JP2016189745A - Plant cultivation system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a plant cultivation system that does not require special knowledge for cultivation, and by which even a fairly general cultivator can easily cultivate various plants in an optimum state.SOLUTION: A plant cultivation system 2 comprises: a container which houses a plant 3; a light source; light control means 6 for controlling an output or the like of the light source corresponding to a type or the like of the plant 3; first receiving means 4 which receives control data 13 to be given to the light control means 6 from a central management device 1; first storage means 4 for storing the control data 13 received by the first receiving means 4; apparatus control means 4 for reading out the control data 13 stored in the first storage means 4 and sending the data to the light control means 6; sensors 8, 9 which acquire growth data 15, 16 of the plant 3; second storage means 5 for storing the growth data 15, 16 obtained from the sensors 8, 9; and second receiving means 5 for sending the growth data 15, 16 stored in the second storage means 5 to the central management device 1 via the first sending means 5 and a transmission path, in which the central management device 1 receives the data.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a plant cultivation system for growing plants indoors by controlling the irradiation time of light emitted from an artificial light source.

  In recent years, a method has been studied in which appropriate environmental conditions necessary for plant growth are taken indoors to efficiently mass-produce plants regardless of natural conditions and weather. Items controlled at this time include light quantity, sunshine duration, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, liquid fertilizer components, liquid temperature, and the like. And as a light source, there are one using sunlight and one using an artificial light source. As the light source, it is particularly effective to use an artificial light source that can be freely controlled under conditions necessary for plant growth for efficient and stable production.

As a current artificial light source, a high-pressure sodium lamp, a metal halide lamp, a fluorescent lamp, a light-emitting diode, etc. are used alone or in combination with sunlight. For example, a plant cultivation apparatus using a fluorescent lamp is known as described in Patent Document 1. The apparatus disclosed in the literature 1 is an apparatus for efficiently cultivating a plant using a fluorescent lamp having a wavelength range of 700 to 800 nm of far red in a wavelength range of 400 to 700 nm.

  The plant cultivation apparatus using such an artificial light source has different wavelength ranges, irradiation amounts, and irradiation times for growing for each plant, and for each plant, and for the type of artificial light source for optimal control. Since the light irradiation conditions change according to the cultivation time, it was difficult for very general growers to cultivate various types of plants in an optimal environment.

In addition, depending on the plant, if the artificial light source cannot be finely controlled with careful attention to the wavelength, irradiation timing, and irradiation time of the irradiated light, plants that are inappropriate for the original use of the plant will grow. There was a problem that.

Therefore, in Patent Document 2, there is a plant cultivation system that transmits optimal cultivation conditions from a central management device to a plant cultivation device according to the type of plant, and can grow plants that are difficult to grow without special knowledge. It is disclosed.

JP-A-2-60527 JP-A-10-191787

However, the control data sent from the central management device to the plant cultivation device here is not particularly described in Patent Document 2, but it is only the optimum solution at the present time obtained by past experience and limited research institutions. Absent. That is, there is much room for improvement in new types of plants and plants with little cultivation results.

Furthermore, light sources, fertilizers, etc. are evolving year by year, and the optimal control data varies depending on what is optimized, including these technologies, such as growth rate, nutritional value, and energy efficiency. Thus, it took a lot of time to find the optimal control data for plant cultivation that required a large amount of experimental data at a specific research institution.

Therefore, the present invention does not require special knowledge for cultivation, and even a very general grower can easily cultivate various plants in an optimum state, and at the same time, a long time in a specific research institution. An object of the present invention is to provide a plant cultivation system that can automatically acquire enormous amounts of data required for optimization of required cultivation conditions while actually producing it.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, in the present invention, different cultivation conditions are automatically assigned to each plant cultivation device as control data, and information on the plants that are actually growing is fed back to the central management device as growth data. To do. In addition, the central management device improves the cultivation conditions by collating and analyzing the control data and the growth data. Based on the improved cultivation conditions, control data that is automatically allocated next is set and sent again to the plant cultivation apparatus. By repeating this, a system is provided in which the cultivation conditions are automatically optimized for characteristics such as the type of each plant, the type of light source and fertilizer, and the required growth rate and nutritional value.

Allocation and analysis of control data can use experimental design and Taguchi method. That is, each control data such as light emission time, wavelength, output, temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide concentration, fertilizer type and concentration is assigned as a control factor to a direct experiment, and growth data such as growth rate, size, weight, composition, etc. Is used to determine the contribution rate and optimum value of each factor.

The system of the present invention is also useful when cultivating a plurality of types of plants in one plant cultivation apparatus. For example, when cultivating multiple plants in the same environment with different optimal cultivation conditions for each plant, allocate the optimal cultivation conditions and intermediate values for each plant to multiple plant cultivation devices and analyze the growth data And set the optimum cultivation conditions.

Specifically, in the invention according to claim 1, according to a plant cultivation apparatus having a container for accommodating a plant, a light source provided in the container for irradiating light to the plant, a kind of plant, a cultivation period, and a kind of light source A light control means for controlling the output and irradiation time of the light source, a first receiving means for receiving control data given to the light control means from the central management device, and a first memory for storing the control data received by the first receiving means. Means, device control means for reading the control data stored in the first storage means and sending it to the light control means, a sensor for acquiring the growth data of the plant, and a second for storing the growth data obtained from the sensor Plant cultivation comprising storage means and second receiving means for transmitting the growth data stored in the second storage means to the central management device via the first transmission means and the transmission line, and receiving the central management device System Different control data is automatically assigned to each plant cultivation device, and the control data sent from the central management device and the growth data sent to the central management device are collated and analyzed to optimize the control data. The plant cultivation system is characterized by being automatically updated. In the invention according to claim 2, the sensor acquires an image of either one or both of visible light and infrared light, and an image obtained by analyzing the image obtained from the image acquisition device to obtain growth data The plant cultivation system was equipped with an analysis device.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an image acquisition device in which a sensor acquires an image of visible light or infrared light, or both, and an image obtained from the image acquisition device as direct growth data in a central management device. It was set as the plant cultivation system which sends and analyzes an image in a central management apparatus. Furthermore, the invention according to claim 4 is a plant cultivation system that is a weight sensor that measures the weight of the plant on which the sensor is grown. The invention according to claim 5 is a plant cultivation system which is a chemical sensor in which a sensor collects a part of a plant by inserting a needle into the plant and chemically detects a component. Furthermore, the invention according to claim 6 is a plant cultivation system in which the light control means controls the selection of the type of artificial light source and the irradiation time of each artificial light source based on control data sent from the central management device.

The invention according to claim 7 is a temperature detector for detecting the temperature in the container, a temperature control means for controlling the temperature in the container, a humidity detector for detecting the humidity in the container, and the humidity in the container. A humidity control means, a carbon dioxide detection section for detecting the concentration of carbon dioxide in the container, a carbon dioxide control means for controlling the concentration of carbon dioxide in the container, a temperature detection section, a humidity detection section, and a carbon dioxide detection section. First detection means for transmitting each detected data to the central management device is provided, and the first reception means receives the control data from the central management device to the temperature control means, the humidity control means, and the carbon dioxide gas control means. The first storage means stores the control data, and the apparatus control means reads the control data stored in the first storage means and sends them to the temperature control means, the humidity control means, and the carbon dioxide control means. And, each control data of temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide gas concentration is automatically assigned different control data to each plant cultivation device, and the control data and growth data are collated and analyzed by the central management device and optimized By doing so, it was set as the plant cultivation system which updates control data automatically.

The invention according to claim 8 includes a water channel for supplying water and nutrients to the plant, a valve for supplying water and liquid fertilizer to the water channel, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the amounts of water and liquid fertilizer, Fertilizer control means for controlling the amount of fertilizer according to the cultivation time and the type of fertilizer, first receiving means for receiving control data to be given to the fertilizer control means from the central management device, and control data received by the first receiving means A first storage means for storing, and a plant cultivation system that reads the control data stored in the first storage means and sends it to the fertilizer control means, wherein the control data for each amount of fertilizer is automatically sent to the individual cultivation devices Different control data is allocated, and the control data and the growth data are collated and analyzed by the central management device, and the plant data is automatically updated by optimizing the control data. The invention according to claim 9 is a plant cultivation system in which water is directly supplied from tap water. Furthermore, in the invention according to claim 10, liquid fertilizer is individually contained in a container, a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of each liquid fertilizer is provided, and the remaining amount data obtained from the sensor is received by the second receiver. The plant cultivation system was sent to the central control device using the means and requested to deliver the liquid fertilizer from the central control device and delivered to the plant cultivation device.

The invention according to claim 11 is a plant cultivation system in which the liquid fertilizer is contained in a solid container, and the fertilizer can be replaced by removing the container and attaching a new container. The invention according to claim 12 is a plant cultivation apparatus and plant cultivation in which liquid fertilizers of different components are separately contained in two or more solid containers, and the amount of each liquid fertilizer can be adjusted based on control data A plant cultivation system using the device was adopted.

As described above, in the present invention, since control data for plant cultivation is sent from the central management device to the plant cultivation device, the plant can be grown in an optimal state, No special knowledge is required, and even ordinary growers can easily grow various plants. Moreover, since it cultivates by giving the light energy required for cultivation with an artificial light source, production cost does not increase as much as natural farming, and this can be reduced, and the cultivation period can be shortened.

Furthermore, since it can be reduced in size compared with the conventional plant cultivation system, when using an edible plant, for example, a vegetable, since the plant is alive until just before, fresh vegetables can be supplied. In addition, plants that are difficult to grow depending on the type of artificial light source can be cultivated by performing the best cultivation with the light source, and a plant cultivation system with low power consumption can be achieved.

It is a mimetic diagram of the whole plant cultivation system 2 in one embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic diagram of the whole plant cultivation system 2 in another embodiment of this invention.

An example of an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the whole plant cultivation system 2 in the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the whole plant cultivation system 2 in another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the plant cultivation system 2 of the present invention has a ceiling, a floor, a partition, etc. in addition to a container that can accommodate plants 3, and has a structure that can maintain a plant growth environment indoors. ing. Next, operation | movement of the plant cultivation system 2 of this invention is demonstrated using FIG. 1 and FIG. First, input data such as an ID for identifying a plant cultivation apparatus such as a plant type input from an input means (not shown) is transmitted from the transmission means 5 to the central management apparatus 1 by the apparatus control means 4. As will be described later, necessary control data 11 is selected and determined in the central management apparatus 1, and this control data 11 is transmitted from the central management apparatus 1 to the first receiving means 4.

The control data 11 selected and determined here refers to, for example, that the type of artificial light source is a three-wavelength fluorescent lamp and a far-red light emitting diode, which are artificial light sources of a plant cultivation apparatus, and the growth of the corresponding plant 3 Information such as light irradiation control type, light irradiation control amount, irradiation control time, control temperature, control humidity, control carbon dioxide concentration, control pH, control electric conductivity, control liquid temperature liquid, liquid fertilizer ratio, liquid fertilizer control temperature, etc. It is. The light control means 6 is composed of a microcomputer or the like. The light source includes a three-wavelength fluorescent lamp that emits light of three wavelengths of red, blue, and green, and a far-red light-emitting diode. A far-red light-emitting diode is a light-emitting diode having a wavelength of 700 to 750 nm. Is desirable because it is large.

When the control data 11 is received by the first receiving means 4, these control data 11 are stored in the first storage means 4 by the apparatus control means 4. Further, the device control means 11 reads the growth information of the plant 3 from the first storage means 4 and operates on the light control means 6, the temperature control means 7, the humidity control means 7, the carbon dioxide control means 7, and the liquid fertilizer control means 7. A command is output and the control data of the plant 3 is sent to each control means.

Next, light irradiation control will be described. The control data 11 of the light irradiation control type, the light irradiation control amount, and the irradiation control time read from the first storage unit 4 is input to the light control unit 6. From the input control data 11, the light control means 6 irradiates the three-wavelength fluorescent lamp or the light-emitting diode when and for how long, and how much current the light-emitting diode passes, and the light-emitting diode has three wavelengths. The light source is ON / OFF controlled in accordance with the determined usage pattern such as whether to turn on with the fluorescent lamp.

Subsequently, temperature control will be described. The control temperature read from the first storage unit 4 is input to the temperature control unit 7. The temperature control means 7 controls the temperature in the container to the control temperature by using the input data as a set value. Incidentally, a temperature detection unit is provided in the container, and temperature data detected by the temperature detection unit is sent to the temperature control means 7. The temperature control means 7 compares the detected temperature data with the control temperature sent from the apparatus control means, determines which of the cooler and the heater is to be controlled, and controls the cooler or the heater to be turned ON / OFF, respectively. If the temperature detected by the temperature detector is higher than the control temperature, the cooler is turned on and the heater is turned off.

If the temperature data detected by the temperature detector is lower than the control temperature, the cooler is turned off and the heater is turned on. When the temperature detected from the temperature detector is the same as the control temperature, both the cooler and the heater are turned off. However, neither the cooler nor the heater is turned on.

Next, humidity control will be described. The control humidity read from the first storage unit 4 is input to the humidity control unit 7. The humidity control means 7 controls the humidity to the control humidity by using the input data as a set value. Further, a humidity detection unit is provided in the container, and humidity data detected by the humidity detection unit is sent to the humidity control means 7.

The humidity control means 7 compares the detected humidity data with the control humidity sent from the apparatus control means, and when the humidity data is lower than the control humidity, the ultrasonic humidifier is turned on to increase the humidity. When the humidity rises and the humidity data detected by the humidity detector becomes higher than the control humidity, the humidity controller 7 turns off the ultrasonic humidifier. When the humidity is high, there is no effect on the growth of the plant, so there is no need to control it. When the temperature control is performed, the humidity in the container also decreases.

Next, carbon dioxide gas control will be described. The control carbon dioxide concentration read from the first storage means 4 is input to the carbon dioxide gas control means 7. By using the input data as a set value, the carbon dioxide control means 7 controls the carbon dioxide concentration to the control carbon dioxide concentration. A carbon dioxide concentration detector is provided in the container, and the carbon dioxide concentration detected by the carbon dioxide concentration detector is sent to the carbon dioxide controller 7.

The carbon dioxide gas control means 7 compares the carbon dioxide gas concentration data with the control carbon dioxide gas concentration. When the carbon dioxide gas concentration data is lower than the control carbon dioxide gas concentration, the carbon dioxide gas cylinder is turned on to increase the carbon dioxide gas concentration. When the carbon dioxide gas concentration increases and the carbon dioxide gas concentration data becomes higher than the control carbon dioxide gas concentration, the carbon dioxide gas means turns off the carbon dioxide cylinder. And even if a carbon dioxide gas concentration is high, a carbon dioxide gas concentration falls by the photosynthesis of a cultivation plant.

Next, liquid fertilizer control will be described. The control data of the control pH, the control electrical conductivity, the control liquid temperature liquid, and the liquid manure control temperature read from the first storage means 4 are input to the liquid manure control means. By using the input data as a set value, the liquid manure control means controls the set control pH, control electric conductivity, control liquid temperature liquid, and liquid fertilizer control temperature.

A pH detector, an electrical conductivity detector, and a liquid temperature detector are provided in the container, and data such as detected pH, electrical conductivity, and liquid temperature are sent to the liquid fertilizer control means. This liquid manure control means compares these data with control pH, control electric conductivity, and control liquid temperature which are control data sent from the apparatus control means.

Here, a specific operation of the liquid manure control means will be described. For example, when creating liquid fertilizer with controlled pH 6.5 ± 0.5 and controlled electrical conductivity 1.0 ± 0.2 mS / cm, the liquid fertilizer control means makes the following judgment to make the water supply unit, liquid fertilizer raw material unit Is turned ON / OFF. When the liquid fertilizer control means detects that there is little liquid fertilizer in the liquid fertilizer section, the water supply section is turned on. Thereby, a water supply part supplies a tap water and well water to a liquid fertilizer part. It is known that the quality of tap water and well water is generally pH 5.8 to 8.5 and electric conductivity 0.05 to 0.5 mS / cm.

Simultaneously with the start of water supply, the pH detection unit and the electrical conductivity detection unit detect pH and electrical conductivity, respectively, and send data to the liquid fertilizer control means. The liquid fertilizer control means compares the sent pH and electrical conductivity with the controlled pH and controlled electrical conductivity. The pH is usually in the range of pH 5.8 to 8.5 but the electrical conductivity is low, so the liquid fertilizer control means turns on the liquid fertilizer raw material part.

Moreover, the liquid fertilizer raw material may be prepared in advance and filled with a high concentration liquid fertilizer. In the present embodiment, the liquid fertilizer raw material has a pH of 4.0 to 4.5 and an electric conductivity of 20 to 30 mS / cm. When the liquid fertilizer raw material is supplied, the pH decreases and the electrical conductivity increases. When the water and liquid fertilizer raw material are supplied and the pH and electric conductivity satisfy both the control pH and the control electric conductivity, the liquid fertilizer control means turns off the water supply unit and the liquid fertilizer raw material unit and stops. When the pH of the liquid fertilizer raw material is lower than the control pH or when there is little liquid fertilizer in the liquid fertilizer section, the water supply section is turned on and water is poured into the liquid fertilizer section, increasing the amount of water and raising the pH. When the pH of the liquid fertilizer raw material becomes equal to the control pH, the water supply unit is turned off and the water supply is stopped.

The electrical conductivity compares the control electrical conductivity with the data sent from the electrical conductivity detector. If the data detected by the electrical conductivity detector is low, the liquid fertilizer raw material part is turned on and the liquid fertilizer raw material is poured into the liquid fertilizer part to increase the electrical conductivity. Since the pH is lowered at this time, it is necessary to readjust the pH, so that the water supply unit is also turned on.

In this way, the liquid fertilizer is prepared so that the liquid fertilizer raw material part and the water supply part are supplied to the liquid fertilizer part and become equal to the control electric conductivity and the control pH. When the detected data is lower than the control liquid temperature, the heater is turned on to increase the liquid temperature. When the liquid temperature rises and the liquid temperature detected by the liquid temperature detector becomes higher than the control liquid temperature, the apparatus control means 4 turns off the heater. Note that the temperature of the gas and liquid in the temperature-controlled apparatus is generally lower than the liquid temperature, so that it is not necessary to install a cooler.

In this embodiment, the transmission path may be wireless transmission in addition to a wired line such as a telephone line. The device control means 4 controls the first receiving means 4 to send the control data 11 sent from the central management device 1 to the first storage means 4 for storage. At the same time, the apparatus control means 4 stores the input data input from the input means in the first storage means 4 or sends it to the central management apparatus 1 via the transmission means 5.

In addition, the device control means 4 reads the control data 11 corresponding to the cultivated plant stored in the first storage means 4 and sends it to the light control means 6 to control the light irradiation in the container. Then, it is sent to the temperature control means 7 to operate the cooler and heater to control the temperature in the container. At the same time, the device control means sends the control data 11 to the liquid fertilizer control means and sends the control data 11 relating to the carbon dioxide concentration to the carbon dioxide control means 7 to control the carbon dioxide concentration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Central management apparatus 2 Plant cultivation system 3 Plant 4 1st receiving means (1st memory | storage means, apparatus control means)
5 Second storage means (transmission means, second reception means)
6 Light control means 7 Water / nutrient control means (temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide control means)
8 Image acquisition device 9 Weight sensor 11 Control data 12 sent from the central management device 1 to the first receiving means 4 of the plant cultivation system 2 Growth data 13 sent from the transmission means 5 of the plant cultivation system 2 to the central management device 1 Device control Light control data 14 sent from the means 4 to the light control means 6 Water / nutrient control data 15 sent from the apparatus control means 4 to the water / nutrient control means 7 Growth data 16 sent from the image acquisition device 8 to the second storage means 5 Growth data sent from the weight sensor 9 to the second storage means 5

Claims (12)

A container that contains a plant, a light source that is provided in the container and that irradiates light to the plant, and a light control that controls the output and irradiation time of the light source according to the type of the plant, the cultivation period, and the type of the light source Means, a first receiving means for receiving control data given to the light control means from a central management device, a first storage means for storing the control data received by the first receiving means, and a first storage means Device control means for reading out the stored control data and sending it to the light control means, a sensor for acquiring the growth data of the plant, a second storage means for storing the growth data obtained from the sensor, In the plant cultivation system provided with the 2nd receiving means which transmits the said growth data memorize | stored in the 2nd memory | storage means to the said central management apparatus via a 1st transmission means and a transmission line, and the said central management apparatus receives. Thus, different control data is automatically allocated to each plant cultivation device, and the control data sent from the central management device and the growth data sent to the central management device are collated and analyzed. A plant cultivation system, wherein the control data is optimized and automatically updated. The sensor includes an image acquisition device that acquires an image of either visible light or infrared light, or both, and an image analysis device that analyzes the image obtained from the image acquisition device to obtain the growth data. The plant cultivation system of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. The plant cultivation system according to claim 2, wherein an image obtained from the image acquisition device is directly sent to the central management device as the growth data, and image analysis is performed in the central management device. The plant cultivation system according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a weight sensor that measures the weight of the plant. 2. The plant cultivation according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is a chemical sensor that chemically detects a component of the plant after collecting a part of the plant by inserting an injection needle into the plant. system. The said light control means controls selection of the said light source, and irradiation time based on the content of the said control data sent from the said central management apparatus, The any one of Claim 1 thru | or 5 characterized by the above-mentioned. Plant cultivation system. A temperature detector for detecting the temperature in the container; a temperature control means for controlling the temperature in the container; a humidity detector for detecting the humidity in the container; and a humidity control means for controlling the humidity in the container; A carbon dioxide gas detection unit for detecting the concentration of carbon dioxide gas in the container, a carbon dioxide gas control means for controlling the carbon dioxide gas concentration in the container, the temperature detection unit, the humidity detection unit, and the carbon dioxide gas detection unit. First detection means for transmitting each detected data to the central management device is provided, and the first reception means from the central management device to the temperature control means, the humidity control means, and the carbon dioxide gas control means, respectively. Control data, the first storage means stores the control data, and the apparatus control means reads the control data stored in the first storage means to read the temperature control means and the temperature control means, respectively. Plant cultivation device of the plant cultivation system to be sent to the degree control means and the carbon dioxide gas control means, wherein the control data of the temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide concentration is automatically assigned different control data to each cultivation device, The plant cultivation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein control data is automatically updated by collating and analyzing data and growth data with the central management device and optimizing the data. . The apparatus further comprises a water channel and a valve for supplying water and liquid fertilizer to the plant, and an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the amounts of the water and liquid fertilizer, respectively, and the liquid according to the type and cultivation time of the plant and the type of the liquid fertilizer Fertilizer control means for controlling the amount of fertilizer, first receiving means for receiving control data to be given to the fertilizer control means from the central management device, and first memory for storing the control data received by the first receiving means The plant cultivation apparatus of the plant cultivation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that said control data stored in said first storage means is read out and sent to said fertilizer control means. The control data for the amount of each fertilizer is automatically assigned different control data to each cultivation device, and the control data and the growth data are collated by the central management device. The plant cultivation system is characterized by automatically updating the control data by analyzing and optimizing. The plant cultivation system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the water is tap water. The liquid fertilizer is individually contained in a container, and a sensor for detecting the remaining amount of each liquid fertilizer is installed, and the remaining amount data obtained from the previous period sensor is sent to the central controller using the second receiving means. The plant cultivation system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the plant cultivation system is sent and requested to deliver the liquid fertilizer from the central control device to the plant cultivation device. The plant cultivation system according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the fertilizer is replaced by removing the container and attaching a new container. The liquid fertilizer having different components is individually contained in two or more containers, and the amount of the liquid fertilizer is adjusted based on control data. The plant cultivation system according to item.

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