705 for displaying a water shortage state, and a cultivation mode display unit 706 for displaying a current cultivation mode state. , A diagnostic unit 708 for diagnosing the operating state of the plant cultivation apparatus may be further provided.

The recognition display unit 704 is a part that displays recognition of the pod 90, and a recognition unit 183 may be further disposed inside the recognition display unit 704. Accordingly, when the pod 90 is brought close to the recognition display unit 704, the recognition unit 183 may recognize the pod 90 and display the recognition display unit 704 as it lights. If necessary, the recognition display unit 704 itself may be configured as a recognition unit 183.

The plant cultivation apparatus 1 may automatically perform an operation for network connection when power is applied, without any separate manipulation. In addition, the network connection status may be displayed through the network operation unit 702.

For example, when the plant cultivation apparatus 1 and the network are connected, the network operation unit 702 is turned on, and when the plant cultivation apparatus 1 and the network are not connected, the network operation unit 702 is turned off. State. In addition, when the network operation unit 702 is turned off, the user can operate the network operation unit 702 to perform a network connection operation.

The plant cultivation apparatus 1 may determine a network connection according to the previously set information when there is previously set network information. In addition, when a network connection input is instructed by the network operation unit 702, the control unit 18 determines whether network connection information is input by checking the network connection state of the plant cultivation apparatus 1. [S113]

When the plant cultivation device 1 is initially installed and there is no pre-set network connection information, the plant cultivation device 1 starts the soft AP mode, and the network connection setting is established through the user device 3. It becomes possible. [S114]

On the other hand, when there is already set network connection information, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be connected to a preset network. [S115]

Through such a network setting, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be connected to the user device 3 and the server 2 at a remote location. Accordingly, the plant cultivation apparatus 1, the user device 3, and the server 2 may be directly/indirectly connected to each other to enable information transmission. The plant cultivation apparatus 1, the server 2, and the user equipment 3 may be connected to a network by wireless communication. For example, the wireless communication may be any one of various methods such as Wi-Fi, Zigbee, NFC, and Bluetooth.

In particular, in the present embodiment, operation and operation information of various cultivation environments of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can be displayed or inputted through the user device 3 or the server 2. Accordingly, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can be configured to be more concise and maintain a neat appearance by minimizing a configuration for operating an operation or displaying information.

Hereinafter, the recognition of the pod 90 by the plant cultivation device 1 will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.

22 is a flowchart showing a process for recognizing the Pod. And, FIG. 23 is a diagram showing an operation state for recognizing and positioning the pod.

As shown, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is operated in a state in which power is applied. [S111]

The plant cultivation apparatus 1 operates in a state in which time setting for operation and network setting are completed. Of course, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be capable of recognizing and operating the pod 90 even when time setting and network setting are not performed. [S211]

The user makes the plant cultivation apparatus 1 aware of the pod 90 for plant cultivation. Through the recognition of the pod 90, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can set an optimal operating condition, and in particular, it is possible to provide an effective cultivation environment even in a state in which a plurality of different pods 90 are disposed.

The pod 90 may be recognized through the recognition unit 183 of the plant cultivation apparatus 1. Accordingly, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can perform a suitable operation for the pod 90 even in a state in which the user equipment 3 or the remote server 2 is not connected to the network. That is, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 alone may recognize the pod 90 and calculate the operating conditions.

The recognition operation of the pod 90 and the operation of seating the pod 90 may be performed independently. That is, after recognizing the pod 90 first, the door 20 may be opened, and the pod 90 may be seated at a position desired by the user of the bed 50.

By separating the recognition and mounting of the pod 90 as described above, a more accurate recognition of the pod can be ensured, and the configuration of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 that the pod 90 can recognize can be simplified.

The recognition unit 183 may approach the pod 90 to recognize the pod. For example, the recognition unit 183 may communicate with the pod 90 through an NFC (NFC) method. Therefore, in order to recognize the pod 90, the pod 90 is brought close to the recognition unit 183. Of course, a QR code or barcode may be displayed on the pod 90 and the recognition unit 183 may be configured as a reader so that the recognition unit 183 recognizes it. The method of recognizing the pod 90 by the recognition unit 183 is not limited thereto, and various methods of recognizing the shopping mall pod 90 by approaching and recognizing the pod 90 without a separate input operation may be possible. In addition, the pod 90 may be provided with an identification unit (941 in FIG. 9) recognizable to the recognition unit 183, and the identification unit 941 may be provided to the pod 90, For example, it may be formed on the cover 94. In addition, the identification unit 941 may be an NFC tag, a QR code, or a barcode. [S212]

On the other hand, when the door 20 is opened and closed but the pod 90 is not recognized, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 maintains the operating conditions. That is, if the user opens and closes the door while the other pod 90 is already being recognized and seated and operated, but the separate pod 90 is not recognized, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can perform the existing set operating conditions. Can be maintained.

In addition, when the user does not want to change the existing driving conditions, for example, when adding a pod 90 of the same type as the pod 90 being cultivated, there is no need to set a separate driving condition, so the pod 90 The pod 90 may be immediately seated on the bed 50 without performing recognition of. In this case, the cultivation operation can be performed while maintaining the existing operating conditions without changing the operating conditions. [S213]

Meanwhile, after the recognition unit 183 recognizes the pod 90, the position of the pod 90 may be input. The location of the pod 90 may be input through the user device 3. Accordingly, in order to input the location of the pod 90, the plant cultivation device 1 and the user device 3 may be connected to each other through a network.

As shown in FIG. 23, when the door 20 is opened to seat the pod 90, the display assembly 70 is exposed, and the pod 90 approaches the recognition unit 183 By doing so, the pod 90 can be recognized.

In this case, in order to more easily recognize the pod 90, the recognition display unit 704 may induce the pod 90 to approach. That is, the recognition unit 183 may be located at the same position as or adjacent to the recognition display unit 704. In addition, since the location of the recognition unit 183 can be predicted through the recognition display unit 704, the user can accurately recognize the recognition unit 183 by approaching the pod 90 with the recognition display unit 704. I can. In addition, the recognition display unit 704 may be turned on in a recognized state as necessary, or may visualize whether or not the Pod 90 is accurately recognized by different colors before and after recognition. Of course, whether or not the pod 90 is recognized may be displayed through a device that outputs sound such as a buzzer or a speaker other than the recognition display unit 704.

When the plant cultivation device 1 recognizes the pod 90, the plant cultivation device 1 transmits information of the pod 90 to the user device 3. For example, a notification window 3b11 indicating that the Pod 90 has been recognized may be displayed on the standby screen 3b1 of the user device 3.

At this time, the plant cultivation device 1 and the user device 3 may be connected to the server 2. Accordingly, the information of the pod 90 recognized by the recognition unit 183 may be transmitted to the server 2, and the server 2 stores information related to the pod 90 and It would also be possible to pass the information to the user device 3.

When the user presses the notification window 3b11 of the user device 3, the user device 3 outputs a cultivation information screen 3d. A pod display unit 3d1 may be output on the cultivation information screen 3d. The pod display part 3d1 may display a plurality of the pod icons 3d11 arranged in a corresponding shape, such as the arrangement of the seating parts 511 partitioned in the bed 50. That is, the position of the pod 90 seated on the seating portion 511 may be expressed by displaying the pod icon 3d11 at a corresponding position on the pod display unit 3d1.

The pod display unit 3d1 may differentiate and display a state in which the pod 90 is seated and an empty state. The pod icon 3d11 is displayed at the position where the pod 90 is seated, and the position where the pod 90 is not seated is displayed as an empty space. In addition, after recognizing the pod 90, the user may select an empty space of the pod display unit 3d1 to input the seating position of the pod 90. That is, the position in which the pod 90 is seated can be designated and displayed on the pod display unit 3d1 through the pod icon 3d11.

Accordingly, even when a plurality of pods 90 are irregularly seated on the bed 50, the position and information of each pod 90 can be accurately displayed on the pod display unit 3d1 and transmitted to the user. In addition, the user enables effective management of the plurality of pods 90 through the user device 3. [S214]

On the other hand, when a new pod 90 is recognized by the plant cultivation apparatus 1, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 calculates a new operating condition. When the pod 90 is inserted, a plurality of pods 90 may require different operating conditions, and a cultivation environment in which various types of pods 90 can be cultivated in the same space is created. .

The operating conditions may be calculated by the control unit 18 of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 and may be updated through information transmitted through the server 2 and the user device 3. And, if necessary, the operating conditions may be calculated from the user device 3 or the server, and transmitted to the plant cultivation device 1 so that the plant cultivation device 1 can be operated according to the transmitted operating conditions. May be.

In a state in which the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is operated in accordance with the previous operating conditions, when the new pod 90 is recognized by the recognition unit 183, the control unit 18 displays the newly recognized pod 90 A new driving condition including) is calculated.

For example, when a plurality of pods 90 are recognized, a driving condition may be calculated based on an average of the plurality of pods 90. Accordingly, the operation of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be readjusted according to the required average illuminance, amount of sunlight, temperature, and water supply for the plurality of pods 90. [S215]

The plant cultivation apparatus 1 continuously performs the operation based on the newly calculated operating condition, and when the pod 90 is additionally recognized, the above process is repeatedly operated.

Meanwhile, another example for recognizing the pod 90 will be described with reference to the drawings.

24 is a diagram showing another example of an operation state for recognizing and positioning the Pod.

As shown, the user may recognize the pod 90 without opening the door 20 of the plant cultivation apparatus 1. In this case, the recognition unit 183 ′ is provided on one side of the cabinet 10, for example, may be provided above the cabinet 10.

Accordingly, when the door 20 is closed, the user may recognize the pod 90 by bringing the pod 90 close to the upper surface of the cabinet 10 on which the recognition unit 183 ′ is disposed.

In detail, since the user has to designate the seating position of the pod 90 using the user device 3, first, when the pod 90 is placed on one side of the upper surface of the cabinet 10, the recognition unit 183' May recognize the pod 90.

In addition, when the recognition unit 183' of the plant cultivation device 1 recognizes the pod 90, a notification indicating the recognition of the pod 90 is displayed on the standby screen 3b1 of the user device 3 The window 3b11 may be output. In addition, the user may press the notification window 3b11 to enter the cultivation information screen 3d, and select and input the seating position of the pod 90 on the pod display 3d1.

After completing the setting of the seating position of the pod 90, the user opens the door 20 to place the pod 90 on the seating portion 511 of the selected bed 50. In addition, when the door 20 is closed, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can be operated under a driving condition suitable for a plurality of pods 90 including the new pod 90.

Meanwhile, the pod 90 may be added to the inside of the plant cultivation device 1 while the plant cultivation device 1 is being operated, and the pod 90 may be removed after harvesting the plant.

25 is a flowchart showing a process of adding or removing the pod.

As shown, the number of the pods 90 accommodated in the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be changed by adding or removing the pods 90 while the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is being operated. . [S221]

The plant cultivation device 1 checks whether the pod 90 added or removed in the plant cultivation device 1 is a plant of the same type or a heterogeneous plant. At this time, the plant type of the added pod 90 can be checked by the recognition unit 183, and the type of the removed pod 90 can be checked by input of the user device 3. [S223]

When the plant type of the changed pod 90 is the same as the remaining pod 90, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 can maintain the current operating conditions. That is, when the pods 90 of the same kind as the pods 90 remaining in the plant cultivation apparatus 1 are added or removed, the cultivation operation can be continued by maintaining the current operating conditions without changing the operating conditions. have. [S222]

On the other hand, when the plant type of the changed pod 90 is different from the remaining pod 90, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 calculates a new operating condition. That is, when the pods 90 of heterogeneous plants are added or removed, the types of the pods 90 to be cultivated are different. Accordingly, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be operated according to a newly calculated operating condition so that the remaining pods 90 can be cultivated in an optimal cultivation environment.

On the other hand, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may notify the user when the harvesting time or disposal time of at least one of the pods 90 is reached during the cultivation operation.

26 is a flowchart showing a process of notifying harvest and disposal of the plant cultivation apparatus. In addition, FIG. 27 is a diagram sequentially showing a notification and a screen manipulation state of the user device when the input crop is discarded.

As shown, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 performs a cultivation operation according to a set operating condition.

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 determines whether or not the pod 90 being cultivated in the plant cultivation apparatus 1 reaches a harvestable time while driving under the set operating conditions. The harvesting possible time is different for each type of plant cultivated in the pod 90, and when the pod 90 is recognized by the recognition unit 183, the harvesting time may be calculated and set. After the pod 90 is input, the plant cultivation device 1 is operated under a set operating condition, and the harvesting time reached when the operating condition is the reference is counted.

In order to accurately count the harvest time, the harvest time may be corrected when the operating conditions are changed, and the harvest time may be calculated according to information transmitted through communication with the server 2 and the user device 3. The harvest time is generally recommended for ingestion, and since preferences may be different for each individual, it may be possible to change and set as necessary. [S311]

When at least one plant being cultivated inside the plant cultivation apparatus 1 reaches the harvestable time, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 notifies the user of the possible harvest. At this time, the harvestable state may be notified by the plant cultivation device 1 itself, or may be notified through the user device 3.

For example, when the plant inside the plant cultivation apparatus 1 reaches a harvestable time, the user device 3 may display a notification, and the corresponding pod for harvesting on the cultivation information screen 3d ( 90) can also be displayed. It is possible to induce a user to harvest in a timely manner through the notification of the harvestable time.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 27, the specific pod 90 in the plant cultivation device 1 is harvested or discarded in a state in which the user device 3 is a standby screen 3b1 without additional manipulation. When the timing is reached, the timing notification window 3b14 may be displayed on the standby screen 3b1.

Accordingly, the user can immediately check the notification of the harvest time or disposal time of the pod 90 generated during the operation of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 even when a separate application or program is not being executed.

When the user selects the timing notification window 3d13, the user device 3 outputs a cultivation information screen 3d. In addition, the pod display unit 3d1 including a plurality of pod icons 3d11 may be displayed on the cultivation information screen 3d.

At this time, a timing confirmation window 3d13 may be displayed on the cultivation information screen 3d, and when the confirmation of the timing confirmation window 3d13 is pressed, a discard confirmation window 3d27 may be displayed. In the discard confirmation window 3d27, a reason or satisfaction level may be input.

When the corresponding Pod 90 is finally discarded through the discard confirmation window 3d27, the Pod icon 3d11 corresponding to the Pod display unit 3d1 is deleted and output in the form of an empty space 3d10 The pod 90 may be discarded. That is, without entering the individual information screen 3d2, the pod 90 is relatively simpler and faster through the manipulation of the timing confirmation window 3d13 and the disposal confirmation window 3d27 within the cultivation information screen 3d. You can enter the discard of. [S312]

If the plant is left without harvesting even when the harvestable period of the pod 90 has elapsed, the recommended intake period may elapse. In addition, if the plant is left unharmed for a long period of time, the plant may become ingestable and may affect other crops.

In order to prevent such a problem, after the lapse of the harvesting period, it is determined whether or not the plant being cultivated in the plant cultivation apparatus 1 has passed the harvesting period and reached the disposal period. The disposal time of the plant may also be generally set to a period in which ingestion is impossible or abnormally possible, and the plant cultivation apparatus 1 calculates this period based on the set operating conditions. [S313]

If, when the disposal time of the plant is reached without harvesting, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 notifies the arrival of the disposal time. At this time, the arrival of the disposal timing may be notified by the plant cultivation apparatus 1 itself, or through the user device 3.

For example, when the disposal time is reached, the user device 3 may display a notification, and the pod 90 having reached the disposal time may be displayed on the cultivation information screen 3d. Through the notification of the disposal timing, the user can induce the user to retrieve and discard the Pod in a timely manner. [S314]

On the other hand, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may adjust the harvesting timing of the cultivated plants according to the user's request while driving. As an example, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 may be operated according to a set driving condition as long as there is no manipulation input for selecting a cultivation mode by a user, and the driving mode at this time may be referred to as a normal mode or an automatic mode.

And, while the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is being operated, the user can change the cultivation mode. The driving conditions may be adjusted so that the harvesting timing or the growth rate of the cultivated plants can be adjusted according to the user's input of changing the cultivation mode.

For example, a user may select and input any one of a normal mode, a delay mode, and a rapid mode by manipulating the cultivation mode manipulation unit 707 of the display assembly 70. As another example, the user selects and inputs any one of a normal mode, a delayed mode, and a rapid mode as the cultivation mode using the user device 3, and the user device 3 inputs the input through the control unit 18 The cultivation mode can be operated.

The normal mode may be set as a default without manipulation of the cultivation mode, and is a driving condition calculated by information of the pod 90 recognized by the control unit 18 when the pod 90 is recognized. I can.

In addition, the delay mode adjusts the driving conditions so that the harvesting time of the cultivated plant can be further delayed compared to the normal mode. For example, in the delay mode, the temperature of the cultivation space 11 may be lower than that of the normal mode, or the illuminance by the light assembly 60 may be reduced or the amount of sunlight may be reduced, and the bed 50 It can be adjusted to delay the timing of water supply.

By switching the operating conditions of the plant cultivation device 1 to the delay mode, the harvesting timing of the plants inside the plant cultivation device 1 may be delayed, and the harvesting timing reset by the delayed mode is the user device 3 ) Can be guided through.

In addition, the rapid mode adjusts the driving conditions so that the harvesting time of the cultivated plants can be accelerated compared to the normal mode. For example, in the rapid mode, the temperature of the cultivation space 11 may be adjusted higher than in the normal mode, or the illuminance by the light assembly 60 may be increased or the amount of sunlight may be increased, and the bed 50 It can be adjusted to speed up the timing of water supply to the water supply.

By switching the operating conditions of the plant cultivation device 1 to the rapid mode, the harvesting time of the plants inside the plant cultivation device 1 may be faster, and the harvesting time reset by the rapid mode is the user device 3 ) Can be guided through.

Meanwhile, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 according to the present invention may have various other examples different from the above-described first embodiment in the structure and control method for recognizing and detecting the pod 90.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The second embodiment of the present invention differs only in the structure of the recognition unit and the detection unit from the above-described embodiment, but other configurations are the same, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

28 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration for pod recognition and location setting of a plant cultivation apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention. And, Figure 29 is a flow chart showing the process of the Pod recognition and location setting.

As shown in the drawings, one recognition unit 183 and a plurality of detection units 186 may be connected to the control unit 18 of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The recognition unit 183 is for recognizing the type of the pod 90, and is configured to approach the pod 90 to recognize the pod 90, as in the above-described embodiment. In addition, the pod 90 may be seated on the bed 50 in a recognized state.

The recognition unit 183 may have various types of structures capable of recognizing the pod 90 when the pod 90 approaches. To this end, the pod 90 may include an identification unit 941 that can be recognized by the recognition unit 183.

For example, the identification unit 941 of the pod 90 may be composed of an NFC tag, and the recognition unit 183 may be composed of an NFC reader. As another example, the identification unit 941 of the pod 90 may be configured as a barcode, and the recognition unit 183 may be configured as a barcode reader. As another example, the identification unit 941 of the pod 90 may be configured as a QR code, and the recognition unit 183 may be configured as a QR code reader. In addition, as another example, the recognition unit 183 may be configured as a camera, and the identification unit 941 may be a shape or pattern formed on at least a part of the pod, or a printed picture.

The recognition unit 183 may be connected to the control unit 18, and the information of the pod 90 recognized by the recognition unit 183 is transferred to the control unit 18, so that the entire plant cultivation apparatus 1 Can be referenced in the operation of. That is, the control unit 18 calculates and sets a driving condition based on the information recognized by the recognition unit 183, and the light assembly 60, the blower assembly 80, and the water supply are set according to the set driving condition. It will control the assembly and refrigeration cycle.

Therefore, even in a state in which various types of pods 90 and a plurality of pods 90 are all put into one cultivation space 11, the control unit 18 calculates the optimum operating conditions to effectively cultivate heterogeneous plants. can do.

Meanwhile, a plurality of sensing units 186 may be connected to the control unit 18. The sensing unit 186 may detect the position of the pod 90 inserted into the plant cultivation apparatus 1. The sensing unit 186 may be provided at a position corresponding to the plurality of seating portions 511 provided on the bed 50. Accordingly, the sensing units 186 may detect that the pod 90 is seated on each seating portion 511.

That is, the sensing unit 186 may be provided in a number corresponding to the number of the seating units 511 on which the pod 90 is seated, and each of the sensing units 186 may have a unique ID. . Accordingly, when the specific sensing unit 186 detects, the location information on which the pod 90 is seated may be transmitted to the controller 18.

For example, the sensing unit 186 may be configured as an illuminance sensor. The illuminance sensor may detect a change in illuminance generated when the pod 90 is input, and determine the input or removal of the pod 90.

As another example, the sensing unit 186 may use a proximity sensor that detects the presence or absence of the pod 90 by using a distance difference between the seating unit 511 and the pod 90, and the pod 90 A contact sensor or switch for detecting the presence or absence of the pod 90 by direct contact with) may be used.

Meanwhile, the plurality of sensing units 186 may be provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of seating units 511 formed on the bed 50 individually. That is, the sensing unit 186 may be positioned above the seating portion 511, and may be positioned above each of the plurality of seating portions 511. The sensing unit 186 may be mounted on the light assembly 60 away from the bed 50 so as not to interfere with the insertion and removal of the pod 90 and the growth of the plants of the pod 90. The detection unit 186 is disposed on the lower surface of the light assembly 60 to detect whether the pod 90 is inserted. In this case, it is preferable that the sensing unit 186 uses the illuminance sensor.

In addition, the sensing unit 186 may be directly mounted on the bed 50. The sensing unit 186 may be provided on each of the seating parts 511 and, in particular, may be provided on the upper bed 50 so as not to be affected by water supplied to the bed 50. The sensing unit 186 may be provided in each of the seating portions 511 to detect that the pod 90 is seated on the seating portion 511.

Looking at the process of recognizing and detecting the pod 90 with reference to FIG. 29, first, the user opens the door 20 to insert the pod 90. [S231]

When the door 20 is opened, the recognition unit 183 for recognizing the pod 90 may be exposed. Even if the recognition unit 183 is not directly exposed, the access of the pod 90 may be induced through the recognition display unit 704. When the user approaches the pod 90 to the recognition unit 183, the recognition unit 183 detects the identification unit 941 to identify the pod 90. [S232]

On the other hand, when the door 20 is opened but the pod 90 is not recognized, the recognition signal of the pod 90 is not generated, and the control unit 18 operates while maintaining the existing driving conditions. Is done.

When the user opens the door 20 for management of the inside of the cultivation space 11 or for harvesting plants rather than the input of the pod 90, a preset operation is required because recognition of the pod 90 is not required. The condition is maintained. In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 performs a continuous cultivation operation under current operating conditions. [S233]

Meanwhile, information generated when the pod 90 is recognized by the recognition unit 183 may be transmitted to the control unit 18. When the recognition unit 183 normally recognizes the pod 90, the plant cultivation apparatus may indicate whether the pod 90 is recognized. As an example, the recognition state of the pod 90 may be output through the display assembly 70, and as another example, the recognition completion of the pod 90 may be output as a voice signal. Accordingly, the user can recognize the completion of recognition of the pod 90. [S234]

After the user completes recognition of the pod 90, the pod 90 is seated on the bed 50. A plurality of seating portions 511 may be formed on the bed 50, and a user may place the pod 90 on a desired seating portion 511.

When the pod 90 is seated on the seating portion 511, the sensing unit 186 at a position corresponding to the seating portion 511 may detect that the pod 90 is seated. For example, when the sensing unit 186 is an illuminance sensor, an illuminance change occurs in a corresponding region due to the seating of the pod 90, and the sensing unit 186 detects this and You will judge the input.

The sensing units 186 are formed at positions corresponding to the number of the seating units 511, and each sensing unit 186 has a unique ID. Accordingly, the control unit 18 can obtain the input position of the pod 90 according to the ID of the detection unit 186 transmitted to the control unit 18. [S235]

When the sensing unit 186 detects the position of the pod 90, the control unit 18 calculates a new driving condition. The controller 18 may calculate an optimal driving condition based on information on the pods 90 disposed inside the cultivation space 11, including information on the newly recognized pod 90. For example, a driving condition may be calculated by using an average value of the driving conditions of the plurality of pods 90.

Further, not only the information of the pod 90 recognized by the recognition unit 183 but also the location information of the pod 90 may be referred to the driving condition. When the bed 50 is provided with a plurality of top and bottom, the water supply amount may be adjusted according to the position of the pod 90 of the plurality of beds 50, and the blower assembly 80 corresponding to the corresponding bed 50 And the operation of the light assembly 60 may be adjusted. [S326]

After the control unit 18 calculates a new driving condition based on the recognition information of the pod 90 and the sensed position, the plant cultivation device 1 operates under a newly set driving condition to perform a cultivation operation. .

On the other hand, when the sensing unit 186 recognizes the pod 90, but the sensing unit 186 does not recognize the pod 90, the plant cultivation apparatus may display a detection error. The detection error may be displayed through the display assembly 70, and a voice for the detection error may be output by a buzzer or a speaker. In this case, the controller 18 may display a detection error if a detection signal is not generated by the detection unit 186 within a set time after the recognition unit 183 recognizes the pod 90. In addition, the control unit 18 may display a detection error when the door 20 is closed in a state in which the detection signal is not generated from the detection unit 186 after the recognition unit 183 recognizes the pod 90. I can. [S237]

When the detection error signal is displayed due to the non-sensing of the pod 90 by the detection unit 186, the user re-seats the pod 90 in the seating unit 511 or changes its position to another seating unit ( 511). By the rearrangement operation, the detection unit 186 may detect the pod 90, and position information can be transmitted to the control unit 18. [S238]

On the other hand, while the plurality of pods 90 are seated on the bed 50 inside the plant cultivation apparatus 1, the user may change the positions of the pods 90. Hereinafter, a change in the position of the pod will be described with reference to the drawings.

30 is a flowchart showing a process of changing the position of the pod. And, Fig. 31 is a diagram showing an operation state for changing the position of the pod.

As shown, the user may change the position of the pod 90 while operating the plant cultivation device 1. In order to change the position of the pod 90, after opening the door 20, the pod 90 may be relocated to a desired position. [S241]

When the door 20 is closed after completing the relocation operation of the pod 90, a change in the position of the pod 90 may be detected by the sensing unit 186 inside the plant cultivation apparatus 1 have.

That is, the sensing unit 186, which is equivalent to the seating portion 511 on which the pod 90 has been previously seated, cannot detect the pod 90, and is positioned at a position corresponding to the seating portion 511 that was empty. When the detection unit 186 detects the pod 90, the control unit 18 determines that the position of the pod 90 is changed. [S242]

On the other hand, when the control unit 18 does not generate a signal from the detection unit 186 due to the position change of the pod 90, the current driving condition is maintained. [S243]

On the other hand, when the detection unit 186 signal is generated by the change in the position of the pod 90 by the control unit 18 and it is determined that the position of the pod 90 is changed, the control unit 18 At 183, it is determined whether the new Pod 90 is recognized.

That is, when a new signal from the detection unit 186 is input while the recognition information of the new pod 90 is not input by the recognition unit 183, the pod 90, which has already been recognized and detected, is cultivated. It is determined that the location has changed. [S244]

At this time. When the control unit 18 determines that the position of the pod 90 is changed, the plant cultivation device 1 transmits a change signal to the server 2 or the user device 3, and the user device ( 3) outputs the position change of the pod 90 through the notification window 3b11 on the standby screen 3b1.

When the user selects the notification window 3b11, the screen is switched to the cultivation information screen 3d, and the pod display unit 3d1 including a plurality of pod icons 3d11 may be displayed. At this time, the user manipulates the pod icon 3d11 to the position where the pod 90 is changed to determine the output state on the pod display unit 3d1 and the arrangement of the pod 90 actually seated on the bed 50. You can manipulate the change to respond.

That is, the change of the pod 90 is notified through the user device 3 and the user directly inputs the change to the correct position, thereby enabling the location management of the pod 90. [S245]

On the other hand, when the detection unit 186 detects the position change of the pod 90 and immediately before the recognition unit 183 recognizes the pod 90, the control unit 18 It may be determined that the position of the pod 90 is changed after 90) is newly introduced.

Therefore, in this case, since the position of the pod 90 is changed together with the input of the new pod 90, the control unit 18 newly calculates the driving conditions including the newly inserted pod 90. [S246]

In addition, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 performs a cultivation operation according to a newly calculated operating condition. [S247]

Meanwhile, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 according to the present invention may have various other examples different from the above-described embodiments in the structure and control method for recognizing and detecting the pod 90.

Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. The third embodiment of the present invention differs only in the structure of the recognition unit and the detection unit from the above-described embodiment, but other configurations are the same, and the same reference numerals are used for the same configurations, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

32 is a diagram schematically showing a configuration for recognizing pods and setting positions of a plant cultivation apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention. And, Figure 33 is a flow chart showing the process of the Pod recognition and location setting.

As shown, a plurality of recognition units 183 may be connected to the control unit 18 of the plant cultivation apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

The recognition unit 183 allows the type and position of the pod 90 to be simultaneously recognized, and a number corresponding to the number of the pods 90 that can be seated on the bed 50 may be provided. have.

For example, each of the recognition units 183 may be configured by combining an infrared camera and an infrared LED. Accordingly, the type of the pod 90 can be identified by checking the image of the pod 90 through the recognition unit 183, and at the same time, the pod 90 can be identified by using a unique ID of the recognition unit 183. It becomes possible to determine the location of ).

Accordingly, the recognition unit 183 may be positioned above the bed 50 so that the pod 90 can be photographed. In addition, the recognition unit 183 may be positioned at a position corresponding to each of the seating units 511.

For example, the recognition unit 183 may be provided in the light assembly 60. The recognition part 183 may be provided on the lower surface of the light assembly 60 at a position facing the plurality of seating parts 511.

The recognition unit 183 may be connected to the control unit 18, and the information of the pod 90 recognized by the recognition unit 183 is transferred to the control unit 18, so that the entire plant cultivation apparatus 1 Can be referenced in the operation of. That is, the control unit 18 calculates and sets a driving condition based on the information recognized by the recognition unit 183, and the light assembly 60, the blower assembly 80, and the water supply are set according to the set driving condition. It will control the assembly and refrigeration cycle.

Therefore, even in a state in which various types of pods 90 and a plurality of pods 90 are all put into one cultivation space 11, the control unit 18 calculates the optimal operating conditions to effectively cultivate heterogeneous plants. You can make it happen.

Further, the recognition unit 183 may have a number corresponding to the number of the seating portions 511 on which the pod 90 is seated, and each may have a unique ID. Accordingly, when the pod 90 is recognized by the specific recognition unit 183, the location information on which the pod 90 is seated can be transmitted to the control unit 18.

Referring to FIG. 33, a process of recognizing and detecting the pod will be described. First, the user opens the door to insert the pod. [S251]

After the user opens the door 20, the pod 90 is seated on the empty seat 511 of the bed 50. When a plurality of beds 50 are arranged above and below, the pod 90 may be mounted on the receiving portion 511 of the desired bed 50. [S252]

When the pod 90 is seated on the bed 50, the pod 90 may be recognized by the recognition part 183 above the bed 50. The recognition unit 183 is capable of photographing the upper surface of the pod 90. The type of the pod 90 may be identified through the image captured by the recognition unit 183. To this end, an identification unit 941 that can be identified by the identification unit 183 may be provided on the upper surface of the pod 90. [S253]

When the user places the pod 90 on the bed 50 but the pod 90 is not recognized, the controller 18 may display a recognition error of the pod 90. When the pod 90 is not accurately positioned on the seating portion 511, or when an unrecognizable pod 90 is disposed on the seating portion 511, or when the recognition of the pod 90 is impaired, the The control unit 18 determines that there is an error in recognition of the pod 90. In addition, a recognition error of the pod 90 may be displayed through the display assembly 70. Of course, when a buzzer or speaker is provided, the buzzer or speaker may output the recognition error of the pod 90 as a voice to notify the user. [S254]

When the recognition error of the pod 90 is confirmed, the user may replace the pod 90 or relocate the pod 90 to a different position so that the recognition unit 183 recognizes the pod 90. To be able to. [S255]

Meanwhile, when the pod 90 is recognized by the recognition unit 183, the position of the pod 90 may be known. When the pod 90 is recognized by the recognition unit 183, the information of the pod 90 together with the unique information of the recognition unit 183 may be transmitted to the control unit 18. Accordingly, the control unit 18 can know not only the information of the pod 90 but also the placement position through the recognition unit 183. [S256]

The control unit 18 calculates an appropriate driving condition based on the type and location information of the pod 90 identified through the recognition unit 183. The control unit 18 may calculate an optimal driving condition based on the information of the pods 90 disposed inside the cultivation space 11, including the newly recognized information of the pod 90. . For example, a driving condition may be calculated by using an average value of the driving conditions of the plurality of pods 90.

Further, the location information of the pod 90 may also be referred to the driving condition. When the bed 50 is provided with a plurality of top and bottom, the water supply amount may be adjusted according to the position where the pod 90 is inserted among the plurality of beds 50, and the blower assembly corresponding to the corresponding bed 50 ( 80) and the operation of the light assembly 60 may be adjusted. [S257]

After the control unit 18 calculates a new driving condition based on the recognition information of the pod 90 and the sensed position, the plant cultivation device 1 operates under a newly set driving condition to perform a cultivation operation. . [S258]

On the other hand, the plant cultivation apparatus 1 is not configured alone, but may be installed in a refrigerator capable of supplying cold air. Hereinafter, a structure in which a plant cultivation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided in a refrigerator will be described.

34 is a perspective view of a refrigerator to which the structure of the plant cultivation apparatus according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention is applied. And, FIG. 35 is a perspective view of the refrigerator in which the door of the cultivation room is opened. And, Fig. 36 is a longitudinal sectional view of the cultivation chamber. And, Fig. 37 is a cross-sectional view of the cultivation chamber.

As shown, the refrigerator 4 equipped with the plant cultivation apparatus 5 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention includes a cabinet 410 forming a storage space and doors 420 and 440 for opening and closing the storage space. Can include.

The cabinet 410 may be divided up and down to form a refrigerating compartment 411 and a freezing compartment 412, and the doors 420 and 440 open and close the refrigerating compartment 411 by opening and closing the refrigerating compartment door 420 and the freezing compartment 412. It may include a freezer compartment door 440 that opens and closes. Of course, the refrigerating chamber 411 and the freezing chamber 412 may be arranged left and right instead of up and down, and a structure in which the freezing chamber 412 is disposed above the refrigerating chamber 411 may also be possible.

Meanwhile, a pair of the refrigerating compartment door 420 and the freezing compartment door 440 may be arranged side by side on the left and right sides. In addition, each of the pair of refrigerating compartment doors 420 and freezer compartment doors 440 may be configured to open and close the refrigerating compartment 411 and the freezing compartment 412 by rotation.

The refrigerating compartment door 420 on one side of the pair of refrigerating compartment doors 420 may include a main door 421 and a sub door 422. In addition, a plant cultivation device 5 may be provided in the refrigerator compartment door 420.

In detail, a cultivation space 426 may be provided on the main door 421. The cultivation space 426 may be defined inside the cultivation device case 430 mounted on the main door 421. In addition, the cultivation space 426 may be formed to be opened forward, and the front of the opened cultivation space 426 may be formed to have a size corresponding to the remaining area except for a part of the circumference of the main door 421. have. Accordingly, most of the space inside the cultivation space 426 may be exposed through the opened front surface of the main door 421.

Meanwhile, at least a portion of the cultivation device case 430 may protrude into the refrigerating compartment 411. Accordingly, a space in which a plurality of beds 432 can be arranged may be provided inside the cultivation device case 430.

The cultivation device case 430 may have an insulating structure. That is, the cultivation space 426 and the refrigerating chamber 411 may maintain different temperatures. The cultivation space 426 may be maintained at a temperature suitable for cultivation of plants. In addition, the cultivation device case 430 may be integrally formed with the main door 422 by a door liner 431 forming an inner side surface of the main door 422, and an insulating material may be filled therein. . Of course, the cultivation device case 430 may be separately formed of an insulating material and assembled and mounted on the main door 42.

Meanwhile, a passage part 431a communicating with the refrigerating chamber 411 may be formed on one wall surface of the cultivation device case 430. In addition, an opening and closing member 439 for opening and closing the passage portion 431a may be provided inside the passage portion 431a. In addition, a blowing fan 437 may be provided in the passage part 431a to suck cool air from the refrigerating chamber 411 and flow into the cultivation space 426. In addition, a heater 738 for heating the cultivation space 426 may be provided in the passage part 431a.

When cooling of the cultivation space 426 is required, the opening/closing member 439 is opened and the blowing fan 437 is driven. Accordingly, cold air inside the refrigerating chamber 411 may flow into the cultivation space 426. Until the cultivation space 426 is cooled to a set temperature, the opening/closing member 439 is opened and the blowing fan 437 may be continuously driven.

In addition, when heating of the cultivation space 426 is required, the heater 738 is heated while the opening/closing member 439 is closed, and the blowing fan 437 is driven. Thus, air heated by the heater 738 may be supplied to the cultivation space 426. The heater 738 and the blowing fan 437 may be driven until the cultivation space 426 is heated to a set temperature.

On the other hand, the opening and closing member 439 may be kept in a closed state except when cold air in the refrigerating compartment 411 is introduced, and the refrigerating compartment 411 and the cultivation space 426 may be insulated from each other. .

In addition, the blowing fan 437 may be periodically turned on and off so as to smoothly grow plants grown in the cultivation space 426. That is, the blower fan 437 can make the plant to grow more robustly by allowing the plant to grow irrespective of the cooling or heating of the cultivation space.

Meanwhile, a plurality of the beds 432 may be continuously arranged vertically in the cultivation space 426, and the blowing fan 437, the opening/closing member 439, and the passage part 431a provided with a heater are respectively It may be arranged as many as the number corresponding to the position corresponding to the bed 432 of. For example, the blowing fan 437 may be located at a position corresponding to the upper surface of the bed 432.

Therefore, when the pods 90 are disposed on a plurality of beds 432 arranged up and down, independent airflow can be provided to each pod 90, and the growth of plants can be promoted by supplying airflow. . In addition, it may be possible to maintain a uniform temperature inside the cultivation space 426 by making the air circulation inside the cultivation space 426 more smooth.

Meanwhile, although not shown, an exhaust port communicating with an external space may be formed at one side of the cultivation device case 430, and a separate damper is provided at the exhaust port to selectively select the air inside the cultivation space 426. It could be discharged. The opening of the exhaust port may facilitate the inflow of cold air into the cultivation space 426, facilitate circulation of air in the cultivation space 426, or allow the inflow of outside air. .

A plurality of beds 432 may be mounted on the cultivation device case 430. The bed 432 may be configured such that water supplied to the pod 90 can be collected while the pod 90 is seated.

In detail, the bed 432 is disposed to divide the cultivation space 426 in a horizontal direction, and is disposed at a predetermined interval in the vertical direction to provide a space in which plants to be grown can grow.

The bed 432 may be composed of an upper bed 432b and a lower bed 432a. The structure of the bed 432 is similar to that of the above-described embodiment, and the upper bed 432b is configured to be seated on the lower bed 432a, and between the upper bed 432b and the lower bed 432a The space in which water is accommodated may be separated.

The upper bed 432b may be configured to support the pod 90. In addition, a plurality of seating portions 433 for seating the pod 90 may be formed on the upper bed 432b. Therefore, a plurality of pods 90 can be seated on the upper bed 432b. In addition, at least a portion of the upper bed 432b may be opened so that when the pod 90 is seated, a part of the lower surface of the pod 90 may be exposed toward the lower bed 432a.

The lower bed 432a is configured to be fixedly mounted on the cultivation device case 430, and may form a water collecting part which is a space for supplying water to be supplied to the pod 90.

The pod 90 may have the same structure as the above-described embodiment. In detail, a part of the pod 90 may pass through the upper bed 432b and extend toward the bottom of the lower bed 432a, and water supplied to the lower bed 432a may be supplied to the pod 90 It can be configured to be absorbed in.

Meanwhile, a light assembly 436 may be provided above the bed 432. The light assembly 436 may be configured to irradiate light toward the upper surface of the bed 432. The light assembly 436 may provide an appropriate amount of light so that photosynthesis of plants grown in the pod 90 can be performed.

In addition, one side of the bed 432 may be connected to a water supply assembly. The water supply assembly may include a water supply pipe 435 supplying water to the plurality of beds 432, and the water supply pipe 435 has one end connected to the water supply, and the other end passing the cabinet 410 and the main The inside of the main door 421, that is, the inside of the cultivation device case 430 may be guided through the hinge 425. Accordingly, when water to the bed 432 is required without a separate water tank, a required amount of water can be supplied by the water supply assembly. The water supply pipe 435 communicates with the inner side of the lower bed 432a to supply water to the collection space of the lower bed 432a. In addition, the water supply assembly may include a pump and a valve, not shown.

As another example, the water supply assembly may include a water tank. The water tank may be provided inside the cultivation device case 430, so that the water supply pipe 435 does not extend outside the main door 421 and connects the water tank and the bed 432 It can also be configured.

The light assembly 436 may be disposed above each of the beds 432, and in particular, the light assembly 436 disposed at the top may be fixedly mounted on the inner upper surface of the cultivation device case 430. I can. In addition, the rest of the light assembly 436 may be fixedly mounted on the lower surface of the bed 432 so that light is irradiated to the upper surface of the neighboring bed 432 positioned below.

The main door 421 may be rotatably coupled to the cabinet 410 by a main hinge 425. Accordingly, the main door 421 may open and close the refrigerating chamber 411 in a state in which the plant cultivation device 5 is mounted.

In addition, the sub door 422 may be rotatably coupled to the main door 421 by a sub hinge 424. The sub-door 422 may substantially serve as a door for opening and closing the plant cultivation apparatus 5, and thus, the sub-door 422 may be referred to as a cultivation apparatus door.

A see-through part 423 capable of seeing through the cultivation space 426 may be provided on the sub-door 422. The see-through part 423 may be formed of a transparent material such as glass and may be formed to allow see-through inside. And, it may be configured to enable selective visualization by attaching or coating a film. In addition, the see-through part 423 may be configured in a structure in which a plurality of glasses 423a and 423b are stacked, and the cultivation space 426 may be insulated.

On the other hand, the plant cultivation apparatus 5 may further include a recognition unit 183, a detection unit 186, a communication unit 185, and a control unit 18 as in the above-described embodiment, and thus the above-described embodiment Can be controlled as.

Claims (31)

A cabinet forming a cultivation space in which temperature is controlled by a refrigeration cycle;
A door opening and closing the cultivation space;
A bed provided inside the cultivation space and having a plurality of seating portions on which pods containing seeds and nutrients are seated;
A water supply assembly for supplying water to the bed;
A light assembly that irradiates light from above the bed toward the bed;
A recognition unit that identifies the pod when the pod approaches;
A plurality of sensing units provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of seating units individually to detect whether the pod is inserted;
And a controller configured to control the water supply assembly, the light assembly, and the refrigeration cycle by calculating an operating condition through information of the pod transmitted from the recognition unit and the detection unit.
The method of claim 1,
Plant cultivation apparatus accessible when the recognition unit is opened.
The method of claim 1,
A display assembly is provided in the cultivation space,
The plant cultivation apparatus is provided with the recognition unit on one side of the display assembly, and a recognition unit display unit for inducing access to the recognition unit at a position corresponding to the recognition unit.
The method of claim 3,
The plant cultivation apparatus for visualizing the pod when the recognition unit display unit recognizes the pod.
The method of claim 1,
Plant cultivation apparatus comprising a buzzer or speaker for outputting a sound when the pod is recognized by the recognition unit.
The method of claim 1,
A plant cultivation apparatus provided with an identification unit recognizable by the recognition unit on the pod.
The method of claim 6,
The identification unit is an NFC tag, and the recognition unit is a plant cultivation device that is an NFC leader.
The method of claim 6,
The identification unit is a barcode, and the recognition unit is a barcode reader.
The method of claim 6,
The identification unit is a QR code, and the recognition unit is a QR code reader.
The method of claim 6,
The identification unit has a specific shape displayed on the pod, and the identification unit is a camera capable of distinguishing the identification unit.
The method of claim 6,
The pod,
A container in which a medium including the seeds and nutrients is accommodated;
A plant cultivation apparatus comprising a container cover that covers the opened upper surface of the container and is removed by a user.
The method of claim 11,
The identification unit plant cultivation apparatus provided on the container cover.
The method of claim 11,
The identification unit plant cultivation apparatus provided in the container.
The method of claim 1,
The plurality of detection units are disposed vertically above the seating portion, and the plant cultivation apparatus detects whether the pod is seated at a position away from the pod.
The method of claim 14,
Plant cultivation apparatus provided in the light assembly of the plurality of sensing units.
The method of claim 14,
The sensing unit is an illuminance sensor, and the plant cultivation apparatus detects the presence or absence of the pod through a change in illuminance when the pod is input or removed.
The method of claim 14,
The sensing unit is a proximity sensor, and the plant cultivation apparatus detects the presence or absence of the pod by sensing a difference in distance from the sensing unit to the seating unit and the pod.
The method of claim 1,
Plant cultivation apparatus which is mounted on each of the plurality of sensing units to the seating unit.
The method of claim 18,
The sensing unit is a plant cultivation device which is a contact sensor or a switch.
The method of claim 18,
The bed,
A lower bed in which water supplied from the water supply assembly is accommodated,
It is located above the lower bed, and includes an upper bed that supports the pod by forming the seating portion,
The plant cultivation apparatus provided in the sensing unit on the upper bed.
A cabinet forming a cultivation space in which temperature is controlled by a refrigeration cycle;
A door opening and closing the cultivation space;
A bed provided inside the cultivation space and having a plurality of seating portions on which pods containing seeds and nutrients are seated;
A water supply assembly for supplying water to the bed;
A light assembly that irradiates light from above the bed toward the bed;
A plurality of recognition units provided at positions individually corresponding to the plurality of seating units, identifying the pods and detecting whether or not they are inserted at the same time;
A plant cultivation apparatus comprising a control unit configured to control the water supply assembly, the light assembly, and the refrigeration cycle by calculating a driving condition based on the information of the pod transmitted from the recognition unit.
The method of claim 21,
Plant cultivation apparatus that is spaced apart from the recognition unit above the seating unit.
The method of claim 21,
The recognition unit is a plant cultivation apparatus that is a camera for photographing the pod from above the pod.
The method of claim 21,
The plant cultivation apparatus comprising an infrared LED irradiated toward the bed and an infrared camera for photographing the pod.
The method of claim 21,
The plant cultivation apparatus is provided on the lower surface of the light assembly.
A cabinet forming a cultivation space in which temperature is controlled by a refrigeration cycle;
A door opening and closing the cultivation space;
A bed provided inside the cultivation space and having a plurality of seating portions on which pods containing seeds and nutrients are seated;
A water supply assembly for supplying water to the bed;
A light assembly that irradiates light from above the bed toward the bed;
A recognition unit that identifies the pod when the pod approaches;
A communication unit for transmitting information through communication with a remote user device;
And a control unit for controlling the water supply assembly, a light assembly, and a refrigeration cycle,
When the pod is recognized, the control unit transmits information to the user device, and the user can set the location of the pod through the user device,
A plant cultivation apparatus for calculating a driving condition based on the information of the pod transmitted from the recognition unit and the location information of the pod input from the user device.
A bed in which a pod containing seeds and nutrients is mounted in a cabinet forming a cultivation space, a light assembly that irradiates light to the pod, a water supply assembly that supplies water to the bed, and a freezing that controls the temperature of the cultivation space In a plant cultivation apparatus comprising a cycle,
Identifying the type of the pod by approaching the recognition unit inside the cultivation space;
Inputting location information of the pod;
Calculating operating conditions of the light assembly, the water supply assembly, and the refrigeration cycle based on the identification information and location information of the pod;
Control method of a plant cultivation apparatus comprising the step of performing the operation according to the calculated driving conditions.
The method of claim 27,
After the pod is identified by the recognition unit, the pod is seated inside the cultivation space.
The method of claim 27,
The control method of the plant cultivation apparatus input by a user device that communicates with the plant cultivation apparatus, the location information of the pod.
The method of claim 27,
The bed has a plurality of seating portions on which the pods are seated,
The position information of the pod is input by a plurality of sensing units respectively disposed at positions corresponding to the plurality of seating units.
The method of claim 30,
Each of the sensing units has a unique ID, and a control method of a plant cultivation apparatus for determining the position of the pod according to the ID of the sensing unit that detects the pod.

Images