JP2014217309A - Plant cultivation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To successfully monitor and control a plant effectively from a cultivation place of the plant and a remote place respectively.SOLUTION: A window hole is formed through a side surface of a plant cultivation unit so that visual observation can be performed from the outside, and a transparent liquid crystal panel and a transparent touch panel are arranged at positions to shield the window hole. Environment data including, for example, a temperature is displayed on the transparent touch panel, while the data is transmitted to a terminal device via a server device together with image data obtained by photographing a plant. A control command, which is sent from the terminal, is sent to the plant cultivation unit. In the plant cultivation unit, a control command inputted from the touch panel and a control command sent from the server device are registered as setting queue in time series to control objective control equipment including, for example, an LED illumination, a heater, and a blowing fan by executing the setting queue.

Description

  The present invention relates to a plant cultivation system capable of monitoring and controlling the growth environment of plants such as light and temperature in a closed space such as a room not only from a cultivation place but also from a distance using a terminal device.

  Conventionally, a technique for artificially controlling a plant growth environment using a light source such as an LED has been proposed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a crate is installed between the water surface of an aquarium and a control panel on the upper side of the crate for the purpose of simultaneously growing vegetables of different varieties, cultivation periods, and growth stages in a single facility. An apparatus equipped with is disclosed. The control panel includes an LED lamp, a fan, and a camera on the lower surface, and includes a carbon dioxide gas sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, and an RF unit on the upper surface, and is connected to a central computer via the RF unit.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a device that uses a solar cell as a power source for various sensors and cordless wiring to control a plant growth environment by computer.

JP 2010-279269 A JP 2011-147413 A

  The above technology is based on the premise that plant growth status monitoring and computer control commands are input from a specific location. Generally, when plants are cultivated at home, etc., they are often used indoors and outdoors. It is necessary to monitor the growth of plants and to input control commands to a computer. In this case, there is a problem with the user interface for monitoring control, such as how to display various data in an easy-to-view manner according to the place where the monitoring control is performed, and how to easily set a control command.

  The present invention has been made in response to such a conventional situation. In the case of monitoring control at a plant cultivation place and in the case of monitoring control at a place other than the plant cultivation place (hereinafter referred to as “far”). An object is to provide a plant cultivation system that can effectively provide information to the grower of the plant according to each situation and is highly convenient for the grower.

In order to achieve the above object, the plant cultivation system of the present invention comprises:
A water tank, an artificial lighting device that is mounted above the water tank and illuminates the plant, a control device that inputs environmental data including temperature and humidity and a photographed image of the plant, and controls the artificial lighting device based on a control command A plant cultivation unit having
A server device connected to the plant cultivation unit via a communication line, receiving environmental data and captured images sent from the plant cultivation unit, and displaying them on a terminal device;
A plant cultivation system comprising:
The server device displays and outputs the image data and the environment data sent from the plant cultivation unit to the terminal device, and receives a control command sent from the terminal device to the plant cultivation unit. Send control commands,
A window hole is formed on the side surface of the plant cultivation unit so that the plant being cultivated can be visually recognized from the outside. Arranged, the control device displays and outputs environmental data to the transparent liquid crystal panel, and registers a control command input from the touch panel or a control command sent to the server device as a setting queue in time series, The artificial lighting device is controlled by executing the setting queue.

  In the present invention, a transparent liquid crystal panel and a transparent touch panel are disposed on the side of the water tank so that the inside plants can be visually recognized, and environmental data is displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel and the grower can observe the plants directly, It is possible to input control commands through the touch panel while checking environmental data and plants. Further, in the remote area, environmental data and a photographed image of the plant are displayed on the terminal device, and the control command input from the terminal device is registered as a setting queue on the plant cultivation unit side, so that it can be controlled from both the cultivation place and the remote location. Can be output.

  In particular, the plant cultivation unit can view the plant being cultivated through a transparent liquid crystal panel instead of a photographed image, so that the grower can observe the plant in detail compared to the camera image, and at the same time set the control data while checking the environmental data It becomes possible to do.

  Preferably, when a control command is input from the transparent touch panel, the setting queue stored in the server device may be cleared. This gives priority to operations at plant cultivation locations where growers can check the cultivation status in more detail, and prevents control command inconsistencies when control commands are input from both plant cultivation locations and remote locations. can do.

  The monitoring screen output on the transparent liquid crystal panel by the control device is composed of an environmental data display area and a transparent area that allows the inside of the water tank to be visually recognized, and the environmental data display area is located above the transparent area. It should be arranged. This improves the visibility of environmental data even under artificial illumination light.

  In addition, the water tank of the plant cultivation system according to the present invention is used with a lower layer unit for accumulating water to be supplied to the plant and the lower layer unit, and is provided with a cultivation sponge. It is composed of an upper layer unit, and the upper layer unit has a drain pipe for draining water to the lower layer unit side when the water reaches a certain height, and further pumps the water of the lower layer unit to the upper layer unit side. A pump is provided.

  Thereby, the nutrient water of the aquarium can be spread evenly to all plants.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the plant grower can monitor the illumination light or the like according to the set value input through the touch panel while monitoring the plants grown in the unit by the transparent liquid crystal panel provided on the side of the plant cultivation unit. It is possible to control the temperature, etc., and in the distance, it can be controlled by the set value input through the terminal device while confirming the cultivation status with the captured image, providing a plant cultivation system that is highly convenient for growers can do.

It is an apparatus block diagram of the plant cultivation system by embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of the plant cultivation unit of FIG. 1, Fig.2 (a) is a front view, FIG.2 (b) is a right view. It is a perspective view of the water tank of FIG. Fig.4 (a) is the front view, left-right side view, and top view of a bottom part of the upper layer unit of the water tank of FIG. FIG.4 (b) is a front view of the lower layer unit of the water tank of FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of the upper lid 30 of the upper layer unit 12a in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 (a) is a plan view, and FIG. 5 (b) is a front view. It is an external view of the conduction pipe and pumping pump of FIG. It is a block diagram of the control apparatus 17 of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the status screen displayed on the terminal device of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the recording screen displayed on the terminal device of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the setting screen displayed on the terminal device of FIG. It is a transition diagram of the screen displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel of the plant cultivation unit of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the screen structure of the transparent liquid crystal panel of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the status display screen displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the recording display screen displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the recording edit screen displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the cultivation screen displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel of FIG. It is explanatory drawing of the setting screen displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel of FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a plant cultivation system according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In FIG. 1, a plant cultivation system 1 according to the present embodiment includes a plant cultivation unit 10 for cultivating plants indoors, a server device 60 and a server device 60 connected to the plant cultivation unit 10 via a communication line 80a. And a terminal device 70 connected via a communication line 80b.

(Configuration of plant cultivation unit 10)
As shown in FIG. 2, the plant cultivation unit 10 schematically includes a water tank 12, a water storage tank 13 installed under the water tank 12, an artificial lighting device 18c using LEDs, a heater 18a, a blower fan 18b, and the like. The controlled device 18, various sensors 15 such as a thermometer and a hygrometer, the camera 16, and the image data taken by the camera 16 and the data from the various sensors 15 are collected and a control signal is output to the controlled device 18. And a control unit 17 and a frame 11 for storing these devices. Casters 19 are attached to the lower four places of the frame. In addition, an air inlet is provided on the right side of the frame in the figure, which is the front of the blower fan 18b. In addition, a transparent liquid crystal panel 55 and a transparent touch panel 56 are disposed on the outer surface of the water tank side of the frame.

  A ceiling panel 20 is attached to the frame 11 above the water tank 12, and a plurality of LEDs 14 a constituting the artificial lighting device 18 c are attached to the lower surface of the ceiling panel 20, and the control device 17 is attached to the upper surface of the ceiling panel 20. Is installed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the water tank 12 according to the present embodiment is divided into an upper layer unit 12a and a lower layer unit 12b.

  The lower layer unit 12b has a bowl-like structure with an upper opening, and a drain hole 41 is provided at the center of the bottom. A drain 42 is connected to the drain hole 41. By opening and closing the drain valve, the water in the lower tank unit 12b is allowed to flow to the water storage tank 13 side or stopped.

  The upper layer unit 12a of the water tank 12 has a bowl-like structure like the lower layer unit 12b, and further includes an upper lid 30 as shown in FIG. The upper layer unit 12a is used as a unit on the lower layer unit 12b. The upper lid 30 of the upper layer unit 12a is provided with a plurality of holes (sponge insertion tubes) 31 for inserting cultivation sponges (hereinafter simply referred to as “sponges”). A sponge 32 wrapped with plant roots is inserted into the sponge insertion tube 31 for use.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the bottom of the upper layer unit 12a is provided with conduction pipes 33 and 34 for a pump, a drain hole 35 and a drain pipe (overflow pipe) 36. As shown in FIG. 6, the pumping pumps 38 and 34 are connected to the pumping pump 38 to pump the water from the lower layer unit 12b to the upper layer unit 12a.

  In the upper layer unit 12 a, the plant cultivation area and the drainage area of the overflowed water are separated by the partition plate 37, and the pumping pump 38 is provided in the plant cultivation area. The partition plate 37 and the drain pipe 36 are set slightly lower than the height of the upper layer unit 12a. The drain pipe 36 plays a role of flowing to the lower layer unit 12b side when the water pumped up by the pump is higher than a certain height.

  Further, the partition plate 37 prevents waste such as a root cut from flowing out to the lower layer unit 12b side, and prevents malfunction of the pumping pump 38 due to dust. Further, in the upper layer unit 12a, it is necessary to allow the water flow to flow not only on the surface but also on the lower side. However, when there is no partition plate 37, water flows only in the portion close to the water tank surface, and the portion close to the bottom surface There is no flow. However, by providing the partition plate 37 and passing water only from the lower side of the partition plate, the water once hits the partition plate 37 and the water flows so as to dive the partition plate 37, so that the water is effectively scraped. It becomes possible to mix.

  Thus, by installing the partition plate 37 between the pumping pump 38 and the drain pipe 36, the nutrient water can be evenly distributed to the plants. A hole 35 is also formed near the center of the upper layer unit. This hole 35 is a hole for draining water from the water tank during movement or the like, and is normally always closed and used.

  In addition, the hole diameter and pumping amount of a drain pipe are set so that the discharge amount from the drain pipe 36 may become larger than the pumping amount (the amount pumped up per unit time) of the pumping pump 38.

  Of course, it is also possible to perform control such as detecting the overflow by the water sensor and reducing the pumping amount or stopping the pump.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the unit control device 17 has a multiprocessor configuration of a main processor 51 and a sub processor 52. The main processor 51 mainly communicates with the server device 60 via the communication I / F 53, outputs data to the transparent liquid crystal panel 55, and inputs data from the transparent touch panel 56.

  The main processor 51 includes a memory 54 that stores a setting queue that stores a control command (setting value for a controlled device) input from the transparent touch panel or acquired from the server device 60 in a time series. The setting queue is transferred to the sub processor 52, and the sub processor 52 controls each controlled device 18 based on the setting queue.

  The sub-processor 52 inputs sensor values (environment data) from the sensors 15 shown in FIG. 7 such as a temperature sensor and saves them in a memory (not shown), while based on a setting queue passed from the main processor 51. A control command is output to the controlled devices 18 such as the artificial lighting device 18c, the blower fan 18b, and the heater 18a.

  For example, the sub processor 52 outputs RGB values for the respective LEDs 14a to the artificial lighting device 18c at regular intervals based on setting values such as day length and illuminance for each wavelength. When the artificial lighting device 18c receives the RGB values, the artificial lighting device 18c controls the individual LEDs 14a attached to the ceiling panel 20 through the LED control board 14b. Further, a control command is output to the heater 18a based on the water temperature set value, and a control command is output to the blower fan 18b based on the air volume set value.

  The main processor 51 acquires the sensor value held by the sub processor 52 at regular intervals. The main processor 51 can register the sensor value and the image data acquired from the camera 16 as a cultivation record in the server device 60 or post it to another site via the server device 60. The image data registered in the server device 60 can be reproduced as a fixed point observation image.

  As the terminal device 70, for example, a tablet terminal can be used. Based on the cultivation record sent from the server device 60 by operating on a browser basis, the grower can check the current value and integrated value of the data acquired by each sensor 15 of the plant cultivation unit 10. Moreover, the grower can set the illuminance of the LED of the plant cultivation unit 10, the day length (lighting time), the air volume adjustment of the blower fan, and the heater temperature from the terminal device 70.

Next, the operation of the plant cultivation system 1 will be described.
The feature of this system 1 is that it effectively performs both monitoring control on the plant cultivation unit 10 side and monitoring control on the terminal device (distant) 70 side.

(1) Supervisory control (monitoring process) on the terminal device side
First, when the sub processor 52 of the control device of the plant cultivation unit 10 collects sensor values (environmental data) from the various sensors 15 (15a to 15g), the sensor values are passed to the main processor 51 and stored in the memory 54. The Further, the main processor 51 acquires image data from the camera 16 and similarly stores it in the memory 54. The main processor 51 transmits the environment data and image data stored in the memory 54 to the server device 60 through the communication line 80a as cultivation records. When receiving the cultivation record sent from the plant cultivation unit 10, the server device 60 stores it in the storage unit (database) 61 of the server device 60 in association with the ID of the plant cultivation system and the terminal device ID. The server device 60 transmits the cultivation record to the terminal device 70 in response to a request from the terminal device 70.

FIG. 8 is an example of a status screen displayed on the terminal device.
In addition to the current values such as unit temperature, humidity, water temperature, atmospheric pressure, PH, CO2 concentration, day length, illuminance, water level, and air volume, the graph displays the data transition over time.

  When the water level measured by the water level sensor is lower than a certain value, the grower is alerted by displaying the water level on the status screen by color. The air volume may be changed depending on which range the value belongs to.

  FIG. 9 is an example of a recording screen. The grower inputs a comment from the terminal device 70. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, it is good to display cultivation records, such as environmental data, such as temperature, and the picked-up image of a plant, on a comment input screen. Thereby, the grower can input a comment while confirming the cultivation record displayed on the screen, and convenience is improved.

  Also, on the recording screen, by inputting the date and time, a comment input by the grower is displayed together with the cultivation record of the date and time.

(Control processing)
FIG. 10 is an example of a setting screen.
The grower can input setting values such as water temperature, air volume, illuminance, and day length, that is, a control command to each controlled device 18 (18a, 18b, 18c) from the setting screen of the terminal device. The input set value is sent to the server device 60 via the communication line 80b and stored in the storage unit 61 of the server device 60. This set value is transmitted to the plant cultivation unit 10 in response to a request from the plant cultivation unit 10.

  The main processor 51 of the plant cultivation unit 10 registers as a setting queue when the setting value sent from the server device 60 is input. Upon receiving the setting queue from the main processor 51, the sub processor 52 outputs a control command to the corresponding controlled device 18 based on the setting value.

  In order to realize the above operation, the following WEB API (application programming interface for linking with the WEB service) is built on the server device in order to link the plant cultivation unit 10 and the site for the terminal device. It is effective to do.

(API overview)
(A) Status registration (setStatus)
The main processor 51 of the plant cultivation unit 10 calls this API at regular intervals (for example, every minute), and registers values acquired by various sensors and set values / recorded data in the storage unit 61 of the server device 60.

  Here, the sensor acquired value is data such as temperature, water temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, pH, CO2 concentration, water level, and illuminance. The set values are data such as day length, daytime LED (RGB), nighttime LED (RGB), water temperature, and air volume. The recorded data is a comment or a plant image.

(B) Acquisition of setting values set on the server side (getSettingQue)
A setting value (setting queue data) input to the server device 60 (WEB application) via the terminal device 70 is acquired. The set values include day length, daytime LED (RGB), nighttime LED (RGB), water temperature, and air volume.

(C) Deleting the setting value set on the server side (clearSettingQue)
The setting queue data registered in the storage unit 61 of the server device 60 is deleted via the terminal device 70. For example, after calling getSettingQue, the setting change processing on the plant cultivation unit side is performed based on the setting queue data, and the setting queue data acquired by calling in order of setStatus and then clearSettingQue is deleted.

  When the setting is updated on the plant cultivation unit side, it is preferable to first call clearSettingQue to delete all setting queue data on the server device.

(D) Acquisition of comment set on the server side (getCommentQue)
A comment (comment queue data) set in the server device 60 is acquired via the terminal device 70.

(E) Deleting comments set on the server (clearCommentQue)
The comment (comment queue data) set in the server device 60 via the terminal device 70 is deleted. For example, after calling getCommentQue, the comment is updated on the plant cultivation unit 10 side based on this queue, and the acquired comment queue is deleted by calling setStatus and then clearCommentQue.

  In addition, when a comment is updated on the plant cultivation unit side, it is preferable to first call clearCommentQue to delete all the comment queues on the server device 60.

(2) Monitoring control (monitoring process) on the plant cultivation unit side
Data is displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel 55 of the plant cultivation unit 10 by outputting display data from the control device 17.
FIG. 11 is a transition diagram of screens displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel 55 of the plant cultivation unit 10. In the initial state, a status display screen is displayed, and the screen can be shifted to a predetermined screen such as a setting screen or a recording display screen.

  FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the screen configuration of the transparent liquid crystal panel 55. The left side of the screen is an area for menu selection and status display, and the upper side of the screen is an area for displaying main contents such as setting data and observation data. Further, the lower right part of the screen is an area to be transparent. Through this area, the grower can directly observe the cultivation inside the unit.

  As described above, when the LED light source is arranged above the water tank, the data is displayed on the upper side (light source side) of the transparent liquid crystal panel 55, thereby improving the visibility of the data while maintaining the visibility of the plant. it can. In order to realize such a display arrangement, a window hole is made in a certain area below the upper LED light source on the one side of the frame from the bottom of the upper layer unit 12a of the water tank, and the window hole is shielded. A transparent liquid crystal panel 55 is preferably provided.

  In particular, the LED light source changes its light source color and illuminance depending on the time zone. By taking a data display area on the side closer to the light source and an observation area for the cultivation status in the unit on the side far from the light source, the light source Information visibility due to changes in color and illuminance can be maintained. Under these conditions, the visibility of the characters is improved particularly when the data display area is black and the character color is white (transparent).

  When the grower selects a predetermined item on the transparent touch panel, the data is read into the main processor 51. Then, the main processor 51 displays the corresponding screen on the transparent liquid crystal panel.

  FIG. 13 is an example of a status display screen displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel 55. As described above, the monitoring screen is composed of a data display area (left and upper sides of the screen) and an observation area of cultivation conditions (transparent area at the lower right of the screen). In this screen example, the trend graph of each sensor value is swiped to the left and right on the upper side of the screen.

  FIG. 14 is an example of a recording display screen. On the screen, a calendar, a photo shutter button, an image playback button, a comment edit button, and the like are displayed. When the grower presses the photo shutter button, the image at that time is captured from the camera 16 and stored in the memory 54. When the image reproduction button is pressed, the image stored in the memory 54 is reproduced.

  When the comment edit button is pressed, the record edit screen of FIG. 15 is displayed, and a comment can be input through a comment input box on the screen. The input comment is stored in the memory 54.

  FIG. 16 is an example of a cultivation screen. Environmental data is displayed in the data display area on the screen, and the observation area below it is transparent so that the plants in the unit can be observed directly.

(Control processing)
FIG. 17 is an example of a setting screen displayed on the transparent liquid crystal panel 55. RGB values, day length, water temperature, and air volume for each day and night can be set at the top of the screen. The lower right of the screen is an observation area. The grower can input the set value through the transparent screen while observing the plants in the unit.

  The grower inputs a set value through the touch panel 56. The input set values are linked in time series and stored in the memory 54 of the main processor 51 as a setting queue. The main processor 51 passes this setting queue to the sub processor 52.

  The sub processor 52 outputs a control command to the controlled device 18 according to the setting queue.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform data setting for cultivation and observation of cultivation status from the terminal device through the server device as well as the plant cultivation place, and it is at home even when away from home. Plants can be grown in the same way.

  Furthermore, the grower can observe the plant by the captured image of the camera in the unit while displaying the necessary cultivation data on the terminal device side, while the necessary cultivation is performed on the unit side by the transparent liquid crystal panel. Since the plant can be observed directly while displaying the data, convenience is improved.

  Also, the setting value is saved according to the queue format, and when the setting value is input on the unit side, the setting queue of the server device is cleared, so inconsistencies with control commands from both the unit side and terminal side Can be prevented.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Plant cultivation system 10 Plant cultivation unit 11 Frame 12 Water tank 12a Upper layer unit 12b Lower layer unit 13 Water storage tank 14a LED
14b Control board 15 Sensor 16 Camera 17 Control device 18 Controlled device 18a Heater 18b Blower fan 18c Artificial lighting device 19 Caster 20 Ceiling panel 30 Top cover 31 Sponge insertion pipe 33, 34 Conduction pipe 35 Hole 36 Drain pipe 37 Partition plate 38 Lifting pump 41 Drain hole 42 Drain 51 Main processor 52 Sub processor 54 Memory 55 Transparent liquid crystal panel 56 Transparent touch panel 56 Touch panel 60 Server device 61 Storage unit 70 Terminal devices 80a and 80b Communication line

Claims (3)

A water tank, an artificial lighting device that is mounted above the water tank and illuminates the plant, a control device that inputs environmental data including temperature and humidity and a photographed image of the plant, and controls the artificial lighting device based on a control command A plant cultivation unit having
A server device connected to the plant cultivation unit via a communication line, receiving environmental data and captured images sent from the plant cultivation unit, and displaying them on a terminal device;
A plant cultivation system comprising:
The server device displays and outputs the image data and the environment data sent from the plant cultivation unit to the terminal device, and receives a control command sent from the terminal device to the plant cultivation unit. Send control commands,
A window hole is formed on the side surface of the plant cultivation unit so that the plant being cultivated can be visually recognized from the outside. Arranged, the control device displays and outputs environmental data to the transparent liquid crystal panel, and registers a control command input from the touch panel or a control command sent to the server device as a setting queue in time series, A plant cultivation system, wherein the artificial lighting device is controlled by executing the setting queue.   The monitoring screen output on the transparent liquid crystal panel by the control device is composed of an environmental data display area and a transparent area that allows the inside of the water tank to be visually recognized, and the environmental data display area is disposed above the transparent area. The plant cultivation system according to claim 1, wherein: The water tank is composed of a lower layer unit for storing water to be supplied to a plant, an upper layer unit that is used on top of the lower layer unit, and is provided with a cultivation sponge.
The upper layer unit has a drain pipe that allows water to flow out to the lower layer unit when the water reaches a certain height.
Furthermore, the plant cultivation system of Claim 1 or 2 provided with the pumping pump which pumps up the water of the said lower layer unit to the said upper layer unit side.