JP6276100B2 - Crop growth observation system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a crop growth observation system used in facility horticulture that is grown while managing crops, for example, house cultivation, hydroponics, plant factories, and the like.

  In horticultural horticulture, when growing crops such as tomatoes, the growing situation is changed by controlling fertilizer concentration, sunshine, temperature, humidity, saturation, etc., and controlling carbon dioxide assimilation. By optimizing the environmental conditions of the plant, it is possible to improve the quality and increase the yield of the products harvested from the crops.

JP-A-8-266155

  However, it has been difficult for the next generation of producers to accurately inherit the elements that are captured by the producers' experiences and intuition regarding the relationship between the growth of crops and the quality and yield of the products. In addition, it is difficult to accurately determine the growth state because the information to be obtained is too diversified to determine whether the environmental conditions are optimal from the overall observation of the crop. On the other hand, it takes a lot of labor and labor to acquire data for each worker to grasp the growth state manually, and there is a limit to the number of information that can be acquired. .

  Therefore, a crop growth observation system according to the present invention as a means for solving the above problems includes a growing space in which a crop is cultivated, one observation target plant selected from the crops, and the observation target plant. Connected to the camera unit, an image acquisition region including a measurement target that is one end of the ground component, a base point marker attached to a stem of the observation target plant, a camera unit that images the observation target region And an information processing unit having an information storage unit, wherein the camera unit includes image information transmission means for transmitting image information of the captured image acquisition region to the information processing unit, and the information processing unit includes the camera Image information receiving means for receiving the image information transmitted from the unit, base point recognition means for recognizing the base mark from the image information, and measurement target for recognizing the measurement target from the image information A growth length acquisition means for acquiring a growth length L1 from the recognized base point marker to the measurement target; a growth length storage means for storing the acquired growth length L1 in the information storage section; It is characterized by having.

  The present invention can be applied to all crops, and as the crops, fruit vegetables selected from eggplants such as tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, peppers, and cucurbits such as cucumbers, cucumbers, pumpkins, watermelons, melons, bitter gourds, etc. More preferred are tomato, cucumber and eggplant, and more preferred is tomato.

  The growing space refers to a space where facility horticulture for growing crops is carried out, and examples thereof include a field, a rice field, a house cultivation facility, a hydroponics facility, or a plant factory. More preferably, it is a house cultivation facility, a hydroponics facility, or a plant factory. If it is a house cultivation facility, a hydroponics facility, or a plant factory, based on the measurement results obtained in the present invention, the ambient temperature of the crop, the ambient humidity, the carbon dioxide concentration, the light irradiation time for the crop, the amount of light irradiation, This is because it is possible to artificially adjust one or more crop growth conditions that can be selected from the fertilizer concentration and the like.

  The crop used in the present invention is preferably hydroponically cultivated. Hydroponically cultivated crops are cultivated in a state where the roots are immersed in a container storing liquid fertilizer instead of the roots being buried in the soil by soil cultivation. Thereby, a root can be released from the stress received by being embedded in soil, and the ability to transport fertilizer components to a plant can be improved as compared with the case of soil cultivation.

  For this reason, the crops cultivated by hydroponics grow faster than the soil cultivated, and the growth management of the portion near the growth point of the crops becomes more important.

  An especially important part to observe is to observe the growth length per certain time until a part of about 10 cm from the top of the plant to be observed grows to about 50 cm. It is possible to accurately grasp the change in the growing state that the target plant receives from the growing environment. Here, examples of changes in the growing state include changes in stem growth length or stem diameter per certain time. In particular, tomatoes that are hydroponically cultivated can grow plants faster and larger than in the case of soil-cultivated, so that a portion of about 10 cm from the top of the observation target plant grows to about 50 cm. It is effective to acquire and observe the growth length per fixed time one or more times.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to selectively observe changes associated with the growth of a part of a crop that is cultivated by hydroponics, particularly susceptible to the growth environment, and to make information based on the change non-invasive to the crop. The environmental conditions can be changed from the results, and an optimal growth environment can be realized. In addition, when the crop is hydroponically cultivated, the above-ground constituent portion of the observation target plant refers to a portion constituting above the water surface of the observation target plant.

  Preferably, the camera section includes a camera body and a lens, and an image formed inside the camera body through the lens can be converted into image information by an image sensor provided in the camera body, and the image information is transmitted as image information. It has a function that can be transmitted to an external device such as an information processing unit by means.

  The information processing unit includes image information receiving means capable of receiving image information transmitted from the camera unit, an information storage unit, and a calculation unit. The information processing unit can store the image information received from the camera unit, the acquired growth length L1 and the like in the information storage unit. As the information storage unit, a temporary storage device capable of writing and reading information such as a hard disk drive or a flash memory can be used, and a plurality of these temporary storage devices can be used in combination. The information processing unit can recognize the base point marker and the measurement target from the image information by the calculation unit, and can acquire the growth length L1 and the like. A central processing unit generally called a CPU can be used for the arithmetic processing unit. Specific examples of devices that can be used for the information processing unit include personal computers and portable information terminals. The information processing section preferably includes a display screen that displays image information and necessary information such as the acquired growth length L1, reference length L0, stem diameter L2, and unit length D0.

  The image acquisition region is not the entire selected observation target plant but a part of the observation target plant. This eliminates unnecessary peripheral image information as much as possible, and can improve the recognition accuracy of the base point markers and measurement targets included in the image acquisition area judged to be important for the user to observe and grow. The accuracy of the length L1 can be improved. Therefore, more preferably, the image acquisition region is set so that one end of the observation target plant determined as the measurement target is arranged at the upper end in the image acquisition region and the base point marker is arranged at the lower end in the image acquisition region. To do.

  It is preferable that the base mark is provided with an attachment portion that can be detachably attached directly to the stem of the plant to be observed. The attachment portion is preferably a seal that can be attached to the surface of the observation target plant via an adhesive layer, or a clip that can hold the stem, branch, or leaf of the observation target plant. In the present invention, the stem refers to a parent vine when the observation target plant is a cucumber or a vine plant such as cucumber.

  When the observation target plant is a tomato, the base point label is preferably attached to the stem from the top of the stem to the third inflorescence counted in the root direction. The growth length L1 acquired in this way is information on a part that strongly expresses the influence of the environmental conditions in the growing space when the observation target plant grows, and determines whether the environmental conditions of the observation target plant are optimal. This is because useful information can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, when the observation target plant grows and the measurement target moves away from the base point mark, the attachment part can be detached from the observation target plant and the base point mark can be attached again. Thereby, the growth length L1 can be accurately acquired without making the image acquisition region wider than necessary.

  The base point recognizing means stores the shape information of the entire base point mark in a storage device in the information processing unit in advance, and recognizes it by determining the shape match by comparing with the shape of the base point mark captured in the image information. Also good.

  Further, as another base point recognizing means, a base point symbol may be added to the base point mark and the base point symbol may be recognized. The base point symbol is preferably provided so as to be integrally connected to the surface of the mounting portion or the mounting portion. This is because the difference between the position where the base point marker is attached to the observation target plant and the position where the information processing unit recognizes the base point symbol can be reduced, and the measurement accuracy of the growth length L1 can be improved. Therefore, the base point symbol is more preferably formed integrally with the mounting portion.

  The base point recognition unit using the base point symbol compares the shape information of the base point symbol stored in advance in a storage device in the information processing unit with the shape of the base point symbol captured in the image information to determine a shape match. It may be recognized by doing. The base point symbol is preferably a simple symbol such as a cross shape, an X shape, or a star shape that is easy to understand the center position. Note that the base point recognition means using the base point symbol is also preferable for recognizing the base point symbol from the image information by using a known OCR (Optical Character Recognition) function.

  Further, as another base point recognition means, image information is displayed on a display screen provided in the information processing unit, and a base point mark in the displayed image information is recognized by the user selecting on the display screen. Also good. Selection of the base point mark on the display screen may be performed by a cursor operation, or when the display screen has a touch panel function, the user may touch the base point mark point displayed on the display screen with a finger. it can.

  The measurement target can set a portion where a change associated with the growth of the observation target plant can be detected, but is preferably the top of the stem or the tip of a branch. Particularly preferred as a measurement target is an active part of cell division called a growth point existing at the top of the shoot or the tip of the branch of the plant to be observed. A branch is a part where leaves or flowers are separated from the side of the stem.

  The measurement target recognizing means stores the shape information of the measurement target in advance in an information storage unit connected to the information processing unit, and compares the shape of the measurement target captured in the image information with the shape information of the measurement target. Thus, the information processing unit may recognize the shape match.

  As another measurement target recognition means, the image information of the measurement target is displayed on a display screen provided in the information processing unit, and the user selects a measurement target in the displayed image information on the display screen. It may be recognized. The measurement target on the display screen can be selected by operating the cursor. When the display screen has a touch panel function, the user touches the measurement target position displayed on the display screen with his / her finger. This is also preferable.

  For example, the growth length acquisition means uses the base point marker recognized by the base point recognition unit as the origin, and the information processing unit acquires, in pixel units, how far the measurement target recognized by the measurement target recognition unit is away from the base point mark. It can be a means to do. Here, a pixel means a pixel, and indicates a minimum unit drawing point constituting image information.

  In addition, when the growth length acquisition unit functions, in the case of a region having a certain area on the recognized base point mark and measurement target display screen, a specific pixel in each region is set as the base point mark and the measurement target. It can be. As an example of the specific pixel, a pixel corresponding to the center in each region can be used.

  The obtained growth length L1 can be useful information for determining whether or not the environmental condition of the observation target plant is optimal.

  The information processing unit preferably acquires the growth length L1 at regular intervals, and stores each growth length L1 in the information storage unit by the growth length storage unit.

  Further, the information processing unit selects two different growth lengths L1 stored before and after time from the plurality of growth lengths L1 stored in the information storage unit, and changes the growth length L1. It is also preferable to have growth management information acquisition means for acquiring the growth management information. The growth management information can be a change ratio obtained by dividing the growth length L1 with a slow acquisition time by the growth length L1 with a fast acquisition time. In addition, the change value may be a subtraction value obtained by subtracting the growth length L1 having a fast acquisition time from the growth length L1 having a slow acquisition time as the growth management information.

  The present invention further includes a reference length index provided at the same distance as a shooting distance from the camera unit to the base point marker, and the information processing unit is configured to store the reference length index stored in the information storage unit. Unit length D0 which is actual length information, length index recognition means for recognizing the reference length index from the image information, and reference length acquisition means for acquiring the reference length L0 from the recognized length index Then, from the growth length L1, the reference length L0, and the unit length D0, a standardized growth length is obtained that obtains a standardized growth length D1 that is obtained from the equation D1 = (D0 / L0) × L1. It is also preferable to have a means.

  The length index recognizing means stores the shape information of the reference length index in advance in an information storage unit connected to the information processing unit, and the shape of the reference length index taken into the image information and the reference length index It may be recognized by comparing the shape information with the information processing unit and determining the shape match.

  As another length index recognition means, the image information of the reference length index is displayed on the display screen provided in the information processing unit, and the reference length index in the displayed image information is displayed on the display screen by the user. It is good also as recognizing by selecting. Selection of the reference length index on the display screen can be performed by a cursor operation, and when the display screen has a touch panel function, the user can select the reference length index location displayed on the display screen. Can be done by touching with a finger.

  The reference length acquisition unit may be, for example, a unit in which the information processing unit acquires, in pixel units, how far a specific two points on the reference length index recognized by the length index recognition unit are. it can. As the two specific points on the reference length indicator, for example, the reference length indicator can be a rod and both ends thereof can be two specific points. As another example, the reference length index is a symbol of double-headed arrow symbols that conflict with each other on a straight line, and the tip of the two arrows can be two specific points.

  The information processing unit preferably acquires the standardized growth length D1 at regular intervals, and stores each standardized growth length D1 in the information storage unit by the standardized growth length storage unit.

  Further, the information processing unit selects two different standardized growth lengths D1 stored before and after the time from the plurality of standardized growth lengths D1 stored in the information storage unit, and the standardized growth length D1 It is also preferable to have standardized growth management information acquisition means for acquiring standardized growth management information that is a change value of. The standardized growth management information can be a change ratio obtained by dividing the standardized growth length D1 with a slow acquisition time by the standardized growth length D1 with a fast acquisition time. The standardized growth management information may be a subtracted value obtained by subtracting the standardized growth length D1 having a quick acquisition time from the standardized growth length D1 having a slow acquisition time.

  Furthermore, the information processing unit may include a stem recognition unit that recognizes a stem of the observation target plant adjacent to the base marker, and a stem diameter acquisition unit that acquires the recognized stem diameter L2. preferable. Here, the stem diameter refers to the diameter of the stem recognized by the information processing section.

  In addition, a reference length index provided at the same distance as the shooting distance from the camera unit to the base mark is provided, and the information processing unit is configured to store an actual length of the reference length index stored in the information storage unit. Unit length D0, which is length information, length index recognition means for recognizing the reference length index from the image information, reference length acquisition means for acquiring a reference length L0 from the recognized length index, From the stem diameter L2, the reference length L0, and the unit length D0, a standardized stem diameter acquisition means for acquiring a standardized stem diameter D2 obtained from an equation represented by D2 = (D0 / L0) × L2. It is also preferable to have it.

  Furthermore, it is preferable that the information processing unit obtains the stem diameter L2 at regular intervals, and further obtains stem growth management information that is a change value of the stem diameter L2 that changes over time. It is also preferable to have a stalk growth management information acquisition means. The stem growth management information can be a change ratio obtained by dividing the stem portion diameter L2 having a slow acquisition time by the stem portion diameter L2 having a fast acquisition time. In addition, it is good also as a subtraction value which deducted the stem part diameter L2 with quick acquisition time from the stem part diameter L2 of acquisition time as stem part growth management information.

  The stem diameter acquisition means is also preferable because it can be performed independently. That is, a growing space in which crops are cultivated, one observation target plant selected from the crops, a measurement target that is one end of a ground component of the observation target plant, and a stem of the observation target plant An image acquisition region including a base point mark attached to the camera, a camera unit that images the observation target region, an information processing unit that is connected to the camera unit and includes an information storage unit, and the camera unit captures an image Image information transmitting means for transmitting the image information of the image acquisition area to the information processing section, the information processing section receiving image information transmitted from the camera section, and the image Base point recognizing means for recognizing the base point mark from information, measurement target recognizing means for recognizing the measurement target from the image information, and a stem part for recognizing the stem part of the observation target plant adjacent to the base point mark And identification means may be a crop growth observation system characterized by having a stem diameter acquisition means for acquiring stem diameter L2 recognized.

  In addition, a measurement item instruction symbol is added to the base point mark, and the information processing unit corresponds to the recognized measurement item instruction symbol and an instruction symbol recognition unit that recognizes the measurement item instruction symbol from the image information. It is also preferable to provide measurement item selection means for selecting either the growth length acquisition means or the stem diameter acquisition means. Here, the measurement item refers to either acquiring the growth length by executing the growth length acquisition means, or acquiring the stem diameter by executing the stem diameter acquisition means.

  The measurement item instruction symbol is preferably a combination of arbitrary characters selected from hiragana, katakana, alphabet, and numbers. When the measurement item instruction symbol is a combination of the characters, the corresponding measurement item can be selected and recognized without fail by the information processing unit using the OCR function. In addition, the shape information of the measurement item instruction symbol is stored in advance in a storage device in the information processing unit, and the shape information of the measurement item instruction symbol is compared with the shape of the measurement item instruction symbol captured in the image information. It is good also as recognizing by judging a coincidence. Note that the recognition error rate can be reduced by using a simple combination such as a combination of one letter and one number for the measurement item instruction symbol.

  In addition, it is preferable that the camera unit and the information processing unit are incorporated in a portable information terminal including a display screen capable of outputting the image information.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to selectively observe changes associated with the growth of a part of a crop that is particularly susceptible to the growth environment, and to acquire information based on the change non-invasively with respect to the crop. The environmental conditions can be changed from the results, and an optimal growth environment can be realized.

  In addition, since the information related to the growth length L1 according to the present invention can be automatically and repeatedly acquired at regular time intervals, it is possible to reduce labor and labor as compared with the conventional method even when acquiring a large amount of information. To see changes in detail.

  Moreover, the database of the acquired information is also easy, and the index for determining future cultivation conditions can be created. As a result, it is possible to develop crops that can produce high-quality products. In addition, the yield of the product can be increased.

It is the schematic which shows the mode of the observation object plant 3 grown in the greenhouse 2, and its inside, and the camera part 12. FIG. It is the schematic which shows the one observation object plant 3, the camera part 12, and the information processing part 17 which comprise this invention. FIG. 6 is an overall perspective view of a base point mark 8. It is a block diagram of the technical means which comprise this invention. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of the contents of information stored in an information storage unit 19. FIG. It is a flowchart regarding acquisition of the image information 15 which concerns on this invention, and information processing in the information processing part 17. FIG. It is a flowchart regarding the standardized growth management information acquisition means 41. It is a flowchart regarding the stem diameter acquisition means 49.

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

  1 and 2 are diagrams showing an outline of a crop growth management system 1 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, a large number of observation target plants 3 that are agricultural crops are planted and hydroponically cultivated in a hydroponic container P provided in a greenhouse 2 that is a growing space. Liquid fertilizer-containing water W is stored in the hydroponic cultivation container P, and the observation target plant 3 is cultivated in a state where the roots are immersed in the liquid fertilizer-containing water W. In the present embodiment, the observation target plant 3 is a tomato. The greenhouse 2 can manage environmental conditions such as liquid fertilizer concentration, sunshine, temperature, humidity, and saturation in the internal space, and artificially control the carbon assimilation action.

  In FIG. 2, the vicinity of the shoot apex is shown for the above-ground constituent part of one of the observation target plants 3 cultivated in the greenhouse 2. The observation target plant 3 has a stem 4, a flower cluster 5, and a leaf 6, and a stem top 7 is formed at the apex of the stem 4.

  A base point mark 8 is attached to the stem 4, and the base point mark 8 is a clip-like attachment portion that can be directly attached to the stem 4 by being sandwiched by the spring force from the front and rear of the stem 4 as shown in FIG. 3. 9 and a base point symbol 10 provided on the surface of the attachment portion 9. In the present embodiment, the base point symbol 10 is composed of an X-shaped symbol formed in a circular frame as shown in FIG. The base point mark 8 includes a reference length index 11 that is continuously formed so as to protrude from the side surface of the mounting portion 9, and the reference length index 11 is shaped like a double-headed arrow symbol that conflicts in the vertical direction. Is formed.

  In the case of the present embodiment in which the observation target plant 3 is a tomato, the base point mark 8 may be attached to the stem 4 from the top of the stem 7 to the third inflorescence 5 counted in the root direction. preferable. The growth length L1 acquired in this way is information on a portion that strongly expresses the influence of the environmental conditions in the greenhouse 2 when the observation target plant 3 grows, and determines whether the environmental conditions of the observation target plant 3 are optimal. Useful information can be obtained.

  In the present invention, the growth length L1 can be repeatedly acquired every fixed time T. However, when the observation target plant 3 grows and the shoot apex portion 7 moves away from the base mark 8, the attachment portion 9 is connected to the stalk 4. The base mark 8 can be reattached. In the present embodiment, the initial attachment position of the base mark 8 and the attachment position immediately after reattachment (hereinafter simply referred to as attachment position) are preferably within a range of 5 to 50 cm from the shoot apex 7, and particularly preferably. Is 8 cm to 12 cm from the shoot apex 7. This is because if the stem 4 is closer than 5 cm, the portion of the stem 4 to which the base mark 8 is to be attached is too thin and the base mark 8 cannot be attached stably. On the other hand, if the distance from the shoot apex 7 is more than 50 cm, the image acquisition region 14 becomes too large, and the recognition process of the base mark 8 may be difficult. Moreover, since the change accompanying the growth of the observation object plant 3 until the said attachment position turns into 50 cm from the shoot top part 7 will be especially remarkable if the attachment position of the base mark 8 is set to 8 cm-12 cm from the shoot top part 7. By repeatedly acquiring the length L1, it becomes easy to grasp the change in the growing state that the observation target plant 3 receives from the growing environment.

  Moreover, it is also preferable that the attachment position of the base point mark 8 is a portion where the flower floret 5 where only the first flower is blooming branches off from the stem 4. As the tomato grows, the time between the inflorescence 5 generated in the vicinity of the shoot apex 7 and the next inflorescence 5 is almost constant. Therefore, when only the first flower of the floret 5 is blooming, the root mark 8 is attached to the part where the floret 5 branches off from the stem 4 to measure the growth length L1 up to the stem top 7, and then By measuring the growth length L1 in the same manner in the flower bunches 5 as well, it is possible to grasp the change in the growth state that the observation target plant 3 receives from the growth environment from the change in the front and back growth length L1. With such a configuration, it is possible to clearly grasp the position to attach the base mark 8 when a new flower cluster 5 is generated, and to measure the length from the shoot apex 7 each time the base mark 8 is attached. Can be omitted. The first flower refers to a flower that has first bloomed among a plurality of flowers generated in one inflorescence 5.

  A camera unit 12 is installed at a position away from the observation target plant 3 at the same distance from the base point symbol 10 formed on the base point mark 8 and the reference length index 11. An image acquisition region 14 represented by a two-dot chain line is imaged through a lens unit 13 provided toward the plant 3 to acquire image information 15. In the present embodiment, the image acquisition region 14 ranges from the top 7 of the observation target plant 3 to the base mark 8 and the top 7 is set as a measurement target.

  FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of technical means constituting the present invention. The camera unit 12 includes an image information transmission unit 16 inside, and can transmit the acquired image information 15 to an information processing unit 17 installed at a location separated from the camera unit 12. The information processing unit 17 receives the image information 15 transmitted from the camera unit 12 via the image information receiving unit 18 provided therein, and temporarily stores it in the information storage unit 19. The image information 15 stored in the information storage unit 19 is displayed on the display screen 20 as necessary, and the calculation unit 21 acquires necessary information based on the information recognized from the image information 15. Information acquired by the calculation unit 21 is temporarily stored in the information storage unit 19.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of technical means according to the present invention. When the crop growth management system 1 according to the present invention is started by activating a start button provided in the information processing unit 17 (step S1), the camera unit 12 captures the image acquisition area 14 and stores image information 15 therein. Acquiring (step S2), the image information 15 is transmitted to the information processing unit 17 by the image information transmitting means 16 (step S3).

  Next, the information processing unit 17 receives the image information 15 via the image information receiving unit 18 and stores the image information 15 in the information storage unit 19 (step S4), and displays the received image information 15 on the display screen 20. (Step S5). The information processing unit 17 recognizes the base point symbol 10 added to the base point mark 7 included in the image information 15 by the base point recognition means 22 (step S6).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the information storage unit 19 is provided with a symbol storage area 23, and the shape information 10 a of the base point symbol 10 is stored in the symbol storage area 23 in advance. In step S6, the calculation unit 21 obtains the shape information 10a of the base point symbol 10 from the symbol storage area 23 and compares the shape information 10a of the base point symbol 10 captured in the image information 15 to determine a shape match. The base point recognition means 22 is made to function and the base point symbol 10 is recognized. In this case, it is preferable that the determination of the shape coincidence is performed while the shape information 10 a of the base point symbol 10 superimposed on the image information 15 is scanned over the entire range of the image information 15.

  Further, the information processing unit 17 recognizes the shoot apex portion 7 included in the image information 15 by the measurement target recognition unit 24 (step S7).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, a target storage area 25 is provided in the information storage unit 19, and shape information 7 a of the shoot apex 7 is stored in advance in the target storage area 25. In step S <b> 7, the calculation unit 21 acquires the shape information 7 a of the shoot apex 7 from the target storage area 25, and compares the shape information of the shoot apex 7 captured in the image information 15 to determine the shape match. The measurement target recognition unit 24 is caused to function. In this case, it is preferable that the determination of the shape coincidence is performed while scanning the entire range of the image information 15 with the shape information 7 a of the shoot apex 7 superimposed on the image information 15.

  The growth length acquisition unit 26 acquires the growth length L1 from the base point symbol 10 to the shoot apex 7 after the information processing unit 17 recognizes the base point symbol 10 and the shoot apex 7.

  The growth length L1 is preferably acquired in pixel units to determine whether the target center point 28 of the shoot apex 7 is about a distance from the origin 27 with the intersection of the x-type symbol being the base point symbol 10 as the origin 27. . Here, the pixel means a pixel, and indicates a minimum unit drawing point constituting the image information 15. The information processing unit 17 stores the acquired growth length L1 in the growth length storage area 30 provided in the information storage unit 19 by the growth length storage unit 29 (step S8).

  Note that the target center point 28 of the shoot apex portion 7 can be a pixel corresponding to the center in the area recognized as the shoot apex portion 7. In the present embodiment, the target center point 28 coincides with the shoot apex portion 7.

  Further, the information processing section 17 recognizes the reference length index 11 formed continuously from the base point mark 8 from the image information 15 by the length index recognition means 31.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 5, the information storage unit 19 is provided with a length index storage area 32, and the shape information 11 a of the reference length index 11 is stored in the length index storage area 32 in advance. . The calculation unit 21 obtains the shape information 11a of the reference length index 11 from the length index storage area 32 and compares the shape with the reference length index 11 captured in the image information 15 to determine a shape match. As a result, the length indicator recognizing means 31 is caused to function (step S9). In this case, the determination of the coincidence of the shape is preferably performed while the shape information 11a of the reference length index 11 superimposed on the image information 15 is scanned over the entire range of the image information 15. In order to shorten the processing time of the length index recognizing means 31, it is more preferable to perform a shape matching determination by scanning the recognized base point symbol 10 sideways.

  The reference length acquisition unit 33 acquires the reference length L0 after the information processing unit 17 recognizes the reference length index 11.

  The reference length L0 is acquired by setting the two arrows 11b and 11c at the two arrows constituting the reference length index 11 as specific two points 11b and 11c, and how much the specific two points 11b and 11c are separated from each other. Do this by getting the upper length in pixels. The information processing unit 17 stores the acquired reference length L0 in the reference length storage area 35 provided in the information storage unit 19 by the reference length storage unit 34 (step S10).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the unit length storage area 36 of the information storage unit 19 stores a unit length D0 that is the actual length of the reference length index 11. The unit length D0 is preferably stored in a commonly used length unit such as cm or mm.

  In the information processing unit 17, the unit length acquisition unit 37 acquires the unit length D0 from the information storage unit 19 (step S11). Further, the information processing unit 17 uses the standardized growth length acquisition unit 38 to obtain the standardization obtained from the unit length D0, the growth length L1, and the reference length L0 by the equation D1 = (D0 / L0) × L1. The growth length D1 is acquired. The standardized growth length D1 represents the actual length from the base symbol 10 to the shoot apex 7 in a commonly used length unit such as cm or mm, and is used to grasp the state of the observation target plant 3. It can be used as useful information.

  The information processing unit 17 stores the acquired standardized growth length D1 in the standardized growth length storage area 40 provided in the information storage unit 19 by the standardized growth length storage unit 39 (step S12).

  The information processing unit 17 repeats the processing from Step S2 again after a certain time T has elapsed after processing Step S12 (Step S14). At this time, the user of the present invention designates the growth length L11 to L1n, the reference lengths L01 to L0n, and the standardized growth lengths D11 to D1n by designating the number of times n of performing the repetition process in advance. Each can be stored in the growth length storage area 30, the reference length storage area 35, and the standardized growth length storage area 40 provided in the information storage unit 19. For example, when the fixed time T is 24 hours and the number of treatments n is 7, the growth length L1 and the standardized growth length D1 in the process of growing the observation target plant 3 are once a day for one week. Can be obtained automatically. Note that n is an integer of 1 or more.

  In step S13, the information processing unit 17 increments the number of processes by one each time step S12 is processed. If the number of processes is less than the designated number n, the process waits for the elapse of a predetermined time T in step S14. Returning to S2, when the number of processes reaches n, the process is terminated in step S15.

  If the length information from the base point symbol 10 to the shoot apex portion 7 does not need to have a unit such as cm or mm, the standardized growth length D1 does not need to be acquired, so the above step The process of S2 to S12 may be performed in steps S2 to S8, and the repetition process may be performed n times.

  Moreover, when performing the process from step S2 to S12, the order of performing the process of the process group of steps S7 to S8 and the process group of steps S9 to S10 may be interchanged.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the information processing unit 17 is stored by the standardized growth management information acquisition unit 41 before and after a plurality of standardized growth lengths D11 to D1n stored in the information storage unit 19. Two different standardized growth lengths D1m and D1 (m + 1) are selected, and the change ratio obtained from the value obtained by dividing the standardized growth length D1 (m + 1) by the standardized growth length D1m is obtained as standardized growth management information 42. (Step S16). Note that m is an integer of 1 to (n-1).

  By acquiring a plurality of standardized growth management information 42, it is possible to easily grasp the change in the growth rate of the observation target plant 3, so that the environmental conditions in the greenhouse 2 are the quality of the product obtained from the observation target plant 3, etc. It is possible to derive information that is the basis for finding the causal relationship given to the.

  The standardized growth management information 42 is preferably a subtraction value obtained by subtracting the standardized growth length D1m from the standardized growth length D1 (m + 1). In the present embodiment, an example of determination of the growth state of the observation target plant 3 when the standardized growth length D1 is automatically acquired at a rate of once a day and the subtraction value is acquired is shown below.

  In the present embodiment in which the observation target plant 3 is a tomato, it can be determined that the growth of the observation target plant 3 is abnormal when the subtraction value is longer than 50 cm. In this case, lack of sunshine is considered as a probable cause as an environmental condition, and therefore, measures such as increasing the amount of irradiation light in the greenhouse 2 can be taken. On the other hand, when the subtraction value is shorter than 10 cm, it is considered that the temperature in the greenhouse 2 is not appropriate, so that it is possible to take measures such as adjusting the temperature in the greenhouse 2. In addition, when the observation object plant 3 is a tomato, it is desirable that the said subtraction value is about 15 cm.

  Note that the change ratio is obtained from the plurality of growth lengths L11 to L1n stored in the information storage unit 19 as two different growth lengths L1m and L1 ( m + 1) may be selected, and a value obtained from a value obtained by dividing the growth length L1 (m + 1) by the growth length L1m may be acquired as the growth management information 44. Also by acquiring a plurality of growth management information 44, information that is the basis for finding the causal relationship that the environmental conditions in the greenhouse 2 have on the quality of the product obtained from the observation target plant 3 is acquired as described above. Because it can. The acquired standardized growth management information 42 or growth management information 44 is stored in the growth management information storage area 46 provided in the information storage unit 19 by the growth management information storage means 45 (step S17).

  In addition to the above embodiment, the information processing unit 17 acquires the stem recognition means 48 for recognizing the stem 47 of the observation target plant 3 adjacent to the base mark 8 and the recognized stem diameter L2. It is also preferable to have the stalk diameter acquisition means 49.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the stem recognition unit 48 recognizes the base point symbol 10 added to the base point marker 7 by the information processing unit 17 using the base point recognition unit 22 in the same manner as in step S6, and then recognizes the base point symbol recognized. The stem 46 adjacent to the base mark 7 in the direction from the stem 10 to the top of the stem or the root is recognized by a change in brightness or color contrast that occurs at the boundary line between the stem 47 and the background in the image information 15 (step S18).

  The stem diameter acquisition means 49 acquires the length on the image information 15 indicating the distance between the pair of boundary lines 47a and 47b between the recognized stem 47 and its background in units of pixels. The information processing unit 17 stores the acquired stem diameter L2 in the stem diameter storage area 51 provided in the information storage unit 19 by the stem diameter storage means 50 (step S19). Further, the obtained stem diameter L2 may be obtained by obtaining the standardized stem diameter D2 obtained from the unit length D0 and the reference length L0 from the formula D2 = (D0 / L0) × L2. preferable. The standardized stem diameter D2 is expressed in a commonly used length unit such as cm or mm, and is utilized as useful information for grasping the state of the observation target plant 3 together with the standardized growth length L2. Can do.

  Here, a measurement item instruction symbol 52 is added to the base point mark 8, and the information processing unit 17 includes an instruction symbol recognition unit 53 that recognizes the measurement item instruction symbol 52 from the image information 15, and the recognized measurement item instruction. Corresponding to the symbol 52, there is provided a measurement item selection means 54 for selecting either the growth length acquisition means 33 or the stem diameter acquisition means 49. The measurement item indicates either executing the growth length acquisition unit 33 to acquire the growth length L1 or executing the stem part diameter acquisition unit 49 to acquire the stem part diameter L2.

  The measurement item instruction symbol 52 is a combination of one alphabet and one number. When the measurement item instruction symbol 52 is a combination of the characters, for example, the information processing unit 17 recognizes the corresponding measurement item by using the OCR function, so that the corresponding measurement item can be selected and recognized. Further, the shape information 52 a of the measurement item instruction symbol 52 is stored in advance in the instruction symbol storage area 55 provided in the storage device 19, and the measurement information captured by the shape information 52 a and the image information 15 of the measurement item instruction symbol 52 is stored. It recognizes by comparing with the shape of the item instruction symbol 52 and judging shape matching.

  The base point symbol 10 in the base point recognizing means 22, the shoot apex 7 in the measurement target recognizing means 24, the reference length index 11 in the length index recognizing means 31, the stem 47 in the stem recognizing means 48, and the indication symbol recognizing means. The measurement item instruction symbol 52 in 53 is selected by the user with the cursor on the screen for each recognition target in the image information 15 shown on the display screen 20 instead of the above-described recognition processing, or on the screen. The recognition may be completed by touching with a finger.

  It should be noted that a plurality of observation target plants 3 are set in the greenhouse 2, and each observation target plant 3 is provided with a base point mark 8 and a camera unit 12 so that the growth length L1, the standardized growth length D1, the stem diameter L2, and the standardization It is also preferable to acquire the growth management information 42 and the growth management information 44. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the camera units 12 are installed at five locations in the greenhouse 2, the observation target plants 3 and the base point markers 8 are provided for the respective camera units 12, and standardized growth management information for each of the five locations. 42 can be acquired at regular intervals. In this case, this value is cultivated in the greenhouse 2 by obtaining the average value of the remaining three points except for the maximum value and the minimum value of the five standardized growth management information 42 obtained at the same time. It is also possible to optimize environmental conditions as standardized growth management information related to the growth of the entire agricultural product.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in facility horticulture having a cultivation space that is cultivated while managing crops, for example, house cultivation, hydroponics, plant factory, and the like. By controlling environmental conditions such as fertilizer concentration, sunlight, temperature, humidity, saturation in the growing space by information based on the growth length L1 obtained by the present invention, it becomes possible to control the vigor of crops, The yield and quality of deliverables can be improved.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Crop growth observation system 2 Greenhouse 3 Observation target plant 4 Stem 5 Inflorescence 6 Leaf 7 Stem apex 8 Base point mark 9 Attaching part 10 Base point symbol 11 Base point length index 12 Camera part 14 Image acquisition area 15 Image information 16 Image information transmission means DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 17 Information processing part 18 Image information receiving means 19 Information storage part 20 Display screen 22 Base point recognition means 24 Measurement target recognition means 26 Growth length acquisition means 27 Origin 28 Target center point 29 Growth length acquisition means 31 Length index recognition means 33 Reference length acquisition means 37 Unit length acquisition means 38 Standardized growth length acquisition means 41 Standardized growth management information acquisition means 42 Standardized growth management information L0 Reference length L1 Growth length D0 Unit length D1 Standardized growth length

Claims (8)

A growing space where crops are grown,
One observation target plant selected from the crops;
An image acquisition region comprising a measurement target that is one end of a ground component of the observation target plant, and a base point marker attached to the stem of the observation target plant;
A camera unit for imaging the observation target region;
An information processing unit connected to the camera unit and having an information storage unit;
The camera unit includes image information transmitting means for transmitting image information of the captured image acquisition region to the information processing unit,
The information processing unit
Image information receiving means for receiving image information transmitted from the camera unit;
Base point recognition means for recognizing the base point mark from the image information;
Measurement target recognition means for recognizing the measurement target from the image information;
A growth length acquisition means for acquiring a growth length (L1) from the recognized base point marker to the measurement target;
A crop growth observation system comprising growth length storage means for storing the acquired growth length (L1) in the information storage unit. The information processing unit
The said growth length (L1) is acquired for every fixed time, and each growth length (L1) is memorize | stored in an information storage part by the said growth length memory | storage means, The growth of the crop of Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. Observation system. The information processing unit
Two different growth lengths (L1) stored before and after time are selected from a plurality of growth lengths (L1) stored in the information storage unit, and the change value of the growth length (L1) is selected. 3. The crop growth observation system according to claim 2, further comprising growth management information acquisition means for acquiring certain growth management information. A reference length index provided at the same distance as the shooting distance from the camera unit to the base mark,
The information processing unit
A unit length (D0) that is actual length information of the reference length index stored in the information storage unit;
Length index recognition means for recognizing the reference length index from the image information;
A reference length acquisition means for acquiring a reference length (L0) from the recognized length index;
From the growth length (L1), the reference length (L0), and the unit length (D0), a standardized growth length (D1) obtained from an equation represented by D1 = (D0 / L0) × L1 is obtained. A standardized growth length acquisition means,
The crop growth observation system according to claim 1, further comprising a standardized growth length storage unit that stores the acquired standardized growth length (D1) in the information storage unit. The information processing unit
The said standardized growth length (D1) is acquired for every fixed time, and each standardized growth length (D1) is memorize | stored in an information storage part by the said standardized growth length memory | storage means. A crop growth observation system. The information processing unit
Two different standardized growth lengths (D1) stored before and after time are selected from the plurality of standardized growth lengths (D1) stored in the information storage unit, and the standardized growth length (D1) is selected. 6. The crop growth observation system according to claim 5, further comprising standardized growth management information acquisition means for acquiring standardized growth management information which is a change value. The crop observation system according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the measurement target is a stem top of the observation target plant. The crop observation system according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the crop is a tomato obtained by hydroponics.

Images