JP2014045757A - Method and apparatus for growing plant - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make plants grow faster with less energy.SOLUTION: Plants (62, 64) placed in an environment (a plant factory 10)that can be controlled are irradiated with any one of or a combination of light and an electromagnetic wave selected from a plurality of light sources (the sun 22, an LED 24, a specific wavelength light source 26) and an electromagnetic wave source 28. Environmental information and the growth state of the plants (62, 64) are sensed, and then at least one of the irradiation state of the light and electromagnetic wave and an environmental condition 90 is controlled depending on the sensed environmental state and growth state of the plants (62, 64).

Description

  The present invention relates to a plant growing method and apparatus, and more particularly, to a plant growing method and apparatus that can promote plant growth with less energy and can be shipped quickly.

  There is known a technology for promoting plant growth by placing a plant in a controllable environment such as a so-called plant factory.

  For example, in Patent Document 1, when a farm product is grown in a vinyl house or a glass house in a low temperature period such as winter or in a cold region, the farm product is covered with a sheet-like or net-like fluorescent dye-containing radioactive material, thereby removing the material from the material. It is described that photosynthesis is promoted by emitted fluorescence.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses other external devices that control the speed of photosynthesis, such as the concentration of carbon dioxide in the peripheral area of a plant, while maintaining the intensity of light in a state where the lighting device is always close to the plant. It is described that the factor can be controlled to an optimum state to increase the speed of photosynthesis by the synergistic action and improve the cultivation efficiency of plants.

  Patent Document 3 describes that the shape, flux, and spectrum of a beam from an LED lighting unit are adapted to the position of plant growth or movement detected by an electromagnetic wave sensor or an image sensor.

  Further, Patent Document 4 describes promoting or suppressing seed germination and seedling growth by imparting sound or vibration to a plant body.

  Patent Document 5 describes that a weak electromagnetic wave is emitted to plants and vegetables to promote their organization, activation and growth.

  In Patent Document 6, a stimulation signal of an AC electric signal including a frequency component in a range from DC to 100 kHz is converted into a sound wave of 40 dB or more and a weak AC magnetic field of 0.0001 milligauss to 50 Gauss, It is described that exposure to this acoustic wave and weak alternating magnetic field promotes plant growth.

  Patent Document 7 describes that light, a molecule excited by an electromagnetic wave, an atom, light emitted from an electromagnetic wave secondary, and an electromagnetic wave are irradiated to water to control plant growth.

  Non-Patent Document 1 describes that a direct current electric field promotes germination and growth of radish radish.

JP 2011-223941 A JP 2011-205991 A Special table 2011-527561 gazette JP-A-6-62669 JP-A-9-201421 JP 2004-350597 A JP 2010-58105 A

Muramoto et al. “Effect of electric field on plant growth” The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers, IEICE Technical Report OME 2005-102 (2006-1), pages 7-10

  However, conventionally, no technique has been proposed for controlling various factors to promote plant growth in a comprehensive and efficient manner.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and provides a plant growing method and apparatus capable of controlling the growth state of a plant in accordance with the environmental state and the growth state of the plant. Is an issue.

  The present invention irradiates a plant placed in a controllable environment with one or a combination of light and electromagnetic waves selected from a plurality of light sources and electromagnetic wave sources to sense environmental information and plant growth status. The above-mentioned problem is solved by a plant growing method characterized by controlling at least one of the irradiation state of light and electromagnetic waves and the environmental condition according to the perceived environmental state and the growth state of the plant. It is.

  Here, the light and the electromagnetic wave can be supplied from a remote place by an optical communication means or an electromagnetic wave communication means.

  The electromagnetic wave may include a microwave.

  In addition, the irradiation state of the light and the electromagnetic wave can be controlled by at least one of focusing, diffusion, and polarization control means.

  In addition, the plant is planted in a plurality of nurseries, and at least one of the light and electromagnetic wave irradiation conditions and environmental conditions can be controlled for each nursery.

  The environmental information and the growth state of the plant can include at least one of an image, temperature, humidity, position, elongation, water amount, pH, fertilizer concentration, light, and electromagnetic waves.

  The present invention also provides a controllable environment in which a plant is placed, a plurality of light sources and electromagnetic sources for irradiating the plant with at least one of light and electromagnetic waves, and any one of the light sources and electromagnetic sources. Switching / combination means for selecting one or a combination to irradiate the plant, a sensor for sensing environmental information and the growth status of the plant, and the environmental condition and plant growth sensed by the sensor According to a situation, the above-mentioned problem is solved by a plant growing device comprising means for controlling at least one of the irradiation situation of light and electromagnetic waves and an environmental condition.

  Here, an optical communication unit or an electromagnetic wave communication unit for supplying the light and the electromagnetic wave from a remote place can be provided.

  The electromagnetic wave may include a microwave.

  The means for controlling the irradiation state of the light and the electromagnetic wave may include at least one of focusing, diffusion, and polarization control means.

  In addition, a plurality of nurseries on which the plant is planted can be provided, and at least one of the light and electromagnetic wave irradiation conditions and environmental conditions can be controlled for each nursery bed.

  The environmental information and the growth state of the plant can include at least one of an image, temperature, humidity, position, elongation, water amount, pH, fertilizer concentration, light, and electromagnetic waves.

  According to the present invention, since at least one of the irradiation condition of light and electromagnetic waves and the environmental condition is controlled according to the environmental condition and the growth condition of the plant, it is adapted to the environmental condition and the growth condition of the plant. Appropriate control can be performed. Therefore, it is possible to promote the growth of plants with less energy and ship them quickly.

The block diagram which shows the whole structure of embodiment of this invention The block diagram which similarly shows the structure of a light source part Similarly, an optical path diagram showing the control state of the irradiation control system Similarly, an optical path diagram showing the control state of another example of the irradiation control system The block diagram which similarly shows the input and output of the control device

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of selectable environments for irradiating at least one of light and electromagnetic waves to a controllable environment in which a plant is placed, for example, a plant factory 10 and the plant, can be selected. A light source unit 20 having a light source and an electromagnetic wave source, a switching / combination device 30 for selecting any one or a combination of light and electromagnetic waves supplied from the light source unit 20 and irradiating the plant, A distribution device 40 for distributing the light and electromagnetic waves selected / combined by the switching / combination device 30 to a plurality of seed beds 60 on which plants are planted, and the light and electromagnetic waves distributed by the distribution device 40 as the seed beds 60. An irradiation control system 50 for controlling and supplying the irradiation according to a predetermined part of the plant planted in the plant, a plurality of seed beds 60 for planting the plant, for example, hydroponics, environmental information and plant formation Sensors 70 for sensing the situation, and a control device for controlling at least one of the irradiation situation of light and electromagnetic waves and the environmental condition 90 in accordance with the environmental condition and the plant growth situation sensed by the sensor 70 80.

  As shown in detail in FIG. 2, the light source section 20 includes light from the sun 22, light from the LED 24, specific wavelength light from a specific wavelength light source (for example, a combination of a white light source and a filter) 26, and an electromagnetic wave source 28. Etc. can be used.

  As the electromagnetic wave source 28, for example, a magnetron having a wavelength of 2.45 GHz used in a microwave oven can be used.

  The switching / combination device 30 selects one of the light and electromagnetic waves from the light source unit 20 or outputs a combination of a plurality of them.

  The distribution device 40 is composed of, for example, an optical fiber, a space, a waveguide, and the like, and supplies the light and electromagnetic waves supplied from the switching / combination device 30 to the irradiation control system 50 provided for each nursery bed 60. Depending on the frequency of the electromagnetic wave, the electromagnetic wave can be propagated using the same optical fiber for light propagation instead of the waveguide.

  The irradiation control system 50 includes a collimating lens 54 for making light supplied from a distribution device (optical fiber 42 in the figure) into a parallel beam, as exemplified by a collimating system 52 in the case of light in FIG. And a converging lens 56 for condensing light converted into a parallel beam by the lens 54. Therefore, in the case of the seed 62 in accordance with the state of the plant planted on the seed bed 60, the beam is focused on the seed 62 as shown in FIG. 3A, and then, FIG. As shown in C), light can be applied to the entire plant 64 by gradually moving the focusing lens 56 upward in accordance with the growth state of the plant 64. Furthermore, the collimating system 52 can be replaced with a polarization control means for controlling the polarization state of light, or the growth can be controlled by controlling the polarization state of the light by using the collimation system 52 and the polarization control means together. It is.

  In the case of electromagnetic waves, as illustrated in FIG. 4, an electromagnet 58 or the like can be disposed near the tip of the waveguide 44 to control focusing and diffusion.

  Thus, by locally applying light and electromagnetic waves to the seeds 62 and the plants 64, it is possible to save energy and improve efficiency compared to the case where light and electromagnetic waves are uniformly applied to the whole.

  As the sensors 70, as shown in detail in FIG. 5, a temperature sensor 71, a humidity sensor 72, for example, a growth sensor 73 that is a growth sensor that detects the growth status of the plant 64 from the position or elongation of the tip of the plant 64, or a camera, A water amount sensor 74 for detecting the amount of water supplied to the nursery 60, a pH sensor 75 for detecting the hydroxide ion concentration (pH), a fertilizer sensor 76 for detecting the fertilizer concentration and type, an optical sensor 77, and an electromagnetic wave sensor. 78 and the like.

  The camera can measure plant color, leaf area, volume, and the like based on images.

  The control device 80 determines the amount of water / pH / fertilizer concentration and type supplied to the switching / combination device 30, the irradiation control system 50, the seedbed 60, and the plant factory 10 according to the information sensed by the sensors 70. The temperature and humidity, which are environmental conditions 90, and the carbon dioxide concentration, if possible, are controlled automatically or manually. Furthermore, an alarm is output if necessary and transferred to the place where the operator is.

  According to this embodiment, not only light but also electromagnetic waves can be used together to promote plant growth more efficiently.

  Further, the light source unit 20 and the switching / combining device 30 and the nursery 60 of the plant factory 10 are arranged at a remote location, and for example, by using optical communication light or electromagnetic wave (electromagnetic wave) (microwave), from a remote location. It is possible to control the growth status of plants planted in the plant factory 10 or the like.

  It is also possible to accommodate the light source unit 20 and the switching / combination device 30 in the plant factory 10.

  According to experiments by the inventors, it was confirmed that the growth situation of plants was promoted when radish was irradiated with microwaves from a microwave oven.

  Although this invention is suitable for applying to a plant factory, the application object is not limited to this, It is applicable also to the environment which is not made into a factory, for example, cultivation in an abandoned factory or a tunnel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Plant factory 20 ... Light source part 22 ... Sun 24 ... LED
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 26 ... Specific wavelength light source 28 ... Electromagnetic wave source 30 ... Switching / combination apparatus 40 ... Distributing apparatus 42 ... Optical fiber 44 ... Waveguide 50 ... Irradiation control system 52 ... Collimating system 54 ... Collimating lens 56 ... Focusing lens 58 ... Electromagnet 60 ... Nursery beds 62 ... Seeds 64 ... Plants 70 ... Sensors 71 ... Temperature sensors 72 ... Humidity sensors 73 ... Growth sensors 74 ... Water sensors 75 ... pH sensors 76 ... Fertilizer sensors 77 ... Light sensors 78 ... Electromagnetic sensors 80 ... Control devices 90 ... Environments conditions

Claims (12)

Irradiating a plant placed in a controllable environment with one or a combination of light and electromagnetic waves selected from a plurality of light sources and electromagnetic sources,
Sensing environmental information and plant growth,
A plant growing method comprising controlling at least one of the irradiation state of light and electromagnetic waves and the environmental condition in accordance with a perceived environmental state and a growing state of the plant.   The plant growing method according to claim 1, wherein the light and the electromagnetic wave are supplied from a place separated by optical communication means or electromagnetic wave communication means.   The plant growing method according to claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic wave includes a microwave.   The plant growth method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the irradiation state of the light and electromagnetic waves is controlled by at least one of focusing, diffusion, and polarization control means.   The plant growing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plant is planted in a plurality of nurseries, and at least one of the light and electromagnetic wave irradiation status and environmental conditions is controlled for each of the nurseries. .   The environmental information and the growth status of the plant include at least one of an image, temperature, humidity, position, elongation, water amount, pH, fertilizer concentration, light, and electromagnetic waves. The plant growing method as described. A controllable environment in which the plant is placed,
A plurality of light sources and electromagnetic wave sources for irradiating the plant with at least one of light and electromagnetic waves;
Switching / combination means for selecting any one or a combination of the light source and the electromagnetic wave source and irradiating the plant;
Sensors for sensing environmental information and plant growth;
Means for controlling at least one of the irradiation state of the light and electromagnetic waves and the environmental condition according to the environmental state and the growth state of the plant detected by the sensor;
A plant growing apparatus comprising:   The plant growing apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising an optical communication unit and an electromagnetic wave communication unit for supplying the light and the electromagnetic wave from a remote place.   The plant growing device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the electromagnetic wave includes a microwave.   The plant growing apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 9, wherein the means for controlling the irradiation state of light and electromagnetic waves includes at least one of focusing, diffusion, and polarization control means. A plurality of nurseries in which the plant is planted,
The plant growing device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein at least one of the light and electromagnetic wave irradiation conditions and environmental conditions is controlled for each nursery bed.   12. The environmental information and the growth state of the plant include at least one of an image, temperature, humidity, position, elongation, water amount, pH, fertilizer concentration, light, and electromagnetic waves. The plant growing apparatus as described.

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